Page 17 of Till The Cows Come Home

Chapter Fifteen

Miles

“ W ednesday dinner?” I questioned, knowing the answer didn’t really matter.

If Sage wanted me somewhere, against my better judgment, I’d be there.

We’d made a line in the sand, declaring professionalism, and in essentially the same moment we stepped over it, muddling business and pleasure.

I was in no rush to return to the proper side, and so I was humoring dinner with the parents of a woman I hadn’t even taken on a proper date. No additional details required.

“My parents make dinner every Wednesday and I’ve spent the last three years avoiding them, but after the last market, my father successfully guilted me into attendance.”

“Don’t your parents think you’re wiggling your way into my life for your own personal gain?” I joked.

“They do. Which means it would be wonderful if you told them how I tried my best to avoid you and you just wouldn’t take no for an answer.” After a pause she added, “You could also tell them you’re failing miserably, and that you begged me for my help due to my well-known expertise. ”

I belted out a laugh. “Oh sure. I’ll rehearse that and regurgitate it verbatim. What do I need to bring?”

“Wine. A lot of it.”

I immediately chuckled at her demand, but she didn’t crack.

“I’m serious. We’re going to need it.”

“Yes ma’am.” I nodded, stifling the laugh that threatened to escape in response to her furiously narrowed eyebrows.

I’d met her parents without the luxury of liquid courage, faring just fine, but Sage’s apprehension had me questioning what information I may be lacking.

We’d thrown in the towel for the day after I’d complained of going cross-eyed from squinting at papers all afternoon, but in reality I’d noticed Sage pinching the bridge of her nose, attempting to smooth out a headache of her own.

I knew she wouldn’t yield first, and I also knew she’d wasted most of her weekend helping me.

The woman deserved to go home and relax.

She’d been on the farm almost daily, spending all of her off time providing me with free labor, and a sliver of guilt coursed through me for adding to her never-ending list of tasks.

She’d tackled an impressive chunk of the papers, clearing enough room that I may actually be able to have a meal at the table.

When she finally agreed to pack up, I leaned on the frame of the door, waiting for her to put her shoes on so I could see her out. But as she stood to leave, she paused, looking up at me with a bit of mischief.

“Thank you again for today.” I smiled, and although I vowed to allow Sage to lead, I surely wasn’t going to be the one to walk away first.

Her eyes burned into me, the clear blue stunning me time and time again.

She stood that way for a while, waiting for a few extra moments to see if I’d crack, but her own restraint snapped first. A tiny huff escaped her as she tugged my shirt collar, lowering my face to hers until our lips met, and I couldn’t help but smile as she hummed, the vibration eliciting sound-waves of desire.

I’d be lying if I said the sonance didn’t ruin me, threatening to break any hold I had on my self-control, but luckily for me, the kiss was short, relieving me of the tension that threatened to snap.

“Thank you , Miles.”

I squeezed her hand before she dropped mine, watching as she made it safely to her car from my perch on the porch, and it took everything in me not to march across the driveway and kiss her the way she deserved, to coax out those hums and moans.

But before my thoughts could wander any further, the clock rang out, marking the hour with its muffled chimes, handing me the reprieve I needed.

Cows.

The week was painfully slow, and each morning I looked forward to my glimpse of Sage.

“She’s not going to need bottles much longer,” I warned.

“I know.” Sage sighed. “She grew up so fast.”

“There will always be more calves,” I said, handing her a cup of coffee.

She nodded in acceptance, but I knew the soft spot she had for this one ached, because mine did too. Before heading to the parlor, I gave her shoulder an affirming squeeze, leaving her to enjoy the remaining time while the little one was still little.

We continued each day like this, greeting each other before getting lost in the workday and although the time we spent together was short, I couldn’t help but notice the difference it made on my day.

Starting each morning seeing her smile and coo at Blossom sparked an optimism I hadn’t felt in a while, and I could slowly feel a fraction of the weight being lifted from my shoulders, knowing that I was no longer in this endeavor alone.

Wednesday morning quickly arrived and before I even handed off Sage’s coffee, I could tell something was off. Instead of the usual pleasantries I overheard, she was working in silence, tapping her feet nervously where she stood.

“You look like you saw a ghost. What's up?”

“You’re still coming, right?”

“Coming to what?”

“Don’t you dare,” she snared.

“Of course I’m still coming,” I assured her, but instead of answering she just walked towards me, setting her forehead against my chest as if it was too heavy for her to hold up herself.

“That’s not funny.”

“Sorry,” I mumbled into her hair.

Aside from the kiss she stole over the weekend, we’d existed platonically, and every time we came in contact, my self control was tested, my body begging to meet hers. Grasping at my restraint, I chuckled, tilting her chin until her eyes met mine.

“It’s going to be fun. But if you don’t cheer up, you’re going to ruin it before we even get there because you’re so deep inside your own head. Let’s leave at five. Be ready to have a blast.”

She nodded, pretending to mope back to Blossom, but as soon as she got within arm’s reach, the calf was nudging at her hands, forcing her to break her charade.

The evening snuck up on me and before I knew it I was standing in front of the bathroom mirror fixing my collar for what seemed like the hundredth time.

Sage had told me to be casual, so I settled on a flannel and jeans, though I’d changed multiple times, as I made an effort to pick a color that was neither too dark nor too flashy.

I wanted to blend in, knowing that the attention needed to be on Sage and her parents’ relationship.

I was the icebreaker, and a slight worry coursed through me as if I'd somehow make a bad impression on people I’d already met.

In their defense, the Bakers were nothing but nice to me, but that was when I was bailing them out of debt.

Now that I was trying to win over the daughter they’ve been spending their entire life trying to protect, it felt different.

Not to mention, she was spending an awful lot of time at the farm while avoiding them, which could easily sour their feelings towards me, but I was knocked from my train of thought as Sage’s knocks hammered on my door.

I should have expected she’d be early and as her knocking continued, I quickly grasped she wasn’t about to stop until I opened the door.

So I smoothed my collar one last time, accepting my current look as the winner in order to tend to the incessant pounding.

When I opened the door, Sage’s fist was still raised to deliver another blow, her face painfully mirroring the same demeanor I caught her in this morning.

“Hi,” she grumbled, moving forward to enter past me.

“Nope,” I said, blocking her path. “Try again. We’re going to have a fabulous evening and if we need to stand here until your mindset reflects that, we will.”

I fought back laughter as her expression darkened, her eyebrows furrowing in displeasure as I closed the door in her face. When I opened it back up twenty seconds later, my heart sank, because in the few moments I made her wait, she disappeared.

When I stepped onto the deck to look for her, though, I immediately jumped back as the crouched demon sprung from behind the door.

“What’s wrong with you?” I gasped, bending over to slow my heart, which threatened to beat out of my chest.

“I’m sorry,” she said in between breaths of laughter. “I couldn’t pretend to be excited and I knew that would make me feel better. I think I’m ready to go now.”

She casually looped her arm in mine, guiding me towards my truck and all I could do was shake my head, gladly accepting that this woman may literally be the death of me.

I veered with her towards the passenger side of the truck, but once we reached the bed, she released her grasp.

“We don’t have time for chivalry today, lumberjack,” she grumbled, before walking off to open her own door.

I rounded the truck, climbing into my own seat, before turning to her.

“I know you can open your own door, Sage. But once in a while, it’s okay to let someone take the work off your hands.”

“Sorry,” she mumbled.

“Don’t apologize. Just understand that being an independent badass and being spoiled from time to time doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive. I promise you can have both.”

She nodded, taking my hand in hers with a squeeze, and while I drove she mindlessly traced my hand with her thumb.

When we arrived at her parents just minutes later, she sat waiting, and I gladly rounded my truck to open the door for her.

She took my hand again, leading me up the path to her parents’ porch, but when we approached the door, Sage stopped .

“Do you want me to knock?”

“Can I just have a minute?” she asked, before closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths.