Page 114 of Sunrise & Serenity

He chuckles, grabs an armful of wood, and heads back out.

I give myself a minute, pulling my phone from my pocket and sending a quick reply to Rick.

Hold off for now. Rethinking things.

Then I collect several pieces of wood, carry them to the pile next to the fire pit, and take a seat opposite Sage.

Once we’re all seated, River raises his beer. “I know things have probably been painfully boring around here without me, so first off, congratulations to all of you for surviving.”

A round of groans and laughter follows.

“Seriously, though,” he says, grinning wider, “it’s good to be home. I picked up a few skills while I was gone, so with any luck, I can start contributing more than bad decisions and the occasional property damage.”

“Unlikely,” Chance calls out.

“And I gotta say,” River continues, ignoring the dig, “I’m starting to think you all intentionally waited until I left to start inviting beautiful women over.”

Sage laughs. Ruby beams at him like he hung the moon. Mia rolls her eyes.

Then my brother’s expression turns more serious.

“But really.” He scans the group. “It’s good to be back with all of you again.”

Something quieter settles over us as River lifts his beer a little higher. “To family. To friends. And to Mom.”

My throat tightens, even as I hold my drink up like everyone else.

Sage’s eyes are on me, her expression full of compassion. Fuck, I wish she were sitting beside me. I wish I could hold her hand and feel her soft skin against mine.

Later, as the stars appear in the sky and we get the fire going, I watch her talking with my family, laughing with Mia and Greta, dancing with Ruby in her arms, and a tight, hot feeling builds behind my ribs.

“You keep looking at her like that, and we’re going to have to build you a bigger cabin.”

Dad’s voice is too low to carry, so I don’t bother pretending not to know what he means. But he keeps his gaze fixed straight ahead, as if he doesn’t expect an answer. Which is good, because I don’t have one to give him.

The two of us stand side by side in the firelight, watching everyone have fun. But my attention keeps drifting back to Sage. And when she catches my eye and smiles, I smile back.

She won’t be here forever. But damn if it doesn’t feel like she should.

CHAPTER 30

HOLDEN

Alow ringtone drags me from a deep sleep, and I blink awake in the darkness of my cabin. A warm body is slung over me, honeysuckle-scented hair draping my shoulder. Sage murmurs sleepily, nuzzling into my chest. Instinctively, I rest my hand on her waist.

I’m tempted to hit the ignore button so I can sink back into sleep with her beside me. But there’s a reason phones don’t get silenced at night around here. On a ranch, a call at this hour isn’t likely a good thing.

I brush my lips over Sage’s head, then carefully roll her off me and snag my cell off the side table. “Hello,” I mutter.

“Sorry to wake you, man. But I could use your help.”

The controlled urgency in Chance’s voice clears my mind fast. I scrub my hand through my hair. “What’s up?”

I keep my voice low so I don’t wake Sage, but a moment later, the mattress shifts and a warm arm slides around my waist. I cover her hand with mine as Chance gives me the rundown.

“The new mare is foaling, but she’s having trouble. Think you could help?”

I don’t bother questioning why he’s asking me when the others are closer. “Yeah. I’ll be there in fifteen.”