by Zoe Matthews
She and Brooklyn had the only bedroom on the main floor of the house, something that had been suggested by Kathy when they’d first come home from the hospital.
Sadie led him into Brooklyn’s bedroom through the patio door and watched as he tenderly laid her down on the small bed and removed her shoes and socks.
Sadie took over the rest, carefully replacing her clothing with her favorite princess pajamas. Once that was done, she left the room the same way she entered, turning on a nightlight just before she and Hunter stepped back out into the night air. She saw him watching her and realized he was going to want some answers. She just hoped she was strong enough to give him the answers he wanted.
Chapter 14
“Why?” Hunter asked as they stood on the wrap-around porch, leaning against the railing, side-by-side.
“It was time. I can tell you’ve changed, and I realized it wasn’t fair for me to keep you two apart any longer.”
“As I said before, thank you.” They were silent for several minutes when Hunter began to talk, telling her about his car accident and the horrible year after it.
“At one point, the doctor’s didn’t think I’d ever regain the use of my leg again. The damage was so severe to the bones, they weren’t sure it would ever be able to hold my body weight.”
“But you hike and climb still?” Sadie asked in confusion.
“I refused to let them determine my future. I had a bunch of surgeries and didn’t do much other than therapy and recover from the next surgery for most of the last year,” he explained.
“That must have been horrible.” Sadie couldn’t imagine how awful that had been. She also realized that he could have died in that crash, and was glad that he had recovered.
“It was. But, it also made me realize I’d made some pretty big mistakes in my life. The first thing I did when I finally got the clearance from the doctors to resume my normal life, was think about you and our child.”
“Is that why you answered Sheridan’s ad?” Sadie asked.
“I figured if I was working here, you’d have to talk to me some time. I’m so sorry for the way I pushed you away. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, and I can’t believe…”
Sadie looked at him and then told him softly. “I forgive you, but it doesn’t mean…”
She didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence because Hunter leaned down and took her lips with his own. He used his hands to turn her into his embrace and sighed when she responded back.
It was just like it used to be between them. The passion was still there, and he still remembered her taste and her smell. He let his hands drop to rest on her waist, but after a few minutes, he felt her start to pull away from him.
“Please don’t,” he whispered to her, feathering kisses along her jawline.
Sadie pushed her hands against his chest, forcing him to release her and back away. “I can’t do this.”
“Sadie…”
She shook her head. “No. I won’t let myself get hurt like that again. I can’t.” She turned and went inside, stepped back into the rooms she shared with Brooklyn, throwing the deadbolt on the doors to ensure he wouldn’t try to follow her.
Hunter shoved his hands through his hair and closed his eyes while he fought for control. She’s scared of getting hurt. I can’t blame her, but I’ve changed and I would never hurt her again. Or Brooklyn. I guess I’m going to have to keep doing my best to show her that.
****
Over the next few weeks, Hunter did his best to keep things friendly between himself and Sadie. He longed to rekindle their romance, but on the few occasions when he had reason to touch her, he couldn’t help but notice that she stiffened up and always moved away from him.
The old Hunter would have pushed the physical chemistry between them, but he’d changed, so he kept things friendly and the sexual tension at a minimum.
They met together each day at least once for several hours, finalizing the activities the adults would have to choose from, any extra costs or supplies that would be needed to ensure both their safety and their enjoyment, and designing the brochure for their part of the dude ranch.
They worked well together, and when they weren’t finalizing details for the dude ranch, one or both of them could be found with Brooklyn.
The little girl was thrilled to have her daddy in her life, and she took every opportunity to make sure everyone living on the Majestic Mountain Ranch knew he was hers!
Hunter, with Logan’s help, started to teach her how to ride a horse by herself, while he walked right beside her, never letting his hand stray more than a few inches from her body.
Every one of Sadie’s siblings had pulled her aside to question her about her relationship with Hunter, and while she’d answered their questions, she’d been left with more of her own.
She was confused about the way she felt when he was near, and more and more she found her memories going back to the days before she’d found out she was pregnant. Days when she and Hunter had been so wrapped up in each other, they had been ridiculously happy.
Hunter had changed. Drastically. Gone was the self-assured, cocky young man who thought he was invincible and had the world by the tail. In its place was a much more mature man, with a heart of gold, the patience to deal with a three-year old who’d missed her nap and wanted candy instead of carrots, and the wisdom to know that Sadie wasn’t ready for anything more than friendship with him.
Sadie also spent time helping Sierra with her wedding. She spent a day in Pinedale with all of her sisters and Logan’s sister, Annie, while Sierra picked out a simple wedding dress. Each of them also picked out dresses to wear for the wedding, along with small dresses for Ashley, Elysha, and Brooklyn to wear. Sierra had asked all of her sisters to be her bridesmaids, choosing not to have a maid of honor. She had also asked Annie to be a bridesmaid, and she was thrilled that she was to be included. Annie enjoyed trying on quite a few dresses until she found just the right one.
On Friday, the day before the wedding, she helped Kathy make beautiful flower bouquets from the various flowers from the garden and placed them throughout the barn. Hunter had a lot of knowledge about sound systems, so Sheridan asked him to purchase the equipment they needed and to set it up in the barn. Hunter also put together a play list of a wide variety of country songs.
*****
On the morning of the wedding, Sadie woke up feeling excited for the day. She was so happy for Sierra and Logan. The wedding was scheduled for 4:00 in the afternoon and the day went by quickly as the entire family pitched in to make sure everything went off without any problems. Soon it was time to dress for the wedding and Sierra quickly got herself ready and then her daughter. She hoped that Brooklyn would be able to keep herself and her dress clean, at least until after the wedding. After they dressed, she turned Brooklyn over to Hunter with strict instructions to keep her clean.
Then it was time to help Sierra dress. Sadie had a great time with her sisters. She felt relaxed and happy for the first time in a long time and even Stephanie commented on it.
“It’s good to see you smiling again,” Stephanie told her as they went through Sierra’s makeup bag together, making sure she had everything she needed.
“I’m just happy for Sierra,” Sadie told Stephanie. “I think if anyone deserves happiness, it’s her.” She thought of how her older sister had lost her husband to a car accident a few years ago. She was glad that Stephanie had found love again with Logan.
“I think it is more than just Sierra’s wedding,” Stephanie commented. “I think you are starting to find happiness again with Hunter.”
Sadie wanted to deny it. She still didn’t think she could trust Hunter. There was still a part of her that was waiting for Hunter to become bored and leave again. “I’m glad Brooklyn knows that Hunter is her father, but don’t expect me to suddenly want him in my life again.”
Stephanie opened her mouth to say more, but Annie interrupted them, requesting help with her hair. Sadi
e was glad for the interruption. She had done her best to push aside any thoughts of Hunter ever since he had kissed her. She wanted to just focus on Sierra’s wedding today.
The wedding itself was beautiful. Sheridan had been able to get the pastor from the church they attended in Pinedale to perform the marriage. When it was time for Logan to kiss Sierra to seal the vows they had just made, Sadie had tears in her eyes and she had to look away in order to get herself under control. Everyone who had witnessed the wedding could tell that Sierra and Logan deeply loved each other.
After the wedding and pictures were taken, the entire family and their friends gathered for the dinner. Tables had been set up in the flower gardens. Stella had outdone herself with the wedding dinner. It was delicious. Sadie found herself sitting with Hunter and Brooklyn. They were sitting together like they were a family. For the first time, she admitted to herself that she was glad Hunter had applied for the job. She was starting to get used to having him around and he was a great father to their daughter.
Sadie had a great time at the dance that was held after the wedding dinner. Hunter took over with the operating of the sound system and did a great job making sure a good mix of songs were played. Sadie danced with Sheridan and then with Spencer. After those dances, a few single men who had been invited asked her to dance, but she declined. She sat on the sidelines and watched the festivities.
Brooklyn danced with her cousins and some other children. It was fun watching all the children dance together. One time Hunter played a song about the love a father has for his daughter. Sadie watched as he picked up Brooklyn and whispered something in her ear. She nodded her head excitedly as he set her down. Hunter had her place her small feet on top of his large ones, and then he danced a waltz with her all around the barn. The scene was very touching and Sadie noticed that quite a few of the adults had stopped dancing to watch Hunter dance with his young daughter.
A few songs later, Hunter approached her. Another slow song was playing.
“Will you dance with me, Sadie?” he asked her as he held out his hand.
Sadie hesitated. They had never danced together before. Instinctively, she knew if she danced with him, it would signal a change between them. Did she really want that? Something within her had her placing her hand in his. He led her to the dance floor and soon she was in his arms. It felt so good to be there again.
Chapter 15
A few days after the wedding and the day before Sadie was supposed to present the final brochure and list of activities to Sheridan, she and Hunter had one final meeting, lasting from just after breakfast, until late in the afternoon. Sierra had offered to take Brooklyn into Pinedale with her and the twins, and Sadie had welcomed the small respite from her rambunctious daughter. Sierra and Logan decided to put off their honeymoon until after Christmas. Sadie and her siblings did treat them to a stay in the fanciest hotel Pinedale had, but they were only gone one day. Sierra and Logan felt they needed to stay on the ranch because of everything that still needed to be done for the grand opening which was less than a month away.
The family had agreed that the dude ranch would be open from April until the end of December. Then they would all take a three month break before opening again in the spring. Sierra and Logan would go on their honeymoon during those winter months. Part of the reason they would close was because there would be too much snow on the ranch and in the mountains to do much of anything.
“So, have we missed anything we discussed?” Sadie asked, checking her various lists to make sure she’d marked everything off.
Hunter looked at her scattered notes and then shook his head. “Since when did you start making lists?”
Sadie looked at him with raised eyebrows and chuckled. “You know, I do believe my sister is rubbing off on me.” She looked thoughtful and then spoke to herself. “I wonder if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”
“Having met all of your sisters, I can’t see how it could possibly be a bad thing. Stella’s food is out of this world, Sierra has those kids wrapped around her fingers, and Stephanie – well, after being on the receiving end of her daily and weekly lists myself, she’ll have this place running like a military camp.”
Sadie laughed at his comparison of Stephanie’s organizational proclivities to the military. “You know when we were kids, she used to try and get us to all line up and march from place to place.”
“I take it that didn’t go over very well?” Hunter asked as he grinned at her. Her heart skipped a beat as he looked at her and she had to glance away.
“You’ve met my brothers, what do you think?” she asked with a smile.
“Not well at all.”
They each went back to studying their notes when Sadie gasped and started furiously juggling her papers.
“What’s wrong?” Hunter asked.
“We forgot all about the stargazing hikes!”
“Calm down, it’s not the end of the world. We have space on the last page of the brochure, we can add it there.”
“But I’m supposed to give these to Sheridan in the morning. I can’t believe I forgot that,” she berated herself.
Hunter could tell she was getting angry and he wasn’t sure if it was at the situation, with herself, or with him for some reason. “Why are you so mad?”
“Because if I wasn’t so distracted I wouldn’t have forgotten it in the first place!” Sadie realized what she’d said and covered her mouth with a hand as she blushed.
Hunter fought an inner battle to let her comment go versus pushing his advantage and making her admit to the reason she was so distracted. He looked at her and decided on keeping silent. He handed her the laptop they’d done the other activities on and watched as she quickly typed up the description of the activity and then sent it to the printer.
Twenty minutes later, they paper-clipped the final brochure together and she finally relaxed and took a deep breath.
“Feeling better?” he inquired, still fighting to not mention her earlier comment.
Sadie blushed but nodded her head. “I guess I over-reacted.”
“Just a bit,” Hunter agreed, but said nothing more.
Sadie heard the front door open and the screaming of her daughter long before Brooklyn came running into the small workroom. “I’s got new boots!”
Sadie looked down at her daughter’s feet and smiled. She was wearing a brand new pair of purple cowboy boots and beaming from ear to ear. “Did Aunt Sierra spoil you?” Sadie asked, catching her daughter as she launched herself into her arms.
Brooklyn wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck for a hug and then scampered down to treat her father to the same hug. “Yep! And I’s ate all of my lunch so’s I got ice cream too!”
Sierra stuck her head into the workroom and asked, “If you’re not finished here, I can entertain her for a little while longer.”
Sadie shook her head. “No, you came back just in time. We’ve just finished.”
“Really? Can I see the brochure?” Sierra asked, stepping into the room.
Sadie quickly pulled the brochure pages to herself, tucking them inside the folder in front of her. “Not until Sheridan looks at them.”
“Why not?” Sierra demanded.
“Because I want his approval first. You can see them tomorrow at lunch, alright?”
“Fine.” Sierra gave them both a measured glance and then shook her head. “I am so glad I’m going to be working with kids.”
Hunter and Sadie laughed as she left the room, Brooklyn watching them all with a confused look on her face that said it all – Adults laugh at the funniest things!
Chapter 16
Sadie met with Sheridan the next morning, alone. Hunter had wanted to come along, but Sadie had insisted she meet with Sheridan first, and then if he had any questions, he could come find Hunter to get his answers.
“These are great, Sadie. You and Hunter did an excellent job of making use of just about everything the ranch has to offer. There’s something
here for everyone and every budget.”
Sadie smiled at him. “Thanks. I’m really excited about getting some guests up here to try everything out and get some feedback from them. I’m sure we’ll have to fine tune things a bit here and there, but I’m fairly confident that what we already have in place is going to work for the most part.”
“I wouldn’t worry about any of that. Things have a way of working themselves out. Speaking of which, you and Hunter seem to be getting along pretty well. And Brooklyn is over the top happy at having her daddy here.”
“He’s really good with her,” Sadie admitted.
“How do you feel about him being here now?”
Sadie shrugged her shoulders. She’d been holding onto her anger for the way he’d abandoned her and Brooklyn for so long, it was like a good friend and she wasn’t sure how to let go and move forward. And with each passing day, she realized that was what she wanted to do. But how?
“Sadie?”
She glanced at her brother and realized he was waiting for an answer.
“I’m glad Brooklyn is so happy, but I don’t know about Hunter and me. I guess we’re friends.”
“But you want it to be more?”
“Yes. No. How can I even think of trying to find what we once had? He abandoned me!”
Sheridan looked at his sister and nodded his head. “Yes, he did. But he came back. I don’t know what Hunter was like before, but the man I see now is the “real deal” and he sticks by his word. Do you still care for him?”
“Yes, but I don’t want to.”
“Because you’re afraid of getting your heart hurt again? Or because you’re just being stubborn and trying to hang onto your hurt when it’s already gone?”
Sadie looked at Sheridan solemnly. “I don’t think I could survive it if he left us again. Once was hard enough, but this time, it would not only hurt me, it would hurt Brooklyn.”
“He doesn’t strike me as the type of guy who is even thinking about leaving right now.”