Sage shivered.
“I promise,” Creed said.
“It’s not that. My feet are cold.”
“Then get under the covers and sit beside me.”
She handed the other two kittens to him and repositioned herself so that she was covered from the waist down. He laid the kittens back in her lap and kissed her on the cheek.
“You’re going to make a great mother, Sage.”
“I’m not so sure about that. I’ve never been around babies in my life except at church, and then there was April, but I was just a little girl back then,” she rambled. “I’m going to put them back in their bed now.”
“And then you’ll come back to bed with me?”
She shook her head. “Not in Grand’s bed. You can come over to my room, but Grand would haunt me if I…”
“I’m not asking you to have sex with me. I just want you to feel your body next to mine,” he said.
She looked at the four bedposts as if hunting for something.
Creed laid a hand over hers. “She hasn’t haunted me one single night, but I’ll gladly come to your room.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Chapter 14
Sage was always glad to see April. They talked weekly when she wasn’t at the ranch, and when she was they saw each other often. But on Friday morning when she showed up with a big flat box and an even bigger smile, Sage wanted to kick her off the front porch.
Tradition.
It was a bitch.
On the day before the Canyon Rose Christmas party, April always brought her new dress to model. Afterwards, she and Sage would talk shoes, hairstyles, and cowboys. That Thursday morning, Sage didn’t want to talk about any of those things and she sure didn’t want Creed to see the petite April strutting around in a deep blue velvet dress that hugged every one of her tiny curves.
One look at her using the living room floor like a model’s runway and Creed wouldn’t want to be seen with the tall gangly giant called Sage. Even April’s name brought up visions of minty green leaves and new life, whereas the name Sage would remind Creed of a pungent aroma coming from an ugly green powder.
April plopped the box down on the kitchen table and pulled out a dark brown satin dress trimmed in ecru velvet. “Isn’t it gorgeous? We should give all the cowboys a drooling bib at the door because they’re going to need it when they see you in this.”
The back door swung open and cold wind came inside with Creed. He hung his coat on the rack and kicked off his boots.
“Couldn’t feel my fingers, and besides, the houses are ready for the insulation, so I couldn’t go any further. What’s that about drooling bibs? There going to be a bunch of babies at the party?”
April flashed him her best smile. “No, they’re for the cowboys when they see Sage in this dress. She’s going to be the queen.”
Jealousy settled around Sage’s heart followed by instant guilt. April wasn’t making a play for Creed. And he didn’t belong to Sage, so if she wanted to flirt with him, she had every right.
“I see,” Creed said shortly. “I need something hot.”
April giggled.
Sage shot him a dirty look.
“Guess that came out wrong, didn’t it? And it sure didn’t fit the conversation. I was thinking out loud. My hands are frozen. I need a cup of coffee or hot chocolate to wrap them around,” he explained.
Sage’s self-esteem plunged even lower.
He looked right at Sage and one eyelid slid shut in a sexy wink. “However, I do believe that Sage is going to be beautiful in that dress. When are you going to model it?”
“You don’t get to see her in it until tomorrow night,” April said quickly. “But I’ll model mine.”
“I’ll look forward to it, ma’am.” Creed poured a cup of coffee and carried it to the living room. He sat down in a rocking chair and listened to the music on the radio. “Waitin’ on a Woman” by Brad Paisley started playing. Creed could relate to every word of the song where an older gentleman was telling a younger man about the art of waiting on a woman.
April tucked the dress back into the box and headed toward Sage’s bedroom with it under her arm. Sage was right behind her and when she passed by Creed’s chair, he reached out and touched her arm.
She stopped and looked down at him quizzically.
“You sure look pretty this morning,” he said.
His eyes had gone soft like they did just before he kissed her. All doubts about her size and her crazy name washed away. She bent and kissed him on the cheek.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Run her off and let’s go to bed.”
Sage patted him on the shoulder.
“Or lock her in your bedroom and we’ll grab that quilt and go to the barn.”
She gave him a long, hard kiss that had both of them panting when she broke away and headed toward the bedroom. She held the handle for a full minute before opening it to catch her breath. She pasted a smile on her face, slung open the door, and found April standing in front of the cheval mirror in the corner. The blue velvet dress laid against her flawless, pale skin like it had been tailor-made for her. The hem stopped at midthigh and the neckline plunged low.
“Finish zipping me, please, so I can see if Hilda has to do any altering. I’m not letting Daddy see it until the party starts or he’ll pitch a bitch fit about the neckline.”
Sage pulled the zipper up the back and sat down on the end of her bed to admire April. “You are a perfect size three, girl. Hilda won’t have to do a
