Chapter 5

Colt

Waking up again this morning with Sage in my arms is something I will never get tired of. I don’t know how I’m going to sleep in my bed alone ever again. I look over at Sage. God, she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Even as kids she was the most beautiful girl.

She has it all. She’s breathtakingly beautiful but doesn’t know it. She’s sweet and caring. She lights up a room with laughter, no matter where she is, and she’s strong as hell. It just reaffirms what I’ve always known. It will always be her for me. No one else, and I won’t pretend otherwise.

She’s still sleeping facing me. I carefully roll to my side and take her in. Her dark-brown hair and eyes that I know are the most stunning hazel color. They sparkle green when she’s happy, turn blue when she’s turned on, and go dark brown when she’s mad. Eyes that I still see every time I close mine.

I lightly brush a piece of hair from her forehead, and her eyes flutter open. Her eyes lock with mine, and neither of us says a word or moves. The whole room falls away, and it’s just me and her. I lightly run a finger over her temple, down her cheek, and across her jaw.

Breathing picks up, and her nipples get hard under her thin t-shirt. I’m glad I’m not the only one that still gets turned on by the slightest touches. It’s always been this way between us. I’m rock hard just being able to touch her like this.

I have to remind my cock to stand down. This isn’t about us, it’s about what she needs. Right now, she needs is to heal and trust us again. We both need to heal and talk. I want a real relationship, not just sex. He doesn’t seem to care though.

“Let me take you to dinner when you get the okay from the doctor.”

“Colt…” she whispers.

“Please. I want to give us a real chance to work everything out. That’s all I’m asking for and if we just end up friends, so be it.”

Lie.

We won’t end up just being friends. I’ll never be okay with just being friends again.

“But I want to work this out. I want to work through this and put it all behind us. During that time, I don’t want you seeing anyone else, and I won’t either. I just want a chance.”

“Colt, I don’t know…”

“I want to take you out, show you off, and let the whole town know it’s always going to be you. So, everyone leaves me alone. This is it for me. No more games. One month. Give me one month,” I plead.

I see her looking into my eyes, and I try to convey everything I can’t put into words. I don’t know what she sees, but it works.

She takes a deep breath and nods. “One month.”

I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face if I tired.

Sage

It’s been a week since I agreed to give Colt one month. My stitches are out, and I’m allowed to move around but not to lift anything heavier than my purse, so I’ve taken over all the bookwork for the ranch, so I don’t feel quite so useless.

I love being out on the land, getting dirty, being with the animals. Paperwork has always been part of running the ranch, but I hate spreadsheets and accounting. But it has to get done so the ranch hands get paid.

I told Mac when he earns his degree, I’m secretly hoping he’ll take up accounting and do all the bookwork for us, but he’s like me. He loves getting dirty and being with the animals. So, Blaze and I take care of the bookwork with help from Colt and Dad.

Tonight is my first official date with Colt. We dated in high school, but it just progressed that way. There was never an official date especially since we weren’t telling people about us. We spent a lot of time together, and I could pick many moments I’d consider a date, but I’m not sure what our first date really was.

It might have been the picnic after our first kiss? Maybe? Either way, I will remember this night, so I’m going all out!

I decide on a lace, off the shoulder dress in a vintage peachy coral color. The sleeves are long and flowy, but the neckline is high enough to cover where the knife sliced me, which is healing nicely. The dress is on the shorter side, kind of like an oversized shirt that hugs all the right places and still covers everything.

I pair it with my ivory lace and glitter cowgirl boots and a silver and turquoise necklace Colt bought me at the reservation our senior year of high school. I haven’t been able to bring myself to wear it again but now seems like the perfect time.

I head downstairs to meet Colt and when his eyes meet mine, his jaw drops. I can’t help but smile. I nailed the outfit; the fact I can cause a guy to have that reaction is a huge confidence booster. But Colt having that reaction? It sends the butterfly in my stomach on overdrive.

“Wow! You look stunning, Sage.” He takes my hand and leans in to kiss me on the cheek. He leads me to his truck and helps me in, making sure I’m buckled in before rounding the truck and getting in himself.

We drive in silence until we get to the end of the dirt road. He stops and looks at me.

“Listen, thank you for doing this tonight. I want to show you off because, wow, that outfit needs to be shown off. I want everyone to know that no matter how this ends, I’m yours. I want to have dinner and enjoy ourselves. I want you to tell me about your travels and everything I missed. Then I was thinking we could head out to our old spot by the church and talk some?”

I sigh. That’s my Colt, always with a plan. “Okay.” I smile and relax.

“Once we put this all behind us, if this doesn’t work out, if we can’t move past this, I want nothing more than for you to be happy… even if it isn’t with me.”

I look at him. I see my unsure boy who is scared to make the wrong move, scared to lose me. A stab of guilt hits me. He lost me anyway, and it was nothing he did. But there’s a part of me who is sick at the thought of this not working out.

Would he date again? Would he go back to Kelli? Could I stand to see him with anyone else? I sure as hell can’t stand the thought of him with Kelli. No way in hell will I allow her on my land…

Almost like he can sense me going down that road, he pulls me back to him. “It would crush me. I won’t lie, but I need you to be happy.”

If I were standing, I’m pretty sure I’d be swooning right now. It breaks my heart and makes me fall for this man even more if that’s possible. I steel my nerves and make myself a promise that I will make sure we can come on the other side together.

I reach over and take his hand in mine, intertwining our fingers all the way to Jason’s bar. It’s called WJs, but everyone calls it Waylon’s after its original owner. He left the bar to Jason when he died since none of his kids wanted it.

The bar has changed, and Jason is now adding food to the menu. Everyone likes it as long as he keeps the bar, stage, and dance floor.

This is the perfect place for our first date, near family with food, music, and dancing. I look over and smile at Colt whose smile matches my own.