Page 18 of The Wrangler Takes a Wife

“Nah, I’ll pass.” They were young and enjoyed their newfound freedom. No one else needed to know any more.

“It hurts my heart…” Chase pressed his hand on his chest. “…that you’re keeping secrets from me.”

“You will live.”

He chuckled. His smile retreated as his gaze studied her. “You mentioned your parents. Are you close?”

“Yes, of course. I miss them, but they are enjoying being retired.” She more than missed her parents. It had been a difficult adjustment when they moved away. As the baby of her family, she was equally a mommy and daddy’s girl. Spending time with her mom at the salon or with her dad at the ranch were some of her best adult memories.

“Was it always the plan for them to move so far away?”

“No. I never thought my dad would retire. I thought he’d work until he passed on like my Poppa. The man never took a vacation. He would send my mom off with my aunt if she wanted to travel. It was a complete surprise when he agreed to go on acruise. Bigger, when he started talking about retiring to Florida. Within a year, they relocated, leaving Rodney and Roddick in charge. I thought he would get bored and move back. Instead, they are constantly travelling. My parents, aunt, and uncle are on a cruise now.” Amara tried not to get sad as she recounted the tale of losing her parents. She shook her head. Goodness, she sounded so dramatic. Her parents were alive and well. They came to visit three to four times a year and never missed Christmas. It wasn’t so bad.

Chase placed his hand over hers and squeezed. His smile was understanding, and she couldn’t help but return it. “Are your parents hard to get a hold of?”

“Not at all. They check in every few days when they are on a cruise, and I talk to them daily when they aren’t on a ship.”

He nodded at her explanation. The rest of the dishes arrived. Nancy brought out Lucky’s signature dish. Her eyes were all kinds of expressive as they danced between Amara and Chase. She was sure Nancy hadn’t missed the way Chase’s hand cradled Amara’s as she walked up to the table. Nancy was the inquisitive type, and Amara knew this was a mystery her friend wanted to unravel. The last Nancy had heard, Chase Harrison was on her bestie’s shit list. Now, they were in her restaurant, having a pleasant meal together. Nancy would blow up Amara’s phone later. The promise was there in the glance she shot her before leaving.

Amara described the dishes to Chase. “Did you know Alberta is the birthplace of ginger beef?”

“I had no idea. It has always been one of my favourite picks. As a matter of fact, your regular is typically what I would order.Although the dishes seem to have a unique twist and look a little different.”

Amara excused herself to go to the washroom. She almost screamed when she stepped out of the stall and found Nancy waiting for her.

“What the hell are you up to?” her friend asked.

Side stepping her, she walked to the sink. “Nothing,” she answered, concentrating on washing her hands.

“Nothing?” Nancy pinched her side. “Bullshit. You are having dinner with your sworn enemy, making sweetheart eyes and holding hands.”

“Neither of those things happened.” Mumbling under her breath, Amara added. “You’re just making shit up.”

This was a test, wasn’t it? Amara might not be able to convince Nancy, but if she tried and made headway, it would go a long way to pulling off the appearance that she and Chase were falling for each other.

“You can stop washing your hands now, Lady Macbeth. They are clean.”

Amara had no choice but to stop washing her hands because Nancy shut off the water.

“Let me ask this another way. What are you two up to?” Nancy pressed.

Here goes. Now or never.“We are two attractive, single people.”

Nancy narrowed her eyes at her. Amara willed herself not to fidget under the scrutiny. Which seemed to go on forever, beforeNancy’s expression softened. “So, you are just scratching an itch?”

Amara nodded. It was all the deceit she could manage. “Alright, well, it isn’t a bad way to go. He’s giving off Daddy vibes. Maybe if you’re a bad girl, he’ll spank you.”

“That’s your thing, not mine.” It wasn’t, she thought, even as she recalled her reaction to him ordering her to lock her diner.

“Do not knock it until you try it,” Nancy bumped their hips. “Well, go back out there before he thinks you snuck out the window.”

Amara eagerly did as she was told.Oh my gosh, I did it.I convinced Nancy.

Chapter Eight

Chase

Amara returned to the booth. “I was just about to send out a search party,” Chase quipped.

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