Page 11 of Summer with a Ranger

“I wanna try.” She looked up at me and I swore I could fall into those blue eyes of hers and never come out. “No matter what happens. I can travel and stuff.” She went back to studying her skirt.

My heart clenched. If I didn't get the job, I’d be back in LA and a firefighter didn’t get the luxury or freedom of travel, or that many days off. Pulling overtime had been my life for the last few years, and I wasn’t sure I could sit still for longer than a week on a beach.

“Whatever happens,” I echoed, resting my cheek on her hair and tugging her closer. “Fuck it.” I pulled over, throwing the truck into neutral and tipped her chin up.

“What–” Skye’s protest died as I claimed her mouth, pushing her down onto the bench seat and kissed the hell out of both of us.

CHAPTER FIVE

HUDSON

I left Skye in my truck, unwilling to drop her off until I could tell her what sort of future I had. I couldn't think much beyond that while I stuffed the drugs into my jacket pockets, and kissed her thoroughly.

“You’ll be great,” she whispered, curling her fingers around my collar and pulling me down for one more kiss. “I have faith in you.”

I was glad one of us did.

My jaw aching, I sucked in the vision of her perched on the bench seat, her tasselled gold and pink skirt fluttering around her stunning legs, a filmy floral blouse I nearly ripped open early in the trip in a need to be closer to her a soft contrast to her tan and the golden waves draped around her.

I walked into the Austin unit’s headquarters in my jeans, boots and a t-shirt, not having shaved and looking exactly as I should for a twenty something hour drive with rest stops where I spent my time not looking at the road and my hand buried in Skye’s pussy.

But now wasn’t the time to think about that.

The office was empty except for Archer’s closed door when I made it up the stairs, doing the deep breathing thing and probably sounding like a rampaging bull.

“Come in,” Archer answered my knock.

I pushed the door open to the sparsest office I’d ever seen. My second time in it and the empty space still got me. A neat row of filing cabinets lined one wall, and a scarred wooden desk took up the space opposite the door, a single chair either side.

One was occupied by a man with red-brown longish hair, wearing a blue checked shirt, a worn leather ledger open on his desk that he closed as I entered.

“That looks like it gets about as much love as my steering wheel,” I greeted him, pulling out the packets of drugs from my pockets and lining them up neatly by type on his desk, along with a list on my phone, including a description of everything I saw in Tijuana.

“Must love that truck then, Hudson. Good work,” Archer said as I reached into my back pocket and pulled out the badge, placing it carefully before him and stepping back. “What’s this?”

“It’s yours.” I kept my shoulders straight and stepped back.

I told Skye the truth. I wouldn't lie, not if I didn’t have to.

“Is it?” Archer picked up the polished metal. “You know the history of these? They used to be made from Mexican pesos, a five and eight. Today, Rangers get two. One like this to carry day to day, and this sort.” He pulled open a desk drawer and flicked a shiny metal badge my way.

I caught it one-handed and studied the coin set into a star. “It’s solid history.”

“It is.” Archer shook his head when I extended my hand. “That’s yours, Hudson.”

I swallowed hard. “I broke your rules.”

“Did you?” His gaze was unfathomable, but he made no move to take the badge from me. I placed it next to the other one on his desk and stepped back. “How?”

“I told a girl about the job. She came back with me, and I hated lying to her, letting her think I ran drugs.”

Archer nodded, his mouth opening. A rap from behind me nearly jerked me out of my skin. Archer didn’t smile, though something flickered in his eyes.

“Come in.”

The door opened and a tall woman in caramel pants and a white shirt entered the office. Her blonde hair was scraped back in a tight knot at the back of her neck. She held a white hat in her hands and stopped stiffly beside me.

If it wasn’t for her blue eyes I might not have believed what I was seeing.

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