Free The Forest Ranger's Christmas by Leigh Bale Page A

overly upset by the discomfort. Again he couldn’t help contrasting her positive attitude with how Karen might have reacted. The difference was amazing.
    When Josie bumped into Clint and gave a nervous apology, he felt the overwhelming urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her. Right there in the middle of the mountain, with Frank and Gracie watching.
    What an odd notion. Just thinking about it made Clint’s face heat up like a flamethrower. And he realized in all these long, lonely years, he hadn’t found one single woman who’d made him feel like laughing again.
    Until today.
    * * *
    “Thanks for the Christmas tree. This outing meant a great deal to Gramps.” It meant a lot to Josie, too.
    Standing outside in front of Gramps’s house, she smiled up at Clint and folded her arms against the chilly wind. The cold air stung her nose. After Clint had deposited their Christmas tree inside, she’d walked him and Gracie out to their truck, wanting an opportunity to thank the ranger for his kindness.
    “All things considered, you’re not quite the bully I first thought you were,” she confessed with a smile.
    He quirked one brow high and tried not to laugh. “Is that right? Well, I’m glad to hear it. I think.”
    She squelched a chuckle, thinking it was very good, since she’d be forced to work with him over the next few weeks while Gramps learned to read.
    “I’ll return your socks as soon as I can wash them.”
    He jutted his chin toward her feet, which were covered by the pair of blue fuzzy slippers she’d slipped on the moment she got inside. “Keep in mind that they’re wool. They won’t do well in your clothes dryer.”
    She nodded. “So noted. Thanks again.”
    “You’re welcome.” Clint flashed that devastating smile of his as he buckled Gracie into her seat and closed the truck door.
    A bank of clouds brooded overhead. By morning, they’d have more snow. Thick shadows swallowed Clint’s tall frame as he circled around to the driver’s side. He brushed against Josie’s arm and she caught his spicy scent of pine and aftershave. She backed up a step, trying to remember the last time a man had given her goose bumps just by being near her.
    Like never. Not even her two ex-fiancés.
    No, she shouldn’t think such thoughts. Her dedication to her career had come with a price. But now, she couldn’t help thinking that work wasn’t what had destroyed her past relationships with her dad, mom and former fiancés. And God, too. Josie was difficult to love. She accepted that. But it didn’t stop her from wanting it.
    “You sure you can’t stay for supper?” she asked. “It’s the least I can offer after you helped us get our tree. I’ve got a beef stew simmering in the Crock-Pot and there’s plenty for everyone.”
    Inside the truck, Gracie’s eyes widened with enthusiasm and she bobbed her head up and down.
    “Nah, we’ve got to get going,” Clint said. “I took the afternoon off work to go get the trees, but now duty calls.”
    His generosity touched Josie’s heart and she could no longer begrudge the illiteracy issue with Gramps. She realized Clint had nothing but Frank’s best interests at heart. Rather than turning his back on the old man, Clint had shown an increase of love. He’d gone out of his way to help them get a Christmas tree. And he’d lent her a pair of warm socks. Such a simple act of kindness, but it meant the world to Josie. She couldn’t think of the ranger as an enemy. Not anymore. But that didn’t mean they were more than friends. And in a small way she regretted that.
    Okay, in a big way. But she’d never admit it out loud.
    Waving goodbye, she returned to the warmth of the house. Gramps helped her set the table, and laughed as they discussed their day.
    “You should have seen your face when Gracie chose yet another tree,” he said.
    “Yeah, that little girl is something special.”
    So was Gracie’s father, but Josie didn’t say that.
    “I’ll have to dig