Page 3 of Found By the Surly Ranger

She looks over at me anxiously. "Really?"

"Really." I reach out and make a point of untangling her hands and placing them flat on her knees. She lets out a soft laugh.

"Plus, if anyone's chasing you, well, we don't know each other, so why would you come to me for help? Right?"

Kara brightens, nodding. "That makes sense. Thank you."

We get to my house just as a cold drizzle starts. Kara doesn't wait for me to help her down, leaping out of the truck and dashing to the front porch. I grab her bags, let us in, and turn on the lights before we both kick off our shoes.

Once she looks around, she visibly relaxes. My house is simple – lots of wood, sturdy, plain furniture that is still very comfortable, and huge windows overlooking the valley. "See? Just a normal house, nothing creepy," I snort.

She nods sheepishly. "Sorry."

"No sorry. I'm a total stranger. Hey – you can use my laptop if you want to Google me or something?"

Her eyes fly wide open. "You have Wi-Fi here?"

Right. She doesn't like that. Striding to the corner of the dining room where I keep my laptop, I yank all of the cables out of the modem. "Not anymore, I don't." I pull out my phone and put it in airplane mode, then hold it out to her. "See? Course, that means you can't Google me now."

She smiles a weak smile and sinks into an easy chair. "Thank you. I'm sorry. I don't mean to be difficult."

"You're obviously going through a rough patch. Let me help you. Did you have a decent dinner?"

Her head shakes sadly. "I might have been living on granola bars for the past several days."

The thought of this sweet girl going hungry makes me want to… I don't know. Growl. Punch something. She needs to be nurtured.

"Is there anything you don't eat?"

"No. But you don't have to feed me, I?—"

"Listen." She blinks in surprise at the authoritative note in my voice. I place my hands up high on my hips, and tower over her so dramatically that she laughs. "There are rules in this house, missy. You will eat as much as you want and drink as much as you want. You will be comfortable. You will help yourself to everything. I demand that you be relaxed and cozy."

Kara's sudden little laugh fills me with pride. Caring for her already feels incredible – a bright spot of heat centered in my chest. I've never been a people person. I mostly keep to myself. People in town know me as a loner who takes care of his section of the forest, and is just polite enough to get by. Yet suddenly I feel myself needing to connect with Kara. More importantly, make her laugh like that with me again so that she feels safe.

"Okay. Thank you."

Snapping my fingers in her face rudely, I point to the hallway. "So here's the deal. I'm going to make dinner. You're going to take a hot bath after being out in the cold for so long." She laughs again, then pulls a face as if she's mad at the idea.

I set her up with fresh towels, and an armful of t-shirts, sweatshirts, shorts and sweatpants she can choose from.

As I lay everything on the bathroom counter, Kara gazes up at me with huge, tender eyes. "Thank you," she whispers softly. "This is the first in a long time where I feel like I can take a breath."

Damn, she's beautiful. I know she doesn't need my own powerful feelings on top of everything else she's got going on, but this attraction is bigger than anything I've had to deal with before. Reaching out, my palm cups her cheek as my thumb strokes her petal-soft skin for just a split second before I snatch my hand away again. "You're safe here. I promise." Her smile makes my heart practically explode out of my chest as I head for the kitchen to give her some space.

Cooking dinner for my mystery girl Kara underscores several facts I've been avoiding for quite some time.

I love being alone, yet I've started to become lonely. Hearing someone splashing in the bathtub actually fills me with joy. Plus, she's truly beautiful, and it's not just her physical appearance. There's something about Kara's energy…this unusual feeling that we just "click"…all of that mystical junk that I usually tune out whenever anyone brings it up.

I feel like she's mine. Like the reason I was put on this Earth was to give her a safe haven…and make her spinach salad, plus beef rotini with tomato and pepper sauce.

Kara comes out of the bathroom just as I'm setting our dinner on the table. My mouth falls open as I stare at her, then I clamp it shut fast. Her damp hair is piled up on her head in a clip, and although she's drowning in my clothing, she's rolled up the sleeves in a jaunty way, and cinched the track pants somehow so that they stay in place.

It's hot as fuck to see her in my clothes. That feeling of possession overtakes me again – a deep, primal need I've never experienced before. I'll have to shove these feelings down for now. Possibly forever, depending on her situation.

"High fashion it ain't," she says with a grin. "But it's definitely warm and cozy. Thank you."

"You're very welcome. Now, phase two of operation comfort zone treatment – dig in."

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