Page 73 of Saddles and Snowstorms
I stood awkwardly, hat in hand, thumbing the worn brim. When he appeared, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and that faint scar on his jaw catching the afternoon light, my mouth went dry.
“Didn’t expect to see you back so soon,” he said, his face stalwart and unreadable. “Thought you wanted to be alone on that ranch of yours. You know… by yourself. Without anyone.”
His meaning was crystal clear.
“I changed my mind,” I managed to say at last.
His eyebrow quirked up. “Oh? And why is that, Brooks? What’s changed?”
I glanced around at the others, embarrassment welling up inside me. “Can we… uh… talk privately?”
“No,” he said simply, giving me a cold smile. “You can either say what you want to say, or you can wait until after hours.”
I swallowed hard, my throat tight as a drum. Every eye in the waiting room was on me now, including Mrs. Johnson with her ancient poodle and young Tim Walker holding that mangy barn cat of his. But none of those gazes burned quite like Rowan’s.
“I ain’t much for words,” I said, my voice rougher than I intended. “Never have been.”
“Try,” Rowan challenged, crossing his arms over his chest. That green gaze of his didn’t waver an inch.
I shifted my weight, boots scuffing against the linoleum. The silence stretched thin as barbed wire between us.
“I don’t want you to go,” I finally managed, the words coming out in a rush. “I don’t want you taking that fancy job back in Austin. I want—” My voice cracked, and I cleared my throat. “I want you to stay here. In Sagebrush. With me.”
Mrs. Johnson let out a soft “Oh my” from her chair. Tim’s face broke into a gap-toothed grin.
Rowan’s expression didn’t change, but something flickered in those green eyes of his. A muscle in his jaw twitched.
“With you,” he repeated, voice low and even. “The same you who told me not a week ago that you don’t do relationships? That you preferbeing alone? That I should go back to Austin and forget all about you? That man?”
I felt my face flush hot under the scrutiny of everyone in the waiting room. This wasn’t how I’d imagined this conversation going. But then, I hadn’t imagined having it in front of half the town either.
“Yeah,” I said, nodding slowly. “That’s the one. Turns out he was wrong.”
Something softened in Rowan’s expression. Just a hair. Just enough.
“Wrong about what exactly?” he pressed, taking a step closer to me. The scent of antiseptic and his woodsy cologne filled my senses.
I took a deep breath. If I was going to humiliate myself, might as well do it properly.
“Wrong about everything. About being better off alone. About not needin’ anyone. About pushin’ everyone away.” My fingers tightened around the brim of my hat. “About you.”
The room had gone so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Even the animals seemed to be holding their breath.
“And what about me?” Rowan asked, his voice dropping low enough that I had to strain to hear him.
I swallowed hard and took a step forward, closing the distance between us. My hat was crumpled in my hands now, twisted up like my insides. The wrinkles in the leather would be permanent, a lasting reminder of this moment where everything was on the line.
“I was wrong about you,” I said, voice rough as gravel. “Thought you were just passing through. Another city boy who’d leave once he got tired of playing small town vet. But you ain’t like that. You’re... different. You care about the animals, about the people. About this place.” I paused, heart hammering. “Maybe even about me.”
A small smile tugged at the corner of Rowan’s mouth. “Maybe?”
“Definitely,” I amended, feeling heat creep up my neck. “And I... I care about you too. More than I thought I could care about anybody.”
Mrs. Johnson let out a delighted sigh. Someone else—sounded like old man Peters—whispered, “Well I’ll be damned.”
Rowan’s eyes never left mine. “So, what exactly are you proposing here, Brooks?”
“Stay,” I said simply. “Partner with me. We can build something together. The ranch and the clinic. You and me.” The words tumbled outfaster now, gaining momentum like a runaway horse. “I know it ain’t as fancy as what your old boss is offerin’ you back in Austin, but it’s real. It’s honest work. And I’d be there, every step of the way.”
