Steadfast Soldier Read online

  The dog wasn’t going anywhere unless someone made him.

  “Here.” Chance handed Chloe the umbrella and ran to the other side of the car. Opening the door, he reached in and—just lifted the dog. Not only that, he lifted the terrified monstrosity of a mutt as if he were a stuffed toy. Chance expertly carried him toward the house.

  Midnight must have felt secure because he didn’t struggle except to search for Chloe over Chance’s well-developed shoulders and back.

  Rain soaked his shirt and caused it to cling to his skin so every cut, corded muscle became visible as he sprinted with her dog to Mom’s door.

  She regretfully ripped away her gaze and rushed behind them with the unique umbrella.

  Chloe’s mom flung the door open. “What in the world?” Mary stepped aside as the dripping threesome filed in.

  Chance stopped on the rug and set the dog down. “Midnight, stay,” he said to the dog, which not only complied but eyed Chance like he was his new best friend.

  “Good boy.” Chance scrubbed Midnight behind his ears, then tipped his head at her mom. “Ma’am.”

  Mary ogled him. Chloe knew the feeling. Not often did one meet a guy who proved that chivalry was not dead, especially one so tall, broad and beautifully sculpted.

  Chloe fiddled with her oversize wristwatch. “This is my mom, Mary. She is working for Mandy part-time as a receptionist in her doctor’s office until she can get her greenhouse business up and running here.”

  “What do you grow?” Chance patted Midnight.

  “Flowers, mostly.” Mary snapped out of her gawking. “Oh, forgive my manners. Let’s get you a towel and something to drink, young man.”

  “Thank you, but I’m fine. I need to get going.” Chance shifted from foot to foot. “It was nice to meet you. Have a nice day, Mary.”

  He turned to Chloe. “Later.” He slid her a lopsided grin, then slipped out the door and into the rain, leaving her speechless for the second time in her life.

  Later. Sounded like a promise, as did the lazy way the word had drawled across his tongue. Despite rain-soaked clothes, Chloe broke out in a sweat.

  “My goodness, but he’s a looker!” Mary scuttled around the room.

  Chloe’s sentiments exactly. “He’s a Good Samaritan on top of all those piles of muscles and mile-long legs.”

  “A strapping Samaritan. With no identifier that he’s spoken for.”

  “I noticed that too,” Chloe said in a small voice. Ringless finger. She didn’t like that her eyes and heart had headed so quickly in that direction.

  “Later. That sounded a little like an invitation. At the very least, an inquiry.” Mary hawk-eyed Chloe.

  Later. The softly spoken word and the part question, part promise in his silky-suave voice wilted her. For when the word had slid like sugar from Chance’s handsome lips, she’d felt a surge of hope.

  And hoping to see Chance again on a personal level was the absolute last thing she should be doing.

  Especially if the man planned to be a pastor.

  Mom returned with dry towels. “So who was that?”

  Chloe draped one over herself then Midnight. “The son of the client I met with today. I couldn’t find my way in the storm. He passed by and saw me. Helped me get here.”

  “And carried your wet, stinky dog in and gave you his umbrella and went without?” Mary drifted to the door as if to glimpse another look at the man who’d so thoroughly rescued her daughter.

  “Yes, he is quite mannerly.” Chloe curled her fingers around the umbrella and tried to ignore the compelling fragrance of Chance’s cologne lingering on it.

  Mary handed Chloe a piece of paper. “Evie of Refuge B&B phoned today. She has vacancies now.”

  Chloe took the message. “Oh, good. Thanks.”

  “You could stay with me a while longer.”

  “I know. But by setting down roots, the folks on my Chicago team will know I’m serious about presiding over the Refuge clinic if I get it going.”

  “When, not if.”

  Chloe reached over and kissed her mom’s cheek. “That’s what I love about you. Always believing in me.” Chloe called Evie back then turned to her mom when she hung up the phone. “She has three newly remodeled, furnished rooms available at reasonable rent. She said to come on over.”

  “Want me to drive with you?” Mary asked.

  “Nah. Stay out of the rain. Give your arthritis a rest. Evie said she has three keys, a box of dog biscuits and a pan of Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings ready and for me and Midnight to choose our favorite room.”

  Mary chuckled and walked Chloe to the door. “Sounds like Evie. Welcome to Refuge, Chloe.”

  If she could stay.

  Chloe hadn’t inherited all of Mom’s optimism.

  Chapter Three

  “This one’s my favorite.” Chloe pulled out her neon-green therapy band at Ivan’s next OT session.

  Ivan’s scowl intensified. “Who cares?”

  “I do.” Chance knelt. “Come on, Dad. Please try it.”

  “I said no. I’m tired of everyone bossing me around.”

  “We’re trying to help you get better.” Chance looked to Chloe. Desperation gnawed at him. Dad had refused therapy several days in a row. How long would she keep coming if Ivan refused to try?

  “I’m sure Miss Callett has other places to be, Dad. She’s been here three hours today already. Please, don’t waste the lady’s time.”

  Chloe put her hand on Chance’s arm. “It’s okay. We’ll give it a rest for now.” She rose and rolled up her band.

  A sinking sensation hit Chance when she stuffed it, along with her clipboard, inside her bag.

  Clearly she was done.

  Ivan lifted his head. Eyed her and Chance, then turned away when they caught him looking.

  “Thanks for trying.” Chance walked Chloe to the door.

  “No problem.” But the sudden panic piercing her face when she eyed her watch belied her confident words. Chloe faced Chance. “I’m sorry I can’t stay longer today. I’ve a meeting I’m late for. Bye, Chance.”

  She ran to her car. Midnight wasn’t with her today. Chance appreciated that she’d tried without him.

  Hadn’t made a difference. He closed the door and fought his frustration with Dad.

  “Next time you mow that yard, boy, mow this carpet too.” Ivan tried to wheel himself across the floor, but the carpet was too thick and the chair wouldn’t budge.

  “Where do you need to go, Dad?”

  “Anywhere you aren’t. Put me to bed.”

  Chance clenched his jaw and pushed the chair across the floor to Ivan’s room. “Dad—”

  “Just let it go, son! Let me go. Just…let me go.”

  Chance’s throat clogged. His eyes stung. “I can’t.” He helped his dad into bed and was surprised to see tears drip on his hands. His or Dad’s? It didn’t matter. They mingled. Chance tucked Ivan in. His father turned away. Glared at the wall.

  “I know this is hard for you. I love you, Dad. Too much to let you go.” His voice cracked.

  A grunt met his words. But that was okay. Losing Mom had ripped any reticence out of Chance about telling those he loved how he felt. His father just switched on the television and turned it up. The two men sat in silence, staring at the screen.

  Two hours later, Chance heard a distinct rumble outside as a motorcycle pulled up. “Dad, Vince is here to visit with you while I make a grocery run.” Chance stared at the figure in the bed. “Want anything special?”

  “Yeah,” his dad grunted a reply. “Celery, peanut butter and a roll of duct tape the width of your lips.”

  Chance grinned with relief. “For my mouth, right?”

  “Yes, and a lock to keep that hippie therapist and her creature out of this prison you’re forcing me to live in.”

  Chance chuckled grimly. “I’ll think about it.” He went to step out and close the door.

  Ivan twisted. “Wait, what’s wrong with the mutt?”r />
  “Nothing that I’m aware of.”

  “Just wondered, since he was a no-show today.”

  Chance paused. Was it possible? Did his father actually care a little bit about Midnight?

  Maybe there was hope after all. At this point, he’d grasp that tiny grain. His father’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

  “Get going. I need my nap. Don’t forget celery. The one with hearts.”

  “The packages with the hearts are my favorite too,” a voice that sounded like honey to his ears said behind him a few minutes later as he was eyeing the produce at the grocery store.

  Chance turned. The smile was as sweet as the sound. “Hi, Chloe.” He eyed her cart. “Shopping, I see?”

  “Yes. Looks like you’re stocking up too.” She watched him set two packages of celery hearts in his cart as she rolled hers beside his.

  “How’s Ivan?” she asked.

  “Calm for now.” He grinned. “But only because he’s sleeping.”

  She laughed. It swirled through him like fresh air.

  “Thanks for being patient with him. I know you’re going above and beyond what anyone else would do.”

  She put fresh broccoli in her cart. “It’s what I’d want if he were my dad. I try to treat every patient as though they are people I love.”

  Chance paused. “I got the feeling you didn’t care much for your dad.”

  Chloe stilled and twisted a knot in the broccoli bag. “He didn’t care much for me. But I loved him. He was the only dad I had, and while he wasn’t perfect, he was mine.” She blinked several times.

  Chance rested a hand on her arm. “Wanna go somewhere and hang out? We can just talk and have fun. I can show you around Refuge.”

  “I’d like that.” She eyed her cart’s contents. “I’ll drop my stuff off at home and meet you back at your house?”

  Chance nodded and a sense of excitement filled him as he checked out and drove home. It lingered as he put groceries away.

  Vince stepped out of Ivan’s room. “I helped him bathe. He’ll be in bed for the rest of the day and all night, I think. If you want to get out of the house for a bit, bro, I can sit with him. Val’s preparing a court case. Trial’s in two days, so she’s working at home.”

  “Actually, I was going to ask if you could. I’m showing Dad’s OT around Refuge.”

  Vince got a goofy smirk. “Sounds like a date.”

  “No, just a…a…friendship outing. I’m trying to stay in her good graces so she’ll keep coming back to help Dad. Not sure why she hasn’t given up on him yet.” Chance swallowed and eyed his dad’s door. A car pulled up outside. “That’s her.”

  Vince grinned. “Have fun, man. You need it.”

  Outside, Chance walked Chloe to his Jeep. He opened the door and helped her up, pleased to discover she’d freshened up her makeup, clipped her hair into a barrette and spritzed on perfume.

  “Where to first?” she asked as he drove toward Haven Street.

  “Mandy mentioned you’re looking for land to build your animal-assisted therapy program.”

  “Yeah, if it ever gets off the ground.” She sighed.

  “Having trouble?”

  “That’s an understatement. My troubles have trouble where the program’s concerned. My meetings with Refuge City Council and the bank loan officer didn’t go well today.”

  Remorse smacked him upside the heart. “Oh, wow. That’s where you were headed when you left late today.”

  “Yeah, but it wouldn’t have mattered. Two council members are afraid of funding something so progressive.”

  “I think I know the two in question. Sheriff Steele and Mayor Bunyan?”

  “Exactly. How’d you know?”

  “Because they staunchly opposed programs my buddies and I tried to institute.”

  “I hope everything turned out well for you.”

  “We compromised. Steele and Bunyan agreed to what they did only because the entire town put pressure on them.”

  “That’s discouraging. The town doesn’t know me.”

  “But God does. If you have Him in your corner, there’s no need to fear. Besides, the mayor and the sheriff are both entering their last terms.”

  Chloe laughed. “Not soon enough to save my program.”

  “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

  “You believe in me?”

  “Of course. You haven’t given up on Dad yet.”

  Chloe nodded, seeing the fear in his eyes that she might. But as willing as she was to keep trying, she couldn’t force Ivan to exercise. “You haven’t either. So between the two of us and Midnight, he still has a chance.”

  “Thanks, Chloe. You encourage me.”

  “We’re even then, because you encourage me too.”

  Chance took her to his friend Joel’s house and borrowed his four-wheeler. He rode Chloe through the woods until dense forest gave way to a clearing.

  Chance cut the engine. Chloe liked being close to him and didn’t want to put distance between them, but the view before them called to something deep in her. Almost like a dream.

  “Wow.” Chloe climbed off the ATV. “This land is incredible. I can instantly envision where each of our animal rescue buildings should go. Mallory, my cousin and partner in crime with the animal-assisted therapy project, would freak if she saw this.”

  Chance rested his hands on Chloe’s shoulders and turned her to the left as he pointed at a real estate sign.

  “It’s for sale,” Chloe breathed. She eyed every inch of the property and practically drooled. “This would be perfect.” She turned to Chance. “Do you know who owns it?”

  “The local garage owner. He has money coming out his ears. He owns a lot of land around Refuge. He’d probably sell it at a reasonable price as long as he knows the program is worthwhile.”

  “My program will bring job openings to Refuge.”

  “That’ll help.”

  “But it may not be enough. There are too many obstacles to count.”

  “Think of them as hurdles. Just focus on the one directly in front of you. Leap one at a time.”

  “Thanks, Chance. Did you ever coach sports? You should.”

  “I ran track in high school and college, then coached troubled teens in my spare time. I started a cross-country running club to try and give them something to do besides get arrested on weekends.”

  “So you have it in your heart to work with youth?”

  “Yeah. It’s very important to me.”

  She rubbed the chill off her arms and hoped he’d change the subject. He stilled and studied her motions a moment before leading her to the edge of the property. A stream gurgled beside grassy knolls. Breath left her body in a delicate gasp. He smiled gently at her.

  “This is so peaceful, so picturesque.” She turned in a half circle, then stopped. “That sign on the adjacent property says Sold. Do you know what’s going in there?”

  “One of my skydiving buddies bought it. He wants to put in a horse farm and bring at-risk teens out to teach them work ethic. He wants to use rescued horses, which is why I brought you here. If you snagged the property next door, you two could combine your programs.”

  “That would save money, which is another hurdle I need to jump in order to get this thing off the ground.”

  “I have no doubt. I believe you will.”

  She faced him. “I’m glad someone does. Let’s hope you’re not the only one in town.”

  The wind rustled tendrils of hair loose from her barrette. He visually tracked the motion as it billowed. Something melted in her.

  Something that made the moment much too romantic.

  His eyes met hers, then fell to the lush, green earth. He dug the tip of his boot into the ground. His countenance succumbed to shyness.

  “Hey, that looks like a combat boot. Is it?” She nodded toward his foot.

  He nodded. “Jump boot. Similar, I guess.”

  “For skydiving?”

 
He met her gaze again. “You could say that.”

  What he said intrigued her, but what he didn’t say intrigued her more. She loved a man immersed in mystery. The fact that she’d get to ride back through forest and fields with her arms wrapped around him again pasted a smile on her face.

  He looked so masculine against bright backdrops of raised knolls carpeted in vivid green grass landscaped with outlying woods. Assorted trees and wildflowers dotted the canvas of earth, which met the sky in brilliant purple-pink hues. Colorful and vibrant, pure and peaceful.

  How she felt inside just walking and talking with him.

  His jaw lifted as he eyed the painted horizon. “Sun’s setting. We better head back.”

  Walking side by side, he peered down at her with steadfast sureness. The compelling look on his face caused her heart to flutter like a butterfly being courted by a winsome breeze.

  “It’s going to be okay, Chloe,” he said after a moment of walking, with no words other than what was communicated by his sturdy gaze whispering unwavering confidence into hers.

  “I hope so.”

  He cleared his throat. “Uh, d-do you think you’ll be coming back t-t-to try again, y-you know, w-w-with Dad?” He looked both annoyed at his stutter and scared of her answer. His dysfluent speech proved it so.

  She stopped, put her hand on his arm until he paused his long-legged stride and looked down at her. “Of course.”

  He nodded and relief fell across his face in terrific waves. He resumed his steps. The four-wheeler came into view. “Busy week ahead.”

  “Me too.” One that she looked forward to more than she ought, thanks to thoughts of glimpsing Chance again, although she truly did look forward to the challenge of assisting Ivan with his exercises.

  If she could continue to trick or otherwise convince him to do them. If not, Chance had no need of her. She was there to help his father and she’d best not forget it.

  That’s the only reason Chance looked at her as if he’d been stranded for months in the middle of a lonely, swirling ocean and she was the first lifeline to hit his destitute horizon. Right?

  God had sent her. No doubt about it. The girl was a human life preserver. Dad’s mood had improved three hundredfold since Midnight and Chloe had come this week. And his mood had improved along with his dad’s, especially after spending time with her yesterday afternoon and evening. They’d had a great time.