Tall, Dark, and Determined (48 page)

C
hase sat in the dark, at least one rib broken, and smiled like a fool. The woman nestled against his side wasn't talking anymore, but she'd heard him—
and she's still holding my hand
.

“Chase?” She sounded hesitant, but he loved hearing her say his name.

“Yes, Lacey?” He liked the newfound freedom to say hers, too.

“Why don't you like people?” The question made his ribs hurt, as though she'd given him a hit to the midsection.

After everything they'd made it through today, she wanted to talk about how different they were? Chase drew in as deep a breath as he could without it hurting and squeezed her hand.

She squeezed back, and suddenly it didn't seem like a bad thing that she'd asked. Lacey snuggled closer, waiting.

“It's not that I don't like people.” He eased into it. “It's more that I don't like very
many
people.”

“Oh.” She shifted a bit then settled. “Do you mean you don't like to have very many people around you at once or that there aren't many people you like in general?”

“Both, probably. Lots of people cause lots of problems.”

“But you like Granger,” she mused. “And my brother, when he was himself. And I think, maybe, after today … you might like me, too?”

“Sometimes we fight hardest against the things we want most.” Chase found it hard to explain, even to himself. “I've never fought harder than when I met you, Lacey.”

She went so still, he could barely hear her breathe.
She understands. I'm bad with words and worse with women, Lord, but here sits one who understands
. Something light fluttered in the vicinity of his heart, and Chase recognized it as hope.

“Why do you think you're unable to have a civil conversation when you can say sweet things like that?” She sounded perplexed and slightly put out, like she'd been fooled.

“Because being civil usually means two people who don't like each other pretend that they get along,” he explained. “I don't like pretense, and I don't go in for games. It's better to say what you think and mean it.”

Another, longer silence. For the first time, Chase began to understand why it worked so well on other people when he did it to them. He made it a rule not to break silence—but rules were meant to be broken. “What do you think?”

“I think that's surprisingly civilized.” She surprised him. “And I'm thinking that this means you were sincere about what you said … about fighting hardest for what you want most.”

“I meant it.” He turned his torso to face her, even though he couldn't see her. Chase heard her breathe faster.

“Then tell me, Chase Dunstan. What is it, exactly, that you want?”

From beyond the wall of rock came the sound of scraping and chiseling and many men working hard to break through.
We're saved
. But for some reason, Chase wasn't as happy as he should have been.

“Lacey!” a woman shrieked from the other side, the cry mercifully muffled in their chamber. “Dunstan! Are you there?”

Lacey pulled her hand from his, and pain blossomed in his rib cage. Then she cupped her hands over his ears and screeched back, “Yes, Evie! We're in here!”

A flurry of shouts on the other side, and the sounds of work doubled. Chase wanted to ignore it for the short time they'd have left, but first he had to do some yelling of his own. He reached over, felt the softness of her hair, and clamped his hands over her ears to holler at the men.

“Don't let Draxley leave town! Some of you hunt him down if you have to!” He moved his hands to Lacey's shoulders, keeping his fingers in the silkiness of her loosened tresses.

“He won't go anywhere.” Granger's grim promise came through loud and clear. “Draxley's just outside the mines, head crushed by a boulder from up the ridge.”

Chase heard Lacey gasp just before she buried her face against his chest. He looped his arms around her and held her close. “It means he won't hurt anyone else, sweetheart.”

“I know.” She pushed away from him slightly, and Chase resisted the urge to pull her back. “Chase? Did you mean to call me sweetheart?” Lacey sounded almost shy.

She never sounded shy before
. Chase started grinning. “Yep.” He went ahead and pulled her close again. “Are you ready to hear what it is that I want most?”

He felt her nod even though she didn't say anything.

“Right now I want to kiss you.” Chase waited for her answer, but he couldn't even hear her breathing anymore. Just as he started getting concerned, she took a great, gulping breath.

“And later?” came the shaky query. “What do you want later?”

Before he answered, Chase moved his hand to cup the side of her face. “When we get out of here, I want you to forget about your ad and say you'll be my wife.”

He lowered his lips to hers before she could make a decision, hoping the kiss would convey the tenderness and longing he couldn't find the words for. She matched him, soft and sweet and passionate as she curled her hand around the nape of his neck.

When he pulled back, Chase tilted to rest his forehead against hers. “Do you know what it is that you want, Lacey?”

She nodded. “Right now I want you to kiss me again.”

Chase's breath hitched, but he needed more. “And later?” He echoed her question. “Do you know what you want later?”

She threaded her fingers through his hair and ignored the calls of their rescuers as they began to break through the barrier. “I want to marry you, too.” Enough light seeped through for him to see her smile as she moved closer to whisper, “And you know how I am when I set my mind on something….”

Life doesn't wait, and neither does
Kelly Eileen Hake
. In her short twenty-eight years of life, she's achieved much. Her secret? Embracing opportunities and multitasking. Kelly received her first writing contract at the tender age of seventeen and arranged to wait three months until she was able to legally sign it. Since that first contract ten years ago, she's reached several life goals. Aside from fulfilling over twenty contracts ranging from short stories to novels, she's also attained her BA in English Literature and Composition and earned her credential to teach English in secondary schools. If that weren't enough, she's taken positions as a college preparation tutor, bookstore clerk, and in-classroom learning assistant to pay for the education she values so highly. Recently, she completed her MA in Writing Popular Fiction.

Writing for Barbour combines two of Kelly's great loves—history and reading. A CBA best-selling author and dedicated member of American Christian Fiction Writers, she's been privileged to earn numerous Heartsong Presents Reader's Choice Awards. No matter what goal she pursues, Kelly knows what it means to
work
for it! Please visit her website at
www.kellyeileenhake.com
to learn more.