An Engagement in Seattle - Debbie Macomber [144]
“I appreciate your help, Jim. Thanks.”
“I don’t think you need to worry about her,” Jim added in that lethargic drawl of his. “Lesley’s got a good head on her shoulders. She can take care of herself.”
“Yes, I know.” That, however, didn’t ease his mind in the least.
No sooner had he finished with the call than the phone rang. Chase grabbed it so fast, he nearly jerked the telephone off the end table. “Yes?” he snapped.
“It’s Pete.”
“What’d you find out?”
“Lesley’s staying at the Gold Creek Hotel by the airport,” came Pete’s reply. “Room 204.”
“How’d you learn that?” Sometimes it was better not to know where Pete got his information, but Chase couldn’t help being curious.
“I’ve got my sources. And listen, she may be having second thoughts because she hasn’t bought an airline ticket to Seattle yet. Or anywhere else.”
“You’re sure about that?”
“Positive.” There was doubt in his voice. “Did you get any sleep last night?”
Chase closed his burning eyes. “None.”
“That’s what I thought. You know, Chase, if she insists on leaving, you can’t make her stay.”
This had been the subject of an ongoing internal debate. He didn’t want to lose Lesley, but he couldn’t hold her prisoner, either. If she’d decided she wanted out of his life and out of their marriage, then he couldn’t stop her. Even if it meant she’d decided to return to Seattle and Tony. But he was determined to have his say before he’d let her run out on him.
“What are you going to do?” Pete asked.
“I don’t know yet. I’ll probably go to the hotel and see if I can talk some sense into her.”
“Sounds like a good idea to me. I suppose you want to do this on your own, but if you’d like, I’ll come along for moral support and wait outside.”
“No, thanks, but I appreciate the offer.”
“No problem. That’s what friends do.” Pete hesitated as if there was something more he wanted to say.
“Anything else?”
“Yeah.” Again Pete hesitated. “I don’t make a practice of giving advice, especially when it comes to women. My history with the opposite sex leaves a lot to be desired.”
“Just say what’s on your mind.” Chase didn’t generally seek other people’s wisdom; he lived and learned by his own mistakes. This was different, though, and he was worried. He’d assumed everything was fine between them. That he could be so blind to her feelings was a shock.
“I wish now that I’d gone after Pamela,” Pete said. It was the first time Chase had heard his friend say this. “I’ve wondered a thousand times over what would’ve happened if I’d taken the trouble to let her know how much I loved her, how much I needed her. If I had, she might’ve stayed and I wouldn’t be regretting all the time that I didn’t do everything I could to convince her. Don’t make the same mistake.”
“I don’t plan on it.”
“Good.” Pete cleared his throat. “You love her, don’t you?”
Chase wasn’t sure how to answer. The physical desire they shared had overwhelmed them both. But their relationship had quickly become so much more.
When he’d first considered finding himself a wife, it had been to ease his loneliness. He was searching for a companion. A lover. A woman to keep him company during the long, dark winter months. He wanted a wife so he could bond closely with another human being. Since his parents’ deaths, he’d felt detached and isolated from life.
Love had never entered into the equation. He’d never expected to fall in love this fast. Passion, yes, he’d expected that but not this kind of love.
This had been his error, Chase realized with a start. Marriage to Lesley had altered everything. Because love had come to them—or at least to him—with everything she did, everything she said. Whenever he went to bed with her, he offered her a little more of his heart. A little more of his soul. Lovemaking had become more than a physical mating, it had a spiritual aspect. He didn’t know how else to describe it.
He thought about Lesley lying in bed waiting for him. She was so incredibly lovely, with her hair spilling out over the pillow…
It felt like a knife in his belly to think that