Page 17 of The Rancher’s One and Only

“A primordial possum?”

“Yes. I was especially excited about that.”

“I can see why.”

She couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not. “I like mammals. Small ones specifically. Both modern and prehistoric. I mean, I research everything. But you know, people mainly like big ones. Dinosaurs. And I do think they’re fascinating. But I just think the small ones are cute.”

“Well. They are. In every era, I would expect.”

“Yes,” she said. Feeling particularly validated by that.

She looked up at him, and he smiled. Was he making fun of her?

She decided to interpret him as being sincere. That didn’t always go her way, but it wasn’t like she was establishing a real relationship with him or anything. She was staying on his property, and he was interesting. And having the ability to pick his brain about all of this stuff, him being so up for answering questions. She wasn’t going to overthink it.

Which was unusual for her, because she tended to overthink everything.

“Here’s the store,” he said, pulling into a small parking lot with two rows of parking in it.

The building was very tiny, sun-bleached, with a rattlesnake painted on the side, which she thought was kind of odd. It wasn’t that inviting. But then, maybe you didn’t have to think about your branding when there wasn’t any competition.

Clear Lake General Store. When she walked in, it was clear that the name was apt. Because the store was filled with everything you could ever want. She was enthralled. There was a fishing-and-hunting section, and there were household items, pest control, basic tools and hardware. Groceries, and a bin of what looked like off-brand Labubus. She plucked three out of the bin immediately, because she would absolutely be buying them. What a find. Honestly, off-brand was even better. They were quirky. She really loved quirky trinkets.

Her host was staring at her like she was potentially insane. “They’re collectibles,” she said.

“Well,” he drawled out slowly. “That is something you can do with your free will.”

“It is,” she said.

He grabbed a cart by the front door, and she followed him down the aisle, before placing her treasures in the top of the cart. “What are your shopping goals?” she asked.

“I have a list,” he said. “It’s just stuff for the house. Three of us have to eat.”

“Right. Well, I don’t really know what this store has.”

“Everything,” he said.

She took herself off to the frozen food aisle, and began collecting entrées. She filled her arms with them, then returned to deposit them on one side of the grocery cart.

She looked up at him and smiled. His eyes were green. A very unusual shade of green. She hadn’t really noticed that before. But as he smiled slowly at her, she noticed. She really noticed. He was like the perfect knight in a fantasy story. He had such a precise, handsome symmetry. Obviously she knew that somebody wasn’t heroic just because they had a square jawline and a perfectly shaped nose, but he gave off a feeling of heroism, and that felt like it mattered.

She wasn’t usually rendered speechless by another person’s beauty. But his was like that. His felt essential. Significant. Important in a way she couldn’t readily define.

“Now I just need to make sure I have enough coffee supplies. Oh, and lemonade.”

“Lemonade?”

“It’s my favorite.”

“You have breakfast in there?”

“Oh, I brought my own.”

“Well, do you want something fresh?”

“I eat a cranberry-white-chocolate-chip cookie for breakfast every day. A specific brand. I always bring enough with me when I travel.”

“You bring your own food?”