Going to the Chapel (14 page)

After tuning the radio to an easy
listening station, she relaxed on the sofa and sipped her wine. She
studied the portraits on the wall and decided that she’d busy
herself with packing up the items she wanted to keep next week.
Sorting through everything would be a big enough task to occupy her
time. The week would be over before she knew it.

Caroline frowned as her thoughts
drifted to Julie. No one knew where she was at the moment. Caroline
wasn’t exactly worried since she knew Julie to be a responsible
person, but she was concerned that her friend might feel alone.
Caroline wished she could be there for her. Maybe Julie would
call.

A light knock on the front door
jolted Caroline from her disturbing thoughts. She set her glass on
the end table and hurried to the door. Maybe it was Julie. Without
considering her state of undress, Caroline jerked the door
open.

Chase Garrett loomed on the
porch.

Caroline felt too stunned at seeing
him to do anything but gawk.

“
Can I come in?”

He was still wearing his black
dress pants and crisp white shirt. He’d lost the tie already, but
it didn’t lessen the effect at all. He looked gorgeous.

Caroline squared her shoulders and
pushed her physical attraction to the man aside. She didn’t care
how he looked, she had nothing to say to him.

“
I don’t think so. I think you said
all that needs to be said today.”

He stared at the floor for a
moment. “I shouldn’t have said those things.”

Caroline folded her arms over her
chest. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard that.”

He leveled that intense blue gaze
on hers. “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said those things to you. I
apologize.”

“
Apology accepted.” She reached to
close the door.

He flatted one wide palm against it
and halted her effort. “Don’t be this way, Caroline. I don’t want
to leave it like this.”

“
There isn’t any other way,” she
said flatly. What did he think he could do, charm his way out of
this one?

“
We’ve known each other all our
lives. Why can’t we at least be friends?”

Fury surged through her.
“Goodnight, Chase.”

He pushed his way fully into the
house this time. “Talk to me, Caroline. Tell me what I have to do
to make this up to you.”

He looked so damned sincere.
Caroline didn’t want to trust him. She didn’t want to feel any of
this. “You were angry, you didn’t mean it. Let’s just move
on.”

He closed the door behind him and
stared down at her. She jumped at the solid thud.

“
I don’t want to be enemies
anymore.”

“
I don’t know what you want from
me,” she said in all honesty. He was looking at her now, really
looking—from head to toe. Heat flagged Caroline’s cheeks when she
realized just how she was dressed, wearing nothing but a thin black
silk robe, with even less on beneath. And, judging by his
expression, there was no question what he wanted.

“
I just want—”

“
You should go.” She wrapped her
arms over her chest once more, this time in a protective
manner.

He nodded, once. “I should.” His
gaze drifted back up to hers. “But I sure don’t want
to.”

She shook her head slowly from side
to side. “We can’t do this.” She understood with complete certainty
that he wanted her just as much as she wanted him. No matter how
she denied it...no matter how she pretended she didn’t care, she
did. She wanted him. She cared very much for him. Beneath all those
layers of anger and bitterness, absolutely nothing had
changed.

And they both knew it.

“
All you have to do,” Chase
murmured as he moved closer to her, “is tell me to stop and I
will.” He cupped her face in the palms of his hands. “If you don’t
want this as much as I do,” he lowered his lips close to hers “just
say so.”

Fire roared inside her at the first
touch of his lips. His kiss remained gentle despite the fierce heat
simmering between them. Her body relaxed as her fingers found their
way to his chest and fisted in his shirt. He groaned at that simple
touch.

She shouldn’t do this. She knew she
should tell him to stop. But she couldn’t. She wanted him. She
wanted him so very much. With every fiber of her being she wanted
to know Chase Garrett once more. To touch him and have him touch
her as they had all those years ago.

He drew back, his uneven breath
fanning her just-kissed lips. “I want to make love to
you.”

Just this once. They could have
this one night, couldn’t they? Her own breath as raged as his, she
took him by the hand and led him up the stairs and to her room.
Just enough moonlight sifted in through the windows to light their
way as they slowly undressed each other.

One by one, Caroline released the
buttons of his shirt. He pulled the fabric from his slacks as she
pushed it off his shoulders and down his arms. The shirt billowed
around his feet like a white cloud. The belt was next. The hiss of
leather sliding from his trousers echoed in the room. He kicked off
his shoes, his hands working their own kind of magic along the
curve of her spine. Every touch, every taste of his mouth made her
yearn for more. She quickly unfastened the closure of his slacks
and pushed them downward. She knelt long enough to remove his
slacks and briefs. She breathed deeply of the musky, masculine
scent of him. God, how she wanted him.

“
My turn,” he murmured, pulling her
to her feet.

His fingers efficiently untied the
sash to her robe. With one sweep of his palms beneath the ebony
silk and over her bare shoulders and the slinky material puddled
around her ankles. The look of awe on his face as he stared at her,
naked save for lacy black panties, made her shiver with
delight.

“
You are so beautiful.” His voice
was thick and raspy with lust. He stood before her, gloriously
naked, and one hundred percent ready. He was the one who was so
very beautiful. He opened his mouth to say something else, but
hesitated.

“
I don’t want to talk, Chase.” She
looped her arms around his neck and pressed her bare breasts to his
chest. “And I don’t want to think.”

His mouth captured hers and he
devoured her just the way she wanted him to, completely.

Chase lifted her into his arms and
laid her gently on the bed. The very bed she’d slept in as a young
girl who’d been totally in love with Chase Garrett. She’d planned
and dreamed of the life they would share together, the children
they would conceive during night after night of lovemaking. His
fingers skimmed her inner thigh as he dragged her wispy panties
down and off.

They might not have a future
together, the past was certainly gone forever, but they could have
this one night. They could forget just for a little while that one
or both of them had made a mistake that had cost them more than
either had been prepared to pay.

He kissed his way up her throat,
heat sizzling with each brush of his lips. He settled between her
thighs as his mouth descended upon hers once more. Slowly,
thoroughly he kissed her, his fingers tangling with hers. The nudge
of his heavy arousal was almost more than she could bear. She
needed to feel him inside her. Yearned to mate so fully with him
that nothing else mattered.

Drawing back, he peered deeply into
her eyes as he flexed his hips and inch by inch filled her
completely. Desire sang through her veins. She inhaled deeply of
his unique scent and savored the feeling of him deep inside her.
His gaze held her still when her body yearned to undulate beneath
his.

“
I’ve missed you, Caroline.” The
strange mixture of emotions whirling in those blue eyes almost
undid her.

She wrapped her legs around his and
arched her hips more firmly into his, drawing her deeper. “Kiss me,
Chase,” she murmured, lifting her mouth to his. “Don’t make me wait
any longer.”

He kissed her, his body beginning
the rhythm that would usher them toward fulfillment, bringing
reality all too soon. But at that moment there was nothing
else...only the two of them. Feeling. Remembering.

Chapter Eight

By the following Wednesday Caroline
was ready to hide under a rock somewhere. She stared into her
refrigerator which overflowed with casseroles and a wide variety of
salads. It seemed the whole town had stopped by at one time or
another between Sunday morning and lunch today. Most just wanted to
say hello and to tell her how glad they were she was back. Not one
had shown up empty-handed, thus the filled-to-capacity fridge. And
when she tried to explain that she was only visiting, no one seemed
to listen. They all wanted to believe that she was back for
good.

A number of her visitors had wanted
medical advice on one ailment or another. She had to admit that she
was beginning to feel badly about the absence of medical care in
Lucy’s Branch. Doc Bishop had been there for as long as she could
remember. He had always taken care of everyone, including her.
Hopefully someone would be willing to take over the clinic soon.
According to the mayor, who’d presented a rash that was most likely
a reaction to his wife’s change in laundry detergent, they hadn’t
had the first bite in response to the numerous ads and invitations
he’d sent out.

But it wasn’t her problem, Caroline
told herself yet again. She was only here for a visit. In just
three days she would be on her way. There was no reason to
stay.

Memories of making love with Chase
immediately exploded in her mind. She hesitated, broccoli casserole
in hand, and allowed the remembered sensations to wash over her.
The feel of his skin, the taste of his lips, and the sound of his
voice. They’d made love twice that night. There had been no
talking, just feeling. She’d fallen asleep in his arms, only to
awaken alone the next morning. But he had left a note telling her
his pager had gone off at dawn. Accustomed to listening for her own
pager, Caroline couldn’t believe that she hadn’t heard his. But,
apparently, she hadn’t. Either that or he’d wanted an excuse for
his hasty departure.

Caroline sighed and walked to the
counter across the room. She scooped herself out a healthy portion
of the casserole and popped it into the microwave. Two minutes
later she dropped into a chair at the dining table with her ready
to eat lunch. She shouldn’t care why Chase left without waking her.
Yet she did. He’d called every day since, but had kept his distance
physically. Neither of them had mentioned the night they’d shared.
She supposed he was as afraid as she was of what might happen if
they came face to face with each other now. She shoved a forkful of
casserole into her mouth and forced herself to chew. For three days
now she had thought of nothing but Chase, past and
present.

It amazed her that she could still
feel so strongly for him. It was as if nothing had changed, but
everything had. She wanted him desperately. He wanted her just as
desperately. It was clear. She felt it in his every touch, heard it
in his voice. If he read her as easily, he knew exactly how she
felt, too. She could hope he wasn’t quite so perceptive.

This afternoon Felix Reems would
bring the prospective buyers to the house. Though emotion welled
each time she thought of selling the house, she knew it was for the
best. She had to move on. Too much water had gone under the bridge
for her to ever consider staying here. How could she ever look at
Shane and not see Chase’s infidelity?

Caroline pushed away from the table
and carried her plate to the sink. She had no appetite. She didn’t
know why she even bothered to attempt eating. As good as Mrs.
Henson’s casserole was, Caroline simply had no desire to eat. She
supposed she should call Zac and check on his progress. Tristan had
called twice already, but she had gotten rid of him quickly. She
certainly didn’t want to talk to him. She wondered briefly if she
should just shuck the whole man-woman relationship thing and become
a nun or something. At least that way she wouldn’t have to worry
about someone cheating on her.

The telephone rang and Caroline
cringed. Please don’t let it be Tristan, she prayed as she crossed
the room and picked up the receiver.

“
Hello.”

“
Caroline, girlfriend, have I got
some good news!”

It was Sherry. Maybe she had heard
from Julie. “Did you hear from Julie?” Caroline asked hopefully.
That was another thing she’d worried about for the past few days.
Julie hadn’t called anyone, not even her parents.

“
No, sorry.” She took a deep, shaky
breath. “Sonny comes home tomorrow. I just got the
word.”

“
Oh, Sherry, that’s wonderful! I
know you’re thrilled.”

“
I’m not sure I could have held out
much longer. Anyway, the reason I’m calling is to let you know that
we’re getting married at four p.m. tomorrow evening.”

“
That’s terrific. I’ll be there,”
Julie assured her.

“
It won’t be anything elaborate,
there’s no time. His plane arrives at two. His father is picking
him up and bringing him straight from Memphis to the
chapel.”