stepped around the table and took over the chocolate making process.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Marquee. I thought you’d be my grandmother. She’s on a vacation trip to Pennsylvania. I didn’t think about you calling the house phone.”
Marquee’s excitement came through the phone line. “You wrote it down on the back of your business card. I love this new mistletoe idea, Sage. It’s going to be every bit as big as your Western pictures. I feel it in my bones. I’ve already got it penciled in for the first week in December. I need a better photo of the one you sent when you have time. When I design the brochure I plan to use that one on the front page. It’s… Damn, girl, I can’t even think of a word to describe it. Ethereal. Paranormal. I don’t know, but it’s not like anything I’ve ever represented,” Marquee said.
“I’ll have it to you as soon as I get electricity. Cell phone battery is dead. Internet won’t be back until we have electricity, and my laptop battery has long since gone. If my grandmother hadn’t kept this old rotary phone we wouldn’t even have phone service.”
“I can’t even begin to tell you how much I like these,” Marquee gushed. “The inspiration is still going, isn’t it? I’d like ten or more.”
“So far the PGs are smiling on me.”
“Well, don’t do anything to piss them off,” Marquee said. “Call me if you need to discuss anything.”
“Will do.”
She put the receiver back on the wall base and two cups of hot chocolate were sitting on the table.
“Thank you,” she said.
“PGs?” Creed asked.
Sage didn’t want to tell him about her special gods. That was even more personal than scorching hot kisses.
“Personal gurus?” he asked.
“Paint gods,” she said before she could bite down on her tongue.
“And they are smiling on you?”
She nodded.
“Well, that’s good. I found a package of hot dog buns in the freezer. Reuben hot dogs for dinner?”
She nodded. One minute she’s telling him the most personal thing about herself and the next he’s talking about hot dogs? Her world got crazier with every passing minute.
He motioned toward the new canvas. “What’s that one going to be?”
And now it was back to paintings. Talk about one complex cowboy.
“Wait and see,” Sage said.
The phone rang again and Sage got it.
“Hello.” Sage put her hand over the mouthpiece. “It’s April. They keep an old rotary around for times like this too.”
* * *
Creed went to the living room and settled into a rocking chair. Noel left her blanket and stretched out at his feet. Angel got out of the basket and with a single leap landed on his lap.
He hadn’t liked the idea of being holed up with Sage at first, but it hadn’t been so bad. She was easy on the eyes, had scorchin’ hot lips, and she entertained him with her painting. Yep, he would miss her when she moved to the backside of the property, but maybe he could talk her out of one of the kittens. He peered over the edge of the basket and decided he wanted the yellow one. He could catch any field mice that came into the house and sleep in his lap like Angel was doing right then.
At first, Sage’s voice sounded excited and happy as she told April about building the snow family and going off in a new direction with her paintings. But then after a few minutes of silence, it turned serious and worried.
“April, you’ve got to talk to them both about this. It’s a big decision,” she said.
She listened a while longer and then hung up, picked up her lukewarm chocolate, and slouched down into the rocking chair beside him.
“They love you more than me,” she said.
As if she understood, Noel left Creed’s side and went to stand beside Sage.
Sage reached down and massaged her ears. “Thank you, Noel. I need some love right now.”
“All you had to do was tell me,” Creed said.
“Oh, hush. I wasn’t talking to you.”
“Some days a lonesome old cowboy don’t get handed nothin’ but bad luck. Well, if we aren’t going to talk about love then tell me what kind of trouble is your friend April in? I couldn’t help but overhear,” he asked.
“Big decisions. She wants to quit college and come home. The ranch will be hers someday and it’s the biggest operation in the canyon. She thinks she’s ready to start learning how to run it from the bottom up.”
“If she’s in college, she should already