Page 9 of A Montana Secret Admirer (Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts #4)

CHAPTER SEVEN

“I mean it Sammie. You can’t say a single word. Not to Serenity, not to Noah, and definitely not to Jane.”

Sammie eyed Reese, her hands on her hips.

She was married to his cousin—Noah’s oldest brother—and she’d managed to fit in with the family better than any of them had anticipated after the sort of upbringing she’d had.

“You seriously want me to promise secrecy on something I know nothing about? I don’t think I can do that. ”

Reese groaned, glancing over his shoulder at the car that was currently waiting for the crew who would be heading out to New York in just a few minutes. “Yes, you have to promise not to breathe a word about it to anyone. I can’t have it getting back to me.”

A single brow arched. “And it’s not going to hurt anyone?”

He wanted to tear his hair out. “No, it’s not going to hurt anyone.”

“Then why does it have to be a secret?”

Reese threw his hands into the air. “Forget it. I don’t care.” He managed to spin around and take two steps before he heard Sammie’s laughter and her amused voice.

“Fine. Whatever it is, I swear I won’t breathe a word to a single soul. There. Is that good enough? Or do we need to make a pinky swear or blood oath?”

He stopped on the second step of the porch, breathing a sigh as he turned to face her. “Ha, ha. Very funny.”

She shrugged. “What? I have to get my kicks somewhere. What’s the favor? You’re only going to be gone for like two days. I can’t imagine there is anything that can’t wait for you to get back.”

Marching back to where she stood, he pressed a small note into her palm.

“Don’t read it. Leave it on Will and Tana’s doorstep after it gets dark.

After midnight, preferably.” He didn’t know if Serenity had been trying to catch him, so he’d been setting an alarm to bring her the flower when he knew she’d be asleep.

There had been one time he’d nearly gotten caught, and that had scared him enough to change tactics.

Sammie stared down at the note with curiosity.

“Seriously, Sammie. Do. Not. Read. It.”

She smirked at him then. “How would you know if I did?”

He threw back his head with another groan, hating that she could affect him this much with her teasing. “You need to leave a yellow lotus with it. There’s one at my house in the fridge. Just ask my mom for it, and she’ll get it for you.”

It was at that moment something started to click for her. A wide smile spread across her face, and she placed a palm to her chest. “Well, Reese, as I live and breathe. Are you courting Miss Serenity Giles?”

“Shhh!” he hissed, tossing a nervous look over his shoulder. “No, I’m not courting her. She’s not ready for anything serious. These are just… friendly notes.”

“Uh huh.” She smirked some more, a hand on her hip. “Friendly. Tell me, Reese. Since when do lotus flowers mean friendship?”

“They mean new beginnings, okay?”

“Reese!”

He jumped and glanced over his shoulder to see Noah beckoning to him. Serenity was talking to Jane, and the boys were sitting in the grass with popsicles. When he glanced back to Sammie, her smile was softer, sweeter.

“Good for you.”

“Hmm?”

She shrugged. “It’s about time you found someone suited to you. And I couldn’t have picked a better person than Serenity.”

He rolled his eyes. “Just remember?—”

“Not a word, I know.”

Reese shook his head. “Wait ‘til midnight.”

“Oh, right.”

The trip to New York had been exhausting, but only due to the fact that Leo and Kat butted heads like there was no tomorrow. Reese had lost track of how many times he gave Jane a pleading look. This wasn’t going to end well if the two of them had to work so closely together.

Noah wasn’t any help whatsoever. He seemed utterly amused by the whole thing.

Now that he was back on Montana soil—more importantly, Sagebrush land—Reese had one thing in mind. He wanted to see Serenity. He needed to hear her voice, laugh with her, smell her perfume.

He shook his head. He’d been gone a solid two days, and already he was suffering from withdrawals. How was that possible?

Reese had pulled out his phone to send her a message that first night, then he’d thought better of it.

At first, he’d tried to come up with something simple and funny to say.

Then he’d thought he could ask her how the sunset looked.

Then he’d tossed his phone into his suitcase and given up because none of it sounded right.

The second he stepped out of the car, his eyes shifted to the houses where he and his cousins lived.

He didn’t know what he’d expected to see.

Serenity with the boys out front? That would have been ridiculous.

She didn’t belong to him, and she probably hadn’t missed him nearly as much as he’d missed her.

“Thanks for coming, Reese. I hope you know how much I appreciate it.” Jane’s voice ripped him from his focus on the house, and he gave her a wan smile.

His eyes flicked to Leo, who was already halfway to the house.

Then he lowered his voice and leaned closer to her.

“Are you sure you want to let him work with Ms. Jerris? It didn’t look like they got along all that well. ”

She made a face. “I know. But we’re going to have to let them work it out. From what I understand, her father is insistent that she take a big role in this project, and Bo doesn’t want to put anyone else on the team.”

Reese groaned. “That’s going to be a nightmare. I hope you’re ready for it.”

This time, she smiled somewhat. “I’ve had to deal with nightmares before. This will be fine.”

He nodded and turned toward the house.

Bo had said he could take the day to regroup after the travel time from New York, but Reese felt restless.

He wasn’t about to stay holed up in his room for the day.

New York had been loud and busy, and being back here?

With the wide-open spaces and the smell of freshly cut hay? Home had never felt so good.

He dropped his duffle right inside his room and headed out to find Serenity. Unfortunately, he discovered that she’d taken the boys to town to play at the local arcade. Mack had insisted on taking the boys to do something fun, since their uncle wasn’t home to take them himself.

Reese didn’t know why that bothered him so much.

It wasn’t like Mack was interested in Serenity.

He had a wife and a kid of his own. Bridger was about the same age as the boys, and they’d been playing together well enough.

And yet Reese couldn’t shake this feeling that he should be there with them.

He wanted to be part of her life as much as he could.

Serenity wasn’t ready for that, though. The way she’d looked utterly terrified when he’d nearly kissed her had given him more than enough evidence on her train of thinking.

Dropping down on the porch stairs, he looked out at the life that his cousins had made not only for themselves, but for their extended family. When he’d moved here, he’d thought it was great. He couldn’t think of anything he’d ever need besides what they’d given him.

Then he’d watched as Caleb and Noah had made something of themselves financially. Not only that, but they, along with Mack, had found a reason for living.

No, not living—thriving.

They’d found love.

The concept had been foreign enough to Reese. It really hadn’t been that long since his father passed away, and yet it was hard to recall the moments of his parents’ relationship that showed just how in love they were.

Reese had been so caught up in his teenage years that he hadn’t stopped to appreciate what real love could be.

It wasn’t until he started seeing his cousins come into that happiness that he felt that twinge of longing for something of his own.

Then meeting Serenity? That feeling had morphed into a full-fledged bull on a warpath to his heart. What was he going to do if she didn’t open herself up to him?

“Hey, cupid.” He lifted his head and found Sammie wandering toward him with a wicked gleam in her eye. “Have you seen her yet?”

“No,” he muttered. “Mack took her and the boys out for some fun.”

She snickered, and he shot her a dark look.

He knew she was laughing at him for his sullen attitude.

She didn’t have to say as much for him to catch on.

Still, she sidled up beside him on the step and pulled her knees to her chest. “I did what you said. I left the note and the flower. I didn’t get caught.

And as far as I can tell, she’s keeping her secret admirer a secret. ”

Reese glanced at her.

“When are you going to man up and ask her out?”

He scoffed.

“I’m serious, Reese. Clearly, you have feelings for her. Why not just… ask? What’s the worst that could happen?”

“She’s already said she’s not ready for something serious.”

A strangled sound escaped her lips, and she turned her surprised eyes to him. “And you have known her for how long? What exactly did you ask her for? I was just saying that you ask her on a date. One date, Reese.”

He refused to play into her teasing. “I said that I was interested. She shut me down.” He shrugged. “So, I said we could be friends.”

Her groan sounded more like it came from someone who was disappointed than anything else. “You put yourself into the friend zone? That takes skill. And then the flowers? What are you thinking?”

“I’ve been asking myself that same question for a while.” He finally offered her a small smile. “I guess I figured that relationships that grow from friendships are stronger. Look at you and Caleb.”