Lazy Days (61 page)

Sarah
sat on the buckboard beside Ned while he guided their mules on the last leg of
the wagon train adventure. "There's the Lazy M." He pointed.

She
laughed. "I am
so
happy to be back. I can't wait to get out of
pioneer clothes and soak in a tub. Never thought I'd be excited to wash my
hair." Behind her, she heard Jill and Flo agree.

A
rider on horseback pulled up beside them. Sarah looked at Sage and he tipped
his hat.

Ned
said, "Howdy, boss. Got any instructions?"

"Nope,
you know the routine."

Sage
grinned at Sarah. "And how are you today, Miss Sarah?"

Sarah
turned scarlet.
You're fetching when you blush.
"Right as rain, Mr.
Tanner."

Sage's
grin turned wicked, "Sure was a beautiful moon last night. Beautiful moons
make for
special
nights. Don't you agree, Miss Sarah?"

Sarah
noticed Ned glancing back and forth between her and Sage. "I think every
night should be
special,
Mr. Tanner."

Sage
laughed so hard he almost fell off his horse. Julie, Jill, and Flo were now
peeking around Sarah and watching the banter.

Ned
shook his head. "I think I missed something in the conversation, but it's
got me laughing anyway."

Sage
winked at Sarah and tipped his hat at the ladies before urging Jackel to the
next wagon. Flo whispered in Sarah's ear, "That man's got a thing for
you." Sarah almost squealed with delight.

* * *

Sage
rubbed Jackel and patted his flank. The last of the Triple T pioneers had been
bused back to Tommy's ranch and his own pioneers were back at the dorm. They
were a tired looking bunch and he knew from experience that tomorrow would be
geared toward rest and recuperation for the dudes staying on. The M twins, the
Tullys, and the Hackstetters were leaving. He knew Julie was sad about saying
goodbye to Jacob. Unknown to his daughter, he had spied them kissing during the
wagon train. He sighed. His little girl was growing up.

With
a last pat on Jackel's hind quarter, he closed the stall and left the barn. He
wanted to see Sarah, but he wasn't sure how to go about it without raising
eyebrows. After showering, he knocked on Julie's door. "Hey, sweetie, you
in there?"

"Yeah,
Dad." She opened her door.

He
handed her an envelope. "I want you to do something for me."

"Sure."

"Run
over to the dorm and give this to Sarah, but don't let anyone see you give it
to her."

"What
is it?"

While
Sage tried to think of something convincing, she laughed, "Just kidding,
Dad. I don't want to know. I know you like her a lot."

"It's
that obvious?"

"Well…yeah."

* * *

Julie
ran across the yard toward the dorm. She was glad her father had asked her to
deliver a note to Sarah. It would give her a chance to see Jacob again. When
she thought about him leaving the next day, she wanted to cry.

She
opened the door to the dorm. The great room was empty except for Jacob watching
a sci-fi flick. He jumped up when she came in. "Hi Julie. I'm glad you're
here. I almost walked over to ask if you wanted to watch a movie. But I figured
you were probably too tired."

"I'd
love to watch a movie. Give me a minute and I'll call my dad and let him
know." She walked to the end of the hallway and knocked on Sarah's door.
When Sarah opened it she looked really happy to see her, and when Julie handed
her the envelope saying it was from her dad, she looked ecstatic.
Yep, they
definitely have the hots for each other.

After
performing her errand, she returned to the great room and then entered the
kitchen to call her dad and let him know she was watching movies with Jacob.
Jacob came in and they made microwave popcorn. He asked what movie she wanted
to watch and she said the one playing was fine. He started the movie over and
when the opening credits rolled, he reached for her hand and entwined his
fingers with hers.

* * *

Sarah
read the note again.

Sarah,

I'd
love for you to come to the house after you receive this. However, if you feel
uncomfortable doing so, I certainly understand. Just so you know, tomorrow
night I intend to take you to dinner, come hell or high water."

—Sage

Sarah's
stomach did a somersault. He wanted her to come to the house. Quickly, she
applied a little makeup, fluffed her hair, and changed into a calf length pink
cotton skirt and pretty pink peasant blouse. She'd figured out that Sage was
fond of her peasant tops.

After
a last glance in the mirror, she opened the door and ran smack into one of the
twins.
Uh oh.

The
woman didn't move.

"Excuse
me," said Sarah.

The
twin bent her knees until she was Sarah's height. "Don't think you're
gonna keep him. You're just a distraction. Yeah, you're just a mercy fu…"

"Mandy!"

Sarah
looked at the other twin down the hall and then back at Mandy. Ann was right
about the girl having shifty eyes.

Mindy
walked to stand next to Mandy. "I'm sorry for my sister's lack of manners,
Sarah. She's just a sore loser."

"Loser
to
her!—chubby girl!
No way!" Mandy stormed down the hall. Mindy
gave Sarah an apologetic look and shook her head before following her sister.

Sarah
waited until the twins had closed the door to their room before she walked to
the great room. Julie and Jacob were absorbed in a movie and didn't notice her
slip into the kitchen. The room was empty and she opened the back door,
thankful for the cool night. She just started walking while her mind punched
auto replay on the evil twin's hurtful words.
Chubby girl…chubby girl…chubby
girl.
How many times had she heard those words, or close approximations,
from her parents, her skinny sister, her ex-husband? She hated the words.

Mandy's
meanness had put her in a funk and she couldn't decide whether to knock on
Sage's door or go back to her room. She wanted to cry; something she'd been
doing a lot of lately.

"Sarah."
Sage called her name.

She
jerked around. She'd walked almost to his house. He was leaning against the
side of it, but straightened and strode toward her. Her heart tried to
jackhammer through her ribs.

When
he was in front of her, he said, "I was hoping you'd come."

She
felt tongue-tied.

"Cat
got your tongue?"

She
nodded.

He
reached for her hand. "Will you come to the house with me?"

She
found her voice. "Okay." No power on earth could have made her say
no.

She
walked with him up the back porch steps and into the kitchen. "Can I get
you some iced tea?" he asked.

"Yes,
please."

"I
like your top."

Sarah's
heart did a triple somersault.

Sage
moved away.

"Wait!"

He
turned around.

"I
don't want tea."

"What
do you want, Sarah?"

"You."

His
smile was slow and meaningful. "Just what I wanted to hear."

For
the next two hours, if Sage had any misgivings about her weight, he didn't show
it. When he urged her into the shower with him, any trepidation was soon
dissolved in the steam coming from the water and from them.

He
asked her to stay the entire night, but she refused. Instinctively, he knew the
reason for her refusal and told her Julie was a big girl and could handle him
being with a woman, but he respected her wishes. When he walked her back to the
dorm shortly before midnight, Jacob and Julie approached.

"Hello
Mr. Tanner," said Jacob. He sounded nervous.

"Hello
Jacob. I guess you're leaving tomorrow."

"Yes,
sir."

"Have
you enjoyed your stay?"

"Yes,
sir."

"You
seem a little nervous. Is there something you want to say?"

"Yes,
sir."

"Okay.
You can say it."

"Well,
sir."

Sage
waited and finally said, "Jacob, just spit it out."

"Sir,
I like Julie…a lot. And I want to call her on the phone and come to see her
when I can. Maybe I could get a job here during the summer. You could teach me
to be a ranch hand."

Julie
added, "Yeah, Dad. Jacob would work really hard for you."

Sage
asked, "Son, have you mentioned this to your parents?"

"Ah,
not yet. I wanted to talk to you first."

"I'll
tell you what, I don't have any openings this summer, but if you're still
interested next summer, and your parents say okay, I'll hire you for a few
weeks."

Jacob
looked at Julie and grinned. "That'd be great!"

Julie
hugged her father. "Thanks, Dad."

"You're
welcome. Now you two should call it a night. We've had a long three days."

Sage
and Sarah watched Jacob walk Julie toward the house. Sage chuckled. "We'll
see if their long-distance budding romance lasts until next summer; if so, he's
got a job."

At
the door to the dorm, Sage lifted Sarah's hand and kissed it. "Remember,
dinner tomorrow night." Sarah saw the promise of passion in his eyes. She
wouldn't mind skipping dinner so she could spend more time in his arms.

"Should
I dress fancy or casual?"

"Fancy."

Sarah
felt Sage's hand on her elbow as he guided her to a table in a romantic, dimly
lit corner of the upscale Italian restaurant,
Sizzling Sicily.
"Sizzling" described exactly how she felt. A smile tilted the corners
of her mouth and when Sage pulled out her chair he bent and whispered,
"Sarah, you keep smiling like that and we're not going to be here
long." Sarah looked down and tried to make a straight face. She couldn't.

Sage
chuckled and sat across from her. "Bet you didn't think this town had such
a fancy restaurant."

"That's
true. After experiencing Boot Bustin' Barn, I am a little surprised."

Their
waiter handed them menus and took drink orders. Sage said, tongue-in-cheek,
"Would you like an imported beer?"

Sarah
blushed. "I think I'll keep all my faculties intact tonight."

The
special look and quirky smile Sage flashed made her blood rush to her head.

"How
about a glass of wine," he suggested.

"Okay."

He
asked the waiter for recommendations and then selected a red wine grown in
Temecula Valley in California. The waiter left and they perused their menus.
"I've had the Tortellini Ricotta and Spinach and it's very good," he
said.

I
wonder how many women he's brought here.

He
looked at her over the top of the tall menu. "Julie's favorite is
Spaghetti Marinara."

So
maybe he hasn't brought any dates here—yeah, right.

As
an appetizer they decided on Porta Bella Mushrooms Smothered with Mozzarella.
For her main dish, Sarah ordered Julie's favorite and Sage ordered Grilled
Shrimp Caprese.

For
the next hour, Sage captured her attention with funny stories of situations
involving "dudes" and "dudettes." He laughed, "So,
here's this greenhorn wanting to show off for his girlfriend. Only been on a
horse twice and he thinks he's ready to ride Demon."

Sarah
laughed. "Demon?"

"Yeah.
A horse spawned by the devil himself. His eyes turn red when anyone comes near.
We were boarding him for another rancher for a few weeks. Anyway, the dude
actually climbs bareback on Demon and the horse doesn't do anything."

"What!"

"The
poor man couldn't get the horse to move."

Sarah
was hooked. "Why not?"

Sage
leaned in. "What the man didn't know was Demon had just been tranquilized
so the vet could get close. Needless to say, the girlfriend wasn't impressed.
The man actually asked for a refund."

"No
kidding?"

Sage
sipped his wine. "No kidding. Hey, I've been talking for an hour about the
ranch. I want to talk about you. Tell me about your writing. How did you get
started? Have you always wanted to be a writer?"

Sarah
sipped her wine, stalling for time. Setting her glass down, she twirled her
finger around the lip. She looked up to see Sage watching her finger. His look
sent goose flesh up her spine and she lost her train of thought. He looked up
with smoldering eyes. Sarah chewed on her bottom lip.

Sage
spoke over the top of his glass again. "Sarah, I swear everything you do
sends me over the edge."

Her
eyes rounded. "Um, er, I started writing about fifteen years ago. I'd
never thought about it before then."

"What
made you think of it then?"

She
gave him a sad smile. "The need to do something after divorcing a cheating
husband."

"I'm
sorry. I wasn't trying to pry. You don't have to talk about it."

"Oh,
it's okay. I was over him before our second anniversary. I just kept thinking
he'd change if we had children. Stupid thinking on my part. But I was young and
wanted a family." She lowered her eyes and stared at a drop of wine on the
white tablecloth. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I also had a son. He
was born premature and only lived a day. My panic attacks started after he
died." She glanced up.

Sage
was frowning. He reached across the table and covered her hand with his.
"I'm so sorry, honey."

She
gave him a little smile and looked back at the wine spot.

"Sarah..."

She
lifted her eyes again and stared into sympathetic blue ones, waiting for him to
finish his sentence.

"You
fascinate me."

She
hadn't expected that and wrinkled her brow. "I'm very ordinary
and…plain."

"There's
nothing plain or ordinary about you. When I first saw you at Imaginings
Publishing, I felt a draw. Of course, I figured you were some uppity author and
wouldn't waste your time with me."

"You've
got to be kidding?"

"I
kid you not."

"That's
crazy."

"Well,
when you got mad and left, that solidified it in my mind."

Sarah
grinned and shyly looked away. "If it's any consolation, I find you just
as fascinating."

Sage
squeezed her hand. "Stay with me all night."

Sarah
blinked rapidly at the sweetness in his voice. She nodded.

The
waiter brought dessert menus and interrupted the intense moment. "What are
your suggestions for dessert?" she asked. "Or maybe I should ask,
'what is Julie's favorite dessert'?"

"That's
easy, anything with chocolate." They both ordered Chocolate Ricotta Pie
with Hazelnuts. The waiter served their desserts with cinnamon coffees.

"You've
done a wonderful job of raising Julie," Sarah said, while lifting her fork
to savor her first bite. She closed her eyes.

Sage
said, "Do that again."

She
opened her eyes. "What?"

"Enjoy
another bite."

Sarah's
heart fluttered and she turned crimson.

"I
love it when you blush."

She
turned even redder.

Sage
laughed and leaned back. "Thanks for the compliment about Julie. She got a
great start in life from her mother. Marylou doted on her children. She started
teaching them to read and write long before they went to kindergarten and the
house was always strewn with art projects." He smiled at fond memories and
then looked sad.

Sarah
changed the subject. "When did you start modeling? Or how did you get into
the profession?"

"We
were talking about you."

"We
can talk about me later."

Sage
must have sensed her reticence. He rubbed his jaw. "I actually got
approached by an agent on my honeymoon. Marylou and I met in high school and
she got pregnant the end of our senior year. I had no qualms about marrying
her. We'd known each other since third grade and fell in love during Junior
High. We'd always planned to marry and the babies just hurried things up a bit.
Our parents didn't have a problem with us marrying. Of course, when she got
pregnant we got lectured. But secretly, I think the grandparents were just as
excited as we were. When we found out we were having twins, both sets of
grandparents were over the moon. But getting back to your question, we were
honeymooning in the Florida Keys and sitting on the beach when this guy, not
much older than ourselves, came up and introduced himself; said he was an agent
looking for modeling clients. I gave him the brush off but he handed me his
card and Marylou stuck it in her beach bag. After the babies were born, money
was tight. My Dad's health had started to decline and he couldn't keep the
ranch going without my help. I'd been attending college and working part time
with him. Marylou and I decided I needed to work fulltime at the ranch;
especially after my mom died suddenly of a heart attack. She had a congenital
heart defect that was never diagnosed."

He
paused and tapped his fingers on the table. Sarah reached and placed her hand
over his. He looked up with such sadness that her heart melted. He continued.
"Even though I started working at the ranch fulltime, things were still
tough, but none of us wanted to sell off any of our property to make ends meet.
Dad died just before the twins turned three. A few months later, Marylou
accidently came across the business card in her beach bag. She handed it to me
and said, 'I think you should call him. It couldn't hurt to see what he has to
say.' So, I called Pinky Marsh, and yes, that's his real name. He remembered me
and set up a test shoot. After that, he put a portfolio together, and
voila."

"Well,
from what I've seen, you're wonderful at modeling."

Sage
lifted his wine glass and twirled it. "You think so?"

Sarah's
heart stopped. "Yes."

"I'd
actually like to quit modeling. I'm getting a bit old for it."

"No
way. You're only what, thirty-four?"

"Almost.
But modeling is a short-lived career. Besides, I don't really enjoy it. At
first, it was exciting when Marylou and the kids traveled with me. I liked that
part because we could sightsee and visit places we'd never have had the
opportunity to otherwise. After she and Michael died, I only continued for the
money. I love this ranch; modeling and the dude ranch allow me to keep it going
in style. I've been saving and investing so I can retire from modeling and
still have enough to tide us over during lean years."

Sarah
rubbed the back of her neck and looked across the room.

"What's
that look, Sarah?"

She
bit her bottom lip and looked back at him. "I'm almost forty."

"And…"

"It
doesn't bother you that I'm older than you?"

"Do
I look like I'm bothered?"

Sarah
lifted her eyes to a blue gaze flashing desire. She shook her head.

Sage
reached across the table and trailed the tip of his finger down her cheek.
"Let's go home, honey."