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Mollie Wilson: That’s Hennifer. She’s at large. Watch your back.

Kerry Winsor: Is she a criminal or a chicken?

SherriffMike Finch: Criminal. She bit my toe.

Jade Clark: And why did you have your dogs out for her to bite?

There weren’t many times Gabriel surprised me. Usually, I was the one jumping him.

The second our lips met, my brain whited out, and I stiffened in his arms. I’d had a whole list of ways to convince him. My final move was to drag him to me.

He must have gotten there first.

My eyes were shut when he finally pulled away.

“Are you ready to listen now?”

“Never,” was my immediate reply. “Or maybe I will this time.”

His grip on my shoulders loosened as he laughed. “I was going to say you’re right.”

“Seriously?”

“Did I finally surprise you?” he asked.

“Shut up.” I rolled my eyes but then stared him down. “Are you really okay with this?”

His smile faded. “I am okay with it, but I’m nervous. Staying away is obviously impossible. I just don’t want to hurt you again.”

“We can’t go through life never hurting each other. Leaving is going to be rough. I can’t deny that, but I want to handle it all differently this time.”

“I do too.”

“So?”

“Fuck it,” he said. “Let’s do what we want while we can.”

My heart felt like it could melt. Instead, I melted into him, leaning my weight onto the man who’d come back into my life.

My eyes slipped shut as his lips moved against mine. How many times had I imagined this? I never thought it would happen because I was so sure Gabriel would never come back to Strawberry Springs. Yet, here I was, kissing him again and getting to relive my youth.

He pushed me against the checkout counter.

“You know people can see this, right?” he asked against my lips. I peeked around him and looked outside. My blinds were open and people were walking by. I even caught Jackie’s eye, but she went beet red and ran off.

This would be in the group in moments.

I didn’t care.

“They already knew this would happen.”

“We still don’t need an indecent exposure charge.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’ve been in the city too long. No one cares here.”

“With what I have planned? They’ll care.”

“You’re talking a big talk. Do you know how many times a man has done that and let me down?”