Page 14 of A Montana Secret Admirer (Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts #4)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Reese had lost track of time. They were covered in dried, crusty paint, sprawled out on the blanket with their fingers laced. Two jars of lightning bugs were situated to the side, and their birdhouses had only been half-painted.

But their date couldn’t have been more perfect.

It wasn’t until the sky started to lighten that he realized his mistake.

Serenity shot up from where she was and gasped.

She’d stopped herself mid-sentence, cutting herself off from the story she’d been telling him of her childhood.

“What is it?” Reese asked, sitting upright with her.

She stared toward the brightening horizon, her skin paling considerably. “We need to go back.”

“Sure. Is it the boys?” He’d expected her to nod and tell him that she was worried they’d wake up to find her gone, but they weren’t all that far from the ranch, and he knew that Jane would be more than capable of getting the kids breakfast. Both he and Serenity would be tired today, but he had figured it was something worth sacrificing for the great night they’d shared.

But she didn’t agree with his line of questioning.

Her breaths came out sharper, heavier, like she was going to have a panic attack. She reached for the items they’d put to the side and gathered a few things in her arms before standing up, but then she lost her footing and nearly stumbled.

Reese was on his feet in an instant. He reached for her arm to steady her. “What’s the matter? We can call Jane and let her know she needs to keep an eye on the boys?—”

“It’s not the boys,” Serenity snapped.

Was she crying?

He looked at her, reaching for her face, but she jerked away from him and hurried toward his truck.

“We have to go. Now,” she muttered breathlessly. Then her eyes turned to the brightening sky, and he could have sworn he heard her whimper. He hurried after her, and when she turned to head back to their blanket to gather the remainder of their supplies, he stepped in her path.

Reese grasped her by her upper arms, preventing her from getting past him.

Her eyes were already red-rimmed, but he couldn’t tell if it was just from staying up all night or because of her current distress.

It was likely both.

“Serenity,” he whispered. “What’s wrong? I really want to help.”

She shook her head, then squeezed her eyes shut just as the first rays of light darted out from beneath the horizon. He glanced over his shoulder at the view. It was breathtaking. Red bled with the darker hues in the sky. He frowned as he turned his attention back to Serenity.

“Talk to me.” He traced her cheeks with his thumbs, wiping them free of the tears that had spilled. “Whatever it is, I can fix it.”

Once again, she shook her head.

He wanted to get her to talk to him. They were both exhausted. She wasn’t dealing with whatever it was, and as much as he tried to be patient he was losing that battle. “Serenity,” he snapped.

Her eyes flew open, and she stared at him. “It’s Finn.”

Confusion flooded his chest. “Finn? Your husband?”

Her focus shifted to the sunrise, and her voice was so full of pain that it tore his heart right from his chest. “He loved to watch sunrises with me. It was our thing. From the moment we got serious, we’d watch as many as we could together.

He always said sunrises were better than sunsets because they were the sign of a new day.

A fresh start. They were a symbol of faith.

” Her voice cracked, and she shut her eyes again, which only made more tears slide down her cheeks.

And that was when everything clicked.

Reese shot a look over his shoulder at the sunrise.

He couldn’t begin to understand what she was feeling.

What was he supposed to say to that? Competing with a dead man was not something he’d banked on doing when he’d started falling for Serenity—though in the back of his mind, he guessed he should have known better.

“Serenity.” When she didn’t open her eyes, he repeated himself. “Serenity.”

She blinked and found his eyes.

He offered her a sad smile and wiped at another tear. “I know you love him.”

Blinking again, she exhaled through pursed lips.

“And I wouldn’t dream of trying to replace him. He helped you become the person you are today. I don’t want you to forget him just because you’re dating me.” He pressed his forehead against hers. “Do you understand?”

She nodded.

The tension was still high, and he wanted nothing more than to ask her to stay with him for a little longer and maybe grab breakfast so everything could settle. But he didn’t.

“I’ll take you home,” he murmured.

“Thank you.” Her voice was raspy, and before he could pull away, she drew him in for a hug. Serenity buried her face into the crook of his neck. For a moment, they just stood there, holding each other. Then she withdrew.

“I’ll get the rest of the stuff. You get in the truck.”

She gave him a weak smile, then a nod. In no time, he’d cleaned everything up, and they were on the road again. Neither one of them spoke about the moment they’d shared, and he had to force himself to be okay with that.

They had time.

Eventually, she’d be willing to talk to him. He’d just have to continue to be patient.

Reese’s head snapped up when Leo barged into the house with a slam of the back door. His eyes followed his brother as he made his way from the door to the fridge only to shut it a little harder than necessary. Then he stormed over to the pantry.

With a grumble, he shut the door to the pantry and leaned against it. His eyes found Reese, and he huffed. “Are you going?”

It had been two weeks since Reese and Serenity had been on their first official date.

Things had been tense for the first week but eased up.

He’d continued to watch the sunsets with her and didn’t push her for another date.

Due to his attention to Serenity and her sons, he had no idea what Leo was talking about.

“To New York. We have another meeting.”

Reese arched a brow. That was news to him. He hadn’t heard about another trip being planned.

Leo groaned and raked a hand down his face. “Please tell me that I’m not going alone with those two.”

“Who?”

“The lovebirds.”

Reese smirked. “Noah and Jane?”

“No, Bert and Ernie,” Leo deadpanned. “Yes, Noah and Jane. They’re like in a permanent state of honeymooning. The last thing I want to do is be stuck on a plane with the two of them.”

“I don’t know what to tell you. They haven’t told me anything about another trip. I guess I proved myself well enough.”

Leo’s eyes narrowed into slits. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You tell me. Why do they want you to go again? Maybe because they need to clear the air? If you’re going to be the head guy on the project over here, then they’re going to have to know you’re up for the job.”

He threw his hands into the air. “Of course I’m up for the job. I’m the guy they picked, aren’t I? There’s nothing hard about it.”

“And yet you and that lady didn’t get along all that well. Why do you think that is?” Reese held back a chuckle.

“That woman is a stuck-up city girl who wouldn’t know what a horseshoe was if it hit her in the face.”

Reese snorted. “Pretty sure you’re wrong there.”

His brother rolled his eyes. “This is all a bunch of bull?—”

“You better not be saying what I think you’re going to say.

” Their mother walked into the kitchen, a smile on her face.

She patted Reese’s cheek then turned toward Leo.

“Everyone knows you have a hard time playing with others. Perhaps this opportunity is one where you’ll finally learn how to do it right. ”

Covering his mouth with his hand so his brother didn’t catch the utter glee on his face, Reese did his best to school his features. He put his coffee mug into the sink along with his plate. “She’s right, you know. It’s high time you figure out how to play nice .”

Leo made a face, only to get a dark look from their mother. Reese chuckled as he left the house.

Two more weeks gone. The summer was flying by, and he felt he wasn’t getting close enough to Serenity—or rather, not fast enough. What was she going to do when the summer was over? He didn’t want her to leave—at least not without some sort of relationship between them.

Patience.

Wasn’t that the mantra he’d been saying to himself since the moment he’d met her? He had to have patience. Pushing her too far too fast would only hurt them both.

He trudged out in the direction of the barn and stopped.

Serenity stopped, too. Her eyes locked with his.

She was wearing a sweater, and she held a thermos in her hands. The sun had been up for a little while, so she hadn’t been up to watch it, but it did look like she’d enjoyed a walk. Her cheeks were flushed, but that could have been from exertion or from the nip in the morning air.

Slowly, her lips curled into a soft smile.

Dang, she was beautiful.

No, not beautiful.

Gorgeous?

Breathtaking?

Indescribable.

There were no words in existence that would be capable of defining what this woman was to him. Every part of her was perfect. From her eyes to her smile. From her sense of humor to the love she had for her family. Everything about her was just…

Perfect.

“Hey,” she murmured.

“Hey.” He wanted to take a step toward her, pull her into a hug, and tell her how much he missed her, even though he’d seen her yesterday. That was strange, wasn’t it?

Yes, absolutely it was.

They weren’t exactly together. They certainly hadn’t discussed what it was that had been taking place between them.

He wouldn’t do that, though. Reese would refrain from pulling her into his arms and kissing her like he really wanted to.

Serenity hugged herself and let out a laugh. It was the sort of sound she made when she was nervous. What did she have to be nervous about?

Reese did step forward then. “What… are your plans today?”