The Right Ranger (The Men of at Ease Ranch)

by Donna Michaels

  Christ, he wasn’t a kid. Hell, he didn’t even remember being one. And he certainly didn’t feel like one when she had her mouth on him. Like now.

  Her lips grazed his jaw. “I was looking for fun and temporary. So don’t sweat it, Warlock. Your bachelorhood is not in jeopardy.” She drew back and patted his chest. “You’re safe. And don’t even think about bringing Drew into this. He’s part of the past. What happened was between you and me. Is it too much to ask for you to just let me enjoy the memory of an amazing night?”

  He released a breath and the little pinpricks of tension eased from his shoulders. She wasn’t harboring guilt. He hadn’t added to her troubles. In fact, going by the warm, lazy smile on her face, he’d say she was feeling pretty good at the moment. And it was his fault. “You are something else, Haley.”

  “I think you liked that something else last night.” Her grin was teasing and carefree and it pulled one from him with such ease it should’ve alarmed him.

  It probably would have if he’d had even a quarter of brain matter left in his head, and if she hadn’t been right. But she was right. Last night, he’d thought her a lot of things, not the least of which was amazing as hell, and a damn sight better than his fantasies.

  “I’ll let you in on a little secret.” She leaned in close enough he could smell her perfume. It was light and citrusy…a contradiction, like the woman. “I thought the same about you.”

  He blinked, trying not to feel too good about her admission, but damn, he had the strangest urge to pound his chest. “Yeah?”

  “Oh yeah.” She winked and sent him a sweet smile, conjuring up more contradictions—or Haley-isms—appearing innocent and wicked at the same time.

  The boots. Had to be the damn boots, with her long expanse of supple legs teasing his sanity. Or maybe it was all of her.

  “There’s more to you than just a hot body,” she said, regarding him closely. “Beneath all the muscles and ridges and that damn V that messes with my head, is a giving heart. You just don’t realize it.”

  “You sure you’re talking about me? I don’t have a heart,” he stated. The last thing he needed was her thinking she’d touched his heart. Maybe every other part of him, including a few of his favorite parts, but there had been no movement in his chest.

  Except there so was. Damn. Like now. His heart rocked against his ribs at the sound of her laughter.

  “Bullshit,” she said, and her gaze twinkled as she leaned up and kissed him again. Sweet, open-mouthed kisses that turned hot when her tongue brushed his, blowing his meager gathering of brain cells out to the pasture on his left. God, she tasted good. But before he could gather her close, she whirled out of his arms and headed back to work on her fence with a smile on her face.

  He stood slack-jawed, staring after the woman who just kissed the hell out of him then walked away. Like last night. His butt really needed to get over it already.

  This was ideal. She didn’t demand more. Didn’t try to get him to take her out, or fish for compliments. Nothing.

  In fact, she told him he was great. Reassured him his bachelor status was not on her radar. It was fucking perfect.

  So why the hell did it feel like he’d been run over by a tank?

  Chapter Nine

  It was mid-morning on Wednesday and Haley was filled with an excitement she hadn’t felt in years. She was heading to the high school to check out the town swap meet and support the football team and their fundraising. A win/win. But the best part was that Cord was joining her.

  “I’ll be ready in a few minutes,” he said, walking into the house. He was going with her to scout out some supplies for the stalls. “I need to grab a quick shower first.”

  And she needed to wait outside, because being in the house while he was naked and wet just down the hall was way too tempting on her resolve to keep their one-time thing…a one-time thing.

  She grabbed her purse, notepad, and pen, and headed outside on the porch to wait for a fully clothed Cord to emerge. Playing it smart was the way she’d have to roll while he was at the ranch. It was safer, too. Taking advantage of the time, she jotted down ideas of supplies to look for, and had just settled on one when Cord stepped onto the porch.

  Her heart leaped in her chest. Being fully clothed did nothing to lessen his sex appeal. A pair of jeans—faded in all the right places—hugged his lean hips and stole her breath. With safe and smart uppermost in her mind, she immediately ripped her gaze from the “danger zone” to take in the light gray T-shirt stretched to perfection, and the…Stetson?

  Dayam. She was used to seeing either his Ranger cover or simple ball cap on his head. Catching a glimpse of his cowboy side made him appear 100 percent Texan. And she was 100 percent appreciative.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  Lordy, was she ever…

  “Yep.” Shaking off her Cord stupor, she shoved her notepad and pen into her purse and stood. “Let’s go.” Before the stupor returned.

  By the time they pulled into the busy high school parking lot, she regained control of her mental faculties and happily answered his questions about the town and the school.

  “How long did you go here?” he asked, cutting the engine.

  “A year and a half,” she replied. “I was halfway through my junior year when my uncle got custody of me.”

  His gaze narrowed on her. “Must’ve been tough.”

  She shrugged. “It got easier when I moved in with Uncle John. Bouncing back and forth between my mother’s two sisters was tough. I liked being with him instead.”

  Cord nodded. “Upheaval is tough. Especially at a young age.”

  His tone bespoke of experience, and her heart lurched at the implication.

  “Did you move around when you were a kid?”

  “Just once,” he replied. “We sold our ranch after my dad died and moved to Austin to live with my grandmother. Lizzy was ten. It was hard on her at first.”

  Her heart squeezed at the thought of all the younger Cord had gone through. She had no trouble envisioning him stepping up to fill his father’s shoes as head of the family. Shame he hadn’t learned to step back yet.

  She set a hand on his arm, and he turned a startled gaze on her. “Had to be hard on you, too. How old were you? Fourteen? Fifteen?”

  Something unreadable passed through his eyes. “Almost fifteen.”

  It explained his responsible demeanor and why he tugged free and slipped from the truck. He was uncomfortable talking about himself.

  Too bad.

  “You got a job after school, didn’t you?” she asked, meeting him in front of the truck.

  His lips twitched, but he didn’t elaborate.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” She chuckled and fell into step alongside him on their way toward the football field full of vendors, and the sign permanently honoring Drew, Whitney High’s all-American hero.

  People in town still came up to her gushing about his glory days, or how he’d helped this one out at their ranch, or that one at their hardware store, telling her how lucky she had been to be his wife. And for the most part, they were right. The other part, she kept to herself. They didn’t need to know Drew’s shortcomings. Neither did his Ranger buddies. And they wouldn’t. Not by her.

  Her husband’s death had to be hardest on Cord and Brick. The three had gone through training together. That was why it was important to her to make sure their memories remained fond. She could tell by the way he stiffened up after reading the sign that it was still hard for him.

  “Drew never mentioned you went to school together,” Cord said.

  “Because we didn’t. He was five years ahead of me. We met in Colorado on a rafting trip.”

  “Small world.”

  She nodded. And a cruel one at times. But she wasn’t going to let it be today. No, today they were going to have a little bit of fun. “How are you at throwing ping pong balls into fishbowls?”

  It was one of her favorite game stands sprinkled in throu
ghout the flea market.

  His gaze lightened and his lips twitched. “Good. I used to win them for Lizzie all the time.”

  “Yeah?” She raised a brow. “So am I. Care to take me on? All the proceeds for the games go to the football team.”

  He cocked his head. “Depends. What does the winner get? And don’t say the fish.”

  “Darn.” She chuckled. “Fine. How about the loser gets to mow the south pasture in this blazing heat?”

  She watched his expression and smiled at the battle she knew was going on in his head. He already assumed she would lose and be the one to cut the pasture, but he didn’t want her to do that chore. Since arriving at her ranch, he had yet to let her cut anything. The way she figured it, she was a winner either way.

  “Alright.” Challenge sparked in his eyes and brightened his features. “You’re on.”

  Setting his hand at the small of her back, he guided her through the crowd to the fish booth where they settled into a spot between two families. He handed money to a teenager working the stand, and the kid set a basket of ping pong balls in front of them.

  “Ladies first,” Cord said, standing back to give her room.

  She smiled. “Okay, but I’m only tossing six; you get the other half.”

  Last thing she needed was a dozen fish, which was possible if they landed all twelve balls. By the time she finished, four of her six were floating in colored water, and the only reason it hadn’t been all six was because her balls had collided with others midair.

  Smiling, she switched places with a smirking Cord and watched him land five out of his six. Dammit.

  “Wow, you two are good.” A cute little boy on her right blinked up at her and Cord, adoration rounding his big brown eyes. “I was trying to win some for my sister over there but didn’t get any in the bowls.” He pointed to a sweet toddler in a stroller reaching for him and saying, “Sishy.”

  “Well, I think we can help you out,” Cord said, then met her gaze briefly before turning to the teenager manning the booth and held up two fingers.

  Her heart cracked open and warmth spread through her chest at his sweet gesture. He was something else.

  She cleared her throat and smiled down at the little boy. “I’m sure you would’ve landed two, but mine hit yours and knocked them away.”

  “Here you go.” Cord presented the boy with two bags filled with water and a gold fish.

  Those big brown eyes widened again. “Wow. Thanks! I’m gonna have my sister name them after you. What’s your names?”

  “Cord and Haley,” she replied, her stomach fluttering at the thought of their namesakes sharing a fish bowl. Silly, she knew this, but somehow it also felt intimate.

  After the little boy’s parents thanked them and walked away, Cord turned to her and raised a brow. “You want the other fish we won?”

  “No.” She laughed. “It was mostly about the challenge.”

  Mischief gleamed in his emerald eyes. “You up for another one? Or are you afraid of losing again?”

  Why that…

  “Oh, you’re going down, pal.” She grabbed his hand and tugged him to the next booth.

  In the back of her mind, she knew they had supplies to buy, but it was early yet. Besides, for the first time in years, she was feeling happy and carefree, and she got the sense it had been even longer for him.

  …

  Before Cord knew it, an hour had passed and he was at the final game stand with Haley. The dart game…and she was kicking his ass. Damn darts seemed to bounce right off the balloons he hit while hers popped with ease. But that was okay. Her arms were full of the prizes he’d won. All he carried was a rolled up T-shirt from her prowess at pitching dimes on a plate.

  He watched, mesmerized by the way she bit her lower lip as she concentrated on her last dart.

  “Yes,” she cried out triumphantly after popping her final balloon.

  There was no way he could win. Not with only one dart left. He set it down and faced the grinning woman. “Great job, Haley. What do you do? Sleep with those things under your pillow?” he teased.

  She laughed. “No. I did an article on Irish pubs, once, and played across Ireland for research. I’m a quick study.”

  “Lady’s choice,” the kid behind the stand said, motioning to his stash of gaudy stuffed animals.

  Christ. His gut clenched. She was probably going to pick the biggest, ugliest stuffed animal. What the hell was he going to do with it?

  “That one.” She pointed to something but smiled at him over her shoulder, and the pure joy lighting her eyes caught and held his attention. He’d never seen anyone so genuine, so damn beautiful.

  No prize could top that smile.

  “Here you go.” She stepped close to shove a bright neon-green plush animal into his chest. “Every Warlock needs a dragon.”

  He snickered and grabbed his prize, his fingers brushing over hers.

  She cleared her throat. “Think he’s bright enough?” she asked, her voice a little breathless.

  “Hell yeah. I bet they can see him from the space station.” He smirked. “Thanks for that, by the way.”

  Her laughter echoed between them. “You’re welcome. Never let it be said I didn’t take care of the great Warlock.”

  Thing was, she took real good care of him. No woman had ever bothered to worry about what he wanted. Haley did. It hadn’t escaped his notice how his favorite things showed up at each meal. She somehow took note of his likes and dislikes and adjusted the meals to suit him. If it wasn’t for the fact he knew she enjoyed what she placed on the table then he would’ve protested. She was something else. She even brought water to him throughout the day, right when he needed it. How the hell did she do that? How did she know? She seemed in tuned to his needs. It was the strangest thing.

  And nice. Damn nice. So was the feel of her soft skin. He was reluctant to let her go, but they had too much stuff to carry. “What do you say we take this loot back to the truck before we grab lunch?”

  “Sounds good.”

  Together they walked to his truck and dropped their winnings on the seat before heading back in search of lunch. His to-do list at the ranch wasn’t getting any shorter, but he refused to rush Haley. He chanced a glance at her, noting the sweet smile still curving her lips. It’d been present most of the morning, and he was reluctant to see it end. He was playing with fire. He knew it but didn’t care.

  Being with her like this was nice. Tension seemed to ease from his body in her presence. He was content. Happy. He could breathe. It was nice to breathe without the usual heaviness in his chest. Where the hell it went, he had no idea. It was just gone.

  She led him to a stand with the biggest crowd. “Beauregard’s has the best barbeque.”

  Again. The amazing woman did it again. Out of all the choices for lunch, she chose the one he would’ve picked.

  Standing at the end of the line, she turned to him and set her hand on his arm. “Thanks, Cord.”

  “For what?” He frowned, liking the feel of her touch more than he should.

  “For today,” she replied.

  His lips twitched. “Beating you at the games?”

  “Hey. I won two.” She punched his shoulder.

  “I know.” Reaching out, he quickly sandwiched her hand between his palm and bicep. “I have a blinding dragon to remind me.”

  “Keep it up and I’ll exchange it for the bright pink pig.”

  She would, too. Her gaze was full of mischief.

  “Point taken.”

  “Then I hope you get my other point,” she said, her expression turning serious. “I had a good time this morning. Better than I have in years. Thank you for that, Cord.”

  “I had a good time, too.”

  She nodded, hand still on his arm, apparently not in any more of a hurry than him to break their connection. “We’re a pair. Maybe while you’re at the ranch we should make sure we don’t let each other get too serious. Kind of hold each other in check,
or out of check.”

  If it meant seeing more of her smiles, he was all for it and quickly agreed, despite the warning bells going off in his head.

  He ignored the bastards.

  For most of his life he heeded them, but maybe it was time to buck his own system. To do as she suggested…get “out of check.”

  What harm could it do?

  Chapter Ten

  A few days later, Haley was working alongside Cord, still mending fences, and trying not to think about the fence she’d forged with Cord the other night. Their crazy chemistry had blazed out of control until they’d given in, and now it seemed to have forged something stronger, hotter…solid.

  Even though they hadn’t given in again, she couldn’t get the damn man out of her head. Or their incredible night. Or the fact she wanted more. Dammit. But their deal had been for one night, and other than those extra few kisses she stole the following morning, she’d held good to her word and fell into an easy working relationship with her guest.

  That was what he was. Her guest.

  Not the hot hunk of a man who gave her mind-blowing orgasm after orgasm in the space of one night. Nope. That was the past. Now, he was her guest there to help out around the ranch until the end of the month.

  She glanced at him from under her lashes. The lines around his mouth were less rigid. Same with his broad shoulders, which were now rippling with lean muscles under a T-shirt stretched tight across his back with each swing of the sledgehammer that drove the post home. She ripped her gaze away and inhaled as her mind wanted to go to that naughty place, but she behaved. The man was there to get the ranch in shape for her grand opening, not become her sex slave. She smiled at the thought. As if anyone could make the mighty Cord Brannigan do what he didn’t want to do. That’s why it made her feel good to know the ranch wasn’t the only thing benefiting from his stay. Cord was improving, too.

  He’d loosened up enough to crack a smile once in a while, and even converse more than a few words. And the biggie…he remained in a room with her for more than twenty minutes now. Apparently, the idiot realized she wasn’t coveting a relationship with him. In fact, he kind of seemed a little put out about it, as if he wondered why she didn’t.