A Real Cowboy Never Says No Page 2

  She was everything he’d imagined, and so much more. She was no longer an inanimate, two-dimensional image who lived only in his mind. She had become a real, live woman.

  Mira was eyeing the crowd with the faintest scowl puckering her lips and lining her forehead, just as he would have expected. She didn’t like this crowd any more than AJ had.

  Chase grinned, relaxing. She was exactly what he’d imagined. “You don’t approve?” he said as he approached her.

  She let out a yelp of surprise and jumped, bolting sideways like a skittish foal. “What?”

  Chase froze, startled by the sound of her voice. It was softer than he’d expected, reminding him of the rolling sound of sunshine across his back on a warm day. Damn, he liked her voice. Why hadn’t AJ ever mentioned it? That wasn’t the kind of thing a guy could overlook.

  She was sitting sideways, her hand gripping the back of the pew, looking at him like he was about to pull out his rifle and aim it at her head.

  He instinctively held up his hand, trying to soothe her. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He swept the hat off his head and bowed slightly. “Chase Stockton. You must be Mira Cabot.”

  “Chase Stockton?” Her frown deepened slightly, and then recognition dawned on her face. “AJ’s best friend from college! Of course.” She stood up immediately, a smile lighting up her features. “I can’t believe I finally get to meet you.”

  He had only a split second to register how pretty her smile was before she threw her arms around him and hugged him.

  For the second time in less than a minute, Chase was startled into immobility. Her body was so warm and soft against him that he forgot to breathe. He had not been expecting her to hug him, and he hadn’t had time to steel himself. He flexed his hands by his sides, not sure how to react. It had been so long since anyone had hugged him, and it was an utterly foreign experience. It was weird as hell, but at the same time, there was something about it that felt incredible, as if the whole world had stopped spinning and settled into this moment.

  When Mira didn’t let go, he tentatively slipped his arms around her, still unsure of proper protocol when being embraced by a woman he’d never met before. As his arms encircled her, however, a deep sense of rightness settled over him. He could feel her ribs protruding from her back, and he instinctively tightened his grip on her, pulling her into the shield of his embrace. In photographs, she’d always been athletic and solid, but now she was thin, thinner than he liked, thinner than he felt she should be.

  She tucked her face in his neck and took a deep breath, and he became aware of the most tempting scent of flowers. It reminded him of a trail ride in the spring, when the wildflowers were beating back the last remnants of a stubborn winter.

  The turbulence that constantly roiled through his body seemed to quiet as he focused on her. He became aware of the desperate nature of her embrace, reminding him that she was attending the funeral of her best friend, and she was no doubt being assaulted by the accompanying grief and loss.

  He bent his head, his cheek brushing against her hair. “You okay?” he asked softly.

  She took another deep breath, and then pulled back. Her blue eyes were full of turbulent emotion. “It’s just that seeing you makes me feel like AJ’s here again.” She brushed an imaginary speck of dust off his shoulder. “You were his best friend, you know. You changed his life forever.”

  He wasn’t used to anyone touching him with that kind of intimacy, especially not a woman. Women never got familiar with him. Ever. He simply didn’t allow it. But with her, it felt okay. Good even. He shrugged, feeling completely out of his depth with her. “He changed mine,” he said. “He did a hell of a lot more for me than I ever did for him.” AJ had been a lifeline in an ugly existence that had been spiraling straight into hell. He knew exactly where he’d have been without AJ: dead, or in prison. It was a debt he could never repay.

  She nodded, still not stepping away from his embrace. She lightly clasped his forearms, still holding onto him. “He was like that, wasn’t he?”

  “Yeah, he was.” Unable to make himself release her, Chase studied her face, memorizing the curve of her nose, the flush of her cheeks, and the slope of her jaw. “You were his rock, you know. The only person in this world he truly trusted.”

  And that was it, the reason why he’d wanted to meet her. He was bitter, tired, and cynical, and he’d needed to see if the Mira Cabot his friend had always talked about actually existed. He needed to know whether there was someone in this world, anyone besides his brothers, who a man could actually believe in. Hearing that AJ had died had derailed Chase more than he’d expected, and he’d needed something to hold onto, something that connected him back to AJ and the hope that something good still existed in this world.

  Her cheeks flushed, and she smiled. “Thanks for telling me that. We didn’t keep in touch much over the last few years, but he’s always been in my heart.”

  He stared at her, uncertain how to respond. Who talked about things in their heart? And with strangers? But he knew the answer to that. Mira did, and that was why he’d wanted to meet her.

  She finally pulled back, and he reluctantly released her, his hands sliding over her hips. She moved further into the pew and eased onto the bench. “Sit with me,” she said, patting the seat beside her.

  “Yeah, okay.” Instead of taking the aisle seat, he moved past her and sat on the other side of her, inserting himself between Mira and AJ’s dad. The old man was across the church, but he hadn’t stopped shooting lethal stares in her direction. AJ wasn’t there to protect her, so it was now Chase’s job.

  He draped his arms across the back of the pew, aware that his position put one arm behind Mira’s shoulders. Not touching, but present. A statement.

  He looked across the church at AJ’s dad, and this time, when the man looked over, he noticed Chase sitting beside her. The two men stared at each other for a brief moment, and then Alan looked away.

  Satisfied, Chase shifted his position so he could stretch his legs out, trying to work out the cramps from the long flight. He was glad he’d come. It felt right to be there, and he’d sent the message to AJ’s dad that Mira was under his protection.

  He glanced sideways at her as she fiddled with her small purse. Her hair was tumbling around her face, obscuring his view of her eyes. Frustrated that he couldn’t see her face, he started to move his hand to adjust her hair, and then froze. What the hell was he doing, thinking he could just reach out and touch her like that?

  Swearing, he jerked his gaze away from her, a bead of sweat trickling down his brow as he realized the enormity of what was happening. He was attracted to her. For the last decade, Mira had simply been AJ’s best friend, an angel of sorts who Chase had idealized from a distance, never thinking of Mira as anything more personal than simply a bright light in a shitty world.

  But now?

  He wanted her.

  He wanted to brush her hair back from her face. He wanted to run his fingers over her collarbone. He wanted to feel her body crushed against his again. He wanted to sink his mouth onto hers, and taste her—

  Hell. That spelled trouble, in a major way.

  Suddenly, he couldn’t wait to get on the plane and get out of there, and back to his carefully constructed world.

  He hadn’t come here for a woman. He’d come here for salvation, not to be sucked into the hell that had almost destroyed him once before. Mira Cabot might be the only woman on the planet worth trusting, but that wasn’t reason enough for him to risk all that he’d managed to rebuild.

  Nothing was worth that risk. Nothing.

  ***

  Usually, Mira didn’t mind being alone. She treasured her solitude, and had no problem standing on her own. Coming to the service by herself had been preferable to faking her way with acquaintances who didn’t really care that AJ was dead.

  But with Chase sitting next to her, his broad shoulders taking up half the pew, and his long legs stretched out
to the side, she had to admit, it felt good to be beside him.

  It was almost as if the sheer magnitude of his presence could keep the noise at bay, letting her settle into the shield he gave her, so that she could actually slow her mind long enough to think. His presence made it safe to take the time to feel.

  She stole a glance at him as he watched the gathering congregation. He started to take his cowboy hat off, then he saw AJ’s dad glaring at him. He immediately dropped his hand, leaving the hat in place as he shot a silent, unrelenting stare at AJ’s dad. Her heart softened with the realization that Chase had gone against his instincts and left the hat on in a silent statement of solidarity with AJ, and his enduring battle to survive his controlling, abusive father. The hat would infuriate Alan, and it would make AJ’s presence real at his funeral.

  It was perfect, and she wanted to cheer at Chase’s willingness to stand up for AJ in this church full of Alan’s minions. His white shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, showing a gold chain against his tanned skin. He was rough and untamed, the antithesis of everyone in the church. It was weird to feel so comfortable with a complete stranger, but they weren’t really strangers. AJ had connected them, and she knew that Chase was the only other person in the world that AJ had truly cared about. AJ’s faith in Chase meant she could trust that he was a good guy.

  He bent his head slightly toward her, but didn’t look at her. “Is that Thurston? AJ’s brother?”

  She looked toward the front to where Alan and Thurston were talking with the minister. “Yes. They pulled him out of rehab to attend the service.”

  Chase laughed softly. “Alan must be angry as hell that AJ died before the old man could force him into the family business. Thurston will ruin the company if he ever takes over.”

  “I know.” She shared his amusement. “AJ would appreciate that.”

  Chase glanced over at her, still smiling. Her heart skipped a beat at how handsome he was. She hadn’t noticed a man for a very long time. The last thing she’d have expected was to be attracted to Chase Stockton, but she definitely was. It was a little unnerving, but her reaction also gave her hope that the part of her that was a woman was still alive inside her, and someday, she might even come back to life.

  Chase leaned back against the pew, shifting his legs. The movement made his arm brush against her shoulder, and she stiffened, not sure whether she should pull away. A part of her didn’t want to retreat, but the feel of his shoulder against hers was so distracting she couldn’t focus on anything else. She pretended to cough, and used the movement as a way to reposition herself without making it look like she’d done it on purpose.

  “Well, that’s one thing that AJ can die knowing he did right,” he said, apparently not noticing her strategic shift.

  She raised her eyebrows. “What’s that?”

  “He never had kids that his father could get his claws into. Remember what AJ used to say? He’d never bring a child into this world so that Alan could destroy it. Alan’s stuck without a decent heir, and his business is going to die because of it. Can you imagine if AJ had left behind a kid?” He whistled softly. “His widow would have had no chance of keeping the kid safe from Alan.”

  Mira felt the blood drain from her face, and she instinctively clutched her belly.

  Chase’s eyes sharpened, and his gaze shot to her hand, and then back to her face.

  She froze, her heart pounding, as she frantically tried to think of a casual response.

  Nothing came to her. Her mind was utterly blank.

  “AJ lived in Boston,” Chase said slowly, as if measuring every word. “Not here.”

  She nodded, her mouth bone dry as she forced herself to take her hand off her stomach. “Right.”

  “He never came home to visit,” Chase continued with a casualness she didn’t believe. “He despised everything in this place, except for you.”

  She managed a smile. “Yeah, I know.”

  Silence, but he didn’t take his penetrating gaze off her. “Did you ever go there?” he finally asked. “Visit him in Boston? Recently, perhaps?”

  “No,” she said quickly. “My mom’s been an invalid for the last eight years, as I’m sure you know. I was her caretaker until she died a few weeks ago. I couldn’t ever leave town. She needed constant care.” Her voice broke unexpectedly at the thought of her mother, and she turned away, clenching her hands in her lap. “The service is starting,” she said, her voice snappier than she intended.

  She focused intently on the minister, her lips pressed tightly together as she fought not to cry.

  “Two funerals in a month? I didn’t know your mom had died.” Chase’s voice was soft now, as were his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Mira. I know how much she meant to you.”

  She glared at him. “Don’t be nice, unless you like it when a woman bursts into tears and sobs uncontrollably all over your crisp white shirt,” she hissed.

  His eyes widened in the moderate terror she’d expected, and he closed his mouth, cutting off his next question.

  She folded her arms across her chest, her eyes blurring as she tried to listen to a bunch of strangers talk dispassionately about her best friend, and as she tried not to notice that Chase was intently watching her, and not paying any attention to the service at all.

  Chapter 2

  Chase had absolutely intended to leave town once the church service was over.

  There had been no chance he was going to go to the highbrow after-funeral gala and socialize with the bastards who had driven AJ out of town. No chance. He had no time for people who were superficial, drank too much, and cared about nothing but themselves and their own agendas.

  And yet, there he was, leaning moodily against one of the white pillars, watching Mira circulate through the lavishly decorated ballroom. Her chin was held high, and her curls were bouncing. She was animated and charming in her conversations with people, but he wasn’t buying it.

  Whenever she had a moment to breathe, her shoulders slumped, and her face became lined with exhaustion and grief. She’d kept careful track of Alan, and had made sure not to run into him.

  Chase had been watching the old man as well, and he knew that Alan was not going to let Mira leave without cornering her. He’d been watching her with dangerous hostility all night, a predator stalking his prey, waiting for the chance to isolate her.

  Mira excused herself from her latest conversation, and started working her way toward the restroom. As Chase watched, she put her hand on her stomach.

  That was the twenty-seventh time she’d done it in the last ninety minutes.

  Shit.

  He suddenly realized that Alan was striding across the floor toward her, his face determined. Chase jumped forward, almost sprinting through the crowd to get to Mira before Alan did.

  They arrived at the same moment, but Alan didn’t notice Chase’s approach. He grabbed Mira’s upper arm and jerked her to him. “I know my son came to town for your mother’s funeral, and I know he stayed at your place. Two days later, he changed his will to give all his money to charity.” He jerked her closer, ignoring her yelp of pain. “If I find out that you convinced him to change his will, I promise you will suffer—”

  “Hey.” Chase stepped between them, using his body to force the older man back. “Let go of her.”

  Alan stared at him, and his fingers tightened around Mira’s arm. “Who the hell are you?”

  Chase’s hand balled into a fist instinctively. “Let her go,” he repeated, his voice lethally soft. All the lessons he’d learned about violence from his piece-of-shit dad came rushing back, and his knuckles tingled, anticipating the impact before he even moved to strike.

  The old man glared at him. For a long moment, they simply stared at each other, and then Alan’s eyes widened, apparently seeing in Chase’s eyes exactly the kind of no-good, bastard genes that ran through him.

  With a low swear, Alan released Mira, shoving her back hard enough to make her stumble.

  Chase c
aught her before she could fall, pulling her against him as she rubbed her upper arm. He could feel her trembling against him, and it made more anger roll through him. “Mira Cabot is under my protection,” he said, an unspoken threat lacing his words. “Remember that.”

  Alan gave him a thin smile. “I own this town, cowboy. You remember that.” He shot another vicious glare at Mira, and then spun on his heel. A woman draped in diamonds accosted him, and he graced her with a smile charming enough to win over the most bitter of old women.

  “Bastard,” Chase muttered.

  “Thanks,” Mira said, leaning into him for a brief moment.

  He nodded, not taking his gaze off Alan, daring the old man to come back. “No problem. Glad I was here.”

  “Me, too.” She paused, drawing his attention to her. There were circles beneath her eyes, and she looked exhausted.

  He frowned. “Are you okay?”

  “Fine. I just need to get out of here.” She managed a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Thanks again. It was good to meet you. Have a good flight back to Wyoming.” Dismissing him, Mira ducked past him, no longer heading for the bathroom, but for the exit. She was walking fast, not even noticing the people who tried to engage her in conversation.

  Chase hesitated. He could let her go. He could allow her to walk out the door, and she wouldn’t be his problem. He didn’t trust women. Ever. He couldn’t afford to take on her problems. He had rules that he hadn’t strayed from for fifteen years. He’d made a promise, and he couldn’t risk being derailed from it. Following Mira out that door was the wrong choice on every damn level… except for the fact that she was in trouble, she was AJ’s best friend, and he owed AJ his life.