Romancing the Ranger Read Online Free Page A

Creek Drug Emporium, the small-town equivalent of a Walmart. “You’re probably gonna need a few things. It’s not fancy, but they’ve got toothpaste and most of your essentials. I’ll wait with Bagel if you want to run in.” He casually leaned back in the seat as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
    Wow. This was new.
    Brock always hated when she had to run into a store, even if it was for a bottle of wine to take to a party of his friends. He’d explained that his time was valuable, and she needed to complete errands before he picked her up.
    “Thanks,” she said, climbing from the truck. “Would you like for me to get anything for you?”
    He let out a whoosh of breath. “Oh yeah. I almost forgot. I need a pair of panty hose. Suntan-colored, in queen-size talls.”
    She arched an eyebrow at him. Maybe there was more to the ranger than she’d first imagined.
    He rolled his eyes. “They’re for my grandma. She asked me to pick some up for her for the church supper tonight.”
    She nodded. “Suntan. Queen-size. Talls. Got it.”
    As casual as Wade seemed, the image of his scowl stuck in her head, and Reese made a quick run around the drugstore grabbing a bag of dog food, assorted toiletries, a couple pairs of shorts, a few T-shirts, some flip-flops, a pair of canvas tennis shoes, and a value pack of bikini underwear. She hadn’t bought underwear in a package since she was a child.
    She found the requested panty hose and added them to her stack.
    On a whim, she dropped a package of snack cupcakes on the pile and grabbed a couple of candy bars. Her stomach growled, and she realized she hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
    The look of surprise on Wade’s face as she tossed him one of the candy bars didn’t compare to the disbelief she’d experienced when she opened the truck door to see her chubby little dog curled in his lap, contentedly getting his chin scratched.
    Brock wouldn’t even let the dog into his car, let alone stoop to actually pet the creature.
    Wade unwrapped the candy bar and actually smiled at her before he caught himself and returned to his usual scowl.
    That small smile gave her stomach a tiny flip. She liked the way one side of his mouth tipped up.
    “Here you go.” She passed him the plastic sleeve containing the hose.
    “Thanks.” He handed her a five dollar bill.
    Waving it away, she said, “No, it’s fine. I’ve got it.”
    “I don’t need you to pay for my…” He paused. “Panty hose. Well, my grandmother’s panty hose.” His scowl deepened as she tried not to laugh. “Just take the money.”
    She held up her hands in surrender and stuffed the bill into her purse. “Okay, I’ll take the money.”
    The scenery of the town passed by in a blur, and Reese tried to draw him out of his shell. Anything to earn a glimpse of that gorgeous smile once more.
    Thinking men liked to talk about their trucks, she went for a completely passive topic of conversation. “I like your truck.”
    Instead of the side-tipped grin, he frowned and practically growled an answer at her. “Yeah, sorry. My Mercedes is in the shop.”
    Okay, that didn’t work. She tried a different topic. “So how long have you lived with your grandma?”
    “She took me in when I was a kid after my mom decided the small-town life wasn’t for her. She liked things that were new and sparkly, and my shine must have worn off. My dad followed her, and my grandma took me in. After college, I came back and moved into the caretaker’s cottage to help out around the place. I believe in taking care of the people and things you have, not going out and buying new ones.”
    Maybe it would be better if she stopped asking him questions.
    The rest of their trip was spent in silence.
    Wade turned onto a short dirt road outside of town that led to a charming blue and white two-story farmhouse. Clay pots of colored flowers dotted the large wraparound porch.
    A sign hung off the corner of the porch reading Baker’s Bed ’n’