Page 5 of Ranger's Wildflower
“Tough crowd today.”
I closed my eyes briefly.
Of course it was him.
Slowly, I looked up.
Ace stood just inside the doorway, one shoulder braced casually against the frame like he belonged there. Morning light spilled in behind him, outlining the tall shape of him in gold.
The man really needed to stop looking like that.
“I thought Rangers were supposed to be good at reading danger,” I said coolly.
His mouth twitched. “I am.”
“And yet you walked in here anyway.”
He shut the door behind him, the bell chiming softly again. “Guess I like dangerous things.”
My pulse gave one hard kick that thoroughly annoyed me.
I turned back to the flowers before he could notice.
“You’re going to scare off customers.”
Ace wandered farther inside, glancing around the shop slowly. “Looks empty to me.”
“It won’t be if you leave.”
A low chuckle rumbled out of him.
Warm.
Deep.
Entirely unfair.
I focused harder on the bouquet in front of me, sliding stems into place with careful fingers.
“You’re avoiding me,” he said after a moment.
“I’m working.”
“Mhm.”
I glanced up sharply. “You always this persistent?”
“When I care about something.”
Something in his tone made my hands pause.
Just for a second.
Too long apparently.
Because when I looked up again, Ace was watching me with that same steady look that made my chest feel tight in ways I didn’t appreciate.
I set the bouquet down carefully. “Ace.”
