Wild at Heart (Healing Harts) Read online

  Bailey wasn’t sure how to explain it and shrugged. “One minute he’s in the military, then he’s a cop in Oakland, now he’s back here. He needs to take some time and figure out what he wants to do, then do it for more than a couple years.”

  Dylan frowned at her. “That’s hardly fair, Bailey. Chase isn’t perfect, but he’s a good guy and he’s always been right there to help Julia or me. Or you for that matter.”

  “Yeah, like the speeding ticket he gave me,” she grumbled under her breath.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. I’m just saying that there’s more to life than being stuck in this small town, waiting for its local hero to decide if I might be the next woman worth his time. I’ll make my own destiny, thank you. Even if that means being alone.”

  Dylan gave her a dubious glance but focused on the road. She was grateful he didn’t pursue the conversation. She’d almost confessed her plans to him but she couldn’t stop the niggling doubts that crept into her mind about what was going on in LA without her. JD hadn’t returned her calls the past few days. Regardless of what might be happening with her music career, she needed to tell her cousins she was leaving before she told someone else. Now, if only she could get them all together, in one place at the same time, to break the news.

  IT HAD BEEN a nice break watching Julia’s dogs the past few days rather than working with Justin at the clinic. Bailey was sliding the last bowl of food into the dog run when she heard the distinct sound of tires crunching on the gravel driveway. Dylan had called a few minutes ago to let her know they were leaving the hospital, but she couldn’t imagine that he could make the trip with a newborn and a wife recovering from a C-section that quickly. She cleaned up the cans in the small kitchenette and wiped her hands on a towel before wandering out toward the front of the yard.

  Her heart did a backflip at the same time her stomach rolled when she saw the blue pickup pull to a stop. It had been three days since she’d seen Chase. Three days since the kiss that had curled her toes in her boots and made the marrow of her bones melt. She’d barely thought of anything else for the past seventy-two hours and cursed herself for her immaturity. What was next? Practicing what it would look like to pair her name with his? She wasn’t in high school anymore. It was time to let the family know her intentions. That included letting go of crushes on guys who barely noticed her except as a joke.

  “Hey, Bailey. Are Dylan and Julia here yet?” Chase stepped out of the truck and looked toward the house.

  “They’re on their way.” She watched appreciatively as the muscles under his uniform shirt moved fluidly when he opened the passenger door and let Gracie jump to the ground. She swallowed the lump that was lodged in her throat. “Dylan called a bit ago but I guess you can wait, if you want.” She silently prayed that he’d decline the offer, even as she stared at his mouth, wishing for another taste of him.

  “I beat everyone?”

  “What are you talking about?” She shook her head, trying to rid her mind of the images of what his chest looked like without that uniform shirt. It may have been an emotionally exhausting night, but that visual had been burned into her memory the evening they’d found Julia.

  He narrowed his eyes like she’d lost her mind. “Everyone is coming over, right? At least, that’s what Justin told me. He said you were ordering pizza. To welcome home little Emily.”

  Bailey crossed her arms and sighed, glancing toward the driveway again. It was just like Justin to make plans and forget to tell her he’d assigned all the work to her. As a matter of fact, she thought, dragging her cell phone from her back pocket, she was about to beat him at his own game. Bailey dialed a pizza parlor in town and placed an order for six specialty pizzas to be delivered before telling the cashier to bill Justin. She looked up in time to see a conspiratorial grin slipping to Chase’s lips as he leaned back against the passenger door of his truck. Gracie leaned against his leg, and when he squatted down to rub her chin, Bailey felt her stomach do another cartwheel.

  “You’re slightly evil, you know that?”

  “I do.” She couldn’t help the impish smile that matched his own.

  His brows raised in surprise. “You’re proud of it?”

  “I am.” She slid the phone into the back pocket of her jeans as he stood again.

  “Remind me to stay on your good side.” She could see the twinkle in his eye, but she wasn’t sure he was wholly kidding.

  Whether it was the fact that she was irritated with Justin or annoyed with Chase for acting like their kiss never happened, she felt compelled to do something in order to prove she was in charge of something in her life when it felt like everything was out of her control. Bailey moved closer, letting her eyes slide over Chase before lifting them to meet his gaze. She wasn’t going to be another woman to be bossed around, or another meaningless, casual fling for Deputy Casanova. She deserved some sort of explanation for why he’d kissed her. Maybe she should just give him a taste of his own medicine as well.

  Bailey added a little sway to her hips until she stood in front of Chase, her fingers climbing the buttons on the front of his shirt. “Haven’t you heard, Chase? I don’t have a good side. I’m the bad Hart, the one who causes trouble. There’s a reason they call me Wild Hart, you know.”

  She saw the flicker of apprehension in his eyes before they clouded and he grasped her shoulders, setting her back a few steps, putting space between them. “That’s not who you are.”

  Her heart nearly soared with his pronouncement, until she realized he was simply saying it to push her away. Bailey jerked her hands from his, ready for a fight. “How would you know? You have no idea what’s been going on around here while you were gone. For all you know—”

  Chase laughed. “I know you, Bailey. I’ve always known you. Even when we were kids and you followed me around because you had a crush on me. You couldn’t hide the real you from me then, and you can’t now either.”

  He’d known? All this time? Why hadn’t he ever said anything?

  Embarrassment flooded her, heating her face and making her want to run away. But it was too late. She’d opened up this dangerous can of worms, and now she was going to have to face the truth. He knew about her feelings for him and was just toying with her.

  She had to do something to save face, at least until she left town. “Screw you, Chase. You don’t know me even half as well as you think you do.”

  “No?”

  “You think you can just waltz back into town after being gone for years and everything—everyone—has stayed the same. This town hasn’t been just sitting here waiting for you to return.” She brushed past him and headed for the front door of the house.

  “Wait a second. Where do you think you’re going?” She heard Chase follow her into the house, his footsteps picking up speed as he caught up to her at the sliding door at the back of the house.

  Bailey looked over her shoulder at him. “I’m not the same teenage girl you remember. You’ve been back in town long enough to have heard the rumors about me.”

  “Which rumors?” He crossed his arms and arched a brow, daring her to acknowledge the things she’d heard people say about her. “The thing about rumors is that they’re usually gross overexaggerations, Bailey. You can’t believe everything you hear.”

  She wasn’t sure if he was talking about her or himself, but she wasn’t about to ask. She didn’t want to know what he thought about the tales of the pool games she’d hustled, or the men she’d been able to drink under the table. She didn’t want to hear him laugh about the way she’d had a few too many and been dared to perform on the bar in a Coyote Ugly imitation.

  His laughter was a low rumble in his chest, mocking her. “Sorry, Bailey, but to me, you’ll always be that kid who tried to ruin my date by stealing my clothes while I was skinny-dipping.”

  Kid? He hadn’t treated her like a kid last night when his lips were locked with hers in the hospital. I’ll show you a kid.

  Bailey kicked
her boots off as she made her way toward the pool, grateful her cousin had paid extra to keep it heated for her clients. She popped the buckle on her belt and slid her jeans down her thighs.

  “What the hell are you doing?” She heard the husky rasp of his voice but didn’t bother to glance back at him. “Bailey?” he continued when she ignored him.

  She kicked her jeans to one side and slipped her socks off, tossing them onto the pile of denim. “What do you care?” She reached for the hem of her T-shirt and glanced back at him over her shoulder. “Just doing kid things.”

  Bailey didn’t wait for his response. She pulled her shirt over her head and threw it onto the pile before diving into the pool.

  Chapter Six

  CHASE KNEW HE should have stayed away. When Justin called and invited him, he’d actually said no until his friend had asked one too many questions about it. But after arriving, it hadn’t taken more than a few minutes near Bailey and he’d already wanted to give in to the temptation she proved to be. Temptation didn’t begin to describe her. He needed her the way he needed oxygen and water to survive. She made him feel alive when so much of the rest of his life made him want to fade into oblivion. Gracie helped, even though that hadn’t been his original intention in getting her, but even she paled next to Bailey.

  When she stripped off her clothes, his lungs had stopped working. As she dove into the water, just a hint of perfect cheek peeking from under her black lace underwear, he felt the blood rush from his head to center just below the massive belt buckle that, thankfully, hid his erection.

  Wild Hart.

  She’d earned the nickname because, unlike the rest of the family, she seemed inclined to buck every traditional convention of their small town. She was determined to make a name for herself, apart from her family’s reputation. Due to one wild stunt after another, hers was always a name on the lips of those biddies prone to gossip. It wasn’t that she’d done anything particularly crazy, but more that she wouldn’t, or couldn’t, conform to the expectations of small-minded people bored with their own lives. People like Kristen and her friends. There was nothing about Bailey that fit the status quo of their small town but, instead of trying to fit in, she seemed to flaunt the differences with relish, thinking that no one but her family saw the real Bailey she worked so hard to hide.

  Chase could see through her rebellion, as did most of the town. His own father had scolded him for giving her the speeding ticket, telling him to “leave the poor girl alone.” He knew this act was nothing more than a way to establish her identity and maintain her individuality from her family and their reputation. He’d tried to do the same, wanting to rid himself of his father’s shadow, but that had only led him to a crime-ridden city and the death of a man he’d considered a brother. He wished he could make Bailey see how special she was all on her own, without the shadow of her mother, without her family name or the crazy antics she’d become known for. She didn’t have to hide from who she was when so many people loved that woman.

  She splashed to the surface, coming up from the water like a nymph intent on stealing his soul. Her hair was slicked back from her face, making her eyes look large and luminous. “You going to stand there all day with your mouth hanging open?”

  Chase hadn’t realized he was still standing, watching her intently, with his mouth agape. He closed his mouth with a snap and shook his head. He had to do something to cover his attraction to her. That was one mistake he couldn’t afford to make. Doing that would open a Pandora’s box of trouble this town wasn’t ready to handle. They’d only just come off of the media frenzy caused when Alyssa Cole, Hollywood starlet, had run away from her abusive ex-husband and fallen in love with Justin. The Harts didn’t need any more gossip about them.

  “Maybe I should take your clothes the way you did mine.”

  “Touch them and die,” she warned.

  Chase chuckled at the teasing note in her voice. “No wonder Justin’s starting to go gray. You’re going to be the death of him.”

  She frowned. “I’m not Justin’s responsibility.”

  Chase laughed. “Somebody better tell him that because he must not have gotten that memo. He’s got every man in town from sixteen to sixty alerted to keep their hands off you.”

  “Including you?” She swam to the steps and stood, water sluicing over her shoulders as the early evening sunlight caught it, making her skin shimmer like golden satin. She mounted the first step and he fought to keep his eyes trained above her breasts. “Because you sort of failed at that the other night.”

  She continued until she was out of the pool, and Chase gave up the fight as the water coursed over the peaks of her breasts, barely concealed through the lace, and down the slight curve of her belly and thighs until it pooled at her feet. His mouth dried up, making it impossible for him to speak. She was perfection. He clenched his fists at his sides in order to keep from reaching for her. Bailey laughed as she twisted her hair to one side, wringing the water from it, and reached for a towel hanging on the back of a chaise lounge nearby.

  “What’s the matter, Chase?” she asked, taking a step closer. “Cat got your tongue?”

  He could easily read the wicked gleam in her eyes. Did she have any idea the kind of fire she was toying with? She wound the towel around her, tucking the corner in between her breasts, covering her body, and Chase breathed a sigh of relief mixed with frustration. He wanted to look at her, to touch her, to let his hands explore every curve and crevice of her body. But he also wanted to run the other direction.

  She arched a brow as she moved closer, stopping only a breath away from him as the towel pressed against the soft cotton of his T-shirt and her hands splayed over his chest. “In case you haven’t noticed, Deputy, not much around here stayed the same while you were gone. I grew up. I’m not exactly a kid anymore.”

  “I can see that.” He could barely form the words as he willed himself to keep his hands at his sides. “But that doesn’t make you wild.”

  She leaned forward, her lips barely brushing against his as she stood on tiptoe. “You might be surprised.”

  Lust kicked him square between the eyes as her hands slid over his abs, her fingers lingering over the ridges of his stomach. The heat of her body pressed against his scorched him through the towel and his clothing, even as the water from her left spots against his chest. And then the warmth of her was gone as she walked to her pile of clothing.

  Chase reached for her wrist and tugged her back toward him. She spun, stumbling over her feet and catching herself against the solid wall of his chest, grasping his shirt for balance. Chase wound one arm around her lower back and pulled her close.

  “Then surprise me.”

  Chase covered any response she might give with his lips over hers. For all the ferocity he’d heard in his voice, their kiss was tender as he sipped the water from her lips. His tongue toyed with her, sliding over her lower lip to taste her sigh as she opened herself to him, and he caught her sigh with his own breath. Her hands spread wide, clutching the muscles of his chest as his hand slipped between the folds of the towel to feel her bare skin under his fingertips, the heat from her feverish against his palm.

  The sound of a car horn made him jump backward. Looking toward the front of the house, he could hear the cars turning off the highway. The reality of the situation broke through the haze of desire consuming him. He’d almost let himself forget all Justin had done for him, ignored that Bailey was like a sister to Justin and should be to him as well. He’d nearly let himself get carried away in the moment, forgetting that she deserved better than someone without the sort of baggage he carried. The guilt of Lance’s death was enough. He didn’t need to add betrayal to his long list of sins.

  Chase set Bailey at arm’s distance, even though it physically pained him to do it. “They’re here.” He took a step farther away from her, refusing to meet her eyes.

  “You’re a damn coward,” Bailey muttered, turning to grab her clothes before she hurri
ed into the house. He followed her inside as all three cars parked near the front porch. Laughter and chatter spilled from the vehicles as bodies poured from within. Six adults exited behind two large dogs before two car seats were lifted out, one containing the newest member of the Hart family, the other containing Justin’s infant stepson, Sam.

  This family had seen enough trouble over the past year. Chase refused to be the cause of more.

  Weaving between Tango and Roscoe, he made his way to the foot of the porch where Dylan gave him a one-armed hug before Chase gently enveloped Julia in his embrace.

  “Congrats to you both.” He took a step back and winked at the woman he’d helped rescue twice. “I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to have that kid,” he teased.

  Jessie shook her head and shot him a patronizing glare. “Kids are baby goats. This is a baby girl, Chase,” she scolded as Bailey came out behind him. “Right, Bailey?”

  Justin rolled his eyes behind his sister’s back as he slung an arm around Chase’s shoulders. “Leave him alone, Jess. He’s a guy. We don’t do sensitive as well as you women do.” He turned to Julia and offered her his arm. “Need help with the stairs?”

  “I’m moving as fast as I can,” Julia said as she slid her right foot on the first step with one hand over her incision site and the other on the railing. “You get cut open and see how fast you move.” Her words sounded grumpy, but Chase didn’t miss the pained grin as she teased her brother.

  Justin leaned close to Chase. “And this is why I work on animals. They’re up moving right after having surgery.”

  “Hey!” His new wife, Alyssa, slapped her hand against his bicep. “Let’s see you carry a bowling ball around for nine months and then see if you feel spry.”

  Chase shook his head. “Face it, Justin, you’re outnumbered by women and”—he jerked his thumb at Nathan and Dylan—“far more intelligent men who know when to keep their mouths shut.”

  “You can say that again,” Nathan, Jessie’s husband, chimed in.