“I guess you know there’s a mob of people out there. I think the majority came to see you.”
His chest heaved, the first sign of any emotion. “I’ll do my best to give them a good show.”
“I know you will. Good luck.” She turned to go.
“Sapphire.” His voice was edged with strain.
Heart pounding, she faced him.
“You know I’m planning to leave for Cody when this is over, right?”
“I figured that when you packed up this morning.” Her voice quavered and she hated that. She forced herself to smile. “Especially when you took your toothbrush.”
“I can stay an extra day if you need me to.” Hope flickered in his brown eyes. “You’ll have some massive cleanup. I’d be glad to help with it.”
So tempting. But it would only prolong the pain. “Thank you for offering, but we can handle it. You and Gandalf have a long drive ahead of you.”
His expression closed down again. “We do.”
“Just don’t leave without saying goodbye.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Okay.” Taking a deep breath, she rounded the wall to her work area. A moment later his torch hissed to life.
The next few hours passed in a blur. She had her share of people come by to say hello and many stayed for several minutes to watch her progress on a large salad bowl. She’d lived in Sheridan all her life and had made a lot of friends.
But the evening belonged to Grady. He was more of a crowd-pleaser than she’d imagined he’d be. Because of his intense focus, she’d expected him to weld the piece without interacting with his audience, but instead he paused to answer questions in an easy, relaxed manner that noticeably charmed the onlookers.
She could talk and work at the same time, too, but it took far more concentration than when she could simply create without interruption. She assumed it cost Grady, too, and he was planning to drive to Cody afterward. Maybe she should ask him to stay, after all.
The results of the silent auction dramatically capped the proceedings. All the pieces brought a respectable price, but a wealthy couple from Jackson Hole paid a small fortune for Grady’s cougar. Apparently, word had spread that far. The shelter would be funded for months on the basis of that single sale.
The director was ecstatic, and despite Grady’s protests, she hugged his sweat-soaked body. He grinned and made jokes for the benefit of the television crew that had appeared for the final part of the event, but Sapphire saw the exhaustion in his eyes. She’d steal a moment and suggest he stay until morning. If that was in her bed, so be it. She didn’t want him risking his neck on the road.
Gradually, the crowd dispersed and George started organizing the cleanup crew. “You’re excused, Grady,” he said. “You, too, Sapphire. You both look like you’ve been rode hard and put away wet. Go get some rest.”
Grady started packing his tools. “Thanks, George, but I’m heading out.”
George blinked. “Tonight?”
“Yeah.” Grady smiled at him. “Tons of work at home. Might as well get back to it.”
George glanced over at Sapphire. “See if you can talk him out of that plan, okay?”
“I will.”
“You’re probably the only one who can convince him not to do something foolish.” He turned to Grady. “For what it’s worth, son, don’t be an idiot.”
Grady laughed. “Too late.”
Shaking his head, George walked away.
“He’s right,” Sapphire said. “Don’t leave.”
He lifted his head, his gaze sharp. “Do you mean you don’t want me to leave now or you don’t want me to leave at all?”
Her breath caught.
“I see from your expression that this is a temporary request, not a permanent one. In that case, I’d prefer to go now.” He went back to putting everything away.
“But you’re exhausted.”
“I’ve been exhausted before.” He closed up a box. “Matter of fact, exhaustion can be a cleansing experience. Clears the mind.”
“Meaning what?” Maybe he’d realized that he wasn’t ready to make a commitment, either.
He stopped packing and looked at her. “I want you in my life. I believe we’d have a great time together. Not perfect, but pretty damned wonderful. You told me not to hang around and wait for you, so I won’t do that. But Liam is moving out of the loft of our barn in October. I’m gonna hope like hell that you decide to move in.”
Her pulse raced. “Grady, I already said—”
“I know exactly what you said. It’s etched in my brain. You’re giving up because you don’t trust either of us to get this right. I, on the other hand, trust both of us. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
“No, I don’t. Not that I’ll drive down there, but—”
“Just stop anywhere and ask. They’ll give you directions.” His expression softened. “You really should go home and get some rest, like George said. You look wiped.”
She lifted her chin. “I’ll go home when I decide to go home.”
“Independent woman.” He sighed. “Damn, I promised myself I wouldn’t do this.” Abruptly pulling her into his arms, he kissed her. His lips came down hard on hers as if he needed to vent his frustration, but eventually, his mouth gentled and then he slowly released her. “Please get out of here. It’ll be tough enough to go as it is, but we both know I have to.”
She dragged in air. “You don’t have to go tonight.”
“Yes, I do.” A tender light glowed in his eyes. “The sooner I leave, the sooner you’ll start to miss me. Now take off.”
“All right.” She turned and walked away because that was the smart thing to do. Yes, she might be crying right now, and yes, she’d miss him like crazy for a while, but she’d get over it at some point. Once she did, she’d be proud of herself for dodging a bullet.
* * *
A MONTH AND a half later she was still telling herself that and waiting for the persistent ache in her heart to go away. The progress with Fred helped. Everyone had agreed to put his food dish inside the barn door so he’d become used to eating apart from the others.
He wouldn’t let anyone pet him, but he was willing to stroke his face against an outstretched hand. Project Fred seemed to be working. He might become a barn cat yet. After Gandalf’s departure, they all agreed they needed one.
She’d just finished the feeding routine one weekday morning and was washing the bowls when someone rapped on the front door of the Art Barn. It wasn’t officially open yet, but she never wanted to pass up a chance to sell some art. She dried her hands and went to see who’d shown up at seven thirty in the morning.
Rosie stood on the other side of the door. “Have you finished with the kitties?” She glanced around as if expecting cats to be prowling around the parking lot.
“Yes, but how did you know I would be here doing that?”
“Grady told me. Do you have a few minutes?”
“Sure, sure! Come in!” Grady had told her? When? She ushered Rosie into the office and offered her a chair and coffee. She politely declined the coffee but took the chair. It was the only one other than the desk chair, so Sapphire leaned against the desk rather than sitting behind it.
“You probably wonder what on earth I’m doing here.” Rosie settled into the chair.
“You’re always welcome, but yes, I’m curious.”
“Herb and I drove down to visit Liam and Grady last weekend.”
Sapphire’s pulse leaped. She’d had no word from him, but then, he hadn’t said he’d communicate with her.
“I wanted to see the little house Hope and Liam are moving into and I took Grady an apple pie. He loves my apple pies, and I wanted to do something nice for him after he made those wolves for me.”
“The sculpture! I was supposed to help you with the lighting. Do you still need me to?” That couldn’t be the reason for this early morning visit. A phone call would have been sufficient.
“Damon and Phil rigged up something, although it might need tweaking.”
“Let me know if you need me to come out.”
Rosie met her gaze. “I was hesitant to ask you because I thought you and Grady had a big fight.”
“A fight? No, not at all.”
“He said the same thing. I hope you don’t mind, but I talked him into explaining the issues.”
Sapphire took a shaky breath. Rosie was in matchmaking mode. “He told me you wanted to see your boys settled, but I’m afraid that in this case—”
“Would you be willing to hear me out?”
What could she say? “Of course.”
“If I understand this correctly, you don’t think a few days together gave you enough information to risk throwing in your lot with Grady.”
“That’s right.” She steeled herself for an argument.
“Good for you.”
She stared at Rosie. “Excuse me?”
“Sure, there are times when a few days are enough, but after your experiences with bad boyfriends, you’d have to be crazy to follow Grady down to Cody after such a short acquaintance. He was naive to think you would.”
She sighed in relief. “Thank you! I expected a lecture about not trusting in the power of love.”
“Not my style.” Rosie leaned forward. “But I was a mother to that boy for two years and I’ve been a part of his life ever since. I have a strong feeling you two belong together, so I’m here to give you the information you need so you can put your faith in Grady Magee.”
* * *
GRADY HAD TOLD himself not to pin his hopes on Rosie’s visit with Sapphire. Rosie could make him do nearly anything in the world, but that didn’t mean she’d have the same effect on Sapphire. The plan made sense, though. Rosie had proposed giving Sapphire a crash course in all things Grady.
When he thought of the pranks he’d pulled during his time at the ranch, he hoped she’d leave out those episodes. Her goal was getting Sapphire down to Cody, so she’d likely emphasize his good side. But if she made him sound too angelic, that would seem suspicious, too. He’d have to trust her to get the right mix. Her text after the visit was cryptic. Talked to Sapphire. We’ll see.
He texted a quick thank-you. Then he got to work because it was the only thing he’d found that would block out the intense yearning he’d dealt with since leaving Sheridan. Watching Liam feather his love nest with Hope certainly hadn’t helped, although he was happy for them. The little house located a short walk from the barn was in the last stages of renovation and was in good enough shape for Liam and Hope to move in. The wedding was set for November.
Working like a demon had put Grady ahead of schedule, so he could make a wedding present for Hope and Liam. He didn’t have to cover it every night now that Liam had moved out, which was helpful. The piece was a challenge because it was unlike anything he’d attempted.
No wildlife was involved. Instead he’d created a river raft to represent Liam, but rather than being filled with people, the raft was loaded with books. Hope was an author and this was how Grady saw their partnership—Liam as the raft keeping Hope’s dream afloat.
He was deep into it one afternoon when he heard someone pull up outside. So did Gandalf, who’d been asleep on top of his cat tree. He lifted his head and stared in the direction of the front door.
The cat’s presence was bittersweet. Grady loved having him around, but he also served as a reminder of Sapphire. Gandalf was probably sick of hearing Sapphire’s name come up constantly in their daily conversations.
“I sincerely doubt it’s her,” Grady said to the cat, “so don’t get your hopes up, okay? Unless it’s her, we’re not opening the door. We don’t let random folks come barging in when we’re working. You should know that by now.”
Gandalf’s answering meow was sharp and to the point. He clearly wanted Grady to investigate. He was a social cat and loved visitors a lot more than Grady did.
“Oh, all right.” He shut down the torch and took off his gloves and goggles. “I’ll check to see who’s out there, but if it’s tourists, they don’t get a tour. I’m finally getting those books sitting in the raft to look right.”
He glanced out the window and nearly had a heart attack. Sapphire’s purple truck sat in front of the barn. If this worked out, he might need to make Rosie another sculpture.
Breathing was an effort as he unlocked the double doors, stepped outside and closed the doors behind him to keep Gandalf from running out. Then he raked his fingers through his damp hair and shivered as the cool air hit his sweaty body. She’d claimed to like him covered in sweat.
She climbed out of the truck and he gobbled up the sight of her like a man dying of starvation. Sunlight gleamed in her wild auburn hair, which was caught back on one side with an elaborate clip. She’d worn the embroidered jeans he liked, but he’d never seen the colorful patchwork jacket. He remembered the earrings, though, the ones that dangled to her shoulders. As always, she knocked him out.
But instead of going to her, he hooked his thumbs in his belt loops and waited for her to come to him. She’d driven down here, which was a good sign, but he didn’t know what that meant. Maybe she’d been in the area and had decided to stop by. Maybe she’d found something he’d left at her house and was here to return it.
She shut the door of the truck and walked toward him without anything in her hands—no purse, no package, no gift. Just her.
He drew in a breath. “Hey, Sapphire.”
“Hey, Grady.” She stopped several feet away. “How’s Gandalf?”
“Good.”
“Glad to hear it.” She paused before continuing. “I guess you know Rosie came to see me.”
“Her idea.”
“But you approved it?”
“Absolutely.” He looked into her eyes and tried to read her emotions. Couldn’t do it.
“She really loves you.”
“I really love her.”
“She told me quite a bit about you.”
“Mostly good, I hope.”
“Mostly, but I heard about the firecrackers in the bathhouse and the spiked Christmas punch.”
At least she hadn’t made him out to be perfect. “I see.”
“But I also heard about the puppy you rescued from a snowdrift and the time you slept in the barn to watch over a horse with colic. I heard about your loyalty to your brothers—Liam, of course, but all the foster brothers, too. She told me that you took on three guys at once because they called the Thunder Mountain boys losers.”
“Almost got my ass kicked, too. Then Liam came along.”
She nodded. “That’s the other thing Rosie explained—the special bond between you and Liam. I respect that.”
“Because you have a sister.” Maybe she was here to tell him she wouldn’t leave Sheridan for the same reason he didn’t want to leave Cody.
“I do, and we’re close, but...it’s not the same, Grady. I get that now.”
He held his breath, afraid to hope.
She stepped closer. “After the fund-raiser you issued me an invitation.” She swallowed. “Is it still open?”
His heart beat so fast he prayed he wouldn’t keel over. “It is.”
“Then I’d like to accept.”
“Thank God.” He closed the distance in two strides and swept her into his arms. “Thank God, Sapphire.” He looked into her turquoise eyes. “I’ve been dying down here.”
She threaded her hands through his hair. “I’ve been dying up there. But I needed...”
He smiled. “A character reference?”
“Was that wrong of me?”
“No.” He’d start kissing her any second, but for now, he was content to hold her and look into her eyes. “Rosie said you were smart to be cautious after what you’d been through. I thought you should instinctively know I was different.”
“My heart did. But my head wasn’t convinced.”
“And now?”
“You’ve go
t all of me, Grady. Body and soul.”
A surge of joy made him tremble. “I think this calls for a celebration.”
“Champagne?”
“I was thinking of something more basic. Something more naked.”
“But you’ve been welding. I don’t want to interfere with—”
“It can wait.” For the first time in three years, he abandoned his work without hesitation. It would be there after he’d made mind-blowing love to Sapphire, and miracle of miracles, so would she.
Epilogue
THE TWO-STORY HOUSE engulfed in flames was supposed to be vacant, but the Jackson Hole firefighters were well trained and none of them took that as gospel. Battling intense heat and smoke, they conducted a room-to-room search on the first floor and found nobody. The stairs were impassible, so Jake Ramsey went up a ladder to a second-floor window.
He ripped off the screen, broke the glass and climbed in. The first two rooms yielded nothing. One more to go and then he’d get the hell out of there. The floor could give way any second. In the third room, he found a kid curled up in a ragged sleeping bag. Shit.
The kid was unconscious but still breathing. Looked like a boy, judging from the haircut. Dragging him out of the sleeping bag, Jake hoisted him over his shoulder and returned to the window. He had to set him down while he broke out more of the glass.
He slung him over his shoulder again and started down. The kid was a lightweight, thank God. At the bottom a couple of guys took him and headed for the ambulance. Jake stared at the blazing house. The boy could have started it by leaving something turned on downstairs. Critters could have chewed on some wires in the attic.
Didn’t really matter. What did matter was that no kid that age should be sleeping alone in an empty house. But it might have been the best option the boy could come up with. Jake knew all about that. He’d been that kid. If somebody hadn’t caught him and turned him over to Child Protective Services, he never would have ended up at Thunder Mountain Ranch.
Later that night he stopped by the hospital to check on the kid. Sure enough, the terrified thirteen-year-old lived with an alcoholic, abusive father. According to the nurse on duty, the boy had told his dad that he was the most popular boy in the eighth grade. Since his friends supposedly kept begging him to spend the night, he’d had to rotate among the houses to keep everyone happy, which explained why he couldn’t sleep at home. CPS had been called in.
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