Chapter Six
Chance
It’s a struggle to fall asleep when we get home, but this time, it’s for a fantastic reason. By morning, the kisses from Mia are still baked into my mind, perfect memories of a more than perfect night. When morning comes, I wake up before my alarm with “Uptown Girl” still ringing in my ears. I whistle it as I get ready before I hurry down the stairs for breakfast. In the kitchen, Ma is already curiously waiting for me.
“There you are,” she says, an eyebrow cocked and a finger tapping on the counter next to her. She’s already made a spread of food, probably to have more time to gossip. “You came home fairly late last night, didn’t you?”
I roll my eyes playfully as I sit down and help myself to some bacon and toast. “Come on, Ma, it was barely ten. I promise I behaved myself the whole time. Didn’t do anything you wouldn’t want me to.”
“In that case, it shouldn’t be difficult to tell me all about it!” Ma plants herself on the seat across from me, armed with a mug of coffee and a defiant stare. “Spill the beans, kiddo!”
“Ma, I’m not in high school. We’re adults. We went to the karaoke place, we kissed. There’s not much else to tell.”
With that, she slaps her hands over her mouth as if she’d heard something shocking. “You did? She likes you?”
I laugh. This is going to be a long breakfast. I spend most of it getting interrogated as my food gets cold. Eventually, Ma is satisfied with all of my explanations, and she lets me get on with my day. I hug her and promise again that I won’t be breaking Mia’s heart before I take a quick shower and head out to the stables.
Whistling some of the music from last night, I reach Constantine, almost dancing my way into his stall. I’ve managed to avoid most of the ranch hands, including Bobby-Ray, who likely has told everyone his version of events already.
“Morning,” I say as I start readying up his saddle. “Sorry for leaving you last night, bud, but you understand, right?”
Constantine turns his head toward me and flicks his tail twice. He has no idea what I’m talking about, but he does seem like he’s ready to get moving. He shifts his weight on his hooves, nodding as I start gathering his tack.
“Glad you’re in just as good a mood as I am.” I wink at him, opening his stall to let him out. I’m thinking of taking a good long ride, just to feel the wind in my hair and let my happiness soar. There’s no cutting work to be done today, and everything else should be taken care of. I have my freedom for the moment, and I’ll be taking it.
Once Constantine is ready, I lead him out front, paying close attention to where the ranch hands are. No sign of Bobby-Ray, and at least no one else is approaching me. That’s good. I can only take so much questioning before I start to lose my mind.
I mount Constantine and steer him off into the dusty distance of the ranch. The wind sings through my hair and around my shoulders the more speed the stallion adds to his gallop. The whole world seems to have changed around me, and I have no complaints about it at all. I’m already imagining Mia and me sitting on the porch fifty years from now, waiting for Ellie and our other kids to come home for Christmas.
I haven’t even asked her if she wants more children, but it doesn’t matter. If she does, that’s great. If not, I’ll raise Ellie like my own. Nothing matters as long as I can be with Mia, as long as she agrees to stay with me.
“Whoa,” I say at one point, reining in Constantine’s wild abandon. He slows to an impatient trot, his hooves defiantly kicking up the earth beneath us. Sometimes I wonder if he was born to be free of humanity and the chores that we give him. Until, of course, we’re working, and I know that he was born to do one thing, and that’s separate cows from the herd.
“You like her too, don’t you?” I ask absent-mindedly, leaning forward to pat Constantine’s neck. He snorts through his nose, and I take that as a yes. It gives me an idea for our next date, too. I wonder how good Mia is at horseback riding. I remember a conversation about it a while ago, but the details are hazy. Either way, she could take one of the training horses if she’s not familiar.
We can go for sunset rides every night if she wants to. Or sunrise rides in the morning, to watch the sky change colors together. It’s strange; I’ve never thought of myself as a truly romantic guy. But now, every moment of the day gives me a new chance to do something thoughtful for her.
Bobby-Ray would probably gag and make jokes at my expense if he finds out about that, but funnily enough, I really don’t care about his opinion. Or anyone else’s, for that matter. The only opinion that’s important belongs to Mia.
“Should probably start turning back,” I say to Constantine as I fiddle with the reins to turn him around. “I might still be able to catch Mia before her shift starts. If she’s on today. If not, that’d be even better.”
Ma might start saying that I’m keeping Mia away from work. Mia might say that, too, given her stellar work ethic. But even if I have to hang out in reception and say nothing, I’d enjoy being close to her.
“Oh boy, I really am head over heels, aren’t I?” I shake my head at myself as I direct Constantine back toward the stables. With every step we get closer, it seems like my heart is beating faster. I simply can’t wait to see Mia. The way the dimple in her cheek deepens when she smiles or how she hurriedly pushes a loose strand of hair behind her ears, all of it plays on repeat in my mind.
Once I’ve settled Constantine in the paddock and made sure that he’s fed and clean, I make my way down to the lodge. The sun has climbed almost halfway to its peak, which tells me that the morning reception shift is due to start any time now. I’m not sure if Mia is on it, but I start hurrying in case.
When I walk in, one of the other receptionists is at the counter, getting ready for the day. Fantastic news. If Mia isn’t up to anything, we can spend time togethe r— in between my own jobs, of course. I wouldn’t want to neglect the ranch.
“She’s having breakfast,” the receptionist says as soon as she spots me, pointing in the direction of the lodge’s restaurant. “Unless you’re here looking for me.”
I ignore the obvious flirting, thank her, and dodge past to the restaurant. Penny’s standing at the host podium, unimpressed when I arrive. I know she’s not the biggest fan of Mia; a few of the worst gossip mongers on the ranch have brought that information to me. But I don’t care. I nod at her, pretending I don’t notice the judgmental glare in her eyes.
Spotting Mia and Ellie sitting out on the porch, I make a beeline right for them. They’re both laughing at something that Ellie has said that I can’t quite hear myself.
“Cowboy-Man!” Ellie shouts when she sees me through the glass of the door. Mia whispers something to her before Ellie yells again, “Mr. Chance! Hello!”
I laugh as I walk up to their table. “Good morning. Would you two mind if I take a seat with you?”
Mia pulls out the chair beside her for me, and I sit down, immediately picking up a menu. I’ve eaten already, but a second breakfast won’t hurt. When Mia leans over to kiss my cheek, a grin bursts across my face.
“Ooh, Mommy likes Mr. Chance-Man!” Ellie giggles as she claps her hands together. Mia shakes her head and uses one hand to playfully cover Ellie’s eyes. Watching the two of them settles my heart and makes me feel warmth. Having a family with the two of them in it would be any real man’s greatest dream.
That makes me think of Brian. He hasn’t done anything over the last few days, but I’m not putting it past him. He might be planning something big, something that will rip Ellie away from her mother if we’re not careful. I’m not going to let that happen, but we have to be prepared. Still, I’m not going to bring it up before the two of them have even eaten.
“Do you have a shift today?” I ask Mia, risking taking her hand. She doesn’t pull it back, which makes me smile.
“Ah, yeah, the late shift,” she says with a joking roll of her eyes. “You know, because working at night is so much fun. Kidding, though. It’s nice and quiet, and nobody bothers me. I’ll get a surprising amount of paperwork done.”
I pull up my nose at that. I’ve barely ever been involved in a few slips of paperwork, never mind a whole night’s worth. She laughs, and an idea comes to mind for me.
“Does that mean you have the day free?” I ask with the biggest puppy eyes that I can muster. “Because if you do, maybe you and Ellie can join me for a ride.”
Ellie grabs at her mother’s arm with a squeal. “Pretty please, Mommy? I want to ride a horsey!”
Mia gives a great exaggerated sigh, but she relents fairly quickly. “All right, we’ll go after breakfast. But you better do everything just like Chance says and listen very well.”
“I promise!” Ellie jumps up to give Mia a hug. A few minutes later, we’ve all ordered, and I can see that Mia is worried about something. I wait for Ellie to be distracted with the coloring book that she’s been offered by Penny, who at least seems to like the girl even if she doesn’t get along with Mia.
“Are you okay?” I ask, squeezing her hand slightly. She looks away for a moment but nods eventually.
“Brian hasn’t been back,” she whispers, low enough that Ellie doesn’t pay attention. “But I’m scared. I don’t know what he’s planning to do. I’m afraid that he’ll take her from me. Even if he just gets split custody. I don’t think they’ll let him, but you never know. He might… You know, he might make something up. He’s convincing. H e— ”
I cut her off by taking her chin in one hand and making her look at me. “Take a deep breath, okay? I get all of that, but you’re not alone in this. We’re not going to let him do any of that.”
Mia glances over at Ellie, who seems to still be blissfully coloring. “I don’t know.”
“How about you come and see my lawyer with me?” I say firmly, hoping that she won’t try and say no this time. “He can help you, and the ranch will pay for everything. I swear to you, you’re not going to lose her.”
She hesitates. Obviously, she wants to argue, to say that she doesn’t want to be a burden on my family. But she doesn’t. Instead, she lets her shoulders sag as she nods at me.
“All right, I’ll let you help me,” she says, and I immediately know that it’s difficult for her to do. “But if this gets bad –”
“No, don’t you put a restriction on my help,” I warn jokingly. The conversation is ended there as our drinks arrive.
The rest of breakfast is fairly uneventful, and afterward, Ellie and Mia go to get dressed for our riding lesson. I meet them in front of the lodge, my heart melting when I see Mia in a pair of jeans and boots. I want to grab her and wrap her up in my arms, but instead, I reach out a hand for her to take.
Ellie, using that as an invitation for herself, bounces to the other side of me to take my other hand. I smile down at her before we head to the stables. Once there, I saddle up Moby, one of the older, gentler geldings usually used for kids to ride.
Mia seems nervous as I lead him out into the children’s riding paddock, but Ellie’s face is lit up like she’s getting a Christmas present. The two of them follow me into the paddock, standing a few feet away from Moby. He leans down slowly and starts grazing at some of the grass beside me.
“Don’t worry,” I insist to Mia, who seems hesitant. “This old boy has taught a lot of kiddos to ride. Ellie couldn’t be safer.”
Ellie rushes over to me, walking more slowly as she gets closer to Moby and realizes how big he is. I help her onto his back and show her where to hold on before I start walking the gelding around the paddock slowly. Mia watches us like a hawk from the sidelines, but she starts relaxing quickly.
“Look, Mommy, look at me!” Ellie laughs as we go around, clutching onto the saddle tightly.
I feel my phone buzzing in my pocket. Who could be calling me at this time of day? Probably Ma, asking if I want lunch. I ignore it and keep walking Moby.
“Are you having fun?” Mia asks, and Ellie claps her hands together, quickly holding the saddle again afterward. “One day, maybe we’ll go out on the ranch, huh? If Chance promises to always keep you safe.”
“Always,” I answer with a wink, and my phone starts buzzing again. Strange. It could be an emergency. With a sigh, I wave Mia over. “Do you mind holding this for a moment? Someone seems to be desperately looking for me.”
Before I can answer, the line goes dead. I checkthe number. It’s Ma. She’s sent me a text as well. Opening it, I’m immediately concerned.
“Call me” is all it says.
Ma doesn’t really text, and she’s never sent me anything like that before. It has to be important for her to call twice. I quickly put in her number and put the phone to my ear.
“Ma?” I say when she picks up. “What’s going on?”
“Is Mia with you?” Ma answers urgently without even greeting me.
“She is.” My concern grows quickly. Mia turns to look at me from where she’s started walking with Moby.
“The two of you need to come up to the house. Right now.”