The Ranger's Passionate Love (6 page)

Kyara was prepared to be to spend the next Tuesday nervous, sure that everyone would have heard how she ran out on last week by now. When the day came, though, she didn't have time to be concerned.

Starting in the early afternoon, orders began to come in, even after the teens had ordered their daily dose of fries and Mrs. Waite her plain chicken breast.

Though they came slowly at first, as six-thirty approached, Kyara began to worry that she wouldn't be able to close in time to go help out on the trail after all. Even though it was a good problem to have, Kyara found herself fighting her disappointment.

It's my one night off,
she complained to herself.

"Crystal," she eventually called out into the dining area. The teen's face poked through the pass a moment later.

"Yeah, Ms. B?" Crystal asked.

"I know you normally get Tuesday nights off, but are you available to work later this evening? It doesn't look like I'm headed out onto the trail tonight."

Crystal blinked at her.

"Uh, are you sure?" asked Crystal.

"Yeah," replied Kyara regretfully. "We're just not doing well enough to close down if we're busy."

"Have you had time to look in the dining room?" asked Crystal, giving her an odd look.

"Why?" asked Kyara. "Have people pretty much cleared out?"

Crystal's face disappeared from the pass, reappearing a moment later as she pushed open the door to the dining area.

The room behind her was filled. The babble of voices washed over Kyara, distracting her for a moment as she tried to work out what Crystal was showing her.

Every face in the dining room, every single one, was someone from the trail project.

They didn't look up. They didn't smile at her, or even acknowledge her presence. They were just there.

Kyara went back into the kitchen with a smile.

By 6:30, people had stopped ordering and were just gathered, milling around out in the dining area while Kyara closed down the pass.

I can't survive on one good night a week, but this was an unbelievably nice gesture,
she thought.

She stepped into the dining area as happy as she'd been in a long, long time.

Jason was already rallying the troops and getting them organized for their activities that night, giving Kyara a moment to take in the crowd. They were all there, with one exception. Officer Marsh was nowhere to be seen.

Kyara was just fine with that.

As they began to file out the back door to get the bags of gravel, Kyara slid in next to Caitlin, K, and Ashley.

"Did you all plan this?" she asked quietly.

"Not us," replied Caitlin. "It was fearless leader. He figured we should meet here so we can all grab a bag of the gravel."

So it is just a one time thing.

"Plus, you're literally the only place in town with air conditioning. Much nicer than meeting outside," pointed out K.

"Yeah. We'll probably keep meeting there," said Caitlin casually. Ashley nodded.

The truck out back wasn't the usual red pick-up. Instead, it was a huge SUV, blocky and massive. The back was open, and people were tossing the bags of gravel into it.

Figures
, thought Kyara.
The only time I need a parking lot is when people show up to take away the material for my parking lot.

Still, the work went quickly. As Kyara hauled her bag into the back of the new vehicle, Jason approached. He gave her a little smile, almost shy. He opened his mouth for a moment, but didn't speak. He just helped her haul the bag into the back, then turned to K to do the same.

With the back of the SUV full of bags of gravel, they had to walk up the path. The SUV turned out to be Jason's, so he drove on ahead. The rest of them walked, noting places the path could be improved further.

Finally, Kyara had to ask.

"So, where's Officer Marsh?"

K snorted.

"He got himself un-invited," said K. "A few of us went over to his house last Wednesday, and we wound up having it out on the lawn. The 'officer' said some things that people who are not him have pretty much avoided saying since the 60s. He said them pretty loud, too, before he realized how many people could hear him."

Kyara's jaw dropped.

"Oh," she said. "I didn't realize he felt that strongly."  
Or that anyone would care if he did,
Kyara added to herself silently.

"Neither did anyone else," said Caitlin. "I'd be surprised if he's still sheriff after the next election."

Ashley nodded again, then cleared her throat nervously. Kyara looked at her, nervous about what would come next.

"Jay's not my boyfriend," Ashley blurted out.

Whoa, gear-shift,
thought Kyara, still trying to process the town siding with her instead of the sheriff, at least passively.

"A lot of the things Marsh had to say were about you being a whore here to steal boys away from our nice white girls," explained K, one eyebrow quirked.

"And you're not," Ashley admitted. "Stealing him. Or a whore, obviously. I mean, I always hoped, and everyone basically assumed, but ... he's single." The look of loss and loneliness on Ashely's face reminded Kyara of her own. Kyara crossed the path to her, wrapping her arm around the blond for a hug.

"I'm really not trying to," said Kyara.

"But you do like him," pointed out K.

"Well, yeah," admitted Kyara. "He's ..."

"Super hot?" suggested K.

"Kind," finished Kyara. "He's been kind to me."

All three of her new friends looked at her.

"Damn, girl, you got it bad," said Ashley, her eyes starting to get a little puffy.

Kyara shrugged and smiled, not wanted to flaunt her new feelings in front of her hurting friend.

"I don't have to do anything about it," said Kyara quietly, even as she wished she hadn't.

Ashley straightened her shoulders and shook her head, clearly pushing her feelings away.

We have more in common than I thought
, reflected Kyara.

"No," said Ashley. "I've been waiting since we broke up before he went away to college. He's had plenty of time, and so have I. You ... do what you have to do." The blond looked like just saying the words hurt her. Kyara understood.

"Yeah," cut in K, her voice deadpan. "We'll only think you're a total bitch for a little while. Then it'll all be good." Kyara looked at her and was relieved to see a little smile at the corner of her friend's mouth, revealing the joke in her words.

The rest of the walk went quickly, their words turned back to less dangerous topics. K's mother wanted to move in with her. Caitlin was debating going away to law school. When they arrived, they were soon far too busy laying down the gravel and hooking the massive stump up to the SUV for much talk.

Soon the SUV was hooked up and the stump was ready. As a precaution, everyone went far away from the tires. Flying mud had been bad, flying gravel could be disastrous. The moment of truth was almost anti-climactic. The tires of the SUV caught right away, the weight of the extra bags of gravel in back pushing its tires deep into the now rocky ground beneath it. The stump began to move, then popped free of its hole in the ground with a loud crack of snapping roots..

The volunteers sprang into action hauling the stump away and filling the hole that they had just created. Kyara worked with them.

I didn't think I was an outdoorsy type
, she reflected as she wiped mud from her cheek.
But I could really get used to this.

The next Tuesday brought another surprise. The trail crew all met at Kyara's once again. As she got ready to go with them, they once again went out through the back door, where they had parked a small fleet of....

"What are those doing here?" asked Kyara

Jason smiled proudly at the neatly parked rows of ATVs. He was wearing gray today. He looked good in gray. His eyes shifted to match it, giving the illusion that she was somehow seeing a stormy sky inside him.

"The trail is getting too long to just walk down it. Last weeks you guys spent half the evening walking. So, transportation," explained Jason.

"Ashley rents them out," said K from right behind her. "Along with snowmobiles, skis, all that stuff. Right, Ash?"

Ashley nodded as she walked up.

"Along with the safety equipment and lessons, yeah," the blonde agreed.

"Although I'm pretty sure charging horny tourists for the privileged of holding onto you while an engine vibrates you both doesn't really help keep their minds on safety," added K, her eyebrows waggling.

Ashley gave K a wry look, but let the comment pass.
Probably because she knows it’s true
, reflected Kyara, looking again over the statuesque blonde.
That has got to help her business.

"Anyway, I've got everyone paired off," said Ashley, turning to Jason. "I need you to take Kyara. Remember that she's less experienced at this, so take it easy on her."

Jason's eyebrows shot up.

"Okay..." he said, watching Ashley carefully.

"If you are used to teaching people, maybe I should go with you?" offered Kyara, still remembering the look on her friend's face from the week before.

"She has to take Caitlin," chuckled K. "I've never seen anyone worse on one of these things than that girl is. She'll pull anyone right off."

Ashley nodded, confirming K's statement with a little smile.

"Just hold on to him as tight as you can," advised Ashley, her eyes giving the double meaning to her words. "You're going to do just fine."

Kyara returned Ashley's little smile. Then, on impulse, reached out and gave her a little hug.

Jason watched them, clearly having no idea what was going on.

"Alright, you two, break it up," said K. "You go on any longer and there's going to be a gross run on cheap lotion at the general store."

Kyara let go of Ashley, sure that the embarrassment on her face matched that on Ashley's.
Based on the look on Jason's face, though, she might not be far off.
He was watching both of them, his eyes sliding from Kyara's dark skin over to Ashley's cream.

Men,
reflected Kyara as she arched an eyebrow at Jason,
really are the same wherever you go.
 

"So," said Jason, turning away from her to look at the nearest ATV. "I take it you haven't ridden one of these before."

"They don't have a lot of trails in downtown Atlanta," said Kyara dryly.

"Okay," said Jason. "We don't have time for a full lesson today, so I'm going to just give you the basics." He straddled the machine, his muscular legs stretched wide. He handed her a helmet, and took one for himself. The barrier made him sound strange and far away as he spoke.

"Basically, I want you to just slide on with me." said Jason, easing forward to make room for her. "Good. Now wrap your arms around my waist. Um ... a little higher might be good."

Kyara followed his directions, pressing herself along the broad expanse of his back. She felt his muscles ripple as he adjusted to her presence. His skin was separated from her own by two thin layers of cotton, a sharp contrast with the seeming distance of his voice.

Kyara flushed as she felt her nipples begin to harden, pressing against him even through her bra. She tried to pull back, but he instantly corrected her, trapping her tight against him by holding his firm arm over hers. His skin was silk over steel, caressing and trapping her at the same time.

"Hold on tight," he chided. "When we start moving, inertia is going to tug you back, and you don't have a handlebar to grip."

I do if I move my hand down
, thought Kyara, growing warm at the image.

"If we hit a bump or a hole, we're going to rise into the air a little. Flex your legs as we slam down. It'll make things a little easier. Let my hips and back warn you when that's going to happen. You'll feel me move."

Kyara swallowed, her cheek moving against against him.
Did he even know what he was saying?

"Alright," he said. "Hold on." With that, the engine purred to life beneath her, the vibrations rubbing against the insides of her thighs and up along the seam where her body pressed against Jason's.

Oh, my.

Even with the warning, the jolt when they started moving startled Kyara. She gripped Jason more tightly, clinging to him as they moved.

Once they were traveling, though, Kyara started to really enjoy herself. The whole thing, the rumbling of the engine beneath them, the feel of his arms and torso against her, the wind whipping against her skin, felt like power.

I've felt so helpless, lately. This is ... a really good change.

Kyara tipped her face as far forward as she could, her helmet knocking against his.

"Faster" she called into his ear. "Let's really go!"

Without a word, Jason jumped the ATV forward, leaving her breathless and clinging. He zigged between the other riders, rubbing Kyara against him with each sharp turn. They quickly left the others behind, racing and bouncing through the green arches of the newly created trail.

I have got to get me one of these!

They reached the edge of the trail work all too soon. Jason cut the engine and climbed off, turning to help her dismount as well. When he pulled off his helmet, his face was flushed with the same exhilaration she knew must be on hers. She removed her own helmet to meet his eyes, one hand rising to try to tame her hair back into place.

Jason cleared his throat, holding his helmet in front of himself with both hands.

"So," Jason began, his voice casual. "I was thinking. I know you're busy a lot, but we first met at the farmer's market, and I wondered if you had been to the big one up in Burlington."

Kyara shook her head.

"I haven't really had the time," she said.

He nodded, as if he'd expected that reaction.

"Well, I'm going up on Saturday. I kind of wondered if you'd like to go with me. We could check it out, maybe take a look at Church Street together ..." He at her through his long, dark lashes.

Kyara wasn't sure what to think, but was saved by the arrival of the others, their engines roaring as they pulled up. Ashley was first, a shivering Caitlin clinging to her back. She was glaring daggers at Jason, but stopped as she caught the hum in the air between them.

As the engines died away, Kyara took a deep breath and turned back to Jason.

"I ... can't" Kyara said regretfully, acutely aware of all the people around them pretending they weren't eavesdropping. "The cafe isn't doing so well, and if I give up on my Saturday patrons, it will just be worse."

Jason nodded.

"So, maybe a morning outing, then? Before you open? There's a nice little bakery over in Bradford. I was thinking maybe you'd want to carry some of their stuff at your place? We could go check them out."

Kyara felt her pulse quickening.
I really don't have time, but when is the last time I was asked out on a date? And he had a back-up date planned. I can't remember any guy working this hard to spend time with me. Certainly not Devonte....
He mind shied away from that line of thought.

"I'd like that," she found herself saying. "As long as I could be back in time to get my kitchen ready." Kyara tried desperately not to think about all the eyes staring at her as she accepted.

He smiled.
His smile lights up his entire face.

"I'm willing to get up early if you are," he said. "Maybe this Thursday?" Kyara did not point out that she was already up at 3:30 every morning. She just nodded, fighting to keep a silly grin off of her face.

Jason handed her a slip of paper, his phone number neatly printed across the top.

Well prepared, or cocky?
mused Kyara. Before she could tease him about it, though, he had turned away, heading back to his vehicle.

Jason turned to face the obviously gawking spectators.

"Alright, guys, we've got work to do. Break into teams of three and I'll give you today's assignments," he projected.

Conversation resumed as people tried to find their partners for the day. This would easily supply the town with days of gossip to come. But for once Kyara didn't care. She did try not to look at Ashley, though. Whatever Ashley said, Kyara knew she'd see a loneliness on her friend’s face she knew all too well.