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I stopped walking and watched Blayze continue on, a slight chuckle slipping free as he descended the steps.
Georgiana walked past me and squeezed my arm, giving me a sympathetic smile. “Maybe next time you’ll beat whoever it is to the punch.”
“Wait—what?” I asked as she skipped down the steps…whistling what I was almost positive was “So This is Love” from Cinderella.
Chapter Three
MORGAN
Opening my eyes, I couldn’t help but smile when it slowly sank in where I was. In my very own apartment, above a store I co-owned with my future sister-in-law. Not to mention my very own design studio was directly beneath me, where I would soon get back to work on a line of clothing exclusive to our boutique. The first few designs had already arrived from the company we’d hired here in Montana to make them. To say I was over the moon was an understatement.
But despite so many exciting things happening, I still felt like something was missing.
I stretched my arms and legs before I sat up. With one look to my right, I smiled once again.
The flowers.
Who in the world could have sent them to me? And was Ryan’s reaction just my imagination, or had he seemed bothered by them? Avery and Georgiana also thought Ryan seemed peeved about the flowers.
I swung my legs over the bed and stood. One more stretch, and then I was off to shower before heading to the gym to get in a workout. I had a ton of things to do today, but I wasn’t about to start blowing off my exercise routine. Most days, it was the only thing that kept me grounded.
An hour later, I walked into the gym that was only a few blocks down from my new place. I’d been a member since I was a senior in high school, and I was glad to finally be back in town and able to go regularly.
“Morning, Morgan!” Sylvia said from behind the front desk.
Holding my card out for her to scan, I replied, “Good morning!”
“Here for the spin or yoga class?”
I snarled my lip and groaned as I answered, “Spin.”
Laughing, she replied, “Be careful, your excitement’s almost too much.”
“Have a good one,” I called out, smiling over my shoulder. As I turned to face forward again, I slammed into something hard.
Instantly, I knew who it was from the way my body seemed to come alive.
“Ryan,” I gasped as he took hold of my upper arms to steady me.
“Are you okay?”
I nodded. He was the last person I thought I’d see at the gym at seven in the morning. “What are you doing here?” I asked.
The corner of his mouth twitched before he answered, “Working out.”
I let out an awkward laugh. “Right. Sorry. I guess I assumed that since you’re living out at the ranch you wouldn’t be driving to the gym so early.”
“It wasn’t a big deal this morning. I spent the night right off Cherry Street and Fifth.”
I felt my brows draw down. Was Ryan dating someone? Had he stayed at her house last night?
“Oh. Girlfriend?” I asked before I could stop myself.
He smiled at me, and my stomach did a little flip. “No, no girlfriend. Buddy of mine I went to high school with recently got married. I was at his and his new wife’s house pet sitting for them last night. Her mother’s taking over today. She should be getting here sometime this morning from Billings.”
“Pet sitting?” I asked with a teasing smile. “What kind of dog?”
He blushed, and I felt my smile turn into a full-on grin. This was going to be good.
Ryan cleared his throat and mumbled something as he looked away.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite get that. What kind of dog is it?”
He looked back at me, clearly frustrated, and tilted his head in the most adorable way. “It’s not a dog.”
“Cat?” I asked.
Ryan rolled his eyes. “It’s a rabbit.”
“A rabbit? You’re pet sitting a rabbit?”
“In my defense, they do have an outdoor cat that presented me with breakfast this morning by dropping a dead mouse at my feet.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Gross!”
He nodded. “I thought so too.”
Laughing, I took a step away from him, instantly missing the heat from his body. “I better get to class.”
“Spin?”
“Yep. See you around.”
He didn’t say anything, following me as I started to walk toward the room where spin class took place. I glanced over my shoulder and gave him a questioning look.
“I’m not following you. I’m heading to spin class too.”
“Really? Cool.”
He nodded. Once we stepped into the room, two women about Ryan’s age quickly rushed toward us.
“Ryan! I was hoping you’d make it today.”
The other woman, her brown hair pulled up into a pony, put a hand on his arm possessively. “I saved you a bike.”
“Thanks, Katie.”
She flashed him a smile and directed him over to a couple of bikes across the room. I scowled and looked away.
