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

CHAPTER THREE

“I’m telling you, this is a big deal. Bo was talking about it to the guys, and he’s real excited.” Caleb’s voice filtered through the house. It was early still, and normally he’d go straight to work from his house, but apparently, he had news that couldn’t wait.

Noah slowed before reaching the kitchen, waiting for a response from whomever Caleb was speaking to.

“It does sound really cool. I wonder why they reached out to Bo,” Mack mused.

“Because they know how much family means to us,” his mother offered. “Look at what Eli has done for the rest of us. I’m sure it’s not a secret that your grandfather is a veteran. And Eli has hired ex-military men before.”

“That’s not even the best part,” Caleb jumped back in.

“This is going to allow us to network with other ranches here and in surrounding areas. I heard that there will be people from the city in attendance. And even surrounding states. This gala is the event of the year, and it’s going to be right here on Sagebrush property. ”

Noah leaned against the wall, arms crossed and a smile tugging at his lips. The excitement in the air was palpable. Each one of his family members had decent theories as to why a charity wanted to host their event here. To be fair, he’d sold the idea to his board based on many of those reasons.

Granted, the board would have likely gone along with anything that Noah had recommended—solely because this project was his baby.

It was getting big, though. Possibly too big to keep running it on his own.

But this little chapter here in Rocky Ridge would always be the one he supervised no matter what happened.

The charity gala was a way to announce his charity’s arrival in town—to spread the word of the good they could do.

There was a small population of ex-military folk in the surrounding areas, which made this move smart.

He’d done enough research to figure that out before taking the plunge and bringing his charity with him when they moved.

His family continued their chatter about the implications.

“Do you think that someone recommended Sagebrush to the board?” Mack questioned.

“Who knows? And who cares? One thing Bo said we’re going to make sure to do is shine. He wants people to know that we can make the night special,” Caleb interjected.

“What? Like give people rides or something?”

“No,” Caleb muttered. “Like show them they don’t have to go to some fancy hotel to have a gala. We can have something just as magical here. We’ll just have to set up something special out under the stars.”

It was a good idea—one Noah would have recommended if Caleb hadn’t already realized what they needed to do.

No one wanted to dress in black tie attire on a ranch where people could step in mud or something worse if they weren’t careful.

Thankfully, Sagebrush was large enough they could steer clear of the animals and any other mishaps that might befall the folks coming out.

Noah chose that moment to turn the corner into the kitchen. His brothers didn’t stop their chatter, but his mother’s eyes landed on him, and she smiled. “Good morning, hon. Sleep well?”

Not particularly. It had been three days since the wedding. Three days since he’d started losing sleep over the beauty he’d been able to hold in his arms and dance with. Three days since she’d slipped away after promising she wasn’t going anywhere.

There were only two reasons she might have done that.

He’d scared her off by being too forward.

Or she’d tired of him.

Both of those options weren’t good ones.

Scrubbing a hand down his face, he offered his mother a tired smile. “Been a little tough lately.”

She frowned, and her eyes slid to her other two boys, who were now discussing whether they planned on going all out and get a tux. “It has been a little quiet around here, lately, hasn’t it?”

Right. Mack had married, and he was now staying at Lacey’s place until they got their house built. It was a lot quieter here, and that was the perfect excuse for him to use.

He nodded. “You’re probably right.”

“Hey, Noah. Did you hear about the upcoming charity gala?” Mack faced him, his eyes bright. Being married looked good on him. There was something about him that had changed since he’d started dating Lacey, and it had only gotten better now that they were officially hitched.

Noah shook his head, playing dumb. They’d never know it was him if he had anything to say about it. “What’s going on?” He moved over to the coffee machine and pulled out a mug from the cupboard overhead.

“There’s this charity that has been growing lately.

It’s all over the news in Billings. Turns out the people running it moved here recently.

It was all hush hush, but now that it’s opening the building with all the offices and services for military vets, they want to do some big event to celebrate it. ”

Noah kept his expression schooled as he filled his mug and turned to take a sip. “Sounds cool.”

“That’s not the best part,” Caleb jumped in. “They want to hold it here. At Sagebrush. They could have done it anywhere. Heck, I’m sure the girls up at Twisted Rivers would have been a good fit because they have all those connections with people in California and their online following.”

Good point. He probably should have thought about that. He’d have to reach out to his board to see if the girls, as Caleb called them, were interested in attending as special guests.

He lifted his brows in mock surprise. “Oh? I bet Bo is losing his head over this.”

Caleb shook his head. “He’s just as excited. He thinks it’s going to put this place on the map. Think of the networking .”

Of course that was what Caleb thought about.

It was nice to see him motivated about something else other than his strange need to create the best formula for horse and cattle feed.

Noah took another sip, smiling so he didn’t look completely bored by this conversation.

His brothers were a little too over the moon for what was happening.

If Noah didn’t match them to a degree, they might think something was wrong with him.

He took another sip then asked, “So they help out veterans? That’s their charity?”

Mack nodded. “We don’t know the full gist of it, but it’s definitely legit. They house, feed, or clothe anyone who might need it.”

“Sounds honorable,” Noah nodded. “Do you think Gramps would be interested in volunteering?” He shot this question to his mother.

She tilted her head, considering. “He might be. I’ll make sure to ask him.”

He tossed back the rest of his drink then raised his mug. “Well, I better get to work. I’m sure Bo will have me doing all sorts of stuff so he can busy himself planning this thing.” Noah placed his mug in the sink, and the minute his back was turned to his brothers, he grinned.

There was nothing quite like seeing the happy faces of his family. They meant the world to him, and if something like this was enough to bring about wide smiles, he’d take it.

Noah made it to the barn. Surprisingly, it was business as usual. There were the occasional comments about what the gala would mean for the ranch, but for the most part, the men went about their work. Not even Bo went out of his way to talk to Noah or any of their cousins about the charity.

It didn’t matter. The gala wouldn’t be for another month.

There was a lot to do in preparation for it—namely invitations, decorations, catering—and the list went on.

The local chapter of his charity would be responsible for organizing most of that.

And the corporate goons would focus on getting important people to attend.

Noah was sent out on his horse with a couple other wranglers to track down some cattle that had gotten loose. That meant there was a hole in a fence somewhere, and they’d also have to find and repair it.

“You hear about the gala?” Leo asked.

Noah glanced to his cousin. “A little bit. What’s your take on it?”

Leo shrugged. “Could be good for us, I guess.”

“You guess?” Noah smirked.

“I dunno. I hear that sometimes things like this can hurt the business hosting financially. The clean-up and other nonsense. I just hope Bo knows what he’s doing.”

Noah nodded thoughtfully. He’d have to make sure the folks at the local organization was involved with that part of things.

There was no way he’d let his charity leave a bad mark on anyone—least of all those he cared about.

Changing the subject to something he was more comfortable discussing, he cocked his head and grinned knowingly at his cousin.

“I saw you were dancing with your share of people at Mack’s wedding—most of which were locals. You got your eye on anyone?”

Leo made a face. “The whole reason I was dancing with multiple women is because I have zero interest in settling down. I’m still young. No sense in getting tied together with someone yet.” He was the same age as Noah, and yet his view of things was so vastly different.

Deep in his heart, Noah knew he was ready for something more. But not with just anyone. He wanted one person specifically. He’d known he’d wanted her since they were children. The problem was she couldn’t even see him.

“What about you?”

“What about me?” Noah murmured.

“You looking to settle down? Or are you going to remain the bachelor? Your brothers have practically moved on. And they both have kids already.”

Noah snorted. “Mack’s kid is only because Lacey brought one into the family dynamic.”

“Doesn’t change the facts. Mack is a father. And you… alone.”

Leo probably didn’t mean to make it sound so terrible, but the words sliced through Noah with more pain than he’d been expecting. His cousin didn’t know just how right he was. For all intents and purposes, Noah was alone.

He was alone in his secrets—the information he could never give anyone else. Only a few people knew the real him. Those on his board, his lawyer, and his accountant.

That was it.