Page 134 of Wild As Her

“Yep.”

“You always cook like this?”

“Only when I’m trying to impress the entire townandmake sure no one dies from under-seasoned mashed potatoes.”

To my surprise, she smiles. And then she does the last thing I expect and pulls me in for a hug. “I love seeing you happy, Cami.” And by the look on her face, she means it.

I smile, “Thanks, Mom.”

She reaches out and adjusts a dish towel on the oven handle. “Now, let’s feed everyone. Put me to work. You’ve built something good here, Cami. This place is warm. Real. And from what I hear around town, it’s not just this kitchen you’ve got plans for.”

I turn slowly, heart pounding. “You’ve heard about the B&B idea?”

“Maggie,” she says with a sigh. “She’s got all the details on everything.”

I wait for the eye roll. The warning. The sarcastic comment.

But instead, she rests her hand lightly on the back of a chair and says, “I think your grandpa would’ve loved it. You turning Wilder Ranch into something new—withoutlosing what made it ours.”

My throat tightens. “Really?”

She nods. “He always wanted people to feel welcome here. You’re making sure they still do.”

She pats me on the back and heads off into the dining room to chat with everyone. And just like that, I could cry into the green beans.

Before I can even process that emotional bomb, Mack barrels in from outside, covered in dog hair and grinning like a maniac. “Tucker let me drive his truck!”

“Be careful!” I shout.

Tucker yells from the porch, “She barely hit anything!”

Jack slips into the kitchen beside me, wraps his arms around my waist, and murmurs in my ear, “This is what you wanted, right?”

I lean into him, dizzy with it. “Yeah. It is.”

By the time dinner’s served, it’s full-on controlled chaos. The long farmhouse table is overflowing with food. Everyone’s laughing too loud. Weston is trying to “gracefully” flirt with Maura, a single teacher who is new to town, and Logan’s showing Ollie pictures of goats in sweaters on his phone like they’ve known each other forever.

Elena is helping me in the kitchen, and we’ve surprisingly become friends. She’s great, and she and Logan fit in with everyone well. It sure is weird when people see them at the ranch, but all the locals have welcomed them in, and they fit in great. It doesn’t hurt that they have Maggie’s stamp of approval, and she let everyone know it.

Mom sits beside Maggie, and they’re whispering with suspicious levels of intensity.

Poppy nudges me. “Your mom just smiled at Jack and didn’t look like she wanted to kill him.”

“Yeah,” I whisper. “She does that now.”

Jack catches my eye from across the table, raises his glass, and gives me the softest, most heart-melting smile I’ve ever seen.

And in that moment, I realize something: This is my home. My future. Myfamily.

And he’smine.

Jack’s been busy.

Not like he's pulling away. Not likebefore.But he’s… quiet. Elusive. Gone before I wake up, vague about what he’s working on, barely sitting still long enough for a full conversation.

He kisses me quick. He smiles when he looks at me. But there’s a part of him that’s been tucked away the past few days, and the longer it goes on, the louder my brain gets.

Tonight, though, he told me to:Come to the Jessop Ranch around seven. Just trust me.

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