“No,” he said, not looking at her, focusing instead on the road stretched out in front of them.
Her stomach swirled uneasily as she realized where they were probably headed. The cabin. Where else would he be taking her on this mountain road? But then, why would he take her to the cabin? It was the first question she asked when he pulled into the drive and parked.
“Like I said at your house,” he told her, climbing out of the huge SUV, “there’s something I want to show you.”
He took her hand, just as he had the first time, as they headed along the path to the cabin. But it was different now. The flower beds were weeded and bursting with newly planted, bright spring blossoms. Their scent rose up into the air and twisted with the ever-present aroma of pines.
The path itself was covered in fresh gravel. The surrounding pines had been trimmed back, still providing shade for the cabin but no longer threatening to tip over in a storm. The walls were painted a crisp white with navy blue trim around the windows. The chairs on the front porch had brand-new, dark blue cushions and there was a sturdy iron railing snaking along the porch, replacing the rotted wooden one that had snapped on their last visit.
It was beautiful. It was perfect. But she still couldn’t buy it. “I can’t,” she said, looking up at him. “I can’t buy this cabin, Sage. I appreciate you fixing it up for me but—”
“The cabin’s not for sale anymore.”
“What?”
“I bought it last week.” He closed in on her and Colleen’s heartbeat sped up. “Went to see Ed at his new place and paid him for it on the spot.”
“Why?” she asked and was lucky she’d managed to squeeze out that single word.
“Let’s go inside. There are some things I want to say to you.”
She walked the path, ran her fingertips over the heavy black wrought-iron railing. When he noticed, he said, “I had my guys over here every day this week, fixing this place up. But the railing I installed myself.” He caught her hand in his. “It’s sturdy enough that you could do handstands on it, but I’d take it as a favor if you wouldn’t. I don’t want to risk losing you again.”
Pleasure slid through her heart, leaving a trail of eager anticipation in its wake. Was he saying what she thought he was? Could she believe? Her logical mind told her emotional half to get a grip, but it wasn’t listening.
He smiled at her and tugged her along after him. “Come on.”
She followed and the minute she stepped into the cabin, she realized he’d been at work here, too. The wood floors were gleaming under a fresh coat of wax. Bright throw rugs added splashes of color. Bookcases stood on either side of the wood-burning stove and there was a scent of lemon polish still hovering in the air.
“Linda, my housekeeper,” Sage was saying as she walked through the little cabin that was now as shiny as new pennies. “She handled most of the inside work, though my guys did the paint job.”
“It’s beautiful,” she told him, walking back to stop just a foot from him. “But I still don’t understand. Why did you buy it?”
“For us,” he said simply. He stood there opposite her in his black jeans, black leather jacket and white shirt and looked more gorgeous than she remembered. Just looking at the man gave her chills, but what he said next had every sense reeling.
“I bought it for us, Colleen. I wanted us to have this place to come to, just the two of us. I want us to always remember that we started here. That what’s between us grew from here.”
Oh, God. Her heartbeat was hammering so quickly now she could hardly draw a breath. But she didn’t need air, Colleen realized. All she needed was to know that he meant this. Because if he had done all of this for the two of them, that could only mean that he loved her, and that would be everything.
“See,” he said, moving toward her, laying both hands on her shoulders so that she could feel the strong, steady warmth of him seeping into her body. “I know now that I wasted what time I had with my father. I don’t want to waste another minute of my time with you.”
“Sage...”
“You said you loved me,” he reminded her and gave her a slow smile. “I hope that hasn’t changed, because I love you, too, Colleen.”
Her eyes filled with tears and her breath caught in her throat. It was everything she’d hoped for. Only better.
“I love your mind. Your humor. Your kindness. I love everything about you.”