The Ranger's Passionate Love by Nicole Jordan Page B

trudging in to drop off their work aprons. "Hey," Kyara followed up, "I never promised it would be easy."
     
    The teens nodded vaguely, grabbing leftovers to take home as they left. Kyara finished up, moving on auto-pilot as she scrubbed down the kitchen.
     
    Just as she was about to leave, a knock came at the door.
     
    A tingle of nerves ran along Kyara's spine. Knocks on the door late at night were seldom good news.
     
    It'll be fine , Kyara told herself. One of the teen terrors probably just forgot their homework here or something.
     
    Kyara walked to the front door, deliberately carrying a frying pan with her as she went. She peeked out the front window before going to the door, wondering who it could be.
     
    Jason stood in the cold autumn air, his arms wrapped tightly around a paper bag. Kyara jerked her head back from the window in surprise.
     
    What's he doing here? As far as she knew, he hadn't come back to the restaurant since the afternoon of their fight.
     
    "Kyara?" Jason called out. "Can you open the door, please? It's pretty cold out here."
     
    "What do you want," she called back.
     
    "I have a business proposal for you."
     
    That gave her real pause. She opened the door. Cool autumn air blasted in through the frame, cutting straight through the soft linens she used to keep cool in the kitchen. Kyara yelped.
     
    "Come in or go away, but I'm closing this door," she said, hunching away from the cold.
     
    Jason stepped in, taking the door and closing it behind him.
     
    They stood for a moment, just staring at each other. Kyara crossed her arms, prepared to wait him out.
     
    "Thank you for letting me in," he said at last. Kyara gave him a long, level look before replying.
     
    "You said you had a business proposal. You'd best get to it. I don't get much time in my bed, and you're keeping me from it." Kyara flushed.
     
    Damnit, brain. Why'd you have to say in your bed? What's wrong with 'asleep'? 'Asleep' works fine. Why mention bed?
     
    Even with her mind running in circles, Kyara tried to keep her gaze steady, her face a careful blank.
     
    "Yeah, it's, um, here." Jason shifted his weight, thrusting the bag at her awkwardly. Kyara took it, careful not to touch his fingers. She peered inside.
     
    "Collard Greens?" she asked in shock. "Where did you get collard greens?"
     
    He shrugged.
     
    "They do grow up here," he said. "They're just not as popular. I have Okra, too, but it's not quite ready yet."
     
    Kyara stared at him, mouth dropping open.
     
    "Where are you growing okra in this weather? It's getting way too cold."
     
    Jason searched her face carefully, watching her every reaction.
     
    "I rented some space from Mr. Fitch in his greenhouse." He blushed, adding, "Then I rented some more space. I didn't realize quite how big they get."
     
    "You better make sure you keep them under control," Kyara said, a little bemused. "If they get out of hand they're going to go everywhere."
     
    Jason chuckled a little at himself.
     
    "Yeah, I didn't realize quite how much I was buying when I bought five plants. I kinda of thought it was going to be a little token, not ..."
     
    "Enough to feed a family of ten?" supplied Kyara.
     
    "Yeah," he agreed.
     
    "Alright. You have my attention." Kyara allowed, squaring her shoulders and preparing to bargain with him. "What do you want for them?"
     
    Jason paused, his eyes wandering her face.
     
    "Your forgiveness," he said at last.
     
    The request stopped her short, her mind trying to switch gears.
     
    "What?" she asked.
     
    "I want you to forgive me. For not being clear from the beginning. Not that I set out to lie to you or anything, it just sort of happened. But I shouldn't have let it, at least not if I was going to pursue you romantically. But I did, so I'm sorry."
     
    Kyara took a moment to consider.
     
    "I have a history with men lying to me," she told Jason. "Especially about their jobs. What you did wasn't okay. It was a big deal to