Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Jamie
My chest ached, but I told myself that I was fine. Overreacting.
Just because I was leaving in less than twenty-four hours and didn’t have a plan, didn’t mean that I needed to start crying.
I wrapped my arms around myself, the wind picking up a bit.
I knew that there were storms predicted for later, but I still had a couple of hours, and I couldn’t help but remember the first time that I had met Sharp.
The storm that had come out of nowhere. I didn’t want to want him.
I didn’t want to fall in love and figure out what the hell I wanted because if I did, it felt as if the worst could happen.
Or maybe I was wrong. Maybe I just needed to breathe again.
What did it mean that I couldn’t stop thinking about him.
That I wanted to see what would happen in the future.
It couldn’t be anything. Because he wasn’t mine.
And there really wasn’t an easy way out of this.
I knew life wasn’t easy, but we only had known each other for so few weeks.
Yes, we’d had a month with each other here, a month of stolen kisses and moments in each other’s arms, but was that enough to uproot my life?
Because I would have to be the one who did so.
I wouldn’t force him to leave his family and his ranch.
He had just started a whole new side to the family business.
He couldn’t up and move his horses and cattle to Denver.
But maybe I could do my job here. Yet, that was moving so fast. He hadn’t even asked me to stay.
He’d asked about long distance. Had said he didn’t want me to go, but with no real plan behind it.
My phone buzzed, and part of me wanted it to be him, to check on me, even though I had just walked away so I could breathe.
But as I slid out my phone, tears pricked my eyes, and I answered.
“Mom.”
“Baby. What’s wrong? Where are you?”
“I’m fine.” Then I promptly burst into tears.
I didn’t know what was wrong with me. This wasn’t the end of the world. It wasn’t life or death. It was a decision that didn’t need to be made now, and yet I had done my best not to think about feelings for so long that I couldn’t help but want to think about them.
“Who do I have to hurt?” Colin asked, as he leaned against Mom in the frame, and frowned. “Do you need me to drive up there? I will. No, we have friends with planes, I’ll go find one.”
“I’m fine,” I said. “I love you all. I promise. I’m just having feelings.”
“Did that asshole hurt you?” Colin asked, his voice low.
“What?”
“Jamie. You do realize that you are living with our cousin, who talks to me. And a few of us. And every time that you check in, you mention a certain someone.” Colin shook his head, as if disappointed I hadn’t thought about it.
I looked at my mother, who gave me a knowing look. “Baby. What’s going on between you and Sharp?”
“I don’t know. That’s the problem. I don’t know what’s going on between us or what we want to happen between us.
I’m leaving tomorrow, Mom. I’m heading home to go back to work, and back to my life and to my apartment, and to act as if nothing happened, and yet part of me is going to break apart once I get there.
But Denver is my home. You’re my home. And just the fact that I’m thinking about changing something or taking a drastic step after so little time scares me. ”
“Have you and Sharp talked about it at all?”
“I think he wants me to stay. He said something about a long-distance relationship.”
“Hey, that’s good. That’s voicing some desire of the future,” Colin said, slight hope in his voice. But he also had his phone in his hand, and I narrowed my gaze at him. “Do not go into the group chat or look up flights.”
“I’m doing nothing of the kind,” he obviously lied.
“Colin, let your sister handle this. What do you want, baby girl?”
I wanted to say something but shook my head, unsure. “I don’t know. I don’t want this to end, but I don’t know of a path that’s not going to hurt somebody. Or have us make changes that we’re not ready for.”
“Love isn’t easy.”
“Nobody said anything about love, Mom.”
She merely raised a brow as Colin rolled his eyes, and I let them use their silence as practical screaming.
“I just don’t know, Mom. I like him a lot. I have feelings for him. We have so much in common, and he makes me laugh. He makes me smile, and I love the way that he is with his family.”
“Do you like the ranch?” my mom asked, her voice so tentative I knew she was afraid of what I was going to say.
I loved my mom. I loved being near her, loved seeing her multiple times a week. I was a mama’s girl. Just like I was a daddy’s girl. I was a Montgomery.
“I love it here.” I shook my head. “Honestly, I love learning how everything works, and I’m enjoying helping each person individually figure out how to make the family business thrive.
It’s so much fun, and I love watching Amelia grow up even in the short time I’ve been here.
And Livvy is such a bright light, and she’s brilliant, and I don’t know, it just makes me happy to be here.
And it feels weird that I’m even saying those words. ”
“Maybe you should tell him that. Even if it hurts. You don’t have to make a decision right now, or even this week.
Come home, see if distance can work, but it isn’t the end if you move, or he moves, it’s a choice.
It’s figuring out who you are to each other.
And it’s okay if you have to change your path.
Because no matter what we will be with you. Even if we’re not next door.”
“And that’ll give me an excuse to road trip more,” Colin said with a wink. “Or if he decides to move here, it’ll let me have more eyes on him. Because as soon as Leif and Gideon know what’s going on, we’re going to have to interrogate this man.”
“Mom,” I warned, and she just grinned.
“I’m not going to help you with that. You’re the one that has three brothers.”
“You’re the one who decided to have four kids.”
“That is true. I love you, baby. Be safe. The clouds look a little dark. I want you safe and home.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I hung up the phone, slid it in my pocket, and let out a breath.
I was probably a mile away from the ranch now, as I had walked in silence for so long. I started to head back and looked up into the dark sky, wondering if there was a choice for me to make.
“Give me a sign. Should I stay or go. Just a sign.”
Rain started to fall in earnest in that moment, and I cursed under my breath. Well. I had no idea what that meant as an answer or a sign, but I ducked my head, trying to block most of the rain from hitting my face, and pulled out my phone.
Hail slammed into me at that moment, and I tripped over a rock, tossing my phone, and slamming my knee into the ground.
“Fuck.” I staggered up, sliding in the mud that seemed to come out of nowhere, and reached for my phone.
It had cracked, the entire thing going dark, and alarm shot through me.
I was not a Wyoming girl. Not a country girl. I just needed to get back to the ranch.
I looked around, slightly disoriented. All I could see was rain, and part of the creek that was now moving far faster than it had even ten minutes ago.
“Okay, I can do this. The house was west, and that means I make sure that the creek is on the right of me. Right?”
I wasn’t in Denver where I could always know exactly where the mountains were, where the main streets were alphabetical or numbered, no, this wasn’t a grid.
And now the temperature was dropping, and I kept moving, hoping to hell I knew what I was doing.
This was not the sign that I wanted.
I kept moving, the creek rising quickly, and I swallowed hard, wondering how long it would take to get back. Maybe there was shelter I could stay in along the way.
I knew storms out here were dangerous, had even been inside during one, but this was ridiculous.
Thunder cracked overhead, lightning shooting up the sky, and I ran, sliding in the mud, falling more than once, but it didn’t matter. I just needed to get back. To the ranch. To Sharp.
The sound of thunder increased, but it sounded different this time. Water began to rise at my ankles, and I knew that if I wasn’t careful, whatever waterway or flood was coming would take me. I wasn’t even sure I was going the right way.
“Jamie!” a voice called through the wind, and I closed my eyes, trying to blink through the rain, but hail kept slicing into my skin, leaving bloody patches and bruises.
“Sharp!” I called back over the rain.
“Jamie!”
Water began to come in earnest, the creek overfilling as a wave came down, the water rising out of nowhere.
“Jamie. I’ve got you.”
And then out of nowhere, Sharp was there, rain slick, and riding Lightning. The horse reared, hooves in the air, and I covered my face, unsure that either one of them could see me.
And then Sharp was off the horse and holding me.
“Okay, Lightning is strong enough to take us both. Get on the horse, baby. I’ve got you.” He ran his hands over my body, and I winced.
“How did you find me?”
“I will always find you, Jamie.” Then he crushed his mouth to mine and held me close, even as the water began to rise.
“We have to hurry. Come on.”
Everything moved quickly after that, and suddenly I was on the back of Lightning with Sharp behind me, and then the horse was moving.
The water was still rising though not where we were going, and Lightning moved with such quickness and grace, that everything felt as if we were in a dream.
Nothing felt real, and my teeth chattered, and the small cuts on my body stung, but I leaned forward as Sharp told me to, and knew that the heat of him behind me would be my solace.
The rain continued to pour even as we made it to the edge of the property.
He didn’t take me to either one of the homes, instead to the barn, as we bounded through the open doors, lightning and heavy winds billowing behind us.
People were moving all around, keeping the animals safe, closing windows and protecting the property, but I felt like I was drugged, moving steps behind as Sharp jumped off Lightning and pulled me with.
“I’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you.”
“You found me.” I shook my head. “That storm came out of nowhere.”
“Welcome to Wyoming.” The worry in his gaze nearly broke me, but before I could say anything, I turned and put both of my hands on Lightning’s flank.
“Thank you, buddy. You’re so beautiful. I’m sorry for scaring us both when I first met you.”
Tears fell down my face, but I knew it was just the adrenaline.
Other people were saying things. Even as Franklin and Gavin took Lightning away, I swore the horse winked at me, but maybe I was just delusional and shivering.
Sharp wrapped a blanket around me, and I just stared up at him, blinking.
“You’re okay. Right? Do I need to get a doctor?”
“I’m fine. Although I didn’t realize that hail hurt so much.”
“I shouldn’t have let you go off on your own.”
“We didn’t know the storm was going to be that quick. I feel like an idiot, and I broke my phone.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket, and he took it, shaking his head before putting in his back pocket.
“I’ll get you a new one.”
“You don’t have to, Sharp.”
“Hell yes I do. My ranch tried to kill you.”
“I didn’t realize that flash floods were so, well, quick. I realize it’s in the name, but wow.”
“The creek rises like that in that one spot, but it doesn’t come near the ranch. That’s why I didn’t even think about it. I didn’t know you’d go so far. But I wasn’t thinking. And that was the problem.”
“Thank you. Thanks for saving me. Though I kind of wish I could have not been a damsel and saved myself.”
“You were coming back. You were going the right direction, and you weren’t panicking. You were getting here. You would’ve saved yourself. Lightning and I just wanted to be the heroes.”
“I’m getting that horse all the sugar cubes he wants.”
“Damn straight.”
He pushed my hair back from my face and rubbed his thumbs along my jaw.
“I’m so sorry. You scared the hell out of me.”
“I was pretty scared too.”
And then he lowered his lips to mine, and I was lost.
I didn’t know what would happen next, but I knew what I wanted.
Him.
And it hadn’t taken an act of God for that to happen.
But as he pulled back, I ran my hands up and down his chest, mostly trying to stay warm and needing to touch him.
“Right before it started to rain I asked the gods for a sign if I should stay or go.”
Sharp winced. “I guess a flash flood and storm out of nowhere with a tornado warning probably isn’t a good sign.”
“Maybe they sent me you though?” I asked softly, and his smile was so bright, that I nearly fell to my knees right there and then.
“Yeah?”
“Maybe. I don’t know what’s going to happen, Sharp. But I don’t want this to be the end. You and I seem to have a thing for rain.”
“So give me a chance? Whether it’s here or there, I don’t want to let go.”
“Then don’t.”
And as Livvy and his family came into the barn, all with worried tones and outstretched arms, I held onto Sharp and let him kiss me.
“I love you,” he whispered against my ear.
I smiled, my hands shaking. “I love you too.”
And as the others tried to pull us away, checking for injuries and speaking all at once, I met Sharp’s gaze, and knew that I might be returning home soon, but in the end, Sharp would be my home.
No matter where we stayed, ended up, or found our future.
He was my accidental everything.