A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe

by Jessica Clare

  Sage looked up at him with confusion. “Jason, you don’t have to—”

  He kissed her again. Did she still not think he truly wanted her? He’d just have to show her, then. He cupped her neck with both hands and gently kissed her mouth again. And again. Over and over, he nibbled at her lips until she softened against him, her stiffness melting away. When her lips finally parted under his, he knew she was his. Deepening the kiss, he swept his tongue into her mouth.

  Sage moaned against him, her hands curling in the front of his shirt.

  Damn, but he liked that moan.

  He deepened the kiss, enjoying her taste, loving the way her mouth felt against his, the way she sagged against him, the feel of her. He’d kissed women plenty of times before, though it had been a while. Something about this made it seem special, though. Perhaps it was Sage’s unpracticed, shy responses when her tongue grazed against his. Perhaps it was the little sounds she made in her throat as he kissed her and kissed her, as if she couldn’t handle all of the pleasure.

  Perhaps it was just that it was Sage, and he was falling for her and her marvelous dimples.

  In the background, something electronic pinged.

  He lifted his head when her body jerked in response. “What is it?”

  Sage was dazed, her dark eyes glazed with passion. She stared up at him for a moment, uncomprehending, her mouth pink and swollen from his kisses. She looked so soft and pretty that he immediately wanted to kiss her again, when the electronic ping happened a second time. That made her focus, and she gave herself a little shake and stumbled away from him. “I think it’s my phone? I think.”

  Jason watched, secretly pleased, as she wobbled over to where her purse was stored. He liked that he’d made her weak in the knees. He liked the languid look in her eyes and the way she’d felt against him. He was going to be kissing her a lot in the next while, he hoped. He watched her with a possessive, satisfied gaze as she picked up her phone, her cheeks bright pink. He was imagining her under him, the awestruck look on her face when he kissed her—and did so much more.

  Dating Sage would be such a pleasure, he decided, and he wanted it more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life.

  And then her eyes widened in surprise. “I got a hit on a dating app.”

  That was a bucket of cold water over his arousal. “You what?”

  Sage looked up at him in confusion. “I . . . It’s a notification from a dating app. I got a match. Some guy named Walter wants to chat with me.”

  “You’re on dating apps?” His ego felt like it had just been struck by a boulder.

  She tilted her head at him. “I told you I was, remember? You were going to help me figure out why I couldn’t get any matches.”

  Right. He had told her that. Damn it. Somewhere in the middle of all of that was going on, he’d totally forgotten about her dating profiles. He’d forgotten that she was moving precisely because she was lonely and wanted to go somewhere where she’d have the opportunity to date more, because everyone in town acted like she didn’t exist.

  He’d been fine with that a few days ago, when he barely knew her. Now he knew Sage better than he knew a lot of people. He saw what a devoted, caring, kind person she was. He’d seen her sleeping and laughing and teasing, and he’d grown addicted to those dimples. Jason might have said he would help her a few days ago, but now the thought ate him up with jealousy. “I think you and I need to talk.”

  “We do?” she echoed, clutching her phone to her breast.

  “We do,” he repeated firmly, and crossed the room to her side and took her hand. She was wearing a short dress, so it was probably a bad idea to take her outside in the cold, snowy weather. Instead, he looked around and then headed for a door at the back of the office. Inside there, all of the furniture from the front of the office had been pushed together into a hodgepodge of desks. But it was empty, and private, and perfect for a heart-to-heart conversation with her where they wouldn’t be interrupted. He steered her inside and then sat on the edge of one desk as she sat across from him, confusion on her face.

  “I don’t understand,” she told him as he shut the door. “All of this . . . this isn’t real, is it?”

  Jason studied her face, curious to see her reaction. “What if I want it to be?”

  Her mouth opened slightly. “Oh.”

  That was the only reaction he got? “That’s all you have to say?” He didn’t know if he was amused or wounded at that simple response.

  She averted her eyes and nervously moved her hand to her ear, as if trying to tuck a piece of hair behind it. Her hand fluttered, and then she dropped it into her lap, and he realized she was nervous, her cheeks flushed bright red. She looked up, and the expression on her face was so vulnerable and full of yearning that it made his heart hurt. “I just . . . Why would you want to go out with me?”

  “Are you crazy?” He chuckled and took her hand in his. “Sage, ever since I ran into you, you’ve been nothing but the best, kindest, most generous person I’ve ever had the chance to meet. You’ve never made me feel like I was a mess, or an idiot.” When she frowned at his words, he continued. “You’d be surprised at how many people act like because I have PTSD, my brain is broken. And maybe it is in some ways, but I’m not a drooling moron.”

  “You’re absolutely not,” Sage injected, her expression indignant. “I’ll correct anyone that ever even suggests such a thing in my presence.”

  And that was another aspect he loved about her—her fierce defense of anyone and anything she cared about. “You don’t see yourself the same way I see you. Heck, you don’t even see yourself the same way everyone in this town sees you. When I look around at this party you put on for the town, I see hundreds of happy faces, and you know every single one of them. They know you made this possible for them, and they love you for it. You’re not as invisible as you think.”

  She ducked her head shyly. “Being friends with people is different than dating someone. I’m not exciting enough for anyone to date.”

  “That’s bullshit and you know it.”

  Sage looked startled at his vehement denial. “Why?”

  “Greg might never have noticed you because his head is so far up his own ass.” Jason rolled his eyes. “And maybe he scared off the other guys in town from being interested in you. Or maybe they knew you had a crush on him and never bothered to pursue you on their own. But just because they’re blind idiots doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with you. It’s their loss and my gain.” She was staring at him so hard with those deep eyes that it made his heart hurt. He reached up and brushed his knuckles over one soft cheek, not caring that it got bright red glitter all over his hand. “I’ve been falling hard for these dimples ever since I met you, but I held off because I know I’m a mess. I still am a mess. And if that makes you uncomfortable, I understand and I’m totally fine with being your friend, but I want you to know that you’re amazing and beautiful and any guy would be thrilled to date you.”

  She was quiet for so long that for a brief moment, he worried he’d offended her. But then she gave him another slow, shy smile. “You really mean it?”

  “I do.”

  “Then will you kiss me again?”

  Oh, he’d absolutely kiss her again. He’d kiss her until both of them were panting with exhaustion . . . and then he’d kiss her again, just to show her how much he liked her. He pulled her into his arms, gazing into her lovely eyes.

  As he leaned in to kiss her again, though, she pulled back, pausing. “I’m leaving in the spring, though. Are you sure we should date?”

  “It’s just dating, Sage. We’re not getting married.” Not yet, at least. But he could suddenly see himself growing old with someone like her. “Plenty of time between now and then to just enjoy ourselves and see where this leads.”

  “If you’re sure.”

  “I’m s
ure. Now, stop worrying and let me kiss you.”

  She smiled and put her arms around his neck again, leaning in.

  He could feel her shyness as he pulled her close, but he wasn’t going to let that deter him. Jason ran his fingers along the line of her jaw, almost petting her as she leaned in. Her nose brushed against his, and she gave the tiniest of sighs. His sweet Sage. “So does this mean you want to date me?”

  “Yes,” she said, and blushed.

  “Good,” he murmured and then nipped at her lower lip. He loved the sultry little gasp she gave. She made it seem like it was all so new to her. He nipped at her lip with his teeth again, careful to be gentle. Her mouth was soft and slightly pouty, and when he slicked his tongue over her lips in a teasing caress, he tasted peppermint, as if she’d stolen a candy cane and been nibbling on it when he wasn’t looking. When she gave another little shuddering moan, he claimed her mouth with his, his tongue possessing hers. The kiss grew deep and intense, his mouth slanting across Sage’s over and over, until they were both panting and breathless.

  “Oh,” was all she said when he pulled away, that sexy, dazed look still on her face. “How . . . how was that?”

  “Amazing,” Jason told her, and meant it. “But I always knew kissing you would be.”

  She bit her lip, and the sight of that made him want to lean in and kiss her all over again. “Would it make you think I’m a loser if I tell you that was my first real kiss?”

  He’d suspected as much with how utterly shy she was. “No. It’d just make me think even more that the men here are idiots.”

  And he loved the dazzlingly sweet smile she gave him in response.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Tonight had been something out of a fairy tale, Sage decided. Or it was a scene from a superromantic movie that she’d fallen asleep to, and she’d wake up to find out it was all a dream.

  Men like Jason didn’t look at women like Sage. They sure didn’t kiss them.

  And Jason had kissed her until her toes had curled in her boots and she was sure her face was permanently flushed. Once he’d told her how he felt about her, they’d kissed in the back room until Old Clyde and Hannah had returned, and then she’d spent the rest of the evening blushing and trying not to notice how much of the glitter on her face had transferred to Jason’s face.

  No one ever saw her, but she realized that all of Jason’s pretending wasn’t pretending. He wasn’t good at faking it. He truly was interested in her. He wanted to kiss her.

  Sage Cooper, man-repellent.

  Goodness, now she was thinking about so much more than just kissing. Her cheeks were aflame for the rest of the evening, and she wasn’t entirely sure how she managed to handle the raffle, but she did. And if a few people were smirking at Jason’s glitter-spattered grin, well, did it even matter? They all thought he was her boyfriend anyhow.

  Once the festival officially wrapped up and people began to drift away, the work was only half done. With some volunteers, Sage, Bill, Jason, and a dozen others stayed behind to clean the streets up, remove hay bales, and ensure that the place was tidy for the next morning. The office was still a mess, but she could clean it up on her own tomorrow when she was “off” work.

  It was late when they wrapped up, and Jason kissed her good night one more time before promising to text her in the morning. She’d almost asked him to stay over, but she didn’t want to sabotage his job. So he left, and oh, it was hard to climb into her Jeep and head back to her quiet, lonely ranch alone, even if it was just for the evening.

  She was tired, but as she lay in bed, she found it impossible to sleep. Her thoughts were full of Jason. Jason and the smoldering look in his eyes as he steered her under the mistletoe. Jason’s mouth and how amazing he’d tasted when he’d kissed her. She’d never realized that kisses had tastes, but of course they did. And Sage loved the taste of Jason’s mouth. She touched her lips, thinking about how his had felt there.

  The throbbing between her thighs hadn’t gone away, either. She could feel her pulse pounding seemingly at the vee of her hips. It was an ache that wouldn’t go away, she suspected, until Jason kissed her again. Maybe not even then. Maybe not until he took her in his arms and stole her virginity.

  Ha. Stole it. She’d freaking give it to him on a silver platter at this point.

  Funny how she’d been starry-eyed over him and here he’d thought he wasn’t good enough for her because of his PTSD. That was just crazy to think about. He was funny, kind, hardworking . . . and gorgeous. It wasn’t his fault he’d been in a bad situation in Afghanistan that had messed him up. She would never judge him for such a thing, ever.

  She hoped he stayed in Painted Barrel until she moved. Even if they only dated for a few months, she’d take what she could get.

  Spring suddenly didn’t seem that far away, and that was depressing.

  The next morning, Sage woke up to her phone buzzing with incoming texts. One was from Greg, which she swiped away without reading it. The other was from Jason.

  JASON: Morning, dimples.

  JASON: What’s your schedule look like for the rest of the week?

  SAGE: Morning. : ) We have the wedding next Saturday, and work, of course, but I’m pretty free for the rest of the time? Why?

  JASON: I was just thinking we should go on a real date. Something romantic, just you and me. We could head into the nearest city and get a bite to eat for dinner tonight? Is there Italian around here?

  SAGE: There’s not much of anything around here, but I’m game for some driving. Or I can make dinner.

  JASON: You already make dinner all the time. This needs to be special.

  SAGE: Hanging out with you is always special.

  JASON: Okay, well, I want to impress my lady, how’s that? Can I pick you up when I’m done here?

  SAGE: Of course! I’m going to hang around the office after work for a while anyhow. Just pick me up in town. We’ll figure out plans then. : )

  JASON: Sounds good. Hope you slept all right and that you dreamed of me.

  And she held the phone to her nightshirt and giggled like a schoolgirl.

  * * *

  • • •

  When Jason headed into the kitchen to grab breakfast, he was surprised that Dustin’s wife, Annie, immediately stood up to meet him . . . and she had a dog on a leash. “Oh good,” Annie said. “You’re awake.”

  He was thrown off. The small, freckled redhead was nice and polite to him, but they didn’t talk much. Dustin was the gregarious one of the two, and Annie was more or less occupied with the dogs or the baby every time he saw her. He looked around the kitchen, but Cass and Eli were talking at the sink, and Dustin was already outside, no doubt heading for the barn. Uneasy, Jason forced a smile to his face. “What can I help you with?”

  “You know Dustin and I are taking baby Morgan to my mother’s for the holidays,” she said, smiling widely at him.

  “You leave Monday, right?”

  “Actually, we’re leaving tomorrow. Sunday. Small change of plans.” She moved forward, and as she did, the dog at her side moved with her. “And that leaves me with a problem. I need you to meet Achilles.” And Annie gestured at the dog at her side.

  He cleared his throat and tried not to look at the wagging tail and dark eyes. “I’m not sure what you need from me, Miss Annie.”

  “Oh. Well, Achilles here is a very good boy,” she said, and immediately dropped to her knees, hugging the dog’s neck. “I just pulled him from a kill shelter in Kansas, and a buddy dropped him off. I’m going to train him for one of my friends that does animal stunts back in Hollywood. Golden labs are always in demand, and I don’t think he’s purebred, but he’s pretty enough that most won’t notice.” She scratched at the dog’s ears, and the animal panted with delight.

  “Okay,” Jason said, still trying to follow what she needed. “You
need me to drive him somewhere?”

  “He’s not going anywhere until he’s trained,” Annie said, getting to her feet again. She held the leash out to Jason. “But I do have a problem in that he’s got attachment issues. He needs to be around someone at all times or he gets anxious and upset. That was why they were going to put him down at the shelter. He would howl and scratch at the walls if he was left alone, but around people, he’s just the best boy. Aren’t you, Achilles?” Her voice turned sugary sweet. “So we need someone to be his buddy while Dustin and I are gone.”

  Buddy? Jason took a steeling breath and forced himself to look at the dog. It—Achilles—was wagging his tail expectantly, staring up at Jason with the happy innocence only a dog could wear. He was shaggy and golden, all right, his ears slightly floppy. His eyes were dark brown, and his tail was wagging back and forth a mile a minute as he stared at Jason.

  And Jason thought of Truck, and his heart hurt. “Miss Annie . . .”

  “I know,” she said softly. “You don’t like dogs. It’s evident when you look at them. But I really need a favor.”

  His mouth was dry. He rubbed a hand over his lips, feeling dread creep over him. “It’s not that I hate them. I don’t. It’s just hard to be around them sometimes.”

  “I know, but you’re the only person I can ask. Dustin’s going with me, Cass has the baby and the other dogs to look after, and Eli’s got enough on his plate with us going out of town. I already talked to Eli, and you can bring Achilles with you wherever you go when you’re working. He’s not a runner, and he’s very comfortable in a harness, so you shouldn’t have any problems. Just consider it another aspect of your job.” And she beamed at him, an apology in her eyes. “Please. I’d hate to send him back to the shelter.”

  He stared down at the dog.

  Achilles just kept wagging his tail. He did an excited little shimmy in place, as if he couldn’t wait to say hello to Jason. He did look like a handsome dog. Happy, too. He thought about Sage, oddly enough. She’d want him to help Annie out, because that’s what she would do. And she would look at him with such pride if he did, knowing how hard it was for him to be around another dog. “How long is this for?”