Page 12 of A Montana Childhood Promise (Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts #3)

Jane rubbed at her temples with her fingertips.

She hadn’t been able to stop by the ranch today because after she was done with her usual duties at The Wounded Heroes Project, she’d had to connect digitally with the board of the charity itself and give an update on the plans for their biggest event of the year.

What should have been done in an hour stretched longer and longer until she had to text Noah and tell him she wasn’t going to make it.

He’d texted her right back, telling her not to worry about it.

The camera angle of the meeting didn’t offer a view of the full room, but she got the gist of who these board members were. They were stiff, suit-and-tie folks who took everything far too seriously for her liking.

They had a spokesperson who did a majority of the talking, and for the most part, Jane had felt confident and competent.

The feeling of being hungover occurred when she got in her car to head home.

It was dark, and she felt drained and empty.

She’d missed out on seeing the horses, cuddling with them, and just being in nature.

Who was she kidding?

It wasn’t the horses she missed the most.

She missed seeing Noah.

That charming, cute, charismatic cowboy who had managed to make her long days feel shorter. No one could make her laugh like he could. That had to mean something, right?

It should.

Why else had she found herself standing outside his house with a few pebbles in her hand? A few days ago, he’d showed her around the whole compound. The houses for his cousins were just as nice as his. He’d even given her a tour of his family’s home.

It became entirely apparent that a lifestyle like this one didn’t come cheap.

Despite the proof of wealth, this family didn’t overdo it.

They were very much down to earth, too. They didn’t buy the fanciest brands.

They didn’t overspend on luxuries they might never use.

Heck, Noah’s phone wasn’t even the latest model.

They were good people, and it wasn’t hard to respect them when it was so clear how hard they worked.

She rolled the pebbles in her hands around and around as she stared up at his window. There was a faint glow, which meant he was still up. It wouldn’t have been hard to send him a text message, but this sounded more fun.

Pulling a stone from her hand, she narrowed her eyes on the window. Then she took aim and flung the pebble. It skittered across the glass pane, and she waited. When there wasn’t any movement, she tried again.

This time, a shadow moved to the window, and the blinds were pulled up. Noah’s confused eyes peered through the glass until they landed on her, and he grinned.

A whoosh of butterflies spun in a tornado within her chest, and she motioned for him to come down to meet her. He nodded, then pulled away from the window.

Jane fidgeted, wringing her hands together as she waited for him to make his appearance.

She heard the door click shut, then the sound of boots on wood before he materialized around the side of the house.

His hands were in his back pockets, and his hair was a disheveled mess like he’d run his fingers through it one too many times.

But it was his eyes and that smile that did crazy things to her.

Friends , she reminded herself. They were just friends.

Unless she didn’t want to be.

He’d told her that the marriage pact was still an option.

No. What was she thinking? That was ridiculous.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” he murmured, reaching her side.

She shrugged. “I felt like something was missing today.”

He cocked his head, and she had to hurry to explain before he got any ideas.

“Just that my routine was disrupted. I didn’t get to come out here and see my favorite guy.”

His smile widened further. “Yeah?”

Jane nodded again. “Yeah, Caspian holds a particularly important piece of my heart.”

He stared at her, dumbfounded for a moment before he let out a chuckle, and the tension eased up.

She exhaled and pushed past him. “So how about we pay him a visit?” On the way there, she had to fill in the void with something—anything—so she didn’t confess that she’d actually wanted to spend some time with Noah. She couldn’t lead him on.

“Trevor thinks that if I pull off this event, that I’ll be asked to move on—placed in a city somewhere.”

“Oh? Would you like that?” he asked.

“Honestly? I don’t know. I love it here.

This place suits me really well.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

“And yet… I feel like I could make a real difference…” She pulled a strand of hair and wrapped it around her finger, twisting it for a moment.

“I could just make a difference, you know?”

When he didn’t say anything right away, she glanced up at him, finding him studying her. She smiled. “What is that look for?”

“You need to do what makes sense to you—what makes you happy. If moving to the city wouldn’t make you happy, then stay. Figure out how to make a difference where it makes sense.”

“You think I could? Here?”

One side of his mouth quirked upward, and he reached out to trace a finger along her jaw before he tapped her nose. “You’re already making a difference. You just can’t see it yet.”