Page 1 of In Love with a Ranger

1

* * *

CHRISTINA

“How are your classes going?”

Christina looked up to see her cousin’s smiling face and burgeoning belly where her toddler was hanging off her side precariously. The woman set the boy down, straightened up, winced, and then sat down beside her on the couch. Yeah, they were cousins, but it had been a while since she’d seen the family up close.

This was her mother’s idea, to get the whole family together now that things were starting to settle down slightly for everyone. Her cousin by marriage, Jessica, had was living in Houston. Christina was looking at the last few years of college looming on the horizon. It was like everyone that had been spread so far apart was now getting back on their feet, coming together, and Juliet’s baby shower was all the excuse the Bradley family needed.

“Oh, they are fine,” Christina began idly and then sighed as her cousin gave her a piercing look and pursed her lips. “Fine. They are not ‘fine’ in the slightest. They’re frustrating, and I must have been a cow in a previous life to want to hang around the fat, smelly, stupid mammals all the time.”

“You know my husband would make some smart comment about that.”

“And you’d get this vapid look of ‘wuv’ on your face, preen, and then tell me to get over it.”

“Oh my gosh,” Juliet laughed openly, staring at her in shock. “I do not ‘preen’ nor do I get a ‘vapid’ look on my face.”

“Puh-lease, woman. You love Dasher more than anyone else in this world – except little Griffin. That child can do no wrong and currently is sticking his finger in a cupcake.”

“Cupcakes are meant to be eaten,” Juliet shrugged, uncaring.

“What have you done with my straightlaced relative who freaks out if her seams aren’t pressed properly?”

“That woman has grown up a lot and had to relax quite a bit.”

“It suits you – and I’m slightly jealous,” Christina admitted quietly. “Heads-up, Dasher is on the way… does he still get grumbly if I start singing ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’?”

“Would you if someone made fun of your name – which is completely out of your control, by the way…”

“I suppose I’d be a little pissy.”

“Then Dash gets a little ‘pissy’ too when people mock his name – which is why all his friends still call him ‘Logan’ to his face.”

“Only you… right?”

“Only me… “ Juliet smiled as her adoring husband stopped beside her, kneeling. Their sweet toddler made their way toward them, grubby hand extended with bright silvery eyes that missed nothing. The neon rainbow flowers on the cupcakes were sure to stain, but neither seemed to care as Griffin toddled over and held out his ‘offering’ to his daddy.

Dasher leaned down and let the boy put his fingers in his mouth, pretending to gobble him up, making the boy giggle in the most precious manner and seemingly not caring about the frosting on his mouth or chin. Nope. This man adored his family.

Christina wondered if Juliet had any idea how lucky she was.

Most guys Christina went out with complained all the time about how she was boring, focused on her studies, and not interested in what they wanted to discuss. It would be nice, though, to meet someone who had no set opinions, didn’t feel threatened by someone wanting to better themselves, or didn’t believe in a woman belonging in the kitchen. She recently faced the latter, leaving him at the table coldly when he started berating her for not using her education to provide better meals for herself to make her body ready to bear children.

Her ovaries shriveled at that inane comment.

“Everything okay?” Dasher asked openly, glancing at Juliet quickly before looking back at her. “Christina, you made a face, and you know what happens if anyone sees you doing that…”

“Yup – an attack of the Bradley Matchmakers. ‘Poor Christina needs a man’ or ‘Poor Christina should be having babies’… or worse yet, ‘Poor Christina, I have a cousin that has three teeth, four divorces, and lives in a trailer – and he would love you to pieces’” she mocked, making a face as Juliet burst out laughing, sharing a pointed look with her husband.

“Why are you looking at me, dearest?” Dasher said innocently. “I’m not a Bradley.”

“No, you aren't.”

“You aren’t a matchmaker either,” Christina volunteered. “You are probably the only safe one to hang around with at this baby shower. First of all, you are happily married and a daddy. Secondly, you aren’t trying to fix me up with someone. Third and finally, you don’t have any brothers, which leads me back to number two.”

“I’m safe, huh?” Dasher grinned wolfishly, patting his wife on the knee. “You hear that? Safe.”

---