Page 27 of A Montana Secret Admirer
“What if they are? You’re under no obligation to them. Honestly, this all comes down to the ‘you snooze, you lose’ mindset. You going out with Reese will do one of two things. The flowers will stop coming because they see that you’re not interested. Or they’ll make themselves known.”
The worst part was how selfish Serenity felt in that moment. She’d grown accustomed to the flowers. She’d started looking forward to the little notes. If she were completely honest, she wanted to explore the possibility of both Reese and her secret admirer.
But she’d never admit that to her sister. It would remain a deep, dark secret that she wouldn’t tell anyone.
So she did what a normal person would do. She nodded, smiled, and thanked Jane for her advice. Then she slipped back into her room and settled on the edge of the bed.
Serenity,
Do you have any idea how fascinating you are? Strong, too. Loss is not something to take lightly, and it’s the way weovercome such a thing that shows us who we really are. It takes a great deal of bravery to cross the threshold into a new reality that includes not only finding hope again, but finding love. Don’t fight it. Open your heart, and you’ll discover parts of yourself you never knew were there.
Love.Her secret admirer was talking about finding love. There was the answer to the question she’d posed to her sister. Of course her admirer would have romantic feelings for her. They wouldn’t go through this much effort just to be a support system—especially when she already had one.
Serenity held the note to her chest and exhaled a shaky breath. These notes were short, but they seemed to speak to her soul in a way she hadn’t been prepared for. There wasn’t a way she could describe it, even to herself.
But this note and revelation of the feelings behind it weren’t the biggest surprise of the day. Jane hadn’t batted an eye at Serenity’s confession of developing feelings for Reese. Sure, she’d mentioned she was concerned—that there should be some caution when it came to moving forward with someone. That was probably due to the fact that Serenity’s home was still technically over an hour away.
Would Serenity be open to relocating? She couldn’t imagine Reese with a stuffy office job. And she was starting to really enjoy spending time out in the open countryside.
She pulled the note from her chest and traced the lettering. Would she be giving up on something greater if she chose to venture down the path that led to Reese?
Tossing the note aside, Serenity shook her head and let out another heavy breath. She wasn’t going to get in her head over it.Right now, she’d focus on spending time with Reese, and if Jane was right, her life would change.
Either her admirer would slip away, or they’d smoke him out.
With a nod, more to herself than anything else, she got to her feet and prepared for the day.
Often over the next couple of days, her thoughts shifted to the note, the flowers, and the person responsible for them. Days turned into a week and then another.
With no more notes or flowers.
She’d been spending a lot more time with Reese, and she chalked it up to that fact alone. The admirer had realized she’d found a reason to open her heart again. It was as simple as that.
Whether it was due to her own personal revelation that she utterly enjoyed Reese’s company, or the fact that the admirer was giving her space, Serenity didn’t know, but she had finally made a choice.
It was a Wednesday afternoon, and the boys had just finished their riding lesson. She marched right up to Reese, who gave her that charming smile that made her legs go weak with one glimpse.
“Go on a date with me?”
His smile faltered, and he shifted his weight. “Like the last date?—”
She shook her head vehemently. “A real one. I want to go out with you. On adate-date.”
He rolled his bottom lip between his teeth and grinned. “I think I could arrange that.”
“Good,” she said, a slight tremor in her voice. “Good,” she repeated more firmly. Then she turned on her heel and escaped before she collapsed to the ground in a puddle of embarrassment.
CHAPTER NINE
Reese tuggedon Serenity’s hand in front of a store window, and she stopped to look at it.
Her face scrunched in the most adorable way. Her brows pulled together, and he wanted nothing more than to kiss the lines that had been etched between them. “The hardware store? This is what you consider a good date?”
He chuckled, bringing her hand to his lips to kiss her knuckles. “Just humor me, okay?”
Still, she had an air of disbelief about her. Then she shook her head and sighed as she allowed him to tug her into the building.
Reese didn’t care. He knew she’d enjoy his plans. It was Friday night, and they didn’t have to be up early the next morning. The sun hadn’t set—not yet. And he wanted to make sure they got what they needed before they headed to the lookout.
