Page 15 of Fall or Nothing

Her hair was still damp from a shower, and sweet perfume wafted around me.Dangerous combination this early.I shifted under the blanket, painfully aware of the morning wood that had zero respect for timing or circumstances.

“What time is it?” I croaked. The windows were still a shade toodark for my taste.

“Almost five. If we hurry and get you to the ranch, you just might make it in time to grab some of Eldon’s biscuits and gravy. He makes the best around.”

“Right. Wouldn’t miss it.” Fuck.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been awake at sunrise. Hell, most of the time, I’d be coming home from a party at this hour. I stretched, bones creaking. But what do I do about this raging hard on?

“I’d offer to make you breakfast, but I need to get to the hospital and be there for Daisy,” she added.

I shifted upright, blanket gathered at my lap, and took her coffee offering.

“Thanks. This is fine.” I sipped. Damn. Wonderful coffee. Flavor unexpected, strong and black, nothing added, nothing fussy, just a good cup o’ Joe.

She fussed around tidying up, and I finally calmed down enough and got my ass off the couch. After a quick shower myself, we headed out.

We talked in her car of nothing much, mostly pleasantries. I took in the lay of the land as we drove past it, from the prairies to the peaks as the sun rose over the snow-capped ridges. The scenery was almost as gorgeous as that one time after college when I stayed in a little Swiss village with a woman whose name I’d since forgotten.

“Where did you work before arriving here?” Sage asked.

I took my time answering, trying to recall last night’s conversation. Somehow I had to devise a way to remember the details of every lie. If only Chris and I had worked out more of a backstory for Carter James, the mysterious new cowboy in town. But everything happened so fast since I set foot here.

It’d be best if I kept as close to the truth as possible so I didn’t trip up.

The Lachese boots were my father’s?Not quite, but half-brother Chris was close enough.

My mother and her interest in plants and herbs?Yes, that was actually true, although she dabbled in it in her sunny conservatory of the exclusive Magnus mansion in Nashville, complete with a professional gardener on her staff who created art with greenery and flowers. His work rivaled that of the Palais de Versailles in France, only so she could host elaborate outdoor luncheons for her society ladies.

“Carter? Did you hear me?” Sage broke into my thoughts.

“I’ve taken odd jobs on farms and ranches since I got out of the military. I heard about the Off-Duty Ranch and what they do for horses, and got lucky that they hired me.”

“It’s a special place. I hope you like working here.”

I glanced at her profile again—those freckles, the way the morning light caught the dark auburn tendrils—and felt an unwelcome twist in my chest. She made this whole ridiculous situation feel almost… possible.

Careful, Carter. You’re here for thirty days, not forever.

“You seem familiar with it.”

“Chris, the owner, he bought most of our family property to start the ranch. He really helped us out in a pinch, even leaving us the twenty acres and apple orchard around our family home so that we could continue living there. So yes, a special place.”

I was almost jealous of Chris for being the one to keep Sage and her family safe. He’d done so much with his inheritance. What would I do with mine—assuming I earned it? I had no plans other than to continue my former lifestyle, such as it was. Did that make me sound like an entitled asshole?

How right Dad was about me, and I despised that. My entire life had been one of complete entitlement.

When she pulled to a stop in front of the bunkhouse,we sat there, neither of us quite moving. For me, it was the unknown of what to expect when I stepped foot on this ranch. Or maybe it was the question of whether I’d see her again.

I glanced at her profile, taking her all in, just in case. She adjusted a purple jacket tighter around her neck. The color highlighted the blue-green of her eyes, and rosy cheeks, framed by reddish-brown hair falling in waves around her shoulders. A light scattering of freckles lay across her nose. So pretty, and not what I needed to chase right now. Damn shame.

“So… I’ll see you around?” I managed.

She cocked her head slightly, considering that. “You’ll see me when you come to pay me back for those clothes you’re wearing.”

I huffed out a quiet laugh. “Right. Strictly a financial arrangement.”

“Maybe not so strictly,” she echoed, a glimmer in her eyes and a fluttering of her lashes behind it.