by Tia Souders
Rhett’s head whipped up at the sound. “Did you hear—”
Another shriek interrupted him, and it was all Rhett needed for confirmation. He took off toward Mountainview Cabin in a sprint. His boots pounded the ground along with the drumming of his pulse.
Another shriek followed when he spotted Danny stumbling from the cover of pines behind the cabin, glancing over her shoulder as she ran.
He moved faster, nearly crashing into her as he came to a halt and grabbed her by the shoulders. Her body trembled and her big blue eyes were wild with fear as she continued to look behind her.
“What? What is it?” Rhett snapped.
Danny pointed with a shaking hand. “There. In the trees . . . a—a—a wolf.”
“A wolf? Are you sure?” Rhett frowned and glanced at the tree line.
Montana hadn’t had a problem with wolves in a long time. They’d been all but wiped out in the last century and had just begun to repopulate. While it wasn’t out of the question, it seemed unlikely.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Danny snapped, shoving a lock of dark hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear. “I know what a wolf looks like.”
She wore a paint splattered apron over her clothes, and her cheeks pinkened as she spoke. “I went to dump a pail of dirty water and it scared the crap out of me. I think this one might be rabid or something. Its tongue is lolling out of the side of its mouth, and it looked like it was drooling.”
“Uh . . . Did it, by chance, have an unusually short tail, like something might’ve happened to it?” Houston asked over Rhett’s shoulder.
Rhett glanced behind him. He should’ve figured his brother would be two steps behind. Houston never could resist a damsel in distress.
Danny’s eyes widened. “You’ve seen it before?”
Houston nodded, his expression apologetic, while Rhett nearly burst out into laughter. Apparently, he had brought his dog with him, which wasn’t a surprise. Houston and his ball of fleas were practically inseparable; he took him everywhere.
Rhett managed to keep a straight face as he said, “Hou, hurry, grab my rifle from the house.”
Houston’s brow furrowed. “Your rifle, but—”
Rhett shot him a glare to zip it.
“You have to shoot it?” Danny asked, wringing her hands in front of her, eyes wide as the moon.
Rhett nodded somberly, but inside, he was quaking with suppressed laughter at her petrified expression.
Oh this was just too easy.
But one glance back at Houston, and his joy faded. One look told him if he didn’t end his fun right now, Houston would.
With a sigh, he walked past Danny with a straight face, toward the pines, stuck two fingers between his lips and whistled. “Bean,” he hollered between his cupped hands.
Two seconds later, the dog emerged from the woods, ran past Danny, who jumped ten feet in the air, then loyally stopped at Houston’s side.
Houston, who was apparently more of a gentleman than Rhett, simply flashed Danny a sympathetic smile while Rhett burst out into laughter.
He bent forward and slapped his knees as he witnessed the slow transformation from fear to embarrassment cross Danny’s face.
“So . . . ” she said, pointing as she caught up. “Bean is a dog. Not a wolf.”
Rhett spluttered as he straightened. “Yeah. He’s a billion years old and about as harmless as a kitten.”
As if on cue, Bean rolled over onto his back and whined for belly rubs.
“But, but . . . “ Danny stuttered, stretching an arm toward the dog.
“He’s a Czechoslovakian Wolfdog. They look notoriously like a wolf,” Houston said kindly. “Another dog attacked him a few years back, and he barely fought back, which is how he lost part of his tail.”
“Oh.” Danny visibly deflated, and Rhett almost felt sorry for her.
Almost.
Her entire face turned bright red as he chuckled once more and she shot him a look that could kill.
“You should’ve seen the look on your face.” Rhett wheezed.
Danny stepped forward, her lips pressed into a thin line. “You were going to let me believe it was a wolf, weren’t you? But your brother had the decency to stop your little charade.”
“It was funny,” Rhett defended himself. He hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time.
“Oh, real funny.” Danny stomped toward him and pulled the paint covered apron up over her neck, then crumbled it into a ball and shoved it into his chest. “What happened to a fair shot, huh?”
“You’re overreacting.”
“Really, is this how you treat all your employees?”
“Danny, it was just a joke,” he said, realizing it was the first time he used her name.
“Yeah, it was real funny. Har-har-har,” she yelled, waving her hands out in front of her, but Rhett was no longer listening. He couldn’t tell you a word she was saying because he was too distracted by her long legs, the ones that had been hidden by her smock, the ones that were now clearly on display.
Up until now, Rhett had only ever seen her in jeans and baggy t-shirts, but her cutoff shorts and tank top revealed far more skin, and he suddenly found it hard to concentrate.
“Are you even listening?” she yelled.
“Uh . . . ”
Danny ripped her hair from its ponytail, causing it to spill over her shoulders in thick waves.
Rhett’s gaze shifted from her tan, lean legs to her face and all that thick, dark hair. “What?”
Danny growled and marched past him. “I’m taking my break, but maybe you’ll get lucky,” she shouted over her shoulder. “Maybe I won’t come back.”
Once she was gone, Rhett exhaled. He probably shouldn’t have teased her so much, but then he glanced down at the apron in his hands and smirked.
Behind him, Houston clucked his tongue. “Now I get it.”
Rhett’s head whipped up to his brother. He’d almost forgotten he was still standing there. “Get what?”
“Tess was right.”
Rhett scoffed. “Tess is rarely right.”
“You’re rude to everyone these days.”
Rhett opened his mouth to protest, but Houston cut him off. “But you’re a total jerk to Danny. Tess said you tried to make her quit. For someone who could really use the help, that seems pretty counterproductive. And now I know why.”
What the heck was he rambling about?
“Want to share your hypothesis with me, genius?” Rhett snapped.
Houston sauntered toward him. His eyes glittered with his newfound revelation. “You have the hots for her.”
“That’s insane,” Rhett grumbled.
“Is it? Because from where I was standing, that’s what it looked like to me.” Houston smiled and crossed his arms over his chest. “You are so incredibly attracted to her, you can’t help but snap at her. Nothing scares you more or threatens your miserable life right now than the prospect of happiness, especially if it involves a woman.”
“Whatever.” He didn’t have time to stand around and listen to this nonsense. Not when there was work to be done, and Houston was so monumentally wrong.
“Are we gonna talk all day or stack hay?” With that, Rhett huffed and stalked off toward the barns.
HOURS LATER, RHETT angrily made his way back to the lodge, his earlier glee at Danny’s embarrassment long forgotten with a healthy dose of his own. Even unloading hay hadn’t cooled his fire.
Had Rhett been too hard on her? She had just recovered from a life-threatening allergic reaction, after all. Maybe he should’ve had a little more sympathy, cut her some slack, and told her politely the second he realized that what she saw was actually Houston’s dog. Anyone could’ve made the mistake. But instead, he took the opportunity to make her feel stupid. Why?
He needed the help, and it’s not like the job paid all that well. He should be grateful she’d offered to step in. Yet he was intent on getting rid of her.
Danny’
s words stuck in his craw all morning.
You are so incredibly attracted to her, you can’t help but snap at her.
Crap. Was Houston right?
CHAPTER 8
Noah leaned across the bench seat of his old Chevy and popped his head out of the passenger window. “You sure you don’t want me to come back and get you in a bit?”
Danny smiled, squinting up at him through the glare of the sun. She ran into Noah on her morning walk through the resort property and they got to talking. According to him, he’d just dropped in to grab his paycheck, though Danny had her doubts. Tess had catered a special brunch for a bridal shower this morning, and Danny had seen the way Noah watched Tess when she wasn’t looking. He was the picture of a lovesick puppy, and she’d bet anything he stopped by just to see her.
Danny smiled and gestured to the little canvas cart she found in one of the cabin closets that would be perfect for hauling her purchases. “I’m sure. I’ve got this to help me out, and it’s only two miles from the ranch. Besides, the weather’s gorgeous, and I don’t mind the walk.”
He nodded. “Okay, but if you change your mind, give me a call.” Then he tipped his hat and pulled away.
Danny turned and inhaled the fresh summer air as she looked out into the little town of Cedar Falls. It was her first time downtown since her arrival. Her first week and a half there, she relied on the ranch’s restaurant for her meals, but since she was staying for the unforeseeable future, she figured she’d better put the cabin’s little kitchen to the test.
She scanned the layout of the small town, which appeared to be in the shape of a giant square. There were quaint shops lined with sidewalks. A smattering of people strolled, unhurried to their destination, some lingering on the metal benches, to-go cups in their grip. Pines, cedars, and redwoods dotted the landscape while the Rocky Mountains stood like sentinels against the backdrop of a bright blue sky.
It was beautiful, Danny mused, and even though she’d been in Cedar Falls less than two weeks, she already preferred the majesty of the mountains and slow pace of a small town to the awe of city skyscrapers and the hustle and bustle of city life.
Danny wheeled her cart to a bicycle rack on the end of the sidewalk and left it, hoping it didn’t get stolen, seeing as how she didn’t have a lock. Then, she continued down the sidewalk, taking in her surroundings.
The shops ran the gamut from a pizza shop and clothing boutiques to eclectic gift shops. Danny popped in and out of several places. She purchased a novel, a candle for her cabin, and some scented handmade soaps. People smiled at her as they passed, some nodding and murmuring good morning as they drifted by. A family of four—clearly tourists—posed for pictures, capturing the mountain peaks in the background. Kids screamed from a swing set next to a bakery across the street, and it amazed Danny just how easily she could picture life here.
Her heart pinched. Cedar Falls was the perfect place to raise a family.
If only she wasn’t so far removed from having one of her own.
After tasting some chocolates from the Sweet Shop and sipping a chai tea from The Teacup, Danny found her rollaway cart exactly where she left it and made her way to the town grocery store, Fresh Market.
Dragging her cart behind her, she took her time, pursuing the aisles of the well-lit grocery. She loaded up on pasta, chicken and deli meats, along with some fresh fruits and veggies for a salad. She splurged on a chocolate cream pie and fresh bread from the bakery, then headed toward the wine where she chose a nice cabernet and pinot, ignoring that niggling voice in the back of her that reminded her she had no one special to share it with.
Once she finished, she made her way toward one of two open checkout lines, then paused at a display of fresh flowers, and waved another shopper to go ahead as she picked through the selection and settled on a bouquet of mixed gerber daisies.
Setting them in her cart, she took a place in line and noticed the man in front of her checking out for the first time. She tried not to stare at the mottled skin on the side of his face or the angry and pock-marked skin, full of scars. His dark hair hung in a frizzy mess around his head and in his eyes, while an unkempt gray and black beard framed his face.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured as he dropped a coin.
The cashier smiled. “It’s okay, Bones. Take your time.”
Danny glanced down at the conveyor belt to see the man’s lone tuna sandwich from the deli, and something twisted in her gut.
The man fumbled through a pocketful of change, handing coins to the cashier, followed by two crumpled dollar bills. Tremors shook his hands as he retrieved his sandwich, murmured his thanks, and then shuffled off.
“Don’t worry about him. He’s harmless.”
Danny’s head jerked in the cashier’s direction. She hadn’t realized she’d been staring and blushed at having been caught. “Oh, I—uh—sorry,” she said with an impish smile.
“It’s okay. Bones can scare out-of-towners sometimes.”
“Bones?”
“Yeah. Name is Clarence, but as long as I can remember, folks around here call him Bones. Guests don’t expect to see homeless here in Cedar Falls, and though he has a trailer a couple miles outside of town, if you saw him sittin’ on the street corner with a bottle of Jack, you’d surely think him homeless.”
A bottle of Jack.
Danny glanced out the store window where he stood, silently eating his sandwich on the sidewalk. Even from here, she could see his hands shaking.
“Is he—?”
“Hooked on the bottle?” the cashier said, following her gaze. “Sad, ain’t it? Some folks don’t like him hangin’ round cuz they think he scares the tourists, but we don’t get many tourists venturing outside Montana Wild anyway. Those folks just don’t like ‘im cuz he’s different. Most of us, though, don’t mind ‘im. He’s harmless as a fly and sweet as honey. Any man been through that much deserves a little grace, if you ask me. May as well get used to him. You’ll probably see him a time or two on your way into town. He lives just around the corner from the ranch. I assume that’s where you’re staying?”
Danny nodded absently at her question, then swallowed, feeling a pang of sympathy for the man before she forced herself to look away and focus back on her groceries.
“You visiting long?” she asked.
“Maybe.” Danny smiled. “I don’t know yet. A couple weeks at least, but I’m here for the time being.”
The cashier scanned Danny’s things slowly, in no rush as she glanced back up at her and narrowed her eyes. “Hey, are you that new woman staying down at Montana Wild? The one that went to the hospital?”
Danny blushed. “You—how did you know?”
The cashier snorted. “Who around here doesn’t know, honey. Welcome to Cedar Falls, where everyone’s business is our business.”
At Danny’s horrified expression, the woman laughed and waved her away. “Oh, don’t worry ‘bout it. I’m Brenda.” She reached out, offering Danny her hand, which Danny took.
“Danielle Roberts, but you can call me Danny.”
“Alright, Danny it is,” she said, scanning Danny’s wine. “How are you liking Cedar Falls so far? I hope everyone’s treating you all right.”
“For the most part.” Danny chuckled as Rhett’s scowl flashed in her head. “This is my first time off the resort though, so I haven’t met a lot of the locals other than the staff at the ranch.”
Brenda grunted. “Sounds like you need to go to The Water Hole.”
“The Water Hole?”
Brenda nodded. “It’s where all the locals go on the weekends. If you’re looking for a drink, food, conversation, or some good music, that’s where you go. I mean, Montana Wild is nice for guests. They’ve got everything ya need, but I heard you’re thinking of staying?”
Danny handed Brenda her credit card and frowned. “Where’d you hear that?”
“Tess said you’ve taken a job.”
“Word does move fast.” Danny wasn�
�t entirely sure how she felt about that.
“Like I said,” Brenda grinned, “small town, open ears, and big mouths.”
Danny grimaced, wondering what else has been said about her. “Well, let’s just say I’m figuring it out.”
Brenda nodded and handed Danny her receipt and card, then helped her gather her bags and place them in her cart while Danny placed the meat in an insulated bag to keep them cold.
“Well, like I said, check out The Water Hole. On the weekends in the summer, they have live bands and dancing. If someone goes out for the night, it’s either out of Cedar Falls to a bigger town, or they go to The Water Hole.”
Danny grinned. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
She bid her goodbye, then wheeled her cart toward the exit, taking extra care to ensure she didn’t lose any of her items over the lip of the automatic doors. The cart jostled and she nearly lost a jar of spaghetti sauce before it hit the ground.
Free of the doorway, she turned back around when her arm caught something solid, followed by a grunting noise. She gasped and jumped back in time to see Bones, his hands now empty and trembling in front of him while the remnants of his tuna sandwich was splat on the cement.
“Oh my gosh.” Danny covered her gaping mouth with one hand, her eyes wide as she looked up from the desiccated sandwich to the face of the man they called Bones. “I’m so so sorry.”
She reached out, but when he flinched, she instantly drew her hand back. “I wasn’t looking,” she stammered. “I didn’t mean to run into you. Let me buy you a new sandwich.”
She rummaged through her purse for some cash, but he held a hand up and stopped her. “That won’t be necessary, Miss. It’s okay,” he mumbled as he stared at the ground.
“No, please. I insist.” Danny pulled a ten-dollar bill out of her wallet and thrust it toward him. “I ruined your lunch. The least I can do is buy you a fresh sandwich.”
Bones shook his head, but his gaze remained steadfast on his feet. “I said it’s okay. I don’t need no charity.”
Danny swallowed. “It’s not charity. I—” Her words fell flat as he started to walk away.
