Chapter Twenty-Six

"How long does it take for a woman to get gussied up?" Chance complained with a grumble as he sat next to Paul on the bench outside the doctors. Chase was still leaned against the porch banister and hadn't moved in the near two hours they'd been waiting. Chance wondered if maybe the man was sleeping while standing up and he was contemplating picking up a rock and tossing it at him when Chase suddenly raised his head and lifted his hat.

"They're coming now." he stated and Chance snorted

"How do you know that when you were looking at the ground?" Chance demanded and Chase just shrugged and pushed himself off the post. Chance was mumbling under his breath as he turned and looked at the hotel and found all his thoughts ceasing instantly.

That couldn't' be Jane.... Could it? Chance had found Jane beautiful before, dirt, stained clothes, tangled hair and all, but cleaned up.... Damn, she was breathtaking. Her blond hair was pulled half up and it was shining and golden as it hung down her back in the sunlight.

The simple light blue dress with cap sleeves, tight bodice and low as could be and still be considered proper neckline, showed off her petite, slender figure. Her face was clean and glowing, the splattering of freckles on her nose and cheeks plain to see now.

She saw him looking at her and he saw a blush rise in her cheeks as she smiled, revealing the gap between her teeth. Chance felt his heart pick up a faster rhythm. He was pretty sure it was going to gallop right out of his chest if he didn't get a hold on it.

Chance wasn't even aware of Chase's movements as he grabbed hold of Leah's waist and pulled her to him. His eyes were only for Jane.

"You look... beautiful." he managed to stammer quite clumsily. Jane tilted her head and tugged up the bodice of her dress.

"I feel like my breasts are gonna fall right out of all these doohickey's I'm wearin'." she replied and Chance nearly choked on his tongue.

"I did what I could." Leah stated in an aside to Chase. "I can clean up the outside but there's not much I can do about what comes out of that mouth." Chase's lips twitched and he kissed her hair.

"You look real pretty." Chance said again, unable to get his brain to think of anything more intelligent to say. Jane reached out and shoved his arm playfully.

"What, was I ugly as sin before?" she teased. Chance shook his head quickly and came out of his daze. He crossed the remaining distance to her and offered her his arm.

Jane stared at his arm and felt a moment of panic. What the hell was she supposed to do with that thing. She heard Leah clear her throat and she looked over at the other woman.

Leah looked up at Chase expectantly and he raised his brow. She cleared her throat again, more pointedly at him and he sighed and held out his arm, which Leah wrapped hers through to show Jane. Jane nodded, let out a loud sigh of relief and put her arm through Chance's.

"I hope this impresses your mama. I kept my boots," Jane said as she lifted up the bottom of the dress to reveal her boots and her shapely legs up to her knees. Chance felt his mouth go dry and he was sure he looked less than intelligent as he nodded with his mouth wide open.

"Jane, you really shouldn't flash your legs in public." Leah said as she fought back an amused smile. Jane quickly dropped her dress and kicked the dirt with her foot.

"Aw hell I ain't no good at this womanly stuff!" she exclaimed with discouragement. Chance sent a pointed look at Leah and Chase and Leah nodded before leading Chase up into the doctors.

Chance looked back down at Jane and smiled warmly. She was much shorter than him. He was just six foot but she was probably not much over five. He gently placed his finger on the underside of her chin and tilted her head up to face him. Her blue eyes widened and her pupils dilated and Chance had to fight the urge to kiss her heart shaped mouth right then and there.

"To answer your question, no you were not ugly as sin before. I just wasn't quite expecting to see you in a dress." Jane once again tugged up her bodice and Chance was helpless to do anything but watch.

"Yeah well I just wanted to impress your mama. I even left my whip and gun at the hotel." Jane replied awkwardly. Chance shook his head.

"Don't worry about my mama. I don't need her approval to be with the woman I want to be with, I'm a grown man." Chance countered and Jane smiled.

"You sure are a grown man." she replied and then she tilted her head and her blue eyes widened. "Wait a cotton pickin' minute! Are you saying you want to be with me?" she demanded. Chance smoothed his thumb over her pointed chin and nodded.

"Yes I am. And I kind of miss the whip." Jane's cheeks flushed bright red and then she let out a loud bark of laughter.

"Well hot damn, I guess I didn't need this here fancy dress and perfume after all." Chance smiled as the light scent of violets reached his nose.

"Do you want to go change?" he asked, though he was kind of hoping she wouldn't. While he thought she was beautiful in both outfits, he liked the sight of the pale skin of her chest that this dress awarded him.

"Hell no. I didn't spend all that time getting shimmied into this contraption just to take it off now. Do ya know how much blood was shed while that damn sister of your'n brushed out this mess o' hair?"

"It looks real pretty." Chance said as he reached a hand back and ran his fingers through the silky tendrils.

"It does don't it?" she asked with a grin. "I think I'll have to buy me a brush." Chance laughed and then before he could stop them his lips were brushing lightly over hers.

As he pulled away he heard her sharp intake of breath as she stared up at him, her blue eyes wide with innocence. Chance had never had a kiss shake him the way this one had. Hell he was shook all the way down to his boots.

"That settles it. I'm buyin' me a brush for sure now." Jane vowed, though her voice was breathless. Chance swallowed hard and hten began to laugh.

"I'll buy you one." he promised. Jane sighed and glanced up at the docs.

"Time to see if all this gussying up was worth the pain." she stated.

"You don't have to. We could just go get dinner." Chance offered. He'd already decided that he didn't care one way or the other what his parents thought of Jane. She might not be the 'proper' lady that men were supposed to go for but she was exactly what he wanted.

"Nope." Jane countered, shaking her head passionately. "By golly, I went through all that nonsense and I'm gonna show it off. I want that woman to like me." Chance sighed and nodded, though he kept his thoughts to himself.

The odds of Sarah Gordon, proper woman to the core, would ever truly like Jane and accept her were slim to none. But if Jane wanted to get dressed up in these pretty dresses and do herself up a million times to try then Chance wasn't about to argue.

***

"Leah!" Sarah exclaimed as Leah and Chase stepped into the room she was being cared for in. Leah noticed that her mother looked a little paler than normal and she had dark circles around her tired eyes but other than that she looked okay.

"Mama, I'm so glad you're okay." Leah replied as she walked up to the bed and hugged her mama gently. Sarah nodded as she sat up a little straighter in the bed.

"They shot my leg and the doctor says I may limp a little but other than that there won't be any permanent damage." Sarah's eyes went to Chase as Leah sat on the edge of the bed and she frowned.

"You're still with him? Even after this?" Chase fought the urge to shoot the woman and do a better job. Luckily Paul came to his defense before his itchy gun hand got close to his holster.

"Sarah, Chase is a good man. I was unfair to judge him like I did. He really loves Leah and he nearly died just to keep her safe." Sarah's eyes widened.

"Really?" she asked, her eyes searching Chase's black ones. "You would make a sacrifice like that for our Leah?"

"Yes, ma'am." Chase replied, nearly choking on the polite word. "Though dying to keep my Leah safe is not something I would consider a sacrifice."

"Mama, Chase and I got married." Leah said softly and hurt filled Sarah's features.

"Without me?" she asked and Leah sighed.

"Would you really have supported us?"

"I... Well.. I ..." Sarah stuttered and then she let out a long breath and shook her head. "I guess not. But now that you're back I demand that you have a proper ceremony. One where you respect your family and include us...."

"No." Chase interrupted. "We are already married. A big ceremony would mean nothing." Sarah glared at him.

"I want to see my daughter get married."

"Too late." Chase replied. "If you had had her true best interests at heart from the beginning then she may have wanted you there. As it stood she ran away in the night yet again. I will not stand by and watch my wife made to feel guilty for going after own happiness."

The room was silent for a long moment and then Paul cleared his throat.

"Besides, I don't' think injuns wear tuxes."

Leah bit back laughter at her fathers statement and the image that brought to mind. Wild, untamable Chase all dressed up in a tux would look utterly ridiculous.

"Can I least come stay with you when you get ready to have my first grandchild?" Sarah asked. Leah's eyes met Chases and she could tell he didn't like the idea but he raised his brow and left the choice up to her.

"I will probably need your help." Leah admitted and Sarah smiled with happiness.

"Are you in a better mood now, mother?" Chance asked stepping into the room with Jane on his arm.

"My family is all back together and..." Sarah's happy voice fell silent as she looked at Jane and frowned. "WHo is this? I thought you were head over heels for that hoodlum that was in here the first time? I much prefer this one though, I must say."

"I reckon I would be that hoodlum, ma'am." Jane said as she stepped forward and tugged up her dress. Leah moaned, Chase's lips twitched, Paul shook his head and Chance smiled proudly.

"Well I...." Sarah seemed to be at a loss for words. "You look different."

"I was hopin' that maybe you would see that I'm a proper lady and then ya might jus' take it easy on Chance about wantin' to be with me. I know I ain't what most mama's would want for their sons but, well, the fact of it is ma'am that I ain't never had a mama to show me how I'm 'spose to act. Maybe you could help me."

Leah saw instantly that Jane's words had touched a nerve with her mother. Sarah's eyes got misty and she sniffed.

"I'm sorry I was so mean before. Perhaps I'm not the proper lady I thought I was and I need to relax and let my children make their own choices. I would be glad to teach you how to be a lady."

"It would be easier to teach a pig to fly." Chase muttered quietly as Leah joined him and Leah laughed behind her hand.

The family stayed gathered together, laughing and talking for a long while and then Leah noticed Chase's shifting feet and grumbling and knew he had had his fill of social interaction and people. She bid her family goodbye, kissed her mother and father and brother, told them all she would come visit them soon and then led Chase outside.

"I still have that room at the hotel." she offered and Chase's eyes darkened but then he shook his head.

"No, I'm not much for hotels."

"Well then lets get out of town, injun, and find us a place to camp because your squaw is wanting a little attention."

"I could get used to the hotel for a night." Chase replied, his brow raising as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her body into him. Leah didn't care about the eyes watching them with disapproval. She didn't care about the murmurs she heard or the judgments. All she cared about were the sensations and feelings this man stirred in her when his voice became that low timbre and his eyes gazed into hers.

"No. I want to lay with you under the stars." Leah replied and Chase growled before kissing her head.

"Let's get going then." he replied, glancing at the sunset. "Those stars will be out very soon."