Only You (Love In Montana Book 6)

The next morning, everyone woke up early. The men went fishing and collecting wood while Rihanna and Adelaide made breakfast. Renée and Anastasia cleaned the cabin. "We'd make perfect stay at home wives, don't you think?" Giggled Renée. 

Anastasia rolled her eyes. "I want to be a fashion designer like my mom," she said. 

"I love my lazy Fordsville. I'll maybe look after my husband's ranch," said Renée. 

"I'll move to LA and start my own fashion brand," said Anastasia, with dreamy eyes. 

"You'll forget me then," said Renée. 

"Never. You'd remain my bestie forever. I'll come back for your wedding, " said Anastasia. 

"That means you'll never come back because I'll never marry anyone," said Renée with a sad smile in her face. 

"It will happen, Renée. He cares for you more than he shows," said Anastasia. 

"Maybe as a sister, " said Renée. 

"Are you kidding me? I never saw any sisterly affection in him towards you," said Anastasia. 

Renée sighed. "I've stopped thinking about it, Anna. I love him and that's all there is to it," she said, closing her eyes. Both were so absorbed in their conversation that they didn't notice that the men had returned. Sawyer stood leaning against the door as he silently heard what they were discussing. He wanted to go and pull Renée into his arms and go away to some remote place with her where he could show her how he felt about her. 

Breakfast was made and he went to the dining room quietly and serving himself, he sat down with the others. "What's wrong with you now?" Asked Rex. 

"Nothing important. So where are we heading to after this?" Asked Sawyer to divert their attention away from him. 

"We'll go hiking on the Continental Divide Scenic Trail right away and then after lunch we can go boating on the Coyote Creek," said Rhett.  The others too liked the idea and all were ready in twenty minutes. They locked the cabin and drove towards their destination. The girls were excited to see herds of elk, deer and families of white-tailed deer crossing their path at regular intervals. There were lots of bighorn sheep, mountain goats and antelopes everywhere but thankfully they didn't find any bears anywhere. 

Rhett showed them the Antelope Basin teeming with wildlife and an abundance of wildflowers, beautiful hued aspen and willow thickets and lush grasslands.

"It's beautiful Rhett, " said Adelaide, clicking pictures with her phone. 

"We need to go hiking from here," said Rhett. They all parked their trucks and started the hiking trail and following the beautiful and picturesque Antelope Basin Road crossing other trails passing through grasslands, open stands of Douglas fir, and aspen. In places, the grass had grown over the constructed tread, so they had to be careful not to lose track of the trail. This route closely followed the actual Continental Divide, dipping in and out of the Montana/Idaho border. 

Terrific vistas of the Madison and Centennial Ranges come into view as they followed the relatively easy hike. "Look at that cave on the other side, a black bear is sun bathing, " Ryan pointed out and they all checked it out especially Adelaide. Living at Fordsville they had all seen bears except Adelaide and Anastasia of course. 

"What if a grizzly blocks our path?" Asked Rihanna and Adelaide looked at her with horror, going towards Rhett and clutching his arm.

"They usually avoid the trails," explained Rhett holding her hand tightly in his. "Stay by me, " he told her softly and she nodded. 

"Rhett's ready to fight a thousand grizzlies now, " said Rex with a grin. Even Rhett grinned. Teasing the two of them had become their favorite thing to do.

At the end of the trail portion of the route they followed a winding road through the Henry's Lake Mountains, to Red Rock and then to the Centennial Mountains.  Throughout their hike they saw elks, badgers, deer, and antelopes, a few black bears while they saw wolves and antelopes at the Basin. Everybody took pictures of the Raptors and the song birds along with everything that they saw. In the middle of it all, Sawyer could sneak a selfie of himself, Renée and Anastasia which he would edit later and create a first photograph of them together. It was past lunchtime when they returned to the cabin. 

Adelaide and Rihanna cooked the fish that they had caught in the morning. After a hearty lunch, they went towards Coyote Creek for a lazy boat tour. 

Ryder managed to get into a boat with Anastasia since Sawyer whisked Renée away into his boat. Rex, Ryan and Rihanna were in one boat, eagerly watching birds with Rex's binoculars. 

"You haven't spoken to me since morning Ren, " reminded Sawyer looking pissed off.

Renée wanted to laugh inwardly. So he noticed that she was on a new mission, Ignore Sawyer. "Nothing on purpose. I'd been busy, " she told him. Of course, she couldn't tell him that she was angry with him for not kissing her! Her love story was stuck at one chapter with no hopes of moving forward.

Sawyer looked at her with disbelief. "Really now? What have you been busy with may I know?" He asked suspiciously.

"Oh this and that, " she told him, not able to think of anything else under his hot scrutiny. "Why are we alone on this boat, Sawyer?" She asked him with a glare.

"Can't we enjoy a boat ride together, Ren?" Said Sawyer, looking at her tenderly. Renée shook her head.

"Only couples do. See, Rhett and Adel there? Ryder and Anna, there," pointed out Renée.

"No, that's not true, Rex, Ryan and Rihanna are also enjoying a boat ride together. So why can't we?" He argued. Renée's shoulders slumped as she gave up arguing.

"Okay enjoy then, " she told him grumpy. Sawyer chuckled at her childishness. Rihanna's words came to his mind. He wouldn't definitely try to win his family and get them to agree to his relationship with her. He wouldn't give up without trying.

"Don't you like this place? Look around Ren," said Sawyer, his eyes holding a tenderness as he looked at her. He wanted to say so much to her. He wanted to be the man she wished him to be. He wanted to be everything to her. He wanted to tell that to her but all he did was sit tongue-tied, watching her helplessly.

"I love it only because you're with me," she sighed. It was useless ignoring him. It only made her heart feel choked and heavy. It only saddened her.

"I could say the same for you, " he told her quietly, his eyes not leaving hers. Renée looked away confused by the storm that she saw brewing in his eyes. He did feel something for her that was for sure.

"Say it then," she whispered.

Sawyer only rowed the boat in silence. The sound of the oars hitting against the waters and surging the boat forward echoed in the air. The birds cries for their mates, the huge trees swaying in the soft, cold breeze, made her want to live in such a remote place with Sawyer, forever. If only Sawyer would once confess to her, tell her that he loved her.

But Sawyer didn't say a thing after that! Renée waited and waited till at last the good times were over and it was time to return to the cottage and pack up. He tied the boat at the small pier and Renée climbed out of it, more disappointed than she was while climbing into it a few minutes back.

Everyone helped pack up. They had to pack up their trash too and carry it back out of the forest with them. At last they were done and handing the keys to one of the staff who had come over for the keys, they drove home. Ryder drove Sawyer's truck with Renée and Anastasia and Sawyer himself. Renée was too quiet after that boat ride. She had expected him to say something but when he didn't, she felt heartbroken again.

Ryder dropped Anastasia to her house and then drove home. Renée went up to her room while the others showed granny and their parents the photographs that they had clicked. She sobbed into her pillow. She wouldn't talk to Sawyer about her feelings any more. At the dinner table too she quietly had her dinner eager to get away from it all.

"Renée, why aren't you eating?" Asked her mom, worriedly.

"I'm too exhausted mom. I just need to sleep right now," she lied. Sawyer looked at her with concern but Renée simply ignored his existence. Anastasia was right. There was no point rubbing her feelings in his face again and again. She should let him miss her.

"Eat and then go to sleep, sweetie. Don't sleep on an empty stomach, " said her mom. Renée nodded and ate a little. She excused herself and walked away towards the kitchen to rinse her plate. Then she walked away to her room without a backward glance at Sawyer.

As she lay down on her bed, she could hear soft knocks on her door. She feigned sleep not wanting to talk to anyone, who ever it was. Sawyer walked away dejectedly from her door, back to his room. He now felt guilty for hurting her.