Once A Ranger

Steeling herself to make the right decision for once, Kat ignored her reawakened libido and managed a frosty glare for Tony. “I’ll be the judge of what—and whom—is best for me. But thanks anyway.”

With that, she flipped her hair over her shoulder, smacking him in the face with it. Anything to get the man to back off and stay out of her personal space.

Anything.

She managed to ignore Tony all through the meal. And then Linda broke the group into pairs for icebreaker exercises after dessert, circulating a brown paper sack. “It looks like our newlyweds have chosen to forgo the welcoming activities, which is quite understandable. But it means we have a small group. Each of the ladies needs to pick one slip of paper from the bag for your partner’s name. Then follow me to the playground out back.”

Tony groaned.

Kat felt the same way. Especially after she drew his name. For a woman who had recently won the lottery, she would have expected better luck. But then again, she’d had to split her winnings with four other people and contribute a healthy chunk to Uncle Sam.

Some self-destructive impulse prodded her to bait this Tony. “What’s the matter? Chicken?”

In retrospect, it felt an awful lot like the impulse that had told her Zach had potential.

And she knew how well that had worked out.

CHAPTER TWO

THE LIGHT OF CHALLENGE in Kat’s blue-green eyes made Tony reconsider inconspicuously strolling away from this kiddie playground and whatever icebreaker Linda had cooked up. Ex-Rangers did not do party games.

Until Kat made a clucking noise with her tongue that sounded suspiciously like a chicken.

He’d never walked away from a challenge. Folding his arms over his chest, he considered his options now that he knew for a fact Will Sterling was staying at Phoenix Rising. Being seated at dinner with the man had been a welcome stroke of luck.

An adjusted cover was essential, since Teresa wasn’t here to play the role of his wealthy sister. If he appeared to be a man on the make, he would have plenty of reason to mingle with the female guests while keeping an eye on Sterling. And it might just give him the opportunity to befriend the man, one stud to another.

Hitting on Kat would be an easy way to plant that perception right away. And he wouldn’t be risking his hormones getting the better of him, because she wasn’t his type. It seemed like a doable solution.

Tony was distracted watching Will from the corner of his eye. He had been paired with Lola, and they were close enough that Tony could eavesdrop on their conversation.

“If I can do it, you can do it.” Kat’s disdain was evident as she taunted him. Tony had no idea why she’d taken an instant dislike to him, but he intended to change that, and very publicly.

“You’re on, red.”

“I might have to hurt you if you call me that again. My hair is auburn, for your information.”

“Duly noted.”

Linda walked over and handed him a bandanna. “First, I’ll blindfold one person in each pair. Then I want the sighted partner to describe his or her favorite piece of play equipment from childhood, but you can’t name it.”

Tony raised an eyebrow, several locker room jokes coming to mind.

“Keep it clean,” Kat muttered.

“That wasn’t part of the instructions.”

Covering his eyes with the bandanna, Linda knotted it snugly at the back of his head. “Behave yourselves. This is an icebreaker, not the battle of the sexes.”

What had seemed harmless suddenly made Tony want to rip off the offending cloth. It went against every instinct to render himself helpless.

He cursed under his breath.

“I’ll be gentle, I promise.” Kat’s whisper made him want to laugh. She was in over her head.

Tony heard Lorraine—or was it Lola?—giggle nervously as she was blindfolded. Then tell her partner she’d loved to swing as a child.

“Lorraine, you’re making it too easy.” Linda’s tone was patient. “The idea is to give ambiguous clues. And when your partner guesses correctly or gives up, you may lead him to the appropriate equipment.”

Tony was glad he could screen out Lorraine’s conversation now, since she’d been paired with the older man. It was time to work on his cover and get into the spirit of competition. “What was your favorite, Kat? I have you pegged for a tomboy doing death-defying stunts on the monkey bars, showing all the boys you were better than them.”

“Nice guess. My favorite required more imagination, though it was generally a solo endeavor.”

“You were a loner, huh? Your clue’s still too general. That could be anything on this playground, with the exception of the teeter-totter.”

“Okay, my mind whirled with possibilities.”

“The merry-go-round.”

“Wrong again.” Her voice became thoughtful, almost soft. “I could fly through the air…climb the Himilayas….”

“Swings?”

“You’re not concentrating.” Now it sounded as if she was smiling.

He was distracted from his purpose for a moment. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” he accused.

“Immensely.”

“Just remember, paybacks are a killer.”

Her sigh brushed his cheek, smelling of peppermint.

Tony dropped his arms to his sides. “Go ahead, toy with me all you want.” He had to admit she had his complete attention, and he was enjoying himself more than he’d anticipated. It wasn’t just the mystery the blindfold provided. It was her in-your-face attitude.

Fingers snapped near his ear. “Pay attention. All the other partners are already changing blindfolds. Did your mother ever tell you not to judge a book by its cover?” she asked.

“Yes, but I didn’t listen to much she said back then. Now I’m more willing to admit she’s a truly wise woman. How about your mom? Is she wise?”

When there was no response, he asked, “Kat?”

“I heard you. My mother has nothing to do with this. Stay on topic, please, and listen closely. You know, you could take a page from your mother right now.”

“Huh?”

Kat let out a huff of exasperation. “Those were clues, Einstein. Now concentrate—covers, pages, imagination…”

Irritating her was fun. She was like a pesky younger sister. Maybe Linda had something here with the play ground theme.