Page 7 of A Montana Secret Admirer
Jane caught Serenity’s attention then mouthed the words, ‘I told you so.’ If Serenity hadn’t been concerned about offending her hosts, she might have stuck her tongue out at her sister for good measure.
“What are your plans this summer?” Noah asked, drawing Serenity’s attention.
Serenity glanced at her two boys. “We’re not sure,” she hedged. “I’d like to spend a lot of time outside.”
Tegan groaned, drawing a smile from the men in the room.
“Come on, kid. It’s not so bad being outside. There are loads of animals and trails to discover.”
Her seven-year-old rolled his eyes. He’d been forced to grow up so much over the last year, and one thing she’d noticed was his disinterest in the simple things. She frowned as she watched him. Then she turned to Noah. “What would you suggest to keep them busy?”
Noah glanced at Jane briefly and shrugged. “You could start them on riding lessons. It’s never too early to start. I sorta wish I got to start earlier than I did.”
Jane nodded. “There are some really good riders here. I’m sure we could find one who would be good to work with.”
“When Reese was a scout, he did some work in the community. Pretty sure he helped out at local ranches.”
Serenity’s attention piqued at the mention of Reese’s name. It took a great deal of effort to act nonchalant. “Oh? Do you think he could get me any references?”
Jane snickered. “At this point, the fact that he’d likely do it for free and he’s available should be enough. Noah can vouch for him.”
Serenity took a sip of her water if only to block them from seeing the smile that tugged at her lips. She wouldn’t hate spending additional time with the man.
“Riding?” Tegan straightened. “Like a real cowboy?”
Noah nodded. “Like a real cowboy. I could even teach you a little bit about how to use a lasso, if you’d like.”
There was a flicker of interest in that offering, and Serenity mouthed the words, ‘thank you’ to her new brother-in-law.
He gave her a smile and got back to eating his meal.
Later that evening, after she’d gotten the boys tucked into bed, Serenity headed outside. The sun set at the front of the property. Framed by trees, hills, and mountains cast in shadow, the sky was lit with purple, pink, orange, and a sunburst of yellow. There were no clouds to speak of.
Critters shuffled in bushes around the premises, and bugs could be heard singing their lullabies. Taking a seat on the steps, Serenity leaned over, folding her arms around her knees as she stared up at the magic before her.
Emotionally, she couldn’t handle watching the sunrise. That was something she’d shared with Finn, and it still hurt too much to witness one without him by her side. But at night, when everything got quiet and she could finally breathe, she enjoyed watching the day say goodnight.
“I miss you,” she whispered into the air. “The boys miss you.” A single tear tracked down her cheek, dragging until it dripped off her chin. She brushed at it with the back of her hand.
Boots crunching against gravel were all it took to shake her from her thoughts, and she jumped. The boots stopped, and a figure emerged from the side of the house—from the structure she’d been looking at through her window earlier.
A lopsided grin flooded Reese’s face, and recognition sparked in his eyes. “It’s you.”
Thankful it was getting a little too dark for anyone to see evidence of her tears, Serenity offered him a smile right back. “It’s me.”
He didn’t wait for an invitation. Instead, he closed the distance between them and took a seat beside her on the steps. His attention remained on the sunset before them for several minutes, which offered her the chance to observe him out of the corner of her eye.
Boy, did he fill out jeans and a t-shirt well. Reese looked good in a suit, but there was something about seeing just how strong a guy like him was. He rested his forearms on his knees and sighed. “It’s nice, isn’t it?”
Serenity nodded. “It really is.”
“You get here today?” He continued to watch her.
Another nod.
“I hope you’re settling in well.”
“Thank you. I am.” She bit back a smile. Their back and forth during Jane’s wedding was so different from the way he was acting with her right now. Was it because she told him she only needed friendship? Probably.
