Chapter 4

Thank goodness that Sage decided against me giving her stitches tonight. She"ll be fine without them, because I"m not letting her take a single step on that adorable little foot for the next few days.

If it had been just a bit deeper, though, I might"ve not had a choice.

It was difficult to keep my hands from shaking when I touched her. I"ve never been so head over heels out of my mind for a woman before. But she"s like a gorgeous little pixie who appeared in the forest to light up my life. I can"t help it.

I"m grateful that I was there to find her, and that she is letting me take care of her while she heals. Caring for Sage… A tremor runs through me as I stir the pasta. Doing that full-time would pull my whole life together. Give me purpose. Help me channel and focus my energy.

Well, if I want to have a shot at that, I"m going to have to force myself to talk a lot more than usual. I"m the furthest thing from an expert when it comes to women, but I do know they"re into communication. Which probably means more than just a few grunts and meaningful looks.

I set the table while everything simmers, then go over to see that Sage has finished her hot toddy. "Throat better?"

"Quite a bit, yeah. Thank you." Her voice is soft, but a bit of the raspiness is gone already.

I pick her up and carry her to the table, making her giggle. "Why do I feel like a fairy princess being waited on?"

Because you are a princess. I one hundred percent cannot say that. Let"s go with…

"Wounded tiny girl privileges." I prop her foot up on the chair next to her and make sure everything is in easy reach. Then I plate the spinach and apple salad, and the beef and pepper rotini with freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano.

"The fancier stuff requires hours of marinating," I explain, sitting down to her left. "So tonight it"s just squirrel… I mean beef."

Sage"s laugh sounds like a sprinkling of fairy dust in the air around us. She reaches out and gives my forearm a feather-light smack. It thrills me to know she"s already comfortable enough to touch me casually.

We begin to eat, and she rolls her eyes in bliss. "Oh wow, this salad dressing. Where did you find it?"

I point to the row of pots in the window. "Fresh herbs. Mince, throw "em in olive oil for two days, then add some balsamic vinegar. Good as any restaurant I"ve ever been to."

Her radiant smile is utterly gorgeous. "A talented chef, a woodsman, and a medic? You really are the whole package."

I shrug. "Man"s gotta take care of things."

After a few minutes of eating in silence, I realize I need to get her chatting again. "So, Sage, why were you out on Maple Trail?"

"I was taking photos for my blog."

I can"t stop the growling grunt from escaping my throat. "One of those pretty-girl-prancing-around-in-nature things?"

She laughs, shaking her head. "No, that"s not me at all. Just nature stuff – birds, animals, trees, flowers. Sometimes stones. Occasionally snails, butterflies, those chunky caterpillars." Her fork traces a slow circle on the plate. "I"ve been sending a whole bunch of my photos to different stock photography websites. I"ve only made a couple of sales so far, but I hope things will pick up."

"I bet they will." Like you have any idea what you"re talking about. "Trends come and go. Maybe some ad campaign will suddenly need tons of chunky caterpillars."

"Maybe." Her head drops. "I slipped and tore up my foot because I was chasing a blue winged warbler."

"The little yellow guys?"

"Yeah. He had this amazing white triangle on his shoulder that was so perfect it didn"t look real."

Nodding, I realize I"m smiling…smiling…as I look deeply into Sage"s gorgeous blue eyes. "Think I"ve seen a couple of them with that marking. Must be hereditary. Family of them or something."

Her eyes light up. "Really? I"d love to get some more shots of them."

Absolutely not, I want to say. The thought of her getting hurt or stranded again is deeply upsetting. In fact, thinking about Sage being the slightest bit uncomfortable has my skin crawling and my shoulders tightening.

"I"d like to ask why you"re sleeping in your car," I begin tentatively. "Unless that"s none of my business."

She sighs, then takes a sip of water. "It"s my older brother Carl"s car, kind of. Well, we"re supposed to share it equally. It was the last thing Mom gave us before she took off. I have some friends that run a daycare in Mackton – do you know that town?"

I nod. "Few hours west, just before Oakton?"

"Yeah. So I"ve been living there, and Carl"s been using the car for…" Sage shivers. "His business stuff. I convinced him to let me have the car for a week twice a year so that I can go on photo safaris."

"And you sleep in the car?"

"It"s like camping, since I can"t afford a tent or anything. I was lucky to find a secondhand sleeping bag."

For a split second, I think of all of the extra camping gear I could dig out of the basement for her. Then reality hits me.

I don"t want Sage to leave. Ever. If she"s out there in the world without me to take care of her, what might happen?

"That"s a pretty serious frown," she whispers. "Did I make you mad?"

My hand darts out to cover hers. "No. Just can"t stand the thought of you out there in the cold alone."

Her twinkling eyes light up many parts of me at once. My heart, that I"ve ignored for a long time. My mind, that realizes I am truly enjoying chatting with her.

But also, my libido that I"ve pretty much ignored for ages.

My little forest pixie is the sexiest woman I"ve ever known.

Yeah, I"m already thinking of her as mine.