Chasing Christmas Read online

  He absolutely could not take one more night under the same roof with Jessie and keep his hands and lips to himself. Pushed beyond the ability to think straight or reason, he left his bag on a barstool in the kitchen then went in search of Lucas and Lori to see if one of them could drive him. Lucas preferred not to drive in town, but he had a hand-controlled car that he’d acquired through a special program in Portland. The used car ran well, but most importantly, it gave Lucas a sense of freedom.

  When Chase couldn’t find either of them, he called the hired men. Mike was with Lori helping her with a heifer who was late calving. Lucas had gone with Tim to pick up a load of supplies in Hermiston.

  Chase could have asked Jessie to take him, but that defeated the purpose of trying to get away from her before he did something undeniably stupid.

  He’d just gone back in the house to contemplate his options when Jessie raced down the back stairs with her purse in one hand and her cell phone in the other.

  “Oh, Chase! That was Kaley McGraw. Kenzie went into labor. She and Cort are heading to the hospital to be with Tate and wanted to know if I could watch the kids. I’m going to go over to the Hanging P. Kaley said Gideon is already there with Jacob and Grace. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.” She pecked his cheek on her way past him then rushed out the door.

  Before he could gather his wits enough to respond, she sped down the driveway in her SUV.

  Chase poured himself a glass of iced tea and decided if Jessie was going to be gone all day, there wasn’t any reason for him to rush off. He carried his duffle bag back to his room, finished his tea, and changed into work clothes.

  He made himself a sandwich then went outside to see if Lori needed any help with the heifer.

  When he returned to the house, it was after five, but Jessie hadn’t yet returned home. Concerned, he started to text her to see if everything was going okay then changed his mind and decided to go check in person.

  Stopping just long enough to put on a clean shirt, he went outside and remembered his pickup was in Texas. With limited options, he ended up driving her old SUV. On his way to Cort and Kaley’s ranch, he swung by a pizza place in Hermiston and picked up pizza.

  The smell of it made his stomach rumble with hunger as he drove across the bridge spanning the Columbia River and crossed into Washington. In ten minutes, he pulled up in front of the McGraw home.

  An ugly but friendly mutt wandered out to greet him and woofed once.

  “Hey, Buford. How are you doing, boy?” Chase asked. He pat the dog on the head as he hurried by, balancing two pizza boxes in one hand.

  He hurried up the porch steps and knocked on the door of the ranch house.

  Pounding footsteps echoed toward the door then it opened as giggles spilled around him. He looked down into the mischievous faces of Jacob McGraw and Gideon Morgan.

  “Chase!” the boys yelled in greeting.

  “Hey, guys, can I come in?” he asked, walking inside with Gideon latched onto one leg and Jacob glued to his other side.

  Jacob’s baby sister, Grace, toddled her way toward the door with Jessie right behind her.

  “Hi,” she said, appearing relieved to see another adult. “What brings you to the mad house?”

  “Pizza,” he said, grinning as the boys cheered.

  “We love pizza, Chase,” Jacob exclaimed.

  “Yeah, we love pizza!” Gideon echoed.

  Jessie grabbed Grace before the baby made her way outside and closed the door. “This is perfect. I was debating what I could scrounge up for dinner when you got here. Let’s feed these hungry boys.”

  Chase followed her into the kitchen. He set the pizza on the counter while Jessie asked Jacob and Gideon to wash their hands and faces. The boys thudded down the hall to the bathroom, chattering the whole time.

  “You are a lifesaver, Chase. Thank you for coming over.” Jessie held the baby on one arm and turned on the kitchen faucet. Grace splashed and giggled as Jessie attempted to wash her hands.

  With a tired sigh, she gave up, wiped the moisture from the child’s hands and arms, then set her in her high chair.

  “Eat! Eat, pease!” Grace chanted as Jessie handed Chase plates and poured glasses of milk. She filled a sippy cup for the baby and set it on the tray of her high chair before selecting a small piece of cheese pizza and cutting it into tiny pieces.

  The two boys thudded back into the room and took seats at the table. After Jessie filled glasses with water for her and Chase, she sat down between Grace and Gideon then looked to Chase as he took a seat between Grace and Jacob.

  “Chase, would you give thanks for this meal, please?” she asked and bowed her head. The boys, and even the baby, bowed their heads and quieted.

  Offering a brief but heartfelt prayer, Chase handed the two boys pieces of pizza then slid a piece on Jessie’s plate, recalling that her favorite was Hawaiian.

  She smiled at him then took a bite. He didn’t know how she did it, but she managed to eat while helping Gideon with his food and keeping an eye on Grace as the baby ate her piece and demanded, “Mo, pease! Wan mo!”

  “You’re a bossy little princess, aren’t you, Miss Grace?” Chase asked as Jessie cut another small slice into little pieces.

  Jacob pointed to his sister. “Mama says Grace knows what she wants and won’t take no for an answer. She says she gets that from Dad.”

  Chase raised an eyebrow and smirked at Jessie. She ducked her head and cut another bite of pizza to hide her grin.

  Three hours later, after Chase had helped Jessie get the kids bathed and tucked into beds, he slumped on the couch in exhaustion. He had no idea how draining it could be to keep up with active children.

  Despite the fatigue around her eyes, Jessie picked up toys and straightened the messes the children had made during the day in their rambunctious play.

  He rose to his feet with a weary groan and took a step toward her. The next thing he knew, he was flat on his back on the floor, looking up at her surprised face.

  “Oh, my gosh, Chase! Are you okay?” she asked, leaning over him, holding out a hand to help him up.

  In truth, his shoulder ached and his pride was stung, but he sat up and grinned. “You forget what I do for a living, darlin’.” He reached over and picked up the toy tractor he’d stepped on that caused his loss of balance.

  Although she put a hand over her mouth to hide her giggles, Jessie’s amusement was evident in the way her shoulders shook with laughter. “Oh, how the mighty have fallen,” she quipped, then held back a squeal when he lunged to his feet and wrapped his arms around her, attempting to tickle her. Together, they fell back on the couch, still laughing.

  Slowly, their gazes locked. Chase watched Jessie lick her rosy lips and that single action was his undoing. He didn’t care about what he’d promised himself, what he’d promised her, what he’d promised anyone. All he knew was how much he wanted his wife. Wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anything or anyone in his life.

  “Jessie.” His hand slid along her jaw before he buried his fingers into her silky hair and pulled her down toward him.

  What might have happened next, he could only dream about and speculate. At that moment, Cort and Kaley walked inside, laughing and in good spirits.

  Jessie rolled off him and jumped to her feet so quickly, he thought he might have imagined her pressed against the length of him if his body hadn’t declared otherwise.

  Chase scrambled upright and stood beside Jessie.

  “How’s Kenzie?” Jessie asked.

  “Perfect! She and Tate have a beautiful baby girl,” Cort said with a broad grin.

  “She’s gorgeous,” Kaley said, pulling her phone from her purse and bringing up photos of the newborn. “She weighs seven pounds, four ounces, and is twenty-one inches long.”

  “Oh, she’s lovely,” Jessie said, studying the photo of the baby with a head of brown hair and tiny rosebud lips. “What’s her name?”

  “Marley Caroline Morg
an,” Kaley smiled. “Caroline was Tate’s mother’s name.”

  “That’s so sweet,” Jessie said, handing Kaley’s phone back to her. She glanced at Chase and blushed slightly, then looked back to Cort and Kaley. “The kids are all fed, bathed, and tucked into bed. Unless they are good at pretending, they’ve been asleep at least an hour.”

  “That’s great,” Cort said, smiling at Jessie, and then thumping Chase on the shoulder. “Thank you both for coming over.”

  Chase shrugged. “I just brought dinner and helped wrangle those wild hooligans of yours into bed.”

  “We appreciate it.” Kaley gave Jessie a warm hug and then hugged Chase. “Did I hear you’re leaving tomorrow?”

  Chase nodded. “Yep. In the morning. Not sure when I’ll be home again, but maybe we can all get together for a barbecue when I get back.”

  “That would be great, man,” Cort said, walking them to the door. “Those steaks you grilled the other night were awesome.”

  “Glad you enjoyed them.” Chase shook Cort’s hand. “Thank you for helping Jessie around the place. I really appreciate you being there for her.”

  “Hey, Tate and I know better than most about being on the road all the time. Don’t worry about it,” Cort said, holding the door after Chase opened it and led Jessie outside. “Anytime you need something, Jessie, just holler. We’re always happy to help.”

  “Thank you!” she said, then followed Chase out to where they’d both parked. She opened the door to her old SUV and gave him a long look. “See you at home.”

  “Yep.” Chase climbed in her new SUV, and was halfway home before he realized what she’d done, leaving him the good vehicle to drive. He would have said something to her about it when he walked in the house, but she was nowhere in sight.

  Rather than look for her, he went to his room and headed straight for a cold shower.

  The next morning, he caught Tim before he started the day’s work and asked if he’d give him a ride to the airport.

  “Sure, boss. I’ll just let Lori and Lucas know where I’ll be for the next few hours,” Tim said. “What time do you want to leave?”

  “Fifteen minutes ought to do it.”

  “Okay, Chase. I’ll be ready to go.” Tim wandered off while Chase hurried inside the house. It was so early he didn’t think Jessie would be up, but she was in the kitchen, starting a pot of coffee for him.

  “Don’t bother making anything for me, Jessie. I need to get on the road,” he said, keeping the kitchen island between them. If he moved around it, he wasn’t sure he could ever walk out the door and back to his career.

  That was exactly the reason he had to leave. Right now.

  “Just let me get my purse and I’ll be ready to go.” She gave him a quick glance then started to turn toward the doorway, but he shook his head.

  “No, Jessie. Tim is going to drive me to the airport. It’s better this way.”

  Hurt and disappointment mingled in her expressive eyes, but he forced himself to ignore it and take a step backward. Further away from the temptation she unwittingly provided. “You’ve done a great job with the house. Feel free to do whatever you like with the rest of the rooms — or don’t do anything if you don’t want to. I just want you to enjoy your time here. Not work so hard. Oh, if you don’t already have your passport, please get one. You’ll need it this summer when we go to Canada.”

  She gave him a questioning look, but he didn’t elaborate. Instead, he took another step toward the door. “I really don’t know when I’ll be back, but I’d sure like it if you’d keep calling every Sunday evening. I look forward to our talks all week.”

  Tears glistened in her eyes, but she held them in check. “Okay, Chase. I’d like that, too. Please be safe.”

  “I will, darlin’. You keep everyone here out of trouble. And tell Tinpan to keep you company while I’m gone.”

  She smiled, as he hoped she would, and huffed indignantly. “When are you going to call him Tinsel?”

  “When he stops making me sneeze.” Chase lifted his duffle bag in one hand and opened the mudroom door with the other. “Take care of yourself, Jessie.” He hustled down the steps and started across the yard.

  “I will. You be careful. I don’t want to hear you let some nasty old bull stomp all over you.”

  He glanced over his shoulder, ready to offer a witty remark, but stopped in his tracks. She stood on the back porch with the morning breeze blowing through her hair and fluttering the hem of her cotton shirt. The first streaks of sunrise beamed down on her like a soft spotlight, adding a golden glow to her smooth skin.

  “Oh, to heck with it,” he growled, dropping his bag and taking the porch steps in two long strides. He wrapped his arms around Jessie, lifting her up as he kissed her with more depth, more passion, and more love than he’d ever imagined possible. She tasted sweet with a hint of mint from her toothpaste. Her heady fragrance overwhelmed his already overwrought senses.

  On the verge of carrying her inside the house and forgetting everything but his wife, he took a breath and pulled back. Carefully setting her on her feet, he released her. She reached out to a porch post for support while a confused, dazed look filled her eyes.

  He kissed her nose and grinned. “Be a good girl, Jessica Rose.”

  And with that, he was gone.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “I don’t want to do this,” Jessie said. She and Stacey chatted via a video app while Jessie repacked a travel bag for the tenth time.

  “It’ll be fun. Just let yourself enjoy the opportunity to spend three weeks with that hunky cowboy husband of yours. Most girls would do their darnedest to finagle more time with him, not try to find excuses to hide at home.” Stacey shook her head at Jessie and pointed at the screen. “You are not taking that with you.”

  Jessie glanced down at the worn yet comfy nightshirt with a cartoon character on the front she’d packed. “Why not. It’s not like anyone will see it but me.”

  Exasperated, Stacey sighed. “If you don’t put that down and pack something more suited to a grown woman, so help me, I’ll call Lori and Lucas and have them pack your bag for you. Seriously, girlfriend, you are the only person on this planet who wouldn’t be working her wiles on Chase. With a little effort you could make this temporary marriage a permanent one.”

  Jessie scowled at her friend. “We both know I could ‘work my wiles,’ as you call them, until the cows come home, but it wouldn’t make a difference to Chase. This is just a business arrangement to him. Nothing more.” No matter how much she wanted it to be more, the possibility didn’t exist.

  Chase might tease and flirt. He might kiss her until her knees turned to a substance less stable than gelatin, but he didn’t love her. Moreover, he didn’t want her. Most likely, he felt some sort of obligation to toss a little affection her way to fulfill what he saw as his husbandly duties.

  In the months since she’d married him, they’d become friends and partners of sorts. He asked her opinions on ideas for any number of things, including the ranch. She sought out his thoughts on decisions for her design business and decorating projects for the house.

  But love was a topic both of them avoided.

  Jessie knew her heart would shatter into jagged, raw pieces when the year was up and she had to leave the ranch. She loved living at the Double J, loved Chase’s friends, and found it increasingly difficult to imagine returning to the lonely life she’d led in California. Perhaps she’d look for a place in the Tri-Cities rather than move back to San Diego.

  “If Chase didn’t like you, he wouldn’t have asked you to go on this whirlwind trip.” Stacey appeared smug. “Whether you admit it or not, Chase is taken with you.”

  Jessie held up two sweaters. “Which one?”

  Stacey pointed to a soft pastel southwestern patterned sweater. “That one. The mint green and peach colors look great on you.”

  Jessie set it in the keep pile and continued sorting through her clothing. The day Chase told he
r she needed to pack a carry-on bag with whatever she was going to need for the next three weeks and to be sure she included her passport, she thought he was nuts.

  Ashley’s unexpected announcement that a reporter and photographer from Rodeo At Home would accompany them through the first week made Jessie want to lock herself in her bedroom and refuse to leave.

  Pretending to be a happy newlywed rodeo couple around Chase’s friends and peers was bad enough, but with a reporter and photographer dogging their every step, her stress shot up to an entirely unsettling level.

  “Tell me again what this whole thing is about,” Stacey said as Jessie rolled her jeans into compact little bundles and stuffed them into the bag on her bed.

  “From what Chase mentioned and what I found online, there are about thirty rodeos taking place next week that are on the professional circuit. Chase said that he’ll compete in as many rodeos in the month of July as he has from January to now.”

  “Wow! That’s a lot since he’s been competing in one almost every week.”

  Jessie absently nodded in agreement as she considered which blouses to pack.

  Stacey sighed. “The pink, blue and green in your left hand and the white, blue, and peach in your right hand.”

  “Thanks,” Jessie said, setting the tops that didn’t make the cut aside. “I don’t know how I’m going to do this, Stacey. The only rodeo I’ve been to is the one in Las Vegas. I’m clueless about what a rodeo wife is supposed to know or do.”

  “Cheer for your man and be supportive would probably be at the top of the list,” Stacey suggested.

  “Thanks for that great insight, Stace. I figured out that much by myself.” Jessie stuffed a few extra tops into her bag and added one skirt she could wear with boots. “I just don’t want to be an embarrassment to Chase. He works so hard.”

  Stacey huffed. “Yeah? Well, so do you. I wish you could see yourself as others see you, Jessie. You’re smart, successful, funny, adorably naïve, pretty, and the absolute nicest person I know.”