Page 50 of Second Chance with the Rancher

She took a final bite of her burger, then admitted defeat and wrapped it up for later. “My attempt at rebellion was bigger than my belly.”

He chuckled again. “You can always have more later. But try your shake, it’ll make you make those noises again.”

Rolling her eyes, she grabbed her shake. She struggled to suck up much since it was so thick, but once she did, the moans she made had his cock twitching again. “Why does all the most delicious stuff have to be so bad for you?” she asked.

“Jesus, Minx, I’ve never wished to be a straw more in my life.”

That line was cheesy, but it had her smiling anyway and she just reached over and swatted him, though it wasn’t easy since she had to hit him with her right hand and twist her entire body.

“When do you see the doctor about an air cast?” he asked as she stored her leftovers into their containers and put them in the paper bag.

“Next week on Friday. That’s the earliest they could get me in.”

He nodded. “Ready to go?”

Grabbing the milkshake, she took another hard pull and nodded. “Drive on, Cowboy,”

“Rancher.”

“Anywhere else you need to go, Minx?” Nate asked as he climbed into the truck after closing the horse trailer that contained all the furniture, décor and kitchenware they would need for the four cabins.

She’d done well. Extremely well. He was impressed with not only her eye for decorating, but her frugality, as well. She bought a ton of stuff on sale, second-hand and on clearance. It was a bit of driving around, since she’d organized pick-up times and locations for certain second-hand items from their sellers, but the savings were certainly worth the gas money.

One look at her in the front seat of the truck, and he was laughing.

She was shoving onion rings into her mouth and her cheeks were puffy. And the deer-in-the headlights look on her face like she’d just been caught rifling through someone’s trash for stale donuts was priceless.

“This isn’t what it looks like,” she said, her mouth full.

“You mean, you’re not filling your face with onion rings?” His laughter was unavoidable. She looked ridiculous, but also adorable.

Chewing a few times, then swallowing what appeared to be a large lump of food that had her wincing, she took a deep breath. “Well, yeah, I guess it is what it looks like. But the smell when I got in here … come on.” Her head rolled around on her neck. “It’s just too good.”

“I’m not arguing with you. I’m just wondering why you’re eating like a raccoon trying to hoard all the grub for yourself. I’m not going to make you share with me. I’ve had my order. This one is yours.”

She lifted up the container of fries. “You want some?” She popped one into her mouth.

Smiling, he shook his head and buckled his belt. “They’re all yours.” He started up the engine. “Though, I am wondering when you’re going to let me take you on a proper date.”

She startled. Choked, then coughed a bunch. He had to throw the truck back into park and swat her on the back a few times.

“Gonna live?” he asked when she brushed him off and nodded that she was okay.

“I think so.”

“Just the idea of going on a date with me makes you practically choke to death, huh?”

Her side-eye had him grinning.

“No,” she said, exasperated. “It’s not that. You just … you just surprised me.”

He pulled out of the parking lot of the furniture store and onto the road. “I don’t see how it comes as that much of a surprise that you nearly died by French fry. You know I’m interested in you. I’ve said that I am. We might have only had one sloppy, drunk night together that neither of us can really remember, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that we have chemistry. There is an attraction here, right?”

She was quiet for a moment. A long moment that made him nervous.

Maybe she wasn’t attracted to him anymore? Was the chemistry all in his head and she was just treating him like a friend? Had he been friend-zoned?

Finally, she released a breath. “Of course, there is an attraction, Nate. And yes, we have chemistry. I just … why go down a road when we both know it’s a dead end?”

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