Page 18 of The Cowboy's Temporary Solution

It's hard not to think that the shirt would flatter Bernadine's curves just fine.

A soft, flannel in a feminine plaid appears over the door.

"That one's going to look fabulous on you, I just know it." Kim's voice sounds genuinely excited on the other side of the door. "What about boots? I noticed you did, at least, bring some flats with you, but everything I've seen you in so far is way too dressy for the ranch."

"Uh, no. I don't really have any use for boots back home." I half laugh at the thought, wishing I did have an excuse to own apair of the pretty cowboy boots I saw lining the shelves when we walked into the store.

"We'll find you a pair to go with those skinny jeans once you're done trying on the clothes."

"So, what were you saying about Bernie and Ranger?" I button the shorts and stare at myself in the mirror.

"Oh, well..." Kim clucks her tongue like she's thinking how to word her response, then stalls by insisting I show her the shorts.

"Wow! Would you just look at that," she mutters to herself as she touches my shoulder to make me complete a twirl in front of her. "Definitely getting that outfit. I knew that blouse would look great on you."

The blouse does look good, it's a button down and the flannel has some stretch to it that makes my cleavage look amazing.

"Well, you know they grew up together. Bernadine's parents never seemed to be home and Ranger sort of adopted her. The girl practically lived at the ranch till the kids were nearly out of high school."

She tsks to herself again, then lists off all the clothes she tells me to keep before going on.

"I think she about broke Ranger's heart when she started seeing Wyatt."

"Wyatt?"

"Mmm, but he signed up for the Navy right outta high school-- wanted to go fly helicopters like his daddy. "

"Oh. So did Ranger and Bernie get back together?"

Kim looks at me like I'm not following the script.

"What size do you wear?" She gestures at the shelves of boots.

"Eight and half or nine, depending on the style," I answer, running my finger over the decorative stitching on a pair of black boots.

Kim gestures me into a chair and starts bringing me boxes.

"No, honey. Bernie married Brett Cranson just a few months after Wyatt left for boot camp. Of course, their first little one came along only seven months later, so we all saw the writing on the wall plain as day."

The first pair of boots pinches my toes. I really want the second pair to fit, but, of course, my calves are too wide for them. Kim scrunches up her nose in disappointment and returns with another style.

"I didn't know Bernie was married," I grunt as I yank the cowboy boots over my heel by the looped straps at the top.

"Oh not anymore," Kim goes on, "that lasted about ten years. That's when she took back up with Ranger but..." her voice trails off in the memory. "Oh, those are darling. How do they fit?"

The boots are a supple leather with a dark stain that has a weathered effect at the seams. They're comfortable and I like the way they look.

"Good, we'll get those, and let's find you a good pair of muck boots for tromping around the ranch. I know you said you're only here for the week, but if Ranger's going to be moving home..." she looks at me with a furrowed brow and I hear what she isn't saying. "Well, just in case you need them, it'll be good to have a pair here."

Just in case.

Because Kimberly expects Ranger and Bernie to get back together now that he's going to be moving back to Slow River Valley. I'm just a place holder, a temporary solution to a problem that'll get solved soon, and it's obvious that I don't actually belong here.

Not in Slow River. Not on the Delta O. Not in Ranger's life.

"So what happened?" I ask quietly, as Kimberly packs the boots back into their box while I gather up the pile of ranch-appropriate clothing I won't need past the weekend. "With Bernie and Ranger. Why did he leave Slow River?"

Kim adds a pair of tall, rubberized boots to the pile.

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