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“Okay. I need to go do my bride thing.”
“I’ll see you at dinner.” He kissed her, then they left the barn together.
Ember took a moment to watch Jake walk to the horse trailer and shake hands with Bill as J.T. was backing the horse out of the trailer. It was a beautiful black horse that had an air about him and seemed to be too fancy to be a cowpony.
Jake noticed her still standing in front of the barn and she gave him a wave, then headed for the house. There was a lot she didn’t know about cows, horses, and ranching in general. But she was looking forward to learning it. She loved her cowboy and wanted to be involved as much asshe could in his life.
The next three weeks were a whirlwind of wedding planning, which kept Ember busy. She had a lot of help from Genny and Sage, though she felt Sage was still a little ambivalent about the idea of her father marrying again. Ember didn’t think Sage had anything against her. It was the idea that Jake had moved on. But Ember had faith Sage would come around and accept her as her father’s new wife.
Jake, Sawyer, and J.T. were busy with a new crop of baby cows. But he was home for dinner most nights and they had their evenings together. Breakfast was hit and miss. Sometimes he’d be gone before she even woke up in the morning. He was a hands-on cowboy and this was their busiest time of the year. She was afraid he’d tell her they’d have to postpone the honeymoon. But when she’d brought it up, he assured her, nothing was going to interfere with their trip to Schaeffer Mills.
On January thirtieth, the men missed dinner, and she was worried. When Jake wasn’t home by the time she went to bed, she was beginning to panic. At midnight, he came into the room and kissed her.
She sat up and hugged him. “You’re back. I was so worried.”
“I’m sorry. I was going to call as soon as wewere in cell service again, but by then it was late and I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Always wake me. Why are you so late? Did something happen?”
“We’re done. The last five cows had their calves and we’re done.” She hugged him, and he patted her arm. “I probably smell like cows. Let me go take a shower.”
“Hurry back.”
“I will.”
When he climbed into bed ten minutes later, smelling like soap and minty toothpaste, she put her arms around him. “You must be exhausted.”
He kissed her. “I am. But I’m not too exhausted.”
“So, you can manage a little hanky panky?”
“I think I can.”
Chapter forty-two
"You don't know me."
Sage ducked into the bakery and struggled for a moment as she closed the door against the howling wind outside. It wasn’t raining yet, but the forecast was calling for it. She pushed the hood of her coat off her head and ran a hand through her hair, before approaching the counter and tapping the bell with a sign in front of it saying, ‘ring for service.’
The man who came through the swinging door wasn’t who she expected.
“You’re not Betty.”
He pointed at her. “You’re very observant.”
Sage didn’t recognize him. And she knew everyone in town. This tall man with blonde hair and deep blue eyes was not from around here. She tried to ignore his smile, which was slightly crooked.
“Is she here?”
“No.” He wiped his hands on the cotton towel wrapped around his waist.
“Um…when will she be back?”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Hard to say.”
She set her hands on the glass countertop and took a breath. Was he trying to be annoying? “She’s making a cake for me. A wedding cake.”
He nodded. “O’Connell?”
