A McCree Christmas (Chasing McCree) (4 page)

Briar

I loved my cowboy. Not only because he could pull off a tux and put up with Raphael picking at him, but also because he did things for me that no one else ever had. He put up with my parents, and he made me feel loved.

But that wasn’t all.

I’d never be able to fully put into words what it was about Chase that made my heart skip, and my eyes heat with tears of joy. He was the thing in my life that made everything complete.

And good God, could he wear a tux.

Normally he looked good in jeans, but I was starting to feel like I was staring and had to keep my eyes trained on anything else. The floor of the limo, my mother’s red heels, the back of our drivers gray head. It didn’t work very well though. Every few seconds my gaze would stray back to my cowboy, and stick to him like glue.

“So, is this just your normal Christmas party?” Chase asked.

I frowned, wishing that were true. “No, it’s hosted by the mayor and his family. They do a fancy dinner, drink champagne, and talk about politics and money.”

My mom cleared her throat, but I ignored her.

“It’s the event of the season,” my father said proudly. “And I have it on good authority that Lexi will be there.”

Well at least the party wouldn’t be a total bust. “Alexandra is the mayor’s daughter, and one of my old friends. We used to hang out, but then her parents sent her away to a French boarding school.”

“Yes, the same one you should have gone to.” My mother bristled, and I knew we were in for an uncomfortable ride.

Chase’s eyebrows went up. “What?”

I nodded. “I kept losing my passport.”

“Once it magically ended up in the shredder.” My father eyed me over his glasses. “I wonder how that happened?”

I shrugged and looked out the window. “Beats me.”

“Why would you want to send Briar away?” Chase was shocked, and I couldn’t blame him. Where he came from, you didn’t send away the people you loved. You kept them close.

“It’s one of the best schools in the world.” My mom smiled, and then her expression turned sour. “Briar made her bed when she gave up caviar for cattle, and she’ll have to lie in it.”

If someone asked me to explain the way I felt, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to. It was like a mixture of the way I’d felt as a kid when I found out Santa wasn’t real, that my friends lied to me, and that the people I thought were put on this earth to love and care for me, only cared about themselves.

The last place I wanted to be was in the limo.

I wanted to leap from the car and run headlong for Grandma’s house. I could trust her, rely on her. I knew, though, that I wouldn’t be able to run to her forever. I was learning to be the only person I needed, even though I had a whole new support group.

I could rely on Chase, but learning to rely on myself first was even harder. It was something I had to do to grow. Be my own person. Be strong and able to handle myself, even around the people I loved.

I’d always have Chase to back me up, so I wasn’t without a safety net, and that made learning to stick up for myself easier.

I’d gotten pretty good at it, and had only found myself steamrolled a couple of times since moving to Montana. Those times had been when my parents came to take me back home.

I stood up for myself and for what I wanted, and in the end, everything turned out exactly the way I needed it to.

The driver stopped. I looked out the window and saw an opulent house set far back from the road. The windows were grand, and warm light poured out on the manicured lawns. The mayor kept the grounds perfect. Every hedge had been trimmed. The large fountain was lit from the inside with crisp white light.

I looked past the house, around the side to a white fence, and smiled.

Horses.

Purebred, pedigree, whatever he called them. The mayor loved them and kept them like trophies. Chase’s gaze followed mine and he smiled, too.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

We followed my parents into the massive foyer and were greeted by one of the staff. He checked our invitation, and let us pass down a long mirrored hallway to the room that was reserved for entertaining. They held all of their parties in a ballroom with shiny white floors and a thirty foot ceiling. There were two long dining tables on opposite sides of the room, and under a sparkling crystal chandelier, a small string ensemble, with a harpist, played Christmas music.

I glanced around for someone I knew, but so far, no one. Not one soul. Chase and I stayed near the windows, watching the horses. He was a little stiff, nervous. I kept some sort of physical contact, holding his hand, touching his back or arm, and he relaxed.

“I hope this night goes fast,” I said, eyeing my parents across the room as they talked to an older couple I’d never seen before. They were chatting them up, fake smiles in place. Mom and Dad wanted something from them, and it probably wasn’t to be friends. Usually it had to do with donations, or making a new connection to get them in the good graces of someone with even more influence in the community. This was more political than medical. Ever since Dad was snubbed by Dartmouth, he’d been thinking about politics, and how he could include it in his medical life.

He’d figure it out, and he’d run with it eventually.

“So the stories are true,” a girl said behind us.

I turned around and smiled. “Lexi!”

She hugged me. “Oh, it’s so good to see you. I hated going to France alone.”

I pulled back and introduced Chase. He shook her hand, and smiled, and Lexi nearly melted. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You really moved to Montana with a cowboy?” she asked me and glanced at Chase. “You are a cowboy, right?”

“Born and raised.” Chase laughed, falling easily into the conversation.

This was one of the things I loved about Lexi. She wasn’t like my old friends. She was easygoing. Just a happy, fun girl to be around. She didn’t judge others like Rachel and Nathan and the rest of them. She’d left shortly before my freshman year, and I’d been without a friend to keep me grounded. It was hard with all the peer pressure, but my newfound strength gave me more confidence than anything ever had. I had that confidence even when I wasn’t with Chase. I was growing up, and I felt like a whole person now.

“I’m not going back,” Lexi announced. “To France, that is. I’ve had enough of it. I missed you, and my family.”

“What did your father say?” I asked.

“It was my idea in the first place, since I wanted to experience living overseas. He’s fine with it as long as I graduate on time.” Lexi smiled, and eyed Chase. At first I was a little worried, and, maybe, protective of my boyfriend. I had to remember, though, that she’d be crazy if she didn’t at least check him out. She was human. “You don’t have a brother, do you?”

Chase burst out laughing. “Sorry, only child.”

“Well, that’s too bad.” She sighed heavily. “Briar, I’m going to have to visit you in Montana. If there’s anyone remotely as cute as Chase, I’m going to relocate. The Florida boys could take a hint.”

I smiled, and started laughing too. I felt the blood drain from my face when I looked across the room. Emma, Hadley, Nathan, Beth, Alex, Rachel…they were all here.

“Great—this night is really going to test my patience.” Chase crossed his arms and eyed my ex-boyfriend like he wanted to castrate him.

Fine by me.

“Oh, it’s Rachel!” Lexi bounced. “Let’s go say hi!”

I shook my head. “Go have fun.”

She swished her pink party dress and frowned. “Why? You and Rachel are so close.”

I raised my eyebrows. “You didn’t hear about what happened?”

“You mean…those weren’t rumors? Rachel cheated with Alex, and you guys really got into a fight?” She looked between me and Chase, and we nodded.

“It wasn’t pretty.”

She glanced back at the group of people I used to think hung the moon and stars. “How could she do that?”

“Lex, it’s not important, so say hi and have fun.”

“No.” She planted her feet. “I always thought Nathan was a weasel. Look at his beady eyes and pointy chin. We should form a new group and exclude everyone mean from it.”

Chase studied Lexi as though she confused him. She was another one of those personalities that he hadn’t run into on his ranch. They didn’t make them like this in Montana.

“And who would be in this new group?” I asked. “The old one is pretty big, and it’s full of the popular people. Where are we going to find someone that Nathan and Rachel would be jealous of?”

Lexi rolled her eyes. “We could make the unpopulars popular.”

“Not going to work.”

Chase shook his head, rocking back on his heels. “I’m thinking I’ll side with Briar.”

“Maybe we should all just move to Montana,” Lexi said, leading the way when dinner was served.

“Hey, I don’t have any complaints.” I smiled at Chase.

He laughed. “You complain about the cold.”

“I’ll get used to it.”

Lexi sat across from us, smiling. “So you don’t have a brother, Chase. What about any single friends?”

“There’s Tucker,” I offered.

“I don’t think she’s his type—no offense, Lexi.” Chase shook his head. “I was thinking Dustin.”

I thought about it, but I wasn’t a matchmaker. I wasn’t even sure what kind of boy my friend would like. She tended to end up with the wild ones who got into trouble.

City girl Lexi—and Dustin, the cowboy bad boy? If a guy ever needed house-training, it was he.

Lexi pulled a glittery phone out of a pocket in her dress and tapped the screen. “Let’s see, I am free after Christmas Eve until school starts up. I can use Daddy’s plane... Do you have an airport nearby?”

She was going to use her father’s plane? It was a little much, even for Lexi. Being in France must have gone to her head. Without me to hang with, she’d have moved with a different crowd. The super-rich. The very cushy kind of people that I’d spent the last six months happily avoiding.

Chase eyed the fancy silver plates set before us by the staff, and the even fancier food on them. Escargot,
foie
gras
, caviar…I wasn’t a fan, and his face was close to sour. Hopefully once the appetizers were taken away, the food would be a little more palatable.

“Uh, there’s an airstrip behind my house you’re more than welcome to use.” Chase shook his head when the waiter brought around the champagne. With his work-roughened appearance and tanned face, he didn’t look eighteen, and easily passed for twenty-one.

“Oh, that’s perfect! I’ll arrange everything, and I will see you two in Montana in a few days!” She was bouncing for joy in her seat.

“I really am looking forward to having you come up.” I really was, though I wondered how many more girls were going to flee the hot Florida weather and end up on the ranch. Before too long, I could see Millie opening up a boarding school for rich girls needing to get in touch with reality.

Oh, Lord.

Chase cleared his throat when the waiter passed by. “Hey, right now I would do just about anything for a shot of bourbon.”

The server nodded, and minutes later produced a crystal glass a third full of the amber liquid.

I patted his back, thinking I’d partake in that bourbon if it didn’t go right to my head.

It was go
ing to be an interesting night.

Briar

Chase disappeared shortly after the fancy fish dinner was finished.

I should have known that would happen—I only wish I’d been smart enough to go with him. I loved Lexi, but I was starting to get irritated by my old friends. They were back to the same old comparisons of trust funds and discussions about which Ivy League school they’d get into without trying.

I wasn’t going to rely on connections to get me into college; my grades would get me in. I had high test scores and several universities were interested in me already. One of them was Ivy League, but I’d turned them down.

Chase and I were going to find a college with a business program for him, so he could apply it to running the ranch, and a veterinary program for me.

“Hey, so you and the hick still knocking boots?” Nathan asked as he passed where I was sitting at the table with Lexi.

“Ignorant,” Lexi muttered.

“Let it go,” I told her, knowing that he’d start something the first chance he got.

“How can I? The jerk needs to be put in his place.”

Nathan walked past us again, grinning. “Your cowboy’s out with the horses. Does he speak human?”

I rolled my eyes. “Shut up. That didn’t even make sense.”

“At least I bathe regularly, and my suit fits.” He snorted with laughter. “Why are you here, Briar? You made your choice, so go back to your little ranch and play with your cows. Nobody wants you, not even your mommy and daddy.”

I picked up a glass of wine, didn’t stop to see who it belonged to, and splashed red liquid in Nathan’s face.

Lexi clapped, and the rest of the room stared as I walked around the table, right past him, for the door.

He was smart enough not to follow me. If he had, I probably would have broken his nose, or maybe his arm.

There was a beautiful veranda covered in ivy, but I headed through the kitchen, out the backdoor the wait staff used. No need to draw any more attention to myself. I left my heels on the stoop to walk barefoot in the grass. I hadn’t been able to do that in months since it was so cold back home. It felt nice, but would be even nicer to take Chase back to the house and go to bed early. I wanted to forget the last ten minutes and have some peace before my parents angrily pounced on me. Chances I’d be spared their wrath were slim, but I could always go to Grandma’s house.

“Hey, cowboy,” I shouted to get Chase’s attention. He seemed to be in a pretty deep conversation with a horse. Sometimes he talked to the animals, and the funny thing was that the animals seemed to listen. He had a gift.

“Princess.” He smiled with relief.

“You know, sometimes I’m naïve, thinking things have changed.” I hiked up my dress and climbed the fence. Chase laughed his eyebrows high with surprise.

I wasn’t the lady I used to be. I was rough-and-tumble now—at least, in my mind. Chase thought it was funny when I tried to do some of the things he did. It probably looked funny, but I was finished with keeping up appearances and worrying about what other people thought of me. If I wanted to flash my panties as I scaled a fence, I’d damn well do it. If I wanted to swim in a lake and shoot cans, watch out, because nothing was going to stop me.

“Then I come back and realize I’m the one who has changed, and they are just as closed-minded and mean as ever.”

“What happened?” he asked, giving me a hand down.

I scrunched my nose and glanced back at the house. People socializing on the veranda were staring. “I may have upset the party.”

The tone of my voice was telling enough, so I told him about Nathan. He frowned. “Time to leave?”

“How are we going to get home?” I asked. “We can’t steal my parent’s driver. That’s going to piss them off even more.”

“I’ll drive.”

We turned around to find Lexi, smiling behind us.

“That would be great.” I said. “Thanks.”

“No, problem,” Lexi led the way to her father’s garage and we piled in her little sports car.

It was a short ride home, and I said goodbye to Lexi, knowing that I’d see her in a few days in Montana.

“It’s still early,” Chase said as we headed up to my room to change.

“Yeah, but if we try and fall asleep before my mom and dad get back, maybe they won’t wake us up.” That was very unlikely. Might as well just wait up for them. “Why don’t you go to bed and I’ll handle my parents?”

“That sounds like a bad idea, Briar.”

That was the problem with my boyfriend. He liked to protect me. I didn’t usually complain about it, unless I was trying to protect him. My parents already disliked him. He wasn’t the kind of guy to sit by while I battled my demons. He’d be right beside me. I’d do the same for him, but I didn’t want an even bigger wedge driven between him and my parents. At least they were on speaking terms.

“It’s already strained, and I don’t want my parents to hate you.” I went into my closet and hung up my dress. I pulled on a pair of old yoga pants and a sweatshirt. Chase was in a pair of flannel pants and a t-shirt. It was what we usually knocked around the house in.

“Briar, they might not say anything. We’ll feel them out when they get home.”

I smiled, patting his chest. “Okay, we’ll do it your way.”

“Why do I have a feeling you’re laughing inside?”

Because I was. “Just don’t be surprised when my parents pull in the welcome mat.”

Maybe he was right. Things were different. I was eighteen. I lived across the country. Maybe they wouldn’t come on as strong as they usually did.

We’d soon find out.

“Let’s watch a movie. Maybe they won’t think to look for us when they get back.”

I led Chase down the hall and up a short staircase, where my father had transformed a loft into a movie theater. There were ten leather chairs. No windows. And a movie screen that went from floor to ceiling. Chase was impressed. Most people went gaga over it. It was almost like being in a theater. If only we were able to get new releases.

“Popcorn?” I asked, gesturing to a machine on the far side.

“Uh, I’m good.” Chase made himself comfortable front and center. I got the remotes and we decided on a Sci-Fi flick, not for the acting, but for the special effects. They always looked impressive on this screen. “You know, we may have to put in a movie theater at the ranch.”

That was a great idea. “Really?”

“Yeah, our friends would love it…on second thought, we might rethink that. We’d never get rid of them.” He laughed.

I’d started off in my own seat, but I ended up sharing Chase’s, snuggled under his arm. I’m pretty sure I would have stayed that way, even fallen asleep.

A sudden burst of light blinded me when the door opened.

Chase and I leapt apart, even though we hadn’t been doing anything but cuddling.

“Briar, what has gotten into you?” It was my father. “You made fools of us. We may never receive another invitation to the mayor’s Christmas party again.”

I didn’t have much to say, and I wasn’t going to apologize. “I was standing up for myself, for Chase. I’m not going to pretend to get along with that jerk, Nathan.”

“Then you shouldn’t have come home.” My dad had never been so calm and so angry at the same time. It was almost scary. “In fact, I think its best you leave. When you learn how to behave, you can come back.”

I stared, shocked. Chase was at a loss for words too.

My father stepped aside, and I walked past him to my room to gather my things.

Chase was beside me, holding my hand. I took comfort in his presence, but it still hurt. He told me it was going to be
okay, and I knew he was right.

We stole out of the house, almost in the middle of the night, calling a taxi to take us to Grandma’s. My parents had just pushed away their only child, and I hoped someday they would look back with regret.

Because I w
asn’t going to look back. Ever.