Romancing the Ranger (4 page)

He swallowed and took one quick peek at her pale skin and luscious curves as he tried to hold her up and reach for the towel he’d dropped.

Aw hell.
This was stupid.

She was unconscious, and he needed to get her out of the bathtub before she fell back in and drowned. He scooped her body up and carried her to the bed, laying her gently down on top of the quilt. Grabbing the towel, he covered her then lifted her wrist to check her pulse rate.

Trained in first aid, he was sure the bump on the head combined with no food and standing too quickly had caused her to pass out. Her pulse beat steady.

She stirred, mumbling something about matching socks. Blinking her eyes, she looked around and struggled to sit up.

“Whoa there, missy. Lie still a minute. You just tried to get out of the tub, and you passed out.”

She blinked again. Glancing down at her bare legs, she gasped and clutched the towel to her. A pink tinge rose on her pale cheeks. “How did I…? Did you…?”

He nodded and tried to hold back the sheepish grin that threatened to spread across his face. “But I tried not to look. Mostly.”

“Mostly?” She arched an eyebrow at him, and he could swear her eyes had just the naughtiest gleam in them for a second.

Well, what do ya know about that?

She pressed up on her elbows, and drops of water from her hair slid down her skin. The bedding was soaked and he’d have to find her a new quilt for tonight.

He perched on the edge of the bed, moisture seeping through his jeans where her wet bare leg rested against his hip. Maybe the wet fabric would help cool his heating libido. It hadn’t worked yet because he was still tempted to run his hand along her thigh. Test out if he really saw that gleam or if he’d imagined it.

He was certainly imagining things now. Like how soft her skin was, and what would happen if he reached under that towel. Would she let him, or would he earn a slap in the face?

He had seen her naked now. Better not push his luck. Besides, he’d already decided that he didn’t want to get involved with another money-grubbing blonde.

He cleared his throat and stood up. “I better let you get some rest. Gram sent up a sandwich, and there are drinks in the mini-fridge. Help yourself. I’ll bring you up some dry bedding, too. We should probably get an early start tomorrow. Should I pick you up at eight?”

“Make it ten, and I’ll meet you up there. I’ll need to take care of a couple of things in the morning.”

Of course. He should have guessed. Already putting off the hard work. And messing up the schedule of his day. He had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last time he made a change to please her.

Chapter Four

Wade couldn’t believe his eyes.

He pulled into the parking lot of the falls at ten the next morning to find Reese sitting on a huge stack of fresh lumber, studying a thick sheaf of papers in her hand.

“What the heck is all this?” Slamming the door of the pickup, he side-stepped around two large bins,
Hank’s Hardware
embossed on their sides.

Rounding the lumber, he was even more astonished to see a brand new stainless steel toilet perched on the ground next to the burned-out wreckage of the outhouse.

Reese grinned like the Cheshire cat. “Aren’t you surprised? I got all the supplies needed to build a top-notch outhouse.” She waved the stack of papers in her hand, obvious pride in her voice. “I googled how to build an outdoor toilet, and I found a list of supplies and the instructions I need to follow.”

“Instructions? On how to build a toilet? Who uses instructions for that? You frame the room, replace the fixture and restock it with TP.”

Her face fell, and her tone changed from pride to defensiveness. “Well, some of us have never built an outhouse before.”

He looked down at the bins full of new tools, nails, and hardware. “Do you even know what half this stuff is for?”

“No. But I stopped in at Hank’s Hardware this morning and told him what I needed, and he was happy to load all this up for me, and even had one of his guys drive up here this morning to deliver it.”

“I’ll bet he did.”

“What? Don’t you like Hank? I thought he was great. Even put in some things I hadn’t thought of, like an electric nail gun.”

“Electric nail gun?” He looked around the forested area. “Just where do you plan on plugging that in?”

“Oh. Huh. I hadn’t thought of that.”

“I guess not.” He could imagine when Hank saw Reese’s platinum credit card that he threw in
several
extras. He was torn between feeling sorry for Reese and being glad that at least she’d helped the local economy of Cotton Creek and didn’t get all this stuff delivered from one of the chain hardware stores in the city.

He walked around the pile of lumber. “What is this wood you’ve got?”

“It’s composite decking lumber. Hank said it cost a little more, but it would hold up a lot longer and not need as much maintenance.”

Hmmm. It irked him that she could so easily go out and purchase the best that money could buy, but it was good for the park to have the better material.

He looked toward the piles of used lumber filling the back end of his pickup. Too bad he’d spent the last hour scrounging lumber from the park’s service shed.

He motioned for her to follow him as he headed for his truck. “I have a couple of things for you.” He reached into the cab of his truck and handed her a worn leather tool belt. “Thought you could use this.”

She grinned and raised her arms for him to fit it around her waist. “Nice. My first tool belt. I love it.”

Oh man. He could just hand her the belt. It wasn’t that hard to figure out. But then he would miss a chance to get his hands on her. She wore khaki shorts and a snug-fitting V-neck T-shirt that had
Baker’s Bed ’n’ Breakfast
scrolled across her ample chest.

She scooted closer to him, her arms still raised. He wrapped the belt around her waist, his long fingers moving treacherously close to her danger zone.

He liked the way she caught her breath, and her eyes went soft and sexy. Resting his hands on her hips, he regarded her for a moment.

She looked up at him, and he couldn’t quite read what was in her green eyes. It felt almost like an invitation. Her lips parted and for an instant, he considered leaning down and kissing her. Taking that perfect little mouth with his. It’d be so easy.

He imagined pressing her against the truck, lifting her to draw those bare legs around his waist and laying claim to her lush curves. His hands itched to touch her, to run his thumb along her chin and draw her mouth to his. The scent of her shampoo enveloped him as he dipped his head slightly, eyeing her with a cross between a question and a dare.

Bark! Bark!

The moment was broken by the yap of the dog. Bagel was clawing at the half-open window, desperate to get out of the car and greet Wade.

“Bagel, stop barking,” Reese called to the dog. She shrugged. “Sorry, I hate to keep him cooped up in the car, but I didn’t want to leave him at the bed and breakfast.”

“I might have something to help with that.” Dropping his hands, he reached into the bed of the pickup and lifted out a small wagon lined with a cream-colored sheepskin blanket. A small water dish was wired to the corner of the wagon. “I made this for the little guy so he could sit outside with us and not be contained to a crate. Plus he wouldn’t get hot in the car that way.”

Reese’s hands covered her mouth as she gaped at the little wagon. “I can’t believe you did this. This is so nice.” A spark lit her eyes. “Let’s try it out.”

Racing to the car, she gingerly lifted Bagel from the front seat and set his chubby body down into the wagon, tucking his injured leg under him. “It’s perfect.”

She beamed at Wade, her bright smile making him feel like a hero. All he’d done was make a little dog cart.

Yet he practically tingled with pride as she threw her arms around his neck and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

With her glowing at him like he’d just hung the moon and the way she was pressed against him, other things were starting to tingle, too.

What was this woman doing to him? All he could think about was laying her down in the tall grass and showing her what other things he could do with his hands. He needed to get this under control, and quick.

Clearing his throat, he unclasped her hands from his neck. “Well, you better get started. I don’t have time to stand around here all day.”

He pointed to the burned-out remains of the outhouse as she wheeled the dog over in the cart. “You’re gonna need to start by tearing down the rest of that burned-up frame. Get everything cleared away until all you’re left with is the concrete slab. Then you can start to rebuild on the slab.”

“Got it.” She nodded and went to work.

“You can pile it all up over here, and I’ll have maintenance pick it up later.” He headed for his truck. “I’ll come back to check on you around lunchtime.”

“Lunchtime?” Her face wore a bewildered expression, and she looked around as if searching for a fast food restaurant. “I didn’t even think about lunch. Hey, wait. You’re not staying? You’re not going to help?”

“Nope. I’m just the supervisor.” He chuckled and pulled a shovel and broom from the back of his truck. He laid them on the ground for Reese to use. “But Gram packed me a lunch big enough for four people so I’ll be back around noon with some food. You’re burning daylight, girl. You better get to it.”

…

What nerve
. Reese watched Wade’s truck drive off leaving her in a cloud of dust and frustration.

Not only was he immune to her suggestive advances, he didn’t even want to stick around to keep her company. She’d practically thrown herself at him, landing in his arms two different times, and he’d done nothing.

She’d been sure she’d seen a glimmer of arousal in his eye, but he hadn’t taken the bait. Maybe he had a girlfriend or liked to take things slow. She’d planned on getting to know him as they’d worked together this morning. To figure out what made him tick. And what it would take to get under his skin—and under the sheets of his bed.

Ranger Wade had invaded her dreams last night, filling her head with erotic fantasies of him climbing in the tub with her and soaping up her dirty parts. She’d awoken to a mess of tangled sheets and a frustrated desire to get into the head and arms of the hot park ranger.

He hadn’t exactly rebuffed her subtle advances, he just hadn’t taken advantage of them. Or her. Maybe she needed to up her game. But how could she do that if he wasn’t even around?

She hadn’t dreamed that he would really let her do this all by herself. She stared at the wreckage of the little building. How the heck was she supposed to tear the rest of that thing down?

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, showing her dad’s number. She’d called the office this morning and got her calendar covered, then left him a message explaining that she needed to take a few weeks off to clear her head. No reason to get him involved in this.

She’d made this mess, and she could clean it up. And what a mess it was. Letting loose a sigh, she dug through the box of tools, grabbed a hammer, and set to work.

Two hours later, the sound of a truck engine signaled Wade’s return, and she stopped to survey what she’d completed. A large pile of scorched wood lay next to the parking lot, and she’d just finished sweeping off the concrete slab.

She winced at the fiery blisters bubbling on her palms and knew she must look a sight covered in soot and dirt from the boards. Her ponytailed hair was damp with sweat, but she felt good, like she’d really accomplished something.

Wade set a battered red cooler on the ground and surveyed her work. He looked surprised at all she’d finished. “Dang, girl. You’ve really been working. I didn’t think you’d have half of this done. Good job.”

He handed her an icy bottle of water, and she cringed as it touched her blistered hands. Wade frowned and pulled her hand to him. “Geez, look at your hands. Why didn’t you wear gloves?”

She shrugged, not wanting to pull her hand out of his hold. “Hank didn’t sell me any.”

“The guy sold you an electric nail gun, but didn’t get you any gloves? What a knucklehead.” He strode to his truck, returning a minute later with a soft pair of leather gloves. “I’m sorry I didn’t think to leave these with you earlier. I’ve got a little first-aid kit in my truck. I’ll get you fixed up after lunch. You hungry?”

Her stomach growled at the mention of food. “Starving. I hope Miss Abigail packed a side of beef in that cooler. Although I don’t know what that would leave you to eat.”

He laughed, and the sound of it carried into her soul. Something about that deep chuckle had her insides doing a little flip.

She liked the easy way she could make him laugh and that he cared about her blistered hands. She adored that he was pouring more water into the dish for her dog to drink.

This guy might just be one of the good ones that she was always hearing about. He certainly looked good. Forget food, she could have Ranger Wade for lunch. And dinner.

Her stomach growled again. Okay, maybe forgetting food was a bad idea, but at least she would have a nice view while she ate.

Wade patted the stack of lumber next to him and handed her a sandwich as she sat down. He set out bags of chips, pickles, and cold soft drinks. Her mouth watered at the thick slices of roast beef and cheddar on a homemade roll, and she dug into the lunch as if she hadn’t seen food in days.

Her phone buzzed again, bouncing on the planks of lumber where she’d set it earlier.

Wade watched her ignore the call then checked out the display. “Six missed calls from the CEO. Seems like your boss really wants to get ahold of you.”

She sighed. “I left him a message that I won’t be in for the next two weeks, and I’m not quite ready to tell him why.”

“And the CEO cares if you take vacation days?”

“He does if he’s your father.”

“Ah. You work for your dad.” He said the statement with a hint of disdain as if he’d just caught her stealing money from a tip jar.

A flicker of shame heated her cheeks. “I know. Pretty pathetic, huh?”

“No, I didn’t mean that.” At least he had the decency to look embarrassed. “Not if you like your job, I guess. What do you do?”

“I’m a financial planner.”

“And do you enjoy it?”

“Not even one little bit.” She plucked a chip from the bag and popped it in her mouth. “In fact, I pretty much hate that stinking job. I would rather be here, hauling away rubble and earning blisters the size of Texas than be at that job.”

He laughed. “Then why don’t you quit if you hate it that much? Do something else.”

“Do we need to go back to that little part about my dad owning the company?”

Suddenly the taste of the chip went flat on her tongue, and she took a sip of soda to wash it down. “If I quit, I’d be letting my father down.”

“Not if it were to do something you loved. Plenty of kids grow up to leave the family business. Is there something else you’d rather be doing? Why don’t you just tell him you want to do a different job?”

This time it was her turn to laugh. “Yeah, right. I tried that once. When I first started college, I wanted to get a degree in journalism. I tried to tell my dad that I wanted to be a writer. And he laughed it off, like it was a big joke. Told me writing was a hobby that I could certainly pursue in my free time, but he’d already changed my field of study and sent my application to the School of Business where I would get a real degree in a field that would actually earn some money.”

“Your dad sounds like a real piece of work.” Wade tossed Bagel the last scrap of his sandwich. “So are you still writing?”

Images of the stacks of notebooks she had crammed with stories and plot ideas filled her head. Notebooks hidden in a chest at the foot of her bed. “I used to. All the time. I’ve even written a couple of books.”

“Impressive. The most I’ve ever written is a grocery list. I think that’s cool. Did you try to get them published?”

Her cheeks warmed at the compliment and the encouraging words about her work. “No. I thought about it though. I really loved writing.”

“Then why’d you stop?”

Why
had
she stopped?

Writing was her passion, something she truly loved. But with work and Brock, there never seemed to be enough time.

She’d mentioned her writing to Brock once and received the same contemptuous response she’d gotten from her father. It just wasn’t worth the hassle. It was easier to put her notebooks away and concentrate on her job at the company. “I guess my time got filled with other things.”

Wade studied her face, and it was as if he could see right through her.

She squirmed under his gaze. “What?”