I'm Not Afraid of Wolves (The Cotton Candy Quintet Book 4) Read Online Free

across his face. “Something like that.”
    He opened the door and gestured for me to go ahead.
    “It may be wasted,” I told him as I stepped outside. “I’m only here for a few days.”
    “Being nice to a pretty lady is never wasted,” he said. Southern hospitality at its finest. “So you’re here for camping?”
    “Yeah. Up off the Chattooga River. We’re staying at my friend’s cabin.” She wasn’t technically my friend, but you don’t go into that kind of detail when you’re chit-chatting with a hot park ranger.
    “The McMillan Cabin?”
    “I have no idea,” I said truthfully. “Do cabins have names out here?” Like they did in movies?
    “Some do,” he said good-naturedly. “The nice ones do. Any special reason?”
    Sara’s words and worry flitted through my mind, but I managed to keep my expression the same. “We just wanted a nice, relaxing vacation.”
    “Oh, you’ll get relaxing out there,” he said. He pulled out his wallet and handed me a business card. Colton Donnelly, Park Ranger. And there was phone number underneath it.
    “What’s this?” I asked.
    “Just call me if there’s anything you need.”
    “I don’t get cellphone reception up here.”
    He pressed his lips into a fine line, and I marveled at how it accentuated his jawline. “That’s a problem out here. Lack of reception for some carriers. Just keep an eye out. There lots of things to watch out for.”
    “Lots of mountain lions?” I joked.
    “And wolves,” he added. “But if you ever find yourself with cell phone coverage and want to talk or have a drink…” His voice trailed off and he grinned.
    “Like a date?” I asked. I was born and raised in the city. I had no idea how you would even date out here.
    “Yes, Miss…?” He paused and frowned. “Please tell me it’s just ‘Miss’.”
    I laughed. “ Miss Christine Driver,” I said, using my maiden name, even though I hadn’t legally changed it yet. Yeah, yeah, I know. I just didn’t do it for the longest time, and now it feels pointless.
    “Colton Donnelly,” he said, holding out his hand for me to shake. I took it.
    “Nice to meet you. Well,” I said, “I should get going. We have another forty-five minutes or so.” According to GPS, most of that wasn’t on a paved road, so it was going to be interesting to see how my car sickness handled it.
    “Likewise,” he said. “Just be careful out there, all right?” He tipped his hat to me again.
    “Will do.”
    I took that opportunity to jog back to the Jeep where Andrea let out a low whistle.
    “Look at Christine, flirting with the locals,” she jokingly catcalled.
    I couldn’t help the grin that was spreading across my face as I settled into the passenger’s seat. “He was nice. Do you know him?”
    Andrea frowned. “You don’t forget a face like that.”
    Sara watched me with an amused expression as she put the Jeep into gear. “Christine always goes native wherever she is. Whether it’s mermaids or in Vegas.”
    I looked out the window to see Officer Donnelly get into a huge F-350 with “Georgia State Park Ranger” on the side. The big truck fit him like a glove.
    Well, that was an unexpected turn of events on this vacation. And for the first time, I’d forgotten all about my worries for the mermaids.

Chapter 4
     
    “Oh, how pretty!” Sara exclaimed as she slammed the door behind her. “Andrea, I was expecting something rustic, but this is…”
    “Awe-inspiring?” I finished for her, getting out of the Jeep myself.
    “Yeah, that,” Sara agreed.
    “It’s been in my family for a long time,” Andrea said, crossing her arms. “I try to come out here at least once a year.”
    The cabin was nowhere near as rough as I’d imagined it to be. It was made out of wood, sure, but this was a two-story structure complete with a stonework chimney and green metal roof. There was even a deck that overlooked the river with a grill on it.
    I’d been expecting something more in the