Page 107 of Sheriff's City Girl

I chuckled, but then realized just how fatigued Jackson looked. He had been working his ass off on the case, and I understood his frustrations. The kid probably did need a break.

“Well, are you still seeing that one young lady?” Ron asked, changing the subject with an amused look on his face. “Or have you gotten bored?”

Jackson sighed. “No, I’m not bored with her, but I think she’s bored with me. She says all I ever do is just work.”

“And that’s why when we sit down, that’s all we ever talk about,” Ron burst into laughter. “Because that’s all we ever do.”

I agreed with a nod, my eyes scanning the place for Emma. She had spent the evening busy attending to everyone, and no matter how many times I tried to help her, she shooed me away, telling me to enjoy the evening. I appreciated her giving me the night off, but at the same time, I just wanted to hang out with her.

“Hey,” Emma’s voice came from behind me.

I spun around to look up at her, a smile on my face. “I was just thinking of you, honey.”

“Oh yeah?” She laughed. “Maybe that’s why my ears were burning to come and find you. I was hoping that maybe you had moment so that we could talk.”

I nodded, pushing back from the table and standing to my feet. “I always have time to talk to you.” I shot her a teasing wink, before grabbing her hand. “Lead the way.”

She nodded to Jackson and Ron, before leading me away from the table, her smile fading. “It’s time for us to count the money.”

I took a deep breath, my heart skipping a beat. “Okay.”

Chapter Forty-Seven

Emma

Istood over the donation box, anxiety building in my chest as I picked it up off the table and carried it toward the office of the barn. “I don’t want to get Lucas until we know how much we’ve gotten.”

“I agree,” Mason agreed, taking a nervous breath. “Do you think that we’ve made the goal? There was big turn out.”

I nodded. “I know, I just hope that it was enough.” I sat the box down on the desk, and pulled the key from my pocket, unlocking the box. Much to my surprise, it was full of checks and cash. “Grab the calculator.”

“Okay, okay,” Mason moved with agility. “Let’s do this.”

I started with the cash, and once we were done, I wasn’t feeling hopeful. It was a solid five thousand, but that would hardly put the bank off of Lucas’s back. “I hope the checks amount to more.”

“Me, too,” Mason grimaced, removing his hat, and running his fingers through his hair. “Let’s see what these add up to.”

My jaw dropped at the first check, seeing that it was three times the amount of what the cash had totaled to. “I can’t believe this…”

And they just kept coming.

Mason and I exchanged a knowing glance as we stared at the total of nearly one-hundred-thousand dollars as the reality set in…

“We did it,” Mason said in a near whisper. “I can’t believe it, but we did it.”

“I know,” I squealed, turning to him. I grabbed him and wrapped my arms around his neck. His lips found mine, and we fell into an intense kiss. His tongue slipped through my parted lips, and I let out a light moan.

Maybe we should just relive the first night…

However, a knock on the office door interrupted us, and we both laughed as we pulled away from each other.

“Who is it?” Mason headed for the door, swinging it open.

“Well?” Lucas asked, his entire demeanor antsy. “I saw y’all take off with the damn box, and I just need to know. Do we got enough to save the ranch?”

Mason broke out into a smile. “Will a hundred grand save it?”

Lucas’s mouth dropped open. “Did you… Did you just say a hundred thousand dollars?”

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