Page 52 of Choosing the Montana Cowboy

That was how they spent the rest of the afternoon—mending and debating. Sam tried to keep a mental score of which state seemed to be winning through Natalie’s eyes, and by dinnertime he felt like Montana had taken the lead. But it would take more than pristine views to win her over; a decision like this would need to come from the heart.

So, Sam invited her back to his place after the meal, where he and Natalie sat on the porch swing watching the sunset while Madison was inside working on an essay she had due this week. And while they rocked, he held her close, pressing kisses to her crown, wishing he had the courage to tell her how much he needed her to stay. But fear held his tongue. Rather than waste their time together worrying, he chose to savor the moment.

There was still plenty of time to have this conversation, and it was one he did not want to rush.

*

Natalie joined Samagain Thursday afternoon, enjoying time with him and getting to see behind the scenes of a cowboy’s work life. Or a rancher’s work life, to be more accurate. She admired the passion and dedication he displayed and had zero doubt that he was truly doing what he loved. But the work he did was physical, the terrain and temperatures surely difficult to navigate at times. So, while he seemed to hate the office side of things, eventually she had to think he would come to see it as a reprieve from the manual work.

“You could always move to Indiana when ranching gets too hard on your body,” she teased Thursday as they sat on his porch swing after dinner—her favorite place on the ranch. They’d watched another gorgeous sunset together, the last of the brilliant orange and yellows now faded to twilight.

He looked at her like she’d suggested he walk across hot coals barefoot. “Indiana? Why would I do that?”

“You know, to come take an easier job. And our winters aren’t nearly as bad as it sounds like yours can be. I heard Madison mention Purdue was an option she is considering for her veterinary studies. If she goes there, she may find she likes the Midwest. Then you’ll want to move to be closer to her, and Jaxon and Norah can run the ranch.”

He’d been making subtle hints all week about how much she might enjoy moving to Montana, and turnabout seemed like fair play. Not that she could ever picture him anywhere but here. Still, it was fun to imagine what it might be like to have Sam visit her instead of the other way around.

“Madison won’t go that far away to school when she can get a full ride in-state with her grades,” he said. “Besides, I’d be mighty lonely out there, leaving my family and friends.”

“I’d be there.” She shrugged.

He snorted softly. “Like you’d wait that long for me.”

She heard the hurt in his voice and wanted to argue the point. But Natalie didn’t want to make promises she couldn’t keep; he deserved better than that. Though, her leaving didn’t have to be the end of all this if they didn’t want it to be.

“Just because I have to go back soon doesn’t mean we have to stop talking, Sam. Or visiting.”

His chin came to rest on the top of her head with a sigh. “I don’t do planes, so we’ll have to take turns buying you tickets to come visit.”

Did that mean he was willing to give them a chance? Natalie hoped so—she wasn’t ready for this all to end. Afraid to say too much and send him running, she turned and pressed a hand to his scruffy cheek. “I’d love that.”

“Me, too.”

The smile he offered didn’t quite reach his eyes. Natalie hated to end the night on a low note, especially after having another wonderful day together.

“Come back into town with me,” she whispered.

His gaze shifted to the house. “Neil arrives tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

On a nod, he eased from the swing and went inside. When he returned, he had a backpack thrown over one shoulder and his truck keys in hand.

“I’ll drive. Norah’s on her way; she’s staying with Madison tonight.”

“Oh, Sam, I didn’t mean to make you think you had to go to all that trouble.”

“Trouble?” He threw her a cocky grin. “Woman, I need to know if you snore or not before I agree to buy you any plane tickets.”

She rose on a laugh. “Well played, Mr. Miles. Well played.”

As it turned out, neither of them snored that night. At least, neither heard any snoring. Though, from all the lovemaking they’d done before they both collapsed into a deep, blissful sleep, Natalie wasn’t sure either of them would have heard a Mack truck drive straight through her room. What she was sure of was that waking up tucked gently into Sam’s side was something she could definitely get used to.

Sam admitted over breakfast that he’d decided to take Friday off. A rarity for him, but it would allow them a leisurely start to the day. It would also mean less scrambling to pick up Neil.

“If we leave before lunch, we’ll have time to stop and check out Bozeman before heading on north to the airport. It’s a cool little city. Norah and Madison love to visit there.”

“You know I’m not going to turn down more Montana sightseeing,” Natalie admitted. “Especially if there’s no getting on horseback involved.”

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