The Chief Ranger Read online

  The comment caused Vance to chuckle. He got in his car and broke the speed limit to get there. When he opened the garage with the remote and pulled in, Nicky came bounding out the laundry-room door to greet him. This was a new experience, one Vance had been aching for when he thought he’d never have children.

  They hugged, then Nicky said, “Come on in. We’ve made a nummy dinner.”

  “I can’t wait. What are we having?”

  “Hot dogs and fruit salad.”

  “Perfect. Guess what? I got all our fishing stuff back. Tomorrow we’ll try out the new flies you gave me.”

  “Goody!”

  Seeing his golden-haired Rachel in the kitchen gave

  Vance another heart attack. She smiled at him, melting him on the spot.

  “Hi. Give me five minutes,” he murmured.

  “We’re glad you’re back.”

  “You don’t know the half of it.”

  No man ever showered or dressed faster. He joined them at the kitchen table, and she watched while he dug into his food. “Nicky said you recovered your gear.”

  “Good old Chase. He always gets his man. The place would fall apart without him. There’s no one like him.”

  “I agree. He’s a terrific man.”

  “I guess I don’t need to tell you how he feels about you.”

  She blushed. “If I hadn’t met you first …”

  Vance smiled into her eyes. “That wasn’t our best moment.”

  “Rachel was mad,” Nicky interjected.

  “At me?”

  “Yup.”

  Vance chuckled. “Chase thinks you don’t like him.”

  “Yes, I do,” Nicky stated.

  “Maybe you should tell him sometime,” Rachel suggested.

  “Okay.” He finished the last piece of melon. “Can we play a game now? Rachel brought over Match Up.”

  “I’ve never heard of it, but it sounds fun. First, however, I have a very important question to ask you. I want you to think very hard before you answer.”

  Nicky’s cute little face started to look worried. “What is it?”

  Vance’s heart was skidding all over the place. “What would you think if Rachel and I got married?”

  The shadows disappeared. “Oh, that. I want you to,” he said promptly.

  “But you didn’t even think about it.”

  “Yes, I did. When we went home, I told Papa and Nana.”

  Vance could see Rachel’s eyes shimmering. He was so humbled he could hardly talk.

  Nicky studied both of them. “Will you be my new mommy and daddy?”

  “Yes.” Rachel spoke at last. “We’d be your new parents.”

  “‘Cause my old parents died, huh.”

  Vance couldn’t take much more. “I love you, sport. I’d give anything to be your daddy.”

  “I want you to be!” He flew into Vance’s arms.

  Over the boy’s blond head Vance stared at Rachel. “Then it’s settled?”

  “Yes. I love you, Chief Rossiter. I want to marry you. I can’t wait.”

  Nicky finally let go of him and ran around the table to hug her. “How soon are we getting married? Tomorrow?”

  She laughed through her tears. “Oh, no, darling. A lot of things have to be worked out first.”

  “But we’re going to stay here, huh.”

  “Yes. Of course, we have to discuss everything with Nana and Papa.”

  “I wish they lived here, too.”

  Vance got to his feet. “That can be arranged. You know my house in Oakhurst?”

  “Yup.”

  “Maybe you can talk them into living in it after your papa has his operation. That way you can visit them all the time.”

  Nicky’s smile lit up the room. “And they can stay at our house sometimes.”

  Our house. Incredible.

  “They can come anytime they want.”

  By now Vance had reached Rachel and pulled her into his arms. He searched her eyes. “I love you. You do know this is forever.”

  “It better be. I want your babies. Nicky is going to need siblings.”

  “Anything to oblige.” Vance kissed her long and hard, wanting to get started on their marriage this very second. But it wasn’t the time or the place. “Let’s call your parents.”

  “They’re going to be so happy.”

  “I’m the one who’s happy,” Vance whispered against her lips.

  When he felt Nicky’s arms wrap around their legs, the significance of Chief Sam’s vision hit him full force, filling him with wonder.

  After ten springs, we found three fledgling gray owls near the edge of the meadow yesterday. A big change is coming for you.

  Read on for a sneak preview of Carol Marinelli’s

  PUTTING ALICE BACK TOGETHER!

  Hugh hired bikes!

  You know that saying: ‘It’s like riding a bike, you never forget’?

  I’d never learnt in the first place.

  I never got past training wheels.

  ‘You’ve got limited upper-body strength?’ He stopped and looked at me.

  I had been explaining to him as I wobbled along and tried to stay up that I really had no centre of balance. I mean really had no centre of balance. And when we decided, fairly quickly, that a bike ride along the Yarra perhaps, after all, wasn’t the best activity (he’d kept insisting I’d be fine once I was on, that you never forget), I threw in too my other disability. I told him about my limited upper-body strength, just in case he took me to an indoor rock-climbing centre next. I’d honestly forgotten he was a doctor, and he seemed worried, like I’d had a mini-stroke in the past or had mild cerebral palsy or something.

  ‘God, Alice, I’m sorry—you should have said. What happened?’

  And then I had had to tell him that it was a self-diagnosis. ‘Well, I could never get up the ropes at the gym at school.’ We were pushing our bikes back. ‘I can’t blow-dry the back of my hair …’ He started laughing.

  Not like Lisa who was laughing at me—he was just laughing and so was I. We got a full refund because we’d only been on our bikes ten minutes, but I hadn’t failed. If anything, we were getting on better.

  And better.

  We went to St Kilda to the lovely bitty shops and I found these miniature Russian dolls. They were tiny, made of tin or something, the biggest no bigger than my thumbnail. Every time we opened them, there was another tiny one, and then another, all reds and yellows and greens.

  They were divine.

  We were facing each other, looking down at the palm of my hand, and our heads touched.

  If I put my hand up now, I can feel where our heads touched.

  I remember that moment.

  I remember it a lot.

  Our heads connected for a second and it was alchemic; it was as if our minds kissed hello.

  I just have to touch my head, just there at the very spot and I can, whenever I want to, relive that moment.

  So many times I do.

  ‘Get them.’ Hugh said, and I would have, except that little bit of tin cost more than a hundred dollars and, though that usually wouldn’t have stopped me, I wasn’t about to have my card declined in front of him.

  I put them back.

  ‘Nope.’ I gave him a smile. ‘Gotta stop the impulse spending.’

  We had lunch.

  Out on the pavement and I can’t remember what we ate, I just remember being happy. Actually, I can remember: I had Caesar salad because it was the lowest carb thing I could find. We drank water and I do remember not giving it a thought.

  I was just thirsty.

  And happy.

  He went to the loo and I chatted to a girl at the next table, just chatted away. Hugh was gone for ages and I was glad I hadn’t demanded Dan from the universe, because I would have been worried about how long he was taking.

  Do I go on about the universe too much? I don’t know, but what I do know is that something was looking out for me, helping me to be my best, not
to **** this up as I usually do. You see, we walked on the beach, we went for another coffee and by that time it was evening and we went home and he gave me a present.

  Those Russian dolls.

  I held them in my palm, and it was the nicest thing he could have done for me.

  They are absolutely my favourite thing and I’ve just stopped to look at them now. I’ve just stopped to take them apart and then put them all back together again and I can still feel the wonder I felt on that day.

  He was the only man who had bought something for me, I mean something truly special. Something beautiful, something thoughtful, something just for me.

  © Carol Marinelli 2012

  Available at millsandboon.co.uk

  All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.

  All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II B.V./S.à.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

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  First published in Great Britain 2012

  by Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited,

  Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR

  © Rebecca Winters 2009

  ISBN: 978-1-408-97077-5