The Rancher And The RunawayBride: Part 2 Read Free Page A

touched her, mostly because his concern was involuntary. He was the last
     of the good guys.
    “My boss just gave me a raise. I’ve got plenty.”
    “Have fun.”
    He disappeared out onto the street. Randi looked over the store, then started toward
     the racks of dresses against the far wall. She needed something for the dance. Maybe
     she would pick up another pair of jeans and some T-shirts, too.
    An hour and fifteen minutes later, she stepped onto the escalator to the ground floor.
     She’d bought a simple summer dress, on sale, along with a pair of jeans and two shirts.
     In the shoe department, she’d found an inexpensive pair of pumps. Everything she’d
     purchased had cost less than the cheapest dress in her closet in Grand Springs. If
     it didn’t have a designer label on it, her mother didn’t want it in the house.
    Those clothes weren’t her, she thought as she moved down the center aisle, glancing
     left and right, looking for Brady. It had taken her a long time to finally figure
     out she didn’t care about who made the clothes as long as they fit and were comfortable.
     Keeping up with the latest styles didn’t interest her, nor did she worry about a trendy
     haircut. Thank goodness, because with her unruly curls, she was destined to always
     look a little messy.
    She reached the front door, then turned back to face the store. On the far side, in
     the middle of the “creams and junk” department, she saw Brady talking with an older
     woman. From the way they chatted and laughed, they must be old friends. That made
     sense. Growing up near a town this small, Brady probably knew just about everyone.
    As she crossed the store, she tried to ignore the flickering in her stomach. The butterflies
     had returned. She sighed. She wanted her nerves to be about coming to town, not about
     Brady. While he was nice and handsome and a lot of good things, he wasn’t for her.
    She paused in the middle of the teen department and stared at him. He was so different
     from Hal. Not just in looks, but in temperament and style. Hal was the kind of man
     who measured every action based on how it would look and how many votes it was worth.
     So different from his mother, Olivia, the beloved mayor of Grand Springs. Hal was
     more like Randi’s mother—cold and always calculating. One the other hand, Brady acted
     a certain way because he believed it was right, regardless of who might or might not
     be watching. Hal was a politician down to his bones. Brady was just a man.
    She’d known her ex-fiancé for years, yet, looking back at their courtship, she could
     easily admit she’d never known him at all. Brady had been in her life two-and-a-half
     weeks, yet she felt that she understood him and the code by which he lived.
    Brady looked up and saw her. “You about finished?” he asked.
    She nodded and held up her bags. “I’ve bought as much as I can carry. That’s when
     it’s time for me to leave.”
    He walked over and relieved her of most of her purchases. “I thought we might stop
     at the ice cream shop on the way out of town. I’ve got a taste for a hot fudge sundae.”
    Randi raised her eyebrows. “It’s nearly four o’clock. You’ll spoil your dinner.”
    “I know. You have to promise not to tell Tex.”
    Ice cream and hot fudge? How could she resist? “I’d love to join you,” she said. “If
     we try really hard, I’ll bet we can eat just as much dinner, too.”
    “Deal.”
    They shared a conspiratorial glance, then headed toward the street. Even though it
     was a temporary situation, Randi enjoyed fitting in. Brady was different off the ranch.
     Freer. Or maybeit was both of them. She’d been worried about coming into town, but she was having
     fun. Somewhere in the past couple of weeks, Brady had become a friend. Even if he
     didn’t know the truth about her, even if she needed to keep her secrets, she believed
     that he would be there for her if she ever needed him.
    For the first time