Page 49 of Fall or Nothing

Stroked

SAGE

I pulled the small,worn note from my coat pocket for what must have been the hundredth time since Wednesday, when Carter left it for me at the Copper Cup. My thumb traced the wordVerain his handwriting, and a smile tugged at my lips despite the ache in my chest. He had no idea how perfectly he’d chosen this word for me, the Latin word for lavender.

Why did he have to know exactly how to slip past my defenses with the smallest things, whether it be a plant reference or a note that made me feel seen?

I tucked the paper safely back into my pocket and joined my sisters in the kitchen, the familiar scents of cinnamon, apples, and butter wrapping around me like a hug, and also permeating the house.

The sun was finally out today, after two days of the first big snowstorm of the season. All of us Wylde sisters gathered at our family orchard farmhouse for our annual pre-Thanksgiving pie-baking day. Colt was supposed to be here soon with Jake and Carter, too. I couldn’t wait.

“How many pies are we making this year?” Poppy asked, flour dusting her cheek as she rolled out another crust. She’d driven back with friends from college before the storm hit and had the whole Thanksgiving week off from classes.

Daisy counted on her fingers. “The ranch hands alone will eat at least two slices each. And then there’s everyone else. Let’s say ten pies to be safe.”

Ivy grinned, wiping her hands on her apron. “Ten pies it is. Thanks to the harvest size this year, we’ve got enough apples for those and then some.”

We worked side by side with the peaceful rhythm we’d perfected over the years, the one Mom showed us long ago. Daisy pressed the bottom crusts into the pans. Ivy added the apples with spices and sugar. I carefully placed the top crusts, crimping the edges with my fingers. Poppy decorated each top with intricate lattice patterns or cut-out leaves, making them uniquely beautiful.

We laughed and caught up with each other along the way. Daisy and Knox had been staying at the orchard house while he recovered from surgery. It was good to see them happy together. Knox was in the living room waiting for the guys, his arm still in a shoulder immobilizer, but his spirits were high.

“Colt and I are spicier than ever,” Ivy announced with a gleam in her eye, whatever that meant.

Then they all ganged up on me.

“You look different,” Ivy studied me with a big-sister gaze. “Glowing even.”

Daisy joined in. “It’s all because of Carter, isn’t it?”

My cheeks warmed, hardly containing a smile. “Yeah. It’s Carter.”

They exchanged a look.

“We were skeptical at first. Worried he’d be another cowboy passing through, breaking your heart,” Daisy explained.

“Let’s face it. They can’t all be like Colt and stay.” Poppy rolled her eyes at Ivy.

“But you seem really happy,” Ivy added. “Just be careful with your heart, okay? We don’t want to see you hurt if he leaves.”

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. “You all are looking out for me, but don’t worry. I’m protecting it. I am being careful.”

Daisy pulled us into a quick sisterly group hug, floury hands and all.

“We’re happy for you,” she whispered. “We hope it works out the way you want it to.”

I hoped so too. Of course, I wanted him to stay. To find it in his heart never to want to leave me or Forest Grove. But I was trying so hard not to let hope run away with me.

Later, when the guys arrived, my heart performed a little flip. I met Carter at the door and hugged him tight, breathing in the scent of him. Dad’s coat used to smell like Old Spice. Now it carried both of them, and I couldn’t get enough.

All the guys took off their boots and headed in to see Knox, but I tugged Carter into the small pantry off the kitchen. The door barely clicked shut before his mouth was on mine, full of everything we hadn’t been able to say in days. His icy hands slid under my sweater at first,making me flinch, until they warmed against my skin. I melted fully into him.

“I liked the note,” I whispered against his lips. “Vera.Clever cowboy.”

“Figured you’d get it.” When he grinned, there was something behind it I couldn’t quite name. Sadness? Exhaustion? Probably just tired after the long week.

We lingered and kissed a little longer, stopping only when we heard voices getting closer. We slipped back out, trying to look innocent and probably failing miserably.

Then two more people showed up to visit Knox—Maddox and Beatrix, his brother and sister. Daisy made introductions all around. Maddox was a star player for the Montana Frostbite hockey team, and Beatrix was a nursing student from Billings.