The Ranger's Rodeo Rebel

Chance chuckled. “I never made it off the couch.”

“You didn’t?”

He shook his head. “Just stripped down to my Skivvies and passed out.”

He glanced at Carolina. She had the same look on her face as someone who’d just discovered their zipper was down. He almost felt bad for her. Almost. He’d never been one to resist teasing a person.

“Lucky I wasn’t naked when Carolina here came bursting through the door this afternoon.”

“I didn’t burst,” she said, tipping her chin up before looking at his brother and his wife. “I thought the place was empty.”

“She knew I was half-naked and wanted a glimpse of my hot stud flesh.”

Carolina gasped.

“Chance!” his sister-in-law said. “Quit teasing her. You’re making her uncomfortable.”

He almost said that was the point, but held his tongue. The blush staining Carolina’s cheeks was adorable.

Adorable?

Best not to dwell on that too long.

“I’m glad he was able to help you out,” Colt said to Carolina. “Although I think you should start leaving a spare set of keys here.”

“I think you’re right,” she grumbled.

It was then that Chance noticed what his brother and sister-in-law were doing. “Wow.”

“Baby equipment,” Colt explained, going back to his position on the floor and picking up a screwdriver. “Changing table, crib, a new dresser that should have taken me ten minutes to put together.” He rubbed his jaw. “But it’s been a little longer than that.”

“Because he won’t listen.” Natalie’s blue eyes were clearly teasing.

“Why should I follow the directions?” Colt asked. “Obviously, they’re for dummies. We’re not dummies. I can figure it out on my own.”

Natalie tsked. “Said the man who built the chicken coop that fell down two days later.”

Colt shook his head, his eyes seeming to ask the question, can you believe her? But he smiled, and Chance had to admit, it was good to see. Colt had waited to join the army until Chance was old enough to get out of the house, too. Claire had already fled, married to Marcus, and so both he and Colt had left for the military together. The difference was that Colt had done only one tour, then returned home to nurse their ailing father—Lord only knew why—while Chance had stayed. Truthfully, the military suited him better. He loved how everything was black-and-white. He relished the camaraderie. The simplicity of being told what to do—and then doing it. His brother hadn’t had a good experience in the military, whereas Chance fit in like a foot in a boot. He couldn’t wait to go back, this time as a private contractor. More money for doing basically the same job, and a career he loved.

“So what can we do you for?” Colt asked, picking up a small square of wood.

Carolina had been quiet beside him, which struck him as odd. He doubted she was quiet very often, but she seemed to be waiting for him to explain.

“Carolina was wondering if she could sleep in the apartment instead of me.”

That stopped Colt. Natalie looked up from reading the directions. They both stared at Carolina with concern.

“Is he back?” Natalie asked.

Carolina nodded, and Chance watched as Carolina’s lids caught and held tears. Only she wouldn’t let them drop. She straightened her shoulders, clearly getting control of herself. Chance had to admire her for that.

“He left a message on my door,” she explained.

That was one way of putting it.

“Well, sure, you can stay anywhere you want,” Colt said, glancing at his wife, who nodded. “But where will you sleep?” he asked Chance.

“I was thinking at Claire’s place.”

“That’s too far away,” Colt said.

“You can stay here,” Natalie interjected. “I mean, if you don’t mind pieces of baby equipment and the smell of baby powder and new diapers.”

“I told you,” Colt said, “I’ll have it together in ten minutes.”

“That’s what you said ten minutes ago.”

“I hadn’t even started ten minutes ago.”

Another long-suffering sigh from Natalie. She caught Chance’s eye and smiled.

“I don’t mind sleeping in here,” Chance said. “I’ll bunk down on the floor, like we used to do when we were kids.”

Colt’s smile froze. So did Natalie’s when she glanced at her husband’s face.

They would hide from their dad under the bed, but before that, before their mom died, they’d played games. “You remember the time you couldn’t find Henry?”

A smile slipped onto his brother’s face. “I do.” His gaze encompassed his wife and Carolina. “My pet squirrel. I caught it out back. Stupidest creature that ever walked the earth. Afraid of everything. It must have figured out how to get out of the cage, because one day it was gone.”

“We never told Mom,” Chance said.

“Nope. Then one day, Chance hears something under his bed.”

“Only at night,” Chance added. “Thought it was a mouse.”

“But it was Henry, and it took us days to catch that damn squirrel again.”

That was back before their mom died, back before they’d found her—

Okay, enough. This was part of the reason why he’d come back. He needed to put the ghosts of Christmas past to rest, just as Colt had done.

“We never did tell Mom,” Colt said, smiling at Carolina. “She used to get so mad at us for bringing whatever creature we found outside into the house. Remember the lizard?”

Chance grinned. “You mean the one I left in my pocket and that crawled up Mom’s arm when she went to do the laundry?”

They both laughed, and Chance caught Natalie staring at them wistfully, a smile on her face, too. “It’s good to hear you two reminisce.”

“You should have heard our mom shriek,” Chance said.