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They reached the last horse, and Sawyer took her arm. “Let me show you the loft.”
“Yes. I’m excited to see it.”
They went to the stairs in the back of the barn and Sawyer stopped at the foot of them. “I never thought I’d find these stairs daunting.”
“So no racing?”
“No racing.”
They took the stairs slowly and when Sawyer opened the door at the top of them, Jade gasped.
“Oh my gosh. It’s great. I love it.”
“It’s pretty cool. I was really glad when J.T. gave it up.”
She went inside and stood in the middle of the large room. It was a completely open space with a counter separating the kitchen from the rest of the room. The living area had a large couch and two cozy chairs situated around a wood stove. The far corner was the bedroom with a queen-sized bed and a dresser. Next to the bed were two doors. One was a closet and one was the bathroom.
She turned to Sawyer. “This is quite a step up from your apartment in Missoula.”
“Yeah, I’d say. I do have to haul my laundry all the way to the house, though.”
“I think that’s an inconvenience you can live with. It looks so much bigger without all the junk in it.”
“Yeah. It’s the size of the main part of the barn. And without walls cutting it up, it’s big. I like the openness.”
“Amazing.”
Sawyer smiled. “And the best part is, I can still listen to the rain falling on the metal roof.”
“Does it keep you awake?”
“Sometimes, but it always makes me think of you.”
“Aww.” She went to him and hugged him.
He stepped away from her. “We should get back to the house. J.T. and Sage are probably there by now, and dinner should be ready soon.”
They left the loft and walked through the barn. Jade gave Houston another pat before Sawyer turned off the light and they headed for the house.
When they went into the house, Sage met them at the door. She gasped when she saw Sawyer’s face, then pulled him in for a hug. He groaned and stepped away from her.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you?”
“You just hugged me a little too aggressively.”
She put a hand on his bruised face. “My goodness, Sawyer. Why do you keep doing this to yourself?”
When he didn’t answer her, she turned to Jade and hugged her, then took a step back and looked at her.
“Wow, you’re so pretty. I love your hair.”
Jade fingered the ends of the hair hanging over her shoulders. “Thank you. We’ve all grown up. Skittles is gone.”
Sawyer shook his head. “No. No, she’s not. I still see her.”
Sage took Jade’s arm. “Come say hi to J.T.”
They went into the living room where J.T. was putting a piece of pine into the fireplace. He stood when he heard them, then smiled at Jade.
