Stranger Ranger: An Opposites Attract Romance (Park Ranger Book 2)

by Smartypants Romance

  Ixnay on the akesnay alktsay.

  That’s Pig Latin, not parseltongue.

  Here’s a fun fact: a badger will kill and eat a snake.

  I always save the snake skins for emergencies.

  Stacking the plaster molds of various animal tracks, I busy myself with tidying the bins for tomorrow’s sessions. The material may be the same, but I never have the same experience twice because my students are always changing. Some have a ton of questions. Some want to show off their own knowledge. Others are reluctant attendees. I’ve learned to recognize the blank stare of indifference versus boredom.

  The forecasted rain has created puddles and pools along the road, and today’s activities have been relocated to inside the visitor center due to the threat of thunderstorms. We like to avoid park patrons getting struck by lightning. If it were just rain, we could gather under the roof of the pavilion in the campground, but I’m happy to stay inside. It’s better to keep the skunk pelts dry.

  Hosting programs in the visitor center also means my coworkers can observe and give feedback. Most of the time, they’re constructive.

  I’m finishing up the talk to a small group of about a dozen people when I spot Griffin leaning against the door jamb.

  Squaring my shoulders, I prepare to close out the session. “If there aren’t any other questions …” I pause, internally bracing myself as I give Griffin an opening.

  “I have one.” His voice is loud, but friendly. Heads turn in his direction.

  “Yes, Ranger Lee?” My smile is warm but if you look closely, you can see trepidation in my eyes.

  “What do you call bears without ears?”

  Softly, I groan.

  “I know!” A boy raises his hand over his head, waving it enthusiastically so I don’t miss him.

  I don’t dare glance at Griffin.

  “Yes?” I ask the kid.

  “Bees!” he shouts, adding a fist pump in triumph

  Everyone laughs except for the girl next to him. She makes a point of waiting for my attention before rolling her eyes in a dramatic fashion. I’m guessing she’s his sister, and I know how she feels. I want to tell her to ignore boys being loud and silly.

  Griffin snorts and slips through the door back to our offices. I’m not sure if he does this in hopes of tripping me up or if he simply can’t help himself.

  “On that note, I think we’ll end there.” I thank everyone for attending and remind them to check out the exhibits and the gift shop.

  Griffin Lee is in rare form today. Makes me wonder if something’s up or if he drank too much of Cletus’s coffee.

  Most of the small crowd leaves immediately, but a few families linger among the permanent exhibits. A woman with the same dark curls as the eye-roller approaches me with both kids in tow behind her.

  “Sorry to bother you as you’re tidying up,” she apologizes, “but my daughter has a question.”

  “No worries. How can I help you?” I focus on the girl.

  “How do you become a ranger?” she asks in a quiet voice.

  Her mom gives her shoulder an encouraging squeeze. “She’s always loved the parks.”

  “I have an official map in my room.” Her excitement and pride are palpable.

  “I have a map in my room too. How many parks have you visited?”

  “Twenty-two. We visit them every summer.”

  This is why I love this job: encouraging girls and young women to explore their passion for nature and conservation. My ultimate goal is to spark curiosity in the parks. If we can get people interested, especially kids, they may turn into lifelong visitors, or become junior rangers and work for the NPS themselves someday. I never believed I’d be a role model; it’s hard to have that kind of faith in myself after being told countless times I’m going to hell.

  And by people, I mean girls and kids from diverse backgrounds. I’m tired of looking at staff pictures and seeing an ocean of white men smiling back at me.

  We chat for a few more minutes before her brother whines he’s hungry. I recommend they get the brownies at the snack bar.

  Right before they walk away, the girl comes over and hugs me.

  “I want to be you when I grow up,” she whispers.

  My heart melts.

  Gaia asks me to join her in her office after I finish my last talk for the afternoon.

  “Have a seat.” She gestures to the pair of chairs opposite her desk but doesn’t sit down. “I wanted to speak with you privately.”

  “Is everything okay?” Nervous, I remain standing too.

  “Everything’s great. I have good news—your promotion has been approved. You’re now a full-time NPS employee, Daphne.” Gaia shakes my hand, making the moment official. “How do you feel?”

  After years of bouncing between parks and working seasonal gigs for low wages, I’m thrilled to have a permanent job. “If I say ecstatic, would you judge me?”

  “Not at all. I remember when I got my first full-time position.” Her hazel eyes are warm, friendly. “These jobs aren’t easy to come by, and you’ve worked hard to prove yourself this summer. I’m thrilled you’re going to stay on with us.”

  “Speaking of promotions, should I call you Ranger Abbott now that you’re chief ranger?”

  She laughs. “You can if you want, but Gaia or Guy are still both fine.”

  “How’d you start going by Guy?”

  “It’s always been a family nickname. Back when we started, Jay liked calling me that because he thought it was funny because with me being the only full-time woman on staff here. Another one of the guys.”

  “I know that feeling. Most of my ranger jobs have been three to one men to women.”

  “Yep, we’re still outnumbered.” She glances out the window for a beat, but when her gaze settles on me, it’s happy. “At least there are two of us here now.”

  “And now you’re in charge. The big boss.” I smile, proud of her.

  Gaia is a big part of why I accepted this job.

  First time I’ve had a woman as the chief ranger of the park where I’m working. If it can happen here, in the hills and valleys of Appalachia, progress can happen anywhere. Actually, women were instrumental in the formation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I guess it’s fitting there’s a woman in charge now.

  “At least you didn’t call me a girl boss.” She makes an exaggerated scowl and then laughs. “I hate that expression. Nope, not a girl, just a woman in charge, thank you very much.”

  “I agree.” I don’t tell her that the very concept of working, let alone being management, is outside the scope of possibility my childhood self could have imagined. None of the women I knew growing up worked outside the home. It simply wasn’t done. Going to college and getting a degree was an act of rebellion for me.

  “Speaking of the guys, they’ll want to take you out to celebrate the promotion. It’s tradition around here. Are you up for that? If not, we can get a cake from Donner Bakery or something and have a party here. No pressure.” Gaia gives me a sympathetic look. “I know you’re not into big social events.”

  Pushing myself out of my comfort zone, I decide to go with the first option. “I’m totally down for going out. What did they have in mind?”

  “Let’s go ask them.” Gaia leads the way down the hall.

  Friendly chatter among our colleagues fills the front office. It’s the end of the shift and the crew is gathered at the station. When we enter, Jay and Griffin are talking with a couple of the part-timers about the road project starting soon.

  “If they wait for the leaf peepers and foliage creepers to all leave, winter weather could be an issue. Can’t pave if there’s snow or ice on the ground.” Jay tells one of the guys. “Remember last year? We had heavy snow in October.”

  Gaia clears her throat. “Sorry to interrupt Jay’s climate report, but I wanted to make a plan for Daphne’s promotion party.”

  After a round of congratulations, handshakes, and pats on my shoulders,
they bring up the topic of what we should do and where.

  “My mom owns Genie's. Good food, good drinks, and a dance floor. I practically grew up behind the bar.” Griffin's brow furrows. “Not as an underage bartender, nothing illegal or against child labor laws. Genie's abides by all ATF regulations.”

  Gaia sighs from behind me. “Is there a point to this lecture about your family's business?”

  He narrows his eyes at her. “You said you wanted to get together as a group to celebrate Daphne's new permanent status. I was merely making a suggestion on location.”

  “It’s a bar.” Gaia’s voice reveals her lack of enthusiasm for his suggestion. Then again, she often has that tone around Griffin. “I was thinking more like dinner, or a group activity.”

  “Like what? Bowling? Axe throwing?” Jay asks.

  “Goat yoga?” suggests Amory, one of the civil engineers.

  We all give him a funny look.

  “Okay, that’s a no.” Gaia laughs. “No way am I letting animals climb on me.”

  “Is Genie’s a dive bar?” I ask, hopeful. “Honky-tonk?”

  Griffin's attention cuts to me. “It's just a bar.”

  Gaia sighs. “Shouldn't Daphne decide where she wants to celebrate?”

  “I don’t know a lot of other places to go out around here. Genie’s sounds fun.” I flash Griffin a cheesy smile.

  “Don't get too excited. It ain’t fancy, just a bar,” Gaia reminds me.

  Even though she’s echoing his words, Griffin's brows pinch together as he frowns before recovering. “Best wings and fried chicken in the area, and that's including the Pink Pony.”

  Jay's head jerks back. “We are not going to the strip club for another work function. I’m putting my foot down this time.”

  He and Gaia share a silent conversation with their eyes.

  “Never again,” she declares with a quick nod.

  Observing the two of them, I'm reminded again that I'm the newbie here. This is my plight: always the new girl, a side effect of moving around every few months as I accepted seasonal ranger jobs.

  Only, now I'm here permanently, though that isn't as permanent as it sounds. I think we all have our dream park of where we want to work. The golden ticket. The final frontier. The happiest place on earth.

  For some, it's the big names. Yellowstone, Zion, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, or a historical site that holds a personal connection. For others, it's the park close to where they grew up. Ranger Daniels falls into this group. So does Ranger Lee. Eastern Tennessee is nearest their family.

  Some of us don't have roots near here. Gaia, me, Amory—most of us come from far away.

  Even though I'm now a full-time, year-round employee in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I probably won't stay here forever. The world's a big place, and I want to see as much of it as I can.

  After a little more back-and-forth discussion, the group settles on Thursday night for the celebration at Genie’s.

  If I’m supposed to play it cool, I don’t. I’m excited to check out the bar. Yes, I’ve been here for months, but during the busiest season of the year. Now that things are slowing down a little with kids back in school, I’m ready to explore the area more. Maybe hot farmers like to hang out at Genie’s, too. You never know.

  Chapter Seven

  Daphne

  On Thursday, we split up into a couple cars to head to Genie’s. Gaia drives like someone’s chasing her, taking corners so tight I have to hold on to the “oh shit” handle on my door.

  “What’s the rush?” I ask, nervous she will confirm someone dangerous is in pursuit. I’ve heard the rumors about biker gangs living outside of Green Valley.

  “What? Nothing?” Her attention flits to my side of the car, noticing my fingers curled around the bar and what I’m certain is terror on my face. With a short sigh of exasperation, followed by a quick glance at the ceiling and a whispered expletive, she taps the brakes. “Sorry.”

  “It’s fine.” I release my grip and flex my hand, bringing blood back into my fingers.

  She shakes her head. “No, it isn’t. I obviously scared you with my driving.”

  “I wasn’t afraid, more surprised and a little nauseated, but being uncomfortable is on me because evidently I had certain expectations for how you would drive. Reality is different, and I need a minute to adjust.”

  Her warm eyes make contact with mine. “You’re very logical.”

  “I like rules, like speed limits and which side of the road to drive on.” I’m subtly referring to the fact she’s drifted across the double yellow line while we’ve been talking.

  She corrects our trajectory and gives me an embarrassed smile. “Okay, confession time. You should know I love to drive fast. Over the years, I’ve been pulled over by Officer James so many times he told me if I wanted to date him, I should just ask him out instead of driving these winding roads like a maniac.”

  “Wait, you like the deputy sheriff?” When I was hired, I met most of the local law enforcement staff during a joint training.

  Gaia laughs. “No, and for the record, I wasn’t speeding to flirt with him.”

  “Did you turn him down?”

  She grins. “Nah, I went out with him once.”

  Jackson James is handsome but the two of them would make an odd couple. “Just the one time? Bad date?”

  “It was fine … if you like boring, polite, perfectly nice men. I saw it as more of a gesture of peace and goodwill. Haven’t been pulled over by him since.” Her smile is wide and triumphant.

  She’s smart. “Devious.”

  With a shrug, she glances out her side window. “I let him down easy. We all have a type we’re attracted to. Turns out the good deputy doesn’t do it for me. Guess we can’t help who we like. The heart wants what it wants.”

  Apparently, my type might be the Jolly Green Giant, only less green. It’s been over a week and I’m still thinking about him.

  The rest of the way to the bar, she drives at the speed limit, sometimes even braking when we take a tight curve.

  Inside Genie’s, most of the booths are filled, but we find our group seated at a large table near the back.

  Gaia takes the seat next to Jay, and I slip in across from her by Griffin. Amory and several of the operations staff I don’t really know round out our group of eight. We don’t interact much given a lot of their time is spent repairing roads and doing construction; I suspect free food and beers might be the bigger draw for them being here as opposed to my promotion celebration. I get that. Still, it’s nice of them to show up and I thank them all for coming like I’m the hostess.

  A basket of wings sits in the center of the table, the bare bones in another basket next to a mostly empty pitcher of beer and two clean glasses.

  “Thanks for waiting for us,” Gaia jokes.

  “Sorry. We were starving.” Jay gives her a guilty smile. “Don’t worry, we’ve already ordered more.”

  Griffin lifts one of the empties. “Beer?”

  She shakes her head. “I’m driving.”

  I raise my hand.

  “If you’re riding with her, you should definitely have one,” Griffin teases. “Maybe a shot or four.”

  I laugh, but Gaia doesn’t. She’s too busy throwing eye daggers at our coworker.

  “Since my mom owns the place, wings and beer are on me,” Griffin offers magnanimously.

  “That’s very generous of you.” I give him a sincere smile.

  “He probably eats for free.” Gaia sniffs.

  “Not free, but I do get the family discount.”

  “I’m not going to turn down free wings. Bring ’em on.” I rub my hands together in excitement before lifting my arms over my head. “Extra ranch for all my friends!”

  “You know, most people eat ’em with blue cheese dressing,” Gaia explains.

  “Shh,” I tell her. “It’s my party and I’ll eat them however I want.”

  “Don’t be a downer.” Griffin wags hi
s finger at her. “Let the lady have the sauce of her choice.”

  If Gaia were a plant right now, she’d be a cactus. I can feel her energy bristling from across the table.

  Wanting—no, needing to change the subject, I scan the room for a distraction. The large dance floor is empty, but country music booms from several speakers.

  “What time does the dancing start?” I point to the designated area.

  “Some nights we have live music, but otherwise, it begins whenever someone is the first to take a twirl,” Griffin answers.

  “I’m not dancing,” declares Jay, wiping his hands on his napkin.

  “Still have PTSD?” Griffin laughs. “Man, you need to get over it.”

  I want to know what happened at the Pink Pony and also I don’t, because I like my co-workers. Whatever went down was before my time, and imagining this crowd in a strip joint isn’t something I want to do. Ever.

  A waitress with a grin as wide as her hair is tall drops off more baskets of wings. Glancing at the little plastic sauce containers, I know right away they’re all blue cheese. I’m about to open my mouth when Griffin raises his hand.

  “Can we get some ranch for the table?” He focuses on me. “How many? One? Two?”

  “Three should be good, but bring four just in case.” Go big or go home.

  We settle into conversation as beer is poured from a fresh pitcher. Glasses clink in toasts to me, to us, to the national parks, and even to the Roosevelts, including Eleanor because she was fierce. I notice Jay barely sips his pint and Gaia drinks a coke. When asked, Jay tells me he’s the designated driver.

  “Ahh, responsible.” I lift my glass and frown when I realize it’s empty. “Should I get another pitcher? I should.”

  Before any of them can answer me, I’m out of the booth and weaving my way over to the bar. I’m not a big drinker, never have been, but tonight feels different. It’s festive and celebratory, and safe.

  “Barkeep,” I call out to the lone bartender at the far end. To emphasize that I mean business, I slap my hand on the counter twice like I’ve seen done in old movies and lift my empty pitcher.