Wild at Heart (Healing Harts) Read online

  Okay, that was definitely flirting. Closing her eyes, Bailey tried to keep from imagining those hands on her, slick as he rubbed soap over her back. She prayed he didn’t notice the blush creeping up the back of her neck. “If I did, I wouldn’t ask you,” she lied.

  “Your loss. I’ve been told these hands can work magic on kinks, and I imagine you have a few after all that cleaning. Besides, you seem pretty stressed out.” She looked back at him with a glower and Chase laughed, holding his hands aloft. “Go take your shower. I’ll just chill out here while I wait.”

  She spun on her heel, shaking a finger at him. “I said . . . ”

  “And I said, I’ll wait.” His killer smile heated the blood through her veins. “Geez, Bailey, chill out. You act like I’m going to bite you. What gives?”

  “Nothing.” Why was he accusing her of acting out of sorts? This might be how he acted with other women, but not her.

  “What if I promise to help you make dinner?”

  “Why does this even matter to you?” She couldn’t, for the life of her, figure out why he was so adamant about going to Julia’s with her.

  Unless he’s just as interested in you as you are in him. Bailey’s heart pounded against her ribs at the thought.

  “Maybe I just want to make sure you don’t poison me like you threatened.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest, not believing him for a second.

  “Did you even tell Julia you’d invited me?”

  “No, why?”

  “I don’t particularly like the idea of just showing up, unannounced. Especially when I haven’t even talked to her in a while. At least if I show up with you . . . ”

  Bailey felt like he’d just trampled her heart under the heel of his boot. “You’ll feel less like you’re intruding,” she finished for him, trying to keep the hurt out of her voice. The last thing she wanted was for him to figure out she had a thing for him. She’d never live it down.

  “Exactly.” Chase nodded. “It’d be different if you were going to Justin’s.”

  Nothing like that to make her feel used. She glanced at Gracie, lying at his feet as she eyed them, looking from Bailey back to Chase. Julia had helped Chase start Gracie’s search and rescue training. They weren’t exactly strangers.

  “Then ride over with Jessie.”

  She spun and headed into the house and heard his laughter. “You are the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met, Bailey Hart.”

  “You should probably get out and meet more women then,” she muttered, letting the screen door slam shut behind her.

  JESSIE LAUGHED QUIETLY as she turned the newest mare on the property into the corral and walked toward Chase at the foot of her porch, shaking her head in disbelief. “You’re kinda pathetic, Chase. And here I’d heard you were a ladies’ man. Why don’t you just ask her out already? Want me to talk to her?”

  “Hardly. The last thing I need is your brother breathing down my neck.”

  He cocked his head and looked down at Jessie. Bailey was a lot like her, probably due in large part to the amount of time Bailey had spent with her on the ranch while her father worked long hours. She’d practically been raised by her aunt and uncle after her mother skipped town when Bailey was just a kid.

  “What is it with you guys and Justin? Nathan was the same way. You’re all far too worried about his opinion. Or maybe it’s that mean right hook he’s got,” Jessie muttered as she shook her head and climbed the stairs for the porch. She dropped into one of the chairs as Chase followed her, taking the seat across from her. “You know she and Justin are the only two who haven’t figured it out, right, Chase? It’s been over a year since you came back. I’m pretty sure Justin would manage to get over it. Look at him and Nathan.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve known Justin long enough to know that there’s a big difference between what he says and what he really thinks. Nathan’s forgiven as long as the two of you are happy. If he messes up, that right hook will appear again.”

  “It would not,” she argued.

  “Either way, I have no interest in finding out.”

  Not to mention, Justin was the only one who knew about the night he’d sunk into a pit of guilt so deep he’d barely found his way out. Some nights, it was still difficult to climb out. The fact that he’d been the cause of his friend’s death, the reason Rachel was a widow and his godson was without a father, was enough guilt. He didn’t need to betray the only other man who was like a brother to him. He rubbed a frustrated hand over his short hair. “Bailey and I joke around; we flirt, but that’s all there is to it.”

  “Sure it is. I guess we Harts aren’t the only pigheaded ones around here. You might want to take a look in the mirror when you’re around her sometime. What I see doesn’t look like joking around but, hey, what do I know?” She rose and looked down at him. “Are you going to Julia’s?”

  “I’d planned to.”

  “In your uniform?”

  Chase looked down at the khaki and brown uniform. “I didn’t really think it about it.”

  “Why don’t you take a shower in my guest bathroom? You’re about the same size as Nathan, and he won’t even miss a shirt and jeans. I swear that man is more of a clothes whore than I am.” She laughed quietly.

  Chase could see the love for her new husband shining in Jessie’s eyes. It was nice to see someone as tough as Jessie fall in love so deeply. It gave him hope that, someday, the right man would be able to break past the façade Bailey erected as well. Bailey was going to give some lucky guy one exciting run for his money. It was just too bad that circumstances made it impossible for him to be that man.

  As if his thoughts conjured her, the angelic vision came through the doorway and stopped at the top of the stairs when she saw the two of them seated on the porch. The ends of her honey-colored hair were still damp, leaving wet circles on the shoulders of her black T-shirt. She’d put on dark makeup, making her eyes look large and luminescent, but the rest of her face was dewy with only a hint of gloss on her lips.

  “What are you still doing here?” She sounded surprised that he’d actually waited around.

  “I told you I was going to follow you.”

  “Like hell!”

  “Bailey!” Jessie scolded. Bailey drew her lower lip between her teeth and Chase almost groaned aloud, wishing he could taste that delectable bit of flesh for himself.

  “Look, I don’t have time for whatever game it is you’re playing, Chase. I . . . ” A wicked smile spread over her lips slowly. “I told you, I’m taking my bike to Julia’s. If you want to keep up with me, you’re going to have to ride on the back of it.” She hurried down the steps toward the motorcycle.

  He could see that she thought she’d beaten him, that he wouldn’t do it. He rose from the chair and leaned over the porch railing. “You have an extra helmet?”

  “Nope. You’ll just have to trust me, I guess.” She reached for her helmet.

  “But you’re wearing one?” She shrugged. “What about Gracie?”

  Bailey arched a saucy brow at him. “Aw, I guess you’ll just have to stay here with your girlfriend.” She glanced down at the shepherd seated at his feet.

  “Go ahead,” Jessie encouraged quietly from beside him. “I’ll bring Gracie with me in a bit. Show Bailey who has the bigger balls. Hang on a sec,” she called to her cousin as she ran into the house. “Here.”

  She balled a T-shirt and tossed it to Chase. “Take that to change into.”

  As much as he wouldn’t mind comparing balls with Bailey, he knew this was a bad idea. Sitting on the back of the motorcycle with his arms around her was dangerous. But if he didn’t go now, Jessie would assume her suspicions were right on the money. He was caught between two Hart women, unsure which decision would be the death of him: Jessie and her assumptions or Bailey and the curves that would drive him mad.

  “Okay, Bailey, I’ll call your bluff.” Chase walked to his truck and set his gun belt on the seat before stripping off his unif
orm shirt and undershirt. He caught a glimpse of Bailey’s reflection in the side mirror and saw her blue eyes shimmer as she watched him. Answering need swelled in him and he quickly tugged Nathan’s clean T-shirt over his head. He undid the top button before slipping his off-duty weapon back on and walking toward Bailey.

  She watched his every move, her eyes never moving from him, even when the tip of her tongue darted out to moisten her lower lip. He almost gave in to the hunger he could read there and felt the tug of primal satisfaction that he affected her the same way she did him. He wanted to take a chance and talk to Justin about just asking Bailey out and seeing where it led. To say Screw it and go with his instincts.

  But the last time he’d trusted his instincts was the night Lance was killed.

  Bailey turned, facing forward, her back stiff as Chase swung his leg over the back of the bike and slid close, his thighs cradled under hers, pressing his chest against her back. He let his hands span her waist, his fingertips caressing her rib cage, and heard her suck in a quick breath as she tensed against him.

  He leaned forward, his lips grazing over the outer shell of her ear. “This is a lot of power you’ve got between your legs. Are you sure you can handle it? I’m a lot of added weight.”

  With his chest pressing against her back, Chase felt her short, choppy breaths. Although he couldn’t see more than a portion of her profile, he could see her flushed cheeks and the bright sheen to her eyes. She wasn’t as nonchalant as she wanted him to believe. He, on the other hand, was on fire. He wasn’t even going to pretend differently.

  She scooted up a bit on the bike, separating their bodies by mere inches, and slapped her helmet on, blocking his view of her face. She reached for his right hand on her ribs and tightened his hold, looking back over her shoulder at him. He caught a glimpse of that dazzling smile gracing her lips.

  “Hold on tight, Deputy. You’re about to find out just what I can do with all this power.” She rocked her body into even more intimate contact with the front of him as she shifted into gear and popped the clutch. Chase fought back a groan, certain she was doing this on purpose. And, right now, he wasn’t about to complain.

  Chapter Four

  AS THEY APPROACHED Julia’s sprawling ranch house, Bailey slowed the bike and Chase fought back a wave of disappointment. Once they arrived, he’d have to slip back into character, go back to pretending he wanted nothing more than the easy bantering they’d exchanged as long as he could remember. He’d have to ignore the fact that the sweet, fruity scent of her hair surrounded him, or that his fingertips were millimeters from the curve of her breasts and that he felt like he was about to explode from having her practically seated in his lap.

  Bailey braked and dropped one foot to the ground, raising her arms to take her helmet off. Chase let his hands fall to his hips, away from temptation that might just be the death of him, to casually cover the evidence of his arousal.

  Bailey glanced back over her shoulder at him. “Are we going to sit here all day or can you just not bear the thought of letting me go?”

  She was being a smart-ass, but she came closer to the truth than Chase wanted to admit and he inhaled deeply as the scent of her filled his nostrils. It was pure torture, insane and ravenous, and he had no idea why he was putting himself through this. There were at least three other women who’d been vying for his attention, none of whom was off-limits, yet here he was, with his hands itching to slide under the hem of her T-shirt to her lower back, nearly desperate to touch her. He needed to get his head on straight and move past this ridiculous infatuation he’d had with Bailey for too many years, especially since he had no intention of ever acting on any of his desires.

  What he really needed was to get, and stay, as far from Bailey as possible. With that thought at the forefront of his mind, Chase rolled his hips, swinging his leg over the back of the bike, putting as much distance between them as he could without looking rude.

  He held out a hand to help her but she just arched a brow, looked at his hand, and gave a short laugh. “Like I’ve ever needed your help, Chase.” Ignoring him, Bailey climbed off, dropping her helmet onto the padded seat. “Since when do you bother to act like a gentleman with me?”

  “I guess I mistook you for a—” Chase felt the short hairs on the back of his neck raise and, in an instant, he was on alert. Eyeing the front of Julia’s house, he didn’t see anything amiss but that didn’t stop the feeling that was growing more insistent by the moment. He scanned the woods behind the house. It was quiet, too quiet. The dogs in the kennel usually made a ruckus with every arrival, and Julia’s enormous Great Dane would greet each visitor.

  Where is Tango?

  They’d already been here almost five minutes and Chase hadn’t even seen as much as a curtain rustle from inside the house. His hand slid to the holster of his pistol. “Stay here.”

  “What?” Bailey was fiddling with her bike and wasn’t paying attention to him. “You can’t order me around like I’m one of your—”

  As the tension built within him, he didn’t bother to temper his tone. “I said, stay here, Bailey. No arguments.” He eyed her, praying she was actually going to listen to him. “Get your phone out in case I need you to call for backup.”

  Chase edged closer to the front of the house. He’d seen Dylan while they’d both been tending to a minor-injury accident on a call last week, so he knew Julia didn’t have any clients scheduled until she became settled in her motherhood role a bit. But this stillness was eerie, especially since Julia’s place was always a den of activity with the dogs. His mind raced through several scenarios, none of which he’d want Bailey to witness. Julia’s ex, the man who’d nearly killed her twice, was still in prison, but with her house set off the main highway, intruders were always possible. Although he didn’t expect anyone to get past Tango. That dog had already proved how protective he could be of his mistress.

  Twisting the knob, Chase slid through the front door and pressed himself against the wall in the hall. A high-pitched whine immediately sounded and Tango’s nails clicked against the hardwood floors as he ran down the hallway, burying his nose into Chase’s waist.

  “Julia?” Chase called out.

  There was no answer, and Tango trotted back down the hall toward the back bedroom. Before Chase could follow him, Bailey pushed past him and ran after the dog. “Jules, are you back there?”

  “Bailey,” he whispered, reaching out for her wrist but missing as she hurried past him. He jumped forward, grasping for the only thing he could reach, his fingers closing on the back of her T-shirt and jerking her backward into his chest. “Stop,” he hissed into her ear, winding his arm around her waist and holding her to him. “You don’t know who or what is back there.”

  His voice was a stern whisper, but his anxiety was on high alert. By ignoring his order to stay outside, she’d just put all of them in jeopardy until he knew what he was up against. Tango whined again from the back room and gave a sharp bark.

  “Tango isn’t going to let anyone inside, which means Julia is back there, two weeks past her due date, and not answering.” She twisted and wiggled away from his hold. “Now let go of me.”

  Bailey shoved against his chest and hurried to the bedroom with him close on her heels. She’d barely made it through the doorway when she threw herself at the floor, crawling the last few feet to her cousin, unconscious on the floor, her cell phone just out of reach as if it had slipped from her hand when she fell. Tango lay on the floor with his face tucked into Julia’s neck, nudging her gently. While there was no blood or sign of struggle in the room, or the rest of the house, Chase couldn’t help but listen for any sounds of intruders. Only their harsh breaths could be heard in the silence.

  Bailey knelt at Julia’s side and reached for her arm, shaking her slightly.

  “Wait.” Chase moved forward and reached two fingers to Julia’s throat. Her pulse was strong but erratic. Now he wished he’d driven his truck over, or brought his cruiser a
fter all. “Call 911. Shari is on duty today. Tell her we’re en route to the hospital.”

  Running his hands over Julia’s limbs, he searched for any broken bones, pausing when she let out a low moan of pain. “Julia? Can you open your eyes?” Her eyelids fluttered but she couldn’t quite manage the task. “Can you talk? Do you remember what happened?”

  “The baby.” Her words were barely a strangled whisper of sound. “Something . . . wrong.” She grimaced in pain and reached her hands for her protruding stomach.

  Chase looked to Bailey, her face ashen with worry, her eyes shimmering with tears of fear. “We need to get her to the hospital. Where are her car keys?”

  “She usually keeps them in the kitchen.”

  “Go get them and leave me the phone. I’ll meet you at the car.”

  “Chase?” Bailey’s question held every ounce of fear reflected in her eyes, but Chase couldn’t take the time to reassure her right now, no matter how much he wanted to.

  “Get the keys and start the car, Bailey,” he ordered, not wasting any time explaining before he called the emergency number, warning his dispatch that they would be en route to the hospital. The dispatch alerted the ER of their impending arrival as he slid his arms under Julia, once again unconscious. Lifting her, he was careful to remain steady. The last thing he needed was to fall with her. As if he understood Chase’s thoughts, Tango gave a warning growl quietly in the back of his throat. “Easy, boy. I’m just helping her. You stay here and watch the house.”

  Chase hoped Julia had trained Tango the same way she had Gracie. “Guard.” Relief slid through him as Tango moved to sit at the doorway, alert. “Good boy.” He fumbled with the door until he could get it open. Bailey was on the porch, waiting for him, and hurried forward to shut the door behind him.