utterly pathetic.
GPS guided them down a long gravel driveway to a cute little cottage with a raised tin roof and a big old front porch with rockers. “Look at how adorable this is,” she said, completely charmed. The cottage was surrounded by beech trees and behind it was a pond. “I love it.”
“It is really nice.” Chance hopped out of the truck and let the dog out. She immediately started running around in circles, randomly picking up sticks in her mouth and tossing them into the air. “Dolly likes it,” he remarked, obviously amused by her antics.
“Dolly likes rabbit poop so she doesn’t exactly have discerning taste. But in this case she’s on to something.” It was hot and there were already mosquitoes buzzing around her face, but that was the reality of summer in the woods. Jolene didn’t mind. It had been a long time since she’d had any sort of peace and quiet.
The last year had been intense. An extensive tour with Chance, their breakup, a stint coaching on a singing show. This was the first break she’d had in a long time and she aimed to enjoy it, even with the weird tension between them. Sure, they were supposed to be working, but writing songs here would be a lot easier than back in Nashville.
Chance pulled his guitar and their bags out of the back of the truck. She lifted some sacks of groceries she’d packed and followed him toward the door. She and Elle and their brother Shane had grown up in the backwoods of Kentucky. This property reminded her of home, though the cottage here was a hell of a lot nicer than her mother’s falling down house. Or worse, her mean daddy’s single-wide.
“I thought you said we were roughing it,” Chance said, standing in the doorway, surveying the interior. “This is not exactly hard living.”
He was right. It wasn’t the Ritz Carlton, but it wasn’t a bare bones cabin either. There was a dishwasher in the white kitchen, black granite countertops, attractive furniture in the living room, and a big old flat screen TV. “Ginny booked it. She told me it was small and not to expect anything too nice. Guess she was downplaying it.”
Chance jogged up the stairs and immediately returned. “Kids’ room. It has four bunk beds.”
She hoped he liked being on top because that’s where he was sleeping. The master bedroom was hers. Putting the groceries on the kitchen counter, she suddenly wished she’d packed beer. She wanted a cold one. It felt right. Then again, it was ten in the morning. Maybe a little early. She wandered over to what was clearly the first floor master bedroom. There was a colorful quilt on the bed and an en-suite bath. “I claim this room. You can sleep upstairs,” she called back over her shoulder.
“Not a chance.” His low voice was right behind her.
Jolene jumped. “Jesus. What are you doing on top of me?” And why were her nipples hardening? Traitorous little things that they were.
“I’m not sleeping upstairs. I told you. It’s like a bunk room for kids. I’m sleeping in here with you. This bed is big enough for both of us.”
“Over my dead body. What part of keep your damn hands off me do you not understand?”
“You don’t think I can sleep in the same bed with you without wanting to touch you?”
She certainly hoped he couldn’t. Her ego had taken enough hits recently. “I don’t care to hear your snoring.”
“I don’t snore.”
“How do you know? You’re asleep!” He snored like a freight train rumbling through a mountain tunnel. The man drove her crazy. Insane. She wanted to shake him hard, then fall on him like a dog with a soup bone. Which made her the girl in every country song--the one who should know better but fell for the emotionally unavailable boy anyway.
“Besides, sharing a bed is part of our agreement.”
She was about done with that damn agreement. “How do you figure that? I never signed anything. I said no. You didn’t agree to my terms either so I’m serious, Chance. No fooling around.”
When she turned and saw his smile, she knew he knew she was bluffing. She was going to crumble like brown sugar if he so much as made one move on her.
“So when do you want to start?”
Jolene glanced at the bed. For some reason, the first time they’d made love popped into her head. It had been at a hotel when they were doing