Page 8 of Make Me Trust Again (Bluebonnet Creek #3)

I hold my breath as the sound echoes inside the quiet house. I wait, listening for any sign that somebody is inside, but there is nothing.

Maybe he really isn’t home?

Just because Chase didn’t venture into town a lot didn’t necessarily have to mean he didn’t go anywhere else.

Nibbling at my lower lip, I wait some more, but the door stays firmly closed, so I try again—still nothing.

Grazing my teeth over my lip, I let it pop, a mix of relief and disappointment swirling inside of me as I shift my gaze to that table.

I guess I could leave it there so he can find them whenever he gets back.

Leaning down, I place the plate on the table, making sure it’s wrapped properly before I straighten and turn around, only to bump into a firm wall of muscles.

The impact has me stumbling back, or it would if strong fingers didn’t curl around my forearm, steadying me.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

The deep, low baritone sends a shiver running down my spine.

My heart is beating wildly as I look up into a pair of narrowed hazel eyes.

“ Holy shit, Chase !” I place my hand against my chest, feeling my racing heart. “You scared me.”

His eyes fall to my mouth. His jaw clenches, his lips pressing into a tight line as he just stares at me quietly, waiting for an answer.

“I…” My tongue darts out, sliding over my lower lip as I try to regain some composure under his narrowed gaze.

Time ticks by, neither of us saying anything as we just stare at one another.

“Who’s at the— Rose?!”

Both of us pull back at the sound of Rebecca’s voice.

Her red head peeks through the doorway, her gaze moving curiously between the two of us before it finally settles on me. “What are you doing here?”

I shift my weight from one foot to the other, suddenly feeling nervous under all their attention. “Umm… I brought cookies.”

Becky’s brows lift as she looks pointedly at me. “You brought… cookies?”

“For Chase. As a thank you.”

I turn my back to them, picking up the plate and handing it to him. Chase glances at the offering but makes no move to take it from me. Instead, the frown between his brows turns even deeper.

Does he not like cookies?

Rebecca moves closer, her brows raised. “A thank you for what?”

“Nothing,” Chase mutters and glares at his sister. There is a deep crease between his brows, and I can see a muscle in his jaw tic, but she ignores him, her sole focus on me as she waits expectantly.

“Umm… Chase helped me the other day when my tire burst and?—”

The death glare he shoots my way has me biting my tongue.

Rebecca tilts her head to the side, the corner of her mouth quirking up. “Did he now?”

“Yes, and since I went overboard on cookies yesterday, I figured I’d bring him some as a thank you. I was in town anyway, so…”

“That’s so nice of you.” Rebecca nudges her brother with an elbow. “Right, Chase?”

He grumbles something under his breath, which earns him a scowl and an elbow in the gut from his sister.

Rebecca rolls her eyes at him and finally takes the plate from my hands. “Why don’t you come in, Rose? I brought Chase some sweet tea.”

“Oh, no, I don’t want to bother you guys.”

“It’s not a bother.”

Based on the look Chase is directing at his sister, it very much is a bother, so I shake my head.

I was getting in his way enough as it was; I wasn’t about to intrude when he clearly didn’t want me here.

“It’s fine. I have to stop by the real estate agency anyway before picking Kyle from Savannah’s. ”

Surprise flashes on her face. “I didn’t realize you were looking for something.”

“Yes, it’s time for us to move into our own space.”

Rebecca nods in understanding. “Did you find anything? I remember it was a bitch for Sav to find something decent last year.”

“I, umm… I think so.” I shift my weight from one foot to the other. I can feel Chase’s gaze burning the side of my face. “It needs some work, but I don’t want to move out of Bluebonnet and have Kyle change schools now that he’s settled in.”

“That makes sense,” Rebecca nods. “Where is it? The market here is crazy.”

I tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear. “On Long Road Street. It’s relatively close to school, so that’s definitely a plu?—”

“You can’t live there.”

My head snaps up at the sharp tone in Chase’s voice.

I take a step back. “Excuse me?”

“Chase,” Rebecca hisses, her elbow connecting to his side in warning. “Seriously?”

“That place is falling apart.”

Rebecca lifts her brow. “And how would you know that?”

Chase grits his teeth. “Because I was recently there after a report of a wild dog rummaging around, so I saw it. The place is a shack that one strong wind will knock over. A freaking gutter almost fell on my head.”

He crosses his arms over his chest, those hazel eyes meet mine, giving me a pointed look that burns my skin as the memories of that day pop into my mind.

Chase’s long fingers gripping my waist. The warmth of his body as he pulled me to him. The feel of his strong muscles pressing against me as he pinned me to the ground, while the loud bang echoed in the air around us.

He stares at me, his piercing eyes burning my skin and making me flush.

So he didn’t want his sister to know what had happened that day, but he didn’t have a problem giving me his opinion on where I should and shouldn’t live?

Annoyed, my fingers curl into a fist by my side.

Yes, the place was far from perfect, but it was the only thing that I could afford for my son and me. I was determined to make it a home because there was no way I could stay at my parents’ place much longer and listen to them go on and on about John and giving him another chance.

I lift my chin, calling back that confident, arrogant girl I was in high school.

I didn’t like her. The more I looked back, the more I was ashamed of her, but if she could help me survive the scrutiny and whispers about my life, help me give my son the best life I can, I would stop at nothing, even being her again.

“Well, it’s a shack that I’m planning to make a home for my son and me. Besides, it’s not as bad as it looks. I’m sure with a little bit of love and work, it’ll look way better.”

At least that was the hope.

Michael, the real estate agent, showed me the place after Chase ran off.

Yes, it was pretty beat up on the inside.

The floors and windows were old, and I’m not sure when was the last time somebody painted the place.

Besides, I was pretty sure whoever lived there before was a smoker because there was a stale smell that seemed to be engraved into the walls that even now made my nose wrinkle.

Rebecca tilts her head to the side. “Is that the old Merrick’s place?”

“That’s the one,” Chase grits, completely ignoring me. “You know I’m right. That place is a dump, and they shouldn’t even be renting it out. It’s not safe.”

Rebecca shoots me an apologetic look. “He’s right, you know?”

Great, now they were ganging up on me.

“You both are exaggerating; it’s not that bad. It’s really going to be fine. It’s better than the alternative.”

An uncomfortable silence settles over us for a moment. Rebecca purses her lips as she thinks, but I know nothing will come of it. I’ve exhausted all the options there were.

“I really?—”

“What if there was another place for you to stay?” Rebecca says quickly, stopping me before I can finish.

My brows pull together as I shake my head. “I’ve talked to Michael, and there currently isn’t anything else on the market that’s available.”

“It’s not on the market.”

Rebecca glances at her brother, a silent conversation passing between them. While a smile spreads over her lips, Chase’s is the complete opposite. He closes off, his shoulders squaring. Whatever she’s about to say, he doesn’t like it. Not one bit.

“Rebecca…”

There is a warning note in his voice, but she ignores it as she turns to me. “There is a little cottage here on the property that’s sitting empty. Y’all should move in.”