to Luckenbach, Texas, with Waylon and Willie and the boys."
“Wow,” Ellie gasped. “You can really sing.”
"Aww, shucks, ma'am," he gushed, pretending to be embarrassed as he slid his hands under her arms and pulled her up against his body. Kissing the tip of her nose, he winked, "But not near as good as you."
"What? How do you…"
Laughing, he hurried to explain, “Well, I might’ve snuck around the far side of the horse barn one of the times I came out to see you. There you were, pretty as a picture, rubbing down Maverick and singing your little heart out." Another little peck on the tip of her nose, and he added, "It was the sweetest sound I've ever heard."
Giving him a quick kiss on the lips, pulling back before he could hold her in place, Ellie teased, "If I hadn't heard you sing, I would swear you were tone-deaf."
"Nope, not even a little." Starting to run his fingers up and down her back, he flirted, "As soon as we get back to Texas, I'mma fetch my guitar from Momma Barbara and… Oh, shit!"
Suddenly upset, Ranger wrapped his arms around Ellie's back, sat up, and turned her around until she was straddling his lap. Holding her so close, she could feel his breath on her cheek, her Mate shook his head, talking a mile a minute. "Dammit, El, I am so fucking sorry. Please don't be mad at me. I meant to start with this, then we got off track and… and.. and… well, hell, we made love all day and every prepared speech I had flew right out the damned window. Please don't kill me. Please don't be mad. Just let me…"
Laying her finger to his lips, Ellie calmly interrupted, trying hard not to laugh at Ranger’s obvious distress. “I know you were at the MacAllen’s for a long while.”
“But how?”
"I wasn't trying to read your mind, I swear. I actually told myself that I wouldn't until we'd talked about this…" She motioned between them. "Us." She winked. "But at one of our more, let's see, I think I'll call it more passionate moments, I was right there in that amazing brain of yours, and I saw it all. Well, that part."
“And you’re not mad?”
Shaking her head and smiling, Ellie asked, "How could I be? I could see that you've beat yourself up about it enough. You already raked yourself over the coals for both of us."
Taking his face in her hands, Ellie gently laid her lips to his. Kissing her Dragon long and slow, letting everything she felt, all her love, all her forgiveness, all of everything flow through that single embrace, she pulled back before it went too far and added, “Now, let it go. ‘Cause I sure have. We’re good. We’ve got forever to find something else to fight about just so we can make up.”
Pulling her close, starting their kiss back up right where they'd left off, Ranger's voice floated through her mind, "Ellie MacLeish – Evans, I damned sure love the way your beautiful mind works."
Breaking their kiss, she leaned back and furrowed her brow. "MacLeish-Evans? Aren't you putting the cart before the horse there, Dragon Man?"
"Not even a little bit," Ranger adamantly disagreed. "I know we're gonna be together forever, and as soon as we step foot back in Texas, I'm puttin' my momma‘s ring on that pretty little finger of yours."
Happier than she'd ever thought possible, Ellie opened her mouth to once again tell Ranger how much she loved him when his stomach growled so loudly that the Fairies laughed out loud. Raising her eyebrows, she chuckled, "How about we go back and have a steak at Skippers? Angelica said their food is to die for, and since we both love our steaks…
“Hell yeah,” Ranger whooped. “Just another reason I love you. You eat like a real person and enjoy it. Damn woman, do you have any faults?”
Stopping herself from making an offhand comment about her curves or bigger than she thought it should be booty, genuinely wanting to do as he'd asked and not put herself down, Ellie smiled, "Oh, I might have a few, but I'm not tellin'. I'll let you figure them out for yourself."
Giving her a knowing wink, Ranger gave her a hard and fast kiss before assuring, "As far as I can see, you're damned near perfect."
"Why, thank you." Crinkling her nose, her go-to when she was embarrassed but trying to hide it, Ellie added, "And while we're