Page 71 of Savage Rancher
Her eyes find mine across the bar, and something in her expression shifts. Relief. Need. Trust.
I cross the room in four strides and pull her into me.
"Hey," she whispers.
"Hey." I take her chin in my hand and kiss her—hard. I feel the entire bar watching, quiet again.
Good. Let them see. Let them know. I don’t care what Turner thinks. Emma and me? It’s right.
When I pull back, her cheeks are flushed, her breathing uneven.
"You okay?" I ask quietly, cupping her neck.
"Yeah." She glances around the bar, noticing the stares. "Uh, Jake, we’re putting on a show."
I pull her closer, lowering my mouth to her ear. "Just making sure everyone knows you're with me."
Her eyes widen slightly. "Why?—"
"Come on." I keep my arm around her, guiding her back to the table. "Let me buy my girlfriend a drink."
The word feels strange on my tongue. Too small for what she is to me, but it's a start.
Emma stops and gapes at me. "Girlfriend?"
I raise an eyebrow. "If you want to be more, you're going to have to ask me."
Humor and something deeper fill her gaze. "Noted," she says, snuggling into my side and winding her arm around my waist. In front of everyone. She might as well have branded me.
And I love it.
I love her.
68
EMMA
The bar is still watching us.
I can feel their eyes—curious, shocked, calculating. Iron Ridge doesn't miss anything, and what they're witnessing right now is Jake Callahan publicly claiming me like I’m his to claim.
And I'm letting him. More than letting him—I'm choosing it.
"Girlfriend," I repeat, shaking my head as I test the word. It's small and insufficient, but he gave me the choice to ask for more.
And I will. Just not here. Not yet—not while I’m deliberately hiding things from him.
We settle at the table, and I get a drink. Luke’s propped his forearms on the table, telling us a story about a horse a neighbor had when he was growing up in Northern California, when I notice that Mason’s not paying attention. He's not looking at Jake or me or even at Cole Turner, who's still nursing his whiskey at the bar like a man who just realized he's stepped into a pile of shit.
Mason’s looking at Lily Carter.
I hadn’t noticed her at the bar despite her golden hair. She must feel my eyes, because she looks over her shoulder with her careful gaze, relaxing when she sees it’s me. She smiles at me, but then she catches sight of the men, and it falters.
“Who’s that?” Jake asks. He’s practically glued to my side, but I don’t mind.
“Lily Carter.” I take a sip of my beer. “I met her when I was having drinks with Harper last week. She’s the new vet in town. She’s single,” I say deliberately, shooting Mason a grin.
Luke notices and cranes his neck to check out Lily. When he turns back around, he leans over and whispers something to Jake, who glances at Mason, then at the woman, then back at me with the faintest hint of amusement.
