Her Chance Encounters Page 7

  "Shouldn't we get dressed before we fall asleep?" Adrienne asked, poking Chance in his flat stomach when he did not answer fast enough.

  "No one is going to see us, except for animals. I think your loud screaming sent most of them away. Ouch!" She jabbed him in the side.

  "We better not be disturbed by any giant lizards tonight." Pulling herself closer to the warmth of the large man, Adrienne ran her fingers across his chest muscles. Sighing, she felt content.

  "Haven't I promised I will always take care of you? Go to sleep, now. You'll need your strength. I plan on making love to you again before the sun rises."

  Adrienne's dreams were filled with images of Chance and Cherice. Each seemed to be pulling her in opposite directions. To satisfy one, she had to hurt the other. Her heart belonged to Chance now. But how could she turn her back on the small child?

  In her nightmare, Adrienne found herself back in the small rowboat floating on the Mississippi River. The gay sound of the riverboat sounded in the distance. Someone on board was looking for her, but something was holding her back from reaching him. If she did not escape the hold, Adrienne realized she would die.

  Suddenly, the air in the dark swamp grew deathly cold. Chance was awake and alert immediately, sensing danger. Pulling Adrienne's sleeping form closer to him, he noticed she seemed lost in a dream. A strong odor filled the campsite.

  "What the hell is going on here?" he muttered.

  "Cherice!" The mournful call pierced through the vegetation of the swamp. The masculine sound grew closer and closer. "Cherice, come back to me, honey."

  Adrienne's eyes opened and she shot up into a sitting position. Chance shoved her behind his back as he stood up. The thick vegetation to their far right abruptly parted to reveal the dark shadow of a strange man. A scream died in Adrienne's throat as the figure slowly walked toward them. Chance instinctively moved to block his path. "Who the hell are you and what do you want?"

  The face of the other man was distorted by the shadows of the night. The sun, rising slowly in the distance had not yet reached the campsite. Assuming a combative position, Chance assessed the threat of the man rapidly advancing on them. There was something familiar about the man, but he could not put his finger on it. Chance figured his opponent was slightly shorter and lighter than himself.

  Adrienne pulled the sleeping bag over her naked frame. Tearing her eyes away from the figure walking toward them, she realized Chance was standing there, in all his glory, unconcerned he might be facing death in the same outfit he was born in. "What's going on, Chance?"

  "I'll let you know the minute I figure that out." He sounded calm, but his tone was low and forbidding. "Listen carefully, babe. I want you to put on your clothes quickly and get on your horse. Just point Angel south. She knows the way home."

  "I'm not leaving you behind," Adrienne insisted, starting to dress quickly. Maybe she could help sort out this confusion. "This is private property, sir. You'll have to leave right now."

  Adrienne took a few brave steps forward after yanking on her boots. Something about the feel of leather gave a person a surge of power. She planned to step beside Chance, but the aggravating man used his arm to keep her behind him.

  "Get on that damn horse, Adrienne, or so help me I'll tan your hide the minute we escape this nightmare." Obviously, he stopped spanking her too soon last time. Maybe he needed to use something beside his hand to convey his message.

  The threat was getting closer, so he pushed Adrienne several feet away so she would have a better chance of escaping. Then Chance started advancing on the other man, only stopping when they were a foot apart. "Okay, buddy," Chance growled, as the sun started seeping through the cypress trees. “That's far enough."

  Once his eyes adjusted to the light, Chance was finally able to get a good look at the man's face. Blinking several times, he wondered if there were swamp gases around, because he had to be hallucinating. "Stanislaus?"

  Adrienne screamed when she noticed the dark shadow of the man walk right through Chance's solid frame. Why didn't she get on her horse like Chance ordered? The strange man kept walking toward her, his dull, lifeless eyes burning holes into her.

  "Where is my daughter? I will not let you take her from me. You can have your damn lover, but Cherice stays here with me."

  Chance came up behind the man, anger pulsing through every nerve in his body, the need to protect his woman coursing through his veins. He reached to grab hold of the misty man who was overshadowing his woman. His hands grasped thin air as the sun's rays filled the patch where they stood. His momentum sent Chance crashing into Adrienne. Landing near the horses, he recovered quickly and helped her up. Raising her up so she could mount Angel, he started to gain his own saddle before he realized he was still undressed.

  Snatching his clothes, he dressed, never letting Adrienne out of his sight in case another threat appeared. They rode back to River Oaks in near silence. The image of Stanislaus filled both their thoughts. Adrienne was determined to protect Cherice and Chance from the horrible man. For his part, Chance was in a poor temper, now that he could no longer easily dismiss the presence of ghost. How the hell was he supposed to protect Adrienne from something he could not even put his hands on? Believing he was in battle against a ghost did not sit well with Chance. Unfortunately, there did not seem to be any other logical explanation.

  Seven

  "Someone's inside," Adrienne whispered, grasping Chance's arm when they entered the kitchen. "The lights are on in the front room. I turned them off before we left."

  "Are you sure?" Chance demanded, part of him hoping old Stan was waiting for him there. The two of them had a score to settle. This time, Chance promised, the old man would not escape so easily. No matter what it took, Chance was determined the old man would never threaten Adrienne again.

  "You stay here. Don't move from this spot. If you hear anything unusual, get out of here as fast as you can," he ordered.

  "We've been through this before, Chance. I will not leave you," she replied, as stubborn as ever.

  "That reminds me, I owe you another spanking. Stay here or so help me I'll take a belt to your backside. Before you argue, hear me out. You need to stay here so you can go for help if I need it."

  Adrienne considered his point. Something sounded off about it, but she was too stressed to think logically right now. Nodding faintly, she let him go. Waiting in the kitchen was hard. She did a lot of praying and second-guessing. Maybe she had left the light on? Please, Lord, let her have left the light on. Looking around for a weapon just in case Chance needed her, she grabbed a long, wooden spoon.

  No sooner had she clutched it, then Adrienne heard Chance roar from across the house. "Damn it to hell. What are you doing here?"

  Thoughts of the ghost of Stanislaus attacking Chance propelled Adrienne into action. Instead of going for help, she charged across the house, ready to attack. Spoon raised high, she burst through the archway leading to the front room. She found Chance standing over Madame Lenore. The other woman was sitting on the couch, a blanket lying across her legs as if she had been sleeping a moment before.

  Chance frowned at Adrienne, taking the spoon out of her hand. Slapping the spoon on his thigh, he decided it was the answer to his prayer. Wasn't he thinking he needed something to help bust her ass for being so stubborn? "You are one hard headed woman, babe. I'll need this later on when we address your trouble following orders."

  Madame Lenore fumbled with Wynona's diary under the blanket. She stashed it under the waistband of her tight, black pants. She pulled her long, flowing shirt down to conceal her secret. "I am so sorry, Adrienne. I must have fallen asleep. Weren't we supposed to meet here yesterday?"

  "Chance can explain why I wasn't able to join you while we eat breakfast." Walking to the kitchen, Adrienne decided to keep the other woman around until Chance was more agreeable. Her ass was too sore for another spanking this soon.

  The three of them walked down the hall, unaware the sma
ll figure of a child watched them from the darkness upstairs. Lenore stopped to turn toward the stairs, but did not see anything. Stroking her talisman stone, she shrugged and continued to the kitchen. It did not surprise her when she learned Chance had spirited Adrienne away for an overnight adventure. The relationship between the couple was growing stronger. She would need to use any advantage available to even the odds.

  "Would you like to hear about the echoes I got while staying here last night?"

  While Chance vehemently shook his head no, Adrienne was open to finding out as much information about this place and its former residents as possible. "Please tell me everything you can."

  "Before your aunt married Stanislaus, his family had already established itself as one of the most prominent members of this small community. When Wynona was sixteen, she met him at a local church service. It was love at first sight." The diary had been full of written accounts of her obsession with marrying him.

  "Stanislaus was everything she wanted in a husband. He was handsome, powerful and wealthy. After his parents died, he was also owner of River Oaks. Besides Home Place Plantation, it was the biggest residence in town. But he seemed more interested in running his business than entertaining her. She decided to speed up his courtship. Determined to prove her love, she allowed him to seduce her."

  With a harsh laugh, Chance knew what that meant. "That's a polite way of saying she trapped him into marriage by getting pregnant." Both women gave him an angry glare.

  "Their wedding was the grandest thing this parish had ever seen." Lenore did not add all the childish boastings Wynona's diary detailed. They did not cast the woman in a positive light.

  "Their daughter was born seven months later. Stanislaus was devoted to the child. He gave Wynona an expensive sapphire necklace to thank her for giving him a daughter. She wore it everywhere."

  "Cherice told me her mother lost the necklace before her death."

  "I am afraid she did not lose it." Lenore shifted uncomfortably. The cold stone of her own necklace tingled against her skin from its hiding place under her shirt. "She used it to finance her escape from River Oaks."

  "Her escape?" Adrienne asked. "But she had everything she wanted. Why would she want to leave?"

  "Their marriage was not a happy one. Stanislaus was often away, tending to business. Instead of taking her and the baby with him, he left them here. Stuck home alone, to raise their child, Wynona's feelings toward her husband changed. Now she knew he was a selfish, hateful man who never really loved her at all."

  It had been nauseous reading about how much Wynona raged against her husband. Hoping to please his wife, he hired one of the local women to take care of the house. He did insist Wynona was responsible for raising their daughter, though.

  "Soon she turned their daughter against Stanislaus, too. Anyway, Wynona started looking for attention from other men. She met an attractive Riverboat captain named Ferdinand at a church function. Lots of boats used the old Red Church across the river as a landmark when they sailed this area. Some docked and attended local churches on Sundays. Before long, Wynona and her captain fell in love and started an affair. Obviously, having her daughter under foot made the situation difficult."

  It was getting harder and harder to make Wynona sound like a sympathetic character, but Lenore tried her best. "Wynona started leaving the girl behind during her visits with her lover, knowing she would be safer at home with the help. When her husband started talking about having another child, she decided it was time to leave. Her lover did not have enough money to finance her escape, so she sold her sapphire necklace."

  "Cold hearted bitch," Chance muttered. "Come on, ladies. Who sells something so personal?"

  Lenore had reached the part of the story where she stopped reading in the diary. Many of the details she shared came from the vibrations she got staying at River Oaks last night. The diary just helped her add more flesh to the skeletons she uncovered. "Maybe we can continue this conversation later on? After Chance goes to work..."

  "Yeah, I don't think so," Chance told the other woman. Adrienne pinched his thigh. "What? I mean I don't want to miss the rest of this delightful fairytale. I insist you don't continue discussing River Oaks unless I am around." Get yourself out of that one, Lenore, he added to himself.

  Lenore was fast on her feet when it came to avoiding getting trapped. "Then Adrienne and I promise not to discuss the house during our shopping spree. We are still going, I hope?"

  "Give me a minute to change my clothes." Adrienne was thrilled with the opportunity to rob Chance of an opening to entertain his spanking fetish. She had refused to yield to his order to flee twice now. His palm was probably itching, readying to take out those small acts of rebellion on her backside.

  "Do you want to join us, Chance?" Her smile told him the offer was just for appearances.

  The wheels were turning in his woman's head. Chance could almost see her working things out in her pretty, stubborn, little mind. He would have to be on top of his toes with this one. Hell, what did he expect? As a principal, she needed to figure out how to stay ahead of trouble and defuse volatile situations all the time. But she met her match in him, Chance knew. He dealt with hundreds of people, fickle equipment and government interference. Best yet, he was skilled in closed-door deals.

  "If you are serious about not discussing River Oaks," he said. Adrienne followed Lenore's sassy move, and crossed her heart. "Then I guess I'll head to work while you two ladies enjoy hitting the mall."

  Adrienne sighed with relief before she saw Chance following her to their bedroom. "I thought you were going to work," she stammered, facing him and blocking the bedroom door.

  "I need to change into my work shoes, babe." He felt a bit guilty when she looked relieved. Closing the door behind them, he watched her green eyes widen. "Plus I owe you a reminder or two about not following directions when your life is in danger."

  The damn man pulled out the wooden spoon she had held when she charged into the living room earlier. "Now Chance..."

  This time he braced his foot against the bed frame. Crap, she thought. Here we go again. Pulling her arm, he yanked her toward him. Her pants and panties were disposed of in no time. She had to grab the mattress when he flipped her over his knee. Her feet dangled helplessly. Adrienne started to yelp when the assault on her backside began, but had to mutter her displeasure instead. Lenore was still in the other room. The last thing she needed was to have the other woman rush to investigate. Adrienne imagined she made quite a sight, her panties and jeans trapped around her boots. The damn spoon felt like a dozen bee stings every time he peppered her ass. When would she learn, Adrienne moaned?

  "If I ever have to order you to run again, you better damn well run, babe." Chance announced, making no effort to lower his voice or lessen the sound effects of his actions. The sharp, thudding sound of the spoon filled the bedroom.

  "Lower your voice," she hissed. "I swear, you make me so mad, Chance Breaux. If you let Lenore find out I allow you to get away with spanking me, so help me, I will make sure you never own River Oaks. You were upfront about wanting the damn property. You should have warned me you were a spanker, too."

  If anything, he spoke louder so he could be heard over the louder slaps of the wooden spoon. "At the moment, keeping you safe is more important than any damn pipeline! How the hell am I supposed to keep you safe if you don't follow directions?"

  After what felt like an hour, but probably amounted to only a few minutes, Chance let her up. Pulling her into a tight hold, he stopped her from reaching back to rub the sting of her ass. Adrienne would have slugged him, but how could she fault a man who took on a ghost trying to protect her? The image of a naked Chance trying to grab Stanislaus, only to come up empty handed made her smile. Adrienne was almost ready to forgive him for his macho behavior, when Chance ruined everything with his next taunt.

  "If Lenore really is psychic like she claims, she probably already knows what we're doing in here anywa
y. Your ass looks so beautiful right now, babe. I left a nice pattern of ovals back there."

  After she pulled up her pants, wincing from the pain, Adrienne turned to exit the room. Chance had changed into his steel toe work boots and followed her. She turned around and kicked his shin with all of her might before escaping out the door. "Maybe Lenore saw that, too." Great, she thought to herself. Not only was he spanking her like a spoiled brat. Now she was acting like one, too. Was being in love supposed to be this complicated?

  *****

  Lenore looked sideways at her new friend. Adrienne could not seem to find a comfortable place to sit. "Are you sore from riding a horse?"

  "It's more like I am not used to dealing with an arrogant beast," the principal muttered. At least he did not chase her down to pay her back for kicking him. He was probably waiting to do that tonight. She should lock Chance out of River Oaks for a few days, except the damn man had his own set of keys.

  The two women found they had lots in common during their shopping spree. Each loved the strength wearing leather boots gave a person. They had similar taste in men, too. Lenore admitted tall, dark and macho men like Chance turned her on. Unfortunately, those types of men tended to want normal, beautiful women like the principal.

  "Most run for the bayou when they hear what type of work I am in. You would think people who live in south Louisiana, especially this close to the French Quarter, would embrace our Voodoo culture. Not that I'm a Voodoo queen or anything like that. Believe it or not, I am born and raised Catholic, like the majority of people down here."

  "How does your parish priest deal with your professional life? Back in my home parish, my pastor lectors me on every perceived intrusion of the government into the public school system." Adrienne slipped on a high cut pair of ruby boots. They were meant to reach right above the knee, but her long legs had them topping out at her calf. Darn it, they were so sexy, too. She could imagine side tracking Chance's anger for kicking him if she wore these boots and nothing else to bed tonight.