Chapter 14
Meri swallowed hard. The lump in her throat refused to budge. “Us?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Is there an us?”
“I think there is. Or, at least, I want for there to be. I care for you very much and I want you with me. Not just while you’re painting, but always. Marry me.”
“Marry you? But I don’t think you love me.”
“I feel more for you than anyone before, including Paige. I never loved her, but she needed me and I wanted to start a family. But with you, it’s different. The feelings I have for you are different. I don’t understand them.”
Meri wasn’t sure what to say, but the truth.
“I’m in love with you. But,” she held up an index finger.
“I can’t marry you. If you need to have the plane turn around and take us back, I’ll understand.
” She abruptly moved out of his arms, her body growing cold.
He didn’t love her. How could she marry him?
Not without love on both sides. She didn’t want a one-sided marriage.
He lifted a brow. “I’m not turning the plane around. I’ll just have to get you to change your mind about marrying me.”
She wrapped her arms around her waist. “I don’t think that’s possible. You don’t love me and I can’t be in a marriage like that.”
He reached for her again. “I care for you more than anyone ever before. Perhaps it’s love. I don’t know. I’ve never been in love before.”
She sighed. “I’d still like to see your ranch and go riding. Fishing, too, if you like. Will I need a license to fish?”
His mouth thinned, and he spoke through clenched teeth. “No. It’s private land. I own it and if I want to take someone fishing on my property, I will.”
He’s angry, and I doubt it’s about fishing. “Look, Chase, if you’re going to be angry with me the whole time we’re at the ranch, you might as well turn around.”
He closed his eyes for a moment and then sighed. “I’m just disappointed. I’d hoped you felt about me the way I feel about you.”
Meri inhaled a deep breath and then took his hands in hers. “Chase. I do. I’m totally, completely in love with you. I don’t know how much plainer I can be.”
“But you won’t marry me because I can’t say the words aloud?”
She nodded, a lump in her throat. “I want you to say them and to mean them, not just because it’s what I want to hear.”
“All right. We won’t think about that for now. But I reserve the right to revisit the situation at a later date.”
She grinned. “I can live with that.”
“We should land soon. I can feel Paul starting to make his descent.”
She stood and headed for the chairs with the seatbelts.
He came up behind her and put his arms around her waist. “I’m so glad you agreed to come with me.” He whispered it and then kissed her neck before turning her around and easing his mouth over hers.
She didn’t know if he was tentative because of their discussion or if he wasn’t sure whether she would accept his kisses.
But, oh, yes. She wanted his kisses now more than ever.
Just knowing he wanted her, and that he loved her, even if he didn’t realize it, made her want him even more.
Could she marry him without the declaration of love?
What if she did, and he never figured it out?
No, I have to be strong. He needs to figure this out for himself.
I just hope he doesn’t take forever. I don’t know how long I can resist him.
The plane landed. A black SUV waited at the airport.
Chase took her hand as the driver walked over to them.
“Mr. Harper.” The man was tall and muscular, filling out his shirt.
“Hi, Jeff. How many times do I have to ask you to call me Chase?”
Jeff grinned. “At least one more.”
Chase shook his head. “Jeff, this is Meri Anderson. Meri, please meet Jeff Burkstaller, my driver.
Jeff held out his right hand. “Pleased to meet you Ms. Anderson.”
She shook his hand and then smiled. “Please call me, Meri. I might not answer to Ms. Anderson.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He picked up her luggage and placed it in the back of the vehicle.
They all buckled up. She was in the middle of the backseat.
Chase was next to her and held her right hand.
Jeff whisked them away.
Meri looked out at the country. The sun was getting higher in the sky over the rolling hills covered in pine trees that painted the landscape with shades of green. “How far is it to your ranch?”
“It’s close. We’re about twenty miles from Bozeman. It will take us about thirty minutes to get there. No highways, just two-lane blacktop. Then you can unpack…in a guest room.
He winked.
Meri lifted a brow, but her mouth turned up until she grinned.
She would use this time to get to know more about Chase.
Though she supposed she knew him enough to fall in love.
He was kind, a complete gentleman, and had saved her life.
He protected her after saving her life at the ice show. She’d have died if not for Chase.
And she had killed a man to protect him. How could she not realize then that she loved him?
She couldn’t be sorry that Marco was dead. He was an evil man who had sold people’s lives for money.
When she heard Chase talking to her, Meri shook her head and ended her musing.
“Meri?”
“I’m sorry. I was daydreaming. What were you saying?”
He smiled and kissed the top of the hand he held.
How in the world did she get so lucky? Was she willing to throw away her chance at true happiness because he wouldn’t say three words? Weren’t actions more important than words?
She smiled. “What did you want to tell me?”
“Just a brief history of the ranch. The property is old, but I’ve updated and remodeled the house. It’s a big, two-story building made of logs. It looks like a huge log cabin. There were five small bedrooms upstairs. I had it turned into three nice-sized rooms with a bath in each.”
She nodded, fascinated with the history of the old building. “I can’t wait to see it. I love old buildings, even those remodeled on the inside.”
He squeezed her hand and kissed the top again. “You’re something else. You know that?”
“I hope that’s a good something.”
“The best.” He leaned over.
She leaned toward him.
His mouth found hers.
She reached up and placed a hand behind his neck to keep him close. She wasn’t about to let him go, and she ignored Jeff in the front. Meri didn’t care who knew. She was Chase’s. Her heart belonged to him and she made up her mind to marry him.
Having him say the words would be nice, but he’d proved to her again and again how he felt, and that was what mattered.
She pulled back. “Chase.”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Would you marry me?”
His mouth fell open, and then he barked out a laugh.
She tilted her head, smiling, and waited for him to finish.
“Is that a yes or a no?”
He placed a hand around the back of her neck and pulled her over to meet his lips. His mouth was insistent, and when the tip of his tongue touched her lips, she automatically opened.
His mouth ravaged hers.
She tasted him and danced with him. Battled him for superiority. Her pulse raced, and her skin tingled at his touch.
But he led the dance.
Then she pushed forward, took the lead, and dueled with him some more.
When they finally broke apart, she was breathless.
And so was he.
“I love your mouth,” the words came out in a whisper. She took a few deep breaths.
“And I love yours.” He grinned. “I would love to marry you. Thank you for asking me.”
“I should have said yes earlier, but I had too many things in my head.” She pressed a palm to her forehead. “Now, I have them straightened out, and I know I want to be Mrs. Chase Harper. Or maybe, if you don’t mind, I’ll be Meridith Anderson-Harper.”
“Whatever you want, my darling, you can have it or do it.”
She took his hand with hers and laced her fingers with his. “So tell me about the first floor of the house.”
He placed an arm around her shoulders, even as they held hands, and hugged her as close as the seatbelts would allow. “We have a modern kitchen. Rose, my cook and housekeeper, picked out all the appliances. I figured she’s the one using them, so she should have what she likes.”
She gazed at him. “That makes sense. I’m glad you have a cook, but I hope she’ll let me prepare some meals.”
“I’m sure she will. It will be like having an extra day off.
If you don’t mind, you could prepare meals on her day off.
The cowhands and horse trainers eat with us, too.
I have eight people who work with the cows and six that work with the horses.
Two of the cowhands are women and three of the horse trainers are women. ”
“When my grandmother was alive, she hosted Sunday dinners every week. She made us take as many leftovers as possible; otherwise she ate the same thing for a week. She got to where she didn’t enjoy cooking anymore.
But she still hosted the dinners and one of her kids or grandkids would cook.
” She laughed. “I learned to prepare meals to feed fifteen people. I think I can update my recipes for a few more.” She was even more excited now that she would have some responsibilities.
“That must have been fun.”
“It was. And then we’d play board games or cards all afternoon. When it was time to go, she’d have doggie bags for everyone.”
He squeezed her shoulders. “I would have liked to meet her.”
Meri laid her hand on his thigh. “She would have liked to meet you, too.”
The house came into view. Chase hadn’t been exaggerating. The home was immense and looked exactly like the photographs she’d seen.
Jeff pulled up to the front of the house.
A wide porch stretched across the entire front of the building and a smaller version of the front porch fence wrapped around the porch roof, making a balcony.
She released her seatbelt and twisted so she faced Chase. “I love this. I can’t get over how pleasing this is to my artist’s senses.”
He released his seatbelt, too. “I’m happy you like it. It’s my favorite place to be.”
“I can understand why.”
They exited the car.
“Shall we go in?”
“Yes.”