Page 14 of Chance Encounter

It only takes Chance twenty minutes to pull up in front of my house. It would have been sooner if it wasn’t snowing so damn badly.

I turn and smile over at him. His dark hair has flopped over one eye as he looks down his slightly crooked nose at me. Is it strange that I find that flaw on his otherwise perfect face hot? “I know I didn’t show it, but thank you for saving me and taking me in. You didn’t have to, and it means a lot to me.” It’s easier to say now that I’m moments from walking inside my place and knowing I won’t see him for God knows how long.

He rolls his eyes at me. “I would never let you die, Mad.” His brows pull tight as his lips tip down. “Are you saying you wouldn’t help me if I were in the same position?”

“I never said that. I’m not a bad person.”

“And neither am I,” he shoots back with the snap of his jaw. “You should get inside. I need to get home before the weather gets worse.”

“Yeah, of course.” I grip the handle and then look back at Chance. “Safe travels.”

He tips his chin at me and watches as I maneuver myself out of his truck and stand on one foot. This isn’t going to be easy, and of course, my brother doesn’t notice I’m home. He probably didn’t even realize I was gone. Asshole.

“Mad,” he calls my name the second I start to swing the door shut. I bend down to look at him. His jaw is tight and ticks before he grabs the crutches and offers them to me. “Take these. You need them.” No matter how much I hate taking anything from him, I do need them, so in the end, I take them from him.

His hands move to the steering wheel, and his gaze goes to stare out the windshield as he speaks. “And if it’s not better in a couple of days, go to the doctor.”

“Will do.” I salute him before I place the crutches under my armpits. Once I make it to my front door, I turn, only to see the red from his taillights in the distance as he pulls onto the road.

I open my front door to the smell of something burning, and my brother passed out on the couch.

Now that I’m home, I can’t say that I missed the shit show that is my normal life. One thing I do know is I’m done living like this. I’m not going to let my brother take advantage of me by letting him stay here any longer, and I’m done hiding from my town. Maybe Chance is right, and if I open my eyes, I’ll see that I’m not the town pariah in their eyes. It doesn’t matter if I am, though. I’m not going to let them stop me from living a full life. Not any longer.

It’s strange to think how much my mindset has changed in less than twenty-four hours. Maybe it was a good thing my snow machine ran out of gas, and Chance saved me from a killer bear.

Is it possible I might miss our banter now that I’m home?

6

CHANCE

What arethe odds that not even a mile down the road from Maddox’s house, an elk would run out in front of me, causing me to swerve and get stuck in the ditch? I’d say they’re about a trillion to one, but I manage to do it nonetheless. The worst part is I’m not prepared to be walking in a snowstorm wearing only regular clothes and a coat.

I swear Maddox is a curse.

I jog in the direction of Maddox’s house, hoping that he wasn’t lying earlier when he said he wouldn’t leave me to die. I mean, I don’t think he’s a stone-cold killer or anything, but he has hated me for over twenty years.

When I spy his driveway, I pick up my speed. It’s cold as hell out here, and I can feel it slowly seeping into my bones every second I’m out here.

The closer I get to his house, the louder the voices inside become. Maddox and his brother are fighting, but I can’t make out what they’re yelling about. Not that I care. At least his brother is here and should be able to help me change my tire or take me home. At this point, I don’t care. When I knock on the door, they instantly go quiet.

“I swear to God, if that’s one of your whores I’m kicking you out,” Maddox yells.

“You’re just jealous because no one ever comes knocking on the door for you. Maybe you suck at being gay,” Garrison shouts back.

Wow. Who needs enemies when you’ve got family like him?

“And maybe you suck at being a human,” Maddox grounds out before he swings open the door. The second he sees me, he slumps against the door and frowns. “Did I forget something in your truck?”

I shake my head and step closer to the door. “Well, hello to you too, but to answer your question, no, I have a problem.”

He looks off into the house and then back at me. It’s then I notice how his body is slumping and the defeated look on his face. “Can’t it wait until the next time I see you in town?”

“If you don’t let me in, there won’t be a next time.” I look out at his yard and the rapidly falling snow, not wanting to admit the next part. “I ran my truck into a ditch, and I can’t get it out.”

Maddox stands and leans forward, looking out in the same direction I was looking. “Did you walk here?”

“Yeah, and I’m freezing my nuts off, so if you could let me in and get warmed up, I would appreciate it. Maybe your brother can give me a hand.”

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