Only You (Love In Montana Book 6)

Renée shook her head. She wouldn't hug him. She was angry with him for not coming home on her birthday. Sawyer watched her wanting to groan out loud and simply pull her into his arms.

"C'mon Ren. I'm waiting," he reminded her softly.

"No, I won't hug you. Why didn't you come on my birthday? I waited for you the whole day, " she whispered, almost to herself but Sawyer heard her distinctly. He felt like a criminal being punished at a court of law!

"I'm sorry. Now can you give me a hug, please?" He pleaded with her. Renée nodded shyly and wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. Sawyer released the breath that he was holding and pulled her close to him. A groan escaped his mouth. At last she was in his arms and it felt like heaven! If he had the choice, he'd never let her go. He could hold her like this forever!

"I know I'm late but nevertheless, happy birthday Ren!" He said softly into her hair. Her hold on him tightened as she just clung onto him, refusing to let him go. One of his arms released her and delved into the pocket of his jeans. He fished out a small pouch from his pocket and held it out to her. "I got this for you. Won't you take a look?" He asked her gently. An ecstatic Renée released him and looked at what he was holding out for her. She picked the pouch like an excited child who had unearthed some treasure. Opening it, she gasped seeing a silver ring inside. It had her name engraved with a small pearl embedded in the middle.

"This is for me?" She asked with disbelief. Sawyer nodded.

"Yes. I worked part time for the last six months after college to earn enough to buy it for you," he told her, taking the ring from her fingers and placing it onto her middle finger but she pulled it off and placed it on her ring finger.

"I love it. Thank you Sawyer. Is it an engagement ring?" She asked excitedly. Sawyer gaped at her.

"You want to be engaged to me?" He asked, holding his breath with excitement.

"Yes, obviously," she told him, as two bright spots appeared on her cheeks.

"Why?" He asked, his heart beating faster and faster.

"'Coz I love you Sawyer. Not like the cousin kind of love. I'm in love with you, I always have been. It will never change, " she explained with conviction. Sawyer's mouth hung open at her words, at the sincerity that he saw in her eyes. He had known that she adored him but love? Was he ready to have a relationship with the grand daughter of a man who had done everything for him? He couldn't deceive Joe Wilson, he couldn't betray his trust. He had to stop this madness here and now.

"Ren, you're very young. I'm sure that the crush that you have on me will go away with time. You deserve someone better than me. I don't feel the same for you and I never will. This ring isn't an engagement ring as you think it is. It's just a thing which I liked at the shop and the only thing that I could afford," said Sawyer although it was only the half truth. He didn't like the other stuff that he could afford so he spent all his earnings as well as his savings to have this especially made for her. But he couldn't give her hope so he had to hide that from her. He couldn't tell her how precious she was to him. Renée's face paled at his cruel rejection. Her heart shattered into a million pieces and crashed all around her. She smiled with difficulty with tears in her eyes.

"You think this is a crush that I'll easily forget, right?" She asked, her voice cracking with the hurt that choked her entire throat.

"Please Renée, trust me. You will feel differently ten years later as you grow and mature, " he explained with desperation. "Let's go home, it's late already. I don't want a grizzly attacking us," he joked but Renée only noticed the way he used her full name. She knew he did it only when he was either angry or upset with her.

"I'm not a child, Sawyer. I know what I feel. We can grow physically but our hearts don't forget who they love. Anyway, let's go home," she said, whirling around and mounting Cinnamon. She didn't wait for him, galloping away towards home with tears streaming down her face. One can get over anything in life but the pain of rejection at the hands of one's first love is too difficult to get over. Renée cried in the dark still night with no one watching her. She had no idea where Sawyer was, she just couldn't stand a minute in front of him. She didn't wish yo breakdown in front of him. She wiped her eyes and entered the stables and handed Cinnamon to the ranch hand present. Dashing out of the stables before Sawyer came in, she ran at the back of the house to the barn nearby. She went inside and lay down on the haystack, breaking down miserably,  sobbing uncontrollably.

Sawyer's words kept going on inside her head and she just couldn't control the sobs that came out of her soul. She realized that Sawyer didn't love her like she loved him. His words kept going on inside her head.

I don't feel the same for you and I never will.

She broke down more knowing that while she couldn't love another, Sawyer would never feel anything for her in this lifetime. She was doomed for life. Despite what Sawyer told her, she knew that her heart would never get over this pain. It felt like a dull ache which wouldn't go away. Seconds passed into minutes and minutes into hours when she suddenly heard Rhett calling her name out. Maybe he was searching for her, she realized. Wiping her eyes and calming herself considerably, she came out of the barn and went straight home. Thankfully no one was near the back door. She made a dash for her room which she shared with River. Since River was somewhere downstairs, she had the room to herself. She dashed towards the washroom to freshen up and fix her appearance. Her gaze fell upon the ring Sawyer gave her.

"If you don't love me at all then why did you give me such an expensive ring? You could have given me what all my brothers gave? Why did you have to make me feel so precious? Only to hurt me later?" She mumbled looking at her tear stained face in the mirror.

Sawyer was worried sick when he returned home after an hour. He saw her reach home from a distance and then dismounted from his horse and sat down at the back of the stables and broke down considerably for having to hurt her this way.

"Sorry Ren. I couldn't be what you wanted me to be. It's better this way, there's no hope for us," said Sawyer to himself.

After calming his broken heart, he went back home but he was surprised to know that Renée still hadn't come home. Where could she have gone?

"I sent her home an hour ago, granny," he told her with concern.

"But she hasn't come in yet. River has checked everywhere," said Rihanna, watching Sawyer's broken down expression. He was in high spirits when he had gone to look for her so what happened to the two of them? Did they fight? She thought of asking Sawyer later when he was alone.

"Oh, I'll go and look for her," said Sawyer with a sigh.

"No, you stay. I'll go and get her home," said Rhett. Sawyer nodded and sat down beside his granny with relief. He couldn't face her at the moment. He would have to ignore her from now onwards. That was the only way she would forget him and move on. Rhett went out to look for her but after twenty minutes came home empty-handed.

"I didn't find her anywhere mom," he told his mother, Ruth Wilson. She glanced at Helena Wilson who was Renée's mom.

"What do we do?" She asked her.

"I'll inform the sheriff, " said Renée's dad, Kendrick Wilson.

"I think we should first check the whole house," suggested aunt Katherine. They all agreed and Rihanna and Ryder and River started looking everywhere for Renée.

Rihanna found her in the washroom and scolded her. "Renée, what are you doing here? The whole family is going crazy looking for you and you're hiding here? We were about to call the sheriff," scolded Rihanna. Renée gave her a lost look.

"I'm sorry. I fell down and hurt myself. It's not so serious so I was just resting," said Renée.

"Come down if you're better, " said Rihanna, seeing her disheveled appearance. Renée accompanied her downstairs and her eyes immediately flew towards Sawyer who was sitting with their granny but he wasn't looking at her. He was lost in his mobile.

The next few days flew by amidst Christmas celebrations. The whole family gathered around and enjoyed the holidays together but Renée kept to herself. All the happiness had been wrenched out of her heart. Sawyer was just the opposite. He ignored her and enjoyed, laughed and had the time of his life completely unaffected by the turmoil that she was undergoing.