keep it in mind. Don’t have a partner for that.” She pursed her lips, considering. “Yet. I’ll look around, see who’s available.”
“I’ll load up and head that way today. I’ll be there by Thursday morning. You’ll have time to ride them both, and they’ll have their ground legs back before the rodeo starts.”
A knock on the door caught her attention. “Call me when you get here. I’ll meet you at Clark County. Somebody’s at the door. I gotta go, Kade.”
His heavy sigh hung between them. “Are you sure, little girl?”
“Yeah. Everything is gonna be fine. You’ll take care of Indy for me, right?”
“You don’t even have to ask.”
She ended the call, and when she caught Chase’s attention, he waved her toward the door. She opened it, only to be confronted by a handsome man. He vaguely resembled Chase, except instead of sharp brown eyes, this man’s were a startling blue and his hair was a dark russet brown instead of black.
“Huh.” He stared at her, obviously not very impressed. “I can’t wait until Uncle Cyrus gets a load of you. Let’s go.”
“Go?”
“Yeah. I’m Tucker, soon to be your cousin-in-law. I’m taking you shopping. Clothes. Truck. Trailer. Sound familiar?”
“Before we sign the paperwork?”
“Nothing goes into your name until after the marriage.”
“Oh.” Savannah wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that.
Tucker looked over the top of her head and called to Chase. “We’ll stop by Security and get her into the system. See you for dinner.”
He grabbed her arm and tugged, but she jerked free. “Wait. My purse.”
Reaching around her, Tucker pulled the door closed. “You won’t need it.”
Chase watched Tucker tease Savannah, surprised at the burn in his chest. His cousin and the woman he planned to marry had spent the previous afternoon picking out a pickup, a fancy horse trailer, getting her added to his credit accounts with a checking account of her own and into the hotel’s security system so she could access his apartment. He’d spent the day auditioning some new showgirls, dealing with a situation on the casino floor and listening to his big brother rant about how stupid Chase was being. That was easy for Chance to say. He’d found and married the girl of his dreams. True, Dad had done his best to break them up, but Chance told the old man off and went merrily on his way. Chance didn’t have the old man breathing down his neck, complete with a forced marriage looming.
If he had to take the plunge, Chase was darn sure he’d be doing it on his terms, not his dad’s. He studied the woman he’d be marrying within the next twenty-four hours. This morning, he had a conference call with investors and the architect of the new hotel project in the Bahamas. He’d need to rent a car for Savannah to drive until the new pickup and trailer were ready. Kade was due to arrive in the morning, and she’d be out at the fairgrounds all day with the ranch foreman and the new horses.
He planned a fast trip to the Clark County Marriage License Bureau, an office open 24/7 due to Vegas’s reputation for quickie weddings, for later in the afternoon. They’d get married Thursday night so it was a done deal before the old man hit Vegas on Friday.
“Hope you don’t mind.”
Chase pulled his head into the conversation and stared at Tucker. “Mind what?”
“That I’m taking Savannah to Leather and Lace.”
Savannah choked and coffee spewed out her nose. She grabbed a napkin, coughing, while Chase thumped her on the back. “Can you breathe?” When she nodded, he still watched her to be sure, but answered Tucker. “I don’t have a problem with that. See about getting her some custom boots. They won’t have them ready before she heads out, but we’ll have them here the first time she comes home.”
“Uh, hello. Right here. I don’t need boots. Or anything else...leather.”
Both men glanced at her and Tucker chuckled. “L and L is the premier Western store in the area. The few things you found in the boutique downstairs won’t go far.”
Chase nodded. “We need to fill up your half of my closet. And Tuck’s right. You need new clothes.”
Her face turned red again, and she pushed out of her chair, all but spitting mad. “What’s wrong with my clothes?”
It was totally perverse of him to enjoy her anger but dang if it wasn’t fun. “Darlin’, those jeans are nothing but holes held together with a prayer. You need new work boots. You need new boots for the arena and—” he propped one booted foot up on the table “—I know how comfortable custom boots are. As my wife, you need to upgrade. It’s expected.”
She sputtered and spit and shoved his foot off. “You musta been raised in a barn, boy. Don’t you know better’n to put your feet on a table with food?”
He grinned and was almost sorry she’d be taking off soon. He’d like the chance to get to know her better and do a whole lot more teasing. He liked her curves, and the way her expressions revealed her thoughts. Maybe he would do a little seducing along the way. Before he could think too deeply on that urge, Tucker’s phone pinged.
“Courier from Chance is here.” Tuck left to meet the person Security was escorting up.
Chase leaned back in his chair and studied Savannah. He hadn’t missed her quick inhalation or the widening of her eyes at the mention of the arrival of the prenuptial paperwork. “Second thoughts, kitten?”
Her eyes wouldn’t quite meet his when she replied. “No. Yes. A little.” She squared her shoulders and met his gaze. “What about you? You can walk away and not be stuck with me.”
“Something tells me I’m getting the better deal.”
He realized he’d said that out loud when he saw the surprised look on Savannah’s face. But before he could add anything, a very feminine squeal filled the air, and a bundle of feminine curves landed in his lap.
“Chase! I’m so glad Chance sent me. I’ve been wanting to see you for...like...forever.” The girl in his lap cupped his cheeks and plastered kisses all over his face. He would kill his brother the next time he saw Chance. “I’ve never been to Vegas. I took some comp time so I can stay a couple of days, and you can show me around and we can—”
He cut off her babbling by clamping his hands around her waist and lifting her out of his lap. A glance at Savannah made him wince. She tried to hide her feelings, but she wasn’t quick enough. He saw anger, and was that a little hurt, too? She definitely wasn’t happy, and he couldn’t blame her.
“Where’s the paperwork from Chance, Debbie?”
“Darla. My name is Darla.” The girl huffed in displeasure, one hand on her hip, the other holding a manila envelope.
“Oh, yeah. Right. Whatever.”
Tucker relieved Darla of the sealed envelope. Using a pocket knife, he slit it open while Darla glowered. After a few moments, her eyes flicked to Savannah.
“Who’re you?”
“This is my fiancée,” Chase answered before Savannah could.
Savvie wasn’t very happy when Darla bent over from the waist, laughing hard. She started to tamp down the remark on the tip of her tongue and then gave up on being circumspect. That wasn’t really her style. Reaching over to take Chase’s hand, she put her best snooty face on. “Chase, darlin’, you really need to stop screwin’ the hired help. They get so pushy and all uppity when you do.”
Tucker