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Then he heard a woman gasp and start cussing a blue streak. He grinned, listening to the creative linguistics. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one out here.
Curiosity forced him to crank his head around and try to see who it was turning the air blue. It was one of the caterers. She was leaning into the back of the van, one leg kicked up, tossing things from side to side, but it was obvious she wasn’t finding what she was looking for. Brian took a second to admire the length of her back and her cute little behind. Even as he watched, that behind flexed as she pulled out of the vehicle and stood vertical, hands on her shapely hips. Her back was straight and narrow, and as soon as he saw the thick, reddish-colored braid trailing down her back, he knew this was Master Adam’s mother. He probably shouldn’t be looking at her like he was a hungry man. He started to look away. Then she turned around and Brian forgot about propriety and just stared, his instincts going on high alert. Something about the woman triggered something within him, some alertness. Maybe it was because she was stunningly beautiful, more than he’d expected. Deep pink lips were pursed with annoyance as she surveyed the back of the van, and her deep russet brows were lowered over pale eyes. From this distance, he couldn’t tell if they were green or blue or something in the middle, but he wanted to know. He needed to know.
Brian shifted to roll to his feet, forgetting for the moment that he couldn’t really do that anymore. It was more of a shift and shove, then find his balance and pray no one was watching. If he stumbled, he would be going down in the Wyoming dirt. Somehow, he gained his feet, though, just as she glanced in his direction. Brian thought she might be a little embarrassed that she’d been caught cussing like a Marine, but instead she grinned, and he could see echoes of the son in the mother. Adam had ginned just like this about forty minutes ago and it was easy to see where he’d gotten the hutzpah.
“Didn’t realize anyone was out here,” she admitted. “Sorry,” she shrugged lightly, her apron shifting over her body.
Brian shook his head as he forced a solid step forward. “Don’t apologize. I was adding to my vocabulary. I’ve been around the block but even I learned some new words just now.”
The woman snorted, laughing lightly. The frustration he’d seen in her expression disappeared, replaced with consideration. “Are you the one Adam talked to earlier?”
Brian grinned slightly. “Great kid. Gifted, I hear.”
The woman sighed, shaking her head ruefully. “Yes. He told you that, I’m sure. We need to work on his modesty a little.” She walked forward and held out her hand. “Sage Harrison.”
“Brian Calvert.”
She smiled at him, and Brian held her hand just a moment too long, but he couldn’t help himself. Now that she was this close, he could see how stunningly brilliant her eyes were. He’d thought hazel green, but in the sun’s light he could see half a dozen different colors in the mosaic of her irises, predominantly blue and brown right this second. There was green, though, and he had a feeling they would change with her emotions. Brian had to force himself to let her hand go. He popped his fists into his pockets and looked around for something to talk about. “Can I help you with anything?”
Sage blinked and glanced around, and he wondered if she wasn’t a little out of sorts like he was. “I, uh, was looking for a black tablecloth that Gert swears is in the van, but I don’t see it.”
“Want me to look?”
She shook her head, glancing back at the van. “Nah, that’s all right. I think we can survive without it.”
Turning her head, she looked at him again and Brian recognized the look. It was interest and it made his gut hurt. This woman seemed to be amazing. He didn’t want to see the pity or disgust in her eyes he’d seen in others when he admitted that he wasn’t whole. Gritting his teeth on the sudden gut check the thought caused, he glanced at the arena. “We should probably get in there.”
She glanced at the arena as well and he was a little gratified to see disappointment in her expression, and resignation. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. It was nice meeting you, Brian.”
His heart thudded painfully in his chest. “And you as well, Sage.”
Turning ever so carefully, he walked along the drive and into the front entrance of the arena, forcing his walk to look as normal as possible. He’d gotten pretty good at appearing normal, but it took concentration. And for some reason he didn’t want to do it for her, but he did…
3
What an odd meeting.
Sage stared after the guy, wondering what the hell she’d done wrong. For a moment she’d thought… well, she didn’t know what she thought, other than that the guy had been sex on a stick. Damn. There had been several good-looking men around today, and famous ones, too, but this one had strummed something in her. He definitely wasn’t a cowboy — no boots or hat — but he looked like he could do manual labor with the best of them. His shoulders had strained the fabric of the gray suit he wore, and the paler silver shirt beneath. His lavender tie was askew, like he’d tugged on it to breathe. His thick blond hair was perfectly styled, though, and had a slight wave.
When she’d walked outside to look for the tablecloth, she’d seen him sitting on the bank watching the horses, but she hadn’t really noticed him. Not until she’d been cursing the missing tablecloth. Then, when she’d turned around, the force of his focus had been… significant. His gaze had warmed as he’d looked at her, his dark brown eyes the shade of melted semi-sweet chocolate she used to coat her peanut-butter fudge balls during the holidays. There had been a strength in that gaze, though… She’d dealt with alpha men before, every day in fact, but this one was different.
She’d felt aware of his attention very pointedly, and it made her heart race. Sage wasn’t one to get excited about much of anything. She prided herself on being level-headed and as practical as possible about everything. So why had her heart taken off like crazy when she’d spotted him watching her? It was out of character. For a moment she’d thought there would be more, but something had cooled his expression. When he’d walked away, there’d been a bit of a hitch in his stride, and she wondered if one of his legs had gone to sleep or something. Adam seemed taken with him and she could understand why. Turning back to the truck, she began tossing containers, looking for the elusive cloth. Then it was right there in her hand, as if it had been there the entire time. She shook her head, exasperated, and headed inside to help with the food and finish setting up.
Sage didn’t see the man again until he was moving through the buffet line they’d set up. He was laughing with another guy, and she wondered for a moment if he wasn’t gay. The wedding was for two men, so she thought it was a reasonable suspicion. But as soon as he looked up and caught her gaze, she knew for a fact he wasn’t gay. Not with the way he was looking at her. For a moment, her breath caught at the look in his eyes, and she wondered what the hell he thought about her. She almost asked him, but there was a line of people behind him. And this wasn’t the place. She wasn’t a guest, just part of the catering contingent. Before he moved on, he gave her a slight smile, sending a thrill through her belly again.
Sage frowned, not liking the way she was reacting to the man. He was in town for a hot minute for the wedding, probably, then he would be gone. And she and Adam would be left behind, like always. She needed to concentrate on her son and their future and getting him the schooling that he needed. Right now, he was in this amazing school on the north side of Cheyenne, but it was for elementary age students up to sixth grade, and he had outgrown it. As sweet as the teachers were there, they were not equipped to deal with a child like Adam, who was reading college textbooks in his spare time because he was bored. His teachers had started calling him a prodigy.
Sage wasn’t sure where the boy had come from. Yes, she’d carried him to term, doing her due diligence to care for her pregnancy the best she could. She liked to think she was above average when it came to intelligence, but she was nowhere near Adam’s intellect. His father, the asshole, had been average. No more than that. Of course, she’d told Adam his father had been amazingly intelligent, but only because she wanted him to feel like he had a connection to the man who’d left him. Adam was exceptional, and she didn’t know why she had been gifted with him, but she was going to make sure that he received the best care and learning she could provide.
Which meant that she needed to find him an alternative school. Cheyenne, unfortunately, was limited. She was having to look for schools around the country and she knew they would be leaving Wyoming soon, which made her sad in a way. It had been her home for thirty years and her family was still here, but Adam deserved a chance to thrive. As soon as he’d shown how far ahead, he was of the average student, they’d tested him, finding that he was reading and understanding at a college level. He wasn’t old enough to take the SAT or ACT, but she’d bought him practice books. He’d aced every practice test she’d given him and asked for more material.
Three intermediate schools out east had offered him scholarships to join their rosters, as well as one in California. Sage wasn’t even sure how they’d learned of Adam, but she was flattered on his behalf. And she needed to decide soon because the offers they’d extended to her were amazing. They deserved an answer.
It was too soon for colleges to be interested in him, but Adam already had several on a list he liked.
Sage watched Brian’s broad back disappear into the crowd and knew that as intrigued as she was by him, she didn’t have time to be a woman. Being a mom had to take precedence. Smiling, she looked to the next guest. “Chicken?”
4
