Page 6 of The Cowboy's Temporary Solution

"One more thing I need you to do for me," he says, turning back toward me and holding his phone so I can see it. "Make sure you don't let this woman get me alone, hear?"

The screen is lit with a picture of the woman I spied earlier, this time she's pictured in the passenger seat of a car, blowing a kiss at the camera. A message from "Mom" above it reads "We see you outside. B right there."

Before I can ask for more details, a dark blue Expedition pulls up to the sidewalk beside us and two women get out, both headed directly for Ranger without noticing me standing beside him.

The blonde from the photos leaps from the passenger door and wraps herself around him in a hug that says she knows him a lot better than I do-- and wants to make sure everyone knows it.

Fake boyfriend or not, Ranger's mine, and even if he hadn't just told me to keep this woman away from him, I'd still be grabbing her arm and stepping between them.

"Who do you thinkyouare?" The blonde rocks back on the heel of her boot, crossing her arms in way that makes it clear she's used to using those boobs to her advantage, while she glares at me like I'm the one out of line here.

Behind me, Ranger clears his throat to answer her, but I beat him to it.

"I'm Serenity. Ranger'sgirlfriend," I introduce myself with as much meaning as I can pack into the words. I hold out my hand to shake hers, with a smile plastered on my face that should make it clear she won't be helping herself to any more touchy-feelies of my supposed man on my watch.

"Range?" The older woman who was driving the SUV joins our tense group just in time to overhear me drop the bombshell. Her face blanches as she looks between me and the blonde and then up to Ranger in search of answers. "Something you want to tell me?"

Ranger

I love hearingthe ownership in Seri's voice as she pulls Bernie off of me and introduces herself as my girl.

I love the sour look on Bernie's face as she gives Seri a thorough once-over while she absorbs the full impact of what she just heard.

What I don't love is the hurt in Mom's confused expression as her eyes settle on me, searching for an explanation of just how it is that I've arrived back home with a woman that I've never mentioned before.

Stepping forward to wrap my arms around Mom, she returns our overdue hug for a long moment before pulling away and quirking an eyebrow at me.

It's the same look she's been giving me most of my life, the one that says I better come clean with her or the consequences will be worse.

"Seri," I reach out to put my arm around Serenity's shoulders, drawing her into my side and doing my best not to get caught up in how right she feels pressin' against me there, "this is my mother, Kimberly O'Leary."

The excited little squeal that ekes outta Seri is completely genuine, and it goes through me in the most inappropriate way that has me shifting awkwardly in hopes of avoiding embarrassing myself.

"Mrs. O'Leary!" Seri steps out from under my arm and takes Ma's hands in hers. "Oh my gosh, I'm so excited to meet you."

Of course, I know she means it and it's because of Ma's relationship to the ranch and the local history that Seri's so enthusiastic to learn about, but Mom warms right up to the sweet little thing gushing over her so enthusiastically.

Again, pride flows through me. I'm loving how perfectly Serenity is stepping into the role of being my woman.

Mom takes her eager greeting to mean that even though I haven't mentioned Seri to the family, I must have told Seri plenty about them.

"Oh, just Kim, sweetheart." Mom's wide smile is the real deal as she wraps my girl into a warm embrace, but I know I'll have questions to answer as soon as Mom gets me alone.

Left out of our little reunion, Bernie glowers at the scene from the sidelines, obviously not sure what to make of the plot twist.

"Serenity, was it?" Bernie steps in and my hackles go up. "I'm sure Ranger's already told you all about me, but I'm Bernie."

Seri turns from Mom and faces Bernadine.

As I watch the two women silently sizing each other up, tension crackles between them so charged that I see even Mom takes a step back.

Serenity finally smiles, warm but with unmistakable calculation as she holds a hand out in greeting.

Her head shakes just slightly, making that dark hair of hers shimmy around her shoulders as she regards the blonde in front of her cooly.

"No, sorry." She answers, "Ranger hasn't mentioned you."

Bernie smiles politely as she shakes Seri's hand, but she shoots a glance at me that has war written in it.

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