18. Sage

18

Sage

A t Avery’s next lesson, I leaned against the fence the entire hour, watching Avery become more comfortable on the horse. She’d been doing every lesson on Red, and it was clear they had a connection. He was a beautiful red roan, his head a darker shade than his body.

Watching Avery in the saddle made me wish I could give her more. The horse, the land, the ability to ride whenever she wanted. But right now, this would have to do, and Callan making this possible for her was everything to me.

After they wrapped up, I followed them inside the barn to untack, listening as Avery told Callan how she felt during her lesson. Her ability to open up so much to him about her fears was astonishing to me. She clearly liked him, and I had to say, I didn’t mind at all. I was right there with her.

He was sweet and attentive, always paying attention to everything anyone said. A lot of people would blow off a five-year-old talking their ear off, but he replied to every single thing she said, listening with rapt attention.

“Has your cat come home?” Callan asked after putting the saddle away in the tack room.

Avery shook her head while simultaneously unclipping her helmet. She was still borrowing one from his rack, but I hoped I could get her one of her own soon. “Not yet. But I think she will.”

“I think she will, too,” he said with a kind of determination I admired.

It wasn’t that I thought Pudding wouldn’t come home. As a mom, my mind always went to the worst case scenario. What if she was run over by a car? What if another family took her in? Was she in the shelter and we just didn’t know it?

“I think I’m gonna have my mom buy me a different flavor of cat food this time,” Avery told him.

Callan rested a hand on Red’s back as he looked down at Avery. “You think that will help?”

She nodded. “I do. Pudding likes different stuff sometimes.”

His hand mindlessly rubbed on Red’s back, and the horse was clearly enjoying it, with his head low and his eyes slowly shutting. “A variety, huh?”

“Yeah. Like maybe she wants chicken, or fish. Do they have others? ”

“I think they have beef,” he guessed. I was sure he knew more about pet food than I did, but I’d have to ask Lennon when I visited Tumbleweed Feed next. His brother owned the feed store, so he was a pro when it came to animal nutrition.

“I’ll grab one of each kind,” I told Avery from where I stood off to the side, my back against the wood-slat wall.

She turned to me. “Thanks, Mama.”

I gave her a soft smile in response, hoping like hell a different protein was the trick to getting Pudding to come back home.

“Hey, Cal,” Bailey interrupted, coming around the corner from the aisle. “Do you know where the rescue banner is?”

Callan looked over his shoulder at Bailey. “I think my mom has it folded away in the med room, but if it’s not there, check the shed outside.”

“You guys put shit in the weirdest spots,” Bailey mumbled, turning around and disappearing down the aisle as he headed for what I assumed was the med room.

“Language, Cooper!” Callan called after him.

A door squeaked open, and the barn fell silent.

Callan ran a hand down his face, looking at me. “Sorry about everyone’s cursing around here.”

I waved him off, pushing off the wall. “It’s fine. What’s the banner for?”

“We have a parade we do every year to raise awareness for the horse rescue, so they’re prepping for that.”

“A parade?” Avery asked. “I wanna see.”

He looked down at her again. “I can do you one better. You can be in it, but only if your mom says it’s okay.”

Avery’s mouth fell open, then pinned her pleading look on me. “Pleeease?”

“I don’t mind.” A parade would be fun, and it’d give her something to look forward to.

She broke out in a huge, heart-stopping smile. “Yay! Thank you!”

Callan patted Red’s back once, then dropped his arm and came around to his head, unhooking him from the crossties. “I’m going to put him away, then I have a surprise.”

Avery gasped. “A surprise?”

He looked at me from under the brim of his cowboy hat. “If your mom has the time.”

“She has the time! Right, Mama?” She turned to me, and the pressure of saying yes beat down on me. I didn’t have work today, so I didn’t have anywhere important to be, but did he mean for the date? I wasn’t dressed for a date. I was wearing light washed jeans and an old gray t-shirt tied at the bottom with a hair tie. My hair was air-dried from my shower last night, and I wasn’t wearing makeup. If he had any fancy plans, I’d have to take a rain check.

“I guess I do,” I got out.

Callan headed over to Red’s stall, leaving me alone with Avery.

“Can you stay here a moment, sweetie?” I asked.

“Yeah. I’ll put away the brushes I used.”

I couldn’t help but smile. Doing these horse lessons was teaching her a level of responsibility I didn’t think it could. She suddenly liked tidying the things she took out, making sure to put them away after she used them.

I followed after Callan, stopping by the door to the stall as he slid the halter off Red’s large head. “Is this the date?”

He glanced at me and must’ve seen the alarmed look on my face because the corners of his lips turned up. “It is.”

My hand grabbed the bars on the upper half of the stall door. “I’m not really ready for a date today.” I looked down at my outfit, continuing to speak. “I didn’t think you’d want to go right now, and I’m not dressed appropriately—”

I stopped talking when two fingers grabbed my chin, guiding my head up gently. My eyes met Callan’s, his gaze soft. “It doesn’t matter what you wear.”

We were so close that the brim of his hat was mere inches from touching me. Though I was probably between five to seven inches shorter than him, with his head turned down to me, his hat was so close to touching my forehead.

I sucked in a breath as our eyes stayed glued to each other. “Where are you taking us?”

“Technically?”

I nodded.

“We’re staying on the ranch.”

My brow furrowed. “What are we doing on the ranch? ”

“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you, would it?” His thumb moved slightly against my chin, the touch like a caress. But I was imagining that. I had to be.

“No,” I said, the word coming out like a whisper. “I guess it wouldn’t.”

He dropped his hand slowly, the movement seeming forced, like he didn’t want to pull away. But that would be crazy, right?

He didn’t step back. “Let me just go get some things from the house, and I’ll be right back.”

I nodded unconsciously, lost in his gaze. Hazel eyes had never been so hypnotizing, the swirl of various browns and golds stealing my breath just like before.

“I have to get by, Sage,” he said, and fuck if his lips didn’t wrap around my name like a goddamn purr.

“Right,” I replied, but I couldn’t get my feet to obey. From the looks of it, he didn’t really mind. He looked just as lost as I was.

To my utter surprise, he lifted his hands and cupped my cheeks, but instead of closing the distance, he led me backwards into the aisle, removing one hand only to close the stall door behind him, not once taking his eyes off me.

Fuck. Why was that so hot?

“Mama?” Avery’s voice filled the barn, and I jumped out of my stupor, inhaling a sharp breath as I pulled away from Callan.

“Yes, Aves?” I called back.

Her tiny form came out into the aisle. “Are we going? ”

I worked to catch my breath, not realizing that I’d been holding it that whole time. “Yes, sweetie. We’re going.”

That was too close.

If Avery had seen Callan and I that close, it would only confuse her. Yet, I was going on a date with him, with Avery. She didn’t know it was a date, though, which was for the better. Maybe it wasn’t as serious to Callan as I thought it was. Maybe he was just being friendly, wanting to get to know me better without strings attached later on.

But if that was the case, we had to get on the same page.

Because wanting more with Callan Bronson wasn’t what I needed to be focusing on right now. Wanting more with anyone only led to disappointment in the long run, and I didn’t need any distractions from being the best mom I could be for Avery.

Callan and I would stay strictly friends, if we could even be considered that.

Acquaintances.

Yeah, that’s what we were.

Just acquaintances.