Page 38 of Till The Cows Come Home
But I knew before the words even left his mouth that they were no longer mine. I would blindly trust this man with my heart, gracefully assuming whatever consequences may follow.
Chapter Seventeen
Miles
Iwoke up just before four, which was precisely where the normality of my routine ended. A gorgeous woman was still fast asleep next to me, and I felt my chest hum, as if the optimism I’d lost had finally been located. In an instant, Sage had consumed me, filling the cracks of my fractured mentality. It took everything in me not to crawl back into bed, to deny myself the comfort I knew would embrace me the moment I laid back down with her, but the farm ceased for no one. No matter how desperate I may be to press pause, to reward myself with a few extra moments, outside these walls was a whole other world counting on me to be there.
I crept into the kitchen, careful not to make any noise as I retrieved two cups, placing them by the coffeemaker. And as I waited for the pot to fill, I couldn't help but notice the somewhat, but not completely cleared, table, its organized chaos filling me with a slight panic, as if I was forgetting something.
Once my cup was filled, I made my way over to the papers, determined to keep my vow to stay on top of things. The calf calendar was closest to me, and when I opened it to the correct month, I noticed the big circle around Blossom’s name intoday’s square. She was due to be weaned from the bottle today, and I cursed myself for not keeping a better track of the schedule.
I practically ran to the barn, knowing that I had less than an hour before Sage’s own internal clock stirred her awake. The initial disappointment of Sage’s absence from the barn was erased as I remembered she was tucked cozily in my bed, but Blossom’s head still peeked over the stall door, nudging the air with excitement for the breakfast she eagerly expected from me.
“Sorry sweetheart, you’re moving with the big kids this morning. No more bottles. You're a bucket baby now.”
She was clearly unimpressed, and it was obvious she wasn’t interested in my company if I had no intention of providing her with breakfast. I needed her, though, and as I entered her stall, she eagerly nudged at my hands, forcing me to drop the measuring tape I’d brought with me.
“Excuse me, miss. I’m going to need you to cooperate. Sage is coming out soon and then you can have your breakfast, but the longer you fight with me, the longer it will be until you eat.”
Retrieving the tape, I roughly measured around her head, scribbling down a rough estimate of its circumference. Using a glue gun before the sun rose was usually bad news, but apparently this morning I was spared, satisfaction coursing through me as I stepped back to appreciate my craft. After some final tweaks, I set it on the bench, scratching Blossom’s head as I left to wake Sage.
When I walked through the front door, I was relieved to see all the lights off, save for the small stove light still illuminating from when I made my coffee. I followed the tiny beacon, hopeful that Sage had been able to stay asleep while I was gone. Her mug was still untouched, so I filled it before cracking the doorto my bedroom.
My heart warmed at the sight of her still curled up fast asleep, covers pulled up to her chin, and I loathed the thought of waking her. The least I could do was make it enjoyable, so I began planting short kisses along her cheeks and neck, chuckling as she playfully swatted me away.
“Good morning, Sage Baker.”
“Good morning, sexy lumberjack,” she grumbled, voice still laden with sleep.
My swarms of kisses continued until Sage looped her arms around my neck, attempting to pull me back into bed with her.
“As much as I would love to climb back in and ravish you until the sun rises, I cannot. We have very important business to attend to this morning.”
“What business happens at four thirty in the morning, Miles?”
“Graduation ceremonies,” I whispered, nibbling playfully on her ear.
I handed her the still steaming cup of coffee in an attempt to smooth her displeasure, and she sipped as my words settled into her mind.
“Graduation party? No one throws a graduation party prior to like…noon. What are you up to?”
“You’ll see.” I winked. “I got your spare clothes from your truck. They’re in the bathroom. Get dressed and I’ll meet you in the barn.”
Before I stood to leave, I leaned in, kissing her on her forehead before retreating to the porch where I’d stashed my supplies. I’d unearthed an old bottle of champagne but wasn’t lucky enough to uncover any flutes, so mason jars were going to have to suffice. While Sage put on her clothes, I headed to the barn to prepare our party.
When I approached the calf, she was momentarily pleased, noticing the bottle peeking from the box of things I carried.She couldn’t quite differentiate her bottle from ours, and as I unpacked the champagne, I felt a pang of guilt at the calf’s confusion.
“Sorry, sweetheart, this isn’t for you.”
Luckily for her I was always equipped with pocket cookies, and I offered her one as a peace offering. Blossom eagerly took it from my hand and I used the distraction as an opportunity to fashion the hat I’d crafted earlier onto her head. Sage’s footsteps creaked towards me just as I was clipping on Blossom’s halter, and when she rounded the corner, I stood proudly with the graduate at my side.
“Oh. My. God. You did not,” Sage squealed, which I expected. What I didn’t plan for were the handful of tears that began to fall.
“I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“Happy tears,” she proclaimed, before taking the lead rope from me. “Please tell me I’m seeing this right. How did you make a graduation cap out of a pizza box? And you glued bailing twine as the tassel! This is amazing.”
“You would be correct. I thought our girl deserved a proper sendoff. Today’s the big day.”
