Page 16 of The Wrangler Takes a Wife

Amara put on her seatbelt in a huff. Her frustration rolled off of her in waves. He didn’t like her being distressed.

“I think I have the solution. Let me take you out on a proper date. We will get more comfortable around each other.”

“You really think it will be that easy to convince everyone?”

“Practice makes perfect, Sweet Darling.”

She muttered something under her breath.

“Are you telling me you aren’t up for a challenge? I find that hard to believe.”

“Fine, Wrangler. This date. When and where?”

“Now and I’ll drive us to dinner. I hear Chesterville has a Chinese restaurant. It’ll give me a chance to feed you for once.”

Chapter Seven

Amara

Amara thought she would regret agreeing to going on a date with Chase. It had been more than a minute since she had been on a proper one. Could this be considered a proper date? It was all for optics. Either way, it turned out the Wrangler’s company wasn’t too bad. On the long drive to Chesterville, they talked. A lot. She had tons of questions, and he was an open book. She wanted to know about his life before he inherited Sagebrush Hills.

“That’s a broad question. Ask me what you want to know.”

“What made you decide to join the army?”

“I didn’t want to burden my mom with my college fees or get stuck with a bunch of debt. So, the moment I could, I enlisted. I wanted a degree so I could write my own ticket and not get stuck in a dead-end job. Turns out I was built for it. Being a Ranger became my life.” His admission was a lot to unpack.

“How long did you serve?”

“Twenty-four years.”

“Do you miss it?”

He was quiet for a long time. Amara wasn’t sure he was going to answer. The one word was so clipped it put an end to the conversation.

“Sometimes.”

She heard the emotions behind it. Not able to stop herself, she placed her hand on his thigh to offer comfort. Good gravy. His thigh felt like steel under her touch.

He was in amazing shape. She’d felt him pressed against her in the kitchen not too long ago. This felt different. It made her want to take her hand on an expedition. Amara moved her hand up half an inch.

“I think you are severely overestimating my ability to keep control, Sweet Darling. I’ll pull us over.”

She snatched her hand back as he chuckled. Stupid name. It was only marginally better than the rest, but she was tired of testing his creativity.

Amara looked out the window. They weren’t too far from Chesterville. She didn’t come this way too often. Only on special occasions. Travel was kept to a minimum. She liked to stay close to home… to her roots. Roots were important to her. Always had been. Which was why she agreed to this crazy agreement.

The benefits weren’t too bad. How he had touched her in the kitchen. Confident. No hesitation. The way he made her blood sing was purely a physical reaction! She wasn’t sure if she was grateful for Roddick’s interruption or not. How far would she have let him go?

Given his looks and age, Chase probably had all kinds of experience talking women out of their panties. It wasn’t that she was inexperienced, she was just selective. It was the one drawback of small-town life. Not only did she know everyone in the town she grew up in, but several towns over too. It was difficult to explore your sexual nature when you knew it would leave you open to gossip.

This would be different. She wouldn’t have to travel to the nearest big city to have some ‘fun’. No hotels far from prying eyes. Their chemistry presented an additional benefit to their agreement.

“You’ve gone quiet on me. Are you over there plotting world domination?”

“I save those thoughts for early mornings before I get out of bed,” she quipped. Amara wasn’t the kind of woman to censor herself, but she wasn’t normally so glib with her previous bedmates. The thing was, Chase didn’t seem to mind.

“I’ll keep it in mind. The GPS says we are an exit away.”

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