A Baby by Chance Read Free

is.
    Watching, Chance said dryly, “Need some help?” Madison noted with chagrin he didn’t seem to mind how much leg she showed.
    “Unless I suddenly sprout wings and fly,” she said, trying her best not to look as self-conscious as she felt, “it would appear so.”
    Chance tipped his hat. “Toss your purse in,” he ordered.
    Bristling at having been ordered around, Madison obeyed.
    “Okay, step in close and put your arms around my shoulders.”
    Trying her best to appear cool, calm and collected when she felt anything but, Madison swallowed and did as directed. The feel of her palms on his broad shoulders was electrifying, but to her mounting exasperation he did nothing to transport her into the cab of his truck. As they continued to stand there, snug as two peas in a pod, she tilted her head to his.
    Chance’s eyes twinkled merrily. They were at the end of the parking area, where a grassy slope angled downward toward the soccer field. In the distance was a heart-stirring view of the far-off Wind River Range. With the sun high overhead, casting a golden sheen on the broken-backed mountains, swaying grasses and sage fields beyond Lost Springs, Madison felt as if they were caught in a sensual tableau. One that was as enticing and seductive—and ultimately false—as any commercial she’d ever created. “Explain to me how exactly this is going to help?” she queried.
    “It isn’t. I just thought it’d be fun to see if we fit together like lock and key. Apparently—” Chance favored her with an unexpectedly wicked grin “—we do.”
    Shocked, Madison dropped her arms and stepped back. No man had ever had the temerity to speak to her like that, never mind with a very sexy twinkle in his eyes. She planted both hands on her hips and gave him a withering look. Had she not had a very important business deal to tend to, she would have given him his walking papers, pronto. It was clear she had a bad boy on her hands. Cheeks flaming hotly, eyes flashing, she regarded him sternly. “You’re not going to be all that easy to handle, are you?”
    “No, ma’am, I guess I’m not easy,” he retorted, and for the barest second there seemed to be some hidden meaning in his words. “But don’t you fret none, ’cause I do go down okay at night.” He paused, and at her startled expression continued with comically exaggerated solemnity. “You know, out on the ranch, you go down for the night.”
    Oh, Madison thought with relief.
    “Sort of like going down for the count in boxing.” Chance paused. He removed his hat and ran his hands through the rumpled layers of his curly hair. Another beat of silence passed. He narrowed his eyes and peered down his nose at her. “What’d you think I meant?”
    A fiery heat climbed into her face as Madison blushed. “That’s just it. I didn’t know what you meant,” she mumbled. But images of ways to make love had crowded her mind at his words. And they were images of making love with him—long, slow, incredibly passionate love. She told herself sternly to get a grip. This was business. Even if Chance didn’t know it yet.
    Determined to get the upper hand, Madison drew a bracing breath and put her hands on his shoulders. “Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?”
    “You’re the boss.” Just that quickly, Chance slipped one arm around her back, the other beneath her knees. He swung her off her feet, cradled her possessively against his chest and lifted her into the cab. Unfortunately, in her haste to be rid of him, she sat down too quickly, and his arm and hand got caught between her thighs and the bench seat. Worse, her short skirt had hiked up almost to her panties. Mortified at the feel of his warm palm and sinewy forearm trapped beneath her panty hose and the tingles of awareness that was creating deep inside her, Madison froze.
    “You’re going to have to lift up if you want me to get my arm out,” Chance told her. “On the other hand—” he glanced at