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Harper’s clear focus had been the first thing he noticed about her when she came home from Denver, so the statement caused him to pause. “Life is what you make it,” he told her.
She kept stroking down over Houdini’s neck. “I learned a lot time ago that’s not true. It’s easy to believe you can control your life, but then in the next second, you realize you don’t control shit. That no matter how much you plan, in the end, sometimes your plan simply won’t work out.”
She spoke of her parents’ death, he knew that. “If I’ve learned anything from my father’s passing, it’s not to waste time,” he said. “Do what you love. Live your dreams. Because you have no idea how long you have.”
Her hand slid down over Houdini’s belly. “I used to think that too, but you know what else I can’t help think about?”
“What’s that?”
She looked at him, and he caught the emotion in her eyes, filling his chest with warmth, when she added, “The people in your life are more important than even your own dreams. That’s the thing that changes. You can plan your entire life around you, but without those people, what you thought was important no longer matters.”
Chase listened carefully, watching the confusion cross her face. She appeared to be thinking of Brody and her parents. “You need to live your life for yourself, Harper. Not for any other reason but that.”
She lifted her head and smiled, the warmth never reaching her eyes. “You’re right, I do.”
“And that’s why you’re going to Vegas. To follow your dreams.”
A cold void slid over him as she looked up at the stars. “And that’s why I’m going to Vegas.”
This woman, he knew her inside and out, in ways he logically couldn’t explain even to himself, since he’d only really gotten to know her beyond being Brody’s little sister over the past three months. He knew he saw the real her, as much as he knew that she had just lied to him.
Chapter 10
Wednesday went by in a blur of sweat and hard work. Chase and his team worked day and night, and they hadn’t even made a dent in Todd’s list. He returned home later that night exhausted and miserable. Though when he discovered Harper waiting in his bed wearing a heated smile and nothing else, they lost themselves in each other before he crashed into a deep sleep. Early on Thursday morning, he woke to Harper doing her thing in the kitchen. She had made him a delish mushroom omelet breakfast with piping-hot coffee. While that started his morning off right, and his mood had improved dramatically from the night before, the ringing of his cell phone stopped him from getting into his truck and driving to the ranch to meet his crew to fix the stairs. Leah’s news that she had found a foster family for Houdini had brought heaviness into his stomach. And by the time he was driving toward the vet clinic, with Harper next to him and Houdini on her lap, that weighted feeling had moved to his chest.
When he reached the clinic and parked at the curb, he turned to Harper. She had been unusually quiet on the drive over. He understood. Because he had been unable to find words to explain his racing thoughts either. “We should go in,” he told her.
She sighed and glanced up at him with sad eyes. “Yeah, I guess so.”
He followed her into the clinic, tension vibrating between them. His feet felt oddly like they were going in the wrong direction.
Once they were inside, the receptionist greeted them behind the counter with a kind smile. “Go on out back. Everyone’s waiting for you there.” Her gaze flicked to Houdini, and her smile warmed. “Lucky boy gets a home today.”
He’s already had a home crossed Chase’s mind. He hastily shut down that thought. This was the good news they had been hoping for. And this was in Houdini’s best interests. Chase’s life wasn’t suited for a puppy, especially one with special needs.
Harper silently headed down the thin hallway with small exam rooms on either side until she reached the back door. Chase followed her out, and the sunny day welcomed him back. He noted that the outdoor space had a chain-link fence blocking off a grassed area with a few trees, a kiddie pool, and toys littering the space. Harper put a wiggling Houdini down. Unsurprisingly, he went straight for the toys, latching onto one before climbing into the pool.
“Thank you for bringing him.”
Chase turned, discovering Leah and a man and a woman, looking to be in their early forties, sitting at the small circular patio table behind them. The man’s shiny loafers and the woman’s perfectly styled auburn hair and long, painted pink fingernails suggested to Chase that they weren’t from around there. “Chase Blackshaw,” he announced, offering his hand to the man. “I take it you’re the foster family?”
“Jack Hodge.” He returned the handshake and gestured at the woman. “This is my wife Dina.”
“Good to meet you.” Chase shook her hand, then nodded at Harper. “Harper McKinney.”
“It’s nice to meet the both of you,” Dina said with a soft smile. “We were so touched to hear about Houdini’s story. We’ve got an older guy at our house who also has diabetes, so we are very understanding of his situation.”
Chase glanced next to him, discovering Harper giving the couple a very thorough once-over.
“Are you from River Rock?” she asked.
Jack shook his head, leaning back in his seat, resting his arm on his wife’s chair. “Colorado Springs, actually.”
Harper nibbled her lip. “How many pets do you have?”
“Four dogs and three cats.” Dina smiled when Houdini ran over then, shaking his body and sending water spraying through the air. “They always seem to only do that where they’re around people.”
Harper’s eyebrows drew together, and her expression hardened. “Do you have any children? A big family?”
