Chapter Five
Chapter Five
T he next day, Chance dialed his great-grandmother’s number. She answered on the first ring. “Good morning, Chancellor.”
“Good morning, Mama Laverne. I hope you slept well last night.”
“I did. What about you?”
There was no way he would tell her thoughts of a certain woman had invaded his sleep. “Yes, I did. I need to ask you something.”
“Alright.”
“Did you know the family that used to live at this ranch?”
“Yes, I knew the Johnstones. I didn’t get to know them that well since they moved in while I was doing missionary work in Haiti.”
Chance nodded. “What about the people who lived here before the Johnstones? The Martins?”
When she didn’t answer immediately, he figured she was thinking, trying to recall. “Yes. The Martins owned the ranch but didn’t live there except during the summer months. Joshua and Arabella Martin were college professors at Howard University in Washington, DC.”
“If they weren’t here to run the ranch, why didn’t they sell it?”
There was another pause, and he figured Mama Laverne was trying to recollect her thoughts again. After all, that was a long time ago. “I understand that Arabella’s grandfather, Kurt Satterfield, stipulated in his will that the property could not be sold until the third generation after his death. When the Martins weren’t in residence, they hired good people to run things.”
“I see.”
“Chancellor, why are you asking me these questions?”
He didn’t want to tell Mama Laverne Zoey’s story, especially the part about her memory loss. He preferred that she tell that to his great-grandmother herself. “I got a visitor yesterday saying she was the Martins’ granddaughter.”
“You believe her?”
“Yes, I believe her.” He then told Mama Laverne about the framed portrait in his attic. “The resemblance is simply amazing.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Arabella favored her mother, and the women had striking features.”
“Did you know Arabella?”
“Yes. She was an only child and a very striking woman.”
So is her granddaughter , he thought, deciding to keep that opinion to himself. “Arabella’s granddaughter’s name is Dr. Zoey Pritchard.”
“What’s her reason for being in Houston?” his great--grandmother asked.
“She is trying to get as much information as possible about her mother’s side of the family. She doesn’t remember them, and her parents were killed in a car accident almost twenty years ago when she was a child. She was with them and was the lone survivor.”
He heard his great-grandmother gasp. “I’m sorry to hear that. I didn’t know. I’d heard the ranch had been sold and assumed the daughter, who I recall was named Michelle, no longer wanted to keep it since the three-generation mandate in her great-great-grandfather’s will had ended. I wished I had kept up with her. The last time I saw Michelle was at her parents’ funeral.”
Chancellor lifted a brow. “The Martins died at the same time?”
“Yes, from Legionnaires’ disease. There was an outbreak at an educational conference they attended somewhere in the Midwest. They caught it and died within days.”
Chance didn’t say anything, thinking how sad it was that Zoey had lost her grandparents and then, years later, her parents. Except for that paternal aunt, she had indeed been left alone.
“Michelle and her husband were doctors living in the north,” his great-grandmother was now saying. “He was a fine-looking young man. The day I saw them, I also saw their daughter. She was about five or six and was a cute little girl.”
Chance thought that cute little girl had become a beautiful woman. A woman who could get under his skin if he allowed it to happen. He was determined that he wouldn’t. “Since you recall her grandparents and parents, and Zoey as a little girl, I think conversing with you will be meaningful for her, Mama Laverne. Is it possible for the two of you to talk?”
“Yes.”
“May I give her your phone number?”
There was another pause. This one was longer than the last. “I prefer meeting her in person, Chancellor. Can you bring her here on Friday?”
He preferred not to. “I might be tied up at the ranch on Friday. I’ll see if Corbin is available to bring her.”
“She’s met Corbin?”
“He’s stopping by this morning and will meet Zoey when she drops by to see that portrait. Any particular time you want to meet with her on Friday?”
“She can join me for lunch.”
“Thank you for agreeing to talk to her.”
“You’re welcome, Chancellor.”
Chance disconnected the call, thinking Mama Laverne didn’t sound like herself. That made him wonder if she’d been overexerting herself lately. He didn’t want to alarm his family members, but he would talk to his aunt Bessie to see if she’d noticed anything concerning.
***
Corbin, who’d arrived an hour earlier than he was supposed to, stood beside Chance as they gazed out the kitchen window and watched Zoey get out of the car.
Chance heard his cousin’s sharp intake of breath before saying, “To show my gratitude for turning this gorgeous creature over to me, I apologize for any mean trick I’ve ever played on you while we were kids.” Corbin stared out the window at Zoey as if transfixed.
“I didn’t turn Zoey over to you. I merely want the two of you to meet.”
Corbin rolled his eyes. “Bullshit. You want me to take her off your hands. And as I alluded to last night, maybe it should concern you why.”
Chance had news for Corbin. He knew why, which was why he’d taken such drastic steps. “You better not get out of line with her,” he grumbled.
“Now that’s something I can’t promise I won’t do.” Corbin then resumed looking out the window. “Damn, Chance. Look at those curves, that stunning face, that mass of hair, and how it blows in the wind.”
Corbin’s words annoyed Chance because he was also seeing those things. However, he was seeing beyond them to the decent woman he believed her to be. It bothered him that his cousin’s main focus was Zoey’s physical attributes. “She’s a nice person, Corbin.”
Corbin laughed. “I believe you, but at the moment, her niceness is being outplayed by all that fineness,” he said, playfully slugging Chance in the shoulder with a sexually suggestive grin on his face.
When Zoey’s feet touched the steps, Corbin rushed to the door instead of waiting for her to knock.
Chance frowned, already regretting his decision to introduce Zoey to Corbin.
***
Before Zoey could raise her hand to knock, the front door flew open. There stood a man who resembled Chance. A brother, perhaps? A cheerful expression touched the corners of his lips as he extended his hand out to her. “Zoey Pritchard, it’s nice meeting you. I’m Corbin Madaris.”
She returned his smile and took the hand he offered. Madaris . Where had she heard that name before? If this was Chance’s brother, then it stood to reason that his name was Madaris, too. Chancellor Madaris. She liked the sound of it.
“Nice meeting you, too, Corbin.” If they were related, this man had a more pleasing personality upon opening a door than Chance.
She switched her gaze to Chance when he came to stand beside Corbin. The two men were identical in height, and she could see how much they favored each other. Upon seeing Chance, her smile automatically widened. “Good morning, Chance.”
“Good morning, Zoey. Come in. I hope I didn’t call you too early this morning.”
“No, you didn’t,” she said, stepping over the threshold. There was no way she would tell him he’d awakened her from her dream about him. “I’ve barely been able to contain my excitement since your call. I can’t wait to see the portrait you told me about.”
She turned to Corbin. “Do you live here, too?” she asked when he closed the door behind her.
Corbin shook his head. “No, I have a place in town. Chance said you’re a doctor.”
“Yes, I’m an orthopedic surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.”
“And I understand you had an aunt who recently passed away. I offer my condolences,” Corbin added.
“Thank you.”
“Do you know if your aunt ever went on a cruise in the last twenty years?”
Zoey thought the question was odd. Before she could answer, Chance spoke up and said tersely, “Corbin, you don’t need to know that.”
Corbin shrugged and said to Chance. “Just thought I’d double-check.”
Zoey’s gaze shifted from one man to the other, sure she was missing something. It was some inside joke between the two brothers. However, she had no problem answering Corbin’s question. “My aunt has never gone on a cruise. She hated being out on the water in a boat of any size. Can I see the portrait?” she asked, not caring if she sounded anxious.
“Yes, follow me this way,” Chance said, and she didn’t miss the glare he gave Corbin. “I brought it down from the attic and placed it in the dining room.”
“Okay.” She was surprised when Corbin linked his arm with hers—she figured he was being a gentleman. They followed Chance from the living room.
She’d noted his spacious kitchen yesterday when he’d led her to the backyard. Now she saw how massive his entire ranch house was. There was a charming staircase that curved at the top before reaching the landing. She wished she could remember spending time here with her parents and grandparents. Now all she had was just pieces of her dreams.
She stopped and pulled her arm from Corbin to place her hand on her upper chest. Her breath caught when she saw the large portrait Chance had propped in the middle of his dining room table. The wooden frame was sturdy with beautiful decorative edging. But what captured her attention was the woman who’d posed for the artist—her grandmother. Chance was right. The two favored each other. And from the photos she’d seen of her mother, she also looked like them.
“You’re wearing that same necklace,” Corbin said.
“Yes, I am,” she said softly, reaching up to finger the heart pendant necklace. “I found it in my aunt’s belongings when I discovered the documents about the sale of this ranch. I figured it had been my dad’s gift to my mom since Mom always wore it in my dreams. Now I see it once belonged to my grandmother.”
The necklace had become her inner strength from the day Zoey began wearing it. Whenever she felt down in the dumps or sad, just touching it reminded her of the woman who’d worn the necklace before her, whom she’d assumed had only been her mother. Now knowing the necklace had been passed down through generations touched her deeply.
Zoey had told herself she wouldn’t get emotional when she saw the portrait, but she couldn’t help it. Just knowing this beautiful young woman, smiling with similar dimples, had been her grandmother was affecting her. And she was standing by that huge oak tree in the front yard of this ranch house.
She noticed Chance was staring at her as if he was able to feel her joy and pain. Like yesterday, their gazes locked, and the same intense attraction she’d felt then overwhelmed her. She knew she should pull her gaze from his but couldn’t.
He began moving toward her, and her heart kicked up a notch. She wanted him to pull her into his arms because, more than anything, at that moment, she needed to be held by him. He stopped directly in front of her, and made a move to reach for her when, suddenly, Corbin cleared his throat.
She’d forgotten Corbin was in the room, and from the look on Chance’s face, it was obvious that he’d done so as well. He stepped back to put distance between them.
“Your grandmother was beautiful,” Corbin said as if to break the awkwardness in the room.
Zoey appreciated his effort. “Yes, she was,” she said, looking at the portrait again.
“Just like you,” Corbin added.
She gave him a smile. “Thank you.” She then studied the painting again. “I have no idea what her name was.”
“Arabella,” Chance said in what she thought was a deep husky tone. “Your maternal grandmother was Arabella Martin.”
Glancing over at him, she asked, “How do you know that?”
“I talked to my great-grandmother this morning. She remembers her.”
Zoey couldn’t downplay the excitement she felt. “She does?”
“Yes, and she remembers your mother as well.”
“Did your great-grandmother agree to talk to me?” she asked hopefully.
“Yes. Are you free to join her for lunch on Friday?”
“Yes, of course,” she said, smiling brightly. The most she had imagined had been telephone communication. Sharing lunch with his great-grandmother was more than she had hoped for.
“Since Chance will be tied up at the ranch Friday, I’ll take you to meet her,” Corbin said. “She’s spending this month with my grandparents.”
Zoey lifted a confused brow. “Your grandparents? Aren’t your grandparents also Chance’s grandparents?”
“No. Why would you think that?” Corbin asked.
“I assumed the two of you were brothers.”
Corbin grinned. “Our great-grandparents had seven sons. Chance’s father is one, and mine is another. That means plenty of Madaris cousins and some of us favor each other.”
“Your last name is Madaris, too?” she asked Chance.
He nodded. “Yes. I’m sure you’ve heard of my family.”
She shook her head. “Not sure. Should I have?”
She saw the exchanged glance between the two men and felt she was missing something. “Should I have?” she asked again.
“Most people have.”
“Why?” When neither man said anything, she looked from one to the other and decided to figure things out. She repeated the name out loud. Twice. “Madaris. Madaris.” Then she said. “I do recall that, after my accident, one of the nurses would come to my room and read a children’s book written by Lorren Madaris to me. The Kente Kids series. That same nurse gave me a collection when I was discharged. That was almost twenty years ago. Is that author related to you?”
“Yes,” Chance said. “Lorren is married to our cousin, Justin.”
Zoey beamed broadly. “Well, let her know I enjoyed her books growing up and that a number of my teenaged patients are reading her young adult line of books.”
“I will let her know that.”
She then turned to Corbin. “Where do you want us to meet on Friday?”
“I’ll come pick you up,” Corbin offered.
“I hate to be a bother.”
“No bother. Where are you staying?”
“The Houston Riverfront Hotel.”
Corbin grinned and winked at her. “I’ll pick you up in the hotel’s lobby at eleven. And I have another idea. How about sharing dinner with me on Saturday? Afterward, we can go dancing,” Corbin suggested.
“I’m sure Zoey will have other things to do on Saturday,” Chance said tersely.
Zoey thought dinner and dancing sounded like fun, although she wished Chance had been the one to ask her out. But he hadn’t and seemed annoyed that Corbin had. More than ever, she suspected he had a girlfriend or was in an exclusive relationship. Heck, for all she knew, he might be engaged to get married. In that case, he had no right to feel any kind of way if she went out with Corbin.
Smiling at Corbin, she said, “I don’t have plans for Saturday evening and would love to join you for dinner and dancing.”