“No. I just want to change my flat, get in my truck and get to the fairgrounds so I can work my horse.”
“While the hotel garage is servicing your truck, I’ll take you to the fairgrounds and you can work your horse.”
Savannah glanced around before she stepped close to him and snarled into his ear. “Why are you being nice? You threw me out on my ass last night.”
“I apologize.” He said it quietly, his gaze covering the other men. “Long story. I’ll explain later.” He stepped back and said more loudly, “C’mon, Savannah, I’ll buy you breakfast and then we’ll head out to Clark County.”
He offered his most appealing smile, the one most women begged to get. This woman just rolled her eyes, pivoted and reached into her truck to grab the duffel. She jerked her keys from her front pocket and dangled them from her fingers. Chase nodded to one of the guards to take the keys. A second guard reached for the duffel. Savannah relinquished it after a short tussle.
“I can carry my own stuff,” she muttered.
“Yes, but this is my hotel and guests don’t carry their own luggage.”
She arched a brow at Chase. “Guest?”
“Come back to my apartment for breakfast and we’ll talk.”
Her gaze raked over him from his face to his boots and back to his eyes. “You don’t impress me as a man who talks much, unless he’s issuing orders.”
Chase threw back his head and laughed. He dropped his arm across her shoulders and drew her along with him. “You think you have my number, wildcat. C’mon.” When they had a modicum of privacy, he lowered his head closer to hers. “You can grab a hot shower and clean clothes while we’re waiting for room service.”
“Your bathroom better have a lock on the door.”
He snorted and another deep belly laugh erupted as he squeezed her in a side hug. She tensed and tried to lean away, but he didn’t let her. “I promise to be on my best behavior. Besides, Kade would probably beat me up if I tried anything.”
The tension left her body. “You really did talk to him?”
“Yeah.” He didn’t say anything else until they crossed the lobby and entered the penthouse elevator. Chase took her duffel from the guard and the doors closed behind them. “I’m sorry I jumped the gun and didn’t let you explain. I was coming off a situation that had to do with two girls and some selfies posted to social media and subsequently picked up by the press. That’s why I came back to Vegas early. I also bypassed the front desk coming in, so they didn’t have a chance to tell me I had a guest.”
She turned her head and her lips quirked. A flash of heat washed over him as he watched her mouth. She stiffened beside him almost as if she’d read his mind. He needed to work on his poker face. Chase blinked to break the connection growing between them. She was a beautiful woman, sexy in a blunt, earthy way, and totally unlike his usual side dish. Still, the attraction remained—an attraction he wanted to explore. She’d be in town only a week. That was more than enough time.
Chase leaned on the metal railing of the outdoor arena fence and watched Savannah ride the big black horse. The gelding loped around the perimeter, a rocking-chair gait that made the rider’s hips undulate in a way that every part of Chase stood up and noticed. He’d grown up around horses, and cattle, but nothing had ever turned him on like watching Savannah simply ride in circles. Which was completely crazy. He wasn’t a cowboy. He’d never hit the rodeo circuit like Cord and Chance, or Cash for that matter. He could ride. He’d grown up on the Crown B. But this? He shifted uncomfortably, and jerked when his phone buzzed in his hip pocket.
Tucker. Chase swiped his thumb across the phone to answer. “Yeah, bud. What’s up?”
“I have her booked into a room with full comp.”
“Thanks.”
“You wanna explain what’s going on?”
He would if he understood it himself. Instead, he went for the easy answer. “She’s a friend of Kade’s.”
“A...friend.”
“Get your mind out of the gutter, Tuck. Not that kind of friend. They grew up together, sort of like brother and sister. She’s here for the rodeo this weekend. I’m doing him a favor.”
“Uh-huh.”
Silence stretched between them before Chase finally broke it. “Say what’s on your mind, Tuck.”
“I got a look at the security footage, man.”
“Ah.”
“Yeah. The video has been deleted.” The uncomfortable silence returned, but Tucker sliced through it this time. “She’s not a stray dog, Chase. You can’t toss her out, then leave food on the porch.”
Chase thought fast because after talking to Kade, he did feel sorry he’d thrown her out, but there was something more—something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. “If I’d known who she was, Tuck, I would have comped her a room last night. She’s not a stray. She’s Kade’s friend.”
“Whatever, cuz.” Voices hummed in the background before Tuck continued. “When are you coming back?”
“What’s up?”
“Not sure. Security thinks there might be something hinky going on out on the floor.”
“Keep them on it. I’ll be back after lunch.”
“Okay.”
He continued to silently watch Savannah exercise her horse, but when he noticed the animal’s gait was off, he started to say something. She’d already realized there was a problem, reining the animal to a stop and slipping off his back. She checked his rear leg, then walked him to the gate. Chase met her there and took in her slumped shoulders and tight expression with one sweep of his gaze as he opened it for her.
“What’s wrong?”
“Indy was kicked three weeks ago. I dropped out of that rodeo and didn’t enter another to give him a chance to heal up. He seemed fine when we got here so I paid my entry. If I don’t run him, I lose the fee.”
“What’s the vet say?”
She mumbled something Chase couldn’t understand, so he touched her shoulder. Her muscles twitched but she didn’t jerk away. “Savannah?”
“I don’t have the money for a vet.” She wouldn’t meet his gaze, keeping her chin tucked in and her eyes downcast. “It’s just a deep muscle bruise. I had someone look at it. Rest, heat, mild exercise.”
“But...”
She pulled away from him and began leading the horse toward the long barn with the rental stalls. “But nothing. If he can’t run, my season is over. I can’t afford to buy another horse as good as Indy. Thing is, I have to win to keep going. I don’t even know if I can get him back to Oklahoma and keep him long enough to heal. Grain isn’t cheap.” Snapping her mouth shut, she tucked her chin against her chest again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to dump my problems on you. It’s none of your business. I’ll deal with it.” She moved away from him, putting the big horse between them when she added, “I need to cool Indy down, muck his stall and brush him. Can you stick around to give me a ride back to pick up my truck?”
“Yeah, I can do that.”
When they entered the barn, and he figured out which stall was hers, Chase sent her off to cool