“I’ve never heard them called that before, but it fits.”
A funny expression settles over her face. “There was a guy in Merryville who asked me about backcountry foraging. He wanted to hire a guide to bring him into the mountains. You don’t think …”
“What did he look like?”
“An arrogant creep in an expensive sweater driving a Mercedes. I don’t know … I didn’t pay much attention to his face.”
“He randomly approached you?”
“I was in the NPS loaner. People see it and feel compelled to talk to me. Rangers have a reputation for being friendly and helpful.”
“I don’t like strange men trying to pick you up in random parking lots.”
“He wasn’t flirting with me. Tell your jealousy to stand down. You’re missing the point—what if he was a truffle pirate trying to get the dirt on your operation?”
“You’re making a huge leap based on little information.”
“He looked like a man who enjoys spending exorbitant amounts of money on fungus.”
“No one besides me—and now you—knows this location. None of my buyers, not my family, not even my friends … if I had any.”
“This is why you park your van at the trailhead and hike down here with a backpack and Patsy, your ever present sidekick.” She points her finger at me as pieces snap into place. “You’re not a weirdo … you’re only playing one, like an evil genius, supervillain running your fungus empire right under everyone’s noses.”
“Well, under Patsy’s and Roman’s noses at least. Humans don’t have the olfactory power to detect the truffle’s under the dirt.”
She gives me a blank look.
“Thanks for calling me a genius, by the way. I’ll take the compliment.”
“I have a question.” Hurt darkens her expression. “Why didn’t you tell me about the truffles before? You can trust me—I’m a ranger.”
“And because of that, I assumed your loyalties would be with the park.”
She frowns. “You’re not wrong.”
“Remember how upset you were about the apples? How you suspected me of illegal activities?”
With a dip of her chin, she confirms she does.
“I didn’t know you well enough to trust you with this secret.”
“Why bring me out to the orchard? Was it some kind of a test? A red herring?”
“More the latter. I’m not proud of the deception.”
“What if that day I’d seen the filbert grove and asked questions?”
“I think we were both too distracted by lust to notice much of anything besides getting each other naked.”
She averts her eyes for a second. “True. I was trying to figure out how we could have all the sex right then and cursing my love of pants.”
I give her a confused look.
“Skirts and dresses are more conducive to quickies. Think about it.”
“If it’s about having sex with you, I do think about it—a lot. Probably more than is healthy.”
A spark of lust brightens her warm brown eyes before it quickly dims. “Can I get a raincheck on having sex with you outside until it’s warm again? I don’t want to worry about important body parts getting frostbite.”
“Smart.” I close the distance between us and wrap my arms around her torso.
Nearby, Patsy and Roman continue snuffling the ground.
“If I don’t supervise them, Patsy will follow him around and eat all the truffles he finds. While I love her, I’m not letting her have a thousand-dollar snack.” I release my hold on Daphne.
“Can I help?”
“That would be great. Thank you.” I squeeze her hands between both of mine. “I’ll manage Patsy if you keep track of him. Tell him to drop it if he finds one.”
“Got it.”
While we monitor the hunters, she peppers me with questions about cultivation and the harvest. Because we’re early in the season, I don’t anticipate finding a large quantity of truffles today. Also, it’s damn cold out. After another few minutes, I whistle and recall both animals.
“How many did we get?” Daphne hands me two lemon-sized truffles to add to my collection.
“We?” I tease as I estimate the total weight. “I’d say a couple pounds at least.”
“Impressive.”
“Glad you think so. Let’s get out of here and I’ll make you a feast for dinner. You have to taste them to understand why they’re so expensive. There’s nothing quite like a fresh truffle.”
Her lips purse.
I sigh. “You’re not a fan of mushrooms.”
“No, but I’m willing to trust you to change my mind.”
“Want to bet on it?”
Her brows tug together. “Did you ever collect on our first bet? I don’t remember.”
“Originally I was going to use it to convince you to go to the party with me. When you went willingly, I banked it to collect at a later date.”
She balks. “That isn’t allowed.”
“Who says? My bet, my rules.” I flash her my charming grin.
She glowers. “Your charms don’t work on me.”
“Don’t they?” I sweep her into my arms and kiss her breathless. “You did fall in love with me.”
“Just a technicality.”
Epilogue
Daphne
“You’d think people would be used to seeing a pig walked on a leash,” I whisper to Odin as we stroll through downtown Green Valley. Holiday lights decorate the streets, and the windows are all aglow with festive displays of the season.
“I’m guessin’ it might be the red and green striped scarf tied around Patsy’s neck.” Even if he’s laughing at me, it’s still my favorite sound. “You know she doesn’t get cold like you do, right?”
“How do you know?” I tip my head to the side.
“You’re adorable.” He touches his gloved finger to my nose. “Well, for one thing, she has a nice layer of fat to keep her warm. Think about a whale. Or bacon.”
Mouth agape in shock, I cover her pointy ears. “Odin Hill! Exnay on the aconbay. So rude. It’s bad enough we had to walk by the store advertising Christmas hams.”
Patsy snorts and shakes her head, displacing my hands.
“You do remember she’s a hog, right? She doesn’t understand most of what we say to her.”
“Still. The only pigs we should be eating are those adorable marzipan ones with the tiny candy mushrooms we saw in the fancy shop in Asheville.”
Since I’m now in on his truffle secret, I make the long drives with him to deliver the goods to his customers. I love our road trips, even if he insists on listening to foraging podcasts. With my feet on the dashboard and the man I love beside me, I feel like we could keep on driving forever, going anywhere the highways take us. We spend a lot of those hours talking about travel and where we want to go. Most of my adventures revolve around parks and natural wonders. Not surprisingly, Odin’s center on food.
He’s never seen the Grand Canyon in person, so after the holidays, we’re going to head west to Arizona for a week of sun, the red rocks of Sedona, and southwest-style Mexican food. I cannot wait for all of it.
Odin takes Patsy’s leash from my hand. “Come on, we’ve had enough strolling for one day. Snow’s comin’.”
Expecting to see flakes falling, I peer up at the flat gray sky. “How can you tell?”
“I can smell it on the wind,” he states, like this is something everyone can do.
I sniff and only smell sugary goodness from Donner Bakery.
“We should buy Patsy a slice of banana cake,” I suggest, pure innocence on my face.
“Nothing for you?” He tucks my hand into the crook of his elbow as he walks in the direction of the shop.
“I mean, if we’re already going to be in there to purchase cake, we could at least check out the muffin selection.” I sneak a peek at his face.
He gives me a closed-mouth smile. “Should probably buy a dozen.”<
br />
My eyes flit over his features, like I’m considering something important. “If there’s the possibility we could get snowed in, two dozen might be smarter. We could freeze them.”
“Good idea.” He leans down for a kiss, his nose cold against mine.
The idea of spending days together at his cabin sounds like heaven. Activities at the park have slowed way down, school visits are paused until the new year, and the farm is tucked in for winter, although Odin still has a few root vegetables in the ground. Other than making frequent visits to the filbert grove and delivering truffles to his customers, he is also enjoying the quiet of the coming winter.
Two bags of muffins in hand, we slowly meander our way back to the van. “If the snow isn’t too deep, can we take a hike tomorrow?”
“Sure. Where do you want to go?”
“I want to visit my chapel.”
“It’s yours now, is it?” He chuckles.
“I like to think of it as my personal sanctuary. I go there when I need to think or ask for guidance. Or talk to God.” My gaze shifts to my feet. “Imagine how beautiful it will be surrounded by freshly fallen powder. Magical.”
He lifts my chin with the tip of a finger. “Did I ever tell you the history of the chapel? Before it was relocated to the park?”
I shake my head.
“Ida’s grandfather built it for her grandmother when they settled in the area. He was a pastor.” Odin’s warm voice holds reverence for this revelation.
“My chapel is really Ida’s?” A shiver runs down my spine at the connection.
He nods. “I like to visit it sometimes, more for the connection to my family’s history and not so much for conversations or prayers.”
“It’s a beautiful building.”
In my head, I imagine marrying Odin in the chapel. An early summer wedding when the trees are bright green and flowers fill the meadow, transforming it into a colorful carpet of blooms. The building is so small, we’d only be able to invite a dozen people to witness our vows. No need to host the hundreds of Hills. We could throw a party after at the barn, though, even have a contra dance. Maybe a Maypole, with stack cakes and a banana cake for Patsy.
When I blink away the fantasy, I find Odin staring at me, a knowing smile tugging at his mouth.
He leans close to whisper against my lips. “You know, I think the chapel would be the perfect place for a wedding someday.”
I whole-heartedly agree. “Someday.”
Acknowledgments
To SO, we survived another book. Thank you for loving me even when I’m on deadline and surly.
To Penny Reid, once again, thank you for forming Smartypants Romance and allowing us to play in your worlds. I am grateful for your faith, encouragement, insight, patience, and most of all, your friendship.
To my readers, thanks for following me back to Tennessee and embracing this new series. To the Reiders, thank you for taking a chance on these books.
Continued gratitude for the sisterhood of Smartypants Romance authors. Thank you for your encouragement, handholding, laughter, and support.
Fiona Fischer, thank you for everything you do. Someday, we’ll go back to Italy. Brooke Nowiski, thank you for all you do for Smartypants Romance. Thank you to my PA, Jennifer Beach, for holding faith in my this last year.
To my editor, Caitlin Nelson, thank you for your continued faith in my writing. To Janice Owen, thank you for proofreading. Thanks to Sara M for all her insight on the NPS.
Lots of gratitude for my street team and review crew, thanks for sticking with me when I go quiet. To the members of Daisyland, my reader group on Facebook, thank you for chatting about books and life with me.
To all the bloggers and bookstagrammers, thank you for all that you do for the book community. Thank you for continuing to support me and my books.
I love hearing from readers. Come find me on social media and say hi, or email me at [email protected].
Mailing list
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Goodreads | BookBub
Website
About the Author
Daisy Prescott is a USA Today bestselling author of small town romantic comedies. Series include Modern Love Stories, Wingmen, Love with Altitude, as well as the Park Rangers books for Smartypants Romance. Tinfoil Heart is a romantic comedy standalone set in Roswell, New Mexico with a choose your-own-adventure ending.
Daisy currently lives in a real life Stars Hollow in the Boston suburbs with her husband, their rescue dog Mulder, and an indeterminate number of imaginary house goats. When not writing, she can be found in the garden, traveling to satiate her wanderlust, lost in a good book, or on social media, usually talking about books, bearded men, and sloths.
Find Daisy online:
Mailing list
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Goodreads | BookBub
Website
Find Smartypants Romance online:
Website: www.smartypantsromance.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/smartypantsromance/
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/smartypantsromance
Twitter: @smartypantsrom
Instagram: @smartypantsromance
Read on for:
1. A Sneak Peek of Code of Honor, Book #2 in the Cipher Security Series by April White.
2. Daisy’s Booklist
3. Smartypants Romance’s Booklist
Sneak Peek: Code of Honor, Book #2 in the Cipher Security Series by April White
Anna
“That awkward moment in a fight with my twin sister when one of us calls the other one ugly.”
Anna Collins
“If you can’t seduce him wearing this dress, I’m taking your woman card,” Colette said as she adjusted the hot pink silk evening gown lower on my chest.
“That’s a thing? I was clearly absent the day they handed those out.” I batted her hands away and hiked the straps up. “I don’t know how you wear this without boob-spillage. I’ve worn more substantial things to the beach.”
Colette scowled at me in the mirror. “You wear a wetsuit at the beach. And speaking of, why do you have a tan? It’s March.”
Even glaring at me, she was elegant and feminine and everything I wasn’t. It was a ridiculous thought for an identical twin to have, but facts were facts, and mirrors did not lie.
“Did you forget I just got back from a surfing trip to Australia?”
She sighed. “Sorry I don’t keep track of your surfing trips.” Colette was seven minutes older than me, but to her, I had all the sophistication of a ten-year-old tomboy. To be fair, I was a tomboy, but I was also a fully functioning adult who had been around the world a couple of times and occasionally went toe-to-toe with bail-jumpers.
“My point,” she said, finally smiling at me, “is that you look gorgeous, and if you’d stop fussing with the straps, no one would ever know you’re not me.”
I scoffed. “As long as I don’t try to walk, talk, or laugh, or do anything that requires coordination or grace.”
She shook her head. “I have no idea how you climb mountains or ride your motorcycle or jump out of planes. Honestly, Anna, for someone so athletic, you’re totally hopeless.”
I shrugged. “I bounce.”
And just like that, my boob popped out.
I shoved it back in and hiked up the strap again. “Seriously, how do you wear this thing? There’s no way I can seduce Gray if I’m constantly worried about falling out of your dress.”
“Good thing for you he’s been troweling on the charm for two months, so an actual seduction would be overkill,” my sister said with a smirk.
“An actual seduction requires looking seductive,” I grumbled as I adjusted the dress yet again in a futile attempt to hide the cleavage. “There is no part of me that is remotely comfortable or confident in this thing.”
Colette turned me toward her and put hot pink gloss on my lips. “Well, if I’m the one who goes to the party, then you have to
trust me to set everything up.”
“Uh-uh. No way. I do my own recon, and that way I always get out,” I said as I studied the oil slick on my mouth with a grimace. I touched my lips together and tried to open them, watching in revolted fascination as they stuck to each other.
“Then you have to be me, and you have to be sexy, and you have to make him invite you to stay so I can come back and be your alibi.” She slicked the pink goop on her own mouth and studied her reflection critically.
How was it possible that Colette, wearing jeans and a linen shirt, could look so effortlessly female, while I looked like a confused boy playing dress-up in his sister’s closet? We had exactly the same long, curly hair, courtesy of our mother, and the same weirdly long lashes on gray eyes, courtesy of Dad. We were genetically identical, and yet my body was awkwardly athletic while hers was willowy and slender. My laugh was loud and startling, and hers made fairies sigh and small woodland creatures come out and sing. She walked like a supermodel in stiletto heels while I teetered around like a drunk toddler in anything higher than Doc Martens combat boots.
It was humiliating to be Colette’s sister.
And I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
My sister watched me in the mirror. “Are you sure you don’t want me to go in and set things up? You can trust me, you know.”
I scowled at her. “I know I can trust you. I also know I have to do this part myself. Your photos were brilliant for planning this thing, but I’ve never been there, and if I’m going to be creeping around this guy’s place later, I want to walk the floors first.”
She sighed like a long-suffering older sister and tucked the pink lip slime into the pointless little evening bag that went with the dress. She handed it to me, along with the embossed invitation printed on super-swanky Italian paper, and then gave me her stern, big-sister look.
“Gray invited me because he knows I’m not seeing Mac anymore, and now that he’s done supervising the remodel, he doesn’t have to worry about pissing off his architect. He’s going to get you alone, and he’s going to hit on you. It’s what he’s been trying to do since we met, but I had Mac to shield me. My sweet-but-clueless boyfriend is now out of the picture, and Gray knows I wouldn’t come tonight unless I was prepared to hook up. I’m stating the obvious here so you remember that you don’t have to try too hard with this guy. Just set the meeting time and then stay the hell out of his way so he doesn’t wonder why you’re acting so weird.” Colette spoke completely without irony, and it made me wince just a little – not a lot, because I was a realist, but a little.
Stranger Ranger: An Opposites Attract Romance (Park Ranger Book 2) Page 24