The Wrangler Takes a Wife (Silver Creek Ranch #7)

Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

A mara

Amara thought she would regret agreeing to going on a date with Chase. It had been more than a minute since she had been on a proper one. Could this be considered a proper date? It was all for optics. Either way, it turned out the Wrangler’s company wasn’t too bad. On the long drive to Chesterville, they talked. A lot. She had tons of questions, and he was an open book. She wanted to know about his life before he inherited Sagebrush Hills.

“That’s a broad question. Ask me what you want to know.”

“What made you decide to join the army?”

“I didn’t want to burden my mom with my college fees or get stuck with a bunch of debt. So, the moment I could, I enlisted. I wanted a degree so I could write my own ticket and not get stuck in a dead-end job. Turns out I was built for it. Being a Ranger became my life.” His admission was a lot to unpack.

“How long did you serve?”

“Twenty-four years.”

“Do you miss it?”

He was quiet for a long time. Amara wasn’t sure he was going to answer. The one word was so clipped it put an end to the conversation.

“Sometimes.”

She heard the emotions behind it. Not able to stop herself, she placed her hand on his thigh to offer comfort. Good gravy. His thigh felt like steel under her touch.

He was in amazing shape. She’d felt him pressed against her in the kitchen not too long ago. This felt different. It made her want to take her hand on an expedition. Amara moved her hand up half an inch.

“I think you are severely overestimating my ability to keep control, Sweet Darling. I’ll pull us over.”

She snatched her hand back as he chuckled. Stupid name. It was only marginally better than the rest, but she was tired of testing his creativity.

Amara looked out the window. They weren’t too far from Chesterville. She didn’t come this way too often. Only on special occasions. Travel was kept to a minimum. She liked to stay close to home… to her roots. Roots were important to her. Always had been. Which was why she agreed to this crazy agreement.

The benefits weren’t too bad. How he had touched her in the kitchen. Confident. No hesitation. The way he made her blood sing was purely a physical reaction! She wasn’t sure if she was grateful for Roddick’s interruption or not. How far would she have let him go?

Given his looks and age, Chase probably had all kinds of experience talking women out of their panties. It wasn’t that she was inexperienced, she was just selective. It was the one drawback of small-town life. Not only did she know everyone in the town she grew up in, but several towns over too. It was difficult to explore your sexual nature when you knew it would leave you open to gossip.

This would be different. She wouldn’t have to travel to the nearest big city to have some ‘fun’. No hotels far from prying eyes. Their chemistry presented an additional benefit to their agreement.

“You’ve gone quiet on me. Are you over there plotting world domination?”

“I save those thoughts for early mornings before I get out of bed,” she quipped. Amara wasn’t the kind of woman to censor herself, but she wasn’t normally so glib with her previous bedmates. The thing was, Chase didn’t seem to mind.

“I’ll keep it in mind. The GPS says we are an exit away.”

He’d put it on, and she’d let him, even though she knew these roads like the back of her hand.

They arrived at the restaurant at five-thirty. Lucky’s Tasty Chinese food was a staple in her life. Her family had been coming here since before she was born. It was a small cozy restaurant which sat forty people. It was busy, but not packed. Most of the locals preferred takeout.

“What are you doing here? It isn’t a special occasion, is it?”

Chase raised an eyebrow at Nancy’s greeting. She was the third-generation owner of Lucky’s.

“Nope, thought I’d stop by and throw you off your game,” Amara answered. The other woman walked over and pulled her into a hug. “Who’s that, Brat?” It was Nancy’s running joke. They were born on the same day, but Nancy's appearance came three hours earlier than Amara’s, making her the older, and “wiser” of the two.

She wasn’t immediately released from the embrace, so Amara made the introductions in the cobra tight embrace of her friend. “This is Chase. Chase, this is Nancy.”

Her friend released her abruptly. “Really?” Nancy said, looking between the two. Putting on an exaggerated Asian accent, she continued. “You brought your sworn enemy to my restaurant? Listen Girlie, I don’t want no trouble in my place.”

“Shud up,” Amara shot back.

Nancy pinched her as she cackled. “Take your seat. Do you want your regular or do you need a menu?”

Amara looked to Chase. “What ever you normally get is good with me.”

Nancy went off to place their order while Amara took Chase to her booth. It was by the cash register and was great for people watching.

“You two seem close.”

“Nancy and I were born on the same day in the same hospital. She’s one of my closest friends.”

“Best friend, Bitch,” Nancy corrected as she placed the glasses of water on the table. “So, Chase, how did you manage to get Amara to come out to dinner with you?”

“I’m very charming and it turns out Amara, despite her initial reaction to me, is a peacekeeper at heart.”

“You know what Chase? I like you,” Nancy said, pointing her finger at him. “I’ll leave you to your little…” Looking between the two of them. “…summit.”

Amara was curious about how laid back he was about food. The few times she had fed him, he hadn’t been concerned about what meal she’d served him. “How come you didn’t ask what my regular was?”

“I’m not a picky eater. No allergies or anything like that. Plus, I enjoy trying new things. If I eat something and it isn’t my favourite, it’s only one meal.” He shrugged.

One of the waitstaff brought a plate of egg rolls. “Amara’s Rolls,” he announced.

“You’ve got food named after you?”

“I suggested putting shrimp and chicken in her egg rolls, so she named them Amara’s Rolls.”

Nancy brought out the sweet and sour wonton soup. “It isn’t how it happened. She bullied me to make her egg rolls late one night when we were in culinary school. Then she told me when I get back to Lucky’s, put it on the menu and name it after her.”

“That’s what I said.”

“Is not…”

Chase just looked on, amused, as he took a bite. While the women bickered, he polished off his first egg roll.

“Good, right?” Nancy prompted.

He nodded his agreement. Her friend disappeared back into the kitchen.

“You didn’t mention before that you headed off to culinary school with company.”

“It wasn’t either of our ideas, but it put our parents at ease to know we were out there together. It might not have, if they knew the things we got up to.”

He raised an eyebrow at her, and his smile would make a cheshire cat envious. “Really, tell me more.”

“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 a cruise. 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, before Nancy’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.