Page 12 of A Montana Secret Admirer (Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts #4)

CHAPTER NINE

Reese tugged on Serenity’s hand in front of a store window, and she stopped to look at it.

Her face scrunched in the most adorable way. Her brows pulled together, and he wanted nothing more than to kiss the lines that had been etched between them. “The hardware store? This is what you consider a good date?”

He chuckled, bringing her hand to his lips to kiss her knuckles. “Just humor me, okay?”

Still, she had an air of disbelief about her. Then she shook her head and sighed as she allowed him to tug her into the building.

Reese didn’t care. He knew she’d enjoy his plans. It was Friday night, and they didn’t have to be up early the next morning. The sun hadn’t set—not yet. And he wanted to make sure they got what they needed before they headed to the lookout.

Normally, it was full of teenagers who planned on getting to first base, but tonight, there was a concert that had drawn much of the younger crowd. He’d already scoped out the location, and he knew that even if a few others came out, he and Serenity would have plenty of privacy.

The best part of the night so far was the fact that she’d let him hold her hand.

He stared down at their interlocking fingers. There was a tightness in his chest that hadn’t yet loosened and an anticipation that he couldn’t deny.

“Reese,” she murmured.

His head snapped up to meet her gaze, and her expression was inquisitive. “What are we doing here?” she whispered. “The store is about to close.”

Right. He was the one leading them.

He cleared his throat and pulled her down one aisle, then the next. They collected two jars, some nets, glow in the dark paint, a large nail, a hammer, and two birdhouses.

When he got the guts to look in her direction a second time, he found that look of confusion even more prevalent. All he could do was chuckle.

“What are you up to?”

“You’ll see. Come on. We have a couple other places we have to go to.”

He’d nearly offered to let her plan their date, but got this idea and thought it would be special. The way she squirmed as they wandered down the street added to his certainty that she was going to love this little adventure.

One way or another, he’d help her see that he could be everything she needed. He could fill the hole that had been left in her heart. She only had to put some trust in him.

They stopped in at the market for a few snacks. Then he stepped into the bakery for some sweets. By the time they were headed back to his truck, the sky was already turning different shades of gold.

She paused before getting into the passenger seat to look up at it.

And he let her.

Serenity was the type of person to appreciate the natural beauty the world had to offer, and who was he to rush that?

While she stared up at the sky, he unabashedly watched her.

The way the golden glow reflected off her skin was next level.

He didn’t even mind if she caught him staring. Beauty was beauty, after all.

Finally, she shot him an apologetic look and climbed into his truck.

He paused before shutting the door, his forearm resting against the frame. He didn’t know what it was that prompted his behavior. There was something on the tip of his tongue that he wanted to say—but what, he couldn’t figure out.

When her curious gaze found his, he shook himself from his stupor and closed the door. Tonight wasn’t about him.

At his side, Serenity fidgeted. She played with the hem of her shirt and continued to glance in his direction then out the window again.

He reached across the console between them and took her hand, stilling her from her movements.

She paused long enough to stare at him, and he offered her a smile.

“Can I ask you something?” he murmured.

Serenity nodded.

“Why?”

“Why?” she repeated.

“Why did you… change your mind? About the date?”

Even in the darkened cab of his truck, he could see the shift of coloring in her cheeks. She let out a strangled laugh.

“You don’t have to answer me if you don’t want to?—”

Her hand tightened on his, but she didn’t pull away. “No, it’s… uh… fine.” She glanced at him again. “I suppose it’s because… I feel… safe with you.”

That wasn’t exactly what he’d been hoping for. But then, what had he wanted her to say? That she was deeply in love with him, and she had been since the day they’d met?

No, of course not.

Sort of.

He smiled at her, anyway. To be her safe space was better than a pity date. And if that was what he had to start with, then he’d be glad for it.

Then again, the way she was shifting in her seat at the moment, he wasn’t so sure she was being truthful. “Are you sure about that?”

She shot him a questioning look.

“It’s just that you seem a little… nervous.”

Her laughter was stilted. “I haven’t been on a date since Finn—” She cut herself off and swallowed hard. “It’s been a long time.”

Reese rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, small circles against her soft skin. “It’s okay,” he whispered.

She nodded. “I know.”

“I’m not going to ask you to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

Once more, she nodded. “I know.”

“And I want you?—”

“Reese,” she laughed out. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to suddenly ask you to take me home. This is just… It’s going to take some getting used to.” Her eyes cut to his again. “I only ever dated Finn. He was my high school sweetheart and the man I married.”

And there it was. The unspoken words that seemed to hang in the air like a poisonous gas. There were so many things he could take from that admission. Guilt. Nerves. That she was betraying her husband somehow—or the memory of him, at least.

Reese’s thumb had stopped tracing against the back of her hand for a moment, then he started up again.

“I won’t bring it up if you don’t want me to.

” It was all he could offer her. There were no other words he could say.

The truth was, he didn’t know what it was like to lose someone—and someone so prevalent in her life.

No one else. She’d only ever dated that guy, and he’d been perfect enough to win her heart.

He had some pretty big shoes to fill.

And he was going to start it off right tonight.

“What about you?” she asked, as if she wanted to avoid acknowledging what he’d said.

“What about me?”

She shifted again. “How many women have you dated?”

He laughed. “More than one.”

Serenity flushed again. “I figured. Okay, so how many serious girlfriends?”

It was his turn to fidget. “I never thought about settling down. That meant that none of the girls I came across… I never thought about pursuing any of them seriously.” When she didn’t respond, he shot her a look. “I’ve never had a serious girlfriend.”

Her lips parted in surprise, and he couldn’t help laughing again. “We make quite a pair, huh? I’ve dated a lot but nothing serious. You fell for one guy and never looked back.”

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and chuckled with him. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

They made it to the lookout, and he brought her hand to his lips once more before he shut off the engine.

“Let me get everything set up real quick. Stay here.” When she nodded, he jumped out of the truck and set to work putting the blanket out on the flattest space he could find.

Then he gathered all the materials they’d bought along with the supplies he’d gotten from home.

Once everything was set out, he took a step back and gave it a once-over.

The sound of the truck door closing had him startling, and he turned to find Serenity approaching.

She gasped but it wasn’t his work she was staring at.

Her eyes were locked on the sunset. The colors seemed brighter up here at the outlook.

They were higher up, and they could see everything in town from their vantage point.

They were close to the Lodge—just a couple miles away.

The folks staying there had a similar view depending on what side of the resort their room faced.

What they didn’t have was their proximity to a particularly special bit of nature that hadn’t emerged quite yet.

Her eyes slid down to the blanket and locked on what he’d set up. He had two lanterns lit and glow-in-the-dark paint with the birdhouses ready to use. In about an hour, the lightning bugs would emerge, and they’d have a different sort of light to work with.

Serenity grinned. “We’re going to paint birdhouses in the dark?”

“Sorta.” He shrugged. “While we watch the sun set, anyway.”

The joy on her face was worth every bit of anxiety he’d had over coming up with this idea.

Sunsets had, in a way, become their thing.

He jerked his chin toward the blanket. “Come on, before the paint stops glowing.”