Chapter 18

Chapter

Eighteen

Sloan talked to Kathy—or rather filled her in on what had happened then got reamed by her best friend—for over an hour. Kathy of course believed that Rhett was perfect, and his parents as well. Of course his Mama had prayed Sloan there. Hadn’t Sloan felt that this was her big chance? Kathy now believed that had more to do with Rhett than with the development. She begged Sloan to not shut him out, to give Rhett a chance.

Sloan didn’t commit to anything, and she fell asleep without even attempting to pray for help like Kathy had taught her years ago. She wasn’t ready to believe she could be the answer to an angelic Mama’s prayers for the most perfect man on earth.

The next morning, she was up by five-thirty. It wasn’t light yet, but it would be soon. She dressed in a long-sleeved running shirt and pants, tied up her shoes, drank a pre-workout for some energy, and eased down the stairs. She pulled her phone out and used the flashlight to maneuver through the dark backyard and onto the running path. It was silly to try to run in the dark like this. Her car wouldn’t even be ready until nine and she could’ve slept in. But she needed to move and get some energy out, keep her mind from spinning with destructive and hopeful thoughts.

She jogged along the trail, slick with all the rain, but she stayed on her feet. An improvement from a few days ago. She smiled wryly thinking of meeting Rhett and all the times she’d fallen into the mud. Even though he’d been upset with her about the development’s messes that first day, he’d been kind and patient and rescued her from the mud.

Ah, Rhett.

The sky started turning pink as she thought through their different interactions, how impressively he’d protected her from her cousins. When her mind happily slid into remembering his inspiring words and the intensity and beauty of their kissing exchange, she had to shut it down. She pulled out her earbuds and turned on a running playlist on her phone. The beat and music helped her run faster, and the fact that she could see the trail now helped as well.

It wasn’t raining this morning. As she glanced up at the sky, she was surprised to see only wisps of clouds and the sky turning a true blue as the sun lit it up from behind the mountain. Sun? Would she see the full sun today? Even in the nonstop rain, this mountainous valley was gorgeous. She could hardly wait to see it in the sun.

After three miles, she turned around and headed back. Thankfully the trail had followed the river, so she hadn’t needed to worry about getting lost.

She was nearing the stretch of homes along the park and almost done when she saw another runner racing toward her.

It was definitely a man—a tall, well-built man in a baseball cap, a T-shirt, and knee-length shorts. She couldn’t make out his face just yet. What if it was Rhett? Her stomach jumped at the thought. What if it wasn’t Rhett and she was all alone in the pre- dawn with some burly, unknown dude? Her stomach sank at the thought.

She reminded herself most people were not like her cousins and kept racing along the trail. She was nearing the backyard of the first of Rhett’s neighbors and close to help if she needed it.

The man jogged closer, and his face broke into a wide smile at the sight of her. “Sloan.”

Rhett. It was Rhett. How could he be so happy to see her? She’d turned him away last night and missed the chance for more incredible kisses and for a relationship with him.

“Hi.” She slowed to a walk as they approached each other.

He looked … really incredible. The T-shirt stretched across his shoulders and chest, and his muscular arms and calves were revealed. His face was shadowed by the hat, but his blue eyes were warm as he searched her face.

“ Tough guys can’t run. But we try .” She read his shirt and laughed. “It looked like you were running.”

“I’ve got about two hundred yards in me, then I walk to catch my breath and repeat.” He grinned at her. “How are you?”

“Okay,” she admitted.

“Could I help you be better than okay?” His smile was alluring.

“Rhett Coleville,” she said in a shocked tone. “Your mother would not approve.”

He put a hand to his chest, the picture of innocence. “I was only saying I could make you breakfast. What were you thinking?”

What had she been thinking? That he’d kiss her to make this day incredible, not just okay?

“Ah, you were hoping I’d kiss you to start this day off right?”

“Are you a mind reader?” she demanded.

“Only with you.”

Their gazes held and the moment slowed down. He did seem to know what she needed and how she felt. It was uncanny. She drew in a breath and thought of Kathy’s cussing from last night. She had to take a leap of faith, trust Rhett, and more importantly trust herself.

“Breakfast would be … great.”

“Perfect.” His grin was wide and happy. Was he not upset at her about last night? “Let me run my two hundred yards back home, shower, and I’ll get to cooking.”

“Did you even break a sweat in two hundred yards?” she asked, laughing.

“I lifted weights for an hour before my long run.” He smirked and folded his arms across his chest.

“Oh.” She reached out and ran her fingertips across his arm muscles. “This isn’t all built from swinging a hammer?”

He trembled at her touch. “I have to supplement the hammer swinging with weights.”

She pulled her hand back and turned. “Race you.” Taking off at a sprint, she heard his laugh of surprise and then his footsteps pounding behind her on the trail.

He pulled even with her and grinned, but he was sucking oxygen.

“I thought you weren’t a runner,” she tossed at him.

“Short …. distances,” he gasped out.

She laughed and slid on a patch of mud. Flinging forward, she rolled and came to a stop on her side in the wet grass.

“Sloan!” Rhett turned back and dropped down to the grass next to her on his knees. “You all right?”

She inventoried her body. Nothing hurt too bad. “Fine. Just humiliated. How many times do I have to fall in the mud around you?”

He chuckled and helped her up to a seated position, his arms wrapped around her. “This is just wet grass. Nothing like the mud of our construction site.”

“True.” She studied his handsome face, those blue eyes. Things hadn’t ended well last night. Should she apologize, take Kathy’s advice and ‘go for him’, or put on her brave facade and distance herself again? She’d agreed to breakfast, but here they were, his arms around her. She feared she stunk, but the fresh morning air and the scent of pine trees overshadowed any other smells.

“Sloan.” He whispered her name, his gaze trailing to her mouth then back up. He slid around to a seated position from his knees, lifted her onto his lap, and cradled her close to his chest.

Sloan couldn’t swallow past the dryness in her throat. Her pulse raced and she longed to feel his lips mesh with hers again.

The rays of the sun burst over the mountain to the east. Her eyes widened and she blinked from the brightness of the sun’s glory to the beauty of Rhett’s face. “The sun,” she whispered. “It’s like a sign from heaven above.”

“That we’re meant to be together,” he confirmed.

He didn’t give her a chance to refute his words but bent down as he urged her closer. Their lips met and the sun’s rays were secondary to the light bursting from their union.

Sloan had kissed boys and men, but she’d never experienced a kiss to equal Rhett’s.

They kissed with unrestrained joy and passion as the sun rose on a gorgeous spring day in Montana.

Rhett, the sun, and Rhett’s incredible lips lit her up with a joy she’d only dreamed of finding in her life.

Maybe she was his missing piece. She was certain he was hers.

Letting down her guard was terrifying, but with Rhett … it would be worth it.