Page 17 of A Montana Secret Admirer (Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts #4)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Reese didn’t know what possessed him to show up at sunset for Serenity. Clearly, she was dealing with something that he couldn’t understand. They’d get close, then she’d pull away. It was a tug-o-war that he’d actually grown accustomed to.

And right now?

He was probably the last person she would want to see.

Yet here he was, wanting nothing more than to just bask in her presence.

Something had to be wrong with him.

He cleared his throat when she didn’t immediately catch sight of him.

Her whole body went stiff for a moment and only relaxed slightly when her eyes locked with his. She blew out a shaky, nervous breath. “Oh, hey.”

“Hey.”

That seemed to be the only thing they could say to one another lately. She’d turned him down for a date. He should just be happy that she’d promised him a raincheck.

Reese continued to stand there, his fist bumping against his thigh as he watched her take in the sunset before her.

Should he invite himself to sit? Or would it be better if she asked him?

He didn’t know what to do. The air had grown far too thick between them, and he had to do something about it, or he was going to lose his mind.

Clearing his throat, he lifted a hand to gesture to the step beside her, but she spoke first.

“You… do you want to… sit?”

Relief was like a cold splash of water on his otherwise heated skin. “Yeah, I’d… yeah,” he replied dumbly.

It took only four long strides to get to the steps leading up to his cousins’ house, and he settled on the bottom stair beside her.

His thigh brushed against hers, and his body reacted to her much like it had every other time they were close.

What he wouldn’t give to just take her hand and squeeze it so she knew just how much he cared about her.

She didn’t look at him. Not even out of the corner of her eye. Something was still bothering her, and he could tell simply by the way her spine remained ramrod straight.

Reese leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “Do you want to talk about it?”

He hadn’t thought it was possible, but she went even more stiff. She glanced at him and rasped, “Talk about… what?”

Peering out at the sunset for the sole purpose of avoiding meeting her curious gaze, he blew out a breath. “I might not know you as well as your sister, but I can definitely tell that you’re anxious about something.”

“I’m not anxious.” She was too quick to respond.

He arched a brow, turning his head so he could look at her over his shoulder.

“I’m not,” she insisted with a sharp laugh.

“Well, you’re struggling with something.

I know you better than you might think. And whatever it is, I can tell you it’s not good to keep it to yourself.

I hope you’re talking to someone about it.

” He prayed that it didn’t have anything to do with him.

If he was the reason she was shutting down, he didn’t know what he was going to do.

“The boys want to go for a ride on a real trail,” she murmured.

Great . Avoidance. Did she really think that she could change the subject, and he’d just let her walk away from what he knew in his gut needed to be discussed?

“I told them that you’re the teacher, and you know best.” She smiled as if recalling the conversation she undoubtedly had with her sons. “I told them that you’re going to be teaching other kids how to ride soon, and that I was certain you had a plan for them to get out on the harder terrain.”

Apparently, she’d figured him out. He shifted, sitting up straighter as he faced her slightly. “That’s not going to happen for quite some time. And honestly? I’m beginning to wonder if it’s going to happen at all.”

Her eyes widened. “What? Why?”

Reese released a dry chuckle. “Leo isn’t exactly playing nice with the lady who’s in charge of the finances when it comes to building the facility. They… don’t quite get along.”

Serenity’s expression was a combination of worry and adjacent embarrassment. “How’s Jane taking it?”

“She hasn’t told you?”

She ducked her head and laughed. “Jane doesn’t exactly like to talk about work stuff with me.” Under her breath, she muttered, “There are more pressing topics of conversation she wants to deal with.”

“Hmm?” He wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly. What other pressing issues could Jane be concerned with? What was more important than the project she’d put her heart into?

“What? Nothing. It’s just sister stuff. We don’t talk about work because… well, we just don’t. We’d rather enjoy the time we have together.” She laughed, and at least this one was a little more genuine.

He nodded thoughtfully. If he understood Serenity correctly, she was referring to the usual stuff he’d heard his female cousins chatting about. Or perhaps giggling about.

Boys. Dates. Crushes.

Reese glanced at Serenity and couldn’t help wondering how often his name had come up in conversation. Based on Noah’s reaction to finding out he was the secret admirer, he had to believe that Jane had some degree of knowledge on the subject.

“So…” Serenity drawled. “Leo and… what’s this woman’s name?”

“Kat.”

“Kat,” she murmured carefully, as if trying it out for herself. “And this Kat . Is she… abhorrent or something?”

Reese laughed. “I wouldn’t say that at all.

She’s…” He turned his head up to the sky and let out another chuckle.

“Honestly? She’s fine. She’s a typical city girl who is good at running a business and won’t let anyone walk all over her.

She doesn’t put up with anything. And Leo?

” He blew out a breath. “Well, Leo doesn’t like to be told what to do.

And he definitely has no interest in being knocked down a peg by someone who wouldn’t understand what it’s like to work a ranch. ”

“Sounds like the start of a war,” she mused.

“It might very well be.” He turned a humored gaze onto her.

The air between them had shifted. Getting off the topic of what had been bothering her had undoubtedly changed it.

He couldn’t tell if he was relieved or disappointed that they weren’t getting to the bottom of what might really be on her mind. Maybe it was selfish—wanting the peace that came from just talking with her like this. It was friendly and exactly what he needed. At least in this moment.

A breeze tickled his skin. The sound of the bugs playing in their orchestra filled the air. It was peaceful at night. He could appreciate how much Serenity enjoyed these tranquil moments.

Her issue with sunrises had been understandable, and he was glad she’d found another way to seek the peace she needed to get through the day.

In the stillness of the night, a comfortable silence continued to grow. It wasn’t pulling them apart or putting a wedge between them. If anything, she seemed to be more comfortable with him.

Reese would take the win.

He rolled his shoulders, his head accompanying the movement so he could glance in her direction. She caught his eye and smiled with a soft laugh. “What?”

Reese shrugged. He wanted to talk to her, to sit with her and get to know her even more. He wanted to know what made her tick and why she was so skittish when it came to the feelings he knew only continued to grow between them.

But he’d been honest with Jane and Noah when he’d said that he was going to play it slow. He would be careful. No one was going to get a broken heart on his watch.

“You know how you told me to look into programs related to working with kids and horses?”

Her eyes brightened with interest. Boy, what he wouldn’t give to see her light up like that every day of his life. Serenity nodded. “Did you find something?”

“Oh, I found a whole lot of somethings.” He tore his gaze away from her as he continued.

“The best one is back east. It’s this program that would cover everything .

It’d give me certifications to work as a counselor, a teacher, a trainer…

and even a therapist if I took some additional courses at an accredited university.

There are some jobs that I could get that wouldn’t necessarily need those certifications, but they’d go a long way in making what I do legitimate. ”

“Of course.”

He turned to her again. When he didn’t say anything, she continued.

“What I mean is…” She chewed on the corner of her mouth.

“Tegan took karate back home for a couple years. The dojo he went to was run by men who knew the skills, but only two of them had professional qualifications.” Her eyes widened as if she was worried what he might think.

“All of them had background checks, and the man running the business had hired them because of their experience, but most of them simply didn’t get an official education, if that makes sense. ”

Reese nodded. “I understand. And yeah, it’s like that. I’m sure that Bo and Jane would be happy to have me do my part without the extra effort… but…”

She reached out and placed her hand on his knee.

He stared down at the contact, and his chest swelled with something he couldn’t describe.

Heat licked at his insides. His heart thrummed with a nervous sort of energy.

The electricity in the air hummed happily.

It was all he could do not to place his hand atop hers and trace designs in her skin.

“But it’d make you happier knowing that you are giving it your all,” she whispered, completing his sentence for him.

His eyes lifted to meet hers. “Yeah, that.”

She smiled and withdrew her hand. Without her touch, his whole body seemed to shift, growing colder. He missed her warmth more than he had any right to.

Reese blew out a nervous breath then laughed. He rubbed the back of his neck. “The problem is the program is so far away. It’s a six-month thing—longer if I want the credentials to be a full-blown therapist. And it’s expensive .”

“You don’t think that Jane and Noah would front the cost?”

“Oh, I’m sure they would. In fact, I bet they’d have me on the next plane out of here if I told them I wanted to go.”

“But?” she pressed.

“But… I don’t know if Bo would be happy about my absence.

” Nor did he know whether he could stand the distance from the woman seated beside him.

They were running out of time, and he was fighting the desperation that came from wanting more with her.

In less than two months, she’d be heading home.

She’d probably visit here and there, but would it be the same?

Not likely.

He sighed heavily.

“Maybe you should ask.”

“Hmm?”

“Bo. Ask your cousin if he could stand to let you leave for the next run of the program. See if he can appreciate what you’re trying to do.”

“Yeah, well, if I do that, then will I still be benefiting him? Or Jane’s charity thing?”

She laughed. “Good point.”

They were quiet again for a long moment, then she shifted a little closer to him.

Or was that his imagination? Her fingers grazed his where they both rested on the wooden step.

A spark ignited somewhere in his body, and he lifted his eyes to find her staring at him with an intensity that he wasn’t prepared for.

“I think it’s worth a shot,” she said.

Was he crazy, or was she leaning toward him? He couldn’t tell if her body was actually tilted or if it was his wishful thinking being draped in the darkness of the night sky.

“You do?” he replied.

She nodded, her eyes lowering as she broke eye contact. “Everyone deserves to find happiness—no matter where it will take them. Life is too short not to take advantage of an opportunity like that one.”

He was leaning toward her just as much as she was leaning toward him. Reese could feel the soft puffs of her breath against his face. Their noses were so close to touching.

Dreaming.

He had to be dreaming.

Reese had somehow ended this conversation, and he’d gone up to his bedroom to get some sleep. It had been a long day. There was too much on his mind, and the confession of how much he cared for Serenity had been simmering like the lava of a volcano ready to fully wake up.

The burning, red substance hovered, and bubbles popped just beneath the surface.

If this was a dream like he thought, then he could kiss her. He could pull her into his arms and ravage her like he’d wanted to do for weeks, and she wouldn’t be scared of him. She might even tell him that she’d been feeling the same thing, too.

“Reese?” Serenity called him.

His eyes flew open. When had he closed them? She was still so close, the reflection of the starlight reflecting off her wide eyes.

“Yeah?” he murmured.

“Are you going to kiss me?”

He blinked.

Several times.

“K-kiss you?”

One side of her mouth quirked upward.

“I’d like you to kiss me.”

“You would?”

Yes, this was definitely a dream, and he was going to wake up in a clammy mess when it was all over based solely on how hard his heart hammered in his chest.

She released a quiet laugh and nodded.

Reese cupped her jaw and inched a tiny bit closer. Serenity’s hand wrapped around his wrist, and she closed her eyes. He took a moment to just drink her in. The complexities that were Serenity Giles were far more beautiful than anyone gave them credit for.

He might never get another chance like this in his lifetime, and he was squandering it while he observed her flawless beauty.

That realization hit him square in the chest, and he dove toward her, his lips capturing hers in a kiss that was probably too abrupt. But she didn’t pull away.

She didn’t pull away !

Her mouth moved against his, toying with him, playing with him, tasting him. She was like starlight and rainy afternoons. She was a field of wildflowers and the faith that the sun would rise every morning.

She was everything.

He couldn’t get enough of her. Not her lips. Not her eyes. Not that laugh or the way she wrinkled her nose when she didn’t like how something new tasted. One day, he was going to prove to her that they would be good together. One day, she’d accept that she deserved happiness, too.

Reese held the back of her neck now, not allowing her to escape if she’d been so inclined. But then she stiffened, and he released her as if she’d burned him.

Serenity didn’t meet his eyes. They were both breathing heavily. He anticipated that she’d want to run now, but she didn’t. Instead, she rested her forehead on the crook of his shoulder until her breathing settled. Then she pulled back and gave him a shy smile. “Goodnight, Reese.”

His eyes followed her as she got to her feet and headed inside the house.

She’d kissed him.

She’d finally given him something after all the wondering and all the fretting.

Serenity was offering him a piece of her, and there was no way he’d take it for granted.