Page 18 of Falling For Her Cowboy
“Hey, guys.” Melah glanced between them with a curious expression. “Everything good out here?”
“Yeah, of course. I was out here busting Ridge’s balls. Giving him the ol’ ‘we girls stick together so he better be a gentleman’ chat.” Aimee grinned, and again, the smile didn’t reach her eyes.
Ridge heard the warning again. She was Air Force, and he didn’t want to get on her bad side. He appreciated how Aimee was willing to stick up for Melah, but he was the last person who’d try to harm her.
“I’ll be fine. This is just grabbing something to eat. I haven’t really explored the town much, so itwould be nice to know where there’s good food when I don’t want to eat here on the ranch.”
“And not eat Ms. Bee’s cooking?” Aimee gasped.
“You know what I mean. That woman has to take a break sometime.” Melah chuckled. She draped her purse strap on her shoulder and came down to stand next to him. She tilted her head back and smiled. “Are you ready for me to treat you?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He nodded to Aimee and rested his hand on the small of Melah’s back and guided her to the passenger door of his vehicle. He opened it and assisted her inside. Once she was secured, he closed the door and walked around the front of the truck.
Aimee still watched him from the stairs. She slowly gave him a nod, then went back inside the building.
He slid into the driver’s seat and eyed Melah. The scent of her perfume filled the cab. He didn’t know what she wore, but he liked it. It was floral with a hint of warmth and honey.
“I hope Aimee wasn’t too hard on you,” Melah said.
“Nothing I can’t handle.” He chuckled. He started the truck and guided them down the main road of the ranch. It was still quite warm outside, andthe sun as still shining. They rolled the windows down to allow fresh air to blow inside . “It’s nice that you two look out for one another.”
“Yeah. It’s only the two of us at the moment, so us girls gotta stick together.”
“You haven’t had any issues with anyone on the ranch, have you?” He stiffened slightly. He quickly glanced over at her. Unprofessional conduct would not be tolerated at the Silver Creek. His father and Buck didn’t play those types of games. All were welcomed on the ranch, but if someone treated any of the women inappropriately, it would be dealt with.
“Of course not. Everyone has been cool and welcoming,” she said.
“Good. If you do run into any issues, don’t hesitate to say something.”
Melah nodded at him and turned to stare out of her window.
He switched the radio on, and country music blared out of the speaker. He fumbled to lower the volume. “Shit.”
“Someone was jamming.” Melah giggled. She tucked her dark thick hair behind her ear.
He rolled his eyes at her. They arrived at the main highway. He brought his truck to a stop beforeturning onto the road. It wouldn’t take long for them to get into town from the ranch.
“Guilty. Some days I like to roll with the windows down with the music on full blast to unwind,” he admitted. The last few days had been rough with the on calls blowing up. After he’d dropped the samples off at the clinic, he’d rolled the windows down, cranked the music up, and jammed all the way home.
“Ain’t nothing wrong with that. I do my best singing in the car.”
“You sing?”
“You know what a screeching banshee sounds like?” Melah arched an eyebrow. Her plump lips were curved up slightly.
The need to find out if they were as soft as they looked weighed heavy on him. He wanted to pull the truck over and bring her into his arms so he could taste them, but Aimee’s warning surfaced.
She has nightmares. Bad ones.
What nightmares did she have? What had happened to her? Was that the reason she always appeared guarded? Someone like Melah shouldn’t have to suffer alone. She was a good woman with a big heart. He had learned that just by being in her presence for a short while.
“I can’t say that I do.” He tore his gaze from her and put it back on the road. It wouldn’t look good for him if he ran them off the road because he couldn’t stop staring at the exquisite woman beside him.
“Well, you would if you listened to me sing.”
They shared a laugh. He loved to hear the sound of her laughing and made a note to try his best to do what he needed in order to hear it again.
“So where are we going?” she asked. “I tried to search for the different restaurants in town.”
