To his surprise, she nodded and went back to stand behind the counter. “I had an uncle who was agoraphobic. I recognized the look.”
She did? She wasn’t judging? He ran a hand over his mouth and then drank the rest of the coffee. Most times when people heard he had PTSD from the war, they acted like he was utterly crazy and about to snap, or they gave him pathetic, pitying looks and treated him like a drooling idiot. He hated both reactions.
Jason found himself getting to his feet, and he returned the coffee cup on the counter. “I appreciate the understanding. I haven’t told many people about that.”
The woman—Sage—flashed him another dimpled smile and picked up a stack of mail, sorting Christmas catalogs into piles. “This is a no-judgment zone. Well,” she amended, tilting her head and making the reindeer antlers cock, “unless you came here to use the library computer to look up porn like the high school kids do. Then I’m going to judge you.”
He snorted. “No, ma’am.”
“Miss,” she clarified, and to his surprise, she turned bright red in the cheeks. “It’s miss. I’m not married.”
“Ah.” He didn’t know what to say. She looked distinctly uncomfortable, her face as red as the reindeer nose on her sweater. She was pretty, and charmingly sweet, but it was clear his head was still a damn mess. Asking her out would be a bad idea. Besides, she probably had a boyfriend in a town as small as this. He cleared his throat. “I guess it’s a good thing I’m here at the library.”
“Oh?” She tucked a strand of long, silky hair behind her ear, and he tried not to look at how cute—or small—that delicate ear was. “You need a book?”
“Yeah. On ranching. Something like Ranching for Dummies would be great.”
Her pretty brown brows furrowed, and her mouth pursed. He noticed that she had real full, pink lips that would be perfect for kissing, and then he got mad at himself for noticing that. For a man not interested in dating, he sure was liking everything he saw about Sage. “I’m sorry, did you say a book on ranching?”
“I did.”
“I . . . thought you were a cowboy? Working out at the Price Ranch?”
He managed a rueful smile. “Hence you see my dilemma. I need to know a lot, and real quick before anyone finds out I don’t know what I’m doing.”
CHAPTER THREE
Sage blinked at the tall, sweaty man standing in front of her. She must not have heard him correctly. “You want to learn ranching from a book?”
He rubbed his hair and then had a chagrined look on his face when his hand came away sweaty. “Yeah,” he said, distracted by the sheen on his hand. “Like I said, I don’t know what I’m doing and I’m going to get fired before I get my first paycheck.” Jason wiped his hand on his jeans and then looked up at her, dark eyes wary. “If you don’t have a book, it’s fine.”
“This is the library,” Sage chirped, putting on a chipper mood. “Of course we have books. I just . . . don’t know if you’ll find what you need. Ranching’s a more practical-type job than something that can be written out in a user manual. It’s all about doing whatever is needed on the ranch that day.” She went to the nonfiction shelves (both of them) and skimmed through the books there, looking for something that would fit his needs. “I have books on gardening, and canning, and oh, one on goat husbandry.” She pulled it off the shelf and held it out to him.
Jason nodded, dusting off his pants with a nervous gesture. He took the book from her and gave it a wry look. “I think they have cattle. Is it the same?”
Oh dear. “Uhhhh.” Sage gave him a forced smile. “Not really?”
He grimaced. “What about a book on riding horses?”
She bit her lip. “No.”
“How to run farm equipment?”
She shook her head.
Jason rubbed a hand along his jaw. “Well . . . what do you have here?”
Sage turned and picked up a thick book off one of the shelves. “We have Harry Potter! While I can’t imagine it’ll teach you much about farming, it’s very enjoyable.”
He stared at her as if she were crazy.
“That was a joke.” She bit her lip again. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’m just . . . struggling right now. I’ve gotten myself into a bit of a jam.” He was sweating again, she realized. The poor man was terribly nervous and unsettled. He kept glancing at the window, as if he expected to be jumped. Perhaps this wasn’t agoraphobia after all. He was defensive about things, too. There was a story there, but she didn’t know what it was.
All Sage knew was that he was a person in trouble and needed her help. And she was nothing if not the helpful sort. “Have you ever been on a ranch in the past?” She hugged Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (her favorite in the series) to her chest. “Or had any sort of outdoors type of job? Camping? Fishing? Anything?”
“I was in the navy for six years. Master-at-arms. I can tell you down to the nuts and bolts how often a base posts patrols and what kind of official protection visitors should have at a foreign base, but I don’t know shit about ranching.” He grimaced as the cuss word left his mouth. “Sorry.”
“That’s all right. Shit!” she exclaimed and then blushed because she sounded like an idiot when, really, she was just trying to make him feel better. “I don’t mind a bit of damn cussing.”
His mouth quirked a little, as if he were going to smile. “You’re not very good at it.”
Her nose wrinkled. “No, I guess I need a little work on it. Maybe I’ll pick some up if you stay around, dammit.”
Jason chuckled, and a slow smile spread across his lean face, and oh, her heart did the craziest little flip. Despite the sweating and the weird situation, Jason Clements, newbie to Painted Barrel, was handsome. He was tall and wiry, and his cheekbones were blade sharp. His eyes were piercing, and his dark hair was cropped extremely short—naval regulation, maybe? But his smile was utterly breathtaking.
And he was smiling at her. Even though she was being goofy and weird and wearing ridiculous reindeer antlers, he was smiling at her. Sage Cooper.
Man-repellent.
It was a heady feeling. In that moment, she wanted to help him and get more of those smiles. Whatever was causing his stress, she wanted to help him fix it. Sage genuinely loved helping people, but she had a different goal in mind when she looked at Jason. She just wanted him to smile again.
“You really don’t know how to ranch?” she asked.
He pursed his lips and shook his head.
“Why did you lie?” It didn’t seem like a job anyone would take on the spur of the moment. There were easier jobs out there than ranching, and they probably paid a heck of a lot more.
Sage watched, fascinated, as his jaw clenched. “Reasons.”
Meaning that he had a secret. Well, that was all right. She’d always thought of herself as an open book, but things had changed over the last year. After all, weren’t her dating app profiles a secret? A humiliating, awful secret that Greg would laugh and laugh about if he knew . . . and then tell Becca? Who would then tell everyone in Painted Barrel?
Yeah, Sage knew all about keeping things secret to protect yourself.
“I won’t ask,” she told him. “But I can help you.”
Jason looked at her with a frown and then dawning realization. “You can get me some books?”
“Well, not exactly.” She hugged Order of the Phoenix tighter to her chest, as if to bolster herself. “But I do have a ranch.”
His eyes flared with interest, and the breath stole from her lungs. Oh, were his eyes gray? She liked that. She liked that a lot. “You do?”
“Everyone here does. There’s not much around Painted Barrel but ranches, you know?”
He gestured at the mail desk, where Greg’s pamphlets were spread. “But I thought you . . .”
“Municipal clerk. I know
. I am.” She went to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, flustered, and ended up smacking her reindeer horns. “My father was the mayor of this town before he passed, and he got me a job as a municipal clerk when I was a teenager. And I sort of stayed on and have done it ever since. But yeah, my father has a ranch, and now that he’s gone, it’s mine. I’ve sold all of the cattle but two, and just one horse. You can come over to my place and practice until you get comfortable, if you like.”
He stared at her, stunned. “You’d do that for me?”
She beamed at him. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because most people don’t do things out of the goodness of their hearts. Not anymore.” He rubbed his jaw again. “Can I pay you?”
Sage waved a hand, dismissing the thought. Once she sold all her father’s acreage, she’d have more money than she knew what to do with. “Don’t be silly.”
But he gave her another intense look, leaning in. His height was . . . amazing. She gazed up at him and felt as if he were the tallest—and handsomest—man she’d ever seen. Oh, her new crush was baaaad. “I’d feel better if I didn’t owe you,” he murmured.
An idea occurred to her, and she clutched the book tighter. Did she dare? Should she ask? Her mouth worked silently, and then before she could think better of it, she blurted, “I do need a date.”
* * *
• • •
A . . . date?
Jason stared at the woman in front of him. He’d just met her five minutes ago, sweating and on the verge of a panic attack, and she was asking him out? She was cute, he’d admit, but she also had terrible timing. “You want to go out with me?”
Her cheeks flushed bright red, and he noticed her dimples creased her cheeks as she smiled. Damn, but she had cute dimples. “Well, not a date date, but I need a plus-one for a friend’s rehearsal dinner on Wednesday. He’s getting married a week from Saturday, so I guess I need a date for that, too. It’s kind of a joke with everyone that Sage Cooper never has a boyfriend and I want to prove them wrong.” She glanced down at the thick book in her arms and fidgeted.
Really? He was surprised. While she wasn’t traditionally pretty, those dimples were everything, and she had big, soft brown eyes that drew him in. He’d have dated her if he’d met her in a bar. Of course, that was back before Afghanistan, when he wasn’t a damn mess in his head. Right now he wasn’t sure if he should date anyone, fake or not. “I might not be an ideal date,” he admitted, rubbing his sweating palms. “Why not get a real one?”
Sage looked up at him, those big eyes full of rueful amusement. “They’re hard to come by out here. The only hit I ever got on a dating app—any dating app—was a cousin. We’re not quite as populated as, say, Casper.”
And here he’d thought Casper was small, too. This place was tinier than tiny. “Yeah, but I’m a stranger.”
“Only a little. You’re Jordy’s cousin, and Jordy’s good people.” She beamed at him as if that solved everything. “And it wouldn’t be a real date. I mean, it’s not a real rehearsal dinner, either. Becca’s birthday fell between her wedding day and Christmas and she wanted to have a legit party, so this is more of a birthday shindig disguised as a rehearsal dinner. It’s all kind of complicated.” She bit her lip. “Anyhow, you just have to show up and eat dinner with me, and then we’ll leave fast, I promise. It’s just that everyone in town thinks I’m pining after the groom, and it’d be a lot more comfortable for me if I had someone with me to stop that rumor.”
She was clutching the book in front of her so hard that he was sure she was going to bend the edges of the hardcover.
“I see.”
“It’s okay,” she said quickly, turning away and spinning on her heel. She went back to the bookshelf, returned Harry Potter, and started skimming the covers. “I’m sorry I asked. It was weird of me. Maybe we can find something that can help you out—”
“No, it’s okay,” Jason said quickly. “I need help before Monday. I’ll be your date. How fast can you show me the basics?”
She turned back to him with wide eyes. “Really? You’re sure?”
No, he wasn’t sure, but she was sweet and innocent, and he was in a hell of a bind of his own making. By Monday, he had to at least look like he knew what he was doing. “I told the people at the Price Ranch—”
“Eli and Cass?” she interrupted, proving she really did know everyone around here. “Or Dustin and Annie?”
“Eli,” he confirmed, and continued. “I told him that I had stuff I needed to get done and wouldn’t be able to start working until Monday. I have until then to get a clue about ranching.”
She didn’t look intimidated by that. “We should be able to cover the basics, sure.” There was a determined look in her eye. “When did you want to start?”
“When do you get off work?”
“Oh. I’m not actually working.” She glanced back at the desk that was heaped with mail. “Well, I’m not supposed to be working, anyhow. I’m off the clock, but I thought I’d come in and do some of the decorations, and Greg asked me to take some pamphlets to Casper . . .” She thought for a moment and then shook her head. “But those can wait. This is more important, and one day isn’t going to matter for those pamphlets. Much.” Sage beamed at him. “I’ll shut things down and get my purse. You got a car? Want to follow me out there?”
Just like that? She was that trusting? He knew that living out in the country was different than the city, but he was still surprised. “I have a truck.”
“Great. I’ll take a picture of your plates and send it to my boss, and then we’ll go.” She gave him another dimpled smile.
And he found himself smiling back. Maybe Sage wasn’t as wide-eyed as he thought. She was trusting, yes, but smart, too.
And she was going to help him. Jason didn’t know what he’d done to deserve such luck, but he’d take it and grab it with both hands.
* * *
• • •
When he pulled up behind her Jeep, for a moment, Jason thought they were lost. Or she was stopping to drop off something, because this place could not possibly be hers. The ranch in front of them was utterly sprawling. He’d thought the Price Ranch was big, with its large, rustic house and rolling fields, but what was before him put that place to shame. The enormous two-story house looked like a ski lodge, the peaked roof covered in snow and a split-rail fence lining the road up to the house itself. Everything was coated in a layer of pristine snow, and behind the house, the mountains rose high. Off to one side, he saw an equally enormous barn and a rounded row of baled hay.
All of this place for just one person? Didn’t she say she wasn’t married? Puzzled, Jason kept following her, not entirely convinced she wasn’t going to turn around at some point. They’d driven on a few back roads out of town, this place so remote even his GPS wasn’t showing much. But sure enough, she pulled up to the house and the garage door went up. She drove her Jeep inside, and he parked out front in the enormous circle drive. As he did, she bounded out to meet him, her stuffed antlers bouncing.
“Hope you didn’t mind the ride,” Sage said perkily. Everything about her seemed to be perky and upbeat, and he found himself responding to it in kind. Just being around her sunny attitude made him feel like smiling. When was the last time that had happened?
He gestured at the house. “This is yours?”
“It is now. Like I said, my father died and now it’s just me until I manage to sell things.” She hugged her jacket against herself and gazed up at the house, her expression growing wistful. “It’s my home, but it’s also a lot of place for just one person, and far too much ranch.”
“Why wait to sell?” he asked, curious.
She gestured at the front door of the house, and he followed her. As he did, he noticed that all the windows were dark and the massive fireplace was cold. It was to be expected, of course, but did look a bit lo
nely from that aspect. Sage was the only life for what felt like miles around. Even the rolling fields that spread out for as far as the eye could see were empty.
“Winter’s a bad time for selling,” she explained to him as he trailed behind her. “Especially the holidays. No one wants to think about moving or taking on a new ranch during this time frame. They just want to snuggle up by the fire with family.” She tossed him a wry smile over her shoulder. “So I’m going to wait until spring.”
“Ah.” He didn’t know what else to say. It made sense, but it also had to be hard being out here by herself, with no one else around. She was such a chatty, personable woman that he couldn’t imagine her alone in a place like this.
As they walked inside, he was staggered anew at the place. Antler chandeliers hung from the twenty-foot-high ceiling, and heavy wood furniture filled the place. Aztec rugs dominated the wood floor, and everywhere he looked, the furnishings screamed money and western themes. Two large sofas were placed across from each other with a glass table between them, and a large flat-screen television was hung over the sprawling stone fireplace, just adding to the feel of the whole “ski lodge” vibe. It was a great home, but it also didn’t match the dimpled woman with reindeer antlers and an ugly sweater who stood next to him.
For one, there were no Christmas decorations, and that surprised him. The Price Ranch had been wall-to-wall holiday decor, and given Sage’s outfit, he’d have thought she’d be the type to do the same. “Nice place.”
“Thanks. You want a cup of coffee? Something to warm you up before we head out to the barn?”
“Sure.” He followed her as she walked into the kitchen, and this area showed signs of life at least. There were a few dirty dishes in the sink and the world’s tiniest lit tree on a dining table in the eat-in kitchen. The Saltillo tile looked bold against the rustic pine cabinetry, and he wasn’t sure, but the handles of the cabinets looked like horseshoes. Man, they really loved their western motifs out here. Jason leaned against one of the counters and watched as she pulled out two Christmas mugs and started the coffeepot. The sight made him smile, oddly enough. “I was wondering if you had more holiday stuff tucked away. You didn’t seem like the type to have such a bare living room in December, especially not after that sweater.” He gestured at the light-up reindeer.
A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe Page 3