He shrugged. “I’ve known Sage for quite some time now, given she’s usually at the cafe in the mornings, and typically, she never seems to let the stress get to her. But lately, she’s seemed a bit…frazzled?”

Frazzled? What the fuck was that supposed to mean?

“Maybe she’s got something going on at home,” I guessed.

Lennon frowned at me. “With Avery? I don’t know about that.”

“Doesn’t she have a husband or something?” I asked, though after our conversation at dinner, I knew it was a foolish thing to ask. Lennon wouldn’t try to set me up with a married woman.

Lennon’s look deepened, his brows pulling lower. “Did you see a damn ring on her finger?”

“No.” And yeah, I’d admit, I looked. Just because I wasn’t really wanting a relationship right now didn’t mean I couldn’t be curious.

He looked back out at the field. “I don’t know the story there.”

“Maybe it’s just the stress of being a single mom, then.” Because I was guessing she didn’t have a boyfriend, either. Though I couldn’t say for sure. Someone as pretty as Sage was bound to have a man in her life. 

He shook his head. “She’s had it pretty under control as long as I’ve known her.”

“Every day is different, Len. Especially with a child. If teaching lessons has taught me anything, it’s that kids fluctuate day to day. They’re growing, physically and mentally, which means they can be moody.”

Len arched a brow, swirling his whiskey in his glass. “Moody, huh? That’s what you got from Avery?”

“No. Moody was the last thing I got from Avery. She was so damn excited, she couldn’t stop talking.” A smile pulled at the corners of my mouth at the memory. That girl was the spitting image of her mother.

“Avery’s a little chatterbox, that’s for sure.”

It was adorable.

I shook the thoughts from my head. They were just clients. Every kid was adorable.

But Avery had that little spark to her, and if I had to guess, it was her mom that kept that spark lit. You didn’t see so much joy in life without being unconditionally loved. I’d seen it on Sage’s face as she watched Avery ride today. She was so happy for her, but through it, worry still shone on her face. I just couldn’t tell if it was worry for Avery on the horse, or something else.

“I offered her more lessons,” I told Len.

He looked shocked as he turned to me again. “For free?”

“Well, I tried. Sage insisted she had to do something in return for them, so I told her to bring pastries for the ranch.”

Lennon’s jaw fell a little. “The whole damn ranch?”

“It was the only agreement she’d take.” And I wouldn’t say no. Not if it meant seeing Avery that happy again. I didn’t know them, but something told me they needed this.

It was also a small excuse to see Sage again, too. 

“Cal, you never offer lessons for free,” he stated.

“Your point is?” I knew where he was going with this, and I didn’t want to hear it.

“You like her.”

I scoffed, sitting back in the chair and swigging my beer. “I’ve only met her twice now. I can’t like her.”

“So you did go to the cafe the other day,” he said, putting the pieces together on his own.

“I did.”

“Why didn’t you get a coffee, then?”

I sighed. Did I really have to relive this to my older brother?

“We bumped into each other. Twice. She spilled coffee, cut her finger. It was a whole thing. But regardless, I don’t like her.”

He arched a brow.

“Obviously, I like her, but not in the way you’re insinuating.” Now that Lennon had a girlfriend, he thought he could be everyone’s matchmaker, and I was not about to be his next target.

“We’ll see.”

I rolled my eyes. 

It wasn’t going to go anywhere between me and Sage, and the sooner Lennon got off his high horse and understood that her daughter was just my student, the better off we’d all be.

I didn’t need my family trying to play matchmaker on me, too.

7

Sage

The lids on the Tupperware full of baked goods couldn’t keep the sweet smell from wafting into the car as we drove to the Bronsons’ ranch. 

“Do I get to have one, too?” Avery asked from the back seat.

I adjusted my grip on the steering wheel as I turned down their driveway. “You’ve already had two.”

“What’s one more?” she chimed.

“You don’t want a tummy ache while you’re riding, do you?” Because I knew what came after she overindulged in my pastries. This wouldn’t be the first time.

“Well, no. But it’s only one more.”

And that one more would turn into three more the second I turned my back. Avery had an even bigger sweet tooth than me, and my baking-to-relieve-stress problem was not helping. If anything, Callan letting me bring these for the ranch was a good thing, because then it’d keep them off my kitchen table. Regardless if he had said yes or no, they were going to be made anyway. 

Baking was the thing I did to calm my nerves. The precise measurements and aroma that came from a warm croissant or fresh scone grounded me when nothing else would. Sure, I could light a candle and get a similar scent throughout the house, but it wasn’t the same. It was the process of baking that did it for me.

I pulled the car up to the white barn, taking the key out of the ignition and getting out along with Avery. I rounded the vehicle, opening the passenger door to grab the Tupperware on the seat. There were a total of three. I wasn't sure how many to make as I didn’t know how many volunteers or ranch hands they had here, but I figured it was better to be safe than sorry and make more. 

Cowboys were always hungry, anyway.