Page 73 of The Convict Gets His Girl

The kitchen was spacious, with large windows overlooking the back acreage. Mint-colored cabinets hung slightly askew, but the granite countertops looked pristine. An old farmhouse sink sat beneath a window, offering a view of the barn and distant tree line.

"The previous owner was a retired chef, the original founder of the diner in town," Chase explained. "Apparently loved cooking, even in retirement. See these professional-grade ranges?"

Jewel ran her hand along the stainless-steel commercial range, her fingers tracing its clean lines. "This isn't just a range. This is professional equipment. Probably cost more than my entire truck."

Chase chuckled, his laugh low and warm. "Probably. Want to see the rest?"

They explored the ground floor methodically—a formal dining room with original hardwood, a study with built-in bookshelves, a mudroom that opened toward the barn. Each room told a story of careful maintenance interrupted by years of abandonment.

Upstairs, multiple spacious bedrooms stretched along a wide hallway, each with high ceilings and large windows. One room, clearly meant as a nursery, had faded yellow wallpaper with tiny ducks dancing along the edges. Another bedroom featured large windows overlooking the property, sunlight pooling across worn wooden floors.

"This could be Destini's room," Jewel murmured.

Chase shrugged. "I'd rather she pick her room, but it's as good as any."

She arched a brow and looked at him, hands in his pockets now as he stood in the middle of the empty room. "You said I'd get a room too? So which of us gets the master?"

He grinned. "You, of course. You're used to space and I'm not. Besides, you might need the closet. Come on, let me show you."

The casual way he'd just tossed it out that she'd get the master left her giddy with excitement and her heart melting with surprise. The main bedroom overlooked the back acreage, offering a sweeping view of pine forests and open pasture. Jewel's veterinary mind was already calculating paddock spaces, potential rehabilitation areas, ways to fix the barn's foundation.

She hadn't even seen the master bathroom or closet, but she already felt like this was home, like she and Destini could be happy here… with him. She frowned and crossed her arms, swallowing hard and just spitting out what had been bugging her since he'd mentioned it last night.

"Jade didn't show it to me, but I saw the asking price. It was way out of my budget. How were you able to afford it?" she asked softly, not turning around.

"The asking price was lower than I expected, actually," Chase said. "Property's been sitting empty. Owner wanted someone who'd restore it to its former glory but not turn it into a bed and breakfast. There's already one of those in town, and I certainly don't want to create tension with Parker by opening another and competing with his business."

She turned around and frowned, cocking a hip to the side. "How, Chase?"

He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Same as other people, I suppose. Good investments. Remember how I was playing the stock market and investing even that year we hooked up? I continued to study in prison—some days it was all that got me out of bed, I was so depressed. Grandpa took over my accounts until he died, then Landry stepped in. When Landry got his songwriting money, he invested it all where I suggested. Turned a tidy profit, and he set aside some of it for me."

His voice hardened as his gaze slid past her and out the window. "The bank originally didn't want to write me a mortgage, since I have no credit or debt to speak of. Lola helped me put together some portfolios, and Goldie and Landry both met with the bank owner with me to discuss my assets and plead my case. I had to put a massive down payment down just to prove myself, but it's reasonable payments now, so that's good at least."

She licked her lips and blurted, "I have two years left on my medical school payments. The payments are about two thousand a month, and that's what I've budgeted for rent or a mortgage too."

"The mortgage is just over four thousand a month." He nodded and said, "If you can pay half of that per month, it'd help a lot. Then I can set aside the rest for Destini's college."

She scowled. "I can't pay half of that when it'd be Destini and I both living here. That's two to one, so I need to pay two-thirds of the mortgage at a minimum."

He smirked an almost bitter laugh and said, "Consider this part of the back child support. I'm sure I owe you more than what this place is worth."

Her stomach twisted at his words, a reminder of how they'd gotten into this situation making her nervous to move forward. The mention of child support brought a wave of complicated emotions—guilt, defensiveness, a strange protective anger.

"I don't want this to be about back child support," she said softly. "I want this to be about what's best for Destini. I want this to be… something else."

Chase's expression softened. He took a step toward her, not touching her, but close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his body. "What do you want it to be, my Jewel?"

Her breath caught in her throat. The vulnerability in his voice matched the uncertainty in her heart. She turned, facing him, their bodies mere inches apart as she imagined what this place could mean for them. A vision of Destini running across those fields, of herself working with rehabilitation animals in the barn, of shared meals in that expansive kitchen, flickered through her mind.

"I want it to be a chance," she whispered. "A chance for Destini to know her father. A chance for us to... figure this out. Together."

His hand reached up, fingers barely grazing her cheek. "Together," he repeated, leaning forward, making her lips tingle in anticipation of his kiss. Her heart raced, and she leaned back, placing a hand on his chest.

"I think," she said slowly, "that we should talk to Destini first."

Chase nodded, his hand dropping slowly from her face, but his hand remained connected to hers, fingers intertwined. "You're right. We need to talk to her first. I don't want to make any assumptions about her feelings."

"She's going to have a lot of questions," Jewel said, her voice a mixture of anxiety and determination. "Fifteen years is a long time to suddenly introduce a father."

---