Page 55 of Fall or Nothing

“Of course. I have a lot to be thankful for this year. For you, in particular.”

“Me?”

“I couldn’t have survived here without you, Sage. Truly. See you.” I brought her hands to my lips and kissed them, and then headed for the door. There, I stopped and glanced back at her face. It shocked me to see her looking so devastated for one second before she plastered on a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

That face might haunt me for the rest of the day. So many things I wanted to say to her, but time was running out. How could I make every second I had left here count?

EIGHTEEN

Yearned

SAGE

The long tablesstretched down the center of the bunkhouse dining room, covered in red-and-white checkered cloths and piled high with food. String lights twinkled overhead, and extra heaters hummed near the walls to push back the Montana cold. Festive, inviting, and full of life, it was exactly the Thanksgiving the Off-Duty Rescue Ranch knew how to throw.

Most of the people here didn’t have families, or at least, no family they cared to visit at this time of year. But together, they formed their own bonds, strong enough to bend but never break.

Eldon stood at the head of the tables, hands clasped, and said a simple but heartfelt prayer, thanking God for the meal, the health of the horses, the sanity and strength of the crew, and for the Wylde sisters for the ten beautiful apple pies now cooling on the sideboard. When he finished, Carter reached under the table and squeezed my hand. I looked up at him; the dark circles under his eyes were impossible to miss.

“Tired?” I whispered.

“I didn’t sleep well. I’ll be fine,” he replied with a flat smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Good God, let’s eat.” Eldon clapped, and we all dug into the feast. Serving family-style, enormous platters and bowls were passed with turkey, ham, corn casserole, green bean salad, apple sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Plenty of Eldon’s famous strawberry wine bottles made the rounds, too, with everyone generously filling their glasses.

Conversation and laughter filled the room. I sat between Carter and Daisy, with Knox on her other side. Colt and Ivy sat across from us, and Poppy and Jake, too. The food was incredible, but the quiet man beside me distracted my appetite. This wasn’t the Carter I knew. Whatever kept him from sleep worried me.

Later, everyone helped clean up. I helped a few men load trash bags into the bear-proof bin outside, brushing my hands off when finished. Carter came out with a bundle of papers under one arm.

“I want to give you something,” he announced, pulling me to the front of the building, to Jake’s truck for privacy. He opened the passenger door, and I climbed up onto the seat, knees out.

Cold air bit sharply against my cheeks, but his warmth leaning against my knees helped. He set the papers on my lap. The top one was a beautiful hand-drawn sign for “Wylde Blooms & Orchard,” featuring elegant lettering with lavender sprigs woven through the design.

“Did you draw this?” I ran a finger over it.

He set that aside so I could focus on the typed documentbelow it. It contained several pages. I skimmed the front, the headline and summary—a full typed business plan for both the orchard and a potential lavender and botanical products line, too.

I gasped, confused, and thumbed through the pages. “I-I don’t understand. Why are you giving these to me?”

“I stayed up all night typing this out in Ash’s office.” He rubbed the back of his neck, almost nervously. “I wanted to give you plenty to think about. Useful things. Follow that plan and you and your sisters could have a business that… blooms. Literally.”

My stomach dropped. “Why does this sound so final?”

“Maybe it is.”

“Your job back East. Is it forever? Can’t you come back? Will I ever see you again?”

He opened and closed his mouth, clearly struggling. “I wish I could look ahead and give you all the answers.”

“Just tell me what’s really going on? I feel like there’s something more you’re not saying.”

The struggle passed through his eyes again. I saw it clearly; he couldn’t lie.

Before he could answer, Jake came rushing up, shouting, “Snowball fight!”

The crew had set up a full militaristic-style playing field just beyond the bunkhouse. Teams were being chosen. Carter gave me a quick, regretful look. “We’ll talk more later…”

Stunned, I left everything in the truck, holding my arms for warmth. The purple coat wasn’t enough to keep me from shaking, or maybe that was my heart already cracking. I joined the women watching from the sidelines, althoughPoppy jumped in on Jake’s team with Carter, her usual energetic self.