Page 45 of Rugged

I shook hands with each of them. “So nice to meet you.”

“And this is Clint and his wife, Becky. They left Lily, their little one at home. She’s not quite old enough for the mechanical bull.”

I offered them a little nod and finger wave since the table was between us.

“And this is Levi–he’s the local sheriff–but he’s worked on the ranch. His wife, Charlie, is our vet.”

They were closer, so I was able to shake hands with them, repeating their names, “Levi, Charlie. Clint and Becky…”

“There will be a quiz later,” Charlie teased.

Johnny turned to me again. “This is Rand and Natalie. Natalie owns the ranch next door to Wolf Ranch, and Rand owns a construction company.”

Rand, Natalie.I tried to recite the names in my head, so I wouldn’t forget.

“This is my boss, Wes.” Johnny introduced me to a brawny, tattooed, red-headed guy who offered me his hand but didn’t speak. Compared to the others, he seemed like he was a grump.

“I thought Rob was your boss.” God, I swore Iwastrying to keep them all straight, but I was already getting muddled.

Johnny leaned down and murmured, “He’s the head honcho. And Wes is the foreman. I have a lot of bosses.”

“We’re like an army, with a long chain of command,” Colton said.

Johnny hooked his thumb at Colton. “He was a Green Beret, if you hadn’t guessed it by the haircut.”

I laughed. The Wolf Ranch guys and their cowboy hats were all big and gorgeous.

“Come sit over here with us, so we can girl talk.” Becky patted the empty stool beside her as the men left us behind and went to the bar.

Johnny didn’t follow them, instead pulled the stool out for me like a gentleman. “What can I get you to drink, baby?” His hand rested possessively on my hip. I liked the way he claimed me for all to see.

I usually stuck to one drink–the same drink I’d been ordering since college–a cosmo. But I wanted to fit in, and I was being adventurous. I smiled up at him. “Surprise me.”

He leaned over and claimed my mouth. Not a quick peck because we were in public, but a long, slow kiss that made everyone in our crowd whoop and cheer.

I let out a flustered laugh when he sauntered away toward the other guys with a swagger, like he was satisfiedhe’d just shown everyone in the bar who I belonged to.

“Someone’s smitten.” Marina winked.

“Damn. He’s usually so quiet. My brain is scrambling to update,” Becky said then leaned closer and whispered–although not that softly. “Is he wild in bed?”

I smiled. They reminded me of Lyssa and how, back in high school and college, she’d pester me for any details I had when I went on a date.

“So good,” I said. If Johnny was going to kiss me like he was going off to war in the middle of the bar, then he didn’t mind me telling them the truth.

“But you all know Johnny better than me. Give me the dirt.” I twisted to look over my shoulder at his broad back where he stood at the bar. Gawd, he was hot. I could fall in love with this guy.

Easily.

Except he didn’t even know the real me. He thought I was Lyssa. Was falling in love with Lyssa. What would happen when he found out about plain old boring Emma? Would he still be interested?

“I don’t know. Looks like you know himrealwell,” Marina said with a big smile and a wink.

I laughed and felt a blush creep up my neck. “Not that. I mean… I mean with clothes on.”

“He’s a good guy. Definitely trustworthy,” Becky said. “And like all the guys at Wolf Ranch, he’s protective.”

“Sweet.”

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