Page 58 of Silos and Sabotage

His touch made her feel like laughing and crying. They were supposed to be dressing for dinner, but this was more important.

He raised his head long before she was ready for the kiss to end. He ran his thumb over her lower lip. “Please tell me I’m not the only one who felt that.”

Happiness poured through her like sunlight. “It’s official. You absolutely cannot be my non-biological older brother.”

“Already turned that position down.” His thumb brushed her lower lip again. “Along with being your landlord, because I’ve had something else in mind for a while.”

“Oh, really?” She was so ready to put a label on what was happening between them.

“Assuming you don’t mind dating a guy who’s nine years older than you?”

It moved her deeply that he was laying open his deepest vulnerabilities.

Assuming I don’t mind?That didn’t even come close to cutting it for her. She slid her arms around his neck so she could melt into his warm, chocolatey eyes. “Yes, I want to date you.” She was honored that he’d asked. She adored everything about him. She especially adored his life of sacrifice, the way he’d put his younger brother’s needs ahead of his own. And his country’s needs. And her needs.

“I want to be exclusive.” He scanned her face. “I’m sorry if it feels like I’m rushing things, but I don’t date much to begin with, and you’re not someone I’ll be able to keep it casual with.”

His words felt like an anchor in the middle of a storm, the light at the end of a long tunnel. He made her feel beautiful and special, wanted and needed. “If that’s your way of saying you’re falling for me…”

“The falling is a done deal.” His gaze burned into hers as he reluctantly unwound her arms from around his neck and stepped back. “You’d better make a dash for it. If I kiss you again, we’ll be late for dinner.”

Too much was at stake for that. “Any guesses what we should wear tonight?” The Bolanders were like royalty. She nervously pictured her grandfather at the head of the table with a jeweled crown on his head.

“I’m guessing clothes,” he teased. “You look great in what you have on.”

Not even!She grimaced down at herself. “My jeans are dusty, and one of the puppies at the sanctuary had an accident on the toe of my boot.”

“Like I said,” Gage wrapped a strand of her hair around his finger and gave it a gentle tug, “you’re perfect, just like you are.”

She chuckled softly. “I think I’ll change, anyway.”

He winked at her as she reached for the door.

She felt like she was walking in a dream as she moved across the cozy living room. As she passed the sofa, she trailed her fingers over the white linen slip cover and leaned over the back of it to straighten a throw pillow. Beyond the living room was a galley kitchen that was so stinking easy to meal prep for two in, like she’d been doing so often lately.

On the other side of the cottage was the master suite. She wasn’t sure what else to call it, since it took up half the house. It had an adjoining lounge that could easily be used as an office. Or a small gym. Or even a nursery. She blushed at the direction of her thoughts. Plus, there was a full bath and a walk-in closet. It was so much more space than she would’ve had at a hotel —more room than a woman, who’d arrived in town with little more than the clothes on her back, needed.

After reviewing an inventory list of the belongings her mother was preparing to ship to her, Ella had ultimately decided to keep only her family photos and her father’s war medals. Preferring to start fresh, she’d donated everything else to charity. And, boy, had she enjoyed it. She’d been shopping almost nonstop since her arrival in Heart Lake. Besides the jeans, boots, and t-shirts she wore to work, she now had two cocktail dresses hanging in her closet. One was an off-the-shoulder black sheath that emphasized her slenderness. The other one was made out of red sequined fabric and boasted a halter top.

After taking a quick shower, she decided she was in more of a red mood than a black mood. She was sort of dying to see Gage’s reaction to the red halter dress, since he hadn’t yet seen her in anything besides jeans.

* * *

Though Gage could easily pictureAvery Radcliffe and Creston Bolander in cocktail attire this evening, the nicest thing he owned was his old dress blues uniform.

Jeans it is.

After showering, he decided to up his game a little and swap out his usual t-shirt with a navy oxford button-down shirt. He tucked it into his newest pair of jeans and stepped into his boots.

As he reached for his Stetson, movement outside his bedroom window caught his eye. He stepped closer to the glass and saw a black Jeep rolling his way. It was kicking up a cloud of dust in the dirt and gravel.

He buckled on his gun holster, wondering who was visiting. The only person he’d been expecting was Johnny, but that definitely wasn’t Johnny’s rusty old work truck. Gage stepped outside to the front porch and waited as the vehicle finished its approach.

As it drew nearer, he could see dried mud caked on the wheels and splattered across the undercarriage. Someone had been off-roading in it.

The Jeep skidded to a halt at the last second, kicking gravel against Gage’s porch steps and leaving enough dust hanging in the air to taste.

The driver’s door opened and slammed shut. Johnny emerged from the cloud of dust, waving what looked like a game controller in the air. “I did it! I caught a ghost on video!” Though he’d changed as requested, his boots and jeans were coated in a thick layer of dust.

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