Mason (Remington Ranch Book 1) (Contemporary Western Romance) Read Free Page B

his business. Not that he had anything to hide. He didn't understand why they wanted to know. Well, that wasn't true. He knew why—and he hated it. He was the eldest of four brothers, all of them very eligible in the eyes of the old women in town. In the eyes of the young women, too. His family owned a lot of land in the valley, was well respected and pretty well off, by local standards. Any of the Remington boys would be considered a catch, and as the eldest, he was the most sought after.
    “Hey, Mason.”
    He raised a hand to Iris, who was working the cash register. She'd been a year ahead of him in high school. She was one of the biggest gossips around. He made sure he was always friendly with her, chatting and laughing—and never giving anything away. He made his way to the back of the store. He didn't need anything heavy-duty today, just some outdoor party lights to string around the back deck for his mom's birthday. She loved those lights and he loved to see her enjoy her party every year.
    As he made his way back through the store, he saw another familiar face.
    “Hey, Mase. How you doing?”
    He nodded. “Yeah, not bad. How about you, Cody?”
    Cody grinned. “Doing great. Brandy's due next month.”
    Mason smiled. Cody and Brandy had been together since high school. They'd married as soon as they graduated and this must be baby number four, maybe five. “Give her my best.”
    “You could come say hi if you want. She's out in the car. We were talking about you the other day. You know Gina's in town? We were wondering what happened with the two of you. Always thought you two would be married with kids of your own.”
    The pulse was pounding in Mason's temple. He'd thought that, too. It turned out Gina hadn't—and she'd never even had the guts to tell him to his face that she didn't want him. He stared at Cody for a moment.
    Cody gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry.”
    Mason shook his head. “No need. Say hi to Brandy for me. I can't stop, I need to get back down the valley.” He started to walk away but turned back when Cody called after him.
    “She was in the pharmacy about five minutes ago.”
    The pounding filled his ears.
    Cody shrugged. “Just saying.”
    Mason backed out into the traffic on Main Street. The pharmacy was a quarter of a mile farther down. He craned his neck to look inside as he drove by. He couldn't see her. What the hell was he thinking anyway? She'd refused to speak to him for years. Why would that be about to change today? He kept asking himself the question as he pulled into an empty space. As he turned off the ignition, the pulse in his temple pounded even louder. He'd pulled in right next to her dad's old truck. He'd just sit here and wait for her to come back.
    A few short minutes later, he saw her come out onto the street. The blood pounding in his temple was deafening now. She was beautiful. Older. She'd been a girl back then, she was all woman now. Her hair was shorter, less wild, but still framed her perfect little pixie face. She'd always had a great figure. Curves that drove him wild. She'd filled out a little, the cut of her jacket emphasized a perfect hour-glass he needed to get reacquainted with. His heart clenched in his chest as he watched her greet Mr. Towson from the post office. Her smile was still all kindness and fun rolled into one. He shifted in his seat as the blood pounded its way to the front of his pants. He was hard as a rock just seeing her bundled up in a coat and scarf at a hundred yards. What was he going to do when she reached her truck?
    He didn't have time to think about the answer to that one as she came around to the passenger side to put some bags on the seat. As she closed the door, he went with his gut. His mind didn't have time to figure out what to do, but his body knew what it wanted and acted on instinct. He opened his own door and slid out of the cab, landing in front of her as she turned around.
    In the narrow space between the two