Page 42 of In Love with a Ranger

Those single broken words uttered between them meant so much, and he could feel himself tearing up almost as much as she seemed to be.

“I care too… can you take off the gloves?” he laughed tearfully. “I’m going to hug you whether you are ready for it or not.”

“Can you kiss me?” she wept tearfully, yanking off the filthy gloves as he crossed three stalls to her in less than a second, crushing his lips against hers as he pulled her into his arms.

Christina kissed him passionately, practically climbing up his shoulders, wrapping her arms around his neck, and he laughed. It was so wonderful to feel her close to him again, and he needed this simple affection so much, just anything to show her what she meant to him. He didn’t bother fighting back the tears as he whispered against her hair.

“Sweetheart, I don’t ever want us fighting. A part of me dies inside when we argue…”

“Me too,” she admitted softly. “I like you calling me ‘sweetheart’…”

“I like saying it, because you are mine – and I’m never letting you go,” he said tenderly and threw down his crutch, walking on his cast. “I love you, Christina, and if I’m an overbearing twerp, just say something to me.” Her tearful laughter was the balm his soul needed as he carried her back to one of the stalls.

“What are we doing?”

“Taking advantage of the silence…” He didn’t want anything to interrupt this fragile peace between them. He wanted to hold her close, talk, kiss, and take some photos of them as a couple on his phone so he could text them to his family – and in essence, he wanted them to become a true couple, a loving couple. “We’re finally talking more than we have in a week – and I’ve missed you.”

He set her down in the empty horse stall where he’d put fresh hay earlier and looked at her.

“This is where you are comfortable, where your beloved cows are, and I just want us to hold each other and talk,” he began, taking her hand and moving to sit down on the hay. “Do you mind?”

“Here? You want to cuddle and keep talking here?”

“Is that okay?”

“Won’t someone come in here and think we’re doing something?”

“They can think what they want – and no. I blocked the door with my other crutch. Can I just say that I am so ready for this thing to get cut off of me in a week,” he smiled tenderly at her and patted the hay beside him. “C’mon, and let’s pretend it’s just us – forever.”

Christina stood there, looking at him, and hesitated, meeting his eyes.

“No.”

11

* * *

CHRISTINA

The moment Christina said that single word, she knew Gideon was thinking the worst. It hung in the air for what felt like an eternity as a worry line appeared on his brow, and his Adam’s apple bobbed nervously. He held up his hand to her again – and saw it trembling.

“Please,” he said hoarsely.

“I don’t want to go back to how things were,” she whispered painfully. “I can’t. I can’t feel like I’m just existing beside you and never getting close. Gideon, I think you are an incredible person…”

“But?” he whispered as a tear streaked down his cheek, staring up at her with his heart on his sleeve. “But it’s not enough?”

“I want more,” she whispered and saw his eyes widen in shock as she untucked her shirt from her jeans and moved to kneel before him, where he sat. “I want the man that loves me to hold me, to talk to me, to tell me that he loves me – and if we go back to how things were, then none of that happens.” She reached out and wiped the tear from his face as he stared at her in surprise and fear.

“Are you sure?” he breathed openly, his eyes searching hers. “Because I want that too. I want a relationship, laughter, a home, and love…”

“I do, too,” she smiled nervously. “I want our friendship, but I want our relationship so much more… and babies,” she chuckled tearfully. “Gideon, I want to have babies while we can chase them around and – Oh!”

Gideon grabbed her and flipped her into the hay beside him, chuckling softly as he brushed his nose against hers.

“Keep telling me about our babies…” he whispered tenderly. “You want to have babies with me?”

“I think I do,” she breathed shyly. “I mean, I know it would change things and…”

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