Chase 'n' Ana (9 page)

one, aren’t you? Well, you better be careful ‘cause Fergi’s hunting and I’d hate to see her

make a meal out of you, now that we’re friends and all. Maybe it’d be better if you

found a safer place to spend the night.”

She stooped down and released the snake. It unwound from her arm and moved

away. “And remember, no biting Cody or Chase, okay?”

She and Chase watched it slither away into the darkness. When she turned to face

him, he was staring at her like she had two heads. “What?” she asked.

“You just picked up a rattlesnake.”

“And?”

“And you do know they bite, don’t you? And are very poisonous?”

“Did it bite me?” she asked.

“Well…no.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“Damn, Fancy. Just what the hell are you?”

“Just your ordinary, run-of-the-mill, garden-variety witch.”

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Chase ‘n’ Ana

Chapter Seven

“You sure you want to do this?” Chase asked as he and Ana walked to the barn.

“Absolutely.”

“But the doctor said that—”

“He’s wrong. I’m fine.”

“This is nasty work, Fancy.”

“Well, I’m a nasty gal,” she teased, earning a cocked eyebrow from him.

“Nasty, eh?”

“Hmmmm,” she murmured with a smile.

Chase shook his head. She had a way of turning his thoughts to sex even when she

was burning breakfast. It was clear to him that no matter what he did, said or thought,

Ana Stillwater had wormed her way into his blood and wasn’t going to be dislodged

until he’d had his fill of her.

But right now he had chores to do and since she’d insisted on helping, he figured

he’d give her a job that would be sure to have her wrinkling that pretty nose in disgust

and calling it quits.

He led her into the barn, stopping to take hold of a large wheelbarrow that had a

pitchfork and shovel in it. He pushed it into the barn and parked it in front of the first

stall. His mount, Whiskey, neighed in greeting and Chase opened the stall door to let

him out.

“Morning, fella.” He rubbed the horse’s head as Whiskey nosed him in the chest.

“This is Ana. Ana, Whiskey.”

“As in ‘Whiskey River’?” she asked, thinking of the song.

“You know that?” Chase was surprised. He hadn’t taken her for the countrywestern music type.

“You’d be surprised what I know,” she replied and stepped over to stroke Whiskey.

“Hey, Whiskey. You sure are beautiful.”

Whiskey turned his attention from Chase to Ana as she gave him a kiss on the nose

and blew softly into his nostrils. Chase watched her with interest. “Where’d you learn

that?”

“What?” Her attention was still on Whiskey.

“Blowing your breath like that?”

“Oh!” She hadn’t even been consciously aware of what she did. It was second

nature to give any new animal your smell. “My grandfather, I guess. He raised horses

along with bull riding.”

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Ciana Stone

“So you know how to ride?”

“You betcha.” She turned to him with a grin. “Can I ride one of your horses?”

“Sure,” he agreed. “But not ‘til we get these stalls mucked out.”

She gave Whiskey a final stroke on the head and turned to grab the pitchfork. “Fine,

you get all the fellas out to the pasture and I’ll get started.”

“Don’t you want to know what you’re supposed to do?”

“I think I can figure it out,” she said and gave him a little push. “Get going, cowboy.

You’re standing in the way of progress.”

“Okay. Damn!”

“What?”

“I need to make a run to the feed store.”

“So go.”

“I can’t leave you here to do this alone.”

“Sure you can. Now go!”

Chase considered it for a moment. There was no way she’d be able to get all six

stalls mucked out by herself. Chances were by the time he got back, she’d have given

up and gone inside to play with her crystals or do more of that body-contorting yoga.

“Okay. You need anything while I’m gone, call me on my cell phone. The number’s

on a pad beside the phone in the kitchen.”

“I’ll be fine, Chase.”

“Okay, I’ll be back soon. Oh, you need anything?”

Ana pursed up her lips, and rolled her eyes up. “Hmmm, no. Yes. Yes. Do you have

a blender?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, then I need a bottle of distilled water, some oil. Almond preferably, but if

that’s not available extra virgin olive oil will do. Let’s see… I have jasmine and myrrh…

Do you have any lecithin or vitamin E capsules?”

“Uh, no.”

“Well then, I need both of those.”

Chase was trying to commit the list to memory, all the while wondering what in the

world she needed those things for. “Is this for some potion or witch thing?”

Ana laughed. “No, skin lotion. It’s really dry here.”

“Well, why don’t I just stop by the drugstore and get you a bottle of lotion?”

“That’s okay. I’m used to making my own. But if it’s too much trouble, don’t worry

about it.”

“No, no, it’s fine.” He repeated the list back to her and she smiled and nodded.

“Okay, then see you soon,” he said and turned to leave.

“Chase?”

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Chase ‘n’ Ana

He stopped to look back at her. “Thanks,” she said with a smile.

“Sure thing.”

“See you later.” She gave him a wave and turned to pick up the pitchfork.

Chase let the rest of the horses out to pasture and got in his pickup. “Water, oil,

vitamin E and lecithin,” he mumbled to himself. “How the blue blazes is she gonna get

skin lotion out of that. A greasy mess is more like it.”

The idea of greasy inspired lascivious thoughts. With a grin he headed for town.

* * * * *

Ana set to work, removing as much of the soiled straw and manure as she could

with the pitchfork and tossing it into the wheelbarrow, then finishing up with the

shovel. She pushed the wheelbarrow out, spotted the manure pile and dumped the load

onto the pile. It took three such trips to finish the first stall.

“Okay, one down and five to go,” she told Cody who lay beside a stack of clean

straw bales.

He gave her one short yip. She laughed and returned to her work. The gentleness

Chase had displayed last night when she’d broken down had made a dent in her

mistrustfulness. She had not needed to tap into Fergi’s psychic sense to know that he

was genuinely concerned for her, and had a strong sense of dislike going on for her

husband for what he’d done.

Ana did not want Chase to hate Giovanni. She didn’t want him to think about

Giovanni at all, because she didn’t want to think about him either. As far as she was

concerned Giovanni no longer existed. She’d written him out of her life the day he hit

her. He had not been the man for her. It had just taken something drastic to make her

admit it.

Now Chase Hawks was another matter entirely. Ana knew to the bottom of her

soul that he was the man for her. Whether he would come to that realization was up to

him. As easy as it would be to nudge him in that direction magically, she could not

ethically do it. And besides, she wanted him to want her all on his own, not because she

had bewitched him. That wouldn’t be real and she definitely wanted the real thing from

Chase.

The man made her warm just thinking about him. Even now the crotch of her cutoff

jeans was starting to feel damp from the arousal she was feeling.

She had to laugh. Maybe she wasn’t the only witch in these parts. Because sure as

the moon rose, Chase Hawks had a spell on her.

* * * * *

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Ciana Stone

Chase picked up the bottle of skin lotion and opened it up to sniff. Smelled good,

but not like Ana. This was kind of citrus and that wasn’t her smell at all. He put it down

and picked up another.

“Well, Chase Hawks. What in the world brings you here?” A female voice had him

quickly replacing the bottle on the shelf.

“Hey, Mrs. Crossman.” Chase gave the older woman a polite smile. He should have

known it would be a mistake to take a chance on shopping at the exclusive shop that

specialized in bath and body products.

She picked up the bottle he’d set down. “You looking for something particular,

Chase?”

“Uh, no. Just told a friend I’d pick her up some lotion and I’m not quite sure what

kind to get.”

“Does she have dry or oily skin?”

“Uh…I don’t know. It’s soft.”

“Hmmm.” Mildred Crossman regarded him curiously. “Well, you know you can’t

go wrong with this.” She moved over to a counter and picked up a bottle.

Summer Hill, the label read. From something called Crabtree & Evelyn. Chase

smelled it. “It’s nice, but too flowery.”

“Hmmm.” Mrs. Crossman tapped her chin with a long-nailed index finger. “Well,

what scent does she normally use?”

“I don’t know. I mean, she kind of smells like flowers, but not that kind. And

there’s something else. Something…warm and…jasmine! That’s it, jasmine.”

“Well then, this is what you want.” Mrs. Crossman fetched a small bottle.

“Savannah Gardens. It’s a blend of Savannah Jasmine, orange blossom, vanilla and

hyacinth and has extracts of linden flower, aloe and honey.”

Chase liked the way it smelled. “But this isn’t lotion.”

“Well, honey, we have the entire collection. But if it’s just the lotion you want—”

“No. No, I’ll take one of each. And a bottle of almond oil if you have it. Oh, and a

dozen of those candles over there.”

Mrs. Crossman smiled to herself as she gathered his order. Nearly three hundred

dollars and ten minutes later, Chase left the store with a big bag advertising where he’d

been shopping, loaded with the candles, almond oil, Savannah Gardens bath gel, eau de

toilette—whatever that was—hydrating body mist, body lotion, bath soap and room

spray.

He had not gone two feet before he came face-to-face with his twin half-brothers,

Cole and Clay.

“Yo!” Cole slapped Chase on the shoulder. “What’s up, bro?”

“Just running errands. What’re you two doing home?”

“Decided to work on the ranch for Pop this summer,” Clay answered.

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Chase ‘n’ Ana

“You volunteered to work for Charlie?” Chase asked in disbelief. One thing their

father was not, was easy to work for. All four of the boys had avoided it as much as

possible their entire lives.

“He made it hard to refuse,” Cole said. “You know Pop when he gets his mind set.

Besides, this is the last summer. After I graduate I’m getting as far from Arizona as

possible.”

“Amen, brother,” Clay agreed.

“If either of you reprobates ever graduate,” Chase joked. “What’s this? The fifth

year? You on the six-year bachelor program?”

Cole laughed. “You know that’s Clay’s fault. If he hadn’t talked me into joining that

fraternity we would’ve had enough credits those first two years.”

Chase couldn’t help but laugh. The twins were a good time waiting to happen.

Always had been. They had the best intentions and were both as smart as a whip, but

just let someone suggest something that seemed like a good time and they forgot

everything else. He guessed they’d grow up one day, but it didn’t look like this was the

day.

“Well, you boys try to stay out of trouble. I got to get back to the ranch. Catch you

later.” He turned to walk off.

“Yeah, I can see you’re all burdened down with supplies there, Chase. You got a

filly back at the ranch?” Clay’s comment had Chase stopping cold in his tracks.

“Clay, you know Chase doesn’t take his women to the ranch. That’s sacred ground.

Remember? But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have one stashed away around town.

Remember two years ago when that filly from Amarillo was holed up in that apartment

east of town and Chase decided he was tired of her and she set the place on fire?”

The twins laughed it up over that. Chase didn’t. “Grow up,” he growled and

stomped off.

Clay elbowed Cole in the side. “Bet Caleb knows what’s going on. He’s wired into

everything that goes on in this place. What say we swing by the Circle R and take little

brother for a few beers?”

“It’s half past nine,” Cole pointed out.

“So? We’re on vacation. Let’s grab a case, pick up Caleb and load up the Wave

Runners, and drive up to Canyon Lake.”

“Not a bad idea,” Clay agreed. “By day’s end we’ll know what Chase is hiding.”

“Yeah, then we’ll give him hell.”

Laughing, they backtracked to their truck.

* * * * *

49

Ciana Stone

Chase stopped dead in his tracks when he entered the barn. He’d expected to find

the stalls still in need of cleaning and Ana nowhere to be seen. Instead, he found her

spreading new bedding in the final stall.

“Hey!” She turned to him with a smile.

She was dirty, disheveled, sweaty, and without a doubt the sexiest sight he’d ever

seen. Her cutoff jeans slunk low on her hips, but were cut high enough to invite a man’s

eyes toward the intersection of her thighs. The white tank top she wore was sweatstained, allowing the dusky tint of her hard nipples to be slightly visible.

Ana felt his desire wash over her, mixing with her own and filling the interior of the

barn with sexual energy strong enough to set the straw on fire if it grew any hotter. She

didn’t want to think only of sex when she looked at Chase, but it wasn’t easy to do

otherwise. His dark eyes were like pools of midnight, beckoning her to dive into the