Grizzly Flying Home by Sloane Meyers Read Free Book Online

glancing at her watch even though it didn’t light up and she couldn’t see it in the darkness. She needed to get out of here before she had to answer any more questions about Scott. It was hard to sit here and justify Scott to a man who was clearly ten times the man Scott was. Chance was respectful, caring, and gorgeous. He had a meaningful job, and he obviously valued his friendships.
    As if Emily needed more proof that Chance was a gentleman, he jumped up to his feet and offered his hand to help pull her up. When his hand touched hers, Emily felt like she might melt. His strong grip and warm hand sent a wave of soothing energy through her body. It was almost like he was trying to silently send her a message that everything was going to be okay. Emily felt a surge of disappointment as he released his hold on her.
    “Are you okay to drive home?” he asked. “I’m more than happy to drive you back.”
    Emily was tempted to accept his offer just to have the chance to spend more time with him, but she forced herself to shake her head no. “I haven’t had anything to drink for the last two hours now. I’ll be fine.”
    Chance nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer. “Alright. Well, let me walk you to your car at least.”
    He grabbed their dessert plates, then fell into step beside Emily. He tossed the plates into the trash can set up next to the picnic tables as they walked the short distance to her car in silence. Then he held the car door open for her as she climbed in, another gentlemanly gesture that seemed to be a reflex for him. Just before he closed the door, he bent down to look her straight in the eyes, his expression and tone serious.
    “If you ever need a safe place to stay, you can always come here. And if you ever need help, I’m just a phone call away. I’m serious, Emily. Don’t let anyone treat you with anything less than total respect, because that’s what you deserve.”
    Emily forced a brave smile onto her face as she looked away from Chance’s intense gaze and started the engine. “Thanks, but I’m fine. Really.”
    Chance stepped back and closed the door, letting her go. She forced herself to turn her car away from the hangar and back toward Red Valley. But even as she drove away, she knew she was anything but fine.

Chapter Five
     
    Chance slept fitfully that night, tossing and turning and unable to get comfortable. He kept seeing Emily’s face as she turned away from him to start her car. She had tried to look like everything was fine, but the sadness in her wide, beautiful eyes gave her away. She wasn’t fine. He knew she was lying about Scott. Or, at the very least, she was avoiding the truth.
    But what was he supposed to do about it? If she didn’t want to talk about it, and she didn’t want him meddling, then he didn’t have a way to intervene. As much as he wanted to come riding in on a white horse and save the day, Emily was a grown woman. If she didn’t want saving, he couldn’t force her to accept his help. Sure, if he saw Scott in action, harming her or berating her, he would intervene in a heartbeat. But unless he caught Scott in the act like he had in the movie theater, there wasn’t much he could do. Around six a.m., Chance finally gave up on trying to sleep. He decided to head back outside to lie in the grass on his favorite spot near the runway. He needed time to think.
    The grass was cool and damp from the night air, but Chance didn’t even notice as he settled down to look up at the sky, which was a deep, dusky gray. Birds chirped in the background, singing the first songs of a new day. Chance loved times like this, when the world was quiet except for the sounds of nature. He looked over to his left, and then closed his eyes for a moment, imagining that Emily was still lying next to him like she had been the night before. He sighed, and turned his gaze back up to the sky.
    He needed to let her go. In fact, maybe he needed to let California go. He had been