RANGER Page 5

  “Hi,” she said as coolly as she could manage. “How’s it going?”

  Even as she said the words she was already crunching up her face into a cringe, wishing she hadn’t tried to sound so relaxed and not bothered. She knew even from just meeting him once that he would see straight through it.

  “Yeah, all good,” he said. “I just spoke with Sarah and got your number.”

  “Yes,” Nicole decided it was best to give full disclosure. “She just text to let me know.”

  “She’s always quick off the mark,” he mumbled.

  “She sure is.” Nicole was trying to keep the conversation flowing but she was so nervous she didn’t have a clue what to say.

  “So listen,” Ranger said. “I spoke with the rest of the club about your predicament, and they all seemed pretty okay with me helping you out.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief. “Really? That’s awesome.”

  “It is,” he said sternly. “But you’ve also got to understand, this has got to be confidential.”

  “Of course,” she said. “I mean, as far as I’m concerned, I need this to be as believable as possible.”

  “Exactly.”

  “I wasn’t sure they would be happy about it.” she said quietly.

  “They know the money is good, and they also know who you are. I couldn’t not mention who your father is.”

  Nicole felt a pang of panic. She didn’t know what they would want with her father, she just hoped she wasn’t sending trouble to his door.

  “Can I ask why it’s so relevant?” she asked bravely. “This isn’t going to cause my family trouble, is it?”

  Ranger laughed, and she felt her cheeks blush even though he couldn’t see her.

  “No,” he said reassuringly. “It won’t cause any trouble, but it may be of benefit to us at some point in the future. Don’t worry, Nicole. You may have a predisposed idea of what a man like me is, especially with your privileged upbringing, but I can assure you you’re wrong.”

  Her cheeks burned again, and she fanned her face.

  “If we can agree on how you want to do this, I think that would be a good place to start anyhow,” he said confidently. “I’m not much of an actor, But I’m great with attractive women…”

  He let the statement hang between them and she felt her lips curl into a smile before she quickly made sure she remained stony-faced. He was trying to win her over and she didn’t like it. She couldn’t allow herself to trust him, even if he was her best friend’s brother.

  “Well, I want to get things moving as quick as we can,” she said as she finally reached down and took another sip of her coffee. Her hands were no longer shaking and she felt a lot more at ease speaking with him.

  “I’ve never been over to the campus you guys live in,” he said as he breathed in deeply. “It’s going to be tricky for me to get down there with all the work commitments I have going on.”

  “I can come to you,” she said, maybe a little too enthusiastically.

  She thought about the long drive out across the desert and although it would take her a good couple of hours, she wasn’t phased. It wasn’t as if she had much else going on this weekend.

  “Okay,” he said slowly. “I can be free later today or next weekend. The middle of the week is slammed for me, I’m away.”

  “Okay,” she said. “Well I don’t have a whole lot on today so…”

  “Are you sure you don’t mind driving over here?” he asked with genuine concern.

  “I just need to make sure we’re on the same page and we know what we’re going to do,” she said almost in a whisper. “I don’t have a whole lot of time to waste, if you know what I mean.”

  He didn’t reply for a moment, but she could imagine him nodding his head in agreement and she remembered how dark and enticing his eyes were. They really had been stunning to look into, and it made her heart flutter.

  “Sure,” he said finally. “Well today it is then.”

  “Great,” Nicole smiled and felt her whole body relax. “I can be there for you anytime really,” she said.

  “How about early evening?” he asked. “I’ve got a few things to sort during today and I have a meeting over at one of our bars. Do you know the town at all?”

  “I’d never set foot in Slate Springs until last night.” Nicole half laughed. “And your sister hasn’t told me a whole lot about it.”

  “Could you find your way back to Tanner’s?” he asked, and she heard the flick of a lighter and the sound of him deeply inhaling on a cigarette.

  She remembered back to the long desert road. It had been long but straight, and she hadn’t had to leave the highway.

  “Sure,” she said. “I don’t think that would be a problem.”

  “Okay,” Ranger said, and she heard him exhale again. “I can be there at sundown. Say eight?”

  She smirked when she realized that this was what he considered to be early evening. To her that was pretty much bed time.

  “Sure,” she smiled. “That sounds all good with me.”

  “Fantastic,” he said. “See you later, Nicole.”

  “Bye Ranger.”

  She hung up the phone and leaned back in the couch, breathing in deep. She had just arranged to meet a member of a bike gang, at a small-town strip club in the middle of the desert.

  “You’ve lost your mind,” she whispered to herself. “Man, this dream better be worth it.”

  6.

  As the afternoon passed by and it began to draw towards the evening, Nicole was a nervous wreck.

  She paced up and down her bedroom, stealing glances down at her cellphone half expecting Ranger to send her a text to say that he was going to cancel, and could they just forget the whole thing.

  But the message never came, and it was nearly time for her to leave for Slate Springs.

  “I can’t believe you’re still this nervous,” Sarah said sympathetically. “You do know this is my big brother you’re meeting up with, don’t you? What do you think is going to happen?”

  “It’s not that I’m scared anything is going to happen,” she said, laughing. “I’m just nervous about the whole situation. Obviously, this is somewhat out of my comfort zone.”

  “I guess,” Sarah said.

  “Are you sure it’s cool for me to borrow your car?” she asked as she picked up her purse and started to put in some money, her cell, and some make-up.

  “Of course it is. I’m only going to be sat here studying and I know you’ll bring it back in one piece.”

  “Thanks,” Nicole smiled. “You have no idea how much I appreciate all of your help.”

  “I know.” Sarah grinned. “And I’m happy to be of service by pimping out my brother. You may as well call me Madam Sarah.”

  Nicole laughed and shook her head.

  “Call me when you get to town,” Sarah said sternly. “I want to know you got there alright.”

  “It’s a straight road,” Nicole said as she checked herself over in the mirror one last time. “Surely I can’t go wrong.”

  “You’ll find it fine.” Sarah nodded with reassurance. “I wonder what the crowd will be like in Tanner’s this evening.”

  Nicole widened her eyes and smirked.

  “I dread to think.” she laughed. “Honestly, I have never seen so many pervy truckers in one place.”

  “And you’re about to go back for more,” Sarah teased.

  “Very funny.” She slapped her playfully on the arm. “This is your hometown, remember, not mine.”

  “And I’m proud of it,” Sarah said as she puffed out her chest. “I’m a Slate Springs gal through and through. Now go on, get out of here! You’ll be late.”

  “Okay, okay, I’m going,” she said as she wandered over to the door and opened it.

  “Bye, Nic,” Sarah called after her and Nicole waved over her shoulder before the door closed behind her.

  The drive across the desert seemed to be a lot faster than the night before. Nicole pu
t it down to the fact that not only was she the one behind the wheel, but also because she was more nervous and was dreading getting there.

  She had passed by several hitchhikers and had even considered picking them up, anything to give her an excuse to delay the inevitable.

  She didn’t know why Ranger made her so nervous. She knew she was going to have to relax. He was just a guy, and he was offering to help her. What was so scary about that? Sure, he may have been involved with, as Sarah put it, questionable activities, but that didn’t make him a terrible person. And he was clearly more than happy to put himself out for the good of others.

  As Slate Springs started to come into view, the first thing she noticed rising out of the dimming light was the neon of Tanners and her heart skipped a beat.

  She was back.

  She chewed her bottom lip and slowed the pace of the car as she drove on by and checked out the parking lot as she craned her neck to make sure that it wasn’t full of men loitering outside.

  The lot was full of trucks and bikes, but there didn’t seem to be anyone waiting around near them. Nicole swung the car into the turning for the diner, spun it around and headed back out onto the road before she slowed again and pulled into the Tanners parking lot.

  Her heart was racing as she pulled in as close to the back of the building as she could and turned off the ignition. She looked up into the rearview mirror to check behind her and could see the main door to the club swing open and closed as a drunk staggered out of it.

  It was eight pm on a Sunday and this trucker looked as if he had been boozing all day. He wobbled as he swerved from side to side across the sandy ground before he slumped down on a bench at the side of the highway, letting his head fall forward to the side and onto his shoulder. Nicole winced.

  “Come on, Nicole,” she whispered. “If that’s the worst thing you see around here tonight then you should count yourself lucky.”

  She laughed and shook out her shoulders before she opened the car door and stepped out into the warm evening air.

  The sun had set and the night was coming in fast. The darkness was all around her and she could hear the sounds of coyotes somewhere out in the distance.

  She looked back at the diner once more then turned to Tanners. There was no going back now. She had arrived, and she was going to meet Ranger.

  “Let’s do this,” she said to herself as she began to walk towards the main door.

  As she pushed it open and took a step inside, her heart was still for the first time all day. She felt relaxed and calm, as if she had accepted what she was there to do and now she was in fight mode. She looked up and around and was instantly taken aback by how busy the club was.

  It was nothing like it had been the previous evening, but for a Sunday she couldn’t believe how many men were propping up the bar, and that there were two incredibly gorgeous and scantily clad women working the stage.

  She stood there nervously, shifting from one foot to the other before she brushed a strand of loose hair behind her ear and headed towards the long, busy bar where a girl was standing behind and serving drinks.

  She placed her purse down on the countertop and looked around before she turned back to to the girl to catch her attention. She let her eyes scan the refrigerators that were lining the back wall and she mentally decided that she would take a beer to calm herself down.

  A gruff voice pierced through the trashy dance music from behind her. “You made it,”

  She turned around and he was standing right there.

  Ranger.

  His dark eyes were on her and she felt her entire body tingle.

  He looked even better than he had he night before. He was wearing low slung jeans that were kept in place on his hip muscles by a chunky belt with a big silver buckle. He wasn’t wearing a jacket and his arms were free, exposing his snaking tattoos and his incredible physique. She gulped as she noticed how rock hard his chest looked, and she knew that she was bound to be blushing.

  She averted her eyes to the ground and tried to compose herself.

  “I assumed you’d be late, princess,” Ranger teased as he sidled up next to her.

  “No, I’m always punctual, actually.”

  He smirked, and she felt her heart flutter again.

  Ranger leaned over the bar and opened one of the refrigerators with one hand before he pulled out two bottles of beer and ripped off the caps with his teeth.

  Nicole watched him in awe and when he passed her the bottle, she couldn’t help but smile.

  “You must have read my mind,” she said coyly.

  “Well, you are my future wife.” He winked. “I guess I’m going to have to get to know you pretty well, aren’t I?”

  She felt her stomach leap. Future wife. It was an insane concept just thinking about it. She smiled.

  “Come on,” he said as he motioned in the direction of a table right towards the front of the club close to the doorway and out of the way of the crowd.

  Nicole followed behind him. As she looked up at him, she couldn’t believe how broad his shoulders were. His back looked as muscular as the rest of him and she couldn’t help but wonder what on earth he must have to do to keep in that kind of shape.

  She remembered what Sarah had told her about him being in the military, and she wondered if he had always been so big and well sculpted or whether it was something that he had started when he had gone away with the army.

  He turned to look over his shoulder at her and she instinctively averted her eyes to the ground. Ranger stopped when he reached the table and he waited for her to sit down first then he slid down onto the seat next to her.

  Feeling him close to her like that was exciting, but it was also making her nervous. He was so big in comparison to her; it felt like she was sitting next to a giant.

  She took a sip of her beer and tried to focus on the task at hand rather than the fact that they were sitting in the middle of a strip club, and that there were naked women working for tips less than thirty feet away.

  “So,” he began, “I guess the first thing we should decide is when we’re going to do this thing.”

  In the car on the way over she had tried to come up with the best course of action, and all she could think of was that they were going to have to go back to her parent’s house for a weekend and let him meet them properly.

  “I’m not sure how comfortable you’ll be with this,” she said as she scratched her neck nervously, “but I’ve been thinking about it and I can’t see how it’s going to work unless we say we’re already in deep, that we’re engaged or that we’re going to be engaged, and that we’re going home to stay with my parents for a weekend so you can meet them.”

  She let the words flow and then she clamped her mouth shut, trying to gauge his reaction.

  He took a swig of his own beer and nodded his head slowly before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. He went to light one, but Nicole had to raise her hand and stop him.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “But this is going to be an issue. I hate smoking and my parents both know that. They won’t believe for a second that I’ve been dating and fallen in love with a smoker.”

  He curled his lip in annoyance and placed the unlit cigarette down on the table.

  “Okay,” he said. “So it appears this fake marriage is going to be a lot like a real one if this is anything to go by.”

  His humor took Nicole off guard and she laughed and looked into his eyes.

  “I mean, obviously I can’t stop you, but if we’re going to be convincing, you can’t be sneaking out for quick smokes and coming back reeking of it. They’ll know something is up right away.”

  He considered her point and nodded.

  “Fair enough,” he said, and then he took another swig of his drink and rapped his fingers on the table. “So, I get to come away with you for a weekend where I can’t smoke. I guess I won’t be able to cuss or drink either?”

  “Ideally not,” she
said through an amused grin.

  Ranger whistled and tapped the tips of his fingers on top of the table.

  “This is going to be testing,” he said with a raised eyebrow. “I’m not used to reining myself in.”

  “I can imagine,” she smirked. “But I’m just being truthful. I know what my parents would potentially buy and what they won’t. I’ve never dated a smoker or a big drinker, so I know that isn’t going to fly.”

  “You’re pure as snow, I take it?” he asked cockily.

  “As good as,” she nodded. “I’ve always been pretty sheltered if I’m to be honest with you.”

  “A trust fund baby who’s had a sheltered life.” He shook his head and smiled. “Wow… how did my sister end up best friends with you?”

  Nicole lowered her eyes and felt embarrassed. He was clearly not enjoying her company, even if he was trying.

  “You know, it’s not too late to back out,” she said. “I’m having second thoughts myself.”

  He considered her for a moment and scrunched his lip up to his nose. She ran her hands through her hair nervously and it felt like an eternity before he finally answered.

  “I don’t go back on my word,” he said sternly. “We made a deal, now both of us need to see it through.”

  He was so serious it was intimidating, but it also gave her a little bit of a thrill. Something stirred deep within her and she realized that even though he terrified her, he also intrigued her.

  “So are we engaged? Or am I going to go and ask for your dad’s permission?” he asked genuinely.

  The thought hadn’t even occurred to Nicole when she had been planning how this whole thing was going to play out. But of course, he would have to ask her father for his permission or there would be a sour taste in everyone’s mouths before they’d even had a chance to begin. Now she had the added stress of wondering if her father would even say yes.

  “I hadn’t even thought of that,” she said as she fanned her face with a cardboard coaster. “I mean, I guess it’s going to be best if you ask him, but then you’ll have to majorly win him over beforehand.”

  Ranger snorted and took a swig of his beer. “Maybe this is going to be harder than I thought,” he said with an eye-roll as he looked off into the distance and at the girls dancing up on the stage.