Page 20 of Her Three Rangers

Even if she was just being nice—and she had to be, since there weren’t many people walking this earth that she would truly call a friend—it was a gesture that I appreciated. I could tell from their faces that the guys understood the significance of her words, too.

“Your friends are missing out, in that case,” Ty said after taking a bite. “This is amazing. Truly.”

“The credit has to go to Nana,” I said, my gaze flicking from man to man before settling on my grandmother. “She’s the one who taught me what little I know in the kitchen.”

“My Gracie was always better in an operating room than in front of an oven,” Nana said. “But spaghetti is her specialty. Ever since she was old enough to ask for it, she’s loved to help me prepare it.”

“Well, we certainly appreciate you both sharing this meal with us tonight,” Cody said. “If you could see some of the things Jaeger and Ty have tried to call meals, you’d know what a treat this is tonight.”

“Hey now,” Ty said, laughing. “I didn’t hear you complaining that much last night when you went back for seconds.”

“Beggars can’t be choosers,” Jaeger said, adding, “And just for that, you can feel free to cook for us the rest of the weekend.”

I laughed, then smiled at Cody. “Don’t worry. If these guys won’t cook for you, we will. Though you might have to eat a lot of spaghetti, because—as Nana already pointed out—it’s really the only meal I’m any good at making.”

“Now, Gracie.” Nana gave me a stern look. “You know it’s impolite to only invite one of these young men over for dinner. If Cody comes, Jaeger and Ty are more than welcome to join him as well.” She cracked an impish grin before continuing. “But yes, plan for lots of spaghetti.”

I shook my head as we all laughed. She was in rare form tonight. Maybe we should have company over more often—or at least these three guys. Seeing my grandmother smiling and laughing with them made my heart happy.

It was pretty clear that she was starting to see past the motorcycles, the leather, the tattoos. She was starting to see what I saw in them—that they were smart, funny, kind men.

Good men.

I wasn’t sure how much time had passed when we all finally stood up from the table, but I knew it had gone by too quickly. I had really enjoyed having the guys over for dinner.

Apparently, Nana had enjoyed the company, too, because she shocked all of us by offering the use of our shower before they went back to the tents.

They had been getting by on the facilities at the clinic, but even though there was technically a shower there, it had been installed with dogs in mind rather than grown men. I didn’t ask how inconvenient it must have been for them, but I could imagine.

The three of them had jumped at the chance to take a real shower in a real bathroom, and I felt bad for not thinking of it days ago.

It wasn’t like any of us—them included—had planned on this being an extended stay, though. We were all just kind of getting by the best we could.

Nana and I had gone back to the linen closet for extra towels while the guys cleared the table. She looked at me and smiled as she handed me a stack of fluffy bath towels, and there was a twinkle in her eyes that made me pause.

“What is it, Nana?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.

I was pretty familiar with her looks. She could say a lot without speaking a single word. But this look? This smile?

All I could tell for sure was that she was up to something.

“These men have good hearts,” she said, her voice low as she glanced over my shoulder down the hallway. “I’ll admit I wasn’t sure about them at first, but their energy is good. Their intentions are pure.”

I nodded. I felt it, too. But unlike her and Jenny, I had felt it from day one. “You’re right, Nana,” I said, simply. “They’re all good guys. All three of them. Every time I think I have a favorite, the other two will surprise me. Not that it matters, of course…”

I didn’t know why I had said that much. I hadn’t really thought about it before, but it was the truth. I liked all of them, and couldn’t have picked a favorite if I had tried.

“Who says you only need to have one favorite?” she asked, winking.

I blinked, then opened my mouth to speak before snapping it shut again. What was she getting at?

“Like I said, it’s not really an issue,” I shrugged, trying to pretend like my mind wasn’t racing. “They’ll be gone in another week anyway.”

“Which is exactly why you should enjoy the attention now. Have a little fun, Gracie.”

I felt my eyebrows knit together. Who was this woman and what had she done with my grandmother?

“Nana, I don’t even know what to say to that…”

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