Chapter 7

Sawyer threw another log onto the small fire that he'd built to hold off the chill of the early spring evening, then sat back down next to Piper and put his arm around her shoulders. She settled back against him with a small sigh, her eyes still on the horizon where the sun had sunk behind the mountains, filling the sky with streaks of pink, purple, and red. It felt so natural to have Piper in his arms, like coming home after being gone for a long time, and he wondered why it had taken him so long to see what had been right in front of his face.

The answer popped into his head instantly, and he let out a little groan. Piper turned around and looked up at him. "Am I squishing you?" she asked, starting to scoot away. "I'm sorry."

He pulled her back into his arms, "You weren't squishing me," he said, shaking his head. "I was just thinking, let's go back to watching the sunset."

Piper studied him for a second, then turned around and leaned up against him again, but she wasn't as relaxed as she had been before. "I'm sorry, Piper, I didn't mean to ruin the mood, I was just thinking about Helen. She's the last person I want to be thinking about right now, but I realized that the reason it took me so long to see how important you are to me was because of her," he said, then hesitated. "I told my lawyer to go through with the divorce last week. In thirty days, our marriage will be over, whether she likes it or not. I don't love her anymore, I'm not sure that I ever did, but what I do know is that I'm done letting her come between us."

He felt her relax, then she turned around to face him again, "I was afraid that you felt weird, that you were thinking that you made a mistake coming up here with me," she said, then shook her head. "I don't mean to be so insecure, it's just that there's a part of me that can't believe this is happening. I'm afraid that I'm going to get my heart broken and lose my closest friend in the process."

"I understand why you might feel that way, and I can't make you any promises about what the future might bring, but I can tell you this; it feels right when I hold you in my arms, and I definitely want to explore that feeling more," he said. "I'm sure we'll have our problems, no relationship is perfect, but I think we know each other well enough to work through them. I want this, Piper, I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out, but now that I have, you'd better get used to having me around a lot more."

She looked up at him, a single tear slid down her cheek, and he gathered her into his arms, "I've been waiting to hear that for so long," she said, a little sob escaping from her chest. "I don't know why I'm crying; this is what I've always wanted. I guess I'm just afraid that I'm dreaming it all."

He pulled back and looked down at her, "I promise it's not a dream," he said, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "And I think I know a way to prove it to you."

When his lips came down on hers, Piper sighed, opening her mouth to him and he slipped his tongue inside, deepening the kiss. Instantly aware of how wonderful she tasted and smelled, he felt his magic slowly coming to life, the animal inside him responding to Piper's touch as she ran her hands over his chest. With a low growl, he flipped her onto her back on the blanket he'd spread by the fire, desperate to get his hands on her.

No longer able to control the driving need inside him, he ran his hands up and down her body, then slipped his hand under her sweatshirt and cupped first one breast then the other in his hand. Her nipples hardened under his palms and he teased them with his thumb and finger as he ravished her mouth, nipping and biting, then soothing with his tongue. He felt himself reaching the point of no return, and slowly kissed his way down Piper's neck, then slid his hand out from under her sweatshirt, each movement deliberate as he fought for control.

He finally surfaced from the waves of pleasure and the primal need that had been thundering through his body, both pleased and shocked at how intense things had become between them so quickly. Piper was staring up at him, her eyes full of desire and wonder, a little smile on her face, her chest still rising and falling with the power of what they'd just shared.

Leaning up on one elbow, he looked down at her, "It's too soon," he said, stroking her face. "I want you more than I thought possible, but I think we need some more time before we go that far."

"Too soon," Piper repeated, nodding. "But maybe you could hold that thought until my brain starts working again."

He laughed, "So, have we established that this isn't a dream?" he asked. "If not, I'd be willing to kiss you again, but no promises that I'll be able to stop again."

She nodded again, the silly smile back on her face, "I'm fairly sure that it's not a dream now," she said, pulling him down on top of her. "But I might need one more kiss just to be sure."

"You're playing with fire, little lady," he said, but wasn't about to say no.

***Piper***

Walking down the rows of shelves, Piper checked the list in her hands, marking off each item before moving onto the next, then flipped the page and started at the top again. Ten minutes later, satisfied they were as ready as they could be for the first drive of the season, she hung the clipboard back up by the door, shut off the lights, and left the room. She'd only gone a couple of steps when a pair of strong arms suddenly grabbed her from behind and pulled her into the tack room.

Sawyer's mouth came down on hers before she could take a breath, but she responded to his kiss instantly. Her arms came up around his neck, and she molded her body to his. He deepened the kiss, blocking out the world around them, then slowly brought her back to Earth, then leaned back and grinned down at her. It took her a few more seconds to get her mind working again, and she pushed him away, ignoring the way her legs still wobbled.

"Sawyer, you've got to quit doing that," she said, trying to sound mad. "Someone is going to catch us, and I can't think after you kiss me like that."

"It's been two weeks, Piper. I doubt us being involved is a big secret anymore," he said, pulling her back into his arms. "We're all adults around here, it won't be the end of the world if someone sees us kissing, unless you're embarrassed or something."

"No, that's not it," she said, shaking her head. "I'm just afraid they're going to treat me differently, not take me as seriously or something. You know how hard it is being a woman in this business. I've worked hard to earn their respect; I don't want to lose it."

"Fair enough, we'll keep the flames on low in public, especially when we're working," Sawyer said, his face full of understanding, and a burst of love washed over her. "But when we're alone, and we are alone right now, I'm going to kiss you as much as I want."

"That's a deal," she said, then opened her mouth, but the rest of what she wanted to say was lost when Sawyer's mouth came down on hers again.

The sun was just coming up over the mountains when Piper swung into the saddle and led Buttercup over to the trail that led to the pasture where the herd had spent the winter. Sawyer was waiting for her, an anxious look on his face, and she kicked Buttercup into a trot, afraid that something had already gone wrong before they even started out. The first trip of the season was always the trickiest. Even with the scouts they'd sent out to check the trails, there were a hundred things that could go wrong.

"Is there a problem?" she asked when she brought Buttercup up next to him. "We haven't even left yet, there can't be anything wrong already."

"I was just thinking maybe you should stay back," Sawyer said, a look of concern on his face. "Maybe you could go on the next trip."

She stared at him for a second, "You're joking, right?" she finally asked. "I always go on the first drive of the year, there's no way I'm staying home. I can't believe you even suggested it."

"It's different this year," he said. "I'll be worrying about you the whole time."

"You didn't worry about me before?" she asked, not quite as annoyed.

"Of course, I did, I worry about all my people," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "The thing is…… you're more than just one of my people now, you're……special to me."

"You're special to me too," she said, her voice low enough so the men couldn't hear. "But Sawyer, this is who I am, what I love to do, I can't stay home so you don't worry. I'm more than capable of keeping myself safe, I've been doing it for a long time now. If it will help, I promise to be even more careful than I usually am."

"Maybe you shouldn't ride point this year," he suggested. "I'll feel better if you're where I can see you."

She just stared at him, "I guess not," he finally said. "But I don't like it."

The men behind them were starting to get restless, "It sounds like we need to talk about this, but I don't think now is the time," she said. "I'll do my best not to get myself into any trouble if you'll try and let me do what I do best."

Before she could stop him, he grabbed Buttercup's reins, pulled her over closer to Prince, then he reached out, grabbed her face and gave her a big kiss. "I'll be right behind you," he said. "If you get into any trouble, you know the signal."

He turned and rode away before she could respond, and with flaming cheeks she turned to look at the men behind her, hoping they hadn't seen anything. But she could tell from the looks on their faces that they'd witnessed the entire exchange, and she felt her cheeks getting hot with embarrassment. Cursing her fair complexion, she turned back around, then took a deep breath, reminding herself that she was the boss, she just had to act like it.

She'd just about recovered when Hank, the best wrangler on the crew and the only man she would trust the ranch to, rode up next to her, a big grin on his face. "All I'm going to say is that it's about damn time the two you figured it out," he said. "I've been watching you two dance around each other for two years, I was about to say something myself since it looks like that little bitch is finally out of our lives. I'm happy for you and Sawyer, you deserve each other."

She looked over at Hank, a bit surprised by the long speech from a man who was usually silent, "Thanks, that means a lot," she said, smiling at him. "I just hope this doesn't make you think any less of me, I've worked so hard……"

"You're still the boss, Piper," Hank said. "You won't be getting any flack from any of us, hell, you can out ride and out rope most of us."

"Well, then, let's get on with this drive," she said. "I can't wait to get to the lower pasture. It's been a long winter; I've been missing the mountains."