Chance for a Lifetime Read online

  She bounced out of bed and went into the bathroom. Desiree stared at the tub wanting to soak herself in its depth for hours, but she already felt rude and guilty for sleeping so long. Instead, she pulled the long curtain around the tub and used the shower. She found a stack of towels on a set of decorative shelves and dried off before sitting down to use the lotion, one of the many products she had bought from her store trip. Finally, she chose a pair of the jeans she had bought to wear and a cropped shirt that said I love Paris with a picture of the Eiffel Tower on the front. Sneakers were the last thing she put on, and with one last look in the mirror to put on a bit of lip gloss, she went downstairs to find Chance.

  She heard a bunch of voices coming from behind a big white door. She assumed that led to the kitchen and pushed it open. There was a huge table in the middle of the room, stainless steel ovens and stoves, and huge fridge set against white stone walls. Bronze copper pots hung from the ceiling, and in the window boxes grew some kind of plants. A bunch of men in the room sat at the table. Conversation ceased when she entered, and everyone stopped what they were doing. One man was handing another a big bowl, and even that action was frozen as they all looked at her. Chance was at the head of the table, and he grinned when he saw her.

  “Um, hi?” she said softly.

  “Hi, darlin’. I thought you would sleep through dinner, so I didn’t wake you,” Chance said. He turned his attention to the man holding the bowl. “Donny, put the potatoes down before you drop ‘em.”

  “Sorry, boss,” the man called Donny mumbled and put the bowl on the table with a thump.

  Harvey was busy grinning ear to ear, and Desiree began to feel uncomfortable under the stares.

  “I’m so sorry if I overslept. I didn’t mean to,” she said still in the doorway.

  “Come on in and grab a plate. Don’t mind these fools,” Chance said.

  At his words there was a rush of people moving around trying to find her a chair and all saying, “You can sit here, or why not by me, miss, or shut up, Donny. She ain’t sitting next to you.”

  Finally, Chance rolled his eyes and snatched a chair from the closest person’s hand. “She’s sitting by me. Y’all acting like you never seen a pretty woman.”

  “Not as pretty as her,” Donny piped up, and the men laughed.

  “Thank you, Donny. Am I right?” Desiree said.

  Donny nodded and flushed bright red under the blue shirt he wore.

  Chance put his hand on her shoulder and rubbed. Desiree wanted to purr under his touch, but that would not have been polite at the dinner table.

  “This here is Desiree Paget….” Chance began.

  “Top super model for Platinum Modeling Agency out of New York and Victoria Secret’s cover model for the last three years,” Harvey piped in.

  “Shut up, Harvey,” Chance said. “Desiree, this is the guys. We’re like a big family here.” He started pointing at each man. “This is Joey, Mike, Boscoe, the one with the red face is Donny, Jack, Maven, Chase, and Wayne.”

  They all nodded at her with pleased grins on their faces as she sat down. Desiree gave them a tentative smile. She certainly felt out of place being the only girl in the presence of all these men. But she knew a few women who would love to be sitting at this table right now with a bunch of rugged cowboys. Chance got up and put a plate in front of her and utensils to each side before he draped a cloth napkin in her lap.

  “What are we having for dinner?” she asked.

  “Well our housekeeper Mrs. Wright is home with a broken leg,” Chance explained. “She does all our cooking but decided even though she is seventy-six years old to go hunting with her boys and slipped in a ravine.”

  “Oh goodness.” Desiree gasped. “I hope she’ll be okay.”

  “Mrs. Wright’s going to outlive us all. She is too ornery to die,” Harvey said.

  Desiree giggled, and Harvey flushed. She saw Chance give him a dirty look.

  “Anyway since she’s gone, we’ve got food duty, so today is steaks and mashed potatoes with green beans and biscuits.” Chance picked up a big platter and dropped a thick piece of meat on her plate and grinned. “I’m a master on the grill, sweetheart, so eat up.”

  “This looks like the side of a whole cow.” Desiree shook her head. “I can’t possibly eat all of that.”

  The older man named Carl who sat close by said, “You just try, sweetheart. We understand you have a tiny stomach.”

  Desiree smiled as Chance piled potatoes and green beans on her plate. “Thank you, Carl.”

  After serving her, Chance set the bowl back on the table, and the men dug in ravenously. She watched as they put massive amounts of food on their plates and talked and laughed while doing it. She cut a piece of the steak and put it in her mouth. The succulent meat and delicious flavors soon had her eating just as hungrily as the men. They were now including her in their conversation asking all about New York, about her life, and the glitz and glamour, before Chance put a stop to it all. He let his men know she was there to rest and relax and forget about the city, and at his words, she gave him a grateful look. By the time dinner was over, she had found a bunch of new friends in the guise of Chance’s rough and tumble ranch hands. They bid her good night and left to go finish up chores before bed and have so relaxation time before they would have to do it all again the next day.

  She walked out through the back door after Chance and Harvey refused her help to clean up. Desiree made her way all around the wraparound patio looking out at the sunset. The orange glow of the sun going down behind the mountainside cast outward across the ranch. It silhouetted the men on their horses who whistled and called out as they herded the cattle back to their corals. Everything was so breathtaking, so beyond anything she knew. She wondered if Chance would teach her to ride a horse.

  “It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Chance’s voice came from behind her.

  She turned to look at him, and the sunset made his features alluring, casting shallows of his rugged jaw. His Stetson sat back on his head so she could see his face and his crooked grin. He was sexy as hell. Jeans hugged his lean hips, and his arms were meant for holding a woman and making her feel safe.

  “I feel so much at piece peace here, yet I want to take everything in.” Desiree asked excitedly, “Will you teach me to ride a horse?”

  Chance laughed. “Of course, darlin’. I’ll teach you anything you want.”

  “Like wrangling cattle?” She gnawed her lip worriedly. “I hope I made a good impression on your guys. Would they be upset if I was out there with them?”

  Honey, they are all willing to give up a kidney for you by now.” Chance leaned back against the patio rail. “You will be the talk of the bunk house tonight.”

  “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Desiree asked skeptically.

  “It’s a good thing.” Chance stepped nearer to her, put his hands around her waist, and pulled her closer. Desiree went willingly into his arms. She tipped her head up to meet his intense gaze. “You are a very cute woman.”

  Desiree gave a husky laugh. “Now that’s new. I’ve been called exotic, beautiful, and even mesmerizing, but never cute.”

  “You are, darlin’, very cute. It’s a compliment.” He kissed the tip of her nose.

  “I like it, the compliment I mean. . . . and the kiss too,” she added hastily.

  “Does that mean I can kiss you right proper then?” Chance asked. His voice was a low timbre, and she felt herself shiver in anticipation when she nodded slowly.

  The first kiss in the restaurant was nothing like what she was experiencing now. That was a flash of excitement that went with the thrill of escape. Now he teased her lips with slow deliberation, tasting and exacting passion inside her like nothing she had ever felt before. His tongue licked at her lips begging for entry, and she opened her mouth willing to his invading tongue. He fueled the flames of desire by molding her body to him and pressing her back against the wall of the house. She moaned in pleasure as th
eir tongues mated and danced from one mouth to the other. She sank her fingers into his hair and brushed his neck, then pressed her lips more firmly against his begging him silently to deepen the kiss. He obliged, and Desiree forgot how to think. She immersed herself in the feeling of Chance’s hard body pressed into hers and the smoky taste of his lips. He pulled away after a few soft butterfly kisses on her lips as if to savor her taste. When she raised her eyelashes to look at him, she saw the hot flame of desire in his eyes.

  “You’re cute and delectable, a potent combination,” Chance murmured. He cupped her face in his hand.

  “You are someone I thought I would never meet. This is all like a dream, and I don’t want to wake up,” Desiree admitted.

  “We’ll live the dream together then,” Chance replied and pulled her into his arms for a bear hug that left her breathless. “Want some ice cream and a game of monopoly?”

  “Can I be the thimble?” Desiree asked.

  “Desiree, you can be anything you want to be,” Chance answered.

  Somehow it felt as if he meant more than just the game he offered. The thought soon left her head when he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. Desiree squealed and then laughed as he carried her through the door and back into the ranch house. She already didn’t want to leave and go back to the life she had before.

  Chapter Three

  Chance opened his eyes when his internal clock went off. It was five a.m. on the dot, but instead of getting up and heading outside, he rolled over in bed with a smile on his face. His first thought was do the woman sleeping two doors down from him instead of cattle or his jobs for the day. She looked like she was poured into those jeans last night, he thought. The curve of her ass was so enticing he wanted to lift her up on the patio rails and wrap her legs around his waist so he could cup it in his hands.

  His cock was rigid in his pajama bottoms, and he groaned at the ache. Last night while she sat on the floor in front of the fireplace, all he could think about was taking her. He watched as she laughed in delight while she bought properties and took her thimble across the board. He had to admit when she won and she did her little winner’s dance he did not mind watching her shake her stuff. She had intellect and a sense of humor that had him laughing constantly, plus he found out Desiree Paget was a monopoly shark.

  He climbed from his bed and went into his bathroom to get ready for the day. By five thirty he was downstairs, and of course Harvey had the coffee ready. He took his first grateful sip of the hot caffeine and almost spit it out when Desiree walked into the kitchen. She wore a pair of shorts that showed off her amazingly long chocolate colored legs and a pair of sneakers with red socks. The shirt matched the socks color and had an AD/DC emblem on the front. She had put her hair in pigtails and Lord knows he wanted to throw her over his shoulders again, take her upstairs, and fuck her until the both of them were left breathless. She practically bounced over to the coffee pot and poured a cup. She smiled up brightly at him while he tried to regain the power of speech.

  “Good morning.” Her voice was filled with sunshine. “I’m ready to be put to work.”

  “Morning… what?” Chance tried hard not to let his eyes stray down to her legs.

  “I want to do things, ranch stuff, so put me to work,” she explained.

  “You don’t have to do that,” he protested.

  Her back was to the door when Harvey walked in. His eyes widened when he saw how she was dressed, and he whistled. She turned and smiled at him while Chance pointed to the door signaling he should leave without taking his eyes from Desiree. Harvey turned on his heels and went back out the way he came in.

  She put her hand on Chance’s chest and then wrapped her hands around his waist in a hug. “You chased Harvey away.”

  “No I didn’t. He had work to do,” Chance replied. She felt so good against him, and it felt so right to be in his kitchen holding her.

  So are you going to let me work out in the yard, or range or whatever it’s called? I promise to try hard.”

  “You could ask me for diamonds right now and you would get it.”

  “I don’t want diamonds. Show me what you do all day. That’s all I want.”

  Her tone was serious, and he wondered what in her life made her so unhappy. Who has tried to use things to control her? Chance nodded and grabbed a basket off the tall refrigerator. It had a soft towel in the bottom, and he handed it to her.

  “Mrs. Wright used to collect the eggs from the hen house in the mornings. It’s been my job lately, so now it can be yours.” he explained as they walked out. “Ever heard the expression mad as a wet hen? Be gentle. Just stick your hands under their butts and grab the eggs. They can be ornery.”

  She jumped from the second last step onto the dusty ground and began to swing the basket. “I have seen it on TV. How hard could it be?”

  Harvey walked up to them and commented. “You’re up early, Desiree.”

  “Yup, I’m egg collector today.”

  Chance could hear the pride in her voice. Harvey gave him a look, and he shook his head behind her to keep him quiet. “She is going to try her best, aren’t you sweetheart?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  Chance took her hand and walked in the direction of the hen house.

  “Well this oughta be good. I think I’ll walk with y’all.” Harvey fell into step with them.

  In front of the hen house, Desiree got her first look at the chickens walking around their fenced in area. Chance saw her steps falter, but she firmed her shoulders and walked up to the gate. Good girl, he thought. He and Harvey leaned against the rails to watch her.

  “Okay what do I do?” she called out behind her.

  “First take a big scoop of the corn from that bin right next to the gate and throw it in all over the place so the chickens outside will go for it and you can walk up to the hen house,” Chance called back. “Then do like I told you in the kitchen.”

  She nodded and scooped up the corn with the metal cup in the bin. She spread it around, and the hens went crazy squawking and going after the yellow kernels. Desiree opened the latch to the gate and stepped inside carrying the basket. With one last look she ducked her head and went through the door to gather eggs.

  “Should we help her?” Harvey asked.

  “No, I think she can handle it. There’s more to her than her good looks,” Chance replied.

  He heard her voice. “Good chickie, very good chickie, can I have some eggs, please?”

  Chance looked at Harvey and grinned. A wild rash of clucking came from the wooden hen house, and then her screech followed. “No, not my hair. Calm down!” She screamed. Then another round of clucking ensued. After a few minutes, Desiree came rushing out of the hen house with three chickens flying out behind her. There were feathers and hay in her ponytails, and some of her hair was pulled loose. In her hand the basket swung wildly, and Chance thought she would drop eggs she gathered. The wild panicked look on her face and the way she looked now compared to when she went in had both Chance and Harvey doubled over with laughter.

  When they looked up, she was staring at them with fire in her eyes and a slight pout to her lips. In her hand she had an egg, and from her stance, he could tell she was ready to let it loose. In between their laughter, Chance held up his hands to stop her and tried to stifle his chuckles.

  “Now, honey, don’t do anything you will regret,” Chance warned.

  “Who said I’ll regret this? You guys are there laughing at me while I am being attacked by fowls.”

  Her comment had them laughing once again, and the first egg hit him square on the chest. He watched the yellow yolk trail down his shirt. Harvey pointed at him and wiped tears of mirth off his face. An egg hit him on the shoulder, and he looked over at her in surprise.

  “Hey, why did you hit me?” he asked.

  “Because you were laughing too,” she replied and threw two more in quick succession. Both hit them and splattered.

  Chance braved
her egg bombardment and ran forward to tackle her. He picked her up off her feet, and she squealed. “Put me down, Chance Niven!”

  “Hmm, I think not. You have quite the throwing arm.” He swung around to look at Harvey who was chuckling while he wiped yolk from his chest. “Harvey, disarm our guest here and get the rest of the eggs, please.”

  “My pleasure,” Harvey said.

  Chance walked away with Desiree still over his shoulder. The curve of her ass was right by his face, and he was tempted to turn his head and bite the delectable rump. She brought out some devilish thoughts in him that he hoped to act on very soon. In the kitchen, he placed her on the floor next to the sink and barred her escape with his hands. She looked up at him, and he could see the twinkle of merriment in her eyes. A smile was on her lips, and her face was flushed with excitement and happiness. He couldn’t help himself.

  Chance swooped down and took her lips in a kiss. She made a sound of pleasure and stood on her tiptoes so she could wrap her arms around his neck and twine her fingers in the hair at his nape. It caused delicious sensations to have her fingers scrape his scalp, and because she had to reach up to hold him, her body was pressed intimately against his as they kissed. He could feel every luscious curve of her while his tongue penetrated her mouth and dueled with her. He lifted her against him, plundering her mouth and sinking deeper into pleasure at her taste. Finally, when she pulled away and looked at him with swollen lips and the mask of desire on her face, all Chance wanted to do was to take her upstairs and sink himself inside her.

  “Darlin’, you taste better that apple pie,” he murmured.

  Her lips curved into a slow smile. “You have an interesting way of complimenting me.”