Charli jump out of bed even when every muscle in
her body screamed in protest.
She wasn’t due at the senior center until nine o’clock, so she’d made arrangements
to drop by Jana’s to take a look. See what they could come up with if they put their
heads together over coffee.
After a quick breakfast, she skipped the long, hot shower her body craved for a quick
lather and rinse. On her way out the door, she scooped up Pumpkin and her design bag.
As her tennis shoes hit the gravel driveway, and she opened the door to the Hummer,
she noticed a light on in Reno’s kitchen.
Good.
At least she didn’t have to worry about his being at Jana’s. She’d walked out on him
last night, so she guessed that meant they weren’t on speaking terms. Not that he’d
notice.
A little kick hit her in the heart.
She wanted him to notice.
When she looked at those dark, soulful eyes or those deceptively hidden dimples, it
was like being hit by ten thousand volts of raw electricity. Her heart raced. Her
fingertips tingled. And the sensation that shot through her core down to all those
womanly parts that rarely got a workout was pretty much indescribable.
She knew it was wrong, wrong, wrong, to spend even one nanosecond with those kinds
of thoughts. Or feelings. Hadn’t she learned her lesson a bajillion times? But Reno
Wilder was a big strong man with an amazing physique. And all those womanly parts couldn’t help but wonder what kind of magic he could work if only given a little
encouragement.
Or if he’d at least get that stick out of his butt.
As she thrust the gears into DRIVE , the tires kicked up a little gravel on her way down Rebel Creek Road beneath the
canopy of live oaks toward the heart of Wilder Ranch.
Several minutes later, she turned onto Jana’s road and braked to allow the golden
brown chickens to waddle to the other side. Without an obvious place to park, she
stopped the Hummer next to the huge wooden barn, which looked big enough to house
an entire wagonload of Budweiser Clydesdales. As soon as she opened the car door,
Miss Giddy greeted her with a bleating hello and a little butt of her horns. Her pink
satin bow looked a bit bedraggled as Charli gave her a good rub on her head.
Jana opened the front door of an amazing ranch-style home faced with rock and rough-hewn
posts. The front veranda spread across the length of the house, and, much like Reno’s,
was accented with comfortable chairs and colorful flowers.
“Welcome to Wilder Ranch.”
With one arm tucked around Pumpkin and the other hand clutching her design bag, Charli
stepped up onto the veranda. Jana immediately enveloped her in a warm hug.
Motherly.
That was the one thing Charli recognized in the woman. It made Charli yearn for her
own. No matter how many years passed, she missed her mom as much as if she’d lost
her yesterday.
“Good morning.” As best she could with arms full, Charli returned the embrace.
“Don’t be too shocked when y’all come inside. This isn’t the SouthFork Ranch and we
aren’t the Ewings,” Jana said. “We’re just simple, hardworking folk.”
“I never judge in any manner,” Charli reassured her. “In fact, if anyone came into
my apartment, they’d probably never guess a designer lived there.”
“You don’t practice what you preach?”
Charli shrugged. “Mostly I’m never there. When I was just working on my own, I didn’t
have the time. Plus, it’s a small apartment. Hardly anything to get too excited about.”
“You don’t like living there?” Jana’s voice tilted an octave, as if she was surprised.
“I spent my whole life moving around. An apartment just feels so . . . temporary.”
“I’ve never lived in one, so I wouldn’t know. But I can tell you it is nice to have
a big house and a lot of land to get lost on. Sometimes I look at all this and think
it’s too much space. Too much work.” She glanced out over the
her body screamed in protest.
She wasn’t due at the senior center until nine o’clock, so she’d made arrangements
to drop by Jana’s to take a look. See what they could come up with if they put their
heads together over coffee.
After a quick breakfast, she skipped the long, hot shower her body craved for a quick
lather and rinse. On her way out the door, she scooped up Pumpkin and her design bag.
As her tennis shoes hit the gravel driveway, and she opened the door to the Hummer,
she noticed a light on in Reno’s kitchen.
Good.
At least she didn’t have to worry about his being at Jana’s. She’d walked out on him
last night, so she guessed that meant they weren’t on speaking terms. Not that he’d
notice.
A little kick hit her in the heart.
She wanted him to notice.
When she looked at those dark, soulful eyes or those deceptively hidden dimples, it
was like being hit by ten thousand volts of raw electricity. Her heart raced. Her
fingertips tingled. And the sensation that shot through her core down to all those
womanly parts that rarely got a workout was pretty much indescribable.
She knew it was wrong, wrong, wrong, to spend even one nanosecond with those kinds
of thoughts. Or feelings. Hadn’t she learned her lesson a bajillion times? But Reno
Wilder was a big strong man with an amazing physique. And all those womanly parts couldn’t help but wonder what kind of magic he could work if only given a little
encouragement.
Or if he’d at least get that stick out of his butt.
As she thrust the gears into DRIVE , the tires kicked up a little gravel on her way down Rebel Creek Road beneath the
canopy of live oaks toward the heart of Wilder Ranch.
Several minutes later, she turned onto Jana’s road and braked to allow the golden
brown chickens to waddle to the other side. Without an obvious place to park, she
stopped the Hummer next to the huge wooden barn, which looked big enough to house
an entire wagonload of Budweiser Clydesdales. As soon as she opened the car door,
Miss Giddy greeted her with a bleating hello and a little butt of her horns. Her pink
satin bow looked a bit bedraggled as Charli gave her a good rub on her head.
Jana opened the front door of an amazing ranch-style home faced with rock and rough-hewn
posts. The front veranda spread across the length of the house, and, much like Reno’s,
was accented with comfortable chairs and colorful flowers.
“Welcome to Wilder Ranch.”
With one arm tucked around Pumpkin and the other hand clutching her design bag, Charli
stepped up onto the veranda. Jana immediately enveloped her in a warm hug.
Motherly.
That was the one thing Charli recognized in the woman. It made Charli yearn for her
own. No matter how many years passed, she missed her mom as much as if she’d lost
her yesterday.
“Good morning.” As best she could with arms full, Charli returned the embrace.
“Don’t be too shocked when y’all come inside. This isn’t the SouthFork Ranch and we
aren’t the Ewings,” Jana said. “We’re just simple, hardworking folk.”
“I never judge in any manner,” Charli reassured her. “In fact, if anyone came into
my apartment, they’d probably never guess a designer lived there.”
“You don’t practice what you preach?”
Charli shrugged. “Mostly I’m never there. When I was just working on my own, I didn’t
have the time. Plus, it’s a small apartment. Hardly anything to get too excited about.”
“You don’t like living there?” Jana’s voice tilted an octave, as if she was surprised.
“I spent my whole life moving around. An apartment just feels so . . . temporary.”
“I’ve never lived in one, so I wouldn’t know. But I can tell you it is nice to have
a big house and a lot of land to get lost on. Sometimes I look at all this and think
it’s too much space. Too much work.” She glanced out over the
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