Unbiddable Attraction. Robyn Grady

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       Five

      Standing at the ice-cream counter in Buckaroo Billy’s General Store on the outskirts of Cheyenne, Chance glanced through the window at Fee and his niece seated under a big yellow umbrella at one of the picnic tables outside. Cassie was talking a mile a minute and it seemed that Fee was somehow keeping up. That in itself was pretty darned amazing. The kid usually had him confused as hell by the speed she changed subjects. He loved her dearly, but sometimes Cassie had the attention span of a flea and hopped from one topic to another faster than a drop of water on a hot griddle.

      Paying for their ice cream, he juggled the three cones and a handful of paper napkins as he shouldered open the door. “A scoop of chocolate fudge brownie for you, princess,” he said, handing Cassie the frozen treat. Turning to Fee, he grinned. “And mint chocolate chip for you.”

      “Uncle Chance!” Cassie exclaimed, pointing to his vanilla ice cream. “You were supposed to try something new this time.”

      “Where’s your sense of adventure, Mr. Lassiter?” Fee asked, laughing.

      “I like vanilla,” he said, shrugging as he dropped the napkins onto the table and sat down. He should have known Cassie would remember he was supposed to try a new flavor. The kid had a mind like a steel trap. Grinning, he added, “But next week, I promise I’ll leave what I get up to you two. How does that sound?”

      Cassie’s red curls bobbed when she nodded her approval. “I like that. I’ll ask Momma what you should have when she gets home.” True to form, she looked at Fee and took the conversation in another direction. “My mommy and daddy are on their moneyhoon. That’s why I’m staying with Grandma Marlene.”

      “You mean honeymoon?” Chance asked, winking at Fee. He could tell she was trying hard not to laugh at Cassie’s mix-up, the same as he was.

      “Yeah. They went on a boat.” Cassie shook her head. “But I don’t know where.”

      “After much debate, Hannah and Logan went on a Caribbean cruise,” Chance explained to Fee.

      She smiled at his niece. “That sounds like a nice honeymoon.”

      “They’re going to bring me back a present,” Cassie added as she licked some of the chocolate dripping onto her fingers. When she started to touch her tongue to the ice cream in her usual exuberant fashion, the scoop dislodged from the cone and landed on the top of her tennis shoe. Tears immediately filled her big green eyes and her little chin began to wobble. “I’m sorry. It...fell...Uncle Chance.”

      “Don’t cry, princess,” he said gently as he reached over and gave her a hug. “It’s all right. I’ll get you another one.”

      While Fee used the napkins to clean off Cassie’s shoe, he went back into the store to replace her ice-cream cone. By the time he returned a couple of minutes later, Cassie was all smiles and chattering like a magpie once again.

      His mind wandered as his niece and Fee discussed the newest version of a popular fashion doll—and he couldn’t help but notice every time Fee licked her ice cream.

      “Chance, did you hear me?” Fee asked, sounding concerned.

      “Oh, sorry.” He grinned. “I was still thinking about doll accessories.”

      She gave him one of those looks that women were so fond of when they thought a man was full of bull roar. “I said I’m going to take Cassie to the ladies’ room to wash her hands.”

      He nodded. “Good idea.”

      As he watched Fee and his niece walk into the store, he shook his head at his own foolishness and rose to his feet to walk over to his truck to wait for them to return. If he and Fee didn’t make love soon, he was going to be a raving lunatic.

      But as he stood there thinking about the danger to his mental health, he realized that making love with Fee wasn’t all he wanted. The thought caused his heart to pound hard against his ribs. He wasn’t thinking about an actual relationship, was he?

      He shook his head to dispel the ridiculous thought. Aside from the fact that neither of them was looking for anything beyond some no-strings fun, he was hesitant to start anything long-term with any woman. His father had been the most honorable man he had ever known and from what he remembered and everything everyone said, Charles Lassiter had loved his wife with all his heart. If his father couldn’t remain faithful, what made Chance think that he could do any better?

      “Uncle Chance, Fee said we could play fashion show with my dolls the next time she’s at Grandma Marlene’s house,” Cassie said, tugging on his shirtsleeve. “When will that be?”

      He’d been so preoccupied with his unsettling thoughts that he hadn’t even noticed Fee and Cassie had returned. “I’ll talk to Grandma Marlene and see what we can work out,” he said, smiling as he picked Cassie up to sit on his forearm. “How does that sound, princess?”

      Yawning, Cassie nodded. “Good.”

      “I think someone is getting sleepy,” Fee said when Chance opened the rear passenger door and buckled Cassie into her safety seat.

      “She’ll be asleep before we get out of the parking lot,” he said, closing the door and turning to help Fee into the truck.

      When he got in behind the steering wheel and started the engine, Fee smiled. “After she goes to sleep, СКАЧАТЬ