Page 20 of A Montana Childhood Promise (Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts #3)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“This is nice,” Jane murmured, turning her face to the sky.

“I can’t believe places like this exist. I mean, it was great where we grew up, and I know that I could have gone on hikes and stuff, but here?

It just hits different, you know?” She turned her face to Noah, not surprised in the least that he was watching her.

She’d gotten used to seeing that look that could only be described as adoration. He laid it on thick most days, and she was beginning to see that it was just the way he was. He really did love her.

The sounds of nature surrounded them, cutting them off from the feeling that there was anyone else in existence. Out here, surrounded by miles of farmland and landscaping, she could pretend it was just the two of them.

Noah had practically dragged her from the barn after her chores. He’d wanted her to relax with all the stress of the upcoming gala making her feel more tired and irritated than usual.

And she couldn’t say he hadn’t been right to do so.

This place was breathtakingly beautiful, and it was simply fields of greens meeting an endless blue sky. Every so often, they’d see splashes of color when wildflowers filled their view. It didn’t matter that she’d turned her attention from Noah, she could still feel his eyes on her.

Turning her attention to him again, she laughed. “What?”

He shrugged. “Can’t I admire my surroundings? You are.”

She snorted. “That’s not the same, and you know it.”

“Do I?” His warm chuckle did things to her insides that she would never confess to.

The way he made her feel was something else.

Never in her wildest dreams would she have believed that she’d find her way to this moment.

To have a job she loved, the adoration of the man at her side, and to be surrounded by so much beauty… it was heaven.

“We should go on these rides more often. I’m sure the horses could use the exercise.”

Noah chuckled again, earning a look from her.

He shook his head. “Lately, Bo has been making sure they all get plenty of exercise. We’re working them more.

Training, herding… you know, the usual stuff.

” At her pout, Noah laughed. “But you’re right about one thing.

We should do this more often. Nothing beats that view. ”

She turned to look behind her where he might be staring, only to realize he was just being cheeky again. “Ha, ha. Very funny. But I can assure you the view you’re referring to isn’t as great as you’re claiming.”

Noah grew serious and even stopped his horse, forcing her to turn hers around to return to him.

When she pulled back to his side, he leaned forward.

“I don’t know how you managed to get it in your head that you’re not beautiful.

If someone told you that, tell me who they are, and I’ll take care of them. ”

She might have laughed. In fact, she wanted to. The tension between them had risen to unexpected levels. He was serious. “You can’t…” she sputtered. “You can’t just go tell someone that they were wrong…” Jane blushed, hating how the words sounded. She couldn’t express what she was trying to say.

“So someone did say it?” His brows shot up, and the set of his jaw tightened. “Jane, did someone tell you that you weren’t beautiful?”

This time she did laugh. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear for good measure, only for the breeze to tug it free once more.

“No. Not really.” At his hard stare, she clarified.

“No. There hasn’t been anyone who has said I wasn’t beautiful.

Maybe when we were kids, and I was acne riddled and?—”

“You were never acne riddled, Jane.”

“Well, I wasn’t exactly prom queen material, either,” she shot back.

The playful banter went missing, and her discomfort grew.

It wasn’t a secret that she’d considered herself the most plain out of all her sisters.

She was the oldest, and yet she hadn’t married.

She simply wasn’t someone that men chased.

And she was far too busy trying to make the world better to do the chasing. Was that a crime?

When she glanced up into Noah’s eyes, she flinched. There was more anger in those depths than she’d been prepared for.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

He shook his head. “Because it makes me mad that you don’t see what I see.”

“Well, isn’t that what they say, anyway? That beauty is in the eye of the beholder? I never said I was unattractive. I said plain. There’s a difference. I’m happy with what I am.”

Noah blew out a breath. “And would it irritate you if I told you that you were wrong about the beauty out there?” He made a sweeping gesture with his arm, and she glanced around at the landscape surrounding them.

“Maybe a little.”

“Then it isn’t so farfetched for me to say that it makes me upset when you discount the way I see you.”

She let his words sink in. They were sweet, and even though it took a lot for her to accept them, she could see his point. He found her beautiful. And he wanted her to acknowledge it without brushing off his compliment. His feelings were just as valid.

Heat bloomed in her cheeks, and she was sure she resembled a ripe fruit more than herself at this moment.

A softer smile touched his features, and he took in a deep breath before exhaling it with effort.

“You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met, Jane. And no, it’s not just skin deep, but that doesn’t make it any less of a true statement.

The person you are as a whole—she has captured my heart.

You’re selfless, driven, and kind. You think about others before you consider yourself.

There is nothing more attractive than a woman who can be humble and headstrong at the same time.

” He let out a laugh and reached across to her so he could trace a finger along her cheek.

He withdrew just as goosebumps rose on her skin.

“Don’t ever second-guess the woman I have given my heart to.

She’s far too valuable to be underestimated. ”

Her own smile spilled across her face at his compliments. He wasn’t telling her that she was drop-dead gorgeous. That would have been overkill, anyway. Noah was reminding her that not only was her soul beautiful, but so was she. And that understanding made her love him even more.

“I was thinking about something.” She shifted in the saddle, itching to change the subject from something so serious.

“What’s that?”

They continued riding, slowly making their way along the trail toward a line of trees that would offer shade. Apparently, there was a water source out that way as well.

“This charity event. The gala I’m in charge of. It’s going to be the biggest one of the year, right?”

He smiled. His patience was inhuman. She’d mentioned this exact fact so many times, she was certain he was tired of hearing her state it. And yet he never told her to stop talking. It’s what she did when she was nervous. Words just kept spilling.

“Well, I was asking around, because I’ve never been to the one they hold for the western side of the country. It’s usually very exclusive, and I’ve only just started working for them. Anyway, I found out something interesting.”

Noah tilted his head, his eyes drilling into her. The attentiveness he had for her was also something she adored about him. She never felt like she was boring him to death. When he didn’t ask, she simply continued.

“The board members only occasionally attend. Usually, they just send a few representatives.”

“That makes sense. It would be in their best interest to save spots for people who are willing to donate, right?”

“Right,” she agreed. “But you know what’s weird?”

“Hmm,” Noah grunted.

“The head of the organization never comes.”

His brows furrowed, and his eyes flashed with something. Was that confusion? She couldn’t blame him. She was confused, too.

“Right? It doesn’t make sense that the head of the organization hasn’t made an appearance. Like, ever .”

Noah didn’t offer any ideas as to why this would be.

“It’s weird. You would think the guy who put this charity together would want to put a face to the program.”

“Well, to be fair, there are a lot of faces for the program. You’ve met some of the board members, right?”

She nodded, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she considered this. “Yeah, but it’s not the same. They might vote on what the organization does in general, but the head guy can veto anything. That’s the way it is.”

When he didn’t speak up again, she turned her eyes on him.

“Don’t you think it’s strange?”

Noah shrugged. “Maybe they like their privacy.”

Jane huffed. “Any man who wants that much privacy has something to hide.”

“How do you know it’s a man?” Noah shot back so quickly and sharply that Jane stared at him in surprise.

He cleared his throat. “All I’m saying is that women are notorious for being the sorts of people who run these types of charities.

And if the head is a she , then it would be understandable why she wouldn’t want to have her face plastered everywhere. ”

“Okay, I’ll bite. Why is it understandable they would run a charity hiding behind a trust?”

“Privacy.”

She stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to expound.

He shrugged again and shifted in his saddle.

“Would you want your face plastered everywhere? Would you want people to know who you are while you’re just walking down the street?

There haven’t been any pictures of the head person, and I’m sure that’s for a good reason.

People like that don’t want their private and business lives mixed, right? ”

“Maybe,” she hedged. Then she frowned.

Noah laughed. “What’s so wrong about that?”

Her eyes flicked to him again, and her shoulders slumped. “Well, I thought it would be really cool if we could get the head of the organization to make an appearance. You know, like a coming out party—so everyone who’s been involved in this charity can meet the guy behind it all.”

“And how were you thinking you’d do that?” His question was so quiet that she wasn’t even sure she’d heard it.

The blush that crawled up her neck made it clear to Noah that she’d already attempted something.

And she dragged her attention from him to stare at her hands.

She dug her fingernails into the reins she was tightly gripping.

This was so embarrassing. She should have thought about it better.

Heck, she should have asked Noah’s opinion before she’d sent that email.

“Jane?” Noah drawled. “You already did something, didn’t you?” There was an edge to his voice that she couldn’t quite place. It didn’t make sense, but she didn’t exactly have time to figure out what it was.

She swallowed hard and forced an embarrassed smile as she glanced up at him. “I sent an email.”

His brows creased. “Okay?”

This time, she sighed then squirmed some more.

“I sent an email to the secretary person who handles the emails for the board. I requested the attendance of the head honcho him… or herself.” Her blush deepened.

“I know , it was stupid. But I thought if I could get them there, then it would make this event that much better. I wanted to let everyone who’s been involved with this charity know that they’re appreciated.

” Her voice cracked, and she shut her eyes. “I’m such an idiot.”

Jane had expected Noah to argue with her—to tell her that she wasn’t an idiot at all. She had thought he would tell her there was no harm in asking—because really, there wasn’t.

But he didn’t do that.

A cold sort of sensation settled in the pit of her stomach as she met his eyes again. There was a smidge of pity in their depths—something she definitely hadn’t been expecting.

She let out a groan and covered her face with her hands. If Noah didn’t think she’d be successful with this, then she definitely wouldn’t. He was an optimistic guy by nature.

“It’ll be okay,” he murmured. “You weren’t considering all the angles. Maybe they’ll send more of the board to this one.”

Her phone buzzed with a notification. She’d turned on the sound so she could hear when she got a response to her email.

Granted, she hadn’t expected to hear back today.

The distinct ding for her email made her gut swirl in anticipation.

It was probably just an email from one of the vendors for the gala.

She pulled her phone from her jacket pocket and opened up the notification.

Her hands shook, and the blood drained from her face before flushing even hotter to the edges of her limbs. Jane’s head snapped up, and she beamed at Noah before turning her phone around. “They said they’d ensure he attends.”

Noah’s expression remained stonelike. He didn’t react like she’d hoped.

Was he upset that she’d been successful in this?

Did he think she’d done something wrong?

Jane felt sick to her stomach as she slowly lowered the phone and stared at the screen.

They didn’t mention his name, but they did refer to him as a he.

The email also stated that several members of the board would be in attendance, and that they were looking forward to what she’d planned thus far.

She chewed on her lower lip as she peeked at Noah once more from beneath her lashes. He was quiet. Perhaps he wasn’t angry, but there was something that had rubbed him the wrong way about her announcement.

Maybe he was just being a sore loser.

No, Noah wasn’t petty like that. He wouldn’t get angry just because he was wrong.

Whatever it was, she wasn’t going to dwell on it. This wasn’t his job on the line, anyway. He could be happy for her, or he could stew in silence. She wasn’t going to let it bother her in the slightest.