Page 17 of Samuel

“What?”

“Thank you. For waiting out here to make sure I made it back safe. For worrying about me. I haven’t had someone do that for me in a very long time.”

“I don’t?—”

“I’ll see you in the office Monday morning, Sam.” She left him standing with his mouth wide open, heartbeat still thundering wildly in his ears.

It wasn’t Monday morning when he next saw Evie. No. It was nearly dawn the next morning and Sam hadn’t slept a wink, wondering how she so easily got under his skin.

He’d been taking the weekends off since everything happened with his health. It hadn’t really been his choice. Both his mother and sister had hounded him about working less and resting more, so there he was, spending another weekend twiddling his thumbs, running after a goddamn puppy that he didn’t want.

They’d walked the length of the closest field twice, Shep making part of the journey in his arms because his little puppy legs tired easily, although no one would know that now looking at the way the dopey dog bounded in front of him.

No matter how much he tried to get his mind to focus on anything else, it kept drifting right back to Evie. He needed to do something about that damn car of hers. It had barely made the trip back from Bell Ridge. And yes, he’d known exactly where she was traveling back from before she even divulged the information. She was the talk of the town, and all of his friends already loved her.

His sister had called, gushing about how sweet she was and how Katy liked her right away. Daisy sent a text inviting them both to dinner in a few days. She was sliding right into every part of his life, and as much as he tried to only see the extra worry she brought to his doorstep, to only focus on the fact that she’d shown up pregnant and thrown his protective heart into overdrive, he couldn’t.

She was so easy to talk to. Every question she asked was like a balm to his soul. Evie didn’t treat him with kid gloves. She didn’t have a reason to. He was just a cranky cowboy, someone who wanted her off his ranch as fast as possible.

But even after just a few days, Sam knew that wasn’t the truth anymore. She’d organized the office in a whirlwind, getting more done in an eight hour day than he’d seen some people do over months. Hell, he certainly could have spent the rest of the year trying to set up a system like Evie had put into place the very first morning she started working.

He hated to admit it, but he was in awe of her. There was no way he’d be winning their bet. Evelyn Williams was there to stay.

“Shep!” The damn dog had run clear across the field, not caring at all that Sam was ordering him to stop. Maybe Abby was right. He needed obedience classes.

Sam’s eyes followed the pup’s trail across the long grass and up to the barn. His heart jumped into his throat. Evie was out on the lawn, skin tight yoga pants molded to her body, a sports bra exposing more of her delicious peach skin than anyman deserved to see. His blood pressure spiked thinking about Zeke or Derrick stumbling upon the scene in front of him.

What the hell was she thinking doing yoga out on his lawn half naked? Sam watched, mesmerized by her fluid movements. She was so fucking graceful. Her belly was swollen, but it didn’t seem to slow her down any. Evie tucked her right leg up onto her left thigh. She swayed, her eyes remaining closed, but it was enough to make Sam start running across the field.

He watched in horror as Shep finally made his way to her mat, dancing around the one foot Evie had on the ground. Her eyes popped open and her arms began to circle wildly in the air as she tried to find her balance.

Sam didn’t stop running, his heart pounding in his ears.

“Evie!”

Her right foot slid down her leg and landed back on the ground. Thank fuck. She seemed completely fine, smiling down at the fluff ball currently clawing at her legs.

He reached her just as she was standing back up from giving Shep belly rubs. The little traitor looked completely and irrevocably in love with Evie.

“Oops.” Evie’s eyes went wide as she reached out for him. Her eyelids fluttered shut as the flush he’d been admiring on her face drained at an alarming rate.

Sam’s arms flew out, grabbing onto her as she swayed.

“You okay?”

“Mhm.” She straightened in his arms, but was still a little too pale for his liking.

“You need to sit down. You shouldn’t be doing all that in your condition.”

“Playing with your dog and a little light stretching? This type of yoga is safe during pregnancy, Cowboy. It’s just that I’m not used to the change in blood volume and sometimes it makes me a little dizzy. I promise, you can let go now. I’m okay.”

“If you’re sure?” She nodded, and his hands fell back down to his sides. “Come on, Shep. Let’s leave Evie to get back to her stretching.”

Sam tucked his head down, whistling to get the puppy’s attention when he whimpered at Evie’s feet.

“He can stay with me for a little bit. I’m happy to walk him up to the house when I’m done.”

“No. He needs to learn his place. I told him to come. Now, he needs to follow me.”

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