Montana Wishes

by Amy Vastine

  Blake followed Hadley back outside while Lily and Amanda took some pictures of their own to send to the other sisters. Amanda and Georgie had already been texting all morning about Blake’s behind. Georgie recommended a soak in a hot tub to relieve his soreness from that horse race yesterday. That quickly turned into Georgie asking a million questions about the ranch and the wedding and Conner.

  A woman carrying a black leather portfolio jumped out of an ATV. “Oh good, you are here,” she said, looking a bit frazzled in her jeans and flannel shirt. Her hair was in a loose ponytail. “I need your signature on this.” She held out the portfolio for Hadley.

  “Sorry,” Hadley said. “I looked for you this morning, but you weren’t in the office.”

  “I’m having a day. We have a sick baby boy at home, and Ethan said he needed to be here early because he had to check on one of the horses that’s been recovering from some treatment he’s being doing. I had to wait until Sarah Ashley could come and help me out.”

  “Oh, Grace, I’m so sorry. Poor Eli. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

  Grace put her hand on Hadley’s shoulder and looked at Blake. “If you were having any doubts, this is why you should let her plan your wedding here. This woman is amazing and will go above and beyond for you.”

  “She is doing a great job of winning me over,” Blake said.

  “Grace, this is Blake Collins. He’s here with Amanda, Lily’s sister.” Hadley waved a hand in Amanda’s direction. Lily exited the barn behind Amanda and waved hello.

  “Oh, Lily! Hi! I didn’t realize you were the ones taking the tour.”

  “Grace is Ethan’s wife,” Lily explained to Amanda.

  Blake watched as Amanda acted pleased to meet another Blackwell. She was good at putting on a happy face. She would be an expert by the end of this trip.

  “Will we see you at dinner?” Lily asked Grace. They were supposed to go to Jon Blackwell’s house tonight for dinner so they could meet all of the Blackwell cousins and their families. Blake knew Amanda was dreading it.

  “I have to send Ethan solo. The last thing my sisters-in-law will want is for Eli to pass his illness on to the rest of the cousins.”

  “Good thinking,” Hadley said.

  Grace took the portfolio from Hadley and smiled in Amanda’s direction. “Well, at least I got to meet you. Lily has told us so much about you and your sisters. We’ve all been looking forward to meeting everyone. How long are you guys here for?”

  “We planned for a couple weeks. I wanted to help Lily with some of the wedding planning, but I didn’t realize she had a Hadley to do all the work.”

  “Everyone needs a Hadley in their life,” Grace said. “I seriously don’t know what we’re going to do when she goes on maternity leave. Which you should think about, Lily. You have until the end of the year or you are going to have to wait until spring.”

  “Conner and I were thinking a Christmas wedding, so we’re cutting it close but still under the wire.”

  “Oh, we’re good at Christmas weddings,” Grace said. “I have to head back to the lodge and finish up some business so I can get back home to my little guy. I’ll see you all around, I’m sure.”

  “It was nice to meet you,” Amanda said. “I hope Eli is feeling better soon.”

  Grace got back on her ATV, and Hadley led the rest of them to the patio to finish their tour. As nice as this all was, something still felt off. Blake couldn’t put his finger on it. Amanda was right about Nadia loving it. She texted back that it was gorgeous. She added lots of exclamation points. Still, when he imagined his wedding day, he couldn’t see himself standing in the wedding barn.

  As the ladies talked about themes and centerpieces, Blake closed his eyes and tried to picture his wedding day. When he really thought about what he wanted, he saw himself standing by the ocean. He could almost smell the salt water in the air and feel the sunshine on his skin. His feet would be bare and so would his bride’s. When he looked down the aisle she was there walking toward him dressed in white with her blond hair in an updo so the sun could kiss her tan shoulders. She would smile at him with the smile that made his heart beat faster, and those blue eyes would lock with his.

  Amanda.

  Blake’s eyes snapped open as the panic set in.

  Lily nudged him with her elbow. “You all right there, big guy?”

  No one could read minds. There was no way any of them had a clue what had just happened inside his head.

  “Are you okay for real?” Amanda stood in front of him and placed a hand on his cheek. “Your face just got real pale. Do you need to sit down for a second?”

  Her touch sent electric currents through his body. He never felt this way with anyone other than Amanda. He held her face in his hands. What he wouldn’t do to be able to kiss those lips and tell her how he truly felt. She stared at him with a mixture of concern and confusion in her eyes.

  What terrible thing could happen if he kissed her? How could she deny this magnetic pull that existed between them? If he was honest, maybe she would be, too. All he had to do was put his lips on hers.

  Snap!

  Nothing like fingers snapped right in front of the face to wake a person up. Blake let her go instantly.

  “What was that for?”

  “I don’t know. You were in a weird trance or something,” Amanda said, stepping away from him. “Are you okay? You’re freaking me out.”

  Hadley had brought a chair outside. “Sit down for a minute.”

  Blake didn’t want to sit. His backside was still hurting from the runaway horse yesterday.

  “Sit,” Lily insisted.

  He cautiously took a seat. What had come over him? This was much too much like the night of The Incident. He needed to remember how very clear Amanda had been that they could only be friends. Admitting that he was in love with her would be the end of their friendship. She would not be able to be around him knowing how strong his feelings were when hers were not.

  “Here, drink this,” Hadley said, handing him a bottle of water. “Maybe you’re dehydrated. That happens when you’re at this elevation. Falcon Creek is a little higher up than San Diego. Your body needs time to adjust.”

  Blake decided to pretend that she was right. Elevation sickness could easily be the cause of his strange behavior. No one would need to be wise to the fact that he was secretly in love with his best friend and clearly imagined his perfect wedding to be his and hers. He was definitely going to keep that to himself.

  With the wedding barn visited and scrapbooks viewed, Amanda and Blake had Hadley book them an appointment at the spa. The Blackwell Ranch had converted an outbuilding into a full-service facility. It was perfect for brides-to-be and their entourages, as well as just right for guests who went a little too hard during the horseback-riding tour.

  Hadley made sure they got the works on the house. Full body massage, facial and aromatherapy. Blake loved to be pampered. He played hard and liked his self-care to be just as extreme.

  “My whole body feels so relaxed. I’m like Jell-O,” Amanda said as she closed her eyes while they finished out their spa time in the hot tub.

  “Your sister was so right about me needing to soak in a hot bath. We might be in heaven right now.”

  The sound of Amanda’s giggle was the cherry on top of this happiness sundae. He reached underwater and grabbed Amanda’s leg, lifting her foot up onto his knee. Her eyes flew open.

  He started to massage her foot. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you hurting today because of those shoes you put on this morning.”

  She relaxed and let out a satisfied sigh as he rubbed just under her toes. “Of course you did. You always notice,” she said, letting her eyes close again.

  “The woman who gave me my massage showed me this trick. You just have to put your elbow into it.” He pretended to
massage her foot with his elbow. She laughed and squirmed, attempting to pull her foot away. He tugged on it and she slipped off the seat and got dunked in the process. She popped up and wiped the water out of her eyes.

  “Dude! Not cool.” She splashed him.

  Putting his hands in front of his face to protect himself, he begged her to stop. “It was an accident. Stop!”

  She lunged at him and wrapped her arms around his neck in an attempt to dunk him. He put his hands on her waist and she stopped. He had to fight the urge to pull her closer, knowing that would be wrong. Why did wrong have to feel like the most right thing in his life?

  “We should probably get out,” she said, pulling away.

  “Let’s stay a little longer,” he begged. “I promise I won’t mess with you. Let’s just relax.”

  She sat back down across from him. He had been such a liar the other day when he told Lily he had never loved anyone as much as he loved Nadia. Nothing would ever compare to how he felt about Amanda.

  “It seems like your sister is going to be okay out here. How are you doing with that?”

  Amanda lifted one of her shoulders. “I think if Mom was still here, I wouldn’t be having such a hard time. I’m tired of loss. I can’t take much more. I need something that’s going to add to my life, not take away.”

  “When your dad and Big E come back with Thomas, he could be a positive addition to your life.”

  She shook her head. “Doubt it. I don’t know why they think that even if they find him, he’s going to suddenly decide he wants to be part of our lives. He walked out on us. All that revelation has done for me is add to my fear that I’m destined to be alone.”

  “What?” He moved next to her. “That’s not true. You’re not going to be alone.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  Her insecurity confused him. “The only way you would end up alone is if you chose to be. There are plenty of people in your life who want to be in it. Like me, for example.”

  She pressed her lips together as if she was holding something in. She did that when she was afraid of starting a fight. Why would she argue about that with him? He was having none of it.

  “Harrison, you’re stuck with me. Not to mention there’s some guy out there who is going to marry you and—” make me jealous “—you’re going to live happily ever after.”

  “Right,” she said, but her tone clearly disagreed.

  “Come on. You haven’t met Mr. Right yet. That doesn’t mean you aren’t going to.”

  “I said you’re right. I’m going to get out. I can feel my fingers starting to prune.”

  All the tension that the massage had worked out of his body seemed to return the second she got out of the hot tub. There was something she wasn’t telling him. He was going to find out what it was before they left this ranch. Heaven help him.

  CHAPTER NINE

  “IS THIS TOO CASUAL?” Amanda stood in front of the mirror. Her hair was flat. Lifeless. Why couldn’t she have gorgeous golden locks like Hadley? Hadley had fun hair. She probably rolled out of bed, gave it a quick tousle, and it was perfect. Everything Hadley did was perfect. She was amazing at her job, sweet to everyone around her and would probably have a baby that wouldn’t ever fuss or cry.

  “I think you look beautiful.” Blake smiled at her in the mirror. Dressed in a pale blue button-down and his worn-out jeans, he was the beautiful one. “Are you ready to go? I’m pretty sure I heard Conner’s truck pull up.”

  “I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready.” She spun around to face him. He also had perfectly tousled hair. It was like he just combed his fingers through it, shook his head and was instantly transformed into a hot surfer dude.

  He cocked his head and frowned. “If you go to dinner tonight, you meet all of the Blackwells in one swoop. If you don’t go, you have to spread it out—meet one here, one there. Bump into one in the dining hall, get introduced to another in town. You will be in constant torture.”

  Blake was handsome and smart. Nadia better appreciate everything he had to offer.

  “I would rather get it over all at once. I’m a big fan of ripping the bandage off.” She squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. “Let’s go meet Lily’s new family.”

  “Would you look at that, ladies and gentlemen,” Blake said in his best sports announcer voice. “Harrison is digging her heels in and completely denying the Blackwells are her family, as well. There’s no telling how long she’ll be able to keep this up, but she seems determined to live in denial forever.”

  “Just because we have a tiny bit of the same blood in our veins does not make us family. Family is the people you’ve created memories with, the people who have cared for you and let you care for them. It’s the people who are there for you when you need them, the ones who don’t run away or leave a wife and five little girls all alone.” The more she thought about her biological dad, the more her blood boiled. He’d left when her mom was pregnant with Fiona. Who did that? Not anyone Amanda wanted to be related to.

  “These Blackwells don’t know Thomas any more than you do. He was never part of their lives. You can’t blame them for his bad behavior.” He took her hand and tugged her out of the bedroom. “Even if you had been raised by your biological dad, you wouldn’t have known about this part of your family until Big E figured it all out. Do you think you’d be more open to them if that had been the case?”

  “You’re making my head hurt with all your rational thoughts and sensible points of view,” she complained with a smirk. He had a way of making things easier. Except for when he made them hard by being so wonderful that she wished she could be with him forever.

  “Let’s go meet these Blackwells and make them wish they could all move down to San Diego and open some big beach resort where they give wave-runner tours instead of horseback-riding ones. They’re going to want to hang out with us all the time because we are so cool.”

  “Right, so cool.” She’d try to tell herself that when she was dining with the perfect Blackwells.

  Jonathan Blackwell was the oldest Blackwell brother. He did not have a twin like the other four did, but he did have twins. Two sets. He also had his own spread not far from the Blackwell Ranch. Conner parked behind a familiar-looking pickup truck belonging to Tyler and Hadley. Next to it was an Audi Q8, which seemed quite out of place on a Montana ranch.

  Four little girls were playing outside with a black-and-white border collie. Their giggles and squeals squeezed Amanda’s heart. She was literally walking into the world she wanted more than anything and could never have. The girls ran up to them as soon as they noticed the newcomers were there.

  “Are you Lily’s sister?” one of the older girls asked Amanda.

  “I am.”

  “You guys are twins like me and Gen.”

  “Well, kind of. Lily and I are identical, but we actually had one more sister at the same time, making us triplets.”

  “Three babies at the same time?” Sweet Rosie’s eyes were as big as quarters. “Mama K only has one baby. No fair.”

  “No fair!” repeated the littlest of the cousin crew. She couldn’t have been more than three years old.

  “Poppy, you and Rosie can be twins, okay?” Gen said.

  “Yay!” The little girl seemed to love the idea that she and her cousin could magically be twins. Rosie, on the other hand, clearly knew that she could not be twins with a three-year-old.

  Lily appeared and did the introductions. “I’m going to wow you with my ability to tell you who is who and who their mommies and daddies are. I know Gen and Abby live here. They belong to Jon,” she said, placing a hand on the top of each twin’s head. “You met Rosie already. And this little one is Poppy, and her mom is Rachel, who is married to Ben.”

  “Eli is sick. He couldn’t come. He’s a baby like our babies,” Abby explained.

 
That was a lot of babies with two more on the way. Amanda’s soul ached. Sadness and regret crept over her all the faster when surrounded by all of these children.

  “Do you have any babies?” Rosie asked. It was an innocent question but a killer at the same time.

  Amanda could only shake her head. If she tried to speak, it was quite possible she would begin to sob.

  “No babies in our family yet,” Lily answered. “But you guys just wait. In a few years my sisters and I might have a whole bunch of babies like you do.”

  Conner inhaled. “It smells like someone is grilling up something delicious.”

  “Daddy is cooking tonight. Mom is super tired because the babies are sucking the life out of her,” Gen said.

  “You aren’t supposed to say that,” Abby chastised her.

  “But Daddy said it this morning.”

  Amanda started to second-guess her decision to spend an evening with all of the Blackwells at once. She’d only met four of the children and was feeling overwhelmed.

  “Is everyone behaving out here?” A woman Amanda hadn’t met yet had opened the front door and poked her head out. “Oh, looks like our guests of honor have arrived.”

  Blake and Amanda followed Lily and Conner as they made their way to the door. “Hey, Rachel. Good to see you,” Lily said. Rachel was the attorney who was married to the attorney. She had grown up with the Blackwells and with Conner.

  She picked up Poppy. “I hope the girls weren’t attacking you on your way in.”

  “They were all very welcoming,” Lily assured her. Amanda couldn’t disagree. The Blackwells seemed to have welcoming in their blood. Couldn’t someone be obnoxious, horrible, mean? It would make it so much easier to not like them if someone would be a little unfriendly.

  Rachel raised her eyebrows knowingly. “I’m sure they were. Everyone is excited to meet Amanda. Hi, I’m Rachel.”

  “Ben’s wife, right?”

  “Guilty. Please don’t hold anything he says tonight against me, though. I love him, but sometimes he opens his mouth and I want to have a judge order him to keep it closed. Forever.”