Page 7 of A Montana Childhood Promise (Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts #3)

CHAPTER SIX

The gala was the perfect way for Jane to distract herself from what had happened the night before.

In hindsight, it had been stupid of her to go for that ride with Noah.

There was something about him that continued to draw her in, even though she continued to tell herself that she needed to keep her distance.

He was her friend’s brother. There had to be rules about that.

Okay, so she hadn’t really been close to many of the Reese family since Mack got into trouble in their youth. But there was still a line she wasn’t sure she wanted to cross.

But he was so… handsome.

Her eyes drifted to where he stood. The second he’d shown up, she’d sensed him. It was like his body had a specific sort of signature that made it impossible for her to ignore. The suit he wore looked expensive.

It almost looked as though it was tailor-made just for him. The fabric conformed to his body, every seam perfectly aligned against him. Nothing hung loosely but rather tightened slightly beneath his muscles.

She groaned and tore her gaze from him. He’d almost kissed her last night!

And she’d turned him away like she knew was the smart thing to do.

Right now wasn’t a good time for a relationship.

She had her new job, she was helping to take care of her grandfather, and she simply didn’t need the distraction in her life, no matter how much her mother wanted her to settle down.

There was a small part of her that wondered if she avoided relationships for that fact alone. If her mother continued to point out how happy her sisters were in their families, Jane just knew she’d lose her mind.

Yes, Mom. I know that I’m the oldest. I know that I haven’t given you grandchildren yet. I know I’m a disappointment.

A growl escaped her throat, and she pushed the frustration aside. Tonight, she was determined to enjoy herself. The planning had gone off without a hitch. Her job was done. She could sit back and watch all her work play out with a degree of pride. She’d helped to make this happen.

All around her, men and women danced on the platform.

Refreshments continued to be brought out.

Music blared. As far as charity galas went, this one was less formal—and yet people still dressed in their finest. A couple of the guests wore tuxes or floor-length gowns, while others wore the best they had.

She looked down at her own dress. It was nice enough, but nothing compared to the majority of what others were showcasing.

A pang of disappointment crawled beneath her skin.

As much as she didn’t want to be the kind of person who flaunted her money, it would have been nice to have something to her name.

If she continued to move up in this company, then she’d need to invest in at least one gown she could wear to these functions.

“Care to dance?”

Jane jumped and glanced up at a man who looked familiar, but she was certain she’d never met before. His sported a genuine smile that begged to draw her in. And yet it didn’t hold a candle to Noah’s.

Nope. She wasn’t even going to go there.

Jane grinned back and placed her hand within his. “Sure, I’m Jane.”

“Reese.” His voice held a low timbre, his hold on her firm as he pulled her into the middle of the dance floor.

She tilted her head as she gazed up into his eyes. “I feel like we might have met before.”

He shook his head. “No, but I’ve seen you around. This is my cousin’s ranch. And you were here most of yesterday setting up, right?”

“Right.” She glanced away, and her eyes snagged on Noah again before she brought them back to Reese. “So you’re related to Noah?” Immediately, she grimaced. Why did she feel like she had to bring him up?

Reese chuckled. “Yeah, my mom is his dad’s sister.”

“Is it true that your uncle invited you all out here to work for him?”

He lifted a shoulder, spinning her around before pulling her back. “Yeah, I suppose it is.”

“And you like working here?”

“What’s not to like?” He flashed her a grin, and the interesting thing about it was how it did nothing to her insides.

Reese was handsome, charming, and he had a dimple that materialized when he smiled just right.

But all she could think about was the way Noah had pressed into her and nearly stolen a kiss.

Goosebumps rose on her arms, and she had to force herself to keep listening to what Reese was saying.

She’d missed some of it, and now he was talking about something to do with the ranch.

Why couldn’t she focus? Her inattention wasn’t fair to Reese.

Sheesh, she needed to do something to get her head on straight.

Smiling as if she knew exactly what he was talking about, she finished up their dance and immediately moved to get a glass of water. Thankfully, it was nice out. A gentle breeze wafted through the fields, making the whole experience more enjoyable.

She leaned against the railing of the raised platform and stared out into the darkness. Stars hung overhead, and against her will, her thoughts shifted to last night. The worst part about the whole thing was how much she’d actually wanted him.

It would have been so easy to give into his kiss.

Her mother’s nagging demands that she settle down could be solved if she found a boyfriend.

It was better than nothing as far as Jane was concerned.

It didn’t used to be this bad. When her mother had her sisters’ lives to meddle in, the attention was split.

Jane had even thought it would continue to be tugged in various directions when she had grandbabies to dote on.

But no.

Her mother still wanted to focus on the fact that Jane had avoided marital bliss.

She puffed out another sigh.

“This place looks great.”

Hairs rose on the back of her neck at his words.

After last night, she knew she’d recognize Noah’s voice anywhere.

After the way she’d left him last night, she wasn’t sure he’d want to speak to her.

That didn’t stop her from staring at him, though.

And on more than one occasion, she’d been caught doing so.

Turning, Jane let her gaze sweep over his tall figure.

He looked even better up close. His shoulders strained against the material of his suit coat as he rested his forearms against the railing before them.

He wore the most adorable, crooked grin that made her want to give in and just let him steal that kiss.

But it was probably too late now.

“Thanks,” she murmured.

He peeked at her. “Your boss must be impressed.”

She scoffed. “My supervisor seemed to think it was sufficient. My boss? I’ve never met the guy.”

Noah turned so he could face the dance floor and rest his elbows on the railing instead. “Is your boss here tonight?”

Jane arched a brow. “My boss? As in the guy who runs this charity?”

He gave her a slight lift of his chin.

She shook her head, turning her focus away from him once more. “Apparently, he doesn’t make it out to these sorts of events. In fact, I don’t even know who he is. He likes his privacy, and he prefers the head of his board to be the face of the operation.”

“Interesting,” he murmured.

Shrugging, Jane sighed. “Or there’s something wrong with him.”

Noah chuckled, drawing her attention again.

“What?” she demanded.

“Just because this guy doesn’t show up to charity events?”

She arched a brow. “Gee, I don’t know, Noah,” she said with mild sarcasm.

“What do you think? The guy starts up a charity and then chooses to hide who he is? What kind of person does that? A shady one, that’s who.

” Jane wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw his amusement fade slightly.

She blushed. Normally, she wouldn’t have voiced this opinion to anyone.

Quieter, she murmured, “People in general want recognition for their works. I see it a lot in my field.”

He shifted closer, his voice growing husky. “And you? Do you want to be noticed for your good deeds?”

“No.”

His amusement returned as if to point out just how hypocritical she was being.

Jane scoffed. “That’s different. I’m not the one funding the whole thing. I’m an underling who prefers to stay out of the limelight.”

He tilted his head at her, his attention seeming to plunge right into her heart. “And if you had the money to do some good?”

She shook her head. “Wouldn’t happen.” She eyed him, feeling compelled to explain. “Meaning I would never have that kind of money. So it’s a non-issue.”

He smirked. “I wasn’t aware I was in front of an all-seeing being who could predict the future. Go on, do me.”

This time, Jane snorted. This was the banter she enjoyed from him.

Noah could keep her on her toes and point out the things about her that made her who she was.

“Seeing as I would never marry into that sort of situation, the only way for that to happen is for me to win the lottery.” She gave him a side-eyed smirk.

“And we all know the odds of that happening. Practically zero.”

“But not entirely impossible,” he whispered, far too close.

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and moved to brush hair behind her ear, but it was all pulled up, and her movements likely looked ridiculous. “No, I guess not,” she rasped.

It wasn’t the conversation that had her on edge. It was his nearness. She could smell his musky cologne. She could practically feel the heat coming off him. Everything about him exuded desire, and she couldn’t help but think back to last night. What would have happened if she’d given in?

Jane shivered. Then, without warning, something heavy and warm draped around her shoulders.

She stared in surprise as Noah returned to his place after he’d removed his suit jacket.

It smelled like him, which only made her shiver more.

Jane wasn’t even cold, but it felt too late to refuse his offering.

“What are you doing over here all alone?” Noah mused, his focus back on those dancing.

“Just taking a break.”

He didn’t glance in her direction when he said, “You looked like you were upset. Did my cousin say something?”

She stiffened. “Reese? No.” There was no use in asking if Noah had been watching them. She’d felt his eyes on her more times than not during the evening. “He was sweet.”

Noah nodded, his jaw flexing. “So, what’s bothering you?”

Her eyes narrowed. “What makes you think something’s wrong?”

This time, he turned his head, and those eyes drilled into her, delving so deep she wasn’t entirely sure he couldn’t see every secret she had hidden. His lips quirked upward, and he lifted a hand but then dropped it as if thinking better of himself. “You’re not that hard to read.”

She huffed.

“So are you going to tell me what’s got you upset? Or will I have to find a way to drag it out of you?”

Jane shook her head, amusement mingling with frustration. “It’s really nothing.”

“I’ve got nothing better to do.”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s probably nothing you haven’t heard before.”

He watched her, waiting for her to continue as if nothing was more important than the next words that would be coming from her mouth.

There was no use keeping it to herself. Noah was nothing if not persistent. She sighed, turning to face the crowd of people and leaning her back against the railing like he did. “I was just thinking about what my mom would say about this whole night.”

He gave her a funny look, clearly confused.

Jane sighed again with embarrassment. “She wouldn’t point out the work I put into making everything flow.

Instead, she’d be trying to network with all the eligible bachelors here.

” Her face flushed hot, and she looked away, realizing too late that he probably wouldn’t have heard any of this.

She couldn’t recall what she’d told Mack about her mother’s expectations.

Clearing her throat, she brought her hand up to her collarbone and willed her cool hands to do some magic in draining the heat from her face.

“I’m the oldest, and I’m the only one who hasn’t settled down and started a family.

” She nearly told him she was a failure, but she bitterly swallowed back that word.

“Your mom wants you to settle down.” It wasn’t exactly a question, but at the same time, it wasn’t a statement.

Noah seemed to be contemplating her words, as if he could come up with a solution to her problem.

Well, the joke was on him, because the only thing that would fix her issues was something she wasn’t ready for.

She laughed, but there was no humor in her voice. “I thought we’d left that sort of outlook in history where it belonged, but apparently my mother still places value on my abilities to pass on the family bloodline.”

“You know your value has nothing to do with whether you marry or not, right?”

Slowly, she turned her eyes to meet his. She knew that. Of course she did. But it was nice to hear it from someone besides her own head.

Noah gestured around them. “You can’t convince me that you didn’t play a major role in all of this.

As far as I’m concerned, you’re miles above anyone else here.

What you’ve been able to accomplish, not only with this event but with other things in your life…

” He shook his head, the awe in his voice doing something strange to her insides.

“You’re doing great, Jane. Don’t let whatever anyone else has to say define you. ”

At some point, her mouth had fallen open, and she had to snap it closed before she caught any flies.

His devilish grin returned, and he leaned closer to her so there was no chance anyone else could hear. “That being said, I know how we can solve your problem with your mother.”

She should have known what was coming next.

“You could take me up on that pact.”

An exasperated laugh bubbled from her throat, and she gave him a playful shove. “Thanks, but no thanks. If I get married, it’s going to be because I’m head over heels in love. A marriage of convenience is definitely not worth the headache.”

He pulled back with another chuckle. “You’re not wrong.” He said it as though he knew from experience. But that couldn’t be right. He’d never been married. Maybe he was referring to someone he knew?