Page 37 of A Montana Secret Admirer (Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts #4)

“The countdown is in five minutes! This is not a drill!”

Serenity watched a woman dart through the crowd at the lodge then turned to exchange a grin with Reese.

He swept her into his arms, and his low voice hummed against her skin, causing a slew of goosebumps to appear.

The lodge was hosting a huge New Year’s event.

There was food, music, and dancing. It was the perfect first big date for Reese and Serenity to spend together without her boys.

There were so many people here that Serenity hadn’t caught sight of anyone she’d recognized, though she knew Wendy had come, as had a lot of Reese’s cousins.

It had only been a week since he’d insisted they were meant to be together. And it wasn’t until after she’d agreed to marry him that he’d spilled the good news.

He wasn’t leaving the state any time soon.

Looking back, Serenity couldn’t believe how much she’d stood in her own way. She could see now just how much she wanted to let go and let Reese in. Their relationship still wasn’t perfect, but they were willing to work on communicating better.

Reese was getting better at voicing his needs, and she had allowed herself to find value in prioritizing herself. It was certainly easier now that Tegan was on board with the change. Every day, she sent a prayer of thanks that everything had worked out.

“Do you know what your New Year’s resolution is going to be?” Reese murmured.

She exhaled a soft breath. “No. Do you?” She could feel his smile against her cheek.

“Yes,” Reese drawled.

“Are you going to tell me?”

“If I did that, it wouldn’t come true.”

She giggled. “That’s birthday wishes, not resolutions.”

“Right,” he murmured with a chuckle.

Serenity laughed again. “So?”

“I’m going to spend every day making sure you know how much I love you.”

She scoffed. “That’s hardly a resolution.”

“I disagree. It took me way too long to tell you that I loved you. Next year? I’m going to do better.”

Pulling back, she placed a hand to his cheek. “Well, if you put it that way, then I suppose I can support that.”

“You?”

“Same.”

He snorted. “You can’t take my idea. That’s against the rules.”

She held up her left hand. “In a few months, everything you have is going to be mine and vice versa.”

Reese stared at the ring, and his grin widened. “You make an excellent argument.”

“I know,” she said simply.

“One minute and counting!” that woman called out.

Several people around her turned toward a large screen on a wall. A projector lit up the countdown, and when it got to twenty seconds, several of them started chanting.

“Ten… nine… eight…”

“Stop following, me, Leo. I’m leaving.” A woman brushed past Serenity, drawing her focus.

“Five… four…”

Reese’s look of concern deepened when his brother darted after her.

Serenity’s eyes locked with his.

“Two… one!”

Reese shot one more look over Serenity’s shoulder then shook his head. “Leo can handle himself. Come here. I’ve waited too long for this.” He grabbed her by the back of her neck and tugged her against him, his mouth crushing over hers.

The kiss was a promise for everything that neither of them were prepared to say. It was soft and full of longing while also hinting at a desperation they were all too familiar with.

She pulled back with a gasp. “I love you, Reese. I think I loved you long before I even knew it.”

“I know,” he smirked, to which she gave him a playful swat. He jolted backward and laughed. Then he pulled her against him once more, brushing his lips against hers again before whispering, “But I loved you first.”

Sparks fly when Kat defies her father’s wishes and refuses to marry his best friend’s son. When she and Leo meet, the sparks turn into a forest fire. They can’t get along about anything—until they realize that opposites sometimes make the best unions.

Join them on their sweet road to love in A Montana City Girl.