Page 11 of A Montana Secret Admirer (Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts #4)

CHAPTER EIGHT

Serenity let out a moan of pleasure. Then her shoulders shrank, and she covered her mouth with an embarrassed laugh at the look Reese gave her. The way he was staring made it obvious what exactly she’d sounded like, and it was not how normal people sounded when they ate black forest brownies.

She probably looked the exact shade of red that the cherries in this brownie were.

The smile on his face only made her embarrassment intensify.

“What?” she mumbled around the remaining bite in her mouth. She swallowed. “I’ve never tasted anything this decadent.”

His smile widened. “I don’t think the people around here have experienced listening to someone enjoy that brownie as much as you just did.”

Serenity gasped and fought the urge to cover her face with her hands. His laughter sparked her own, and she plucked at the crumbs on her napkin. “So, what’s next?”

“Next?”

“For our little friend date?” She knew better than to believe when Reese had asked her out that he’d been wanting this to be labeled as such. The disappointment in his eyes when she’d reacted the way she had was more than clear.

The problem was, she hadn’t been able to psyche herself up enough to accept the invitation as anything else—no matter how much her heart wanted it deep down. She cleared her throat and forced herself to meet his eyes. “A walk through town. Brownies. Now what?”

“What makes you think there’s something more?”

She tilted her head, studying him. “Okay, then I suppose it’s time to head back.” She’d gotten good at calling Finn’s bluffs when they’d been dating. Apparently, it wasn’t a lost talent because he stiffened, and his mouth fell open slightly.

“Well, I figured we could see a movie. Or get some dinner. There’s a nice garden around city hall?—”

She wrinkled her nose. “No to the movie. Dinner could be good. And absolutely for the garden.” There might be lotuses there.

She’d called the local floral shops again the day before to see if anyone had purchased any of the flowers, and still, there wasn’t any luck.

If the person wasn’t getting them from the shops, then were they coming from a local pond?

The flowers would have to be home grown or found around the area.

Reese got to his feet with a nod. “Sure. Let’s go.”

They wandered through the gardens, and to her great disappointment, she didn’t see any signs of the flower she’d been given. Why was this flower so elusive? Or rather, why was the individual who wanted her to have them so hard to find?

Her lips were pressed firmly together, and her brows were lowered when Reese’s voice tore her from her thoughts. “You okay?”

“What? Oh, yeah. I’m fine.”

“You sure? Because you look…” He stared at her for another several seconds. “Pensive.”

She laughed. “Pensive, huh?”

“Yeah,” he murmured. “Anything I can help with?”

Biting on her lip, she considered his offer—really considered it.

He’d made it clear he didn’t know anything about the flower when she’d hinted at it.

And how would he feel if he found out someone was sending her secret notes?

He could get jealous, and that wasn’t something she wanted to bring into their current… friendship.

Serenity shook her head. “No, nothing you can help with. I’m just thinking.”

He bumped his shoulder to hers, and they continued on their walk.

“So how did your meeting in New York go?” she asked, desperate to get his serious gaze off her.

“Honestly? Not great.”

Her brows rose. “What happened? Do they still want you involved with the program?”

“Yeah. But the woman in charge of the company we met with? She and Leo did not get along. I swear, if we had to be in the same room with the two of them for another minute longer, it would have been the start of the next world war.”

She snorted a laugh. “That bad, huh? What do you think it was? Incompatibility?”

“You could say that,” he muttered. “I’m not sure how Jane’s going to survive it.”

“But everything went well when it came to you and the stuff they want you to do?”

He smiled, and that joy in his eyes was enough to send whisps of happiness throughout her own body. It was nice to see him smiling, and the more she did, the more she craved it. “Yeah, they’re wanting me to write up a proposal, though—like I’m going to be spearheading everything.”

“And you’re surprised by that?”

“Well… yeah,” he said. “I don’t have a background in any of this. I’m not a therapist. I don’t know what I’d be doing.”

“Well, you wouldn’t necessarily be treating the kids, right? You’d be doing what you’ve been doing with my boys. Teaching them the ropes and all that. I’m sure they’d be seeing a therapist as well. Seems to me there are a lot of different moving parts to this sort of thing.”

He stared at her for a moment. Longer even. Serenity fidgeted beneath his gaze, and then she looked away. “Yeah,” he whispered. “You’re probably right.”

“I’m sure there are programs that could help you figure out what you don’t know,” she insisted, forcing herself to peek at him again.

“Yeah. I’ll look into that.”

Serenity stared up at the ceiling the following morning, and a smile tugged at her lips. Their friend date had certainly felt like more after the fact.

No, Reese hadn’t kissed her or even attempted to hold her hand. He’d talked to her, taken her to places in town she’d had yet to explore. He’d made her laugh, and they’d shared their thoughts on their futures.

It had been one of the most fun outings she’d had since her husband had passed.

And she craved more.

Was that bad? Of course she knew that people wouldn’t fault her for putting herself out there again to find companionship.

Her boys could use some male role models in their lives.

Still, it just felt strange to think about letting another man hold her the way her husband had—to care for her the way he had.

Her face flushed, and she rolled over as if she could escape the emotions fighting just beneath the surface.

A soft knock at the door pulled her into the present, and she called out, “Yeah?”

Jane’s voice came through the closed door. “You got another one.”

Serenity flung the blankets from her body and pulled her legs to the edge of the bed before placing her feet on the plush carpeting and darting for the door. It wasn’t far, and yet, when she yanked the door open, she was breathing heavier—like she’d just gone for a run.

Jane hadn’t needed to say more than that. Serenity already knew what she was referring to.

A flower.

The only question was?—

“And there’s a note this time.”

Serenity blushed. She hadn’t told Jane about the last letter she’d gotten. Nor the simple note she’d received when Jane was out of town. It had been similar to the first—just a snippet of comforting words.

Jane lifted a brow, but there was no hiding the hint of a smile that graced her lips. Serenity let out a laugh and snatched the note and the flower. “Thank you.”

Her sister tilted her head and placed her hands on her hips. “Are you going to even try to figure out who’s leaving these?”

Serenity raised a shoulder. “I wouldn’t know the first place to start.” That wasn’t true. She’d been trying her hardest to figure it out. But the only thing she had to go off of were the flowers. And there was no luck there.

“What if we ask Noah’s parents to put cameras on the front porch?”

Serenity’s head snapped up, and she stared wide-eyed at her sister. “No.”

“Why not?” Jane laughed. “Don’t you want to know?”

“What if they stop?” The question was out of her mouth before she had a chance to reel it in.

“Whoever wants you to have these flowers would figure out how to keep giving them to you. I’m just wondering if we could catch them off guard and see who it is.”

Serenity shook her head. “I’d rather try to figure it out on my own.”

“But I thought you didn’t know where to start.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ve looked into it, okay? I tried tracking down the flowers.” She held the one up in her hand for good measure. “Turns out, whoever is leaving them must have a private garden or something. So that lead is a bust.”

Jane stared at the flower. “Yeah, that’s where I would have started, too.”

“And…” Serenity’s hesitation clung to that word. “I’m not sure I want to find out.”

Jane’s eyes cut to hers. “But?—”

Serenity groaned. This was going to be so bad. Jane would definitely get mad. Best to just rip off the Band-aid. “I’m sorta interested in someone else.”

The only reaction her sister had was the widening of her eyes. Then they narrowed, and she huffed. “It’s Reese, isn’t it?”

Serenity gasped. “How did you know?”

“Come on, anyone with eyes can tell that he’s got a thing for you. And it’s harder than anyone gives us credit for to avoid the men in this family. When they set their sights on someone, they really set their sights on them. You know?”

The blush came hard and fast. Jane was right.

Reese had given her space. He’d insisted that their outing was just between friends.

But there had been no denying the tension that had hung between them during most of the date—ever since that night on the front porch when he’d nearly kissed her, actually.

She bit on her lips, chewing them thoughtfully before she finally asked, “You’re not mad? ”

“Mad? Why would I be upset about this?”

“He’s… your husband’s cousin.”

“So?” Jane moved closer and placed her hands on Serenity’s shoulders. “If anything, I’m just worried that you’re going to be okay. It hasn’t been easy, and I don’t want you jumping into anything serious if you’re not ready.”

Serenity nodded. She was right about that, too. Being ready was one of the biggest hangups that Serenity had. But then her eyes drifted to the flower and the note. “And what about this?”

“What about it?”

She sighed dramatically. “They haven’t given me any indication if they’re interested in me romantically, and yet the flowers make it feel they are.”

“Of course they are.”

Serenity flinched. “And if they are… but I’m interested in Reese… then how do I tell them so they don’t get too attached?”

Jane laughed. It was an actual, throw her head back sort of laugh. She shook her head when she calmed down enough to speak. “You’re worried about leading a guy on when you don’t even know who they are? When you haven’t spoken to them?”

“Well, yeah. I don’t want them hurting.”

“Look, sis. Whoever it is who’s giving you those flowers and… notes… if they wanted you to know who they were, they’d tell you. They’d come out of the woodwork and ask you on a date. They wouldn’t hide beneath the cover of darkness and slink around.”

“What if they’re just really… shy?”

“What if they are? You’re under no obligation to them. Honestly, this all comes down to the ‘you snooze, you lose’ mindset. You going out with Reese will do one of two things. The flowers will stop coming because they see that you’re not interested. Or they’ll make themselves known.”

The worst part was how selfish Serenity felt in that moment. She’d grown accustomed to the flowers. She’d started looking forward to the little notes. If she were completely honest, she wanted to explore the possibility of both Reese and her secret admirer.

But she’d never admit that to her sister. It would remain a deep, dark secret that she wouldn’t tell anyone.

So she did what a normal person would do. She nodded, smiled, and thanked Jane for her advice. Then she slipped back into her room and settled on the edge of the bed.

Serenity,

Do you have any idea how fascinating you are?

Strong, too. Loss is not something to take lightly, and it’s the way we overcome such a thing that shows us who we really are.

It takes a great deal of bravery to cross the threshold into a new reality that includes not only finding hope again, but finding love.

Don’t fight it. Open your heart, and you’ll discover parts of yourself you never knew were there.

Love. Her secret admirer was talking about finding love. There was the answer to the question she’d posed to her sister. Of course her admirer would have romantic feelings for her. They wouldn’t go through this much effort just to be a support system—especially when she already had one.

Serenity held the note to her chest and exhaled a shaky breath. These notes were short, but they seemed to speak to her soul in a way she hadn’t been prepared for. There wasn’t a way she could describe it, even to herself.

But this note and revelation of the feelings behind it weren’t the biggest surprise of the day.

Jane hadn’t batted an eye at Serenity’s confession of developing feelings for Reese.

Sure, she’d mentioned she was concerned—that there should be some caution when it came to moving forward with someone.

That was probably due to the fact that Serenity’s home was still technically over an hour away.

Would Serenity be open to relocating? She couldn’t imagine Reese with a stuffy office job. And she was starting to really enjoy spending time out in the open countryside.

She pulled the note from her chest and traced the lettering. Would she be giving up on something greater if she chose to venture down the path that led to Reese?

Tossing the note aside, Serenity shook her head and let out another heavy breath. She wasn’t going to get in her head over it. Right now, she’d focus on spending time with Reese, and if Jane was right, her life would change.

Either her admirer would slip away, or they’d smoke him out.

With a nod, more to herself than anything else, she got to her feet and prepared for the day.

Often over the next couple of days, her thoughts shifted to the note, the flowers, and the person responsible for them. Days turned into a week and then another.

With no more notes or flowers.

She’d been spending a lot more time with Reese, and she chalked it up to that fact alone. The admirer had realized she’d found a reason to open her heart again. It was as simple as that.

Whether it was due to her own personal revelation that she utterly enjoyed Reese’s company, or the fact that the admirer was giving her space, Serenity didn’t know, but she had finally made a choice.

It was a Wednesday afternoon, and the boys had just finished their riding lesson. She marched right up to Reese, who gave her that charming smile that made her legs go weak with one glimpse.

“Go on a date with me?”

His smile faltered, and he shifted his weight. “Like the last date?—”

She shook her head vehemently. “A real one. I want to go out with you. On a date -date.”

He rolled his bottom lip between his teeth and grinned. “I think I could arrange that.”

“Good,” she said, a slight tremor in her voice. “Good,” she repeated more firmly. Then she turned on her heel and escaped before she collapsed to the ground in a puddle of embarrassment.