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Chapter 1
Chance Brooks didn’t believe in coincidences. When he spotted Noelle Carrington coming out of the grocery store on his first day back in Willow Springs, Missouri, he took it as a sign. Noelle was the woman that had been on his mind for the last six months. The woman who kept him up at night. She had belonged to him until he messed everything up with his doubts and fears. He had to ship out with his military unit before he had time to resolve anything with Noelle. He hated leaving things in such bad shape, but at the time he had no choice.
The devastation she felt the night she caught him and Carly kissing in the bar had been clear on her face for anyone to see. He never stopped seeing it when his eyes were closed.
Chance sat in his pickup truck at the stop sign trying to make a quick decision. Could he pass up this opportunity to talk to her? Should he wait? Instead of going straight down the road where his mother lived, he made a right turn and pulled into the store parking lot. It was late in the evening and not too crowded. That was one point in his favor. He did not need half the town listening to his conversation with Noelle Carrington. He was sure everyone knew what went down six months ago.
Chance wasn’t sure what he would even say to her. He didn’t have a speech planned. His plan had been to wait a few days and let himself rest and get used to being a civilian again. Then he planned to search his hometown of Willow Springs to find her. Noelle was stubborn, but he was a determined man and he wanted a chance to fix things between them.
He wondered if Noelle would even give him the time of day and speak to him. Last time he had laid eyes on her she looked at him with a hatred he never thought he would see in her sweet eyes. Thoughts of how he had hurt his beautiful angel consumed him, leaving him a miserable bastard. Most people would say he deserved to suffer, and he had. Every single day he was without her his heart and body ached. He had been a bastard. There was no denying that. He had been so consumed with fighting his feelings for Noelle that he never realized what he was doing to her.
Noelle was coming out of the grocery store with a brown paper bag attached to her side. She looked a lot thinner than he remembered. It was just another nail in his coffin knowing the blame lay on his shoulders. Dark glasses covered her pretty hazel eyes. The spring sun was bright and making the temperature feel warm after a long winter.
She wasn’t even smiling. She looked so serious. That was not the Noelle he remembered. Her personality was serious at times, but he had made it his personal mission to see her smile. When he had succeeded and she would give him a smile that competed with the sun, his heart would swell until it felt ready to burst. She had been his sunshine, but he had been too scared to be honest with her. He regretted that now. He managed to destroy something beautiful. Her love for him. He had come to that conclusion a little late, but that didn’t mean he would just give up. Soldiers never gave up.
She was wearing a long-sleeved, light blue dress that landed mid-thigh. Her dark brown, chestnut hair was s
hort now, just reaching past her shoulders, and had a bunch of golden blonde streaks in it. The sun hit the streaks and made them glisten brightly.
Gathering up his courage, he got out of his truck. There was no time like the present. He walked up to her hoping like hell she didn’t slap him across the face the way he deserved. He sped up his steps to catch up with her.
She just unlocked her car door and placed the bag inside the backseat. She was bending down, and he had to bite his lip when he noticed her round-shaped ass was still plump and tempting. The material of the dress hugged her shape, making his cock twitch with excitement. This wasn’t a good time to think about sinking into her soft, sexy body. It had been much too long since he held her in his arms.
“Hello, Noelle.” His voice came out gruff because he was so nervous. He was a thirty-two-year-old man who ran his life with control and confidence. Noelle was the only one who had the power to unsettle him. From the beginning his feelings for her messed with his head. They consumed him and baffled him. How could a slip of a girl six years younger than him slip past his defenses?
He heard her gasp, and she turned toward him. She lifted her sunglasses to the top of her head as if she needed to double-check her vision. Her hair was cut in sassy layers that fit her thin face. She stared at him without blinking. Pain, and worse, weariness, filled her pretty, hazel eyes. The look made his chest ache. Regret filled his very soul, knowing he was the reason that look was there. Her eyes used to light up with joy when they landed on him. Now they were somber and unhappy. He could smell her flowery scent, and it was torture to not pull her into his arms and hold her and whisper in her ears all the things he wanted to do to her. Knowing she was waiting for him had been the best part of his homecomings. All that was gone now.
“Chance?” she whispered as if still trying to make herself believe he was actually standing there in front of her. He knew she hated him, and he could not blame her. He had been such an arrogant ass, dismissing her concerns over Carly’s intentions toward him. He knew he should just leave her alone and let her get over him, but he wasn’t giving up on them. He couldn’t. His soul could not live without her.
“It’s me,” he confirmed. He braced himself for a storm. Noelle was fierce and hot tempered. He expected her to yell, maybe even slap him, and then burst into tears. He would take it.
She surprised the hell out of him instead. She sighed with resignation, and her eyes got bright with unshed tears. She blinked a few times, as if refusing to allow them to fall. His gut burned with regret at the thought of her crying. He fucked up. There was no denying it, but he didn’t like feeling the waves of sorrow coming from her. He wanted to reach out and hold her. He saw her chest rise when she took a deep breath. A calmness took over her expression. Was he too late to fix things between them?
“So you’re back in town? I am sure your mother and Carly will be thrilled to have you back.” Her voice was so calm that he immediately hated it. He felt his own anger rise. It was as if she was talking to a passing stranger. He hated the chilling, polite voice. He wanted to feel the heat, the passion, and the joy she brought with her. He had spent a lot of time thinking of what he wanted. Her, permanently.
“Are you glad to see me, angel? It has been six long months. I missed you.” Chance searched for a sign, any sign. He was desperate to see anything that told him she would be open to listening to him.
“I doubt you missed me, Chance. How could you when you’ve spent all your time writing Carly love letters.” Her answer was icy cold. He could feel her pain radiating off of her. She turned her back to him, making him feel it just as strongly as if she had decked him. He preferred to feel the physical pain. The emotional pain sucked. He pressed his lips together, holding in his sarcastic retort. He expected anger, maybe a few tears, but not this coldness.
“I haven’t written to Carly. I don’t know where that idea came from. We need to talk. We never had the chance to talk before I shipped out.” He tried to sound patient, but that wasn’t him. He knew it was not going to be easy, but once he made up his mind about something he liked to resolve things quickly and efficiently.
She turned back to him looking outraged. He even took a small step back to give her some space. At least the coldness was gone from her expression. Her emotions were genuine now.
“Months ago I would have gladly talked things out with you. Now? It’s too late for any explanations.” Her hazel eyes flashed with fury, but at least the cool and polite version of her had left. Her voice was husky with emotion she was trying to hide so desperately. It looked like she held on to her composure by a thread. He felt guilty for pressing her, but he had to break down her defenses. If it was one thing he knew how to do, it was get past a defense. Years of military training had taught him that. Noelle would be the hardest mission ever, but he would succeed. His future depended on his success.
“I tried calling you before I left town. I stopped by your house the morning I left. You threw me to the wolves,” he reminded her, folding his arms across his chest. His hands were itching to just grab her and kiss her. He wanted to remind her of the intensity of desire and need between them. She needed him just like he needed her.
