Page 36 of Saddles and Snowstorms (Sagebrush Cowboys #4)

Brooks

I stood outside Rowan’s clinic, panting as if I’d run there on my own two feet.

My heart was pounding in my chest, feeling like it was about to burst out at any moment.

I could barely breathe. Did Rowan really mean it?

Was he really gonna stay? Did he really want to partner with me and my ranch to expand his veterinary practice?

Or was this all some cruel joke? It felt too good to be true, but that didn’t stop me from wanting it, from hoping it could be real.

But why would he give up everything to stay here of all places?

The offer his boss had made him… it was incredible, life changing even.

He could have wealth and freedom, as much as he could handle.

So why would he give that all up to stay in Sagebrush?

I couldn’t believe it was just for me. Not even I would’ve given up all that for me.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing thoughts.

For the first time in years, I was actually letting myself hope for something.

Someone. Rowan had waltzed into Sagebrush with his city ways and veterinary degree, all sharp edges and wary smiles, and somehow managed to wedge himself right into the center of my world.

I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans and pushed open the clinic door.

The little bell jingled overhead, announcing my arrival.

The waiting room, like I’d hoped, wasn’t empty.

There were four people waiting, each of them with a different pet at their feet or in their laps.

They all looked up at me, some of them surprised to see my face in town at all.

“Be right there!” Rowan’s voice called from the back room.

I stood awkwardly, hat in hand, thumbing the worn brim. When he appeared, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and that faint scar on his jaw catching the afternoon light, my mouth went dry.

“Didn’t expect to see you back so soon,” he said, his face stalwart and unreadable. “Thought you wanted to be alone on that ranch of yours. You know… by yourself. Without anyone.”

His meaning was crystal clear.

“I changed my mind,” I managed to say at last.

His eyebrow quirked up. “Oh? And why is that, Brooks? What’s changed?”

I glanced around at the others, embarrassment welling up inside me. “Can we… uh… talk privately?”

“No,” he said simply, giving me a cold smile. “You can either say what you want to say, or you can wait until after hours.”

I swallowed hard, my throat tight as a drum. Every eye in the waiting room was on me now, including Mrs. Johnson with her ancient poodle and young Tim Walker holding that mangy barn cat of his. But none of those gazes burned quite like Rowan’s.

“I ain’t much for words,” I said, my voice rougher than I intended. “Never have been.”

“Try,” Rowan challenged, crossing his arms over his chest. That green gaze of his didn’t waver an inch.

I shifted my weight, boots scuffing against the linoleum. The silence stretched thin as barbed wire between us.

“I don’t want you to go,” I finally managed, the words coming out in a rush. “I don’t want you taking that fancy job back in Austin. I want—” My voice cracked, and I cleared my throat. “I want you to stay here. In Sagebrush. With me.”

Mrs. Johnson let out a soft “Oh my” from her chair. Tim’s face broke into a gap-toothed grin.

Rowan’s expression didn’t change, but something flickered in those green eyes of his. A muscle in his jaw twitched.

“With you,” he repeated, voice low and even. “The same you who told me not a week ago that you don’t do relationships? That you prefer being alone? That I should go back to Austin and forget all about you? That man?”

I felt my face flush hot under the scrutiny of everyone in the waiting room. This wasn’t how I’d imagined this conversation going. But then, I hadn’t imagined having it in front of half the town either.

“Yeah,” I said, nodding slowly. “That’s the one. Turns out he was wrong.”

Something softened in Rowan’s expression. Just a hair. Just enough.

“Wrong about what exactly?” he pressed, taking a step closer to me. The scent of antiseptic and his woodsy cologne filled my senses.

I took a deep breath. If I was going to humiliate myself, might as well do it properly.

“Wrong about everything. About being better off alone. About not needin’ anyone. About pushin’ everyone away.” My fingers tightened around the brim of my hat. “About you.”

The room had gone so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Even the animals seemed to be holding their breath.

“And what about me?” Rowan asked, his voice dropping low enough that I had to strain to hear him.

I swallowed hard and took a step forward, closing the distance between us. My hat was crumpled in my hands now, twisted up like my insides. The wrinkles in the leather would be permanent, a lasting reminder of this moment where everything was on the line.

“I was wrong about you,” I said, voice rough as gravel.

“Thought you were just passing through. Another city boy who’d leave once he got tired of playing small town vet.

But you ain’t like that. You’re... different.

You care about the animals, about the people.

About this place.” I paused, heart hammering. “Maybe even about me.”

A small smile tugged at the corner of Rowan’s mouth. “Maybe?”

“Definitely,” I amended, feeling heat creep up my neck. “And I... I care about you too. More than I thought I could care about anybody.”

Mrs. Johnson let out a delighted sigh. Someone else—sounded like old man Peters—whispered, “Well I’ll be damned.”

Rowan’s eyes never left mine. “So, what exactly are you proposing here, Brooks?”

“Stay,” I said simply. “Partner with me. We can build something together. The ranch and the clinic. You and me.” The words tumbled out faster now, gaining momentum like a runaway horse.

“I know it ain’t as fancy as what your old boss is offerin’ you back in Austin, but it’s real.

It’s honest work. And I’d be there, every step of the way. ”

Rowan’s eyes searched mine, and for a terrifying moment, I couldn’t read what was in them.

“What about when things get hard?” he asked quietly. “What about when I’m too tired from treating animals all day, or when you’re frustrated with the cattle, or when we fight? Are you going to run back to that empty ranch cabin and shut me out again?”

It was a fair question. One I deserved.

“No,” I said firmly. “I’m done runnin’. I’ve spent my whole life runnin’ from getting close to people because I was afraid of losing them.

But I realized somethin’ when I told you to leave.

” I took a deep breath. “I was losin’ you anyway, the thing I feared most. And it hurt worse than anything I’d ever felt before. ”

Rowan’s expression softened, and he took a step closer, close enough that I could see the flecks of gold in his green eyes.

“Brooks Callahan,” he said, voice soft but clear enough for everyone to hear, “are you asking me to be your partner? In business and... otherwise?”

I swallowed hard, nodding. “Yes. Both. All of it.” My voice was barely more than a whisper. “I’m all in if you are.”

The silence stretched between us, thick as honey. I could feel the eyes of everyone in the waiting room on us, but I couldn’t look away from Rowan’s face.

Then, slowly, that smile I’d grown to love spread across his face, lighting up his eyes.

“I already told you I’m staying,” he said, reaching out to take my mangled hat from my hands. “I already told you I want the partnership.” His fingers brushed mine, sending a jolt of electricity up my arm. “But I’m glad you came all the way into town to make it official.”

Relief flooded through me, so strong my knees nearly buckled. “So, you meant it? You’re really stayin’?”

“I’m really staying,” he confirmed, his smile growing wider with each passing second. “I love you, Brooks Callahan. Ain’t nothin’ gonna change that.”

I felt like all the air had been punched right out of my lungs. He’d said it. Said those words that I never thought I’d hear directed at me, not in this lifetime.

“You...love me?” I repeated, my voice barely audible over the sound of my thundering heart.

“I do,” Rowan said, no hesitation in his voice. “Have for a while now, even when you were being a stubborn ass.”

Mrs. Johnson let out a delighted little clap, and someone else—sounded like Tim—let out a whoop of approval.

But I barely registered them. All I could see was Rowan, standing there with my crumpled hat in his hands and that smile on his face that made me feel like I was standing in sunshine after years in the dark.

“I love you too,” I said, the words coming easier than I’d expected. “Never said that to anyone before. Never thought I would.”

Rowan’s smile grew impossibly wider. “First time for everything, cowboy.”

Before I could second-guess myself, I stepped forward, closed the remaining distance between us, and kissed him right there in front of God and everyone.

His lips were soft against mine, tasting faintly of coffee.

For a moment, I worried I’d overstepped, kissing him like this in front of everyone.

But then his hand came up to cup my jaw, and he was kissing me back with a fervor that made my head spin.

Someone whistled. Someone else applauded. I didn’t care. All that mattered was Rowan’s lips on mine, his body pressed against me, the feeling that something inside me that had been broken for years was finally, finally starting to heal.

When we pulled apart, both a little breathless, I saw that his cheeks were flushed pink, his eyes bright. He looked happier than I’d ever seen him.

“Well,” he said, clearing his throat and addressing the waiting room, “as you can all see, I’ll be staying on as Sagebrush’s veterinarian. Permanently.”

A cheer went up from the small crowd. Mrs. Johnson dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief.

“And,” Rowan continued, “I’ll be partnering with Brooks Callahan to expand the practice to include large animal care based at his ranch.”

“About damn time,” old man Peters muttered, shaking his head with a smile .

Rowan squeezed my hand. “If anyone has objections to this development, you can keep them to yourself,” he announced, looking pointedly around the room. His tone was light, but there was steel underneath it.

No one said a word against us. Instead, there were more smiles and nods than I’d expected. Is this what acceptance felt like? Could it be that easy after all these years of worrying myself to death?

“Now,” Rowan said, professional demeanor sliding back into place though he kept hold of my hand, “I need to get back to my patients. Mrs. Johnson, I believe you and Mitzi are next?”

“Oh, take your time, dear,” she said, waving a wrinkled hand. “This is far more entertaining than Mitzi’s arthritis medication adjustment.”

Rowan laughed, a sound that never failed to warm me from the inside out. “I’ll be quick,” he promised, then turned back to me. “Wait for me?” he asked quietly. “I’ll be done in a couple hours.”

“I’ll be here,” I said, meaning it more than I’d ever meant anything. “I ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

He smiled, leaned in for one more kiss. “You mean it?”

I nodded. “I love you, Rowan. More than anything. I’ll always be here for you.”

He smiled, something warm and private that was just for me. “I’m going to hold you to that, cowboy.”