Page 142 of Dirty Discipline, Vol. 2

She shared a wry smile. “Sorry, off building sandcastles again.”

She could hear Stryker coming from the dining room. “Guess who’s here? Sweet Sage.”

The guys all knew who she was, and maybe Avery remembered her from school, but Teagan wasn’t from the area. Sage looked around as everyone found a seat. Renee led Sage to a place, and it seemed it was Callen’s regular chair, but he diverted to a different one without skipping a beat.

“I don’t want to take your place, Callen.”

“I’d give up my spot forever if Jake’s Sageapple sat in it.”

Jacob sat next to Sage and reached under to pat her thigh as he leaned in.

“Can we talk after dinner?”

Her heart increased its tempo. “Sure.”

He patted it again and began taking the serving platters and bowls as they rounded the table. He filled her plate and unerringly offered everything she would eat, skipping the brussels sprouts and the three-bean salad.

“I forgot how much you guys served at dinner,” murmured Sage.

Avery nodded hard. “Right? It took me forever to not be full just at the sight of the amount of food.”

Teagan introduced herself.

Declan did it again. “I’m sorry, baby. I forgot you don’t know Sage. Sage, this is Teagan, my fiancée, and Teague, this is Sage Appleton, otherwise known as Sweet Sage or Jacob’s squeeze.”

“Not anymore.” Sage felt her cheeks turning hot. “The Jacob part.”

“Oh,” said Teagan, “Maybe we can fix that minor issue. You look cute together.”

“Teagan.” Jacob and Declan called her name at the same time.

“Well, you can’t blame a girl for trying.”

Declan kissed Teagan’s temple and whispered, “behave.”

Renee started chatting about the ranch, Jacob settling in, and what Sage was doing, interspersed with more mundane things. The rest joined in, adding what they could to the conversation, and before Sage knew it, they were bringing in the dessert.

“Oh, you know, I’m stuffed,” said Sage, looking at the decadent chocolate cake.

Jacob pushed back his chair. “Can you hold some for us? I’d like to take Sage out for a walk. I’ll check the barns while we’re out.”

“Saves me a last look. Have at it,” said Carter. “I’ll see you later, Sage. I’m headed home for the night.”

“Oh, do you live off the ranch, then?” she asked.

“Nope, I have a nice little cabin. Suits me perfectly.”

He leaned down and said something low in Renee’s ear. She seemed to try to ignore his words, but his expression was one of instruction. Her huff and body language said she disagreed with whatever he had said, reminding Sage of similar times in years gone by between herself and Jacob. And like Jacob previously, Carter didn’t seem to mind at all. He smiled, waved, and grabbed his hat and jacket before exiting the kitchen door.

Chapter Four

As Jacob led Sage to the front entryway to put their coats on, she experienced déjà vu. Jacob’s hand slid down to the small of her back, just as he used to do when they were in high school. She had to quit thinking like that because those days were over. If she had any chance to begin again with Jacob, she would need to stay connected to the here and now.

Jacob looked at her coat as she pointed it out to him. He frowned.

“This coat is too lightweight for the temperature. Don’t you own a heavier coat?”

“I do, but I didn’t think it was going to be this cold, and I didn’t expect to go for a walk.”

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