I reached up.
Grabbed the front of his shirt.
His eyes widened.
The Magnolia Ladies stopped breathing.
Probably.
Then I kissed him.
Right there.
In the middle of the pasture.
In broad daylight.
In front of God.
The ranch.
And half of Eagle River. I was sure the ladies were sharing this with their friends.
For one glorious second, the giant Ranger froze.
Completely shocked.
Then his arms wrapped around me.
And suddenly I understood exactly why waiting had been such a bad idea.
Because Beast definitely knew how to kiss.
The man had simply been refusing to start.
Behind us, cheering erupted.
Actual cheering.
I pulled back laughing.
The Magnolia Ladies were celebrating like they'd won the lottery.
Mrs. Jenkins wiped away tears.
Doris looked triumphant.
Betty was probably planning a wedding already.
Beast looked horrified.
I looked delighted.
And for the first time since Gerald appeared...
The future suddenly looked very, very bright.
32
