taken off her shoes, but nothing else, thank goodness. How long had she slept? An hour, maybe? Two?
At that point, it registered that the light in the room was coming not from a lamp, but from the sun. Sage rolled over and sat up. Sunlight? She’d slept the whole night?
“I slept the whole night,” she said aloud.
No wonder she felt so deliciously comfortable, so wonderfully rested. She’d almost forgotten how great sleeping through the night felt. Glancing around the bedroom for a clock, she spied one on the dresser to her right, read the time, blinked, then looked again. Eight-thirty? She’d slept, what, twelve hours? Wow. Just wow. If she hadn’t been so mortified about the circumstances, she’d have leapt up and shouted hurrah.
She did allow herself a silent fist pump before throwing back the covers and quietly rising from the bed. With any luck at all, Colt would already be out and about for the day, and she wouldn’t have to face him. Or he’d still be asleep in one of the loft bedrooms upstairs.
After a quick stop in the master bathroom, she took a deep breath and opened the door. The aroma of frying bacon swirled in the air. She probably wouldn’t be able to slip out unseen. Okay, then. No big deal. She could handle a little mortification after twelve hours of sleep. Sage squared her shoulders, braced herself, and walked toward the living area—where she encountered a sight that took her breath away.
Wearing nothing but gym shorts and sneakers, Colt Rafferty sat with his back to her on a weight bench doing biceps curls with dumbbells. For a long moment she stood and stared. Heavens, he was gorgeous, the scars on his back notwithstanding. Old scars. Burns, she realized. Wonder how he got them?
Colt’s muscles bunched, then released, bunched, then released, and Sage stood mesmerized. She wished the owner of this cabin weren’t such a fitness buff that he’d outfitted his vacation cabin with exercise equipment.
She thought she might have made a little strangled sound, because Colt turned and gave her a slow grin that displayed those faint dimples of his to perfection. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”
She swallowed hard. “Good morning.”
“Do you feel better?”
“Actually, I’m pretty sure what I feel is mortified.”
“Don’t be.” He set down the weights, then stood facing her. Sage swallowed hard a second time. The man had a six-pack.
To her relief, he grabbed the T-shirt draped over the handle of a treadmill and slipped it on. “Last night was the nicest evening I’ve spent in a long time. Nothing to be mortified about.”
The nicest evening? Warily she said, “All I remember is crying on your shoulder.”
“You were soft and warm and you smelled delicious. I enjoyed holding you.”
The wicked glint in his eye compelled her to ask, “And that’s all you did? Hold me?”
His expression went innocent. “What? You think I’d do something rude like cop a feel once you’d fallen into an exhausted sleep?”
She narrowed her eyes but decided to drop it. It was a no-win situation for her. “Well, I need to get home. Thanks for your patience, and I promise not to bother you like that again.”
“Stay and have breakfast with me, Sage. It’s ready, and I waited for you.”
Under the circumstances, she couldn’t bring herself to be boorish enough to refuse, though she had little appetite. “I’m not hungry, but I wouldn’t mind a cup of tea,” she conceded.
“Bacon and biscuits are ready. How do you like your eggs?”
“I don’t—”
“I’m having mine scrambled. That okay with you?”
Why did everyone in town persist in fixing breakfast for her? Did they think she didn’t eat?
“I have a jar of homemade raspberry jam that Nic gave me for the biscuits,” he added.
Sage surrendered. “Scrambled is fine.”
The tea was strong and hot and hit the spot and, to be honest, the food did, too. She expected to sit down to bacon and the third degree. Instead, to her surprise, he took the conversation in a completely different direction. “I talked to my brother last night and told him I was here and why. I realized my stress level already has dropped significantly. From the time I hit the city limits sign, I’ve hardly worried about my work. I’ve spent my time visiting with old friends and catching up on local news. It’s been great. Just what I needed. I’ve decided to go do some Taylor River fishing today. The weather looks good for it, and maybe this time of the year, it won’t