Page 2 of A Very Grumpy Ranger (Wolf Valley: Grumps #9)

TWO

Luca

“What are you doing with Blake today?” My brother, Milo, asks as he gets ready for his shift at the fire station.

“I’m not sure yet. Just that she’ll be done with work by three.”

He nods, checking his bag and shoving in a phone charger.

“How does it feel?”

I frown. “How does what feel?”

“To fall in love?” he asks with a knowing smile.

“I…How did you know?”

“Please, Luca, it’s obvious. Besides, I’ve been there before. I saw Lilou, and that was it. Game over. I knew she was the one for me. I get the feeling that you feel the same way about Blake.”

“I do,” I admit. “It’s kind of crazy. I mean, five days ago, I didn’t even know she existed. Falling in love wasn’t even on my radar. I was going to settle down here and try to figure out my life. But then I walked into the diner, and there she was.”

It’s been a whirlwind few days. Blake is so much fun, and we’ve spent most of our time running errands, eating, or exploring the town.

“Have you asked her out yet? Officially?” Milo asks.

“Not yet. I’m working up to it.”

“Hmm.”

I roll my eyes. “Didn’t you wait like a year to ask Lilou out?”

He grins sheepishly. “Yeah. You should learn from my mistakes and not waste so much time.”

“Noted.”

He finishes grabbing his stuff and stands. “It’s been great having you home.”

“Yeah.”

“How have you been? Any pain? Or… anything?” he asks, concern flashing in his eyes.

“I’m fine.”

Leaving the military after I was shot overseas was not what I wanted. I was pissed off at the world when I first got to town and struggled to reintegrate into civilian life. To be honest, I didn’t even want to be a civilian. I wanted to stay in the Rangers.

I liked my life in the military. It was ordered.

I knew what was expected of me, what I needed to do, and the chain of command.

Then I got shot, and it all got messed up.

I was discharged and had to figure out what I was going to do.

I had no idea where to go and no home to return to, so I chose the town where my brother lived—the only family I had left.

Now, here I am, and I still have no idea what to do. Do I want to stay in Wolf Valley? What will I do for a job? What do I want out of life?

“Are you sure?” Milo asks, sensing my troubled thoughts.

“I’m fine, Milo. I promise. My injuries are all healed. No pain. Well, not much. I’m good.”

He nods and changes the subject. “When will your place be ready?”

“I close on the place tomorrow.”

“Want me to come with you?”

“I’ll be okay. I know you’ll be dying to see Lilou after your shift.”

“Let me know if you change your mind.”

“I will,” I promise.

“See you later,” he says as he leaves.

I wave at him and head back to my room. I’ve been staying with Milo and Lilou since I got to town. I know I must be cramping their style. I’m excited to move out and give them their space back.

My eyes flick to the clock, and I groan when I see that it’s only noon. Three more hours before Blake gets off, and we can hang out.

I know I have it bad, but I can’t help it. From the moment Blake sat across from me with that mischievous grin, I was hooked. Every bet, every challenge has been an excuse to stay close to her, even though she only sees me as her best friend.

My phone rings, and I hope it’s Blake calling to tell me she got off work early. But when I pick it up, I see Camden’s name on the screen instead.

When I first arrived at Wolf Valley, I was surprised by how many former military personnel I knew from my time in the service.

Camden, Ansel, Huxley, Meyer, and Kip were Marines I deployed with during my time in the military.

Xavier and Townes were in the Army, and we went through boot camp and Ranger School together.

Even Nolan, an Air Force buddy, wound up here in town.

Being around so many former military personnel has helped me adjust, and it’s been good catching up with everyone.

“Hey, what are you up to?” Camden asks.

“Right now? Nothing.”

“Want to go for a hike with me?”

“Sure. Where?”

“I’ll pick you up. Can you be ready in ten?”

“Yeah. I just need to be back by two thirty.”

“Got a hot date?”

“Yep.”

“Good. We’ll talk about it on the hike.”

“Can’t wait,” I deadpan.

Camden laughs. “See you soon.”

He hangs up, and I open my suitcase to grab my boots. I’m filling up my water bottle when Camden texts me to let me know he’s out front.

I screw on the cap, grab my phone and keys, and head out to meet him.

“Hey,” I greet as I climb into the passenger seat.

“Hey. Ready?”

“Yep.”

I look over at Camden as he drives. “What’s new with you?”

“Not much. Lymric is out of town this week, so I’m finishing up some projects around the house and working.”

“How’s Semper Fly?” I ask, naming the tourist helicopter company where Camden works.

“It’s been good. Business is booming. They’re talking about getting another helicopter so we can do more tours.”

“That’s great.”

“Yeah. Have you ever thought about getting your pilot’s license?”

I grin. “Nah, I’ll leave that to you.”

“They’d take you if you change your mind.”

“Thanks, man.”

“What are you going to do instead?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

“Okay. Tell me about this hot date, then.”

I laugh. “Is this twenty questions?”

“We can do that if you want. Okay, question one?—”

“Nope, I’ll just answer it.”

He laughs as we turn onto a back road and drive down the gravel path to a parking lot. “Okay, answer it.”

“Her name is Blake. She moved here a few months ago, and I met her at the Nosh Diner last week. She invited me to sit with her and challenged me to a bet.”

“What kind of bet?”

“Who could finish their meal first.”

“And you ate her under the table?”

“No, I let her win.”

“Aww.”

“Shut up,” I growl.

“Why’d you let her win?”

“Because I didn’t want to have her buy me dinner… and I wanted to see her smile.”

Camden smirks. “You’ve got it bad, brother.”

“I’m aware,” I grumble.

“So, you let her win and bought her dinner. Then what?”

“We went to the grocery store and bet on who could find the coolest item.”

“Do you have a gambling problem now?”

I laugh. “No. It’s a way to stay close to her. We bet on the grocery run, and she won, so I had to buy her dinner again.”

“Smooth.”

“I try.”

We park and climb out at the base of the trail.

“So, you’re seeing her again today? What’s the plan?”

“Yesterday, we bet on who could finish a hike first, and tonight, we’re hanging out to see who can make a better meal.”

Camden raises an eyebrow. “Have you tried just asking her out?”

“I’m working on it.”

We start the hike, and the conversation shifts to how he and Lymric are doing and reminiscing over stories from our time in the service.

“Thanks for inviting me out,” I say when we make it back to his car.

“Anytime. It’s good to have you here. I know that it wasn’t your plan.”

I nod. “Not quite, but it’s working out okay so far.”

“Yeah, a good woman will do that,” Camden says with a knowing smile, obviously thinking about his girl, Lymric. He slaps my back. “Come on. We need to get you home so you can be ready for your date.”

We hop into his car and make the short ride back to Milo’s place.

“Have fun tonight. I’ll talk to you later,” Camden says when he drops me off.

“Thanks. See you.”

I close the door and wave before I jog up the steps and let myself in. Lilou is still at work, so the place is empty. I rush to my room and take the quickest shower of my life. By the time I’m dressed, it’s almost three.

I’m grabbing my keys and heading out the door when my phone buzzes with a message from Blake telling me she’s done with work for the day. I send her a message letting her know I’m on my way.

I pull up in front of her apartment and park. When I climb out of the car, I see her waiting for me at the top of the apartment stairs.

She smiles. “Hey, how was your day?”

I jog up the stairs toward her. “It was good. I went for a hike with a friend.”

“Fun!”

“What about you?”

“I worked all day. It was pretty boring.”

“You should find another job. Something you love doing.”

“You make it sound so easy,” she sighs.

I shrug. “It’s not. I know that. I’m in the same boat, but life is way too short to spend all day doing something you hate.”

“I’ll think about it. Do you know what you want to make for dinner?”

I nod. “Yeah, I found a few recipes.”

“Okay, good. I have my list. Do you want to run to the store now?”

“Sure.”

We head out, and I smile as we walk side by side down the street toward the market. It feels so right being with her. It’s easy, like breathing. She fits in my life perfectly, like she was made for me.

We head into the grocery store and get our ingredients before heading to the checkout.

“I’m paying,” I insist.

Blake opens her mouth to argue.

“You won the marshmallow bet the other day, remember?”

“Are you sure?”

I nod. “I’ve got it.”

We check out and head back to her place to start cooking. I carry the bags, and she tells me about her day as she unlocks the door and lets us in.

We unpack all the groceries and begin preparing our meals.

“If you could do anything, what would you do?” I ask as we cook.

“I’m not sure. Paint, maybe? Or some kind of arts and crafts. Maybe work with kids in some way?”

“Why don’t you do that? You could be a teacher. An art teacher. Maybe work at a preschool or something.”

“Maybe,” she hedges. “What about you?”

“I don’t want to be a teacher or work with kids.”

She snorts. “No, I mean, what are you going to do now you’re out of the military?”

“I’m still not sure. Camden asked if I wanted to work at Semper Fly with him today.”

“The helicopter place?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you going to?”

“No, I don’t think so. I mean, working with other military guys would be good, but I’ve never much cared for flying.”

“What do you love to do?”

“I loved being a Ranger.”

“What did you love about it?”

“The structure. Helping people. Serving my country. The action,” I admit.

“Maybe you could do that here. You could be a police officer,” she suggests. “Or some kind of security guy. You’re so smart. Maybe you could be a consultant of some kind.”

“Maybe. I’ll think about it.”

I finish my chicken and open the oven, sliding the baking dish inside.

I sit at the kitchen counter and watch as Blake finishes her meal and grabs some plates.

“Ready for the main course?” she asks.

“Oh, my dish still has ten minutes left in the oven,” I tease.

“Ha ha,” she mumbles as she sets a plate in front of me and sits in the chair next to mine. “Dig in.”

Blake has made spaghetti and meatballs, and we both take a bite. She’s a good cook, and I swallow down a moan as the taste of oregano, garlic, and parmesan cheese hits my taste buds.

“Not bad,” I say.

She glares at me. “It’s perfect, and you know it.”

“It’s really good, but will it beat my roast chicken and vegetables?”

She smirks. “I’m not worried.”

I finish my spaghetti, and the timer goes off. I slide out of my chair and take the chicken out of the oven.

“It looks good,” Blake says.

“It looks like it should be on the cover of a magazine.”

She laughs and nods. “It does. Smells good, too.”

“Thanks.”

“Did you cook a lot in the Rangers?”

“Not much. My mom taught Milo and me when we were growing up. My parents were big on us learning basic life skills, so every weekend, it was a new skill.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. We learned how to change the oil on a car, change a tire, how to cook, bake, and clean. I can sew pretty well, and Milo is scary good with a pair of knitting needles.”

“That’s great. I wish that I’d been taught half of that growing up.”

“How did you learn to cook, then?” I ask as I cut the chicken and make each of us a plate.

“I had to. My last foster home wasn’t the best. All of the kids had to do chores, and since I was the eldest, I was in charge of cooking and cutting the grass.”

I set her plate down in front of her and sit next to her. We both dig in, and she moans as she pops a bite of chicken into her mouth.

“Okay, you win,” she says as she takes another bite.

“No way. Your spaghetti was so good. You win.”

She shakes her head, and I smile as she eats a carrot.

“So, it’s a draw, then,” she says.

“What happens now?” I ask.

“We need a tiebreaker.”

“Okay, like what?”

She takes another bite, and I watch as she thinks over how to figure out a winner.

“Okay, new challenge,” she says finally. “We see who can plan the best day.”

“A whole day? Like a date?” I blurt the question before I can think it through.

Blake blinks and then blushes. “Yeah, like a date. Who can plan the best first date.”

Fuck. Could Blake want me the way I want her?

“Okay.”

“Do you want to go first?” she asks.

I nod. “Sure. Tomorrow night?”

“Okay.”

We finish eating, and I take her plate to clean up.

“You don’t have to do that,” she argues.

I give her a look. “I’m not about to leave this pile of dishes for you to do.”

She bumps her shoulder against mine, and we work in silence as we load the dishwasher. My mind races with ideas for our date and for what this could mean for us.

Does Blake want me as badly as I want her? Either way, this is my chance to show her how perfect we could be together, and I’m not about to mess it up. Not when I’m this close to winning over my dream girl.

I need to nail this date and make her mine.