Page 43 of Her Three Rangers

Everything had worked out perfectly.

I just hoped that the guys hadn’t been too worried when they got back and found that I wasn’t there. Hopefully Jenny gave them my message. I wanted to call the office and find out for sure, but I didn’t even bother fishing my phone out of my purse. There was no way I’d get reception way out here. It was spotty enough at the clinic, and that was just on the outskirts of town.

Bill’s farm was literally in the middle of nowhere.

I checked my rear view mirror just in time to see a big red truck coming up fast, and I pulled over as far as I could on the narrow two-lane road in case he wanted to pass.

He didn’t pass, though. Instead, he got closer and closer, until I couldn’t even see the front bumper of the truck, just the angry-looking grille and headlights.

“Dammit,” I muttered, sticking my hand out the window to wave him on. “Just go around, you jerk.”

My hands were shaking when he finally switched lanes and began to pass me, but instead of hauling ass like he had been, he pulled up even with my window and honked.

I looked over and nearly drove off the road. It was Garrick, and he was gesturing wildly, looking angry.

Or crazy.

Probably crazy.

To hell with that, though. He really was crazy if he thought I was going to pull over out here, miles away from the nearest house.

Or the nearest witness.

He honked again, and the jerk started getting closer, crossing the center line into my lane like he was going to run me off the road.

I slammed on the brakes, cringing as I elicited a startled bleat from Bailey.

“Sorry, girl,” I said, absently reaching out to put my hand on top of the crate as I pulled onto the shoulder of the road. “What in the hell is he doing? Has he lost his damn mind?”

Up ahead, Garrick had stopped as well, then turned around in the middle of the road and sped back toward my truck, stopping bumper to bumper in front of me.

He had really gone too damn far this time. He could have killed both of us with that little stunt. Even now, it was good for him that this road was deserted, since he had his truck facing the wrong way to block me in.

“What the hell are you doing?” I asked, forgetting all about being scared as I jumped out of the truck and started storming toward him. “Are you crazy? You could have killed me back there, you jerk.”

He had gotten out of his truck, and was walking toward me, too, a mean sneer on his face. “That’s no way to talk to me,” he said, grabbing me by the arm as soon as he was close enough and reminding me exactly why I was supposed to be scared in the first place. “And if you would have pulled over when I asked, I wouldn’t have had to resort to these… drastic measures.”

“When you asked?” I shook my head, incredulous as I tried and failed to pull my arm away from him. “You mean when you made those rude gestures as you passed me? Let go of me right now, Garrick. I don’t know what you’re doing, but—”

“Your smart mouth is getting tedious, Grace,” he said, cutting me off and making me wince as he twisted my arm a little. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of crying out, though.

To hell with him.

“What do you want?” I asked, looking into those crazy eyes and hoping he couldn’t hear the fear in my voice.

“I want you to fall in line,” he growled. “Come to your damn senses, send those bikers on their way, and take the very reasonable offer I’ve made for the clinic. It’s what you need to do, Grace.”

I stood, open-mouthed. I couldn’t believe this guy’s nerve. He really was living in some kind of alternate reality if he thought any of those things were going to happen.

“Let me go,” I said, deciding that anything else I might say would only set him off.

“Kiss me first,” he replied, leaning in close. I could smell beer and cigarettes on his breath and I flinched away as he laughed and pulled me closer again.

No.

No, no, no.

This was not going to happen. Garrick Windram was not going to kiss me. Not like this. Not ever.