Page 63 of Sawyer

I thought I was fine with falling in love. Marriage? Hell no. But love, when it’s good, can be wonderful. In my heart of hearts, I know it’s the wrong move to keep myself closed off to the possibility of finding it again. I want to teach Junie that being brave is worth it, and that letting love in is always the right choice.

But life makes that difficult sometimes. It’s easier to shut away the soft, vulnerable parts of you and focus on getting shit done, even though there’s a part of me that resents being a productivity machine. It sucks, but it’s simple. Straightforward.

Nothing about the way Sawyer makes me feel is simple or straightforward. He already has me tangled up in the best, most tantalizing way. Which is why I should get out of here. Go home.

But I can’t make my feet move. I don’t need to work, I need a hug. Or at the very least, a sympathetic ear to bend.

“Part of me is so ready for Junie to grow up,” I say. “I can’t wait for the tantrums to stop, and for her to, you know, wipe her own bottom every once in a while. But another part of me aches at the thought of her not being a baby anymore. Like, how in the world is she already going to school? She was born two weeks ago.”

Sawyer laughs, looking down to swipe his boot over the cracked pavement. “I know that feeling. They grow up too fast and not fast enough.”

“Did you enjoy the baby stage?”

He nods. “I did, yeah. But I think I enjoy this stage more.”

“I do too. I just”—I blink, tears spilling out of my eyes left and right—“she’s such a cool little person, and I miss her already, but I’m also glad to get a break, and …”

Sawyer looks up. For a split second I think I’ve gone into cardiac arrest, my heart tripping to a sudden, painful stop at the naked interest in his eyes. It’s edged with heat.

Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking. Whatever the case, a spark of arousal ignites low in my center.

“You wanna go grab a coffee or something?” he asks.

My heart starts working again, two hundred beats per minute. My brain, however, flatlines, which is probably why I blurt, “I’d love to. But please don’t miss work on my account?—”

“I’m not leaving you crying in a parking lot, Ava. Work can wait.” He tips his head toward our cars. “C’mon, there’s a coffee shop on Main. Follow me—I’m in the black Silverado.”

CHAPTER16

Ava

JUST TO SEE YOU SMILE

The Caffeinated Cowgirlmight be the most adorable place on earth. It has a pink awning that matches the pink tables and chairs set out on the sidewalk in front of its brick building on Main Street. Its tagline, written in white script on the awning, readsDrinking Coffee, Wrangling Hearts.

The shop is also closed.

“What?” Sawyer cups his hands over his face to peer inside the front door. “They’re always open. Since when does Wendy go on vacation?”

I read the sign taped to the door for the third time. Wendy is apparently out west visiting Glacier National Park. Her BFF, a cat named Dahlia, is accompanying her on the trip.

“Good for her,” I say, even as I’m hit by a tidal wave of disappointment.

I was really looking forward to spending time with Sawyer. Which—again—is probably why I shouldn’t be spending time with him at all. Yes, I have a rare morning without any lessons or paperwork to do back at the ranch. But I need to be smart here. Need to protect myself so I don’t end up sacrificing myself—and my freedom—for the sake of keeping someone else happy.

Still, when Sawyer asks, “How ’bout we have coffee at my place, then? It’s just ten minutes down Highway 21,” I immediately agree.

“You sure you don’t mind?”

He shakes his head. “Not at all. I already had a pot on anyway.”

Following him down the sunbaked highway, I can’t tell if my jitters are excitement, anticipation, dread, or what. Grabbing coffee at a coffee shop is one thing. Going to Sawyer’s house is something else entirely.

I give Dan a quick call to let him know drop-off went well. He’s his usual short, snippy self on the phone, and I hang up feeling annoyed but also relieved. I don’t have to interact with him again until he picks up June next.

A few miles down 21, Sawyer hangs a left, and we pass beneath a shiny new archway that readsLUCKY RIVER RANCH, EST. 1902. My stomach dips.

I’ve heard a lot about Mollie Luck and Cash Rivers’s ranch—how big and beautiful it is, and then of course I’ve heard from Sally about Mollie’s plans to turn it into a Hill Country headquarters for her boot company, Bellamy Brooks. Mollie inherited the property from her dad, who struck oil on the land back in the ’90s. He died a very wealthy man last year. Mollie inherited the ranch, then combined it with the Rivers Ranch when she got engaged to Cash Rivers back in the fall.

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