Uh-oh. With a stab of guilt, she remembered the stack of real estate pamphlets sitting on her desk back at the office, the ones she’d promised to drive to Casper. “Hey, Greg,” she said cheerily as she answered. “What’s up?”
“Sage! Glad I caught you.” Greg’s voice was as cheerful as her own. She glanced over at the table and noticed that Jason had put his fork down and a hint of a frown was playing around his mouth. “Did you get those pamphlets out to Casper? Just wanted to check.”
“Hmm? Oh yes! Sure did.” Heavens, but she was a terrible liar. She wrinkled her nose, grimacing at how false it sounded. “They’re all on their way.” Or they would be as soon as she got to the office bright and early on Monday and hid them under the rest of the outgoing mail.
“Great! You’re a lifesaver. That wasn’t why I called, though.”
“No?” Was this just friendly chatter, then? He wanted to hear her voice? Talk about the wedding plans? She was confused.
“Yeah, I wanted to ask you . . . you know those peppermint brownie cookies you make? The ones with the crushed candy canes on top?”
He was calling her about cookies? “Yes?”
“You think you could make me a batch? I’ve been thinking about them all day, and no one bakes quite like you do. I could pick them up first thing on Monday.”
“Oh, let me see if I have the ingredients.” She went to her fridge. Eggs, milk, butter . . . She wasn’t sure if she had candy canes to crush, but she supposed she could drive to the corner store and see if they had any left. “I’m sure I can whip something up.”
“That’d be awesome. You’re the best, Sage.”
For once, his flattery didn’t make her giddy with excitement. “It’s just . . . does it have to be Monday? I’m really busy this weekend.” She didn’t look over at Jason, because she knew he was watching her, and this one-sided conversation probably sounded odd.
“You are?” He laughed. “Doing what?”
“Helping a friend.”
“Who?”
“No one you know.”
“You have friends I don’t know? Come on, Sage.”
“I’ll see when I can get them done for you, but it might not be this weekend,” she said again, firmly. “Did you need anything else?”
“I guess not.” A pause. “I really appreciate you, Sage. You’re always there for me.”
And now she felt guilty. Greg was probably as crazy busy as she was—if not busier, with his wedding coming up. She couldn’t imagine what his schedule was like. “Of course. What are friends for? I’ll make those cookies for you as soon as I can and text you when they’re ready, okay?” They mumbled goodbyes, and then she ended the call, setting the phone back down on the counter.
Jason was watching her, his arms crossed over his chest.
“You want some more taco casserole?” she asked, pushing off the counter and moving toward the table. “There’s plenty.”
“I’m good. Who was that?”
“It was my friend, Greg.”
“The groom?” When she nodded, his brows went down. “If you don’t mind me asking, why’s he calling you?”
She opened her mouth and then closed it again. Why had he called her? “Because he wanted cookies, I think. I’ve made them for him before.”
He grunted. “Can’t he get his fiancée to do it?”
That was a great question. “He’s always asked me before and I never minded. Maybe that’s why he’s asking now.”
Jason looked openly skeptical. “You’re too nice. Hell, you shouldn’t even be helping me.”
“Why not?”
“Because no one else would bother.”
“I think you’re wrong,” Sage told him softly. It never hurt to be kind, and Jason was in desperate need of some kindness right about now. “Besides, what else am I going to do?” She gestured wide at the house. “I’m bored and lonely. It’s either this”—she motioned between him and her—“or go back to the municipal office and work on more decorations for the Christmas party.”
“You don’t have girlfriends to hang out with on a Saturday night?”
She huffed a laugh. “They’re all married and having kids. The only reason they’d want to hear from me is if I volunteer to babysit.” That brought a hint of a smile to his face, and she spoke again. “Before you can ask, no, no hot dates, either. I have four different dating profiles, and none of them have gotten a hit.”
“Other than your cousin.”
“Other than my cousin.” And she gave a horrified giggle, because in a way, it was funny.
Jason chuckled, too. “All right. Well, maybe I can look at your dating profiles. Give you a few tips from a guy’s perspective. It’s the least I can do in exchange for your help. I already know more about cattle than I ever thought I’d need.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
“You sure I can’t pay you?”
Her heart stopped. Was he trying to get out of being her date to Greg’s wedding? Oh, she’d be absolutely crushed if he was. In the same way, though, she’d understand. His PTSD might mean it would be too much for him to undertake. “If you don’t want to be my date for the wedding, you don’t have to. I’ll still help you.”
“That wasn’t what I meant.” Jason frowned at her. “I just don’t want to take advantage of you. I’ll still be your date.”
Her voice was shy. “You’re sure?”
The big man smiled at her. “I’m sure. What should I wear?”
“Just your best boots and a button-down shirt. It’s not formal.”
“Mmm. Guess I need boots.” He glanced down at his sneakers.
Sage had to grin at that. “You’re going to need them anyhow. The first time one of the cattle steps on your feet, you’re going to wish for good steel-toe boots.”
“Fair enough.” He got to his feet. “So . . . can we try the cow wrangling again?”
“Absolutely.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Because she now knew that Jason struggled with unfamiliar places, Sage got one of the ATVs out of the barn and drove him around the property so he could learn it and pause to check out anything that made him nervous. That took some time, and it was cold out, but Jason was visibly relaxing as they went over the property, and in her eyes it was worth it. They checked over the barn one more time, and when he was satisfied, they went back to the cattle.
“Sorry,” he said to her as she let Lucy out of her pen again. “I know it’s a lot of trouble.”
“It’s no trouble at all,” Sage told him, and meant it. People needed different things in their life, and there was no shame in this. She wouldn’t judge him. “You ready to try again?”
“I am.” He nodded, and this time there was a lot more ease in his body. When he moved forward slowly, arms spread to guide Lucy back to her pen, Sage felt a burst of pride. He’d remembered what she’d told him earlier, even though she’d thrown a lot at him. He’d get this down, and by Monday, he’d know enough that they’d be impressed.
She knew the people at the Price Ranch. They were good people, and Eli was kind even if he was very gruff. As long as Jason wasn’t a danger to the herd or anyone else working there, he’d do fine. He just needed to know enough to keep everyone safe.
So they practiced with Lucy a few more times, and when Sage was satisfied with his progress, she let Ethel out of her pen and let the cows spread out before having Jason herd them both together and back into their pens. They were old cattle, and slow, and she reminded him that he’d likely be dealing with cattle in their prime, and later on cattle with calves to defend, but he was doing fantastic.
They practiced over and over again, until she was yawning and the air in the barn grew so crisp she could see her breath.
After his most recent round of cattle directing, Jason closed the stall door to Ethel’s pen and then glanced
at his watch. “Damn, it’s late.” He looked up at her. “How late is that hotel in town open until?”
Uh-oh. A quick glance at her phone showed her it was two in the morning. “Hannah only keeps it open until eight at night. You’re staying there?”
“That was the plan, at least until Monday.” He shrugged. “I’ll go drive my truck back to town and sleep in the cab again. It’s not a big deal.”
“Well, that’s just nonsense. I have this big, empty house, and you need to be here at dawn to help with the feeding.” She made her tone teasing.
His look was sober. “Sage, I know you’re a nice person, but we only just met today. You sure you’re going to be safe in this house with me alone? I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
She’d already thought about that sort of thing, but her bedroom door locked on the inside, because they’d always had cowboys coming through the house growing up, and her father was protective. In addition, she had a heavy dresser she could park in front of it. As a woman alone, she always thought about these sorts of things, no matter the situation. But Jason felt safe. “It doesn’t make sense for you to drive to town, sleep in your car, and then come back here in three hours, Jason. And if you wanted to hurt me, don’t you think you could have done so a dozen times already? It’s pretty obvious I’m the only one out here.”
He shook his head, displeased. “You’re too trusting.”
Maybe so, but she instinctively knew that Jason wouldn’t hurt her. He had that same protective air about him that her father had—heck, even now, he was still trying to protect her. It showed he was a decent person. “You do realize a creep wouldn’t offer to leave?”
“I . . . guess?” He raked a hand through his short hair. “Still doesn’t feel right.”
“There’s a guest room. Or if you’d rather, you can sleep in one of the cowboy cottages.” She gestured at the row of four small houses lined up a short distance away from the barn. “But if you do, you need to be ready to go at five in the morning. I’ll make breakfast, and then we’ll get started.”
He didn’t move, clearly hesitant. “You said yourself this is a small town and people gossip. Won’t they gossip about me being out here all weekend?”
Oh, they would. They definitely would. Sage didn’t care, though. In a way, it was nice. Finally, Sage Cooper was going to give people in town something to talk about other than how pathetic she was. She put on a bright smile. “It’ll just lend credence to our dating story and you’ll really seem like my boyfriend at Greg’s wedding.”
“If you’re sure?” He gestured at his truck. “I can sleep out there—”
“Is your car so comfortable that you’re dying to sleep in it?” With one last exasperated look at him, she took his arm and steered him toward the front of the barn. “Come on. Let me show you to your room so we can get what little sleep we can tonight.”
His mouth quirked with another one of those hesitant smiles. “Yes, ma’am.”
* * *
• • •
She made him sleep in the main house, because the heat was off in the cabins and they were downright frigid. The guest room was all the way on the other end of the house and on the bottom floor, but she still locked her door and pushed the dresser in front, just in case. Then she took a hot, soothing shower and thought long and hard about Jason and his situation.
Eli Pickett was the head cowboy at the Price Ranch, and he’d know right away that Jason was lying about his experience. No one knew more about ranching than Eli, and he’d pick up on how green Jason was in an instant. But they’d also taken Jordy under their wing and taught him everything he knew, and Jordy had been legendary for how terrible he’d been when he’d started. She figured as long as Jason was competent to a certain extent, and worked hard, he’d be able to keep his job. If it ended up being a problem, she’d show up at the ranch with Christmas cookies for Annie and Cass and put a bug in their ears about how good a person Jason was, because Sage liked to try to fix things for everyone.
Cookies. Shoot.
Somewhere this weekend she had to try to make cookies for Greg. She could always make them Monday, or Tuesday, but this entire week promised to be busy, and she’d feel like she was letting him down if she didn’t deliver as promised.
Strange how she was going to let down someone else’s fiancé.
And Jason hadn’t approved of any of it. Maybe he was right. Maybe she was a pushover, but had he ever been so desperately lonely that he’d bend over backward for people just so he was on someone’s radar? Probably not. As a teenager, she’d always had friends and her father. She knew everyone in town through him, and she was involved in everything Painted Barrel, even at a young age. Heck, the postman had let her practice her driving on his mail route. Even if she hadn’t had a boyfriend or gone away to college, she’d never felt lonely. She’d always felt included. She’d had her never-ending crush on Greg to comfort her romantic side and a father that doted on her.
But then her father had gotten sick and had to retire, and when it became clear he wasn’t going to get any better, the cattle were slowly sold off and the ranch hands given severance payments. Along with a hospice nurse, she took care of her father until the bitter end.
And then it was just her. And since Greg’s long engagement suddenly moved forward with a wedding date and became “real,” she had nothing to fill her heart. Nothing to look forward to. It was hard. For a long time she wasn’t sure how to cope, and she struggled. Eventually, she just threw herself into work, but it wasn’t the same. Loving your job was great and all, but when people went home at five, you were no longer on their radar. There were a lot of lonely hours to fill, and Sage realized that if she stayed in Painted Barrel, no matter how much she loved the place, she’d end up alone and utterly forgotten.
Which was why she had to move. She had to start over somewhere new, become someone a little more exciting than Sage Cooper, man-repellent. Or she’d be miserable forever.
Sage toweled off and then crawled into bed, but she wasn’t tired. In fact, she was buzzing. Today had a lot of ups and downs, but it was also the most excitement she’d had in a long time, and she couldn’t stop thinking about Jason. There was something so sad and lost about him, but still strong and protective when it came to her. She wanted to help him, not just with the ranching aspects, but with everything.
Pulling out her phone, she opened her browser and began to read up about PTSD and war trauma.
* * *
• • •
Sunday morning, Jason was up just as early as Sage was, and she was pleased that she didn’t have to hunt him down to begin the day. They fed the cattle—or rather, he did and she talked him through the types of feed and how much water and how often—and then they let the cattle out in the closest pasture. He’d never ridden a horse, and she didn’t have one, so they put a saddle on one of the stall dividers in the empty barn, and he practiced getting atop it and getting off, and how to buckle everything.
They had lunch and went over how to run most of the farm equipment, and Sage talked the entire day, trying to cover every possible scenario he’d run into. They spooled hay even though it wasn’t needed. She pulled out calving equipment and went over it and all the things that could happen, and what to expect, even though it wasn’t calving season. And then, of course, there was more feeding to be done, and settling the cows for the night since there wasn’t a herd for them to huddle up against. She explained the differences between how her old cattle were treated compared to the big, healthy herd they’d have at the Price Ranch. Over dinner, she told him all about Dustin and Eli, and their wives, and everything she knew about their personalities.
“You think I’m ready?” he asked her at the end of the day, when they were sharing a final cup of coffee and relaxing by the fire.
Sage looked over at him in surprise. This was the first uncertainty he’d sho
wn all day. He’d been hardworking and utterly devoted to his task, trying his best to pick up everything she showed him the first time so he wouldn’t have to be shown again. Jason had been the picture of focus.
“I honestly don’t know,” she answered him, and it was the truth. “I think all this will help, but there’s bound to be scenarios that will come up that neither you nor I thought of. Every ranch handles things differently, too, so keep that in mind as well. But you know how to take care of a cow and how to move it. You know how to put on a saddle. You know how to use a lot of the ranch equipment. You’re already leagues ahead of where you were, and I think you’ll be just fine. Eli’s a tough man but he’s not a monster. Just work hard and you’ll be fine.”
He nodded, his expression thoughtful. He stared at the fire for a moment and then looked over at her. “You wasted your whole weekend working with me, didn’t you?”
She blushed to hear his words. “I wouldn’t call it a waste.”
“What would you call it?”
“Helping a friend?”
“Well, I’m glad I met you, Sage Cooper.”
“I’m glad I met you, too, Jason . . .” She paused, waiting. “I forgot your last name.”
He chuckled. “Jason Clements.”
“Jason Clements,” she echoed, beaming at him. “I don’t care that this weekend was a lot of work. I had fun.”
“Me too, oddly enough.” And he smiled at her and her heart skipped a beat.
CHAPTER SIX
At Sage’s insistence, he spent Sunday night at her house again but woke up an hour before dawn. He made his bed, packed up his things, and then brewed a pot of coffee in the kitchen. He found some paper and left a note next to the coffeepot, knowing she was sure to see it there.
Sage,
You’ve been an amazing hostess and friend. I can’t thank you enough for your patience and understanding. Wish me luck today because word on the street is that the Price Ranch has real horses.
A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe Page 5