Chasing Trust: A Small Town Steamy Romance (Harper Family series Book 3) Read online

  She smiled at him and squeezed his hand. Just for a minute, before she let go again.

  He missed the contact, the connection with her, that had his blood pumping and his heart racing. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to drag down the mood.”

  “Don’t apologize. I like hearing where you’ve been. After I heard the name of the photographer for the calendar, I looked you up. You’ve taken some amazing shots. They made me feel like I was right there beside you. Very emotional. I’m guessing you have to get pretty involved to be able to show that emotion.”

  “Sometimes.” And sometimes, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t avoid emotional involvement.

  Like right now.

  “But I was most surprised that I never found any photographs of you online.”

  If she had, she may have realized that he was the man she met all those years ago. “I prefer to be behind the camera and not in front of it.”

  Just thinking about having his picture taken reminded him of those ridiculous portraits at his father’s firm, generations of Fosters… and the empty frame waiting for him. Well, they can keep waiting. He wasn’t going back.

  Serena rested her hand on his arm. “Are you all right?”

  He slid his hand down and took her fingers in his. She stared at their joined hands a moment but didn’t say anything. “Yeah, sorry. I promise that’s the last time. I don’t want to ruin this great day.”

  Rascal and Roscoe pulled at the leashes. Serena laughed and squeezed his hand tighter as the dogs dragged them toward a pasture.

  They clearly followed this path a lot, because Serena bent down and unhooked them both and they ran and jumped into the grass. She stayed beside Chase, slipping her hand back into his, and watching her dogs frolic in the field. “It was a great day, wasn’t it? I think the dogs had a good time, but they were worn out. They’ll all sleep well tonight.”

  Chase had trouble focusing on her words, his body attuned to her touch, the slide of her skin against his. How with a little tug, she could be in his arms. “That’s good, right?”

  “Oh, yeah. I like living close to the shelter so I can be there if I need to, but when one of them decides that nighttime is more fun playing than sleeping, it’s easy to get a bunch of them riled up at once, and they wake me up.”

  He laughed. “But I bet you love every minute of it.”

  “I do.”

  “How’d you end up owning an animal shelter?”

  She thought on his question for a minute. “I always wanted a pet growing up, but my dad didn’t want one. I loved playing with my friend’s dog. She had told me that they’d been on a waiting list with a breeder for a long time. I started doing research so I’d be ready when my Dad finally agreed to get a dog, because I was convinced that he would. What I read about dog breeders and puppy mills was awful. I decided that I wanted a dog from a rescue. But we didn’t have one in Cedar Hill.”

  “So you started one?”

  “I did. There are so many animals that need rescuing. Many shelters are overcrowded and they have to put down some of the ’less desirable’ ones. I think it’s horrible. I never put an animal down and I work hard to find homes for every one of them, even if it’s a temporary foster situation.”

  “That’s great. And hopefully the funds from the calendar will give the shelter a boost.”

  “From your lips to God’s ears.”

  The melodic tones of Serena’s voice had Chase looking at her lips, full and plush, and it was all he could do not to pull her into his arms. To kiss her the way he’d wanted to all those years ago when he held back because he knew she was too young for him. Then, at least. She wasn’t too young anymore.

  Serena’s pupils dilated, a sure sign that she felt the attraction that he did. Chase lowered his head. All he needed was a taste, a simple of touch of their lips.

  Rascal and Roscoe hurried up to them, their barks piercing the otherwise quiet, still air. Serena broke his gaze and laughed at the mutts as they leapt and frolicked.

  “Down. Sit.” Serena’s commanding voice had the two shoving their butts on the ground, their tongues hanging out of their mouths.

  “Good boys.” She snaked her hand into her pocket and came up with treats, each dog jumping to catch while she reattached their leashes. “Well, the shadows are getting long, so we should probably head back.”

  She didn’t say much on the walk back to her cottage, and neither did he. His mind raced with the kiss that almost happened, the desire that flooded Serena’s eyes as he lowered his head.

  Today had been great and he didn’t want to ruin that memory. Just then, the perfect idea for how to tell Serena who he was popped into his mind. He’d take her back to where it all first started for them. Where he’d first met her. “Go out with me tomorrow?”

  She stopped walking. “I don’t know.”

  He placed his hands on her arms and turned her so she was facing him. “Oh, come on, Serena. You probably spend all your time taking care of the animals and not doing anything for yourself. Be selfish for a minute. Come out with me.” That moment, a horrible thought crossed his mind. What if she was dating someone? Was she trying to find a polite way to let him down? That couldn’t be the case because he knew deep in his heart that she wouldn’t have almost kissed him if she were involved with someone else. He locked his gaze with hers, imploring her with his eyes. All he needed was this one chance.

  “Okay, yes.” Her answer was almost a question, as if she doubted whether this was the right decision.

  He’d show her that she wouldn’t regret it. “Great. Give me your phone number so I can reach you if I need to.”

  She dictated her number and he entered it into his phone. He knew exactly which picture he’d assign to her contact. The smiling face that had carried him through some of the best and worst the world had to offer.

  Once he’d entered her number, he dashed off a quick text to her.

  She smiled when her phone beeped and buzzed. “And now I’ve got yours.”

  Rascal and Roscoe must have liked the sound, because they jumped up and down between them. He reached out, trying to catch one of the dogs, which they took to mean it was time to play. They circled his legs with their leashes, jumping and leaping at him… and each other. A minute later, he heard the sound of a shutter click. His head snapped up and he saw Serena drop her hands.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I needed a picture to go with your name in my contacts. And who knows, this photo could become famous one day. The lone picture of the famous photographer, Chase Foster.”

  “I don’t think so.” He laughed and reached for her phone, but she took off down the path. He chased her toward the shelter, both of them laughing, and pulled up when they reached the clearing. She let the dogs off their leash and they headed straight to her cottage.

  He drew a few deep breaths and waited for his heart rate to normalize. He couldn’t come up with another reason to extend his time with Serena, but knowing he’d see her tomorrow made it easier for him to leave. “Well, I guess I should be going.”

  “Thanks for taking the dogs for a walk with me.”

  “The pleasure was all mine. But all I did was talk about me.” Except he didn’t share the one piece of information that may drive Serena away before they even had a chance to explore what was developing between them. “We hardly talked about you at all.”

  She waggled her eyebrows. “Maybe I want to stay a bit mysterious… like the elusive Chase Foster.”

  He laughed. “Or maybe I’ll pry the information out of you tomorrow.” That was, if he made it past the parking lot without her demanding he take her home.

  “You haven’t told me where we’re going.”

  “It’s a surprise. I’ll pick you up at eight?”

  Confusion flooded her expression. “At night?”

  “No, in the morning. What I have in mind takes a little while to get to, and I want to spend the entire day with you. Is that okay?�
�

  Her smile lit up her face. Note to self: Serena likes surprises. “That sounds great.”

  He walked to his jeep and opened the door before leaning over the opening and yelling. “Dress casual.”

  With nothing else to say, he climbed in and pulled out of the parking lot. As he was headed down the dirt path that led back to the main road, he glanced in the rearview mirror.

  Serena stood in the same spot, watching him leave.

  This was good. Tomorrow, he’d reveal who he was… and as long as she didn’t slap him for not telling her sooner, they’d have a great day.

  Chapter Seven

  Chase pulled the two photos he had of Serena from his wallet – the dog-eared image of her on the boardwalk, her hair billowing around her face and a daisy tucked behind her ear and the one he’d taken of her and Charlie, her arms thrown around his golden fur, her eyes soft and a genuine smile on her face.

  The smile that she had directed at him more than once yesterday.

  Now that he’d found her, he’d do anything to explore the spark that ignited between them every time they were together. He’d just have to convince her that he hadn’t told her who he was right away for a good reason. Now if he could only figure out what that reason was.

  He snatched his car keys off the table by the door of the non-descript room he’d rented and shoved them in his pocket. As soon as he got this over with, he and Serena could move forward with a clean slate.

  Less than thirty-minutes later, he pulled into the clearing behind the animal shelter and hurried up the path to her cottage. As he raised his hand to knock, the door swung open.

  “Hey, Chase. I heard you pull up.” Her huge smile shoved away some of the doubts he had about telling her... because he wanted to see that smile every day.

  He rested his hand on her waist and leaned in to brush his lips across her cheek. “Are you ready?”

  “Absolutely. Everyone is fed and walked and settled in for the day.”

  “Oh, man. I didn’t think about how early you had to get up to take care of the animals before we left. I’m sorry.”

  “No worries. It doesn’t matter what I have planned, the dogs let me know when it’s time to get up. There’s no sleeping in around here.” The circumstances may have sounded difficult, but to hear Serena describe it, he knew that she loved what she did.

  He led her to his jeep and a minute later, they were bouncing along the dusty dirt road that led to the highway. The road reminded him of some of the paths they traveled in the villages he visited in Africa.

  “Are you okay?” Serena’s voice was laced with concern.

  He maneuvered around Philadelphia to the highway that would eventually take him to Atlantic City. “Oh, yeah. I was thinking that your driveway reminded me of a lot of the roads in the villages I’ve visited in the Congo. Dirt roads are the norm and not the exception in many places.”

  “That sounds rough.”

  “It is.” He paused. Was now the time to tell her? Absolutely not. He wanted to hold her hands, to see her reaction when he revealed his real name. Besides, she had managed to turn the tables on him yesterday and get him talking about his family. It was her turn. “But that’s enough about me. I promised you I’d find out more about your family today.”

  She laughed and God, he could listen to that all day. She laughed like she didn’t have a care in the world, like she took on what life threw at her and found the joy in it. “What do you want to know?”

  “Well, it was a bit crazy during the shoot, but I think I saw that you have, what, three sisters and two brothers?”

  “Not quite.” She paused, and he took a quick glance. Her smile dimmed and a shadow descended over her eyes. There was a story there that she wasn’t quite ready to share. That was okay. He was patient. He could wait until she was ready. She shook her head and continued. “I have one brother and two sisters. I also have a brother-in-law and a sister-in-law and…” She paused and tapped her fingertips. “…three nieces and nephews. And one on the way. My big sister Izzy announced last week that she’s expecting.”

  “And one of those sisters is a twin?” Of course, he knew the answer, but he was scrambling for questions to keep her talking so he could hear her voice.

  “Alexis. She’s ‘technically’ older by four minutes and trust me, she holds that over my head all the time.”

  Serena paused again, and she dropped her gaze toward her hands clenching in her lap.

  “What’s going on? Is something wrong?”

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure if I know you well enough.” He heard the hopeful word yet at the end of her sentence, or maybe it was his own desires filling in the word.

  “But that’s what we’re doing. Getting to know each other. Tell me what you were thinking about.” He threw her a grin while keeping his eyes on the road. “I hear I’m a great listener.”

  “Well,” her voice was hesitant. He wished he’d waited until they got to Atlantic City to have this conversation. Then he could look into her eyes and see the swirl of emotions that he’d already observed. “A few years ago, my father died.”

  “I’m so sorry, Serena.”

  “Don’t be. I’m not. He was a miserable drunk. He wasn’t around a lot. Turns out, his affairs were the worst kept secret in Cedar Hill.”

  Chase’s knuckles gripped the wheel. Some of the societies Chase visited had different standards as to what morality was, but Chase had always felt that a man made a commitment to a woman, and that commitment was not breakable.

  And for the first time in his life, he was considering that possibility.

  “And then we found out that Dad had another daughter. I have a half-sister that I didn’t know about.”

  He stifled his gasp. Serena didn’t need his reaction to feed her own emotions. She was clearly torn up about this news already.

  “We met her for the first time this past spring. I liked her. But I was so mad at Dad for doing that to our family. To his own daughter. She grew up with her mom and a family full of brothers, but she didn’t even know about her real father until last year.”

  “That sounds rough.” That was stupid. What did someone say in a situation like this?

  “What I don’t understand is how Mom didn’t know. Or maybe she did and refused to acknowledge it. But he was always ‘working late or had an out-of-town trip’. Mom trusted him. And he betrayed that trust.”

  Serena grew quiet. Chase questioned whether this was the right time to reveal his true self to Serena. At least they had today. They could have a great day on the Steel Pier, he could say goodbye, and that would be the end of it. He didn’t live in Cedar Hill. Heck, he didn’t really live anywhere. Her roots were deeply planted in her hometown, with her family nearby and the shelter that housed so many animals that depended on her. Could they really forge a future together under those circumstances?

  He shoved that thought away. He had to be honest with her, and himself. She deserved that. He couldn’t keep this secret from her any longer.

  * * *

  Serena couldn’t believe it when she realized Chase was taking her to Atlantic City. She hadn’t been there since, well, ten years ago.

  She studied Chase as he steered his jeep down the busy streets. Was he really Edward, the boy she’d met in this very place? The one that she held up as the standard that no one had been able to meet since? She shook her head. She was just romanticizing Chase. There was no way he was the same boy.

  But the parallels niggled at her.

  As though sensing her gaze on him, he turned and flashed her a huge smile, his eyes smoldering with heat. Her stomach clenched. Could Chase be the one to break through the walls she’d erected to protect her heart? A heart that was first betrayed by David, the boy in high school who decided that her best friend was a better date than she was because she wouldn’t put out. A duplicity that continued even after she had sex with him. And then later by her own father, with his betrayal digging so deep that she w
asn’t sure she could trust a man ever again.

  She shoved those bad memories away. Chase didn’t deserve the negativity bringing down the day he’d planned. Chase pulled into a parking spot along the boardwalk and then hustled around the front of his vehicle. He extended his hand and she placed hers in it. A jolt of warmth, much like she’d felt yesterday, washed over her.

  He steered her toward the boardwalk but didn’t release her hand. As his fingers tightened around hers, she drew in a deep breath of cool, crisp sea air. The scent of warm roasted chestnuts surrounded her and she was immediately transported back ten years, when she still had her life ahead of her and her dreams were simple—have fun, meet a boy, fall in love, get married, have babies. Her stomach tingled with excitement as she scanned the shoreline until her gaze landed on the Steel Pier, the line of amusements whose lights shone bright and bells and whistles drew in the crowds.

  “I can’t believe you brought me here. I’m so excited. I haven’t been here in a really long time. I used to love coming here as a kid.”

  “I know.”

  She smiled at him and was met with a troubled expression. What had he said? How did he know? He probably meant that he agreed with her.

  But she couldn’t shove away those confused voices in her head as he led her to a concrete bench that faced the gentle waves crashing on the sandy beach below them.

  Once she was settled on the bench, he dropped her hand. This must be serious. Had something happened since the photo shoot yesterday? Had her benefactor withdrawn his investment? She tried to search Chase’s expression for a clue, but he wouldn’t look at her.

  “Chase, what’s wrong?”

  He cleared his throat and lifted his gaze, a tortured expression in his hazel eyes. “You might be wondering why I brought you here?” He sucked in a deep breath.

  Her fingers itched to reach out and cover his hand. To provide comfort… but something held her back.

  “I brought you here… because this is where we first met.”