Page 14 of A Montana Secret Admirer
Seeing that smile on his face brought her more joy than she thought had been possible after losing Finn. He would have loved to see their boys learning this new skill. And perhaps he was watching from somewhere nearby.
The warmth that enveloped her at that thought lingered. It was moments like this one when she sensed him that she thought she might be capable of moving on and finding someone new—merely because she knew he would have wanted her to be happy. To live a life alone at such a young age wasn’t ideal.
Her eyes inadvertently drifted toward Reese when he rounded the corral with Jessi this time. Those hazel eyes looked greener today than usual—likely due to that green shirt he wore. They sparkled with something she couldn’t put her finger on, too.
She shifted her focus to her son and hoped her expression showed him just how proud she was at his progress. By the end of the day, everyone was tuckered out and ready for bed—just in time for Serenity to catch the last fleeting rays of the sunset.
Wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, she nudged out of the house and onto the front porch. Her bare feet padded along the smooth, worn wooden planks of the porch until she made it to the edge of the steps and took a seat.
Tonight, the colors weren’t as vibrant, but it was just as beautiful. There were swatches of clouds in the sky giving it a more variegated look. She took in a deep breath then exhaled. The floral scents along with freshly cut hay wafted toward her. Reese hadn’t been joking when he’d said there were plenty of wildflowers in the surrounding areas. They’d managed to pick some of the brightly colored ones on the property, and those now rested in a vase on the kitchen table.
Tana had been overjoyed by the boys’ insistence that the flowers be presented to her. But if Serenity wanted to be honest, she figured the kids were only buttering the surrogate grandmother up for sweets. Tana had promised cookies tomorrow, and the way the boys’ faces lit up made it clear they would be planning another flower retrieval outing in the future.
A twig snapped to her right, and her head swiveled to find a surprised Reese emerging from the shadows. When he caught her looking at him, he grinned. “I didn’t realize this was a habit of yours.” He jerked his chin in the direction of the sunset when she didn’t make any comment.
“Oh… yeah.” Serenity tightened the blanket around her shoulders. “There’s something peaceful about watching the day coming to an end, you know? Like all the tension can melt away with the sun lowering behind the horizon.” A soft smile touched her lips.
She was vaguely aware of Reese shifting. He bent over and examined something on the ground then straightened and came to sit beside her. His legs brushed against hers, and he turned his attention to the sky.
Serenity peeked at him out of the corner of her eye before silence fell over them. It was a companionable sort of quiet.
It was nice.
Serenity leaned over and wrapped her arms around her legs. Neither one of them had to speak right now, and that made the experience even better. Her thoughts started to wander into dangerous territory the longer they spent together. Having Reese at her side made her long for something more.
She couldn’t tell if that was because of the inherent loneliness she experienced after Finn’s death or the strange comfort she had from Reese’s proximity, but it wasn’t hard to imagine a reality where she could be with this man.
No, notthisman.
Butsomeone.
It was the first time Serenity had considered such a thing since Finn’s passing, and it was far less terrifying than she thought it would be.
As if against her own will, she glanced once more toward Reese.
No. It would be too complicated to jump into something with him. He was her sons’ teacher. And there was the matter of that secret admirer she’d caught the attention of. Perhaps it was time to open her heart up to something new.
CHAPTER FIVE
Reese kickedup his boots onto Bo’s desk in his office. It felt smaller than usual, but that was due to the four bodies that were crammed to one side of the room. Noah spoke quietly with Jane near the door, and Leo was giving Reese a curious stare. They’d been in here before. Bo had called them in for various reasons, but to be here with Noah and his wife?
Reese had a good idea of what was coming, and he knew now more than ever that Leo wasn’t going to like it.
So far, Reese had been able to steer clear from this project, but by the looks of it, that wouldn’t be for long. The way Jane was looking at him? Either he was in hot water when it came to her sister, or he was going to be roped into helping with her little project, since he and his brother were no more than grunts at Sagebrush.
He jerked his chin at his brother, murmuring, “How much you want to bet this has to do with that therapy thing they’re up to?”
Leo’s eyes drifted toward the couple at the door, and he shrugged. “Does it matter? It’s not our project. And I don’t care what they say, I’m not going to be a babysitter.”
Reese snickered. “You’ll do what Bo asks you to do because he’s in charge.”
“You’re right. I am in charge.”
Leo stiffened, and Reese’s smile spread wider. Jane and Noah moved farther into the room. His cousin looked a lot like his brothers: tall, dark, and handsome. Jane was pretty in a simple way. But it was her brown eyes that seemed to draw people in even when they didn’t want to be.
Serenity had similar hair to her sister, but her blue eyes were something else. They were dark like an evening sky, and sometimes he caught sight of brown flecks in them. Now, those were the eyes of someone who could capture a person, torture them, and never let go.
“Come on, Bo. You can’t be serious,” Leo muttered. “I’m fine if you want to make me muck out stalls or help reshoe the horses. Heck, put me out in the fields with the cattle and make me live in a tent for days at a time. Anything butthat.”
