TAKE A CHANCE (Chance Colorado Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

absorb what she’d heard. After all these years of assuming nothing ever changed in Chance, it was as if the ground had tilted under her feet. Something had indeed changed. Something she’d never expected.
    Not that it made a difference to her one way or another, she reminded herself. Those old feelings she’d had for Logan were a thing of the past. Besides, she’d just spent the last few months swearing off men entirely.
    “Absolutely, you’ll catch up with us later,” Dulcie agreed. “We already planned to stop by your house after all this hoopla is over. Desi and I have something we want to talk to you about.”
    With a wave, Allie hurried forward to assist her mother in finding a seat among the quickly filling folding chairs.
    “Here,” her mother said, scooting into a row with several open spots. “I’ll leave the two on the end for Mama Odie and Papa Flynn.”
    “You better grab a seat, too,” Matt urged, scanning the crowd. “I’d say they didn’t plan on nearly enough chairs for the number that’s showing up.”
    From the looks of the people streaming in their direction, her brother was right.
    “I’ll stand for a bit,” Allie answered. “I just want to make sure all the people who really need seats get them.” Several of those people headed their direction had to be at least as old as her grandparents and standing would be a real hardship for them.
    “People who really need seats?” Matt dropped his gaze pointedly to her feet. “Your call, Allie. But you wouldn’t catch me standing through this whole thing if I were wearing those.”
    She was about to make a crack about how much she’d like to see him wearing high heels when an expression she couldn’t identify flitted across his face as he stared over her shoulder. She turned to follow his gaze and spotted their grandparents headed in their direction, their grandfather wearing the full dress uniform he’d had packed away since World War II.
    “God, I love that old man,” Matt muttered under his breath.
    Allie had to agree. They had indeed been blessed with the best grandparents ever. Odd as a three-dollar bill, there was no denying that, but both of them were the very definition of a loving family.
    “Allison, Matthew,” Papa Flynn greeted each of them as he waited for Mama Odie to hug both her grandchildren.
    “Papa Flynn,” Matt countered, with a respectful dip of his head. “Thank you for wearing your uniform to honor Danny today. It would have meant a lot to him.”
    “Didn’t just wear it for Danny,” the old man replied gruffly. “To my way of thinking, you’re a hero, too, boy.”
    Allie backed away, her eyes filling with tears as her grandfather slowly lifted his hand in salute to her brother. Matt’s silent return of the salute sent her tears brimming over the edge, and she tried to discreetly wipe her cheeks before anyone noticed.
    Next to her, Mama Odie reached up to give Allie’s hand a squeeze, her own eyes blinking more rapidly than usual and suspiciously shiny.
    “Though there’s joy in dedicating this building to honor Danny, we knew it wouldn’t be an easy day,” Mama Odie said. “Seems like just yesterday the three of you boys were climbing through my poor fruit trees, carrying on like wild little monkeys. Danny and Matty and Logan, all skinned knees and mischievous grins. We’d never see one of you without the others trailing right behind—usually on your way to raid my cookie jar, if I remember correctly.”
    “Only because you were the best cook in town,” Matt said, dropping a kiss on the top of his grandmother’s head.
    "Pure flattery," Mama Odie said dismissively, but a smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. "It's all changed so much over the years. Though, as your grandfather says, the three of you are all heroes in your own ways. You and Danny off to fight a war and Logan coming back home to take over as a firefighter. We've always been proud of you all."
    “Speak of the devil,”