said.
“Then it’s a stupid job.” Her gaze met his, anger sparking between them mixing with the fear in an explosive combination. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re fired.”
“Sorry, but I don’t work for you.”
“That’s right. You work for my father.” She turned to run back to the lodge but he grabbed her arm and spun her into him. Her body slammed against his, knocking the breath out of her even before his mouth dropped to hers and his arms wrapped around her.
The kiss was all passion and fire, fear and regret. She’d seen the way he’d looked at her last night at the pool. The kiss took the rest of her breath. She leaned into him, letting him take her weight as she lost herself in his lips. His arms bound her to him as if he never wanted to let her go.
The sound of an approaching snowmobile droned loudly, bringing them both back from that amazing place the kiss had taken them.
His arms loosened but his mouth stayed on hers until the last possible moment. They parted just an instant before a snowmobile came roaring up over the rise in the trail.
She saw Chance’s hand slip inside his coat to where she knew he’d holstered his weapon only minutes before. The snowmobile slowed, the rider’s features ghostly behind the smoked glass of his helmet. He gave a nod and throttled the machine up as he zoomed past in a clatter of engine and cloud of gray smoke.
Dixie felt weak, as if it had taken all her energy to stand after what had just happened between her and Chance. Hadn’t she always dreamed of this day? Not that it had happened as she’d hoped. No, nothing about this was how she’d imagined it.
Like the way he was looking at her now. As if he was mentally kicking himself for what he’d just done.
“Don’t,” she said, shaking her head. “Don’t try to take that back. You messed up big-time not coming in the pool with me last night and we both know it. Don’t make it worse by telling yourself you’re sorry about that kiss.”
He chuckled, his lips turning up in a grin. “You think you know what I’m feeling right now?” He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have kissed you, but believe me I have no regrets.”
She smiled. “Then I guess we’re making progress.”
“It’s not going to happen again,” he said, taking a step back as if he feared being too close to her.
She laughed. “We’ll see.”
“We need to talk about what just happened.”
“I thought we were.”
“Someone just shot at you,” he said, way too serious.
“It isn’t the first time. I told you, they shot at me in Texas as I was getting away.”
He sighed as he raked a hand through his hair, his gaze locked with hers. “You’re taking this awfully well.”
She shook her head. “Don’t you know me well enough by now to understand that I’m not one of those women who falls apart? When this is over…” She grinned. “Well, that will be another story. Right now, I just need to get to my aunt’s before whoever took a shot at me does.”
“You’re right.”
Her smile widened as she looked at him. “You should say that more often. I really like the sound of it.”
“You know this doesn’t necessarily mean that your father is behind this. It could be someone close to him. Someone he confides in. Or even someone who’s put a tap on his phone line.”
She cut her eyes to him. “Why are you defending him?”
“I just don’t like jumping to conclusions,” he said.
“No, you can’t imagine a father wanting his daughter dead.” She saw that she’d struck more than a nerve. “Will you tell me about your daughter some time?”
He reared back in surprise, shaking his head, his gaze warning her not to push this.
She took a breath, still trembling inside from her encounter both with a near bullet wound—and her even more intimate encounter with Chance Walker. At this point, she would have been hard-pressed to say which had the most affect on her.
“That offer of a ride still open? Because my not-so-scrawny behind is freezing.”
Chance looked relieved and maybe a little surprised that she’d dropped the subject so easily. Clearly he’d hoped she didn’t know. He’d underestimated her. But then, he had from the start. Since the day Chance Walker had left Texas, she’d made a point of keeping up with his life in Montana. She was her father’s daughter, after all.
CHANCE SAID