Page 3 of Merry & Wild

“Totally awesome,” she says and kisses her brother’s cheek. “You’re a rad brother, you know?”

“Don’t you forget it,” he says with a wink before she hurries off, and then he turns to me. “Well, looks like I don’t have a reason to stay here, and since we can’t hear each other well, would you be interested in blowing this off? We could get pizza or something.”

I absolutely, positively willnotsay no to that offer.

“That actually sounds fun. I just have to go to my car and change my shoes.”

He grins and offers me his arm, which I take, feeling the muscles of his biceps bulge under my hand.

John Wild haswickedmuscles.

It must be from all the ranch work.

“I’m parked over there,” I say, pointing to my little Honda Civic.

“That car isn’t made for snow,” he says with a scowl.

“It has front-wheel drive,” I counter, “and I like it.”

“Hmm,” is all he says when we reach the little white car. I unlock the driver’s side with my key, then get in to change from my heels to my boots. I even remembered to bring socks along, which makes me quite happy.

Once my feet are finally warm and in footwear that won’t make me break my neck, I step out of the car once more and lock the door with my key.

“Why don’t we walk?” I ask, blinking through the heavy snowfall. “It’s notthatcold, and Old Town Pizza isn’t far from here.”

“Are you sure you’ll be warm enough in that dress?” He doesn’t look convinced as he looks me up and down.

“One minute. You have to turn your back.”

He raises an eyebrow but does as I ask as I unlock the car once more. I slip inside and shut the door, then wiggle out of the dress and replace it with the jeans and sweatshirt that I had in a gym bag in the back seat. After I’ve slipped the boots and coat back on again, I step out of the car and see that John still has his back to me.

“Okay, you can look now.”

“Do you keep an entire closet in the back seat of that tiny car?”

“No.” I laugh as I lock it once again and step away from it, shuffling through the soft snow. “I had extra clothes in the car because I’d planned to go to Jazzercise the other day, but I never made it. Now I’m glad I didn’t.”

“I’mglad that no one else was out here to watch you change your clothes.”

“I was quick,” I assure him as we slip on gloves, and then he takes my hand once we’re on a recently shoveled sidewalk. “I missed Bitterroot Valleyso much.I love it when it snows like this, huge flakes that make the air feel still. It’s soquiet.”

“That’s because everyone’s at the fire hall,” he says with a smile. “But yeah, I know what you mean. Hey, you need to be on the inside.”

He shifts me to the other side of the sidewalk, away from the street.

“I hardly think that someone is going to jump the curb and take us out.”

“You never know,” is all he says in reply.

“I have to admit, I feel kind of guilty. You had just arrived and hadn’t taken more than ten steps inside, and then I monopolized you. You didn’t even get to see anyone else.”

“I didn’t want to be there in the first place,” he admits, shaking his head. “Missy wanted to go, and there wasno wayshe was going to drive herself into town on snowy roads. It’s too dangerous.”

“So, you brought her so she could enjoy the time with her friends?”

“Yeah. It’s not easy being a ranch kid. You live so far out of town that you sacrifice a lot of time with friends if you can’t catch a ride. If I’m not busy, I’ll bring her. She didn’t ask to be born into a ranching family.”

“Don’t look now, but I’d say you’re pretty sweet, Mr. Wild.”

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