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She wanted time to stop, only for a minute, so she could catch her breath again. And in the intensity burning in Chase’s eyes, she knew she wasn’t the only one.
* * *
Every person in the bar faded away, the roar of the crowd simply went quiet, and all Chase could see was her. He had seen many things in Harper’s eyes over the years of his friendship with Brody. And even more things these past three months when he had gotten to know her more intimately. He had never seen that cold sadness gripping her. It certainly made him pause. Something was going on in that pretty mind of hers.
Of course, he understood what she must be dealing with. He wasn’t sure what he would do if his dreams took him away from River Rock. She must be torn, and he sympathized with that. To want a different type of life for yourself, but not want to leave the people that matter so much, was cruel. He knew moving away must be hard for her, but he had not realized how hard until now. Everything was changing, and there was no way to hold onto the past anymore. Christ, even he felt like the future was spiraling away from him, and he couldn’t control any of it, certainly not getting back the time that seemed to be moving far too quickly.
Maybe that’s why he was indulging in a couple beers tonight.
Along the way, he had taken the straight and narrow road. He saved before he opened his company. He hired the right people. He did good work. And yet his future lay in the hands of a stranger. Part of him wanted to be at the ranch now fixing what needed fixing. The other part of him knew how important this night was for Harper and Brody.
Though now, as he watched her begin to say her goodbyes, he felt utterly cold and helpless. He could not fathom Harper not being in River Rock. His town would look bleak. Dark, even.
“Congratulations.” A hand slapped a twenty-dollar bill on the table.
Chase blinked, realizing that at some point Brody had left the table, joining some old high school friends at the dart board, with Shep settling into his place. “I don’t believe it,” Chase said. “Nash finally got Bentley to settle down?”
“Well, no.” Shep rested his beer bottle on the table between his hands. “But that kid brother of ours never gave up. I had to force him to stop for the night. I swear he’d still be out there if I hadn’t lured him with the promise of free beers.”
Chase chuckled, glancing at Nash as he got off his stool, limping his way to the restroom. “He looks sore.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s why I made him stop. Bentley proved to be much more of a fighter than even I expected.” Shep took a swig of his beer. “But it’s probably good for Nash. I don’t think it’s a bad thing for him to come off his high horse every once in a while.”
“Hear, hear.” Chase drank his beer, staring at his younger brother until Nash vanished into the bathroom. The new guest ranch was going to give Nash purpose again, something Chase imagined he had been looking for after his leave from the PBR. Chase had wondered once what was worse: never experiencing your dreams or having a taste of them then having those dreams ripped away? He still didn’t know the answer, but seeing how lost Nash seemed sometimes, he figured the latter was worse. All of which reminded him that he needed this inspection to pass. Right now, his reputation was on the line.
The live band switched to a faster song, and the crowd drew closer to the dance floor. Couples were dancing in a circle, along with a straight line of people doing a line dance.
“Who’s got the pup tonight?” Shep asked.
“Mom’s babysitting.” Chase spun his lukewarm beer bottle between his fingers.
“She actually called it babysitting?”
“I think she’s getting desperate for grandkids,” Chase explained, his gaze falling to Harper now dealing with customers behind the bar. An odd tightness filled his chest. He didn’t like knowing she was holding something in.
Wanting to go and check to make sure she was all right, he nearly rose, when Shep said, “Believe me, don’t I know it. I hear her sob story about grandkids almost every time I’m there.”
Chase smiled and stood.
Shep interjected, “Give me another sec. I wanted to talk to you earlier, but with Harper showing up, I figured it could wait.”
Chase lowered back down to the stool. “What’s up?”
Shep glanced around him then leaned forward, keeping the conversation private. “Do you know that inspector?”
Chase shook his head. “I thought he looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him. You?”
“Nah, I’m sure I’ve never met him before.” Shep paused when Faith and her friends walked by the table heading for the dance floor, waiting before addressing him again. “From what I hear, the guy only moved here recently.”
Chase snorted a laugh. “I take that to mean you did some digging on him.”
Shep leaned his arms on the table, his stare focused. “I thought it was in our best interest to do so. Especially when I heard how picky this inspector was being. I became concerned that maybe he had ties with Clint.”
Chase froze. When Clint heard about Blackshaw Cattle being on the verge of bankruptcy, he’d swept in offering to buy a large portion of their land. Something they all considered seriously until Emma’s plan changed their minds. “You think Clint would play that dirty to get our land?”
“Without a doubt.” Shep nodded. “Clint had been willing to pay us ten million dollars for the land. I can only imagine we created an enemy when we turned his offer down.”
Chase consi
