Page 26 of The Wrangler Takes a Wife

There it was.Her eyes danced with a hint of mischief. He enjoyed pushing her buttons and bringing out her sass.

“You know?—”

He cut off whatever smart mouthed thing she was about to say with a kiss. His Sweet Darling pressed her body against him, and he grabbed her ass. She was playing with fire. Chase had a fantasy of bending her over her desk and fucking her senseless. Maybe he should delay the moonlight picnic and make it a reality.

“Mm, mm.” Van cleared his throat.

Chase slowly pulled away from the kiss.

“I just came by here to ask if you would like me to lock up?” Van offered.

“Yes. Thank you, Van. Have a good night.” Amara took a hold of Chase’s hand and led him out the back door.

“Don’t tell me, my Sweet Darling, got embarrassed that we got caught in a heated moment.”

“Be quiet, you!” Amara shot him a glare.

Their ranches were in the same direction. So, it was only when he drove past the entrance to the Welch’s ranch that she noticed. “Hey, you drove past my place.”

“Change of plans. I have a surprise for you.” Chase reached over and squeezed her knee before returning it to the gearshift.

“I don’t know…”

“Trust me, you’ll like it.”

“Isn’t it too late for surprises?” Amara sighed.

“It’s never too late for surprises. If you don’t like it, tell me and we’ll do something else.” He drove his truck past the house, to the spot beyond the brook he picked out. An open fieldlooked down over a hill. It was far from anyone and everything. The field was surrounded by a dense border of trees, their leaves beginning to shift from vibrant greens to hues of amber and gold. Patches of wildflowers dotted the landscape, adding splashes of color amidst the rich, verdant grass. The picturesque scene was nature at its best. “Stay in the truck for a moment. Okay?”

“Should I close my eyes?”

“No, it’s okay. Just look ahead.”

It didn’t take Chase long to have everything ready. A few well-placed LED lanterns lit up the cozy space. The picnic basket was placed in the centre of the blanket.

Chase got Amara from the truck and walked to the back of his pickup.

“Oh, my goodness, this is so… wow, this is really nice,” Amara gushed.

Chase couldn’t help the grin as she showed her appreciation for his effort. Gripping her waist, he helped her up onto the truck bed.

“One moment I have to grab something.” The temperature hadn’t dropped yet, but he had planned for it. He gathered the bag with sweaters out of the cab.

They made themselves comfortable against the pillows. Chase reached for the basket.

“Hey, what’s in there?”

“This is our dinner.”

“Oh, God. You cooked?” Amara looked well and truly horrified. When she visited his house and saw what he lived on before she let him eat at the diner, she was shocked. “So, I guess I'd better make sure you have something decent to eatwhen we aren’t together,”she volunteered.

“No smartass. I’m happy to let you know Van prepared this meal.” Chase looked in the basket. There had been no discussion made over what Van would prepare, but at first glance he was pleased.

“So, what did he make for us?” Amara leaned forward and tried to take a look.

“Let’s see,” Chase announced as he removed the items from the basket. Although, it was Amara who identified the items. There was a small container of caramelised onion & thyme sausage rolls. Mini personalised sized cherry tomatoes, basil, parmesan and pancetta quiches. He held up the fruit kebobs and Saskatoon Berry Bakewell squares. However, he placed them back in the basket for later. Along with small homemade labelled bottles of ginger beer as well as sparkling water.

“This is a nice spread,” Amara complimented.

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