Taking Her Chance by Sorcha Mowbray

Chapter One
     
    Beth Torrence sat back in the aerodynamic Herman Miller task chair. It was one a.m. and her screen looked fuzzy around the edges. Guess I should call it a night, she thought. She reached up to switch her screen off, but an email notification popped up. It was from Soul Mates Dating service. Beth’s gut clenched. Damn, she had just turned her paperwork in the day before.
    Her hand shook, but she opened the email and read.
    Dear Ms. Torrence,
    I am delighted to tell you that your date has been arranged for two days from now. You will arrive at the Golden Mustang Dude Ranch midmorning, settle in, and maybe go for a horseback ride if you so desire. Your date will join you in your room at sunset. Room service will be at your disposal or, if you prefer, you may go to the dining room to eat. Enjoy and remember to make the most of this chance.
    Selena Markam
    President and CEO
    Soul Mates Dating
    “Deep breaths. I can do this.” Beth shut her computer down and headed home to try and get some sleep. She set the alarm code for the office and walked out of Torrence Advertising. After busting her ass for six years building her business from nothing, she deserved this treat for herself. Soul Mates Dating was the most exclusive dating service around. If Beth hadn’t had a client recommend it she would have ended up signing up for one of those cheesy dating sites online. Granted, she had filled in the paperwork at the urging of Sarah, her best friend, after they were halfway through the second bottle of wine on an epic girl’s night; but deep down, she wanted this. It was time to see if she could date a man without comparing him to the one she had walked away from.
    Chance Rogers could have been the best thing that ever happened to her, but she’d been too focused on her dream of becoming an advertising executive. The sparks that had flared between them and the sex that followed had scared the crap out of her because, for a brief moment, she could see herself settling down and forgetting her lifelong dream. She could see herself becoming her mother, who had given up everything only to be betrayed by a man who supposedly loved her.
    History would not repeat itself, not with her.
    Beth pulled into her parking spot and collected her things from the backseat. She’d brought some work home because she seriously doubted that she would be getting any sleep tonight. Between nerves about her date on Saturday and memories of Chance it was going to be a long night.
    ***
     
    Chance pulled his truck into the long dirt drive of the dude ranch where he would meet his date. The email from Selena Markam, containing details of his date, had been a surprise after hearing nothing for nearly six months. Could his ideal date have been that hard to find? He wanted a woman who would be independent, sassy, but had room in her life and her heart for a broken-down old cowboy. His leg didn’t hurt as bad as it had right after that last accident in the ring—I mean, who enjoyed being stepped on by 2 Tons of Fun? The upside had been that the bull only actually weighed a little over a ton—not two.
    Tightening his sweaty palms on the steering wheel, he stopped at the main lobby and checked in. He was a bit early, but they had a room ready for him. He settled in and decided to take a shower to wash the grime of the road off. As usual, he couldn’t help but think about the woman he would meet. Elizabeth was all he was given as a name. He wondered if she looked like the girl he requested. The memory of long dark hair and big blue eyes flashed across his mind. It still baffled him how one night of mind-blowing sex could stay with a man for almost ten years. How it could haunt him to the point that all other women came up short, including the jezebel he’d married.
    Showered, shaved, and freshly dressed, he checked the printout of the email for the millionth time. It gave strict instructions that he should be at her door at sunset. She had one of