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Chapter 150: Realization
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2022-10-20 14:18:05Related chapters
Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 151: Wisdom From Rolly
Chapter 151: Wisdom From RollyHunter watched as the young man headed down the trail. He figured he should go help them, maybe spell Hoyt and give him a chance to get some more sleep. But he was drawn to the cabin.Maybe it was a sense of wanting to punish himself, some masochistic urge to beat himself up over the way he'd treated Poppy, the way he'd just assumed that she'd played him. But whatever it was, he was helpless to stop himself from going up the front steps and entering the cabin.Rolly's pack was neatly stowed in the corner, but beyond that, there was precious little to differentiate the cabin from the way it had been that stormy night. As he stood in the doorway, in his mind's eye he saw Poppy, her red hair soaked from the rain, dressed in that ratty old flannel shirt as she wrapped him in a dry blanket. He'd been cold that night, soaked to the skin, as close to hypothermia as he'd ever been. And she'd used her body to warm his. Standing there now on the chilled aut
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 152: A Plan
Chapter 152: A PlanIt might have been early in the day for a shot of bourbon, but Hunter slugged one back nevertheless. The miniature mountain cabin sat perched in the center of his desk. Having just come from the real one, he was again amazed at the similarities. It wasn't possible Poppy had had it made custom, was it?He shook his head. During his ride back down the mountain, a plan had begun to form in his mind. First things first, there was something he needed to do. He picked up his office phone and dialed Bill Albright's cell."Hunter, how's the new head of the McFall Economic Development Council?" the sheriff laughed.Hunter rolled his eyes. He'd forgotten about that fiasco."Hey, Bill, how are you?""Doing fine, just fine. What can I do for you?"Hunter hesitated for a moment. "I'm about to ask you to do something that might kind of skirt the law a little."Silence greeted Hunter on the other end."Bill?""What are we talking about here?" Albright asked cautiously."I
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 153: Heading to New York
Chapter 153: Heading to New YorkAfter he left Mountain Vista, Hunter headed back the way he'd come, pulling off at the Airport Inn on 4th Avenue. The hotel was a plain but serviceable place to stay, its main appeal being that it was located less than a mile from the airport. Hunter's first flight left at 6:00 the following morning, which was why he'd decided to stay in town overnight. Well, that and he'd wanted to take the opportunity to see his grandfather. As he carried his small duffel bag into the spartan but clean king room, he was once again grateful for how lucid his grandfather had been. The visit had gone immensely better than he'd expected. Now if only things went as well when he saw Poppy. He'd considered calling her, telling her he was on his way, but he'd decided against it. The things he needed to say to her, she deserved to hear in person.He spent another restless night and was up before his alarm sounded. He showered, shaved and trimmed his facial hair, an
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 154: Surprises of All Kinds
Chapter 154: Surprises of All KindsA cool gust chilled Poppy as she headed back to the apartment. Shifting a mesh shopping bag over her left shoulder, she closed the flowy beige cardigan more tightly around herself. Her shift at Cuppa Joe's had seemed long today, and she was tired. The thought of resting her feet on her coffee table and watching something mindless on television was tremendously appealing.Necessity had required a stop by the market on her way home from work. Since her departure from Slade & Howell, she'd put herself on a strict budget. The bunch of sunflowers in her bag alongside a few grocery items was an extravagant treat.She crossed at the corner with a dozen other pedestrians, each preoccupied with his or her own thoughts. In her own mind, she pictured the steps of her first-floor walk-up. "Thank God it's the first floor," she muttered to herself.Halfway down the block, she gazed up toward her brownstone apartment building and saw a familiar figure standi
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 155: Words
Chapter 155: WordsPoppy squeezed her eyes shut against the emotions that swept over her. Steeling herself, she turned to face him. "What am I supposed to do with that?" Her tone was biting.His eyes widened, and he looked like she'd punched him in the gut. "I just…wanted to tell you.""Words, Hunter. Just...words." Thinking of all she'd been through in the last several months, she shook her head. "Maybe in the movies that makes everything okay. But this is real life."Her heart pounded in her chest. I have to do it. He deserves to know. "You mentioned that I didn't win. Well, I didn't exactly walk away empty-handed."Feeling like she was in a warped dream, she opened the oatmeal-colored cardigan and slipped it off. She'd recently had to give up her favorite Levis in favor of maternity jeans with a wide stretchy waist. Hunter's jaw went slack as he took in the four-month baby bump just noticeable beneath her long white three-quarter-sleeve t-shirt."How did… When did…"
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 156: Hormones
Chapter 156: HormonesShe leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him, devouring his lips with surprising intensity. Emboldened, Hunter wrapped one arm around her waist, using his left hand to cup her ass and press her against his erection, his lips matching the heat of her kiss. He was breathless when she broke their connection. "Come with me." She took his hand and led him to a narrow stairway he hadn't noticed when he'd first entered the apartment. At the top of the stairs was a low-ceilinged loft that was the bedroom. A Bohemian quilt in a bright turquoise and orange pattern covered her low full-size bed. Beside the bed was a tiny square table of wood, and completing the space was a small matching wardrobe. Breathlessly, Poppy pushed up on her toes and kissed him with the same fervor she'd had downstairs. Without breaking the kiss, she shed the cardigan, dropping it on the floor before she started tugging his shirttail out of the waist of his jeans. Only when she had to
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 157: Pizza
Chapter 157: PizzaAlthough he knew that New York is supposed to be the 'city that doesn't sleep,' Hunter was mildly surprised that the sidewalks were nearly as busy at eight o'clock at night as they had been in the afternoon. After they'd dressed in Poppy's loft bedroom, they'd left the apartment heading in the same direction from which Poppy had come after work. Hunter was just as glad they didn't run into Roxy on their way out. While the man had been nice enough, Hunter couldn't shake the feeling that the drag queen had been more than ready and willing to kick his ass. But according to Poppy, at that time of the evening, Roxy's workday was just beginning.A few blocks from the apartment, Poppy waved toward the front window of a trendy-looking coffee shop. The door was propped open in the cool fall evening, and the place seemed busy. An acoustic guitar duo occupied stools on a tiny stage in the corner and music filtered out onto the sidewalk. "This is where I work," she told
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 158: Now What?
Chapter 158: Now What?After Hunter paid their bill, they headed out into the night. Poppy turned to him. "I kind of wanted to take you on a little tour but to tell you the truth, I'm a bit tired."He smiled down at her. "We have time. You've been on your feet all day. Let's save the tour for tomorrow."Poppy nodded, slipping her hand into his as they walked up the sidewalk toward her apartment. She smiled up at him, and he raised her hand to his lips, brushing them against her knuckles. She felt a pang in her chest. This was Hunter, the man she'd fallen for those months ago. The father of her child. The man she thought she might never see again. She watched her feet as they walked. So now what? Now that we've sorted out the misunderstanding that tore us apart, what happens next? Eventually, he goes back to Idaho. And I have another job interview tomorrow. How do we move forward?Glancing up at him, she decided to push those thoughts away for another time.Back at the
Last Updated : 2022-10-20
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