Give Love a Chance [Willow Springs 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  “What is she wearing? Did she shop at Sluts ‘R Us?” Quinn whispered to herself, but Noelle heard her words. Carly had a tight pink dress on that would look better in a night club than at a family fair. She looked upset to see Noelle. “I was looking for Chance, but who do I run into? The princess and her stuck-up BFF.”

  “I am not thrilled seeing you either, Carly,” Noelle assured her, hugging her bear tighter. It had been too much to hope Carly would stay away.

  “Chance is not interested in seeing you.” Noelle felt confident enough to make the statement. Chance loved her. She wasn’t sure before, and Carly’s flirting ways had fed her insecurities. No longer did she feel like that. Chance had the choice to go to Carly first when he got back into town, but he chose Noelle. That meant something.

  Carly sneered, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. “I know he took you back because he felt sorry for you. He will dump you so quick, Noelle, and I will be there waiting with open arms. I will always be waiting for him.”

  “Chance is with Noelle now, Carly, so get lost. Have some pride,” Quinn snapped angrily.

  Noelle noticed Carly’s eyes were small and red. Was she drunk again? She heard Chance and Chase discuss the fact that she needed rehab more than jail time for the vandalism.

  Chance came back with the drinks and set them down on the table. He stepped in front of the girls, blocking them from Carly’s view.

  “Why are you here, Carly? Don’t you have enough sense to stay away?” His voice was cold and hard, and Noelle knew if she was Carly she would have backed off. Carly, however, had no such sense.

  She smiled seductively. “I know you don’t mean that, baby. You have to be honest with the princess and tell her you love me. You even came to my house to see me. Does she know that?”

  Carly turned to Noelle and sneered. “He wouldn’t show up at my house looking for me if he wasn’t interested in me.”

  Chance sighed and shook his head with frustration. A few people had stopped walking and were watching the scene unfold with great interest. Noelle cringed inside. She hated this. Damn Carly.

  “Carly. I went to warn you to stop your childish behavior. Noelle knows that, so quit trying to start trouble.” Chance spoke loudly, too.

  Chase walked up to the scene, having been alerted trouble was brewing.

  “I told you to stay away from Noelle and Chance, didn’t I, Carly?” he told her firmly.

  “You can’t tell me what to do. My daddy is on the city council, and that makes him your boss, Chase Reynolds.” She sneered. “I can have him fire you like that.” She snapped her fingers.

  Chase did not look afraid by her threat. “I am sure your stepdaddy knows how spoiled you are. You have ten seconds to leave, Carly, or I will call him myself. He knows about the windows you broke already.”

  “You have no proof.” But Noelle could see the fear in her eyes and knew Carly had been the one to throw the brick. It didn’t surprise her. Carly had always thought so highly of herself, even in school. She had been a bully then, and still was one now. Men were often fooled by her fragile appearance, but Carly knew exactly what she was doing.

  Carly looked at Chance with a pout. “Are you going to let him talk to me like that?”

  Chance nodded and folded his arms across his chest. “Leave, Carly. I love Noelle. How many times do we have to discuss this before it sinks in? I told you to stop drinking.”

  Carly’s eyes narrowed with satisfaction. “See? You do care.”

  Chance shook his head, looking frustrated. He looked at Chase. Chase grabbed Carly by the arm. He handed her off to another deputy who had come to back Chase up. “You need coffee, Carly. Lots of coffee. Call her parents,” he told the deputy.

  “When you get bored, give me a call, Chance.” She turned on her heel and followed the young deputy.

  “Unbelievable.” Quinn shook her head, grabbing the bottle of water Chance put on the table. She took a drink, then set it back down.

  “Come on, Chase. Go on a ride with me. I need to scream and have some fun before I hunt her down and tear her blonde hair out of her head,” Quinn told him. They walked away, with Quinn pointing to a scary-looking ride and Chase shaking his head no.

  Chance pulled Noelle into his arms. He looked at her face, probably trying to figure out how mad she was. She put her hands on his shoulders.

  “I am so sorry, Noelle. Carly needs some serious help,” he apologized.

  “I can see that,” she said with pity and not anger. She smiled at him to let him know she was not blaming him. Carly was out of control with her behavior. “I hope she gets it. It must be sad to live in a made-up world like she does. I am not letting her cause an argument between us, Chance. That was the old me.”

  “Let’s go on some rides,” Noelle suggested, wanting to enjoy her evening with him.

  He grabbed the bear, looking at her one last time to make sure she really was okay.

  “Sounds like a plan. Then we can play some games of our own tonight. I have a big, hard prize for you.” He winked.

  Noelle burst out into laughter, filling her cheeks up. She was no longer going to allow people to bring her down or make her feel less confident of who she was. She was a successful business owner, and she had the love of a good man. She loved Chance, and she would do whatever it took to make this work. That included believing in him again and talking things out with him instead of reacting with tears and accusations. Love wasn’t an easy road, but to Noelle it would be worth the effort if she and Chance could make it work this time.

  Chapter 11

  Noelle was feeling nervous about the fashion show. Her store had been rearranged with the help of Jesse Sanchez and Chance. The teen had been hanging out with Chance whenever Chance came by to wait for her to close up. School was out for the summer and Jesse had more time to be around his family store. Chance and Chase had put a basketball hoop up in the back alley for Jesse to use when he could.

  Chance’s old army buddy Jaxon and Chase offered their security services, but Noelle had a feeling they wanted to see the show, too. She just smiled and left them to it. This was her first time meeting the ex-soldier. He was a handsome man, with shaggy black hair and deep blue eyes. Noelle had felt a little nervous meeting him, but she soon realized he was a nice guy.

  Noelle had a long table filled with refreshments and small appetizers. Chairs were set up in rows, and the models were using the fitting rooms to change. There was a buzz of excitement, even for the audience. Maybe this could be a yearly event for her store. Her mind went further. Maybe she could add men’s clothes and swimming trunks next summer.

  It was a full house. Noelle went to the back to check on her first model Lisa. She was nineteen and thin, with short blonde hair.

  Lisa smiled at Noelle, twirling around with joy. “I love this suit. I am going to be using this a lot.”

  Noelle smiled at the young girl. The hot-pink-and-black bikini did look good on her. She gave Lisa a thumbs-up and a five-minute warning for curtain call. Other girls scurried around with excitement.

  Quinn came out of the dressing room. She looked nervous, but Noelle had convinced her to take the place of a sick model. Noelle had done her makeup and helped her curl her long red hair. “What if I fall, Noelle?”

  “You won’t, but if you do, fall into Chase’s arms. I have a feeling his idea of providing security has to do with you and not the other models,” Noelle teased her.

  Quinn blushed. She had admitted she liked the handsome deputy very much. Quinn’s suit was turquoise. The bottoms were short shorts of the same color with black trim, and the top was skimpy but covered her full breasts. Quinn took a deep, nervous breath. “Okay, here goes nothing.”

  Noelle was glad when the show ended with loud applause. Carly had not showed up to destroy anything. Maybe she finally wised up. A person could hope.

  * * * *

  Chance let out a breath of relief when the store was back to normal and everyone was gon
e. It had been a long tiring day but so worth it to see Noelle glowing with happiness. He felt guilty he never took much of an interest in her business last year. He had stopped by once or twice to pick her up for a date but never asked questions or showed an interest. He could see how important it was to her. It was a big chunk of her life. She took pride in her success, and she deserved to. He was proud of her, too.

  “Finally we are alone.” He pulled Noelle into his arms and yawned. She went soft against him, and it went to his heart, and to his cock. He would never get tired of feeling her softness against him.

  “I’ll be glad to go back to work. I am telling my commander what a slave driver you are. I didn’t get a break. I was afraid to even get a drink. I could see Hattie’s eyes following me everywhere. I don’t know if she was expecting me to run off with a model or what. That woman is a barracuda.”

  She giggled and swatted his arm. “Oh yeah, you had it so tough. A bunch of beautiful models in bikinis all day prancing around in front of you. Poor baby. Some of them were giving you heated looks.”

  He chuckled and nuzzled her neck. He inhaled her sweet perfume. He felt content. He didn’t think a civilian life would ever make him feel that way. It was Noelle, and the love he felt for her. He wanted to take care of her and spoil her. He wanted to build a life for her and their future family. “I only had eyes for you, angel. I am glad you did not model. I thought Chase was going to have had a heart attack when Quinn came out in that bikini. I swear he almost grabbed her off the stage, but Jaxon and I held him still. There were men drooling all over the place. So sad. I am much more refined than that.”

  Noelle chuckled. There were definite sparks between Quinn and Chase. She sincerely hoped it worked out. “I say we go to my place, order Chinese, and be couch potatoes for the rest of the night. I might even be too tired to take my clothes off.”

  “Oh I will help you with that, no worries.” He wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

  He waited for her to grab her purse and leave one light on while turning off the rest. He helped her lock up.

  “Ah, a breeze.” Noelle inhaled the night air and closed her eyes once they were outside.

  Chance took her hand and led her to his truck. As they were walking, he noticed a small black car parked across from her store. It was late in the evening and most people had closed and gone home. He saw movement and tried to see if it was a male or female. Something made him feel wary and alert. He opened the door for Noelle to get in. He closed it and went around, keeping his eye on the car. He got in and slowly pulled away. He was turning the corner to pick up their takeout order when he noticed the car slowly following behind him.

  “You’re quiet,” Noelle said, looking concerned. “Is everything okay?”

  He made an effort to smile. She was in such a happy mood. He didn’t want to upset her. He would protect her always. “Yeah, just hungry.”

  He looked in the rearview mirror. The car was behind him still. It stayed close, but not too close. “Me, too.” Noelle yawned.

  He was glad he already made plans to stay the night with her. After that huge scene at the fair, he suspected Carly or her parents had not listened to a word he told them. Even Chase had the sheriff talk to Robert Sanders. It was frustrating since Louisa gave Carly an alibi. Tomorrow he would visit with Chase and update him. He knew Carly no longer had a driver’s license, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t borrow a car from a friend and follow them.

  Chapter 12

  “It went well, huh?” Quinn asked Noelle the next day after they opened up the store. Noelle had to reorder more swim suits and had just hung up the phone. It was midmorning and hot. Most people didn’t even bother going outside until late afternoon or evening.

  “It did. Maybe we should do this again sometime. You were a hit with Chase,” Noelle teased Quinn. Quinn smiled and flipped her hair. “Of course I was, darling,” she said in an exaggerated voice.

  Noelle hoped Chase was seriously interested in Quinn and not playing some game. Quinn had her heart broken in college and had closed up her emotions. Her mother was a single mom and had put her career over Quinn time and time again. Noelle knew the pain of not having the support of your parents. Quinn’s mother Dianne had moved to Houston for a higher-paying job as soon as Quinn came of age. It was sad for Quinn, but it had bonded the two girls.

  Things between her and Chance were going smoothly for once. She finally felt secure in his love. Knowing he wasn’t about to leave for weeks helped her to relax. She was getting used to people staring at them when they were spotted together. Chance was always touching her in public, too. It was as if he was letting them all know he and Noelle were back together. After that embarrassing scene at the fair she felt like looking in every dark corner to see if Carly was waiting to jump out at them. Chance was more worried than he would admit. When they were out together, she felt like he was always surveying everything around them.

  A white post office truck arrived and parked right in front. The mailman got out. He carried a stack of letters and packages. He entered the store whistling a happy tune.

  “Hello, George.” Noelle greeted him politely. The older man had a hat on to shield him from the sun. His uniform was gray shorts and a short-sleeved shirt with their logo on the front.

  He smiled and handed the pile to Quinn, who was sitting closer to the door. “Girls. I feel like a lobster boiling in a pot today. I hear it’s going to rain tomorrow. The temps should drop.”

  “Let’s hope so,” Noelle commented. He waved and headed back out. Quinn dumped the large pile on the glass counter. They started opening envelopes and throwing out the junk mail.

  Noelle got to a large yellow envelope and opened it. A small plastic diapered doll fell out. Noelle gave it a curious look. Who would send her a doll? She looked on the front of the envelope and it was addressed to the store with no return address.

  “That’s kind of creepy,” Quinn remarked, picking up the doll. She gasped when she turned it over and saw the eyes had been blacked out and a red mark was drawn over the heart. Noelle unfolded the small white note, not feeling good about it.

  “Who the hell would send this shit?” Quinn said with anger, glaring down at the doll. “What does the note say?”

  Noelle set it down with shaky hands. She felt a little light-headed and sat down on the stool she kept behind the counter. Quinn picked it up and read it out loud. “You lost your man and your baby all at once. Beware. Homewreckers don’t deserve happiness.”

  Both women stayed silent for a minute. Neither one knew what to say about something so cruel.

  “Homewrecker again? I am not a homewrecker,” Noelle stated, feeling like she wanted to sob out of anger. Carly was her only enemy right now. This was cruel even for her.

  “We should call Chase. He made me promise to call him if anything happened,” Quinn said, her voice filled with worry. Noelle nodded and Quinn picked up the store phone. She dialed Chase’s number automatically, looking dazed.

  Her miscarriage had been a painful time. Someone at the hospital must have told Carly or someone she knew. She hated knowing her pain in losing her baby had been discussed as if it was a movie on TV. Noelle knew Quinn nor Polly would ever say anything to Carly. Someone at the hospital must have told her. She felt like this was a dream and any minute she would wake up.

  Quinn left and came back with a bottle of water. Noelle took it with a grateful smile. Quinn patted her arm gently. Her red hair was pulled back in a braid. Her green eyes were shiny with concern. “Do you want Chance here? I can call him for you.”

  “He’s thirty minutes away. He’s coming by as soon as he gets off at four,” Noelle whispered. “This can wait. His job is too important to interrupt.”

  It didn’t take long for Chase to show up. It all felt like a dream, as if their voices were far away discussing what happened. Noelle stared out the window, thinking about her lost baby, her lost dreams. Some days she was so busy she didn’t think about her los
s. Now here was an ugly doll and cruel note reminding her and bringing the pain up all over again.

  “She’s in shock, Chase. Should we call a doctor?” Quinn asked, sounding upset.

  Noelle shook her daze off. She had not realized she had tears rolling down her cheeks. Feeling embarrassed, she took a few tissues off the counter and wiped her face. “I was shocked, but I don’t need a doctor.”

  “I’ll find the person responsible for this, Noelle,” Chase vowed in a strong voice. “I doubt I will find any prints, but I’ll see what I can do. I know it is Carly.”

  Noelle did her best to form a smile to reassure them both she wasn’t about to have a nervous breakdown. “I know, Chase. It caught me by surprise. It is so cruel and again with the same accusation of me being a homewrecker. Carly’s mind has snapped. If Chance truly wanted her he would have gone to her when he came back into town. Can’t she see that?”

  Chase agreed. “I’d say Carly is heavily into drugs and can’t think rationally right now.”

  “You look pale, Noelle,” Quinn said in a soft voice. “Why don’t you go home and I’ll close the store for you.”

  “I like that idea, Noelle,” Chase agreed, giving Quinn an approving look. Quinn blushed, but not before Noelle noticed it.

  “I don’t want to be all alone.” Noelle said sadly. She wanted Chance, but she didn’t want to interrupt him while he was concentrating on his job.

  “I called him from my car. He is on his way,” Chase said softly. He squeezed her shoulder. He had never spoken much to her and she assumed he just didn’t like her.

  “Was he mad?” she asked him.

  “Not at you, Noelle. The guy is crazy about you. You know that, right?” he asked.

  Noelle sniffed and wrapped her arms around herself. She was having a hard time not sobbing. She nodded silently.

  Quinn hugged Noelle. “I hate this, Noelle. This is plain cruel and evil. I say we hunt Carly and give her a good ass kicking.”