Only You (Wild Creek Ranch Series Book 4)

Chapter Eleven

Renée noted a change in Ryder the next day. He was eager to know more about Anastasia than how her day went at the college. And what was more interesting was he seemed to have all the time in the world to accompany her to Anastasia's house after college.

"Don't you have football practice today?" asked Renée with surprise. Ryan was still at it. Then how was Ryder free?

Ryder scratched his neck, looking a little embarrassed. "I'm sick, so I excused myself from Coach Harrison." Renée looked at him suspiciously.

"Oh! But you don't look sick. You can drop me and go home to rest."

"No!" he retorted. Then he looked at her stare and controlled himself. "I mean, I'm feeling a little better. So I'll go with you. I can't let you return home alone. You're my only little sister." Renée rolled her eyes at him.

"Right, you remembered it today!" Ryder grinned at her. He knew she had understood how much he wanted to see Anastasia again.

After spending an hour at her house, Renée and Ryder came home. He wanted to stay longer, but Renée had to complete her assignments for the next day.

She had been ignoring Sawyer since morning, at the breakfast table, while going to college, all the time. He just stared at her with a brooding look on his face. It seemed he wanted to say a lot, but Renée wasn't going into that again. He would have to tell her what was going on in his head, how he felt about her. She wouldn't give in this time!

After completing her assignments, she walked into the kitchen and watched what her aunts were preparing. They were busy discussing Rhett and Adelaide's relationship, ready to plan their wedding already.

"Did you see Allen McLean's daughter? She's grown so beautiful. I think she's a misfit in their family. What's her name?" asked their granny curiously. Allen McLean was their arch-rival and always tried different tricks to win their customers over. His sons were spoilt brats, and they considered Fordsville their personal battlefield and the Wilsons their arch-rivals.

"Georgia?" asked Renée. They all looked at her with interest.

"Yes, yes. Is she studying with you?" asked Aunt Ruth.

"No, she's in Ryan's class," said Renée. Everyone eyed one another.

"Hope Ryan isn't friends with her?" asked their mom, Helena Wilson.

"No, they hate one another," answered Renée, and everyone smiled with relief.

Renée didn't tell them they were project partners for the semester, and as such, they had to meet up regularly to finish their assignments. But most of the time they ended up fighting rather than studying! Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Sawyer walk towards the kitchen. She slipped out and went off to Rihanna's room to avoid him.

Sawyer sighed seeing her get away again, but he couldn't stop her with all his aunts, mom, and granny inside. He was actually more concerned about a man whom he'd seen at the Fordsville marketplace today. The stranger had been watching Sawyer with a lot of interest. He didn't remember having seen the man ever before in Fordsville. Also, he didn't look like he belonged to Montana, as his physical appearance seemed somewhat foreign.

However, after a little while with their families planning on celebrating Renée parents' 25th marriage anniversary, Sawyer completely forgot about the man and started contributing his ideas as well. So, it was decided that after four days, they would throw a lavish party at Wild Creek Ranch inviting their friends, close relatives, and well-wishers. Everyone was excited.

Ryder was excited, knowing that Renée would surely invite Anastasia. Rhett was excited to invite Adelaide. Rihanna and Renée were excited, thinking about the delicious food that they could relish. Rex was excited, dreaming of meeting the girl he had seen at the marketplace, the girl with green eyes that stole his peace of mind. Maybe she was some neighbor's daughter and would attend the party. Sawyer was excited, thinking that he would surely sneak in a dance with Renée. Ryan was the only one not excited knowing that Georgia wouldn't be invited being their rival's daughter. Although he hated Georgia, he couldn't get her out of his mind. The wish to hold her in his arms again was driving him mad.

Sawyer glanced at Renée now and then, but she seemed to be oblivious to his presence as if he didn't exist around her. Sawyer was feeling frustrated and furious and by dinnertime, he was ready to explode. He strode towards his room since Renée was more interested in chatting with everyone than paying him any heed. Discarding his shirt, he was about to pull on a fresh tee shirt to sleep in, when he heard Renée's footsteps coming towards his room. He waited near his door to catch hold of her. If he didn't talk to her, he would go crazy now.

Renée walked dejectedly towards her room. Ignoring Sawyer had been such a laborious task for her. It made her heart ache for him. It wasn't having much effect upon him anyway, since he didn't admit to his feelings yet. When Sawyer left the dining room, she had no interest in staying back and putting up a show anymore.

She could hear her whole family busy laughing and chatting in the dining room. But she needed to go into the privacy of her room to heal her restless heart.

Deep in thought, she was about to cross Sawyer's room and go over to hers when Sawyer's door opened. In a split second, his hand shot out and caught her by the arm, pulling her into his room and into his arms. As the door closed behind her, she gasped when her body collided with Sawyer's bare chest. She placed her hands on his hard chest, her eyes going wide with apprehension. She noticed his harsh intake of breath at her touch. His arm crushed her to his torso.

"Running away from me, Renée?" he asked in a low growl, which caused a thousand butterflies to flutter in her stomach. She noticed how he used her full name. It only implied that he was excessively mad at her. She shook her head, looking away from the burning intensity of his eyes.

"N-no. Why should I?" she mumbled out. His hand cupped her cheek and neck, forcing her head up to meet his stare. His thumb stroked her baby-soft cheek, bringing a flush to them.

"Look at me, Ren." She was lost in the warmth of his gaze, powerless to look away.

"Why are you avoiding me, hmm?" His tone softened a little.

"I don't want to burden you with my feelings, Sawyer. Since you feel nothing for me, we should stay away from one another." Sawyer just stared at her, trying to grasp what she just told him.

"You're not burdening me with anything. I don't want you to stay away from me." He pulled her head into his chest as if she was the most treasured thing on earth. Renée lay her head on his chest, hearing his pulsating heart. She found a lot of comfort in his words. Although he didn't explicitly say that he loved her, she could feel the love in his words, in his gestures, in his touch. Her arms wrapped around his torso and she just stood pressed against his hot skin.

"Oh, Ren, what would I do without you? You know you drive me crazy, do you? Grow up fast," he whispered, almost to himself, but Renée heard it distinctly. It brought a giddy smile to her face. Sawyer dropped a kiss on the top of her head, but she wanted it on her lips. She was going to be eighteen in a few months and hadn't received her first kiss yet.

"So you like me, huh?" she asked innocently. It brought a smile to Sawyer's lips. Liked her? He actually loved her. It was a crazy, overwhelming kind of love that he felt for her that didn't see any reason, any logic. After holding her in his arms, he realized he wouldn't be able to resist her for long. Her soft body pressed against his, and feeling her heart beating against his chest was what he wanted to feel all the time.

"Yes," he answered. She grinned and suddenly felt shy. Her cheeks colored as she suddenly grew aware of their position.

"I think we shouldn't do this now." Sawyer chuckled at her cuteness.

"Do what? We aren't doing anything, baby doll," he whispered into her ear, his mouth grazing the skin on her neck. A tremor ran down her body at his touch and goosebumps erupted all over.

"We are. We're making out." Sawyer laughed heartily.

"No, we're not making out, but soon we will." Renée's face flushed crimson, and she just pushed him and ran out of his room, her heartbeats thundering in her chest. His words echoed in her head and she just couldn't stop the blush from spreading all over her body. A strange excitement too made her wait for the day when Sawyer would act upon his promise!