Page 62 of Saddles and Snowstorms
I stepped inside, the familiar smell of antiseptic and pet supplies filling my nostrils. “Thought I’d surprise you. Unless you’re too busy?”
Rowan shook his head, locking the door behind us. “I’m never too busy for you.”
The way he looked at me—like I was something precious—made my chest tighten. I reached for him without thinking, pulling him into a kiss that started gentle but quickly turned hungry. His hands found mywaist, fingers digging into my sides as he pressed me against the wall beside the door.
“Missed you, beautiful,” I murmured against his mouth, feeling foolish for admitting it when I’d seen him just last night, but unable to stop myself.
Rowan pulled back slightly, his dark green eyes searching mine. “I missed you too. Been thinking about you all day.”
His honesty never failed to disarm me. It was so different from how guarded I usually kept myself. I ran my thumb along the scar on his jaw, a habit I’d developed whenever we were close like this.
“Thought maybe we could grab dinner at Dolly’s before heading back to your place,” I suggested, surprising myself. We hadn’t been seen together in public much beyond what could be explained away as friendly conversation.
Rowan’s eyebrows rose slightly. “Really? You sure about that?”
I wasn’t, not completely, but I nodded anyway. “I mean… I’m here early. And you haven’t eaten yet, have you?”
He shook his head. “I was just about to order somethin’.”
“Well,” I smiled. “Let’s go get somethin’ together then.”
I watched as uncertainty flickered across Rowan’s face before being replaced with something warm and tender. He reached out, brushing his fingers against mine.
“You sure?” he asked again, voice soft. “I know how you feel about... about people seeing us together.”
I swallowed hard, my anxiety welling up from the pit of my stomach. “I’m not saying I want to take out an ad in the Sagebrush Gazette, but... I think I can handle dinner at Dolly’s.”
The smile that lit up Rowan’s face was worth every bit of anxiety crawling under my skin. He squeezed my hand briefly before letting go to finish closing up the clinic.
“Give me five minutes,” he said, moving to the back room.
I leaned against the counter, watching him work, admiring the way his shoulders moved beneath his shirt. It was still strange to me how much I noticed about him, how much I wanted to touch him all the time. It had never been like this before—not with anyone.
When we stepped outside, the evening air had cooled, and the first stars were appearing in the darkening sky. There wasno hint of the freak blizzard that had brought us together anymore. In fact, the entire town seemed to have warmed up considerably. Spring was truly on the way. We walked side by side down the sidewalk, not touching but close enough that our arms occasionally brushed against each other, sending little jolts of electricity up my arm. I wanted to reach out and take his hand, but I kept mine firmly in my pockets.
“Busy day at the clinic,” I asked, trying to make conversation as we neared Dolly’s.
“Yeah,” he nodded. “Caroline’s prized bull was being a real pain.”
“He didn’t like you?”
Rowan chuckled, the sound warming me from the inside out. “Yeah, it was... an experience. Usually, I’m good with animals. But I’ve never seen a bull quite that determined to avoid medical attention. Took three ranch hands just to hold him still enough for me to examine him.”
“Sounds like you’re earning your keep around here, city boy,” I teased, bumping his shoulder lightly with mine.
“I’m trying,” he admitted, his voice softening. “It’s different here than Austin. Good different, though. This place is starting to grow on me.” He glanced up at me, those green eyes looking right through me. “In more ways than one.”
The way he looked at me made my chest tighten with something dangerously close to happiness. It took my breath away when he looked at me like then, when he implied that I was the reason for his contentment here in Sagebrush. It made me feel like I belonged, like I was his. I couldn’t get enough of it.
Dolly’s Diner came into view, its windows glowing with warm light against the darkening sky. Through the glass, I could see several tables already occupied. However, something else caught my attention as we stepped up to the entrance. There was a machine setup on the far side of the room with a microphone stand. Dolly was running food to the tables, but when I looked closer, I realized all her customers had familiar faces.
“Looks like Lucas and Beau are having another get together,” Rowan said, looking through the window. “Think we should crash it?”
I gulped audibly. “I… uh…”
But I never got a chance to answer, not before the front door burstopen and there was Colt, his hat askew and that shit-eating grin on his face as he looked the both of us up and down.
“Well, I’ll be god damned,” he smiled. “Just the men I was lookin’ for.” He reached out, grabbing Rowan and I by the arm and hauling us inside. “Come on in! We’re just gettin’ started!”
