Chapter 28-Sloane
Waking up on Jersey Iron Ranch is probably my favorite thing in the world.
Waking up alone?
Not so much.
I stretch beneath the soft quilt and reach instinctively across the bed, my fingers finding cool sheets instead of a broad, warm cowboy.
I smile anyway.
I'm not disappointed.
Not really.
I know Micah.
Or at least I'm beginning to.
If he isn't beside me, it's because he's taking care of something. Fixing something. Building something. Protecting someone.
Probably me.
God. This man.
This ex-soldier.
This cowboy.
This absurdly brilliant tech genius who can rebuild a cryogenic system before breakfast and somehow still remember exactly how I take my coffee.
He told me he loves me.
The thought alone makes me grin into the pillow.
And this time? I said it back.
I finally told him.
The words had felt so right leaving my lips that I wonder why I was ever afraid to say them in the first place.
“I love you.”
I whisper them into the quiet bedroom just to hear how they sound.
They sound...
Perfect.
Still...
A little knot of worry settles in my stomach.
What if I'm more trouble than I'm worth?
Patrick.
The bar.
The debt.
The men who tore through my life like a tornado.
Then there's the loan.
Lord have mercy.
That loan.
Micah transferred more money into my business account than The Watering Hole is even worth.
The number still makes my palms sweat.
I haven't touched a penny.
I don't intend to, either.
Not until I see every page of the paperwork he keeps insisting his attorney is drawing up.
He says it's a loan.
I believe him.
Mostly because Micah has that strict no-lies policy.
But still, it's an awful lot of faith to place in another person.
Especially in me.
I sit up and tuck my knees beneath my chin.
The funny thing is...
The more I think about it, the more I realize I don't even want to reopen The Watering Hole exactly the way it was.
That place...
It was Patrick's dream.
Or at least the version of his dream I helped finance.
Mine?
Mine has always been different.
I picture families around picnic tables.
The smell of smoked barbecue drifting through the air.
Local craft beer on tap.
Kids coloring on paper placemats while their parents finish dinner.
Live acoustic music on Friday nights.
Maybe trivia on Thursdays.
Close at ten.
Home before midnight.
No stumbling drunks.
No two o'clock fights.
No pretending every loud voice doesn't make my heart jump.
A tavern.
Warm.
Friendly.
The kind of place people come to celebrate birthdays instead of drown their sorrows.
The thought settles over me with surprising certainty.
I smile.
Maybe this nightmare isn't the end of something.
Maybe it's the beginning.
I shower, letting the hot water rinse away the last traces of yesterday's fear.
When I finish, I pull on one of Micah's t-shirts over a pair of cutoffs.
His clothes are quickly becoming my favorite thing.
They smell like him.
Clean soap.
Fresh air.
A hint of cedar.
Home.
Coffee calls my name next.
I fill a mug and wander out onto the back porch.
Morning has only just begun.
The sky is streaked with pink and gold.
The pastures stretch forever, wrapped in a blanket of mist that clings low to the grass.
Somewhere in the distance a cow bellows. Birds chatter from the fence line.
The whole ranch seems to wake slowly.
Peacefully.
Nothing like the chaos of yesterday.
I wrap both hands around my mug and watch the sun climb over the horizon.
For the first time in days...
I breathe.
Really breathe.
Then I hear it. The low rumble of a powerful engine.
My heart recognizes it before my brain does.
Micah.
I don't jump up.
I don't run.
Instead, I wait.
Something tells me he'll find me.
He always does.
A minute later the screen door opens quietly behind me.
I don't turn around. I don’t have to.
I know exactly who’s standing there.
Heavy boots.
The faint scent of soap carried on the morning breeze.
That familiar warmth filling the space behind me before he even touches me.
Strong fingers slip between mine. My smile grows without permission.
“Morning, Princess.”
His voice is rough from the early hour.
God, I love that voice.
I let him pull me to my feet.
Willingly.
Happily.
The coffee mug barely makes it onto the porch table before his arms are around me.
I melt into him.
Like I was made to fit there.
He tips my face up and kisses me.
Slowly.
Deeply.
Unhurried.
It's a kiss that says he missed me.
A kiss that somehow manages to make the whole world disappear.
When he finally lets me breathe again, I rest my forehead against his chest.
His shirt is clean.
His hair is still damp.
He showered.
I don't ask where he'd been before that.
I don't question why he left so early.
I simply breathe him in.
He always smells incredible. And I love the feel of him wrapped around me even more.
Warm skin. Tender touches. Gentle kisses.
Micah.
He settles into one of the porch chairs and gently tugs me down until I'm sitting sideways across his lap.
I go without hesitation.
Curled against him like it's the most natural thing in the world.
I feel small, tiny even—and that’s not common for a plus size girl to feel.
But I do.
He makes me feel cherished.
Safe.
His hand rubs slow circles across my back.
Neither of us says anything.
We don't have to.
“I love you.”
The words slip out before I even realize I'm saying them.
He doesn't hesitate. Not even for a heartbeat.
“I love you too.”
His answer comes so quickly it steals my breath.
I look up at him. Really look.
Those impossible blue eyes are steady on mine.
Certain.
Like there isn't a single doubt in his mind.
My heart squeezes.
“Micah...”
I worry my bottom lip between my teeth.
“This is really new.”
“It is.”
“It's happening really fast.”
“It is.”
“I don't want you thinking I'm taking advantage of you.”
His eyebrows pull together.
“What are you talking about?”
“The loan.”
I glance away.
“It's... well...”
I laugh nervously.
“You might want to rethink it.”
“What?”
“I haven't touched the money. And I don't want you thinking that's why...”
I trail off, embarrassed.
He cups my chin, guiding my eyes back to his.
“I don't think that. Not for a second. I know you, Princess.”
His thumb brushes softly across my cheek.
“I see you.”
Emotion catches in my throat.
“You do?”
“I do.”
The conviction in his voice leaves absolutely no room for doubt. He studies me for another second before tilting his head.
“Now tell me what you're really thinking.”
Of course.
No one reads me like he does.
I laugh quietly.
“Okay.”
He waits. Patient as ever.
“I think...”
I smile.
“I think it's a good idea for me to reinvent the business.”
“Yeah?”
His eyes brighten. I nod.
“I’m thinking instead of a bar how about a tavern that concentrates more on the food?”
He nods eagerly.
“Barbecue, huh?”
“Yep. I’ll still serve craft beer. But I’d like it to be more family friendly.”
“A restaurant?”
“One that closes at ten.”
“That sounds amazing, Princess. But are you sure?”
“The bar was never my dream. It was Patrick’s. And I don't want to spend every weekend wondering if another fight is about to break out.”
He smiles.
“I like that.”
“You do?”
“I like anything that lets you sleep through the night.”
My heart melts all over again.
Then another thought sneaks in.
“But, the thing is,” I hesitate. “What about Patrick? He’s still my brother and well, I went into business with him.”
The smile fades from his face, replaced by quiet thoughtfulness.
“We'll revisit what to do with your brother after he completes rehab.”
He squeezes my hand.
“Okay?”
I nod slowly.
“Okay.”
“Good. Right now...” He pauses. “I'm buying him out.”
I blink.
“What?”
“He's no longer your business partner.”
I stare.
“He’s not?”
“Nope. I am.”
He smiles just a little.
“And...”
His eyes soften.
“If you'll say yes...”
My pulse begins pounding.
“I plan to be more than that.”
I swallow hard.
“What do you mean?”
He chuckles under his breath.
“It means, Princess, that I've got a very important question I want to ask you.”
His thumb traces absent circles against my hip.
“When the time is right.”
Holy.
Shit.
Every nerve ending in my body wakes up.
Is he...
Could he possibly...
Before I can ask, he steals another quick kiss.
“But first...”
He grins.
“I want to take you on a tour of the ranch.”
His eyes sparkle with quiet excitement.
“You want to do what with me?”
“Come riding with me, Sloane. Let me show you Jersey Iron Ranch.”
I don't even pretend to think about it.
“Really?”
My smile stretches so wide my cheeks hurt.
“Really.”
“Yes. Absolutely yes.”