Page 44 of Chance

She shoved him in the shoulder. “Don’t use my words against me.”

He laughed and pulled her back to him, smothering her with kisses.

She pulled back. “Let’s go for a ride.”

“Are you sure you’re feeling up to it?”

With a little sass in her step, she headed toward the horse stalls. “Are you worried you won’t be able to keep up?”

Chapter 33

Even though Kelly had been cavalier in insisting that they ride, Chance wouldn’t let them go fast. “We won’t go if you’re going to be reckless,” he threatened her.

Kelly swung onto the horse and winced. “Okay, Dad. We’ll go slow.”

He gave her a stern look.

“I mean it. I haven’t ridden since the last time I was home and Grandma and Grandpa were here.” She sighed. “I miss them so much and I regret selling the ranch.”

He mounted his own horse, and then they were trotting down the trail that led to the south side of the ranch. There weren’t any mountains to climb, and it wasn’t by the river. It was just smooth riding ground. They had done this ride all the time when they were kids, going back and forth from her property to his.

They rode for about twenty minutes, and Chance wrestled with his emotions. He wanted her to be his wife. Every fiber of his being knew that. And boy, was she giving him the impression that she wanted that too. Yet he worried that with losing the baby and recovering from her physical injuries, she wouldn’t feel the same way later. Did she really want to stay?

“Those gears in your head look like they’re grinding,” she said, glancing at him.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

He grinned back at her. “What did you used to tell me? Your thoughts cost more money than a penny?”

She let out a light laugh. “I did say that to you. On prom night, before you kissed me, you offered to give me five dollars for what I was thinking. Which was pretty good money back then, considering we didn’t have much.”

Every part of Chance wanted to beg this woman to marry him right now. “I want you in my life, Kelly. But I don’t know if you’ll feel the same way in a couple weeks. You might want to head back to South Port and settle there. I guess I could schedule time to see you every now and then, but I don’t know.”

“I don’t think a sheriff can be gone from his town so long.”

His heart thumped, and he didn’t know what to say.

She sighed. “I might not want to leave Wyoming again either. I was actually thinking I might call Matt and tell him to stop work on the shop. With the proceeds from my grandmother, I could just pay off the lease if I have to. Or maybe I could talk to whoever owns it and ask them if I can get out of it. The thing that might be hard to get out of is the cottage on the beach, but maybe we could go back and forth over the course of the year and spend time there together.”

Was she saying what he thought she was saying?

“I want to be with you, Chance,” she said. “However that looks, I want us together if you do.”

Later that night, they got back from the ride and put the horses away. Then Chance made them supper and they cleaned up.

Afterward, he found her sitting on one of the lounge chairs on the back porch. He dragged another chair to sit closer to her and took her hand. “I’ve been thinking about what you said about your cottage and the next year. I just have to say something, and if you don’t want to hear it, tell me. But I think you might.”

“Are you trying to freak me out? I’m feeling freaked out.”

He slid off the chair and got down on one knee. “Kelly, will you marry me?” His heart raced, and he wondered if any man had ever experienced more fear than this.

Tears pooled in her eyes, and she carefully stood, wincing a bit at the pain in her ribs.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” he said. “You don’t have to stand to answer the question.”

She reached down and put her hands on his cheeks, then leaned in and gently pressed her lips against his. When she pulled back, her smile was blinding. “Yes. I’ll marry you.”

Chapter 34

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