“Something tells me she’s your dream wife for more reasons than that,” Sloane said indulgently.
Chase caught the hint of wistfulness in her voice and knew he wasn’t imagining things.
She’d been through so much recently, not the least of which was the betrayal of her parents. She was missing out on love, trust, and dependability, Chase knew. And she sensed the depth of which Kendall and Rick felt those things for each other. She wanted it for herself.
The notion brought a lump of pure fear to his throat. Because he had a hunch that Sloane’s vision of love, trust, and dependability included hearth, home, and stability, the very things he swore he was finished with.
“Earth to Chase.” Rick tapped his fist on the table, jarring the silverware and Chase jumped. “What the hell’s got you so distracted? Kendall’s gone, so let’s talk.”
Chase blinked and realized his brother and Sloane were staring, waiting for him to focus.
“I’m ready now,” he muttered, offering no explanation for spacing out on them.
“Okay.” Rick leaned forward, motioning for them to do the same. “First things first. Off the record, the explosion at Samson’s was no accident. The boiler had been tampered with.”
“What?” Sloane’s voice raised to a high pitch and Chase lay his hand over hers to calm her down.
“I thought you should know.” Rick splayed his hands in front of him.
“We appreciate that. And we have something we need to tell you too,” Chase said.
Sloane tipped her head to the side and whispered in his ear. “No, please. Not yet.”
“You promised if we found out that the explosion was deliberate, we’d go to Rick,” he reminded her.
“What’s going on?” his brother demanded. “If it has anything to do with the explosion, I don’t want you holding out on me.”
Chase met and held Sloane’s gaze, knowing he had to push her and hating it at the same time. “Do you want to fill Rick in or should I?”
Sloane grit her teeth. Chase’s tone brooked no argument. Someone would be informing Rick that her father’s men had threatened Samson and two days later, his house had exploded.
“It’s my story to tell.” She explained what she’d overheard between her father’s men and how she and Chase planned to go back to Crazy Eights in Harrington in order to look for Samson. Tonight.
Rick pinched the bridge of his nose, and in that instant, the brothers who didn’t look alike suddenly had an eerie resemblance. “You two don’t do anything halfway, do you?” Rick asked, and motioned to his wife to rejoin them.
“She plans on going with or without me,” Chase muttered. “So I’m in.”
“And so am I. I’m off duty tonight, so I’ll go along.” Rick patted the gun in his holster.
“Because you two might need backup.”
Sloane was shocked to discover her eyes welling up with tears. The bond between the brothers, the lengths to which they would go to help one another, were all something she envied. Something she shared with her family, but since finding out that her life had been based on a lie—that her family wasn’t really her family—she felt the enormous loss.
She cleared her throat, trying to push the emotion aside. “Thank you, Rick.”
“He’s the best,” Chase assured her. He winked at his brother, and Sloane cleared her throat once more.
“We already have an APB out on Samson,” Rick said, all business. “Carlisle’s men can be questioned, but tipping them off without real evidence isn’t smart. In the meantime, we’re all going to Crazy Eights tonight,” Rick said.
“That place is the epitome of slime,” Kendall said, slipping back into her seat. “Why would we want to go there?”
Chase groaned, something he seemed to do often since sitting down at the table. Not that Sloane blamed him. Now they had Kendall to deal with and she obviously planned to accompany them. If Sloane were married to Rick, she’d plan to do the same thing.
“Why don’t you explain everything,” she said to Rick. If Kendall was going to go with them, she deserved to know details. “Kendall’s coming with us can work in our favor.
We’ll seem more normal going out as two couples anyway.”
“I don’t believe this,” Chase muttered.
Sloane grasped his hand beneath the table. “I’m sorry.”
“For turning my life upside down?” He treated her to the lopsided grin she adored.
She opened her mouth to reply and he took advantage of the opportunity, kissing her into silence. As always, his touch was electric, fueling a desire that always simmered just below the surface, no matter what went on around them.
“What was that for?” she asked when he finally let her up for air. Rick and Kendall, she noticed, were deep in conversation.
He shrugged, looking sheepish. “Because I felt like it.”
He wasn’t normally an impulsive man, and though the change surprised her, she was careful not to read too much into it or attribute it to her influence. Though he cared about her, he’d also admitted that he had an agenda. Making this relationship public was a way to keep his mother off guard and avoid her matchmaking. And now the entire town was in on the act. The charade would continue while she stayed in Yorkshire Falls, not any longer.
Something she’d better remember and quit getting so attached to Chase or to his wonderful family.
“Okay, we’re on for tonight.” Kendall smiled, obviously pleased to be in on the action.
Rick frowned and Sloane recognized his stern cop face. “Only because she promised to behave herself and not get into any trouble.”
“We won’t stay long,” Sloane promised. “Just long enough to see if Samson shows up.”
“Sodas for everyone!” Izzy interrupted, placing drinks on the table. “I provided all your favorites. If you want to order lunch, just give me a wave.”
“We’re ready now, Izzy,” Chase said. “If we wait any longer, it’ll be dinnertime. What are today’s specials?”
“I love you Chandler boys and your appetites.” She pulled her pad out and read from the back. “Today’s specials are Norman’s potpie—”
“Since when do you need to refer to a pad for specials, Iz?” Rick asked.
“Since they involve more than just food.” She winked and continued. “In addition to the daily special, we’ve got a betting pool going. The more people who enter, the bigger the winnings, so I’ve been told to mention it to every table. But seeing as how two people here have the inside track, only Rick and Kendall are eligible.”