John held the bridle, his mouth curled upward. “You feeling a little wobbly? Your knees okay?”
I snickered at his inflection. “I’ll be fine.” But really I wasn’t sure that was the case. John McIntyre was the only man who could make me go weak in the knees, his house was on the market, and most likely by the end of the summer, he’d be heading home to this place permanently. I’d accepted that he was a Montana man, but I couldn’t wrap my head around not having him or Chloe in my life back home in Michigan.
John tethered my horse to a branch and then helped Judy off Kick-ass Kate. Kate whinnied, let out a snort, then bowed her head and munched at the thick green patch of grass coated with sunshine as John secured her lead to the tree.
I ran my hand over Sweet Jaclyn’s shoulder. Her hide glistened with sweat and I marveled at her muscle definition. These horses were magnificent beasts, creatures to be respected, animals that made it possible for man to explore the west so humans could cultivate the land. John undid his saddlebags then gestured for Judy and me to join him. Judy shook out her legs and I stretched as we meandered to the edge of the ridge. Blue sky shrouded us, making it possible to see for miles.
John pointed to a pasture below us. “See those white specks?”
I nodded, and Judy pulled her phone from her pocket to snap a few pictures. John put his arm around my shoulder and Judy captured our images. His touch reminding me I needed him.
John produced a radio from one of the saddlebags. He adjusted the knob until static pierced the air. “Justin, you there?”
“Yeah, cowboy. I’m here. You at the top of the ridge?”
I leaned over to Judy. “I can’t believe I forgot my camera. I could kick myself.”
“I’ll snap some photos on my phone. Besides, it’ll give you a reason to come back up here with John later. Next time, I’ll stay home and watch the kids.”
I rolled my eyes at her. “Give me your phone and stand over there. I’ll take your picture.” Golden rays highlighted Judy’s dark curls that bobbed when she walked. “Smile.” She tucked her thumbs in her back pockets, her dimples prominent. I snapped a few photos then handed the phone back to her. “Check them out. Is there one that you like?” She checked the screen and nodded with approval.
“You can see forever with this view. Who wouldn’t want to live here? I think John’s got the right idea.” Judy glanced over at him as he chatted with Justin. I tuned them out, but Judy went over to listen.
She had a point. Who wouldn’t want to live here? The back of my T-shirt stuck to my skin. Riding was hard work.
John joined me while Judy chatted on the radio. “Is she talking to Walter?” I asked, not taking my eyes off the valley.
John nodded. “Yup. She loves those boys more than anything.” John’s eyes danced in the light.
My heart skipped a beat as a fissure cracked in the depths of my heart like a tremor just before an earthquake rattles the land.
“I suppose, like you love Bradley and I love Chloe despite any breaches of character on any given day.”
I laughed. “I suppose.” The dip in the front of my hat shaded my face. “Now, what were you going to say about those white specks down there?”
“That’s the herd. Those are the Ancient White Park Cattle. Winston’s down there somewhere caring for them right now and thanking the heavens that my mom let him stay on this land.”
“What are Ancient White Park Cattle? I’ve never heard of them before.”
“They’re pretty rare. They’re white and have black, ominous horns. We didn’t always have them, but Dad dreamed of raising them. I guess dreams really do come true if you work hard enough.”
“Or pray enough,” I whispered.
“Maybe a little of both.” John took off his hat and wiped his brow. “What’s your dream, Maggie Abernathy?”
I shifted my weight and crossed my arms in front of me. Before me was a world I hadn’t even known existed. Next to me was a man close enough to grab like a golden ring on the carousel. I took my sunglasses off and hung them from the collar of my shirt. “I used to think it was to have a baby. Then I thought it was to make a difference in the world by teaching children. Now I’m not so sure.”
“You can have more than one dream, you know.”
I soaked up the view of valley below us. “How the hell can you be so sure about what you want?”
A wave of energy passed through his eyes. His electricity drew me closer.
“It’s just not fair.”
John wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “One day, the moons will align in your world, Maggie, and it’ll be fair. Trust me,” he said. “This wasn’t an easy decision. Chloe’s been through enough and I worry about hurting her. I want her to have some stability. This is where we belong.”
John kissed the side of my head. I glanced over to Judy who was still talking to Walter on the radio. Embarrassed by the display of affection, my cheeks glowed and my palms sweated. “I think I’ve spent my time trying not to disappoint people. It’s not possible to live life without mistakes.” My marriage to Beckett seemed like a lifetime ago and who knows, maybe it was. Maybe it really existed on another plane, in another dimension, and now I’d been awakened. “Chloe will be fine.” I squeezed his hand, not knowing if I’d survive their transition.
He wrapped his fingers around mine, and my heart fluttered like the butterflies I’d seen flitting about in the fields along the way.
“I think I finally know that.”
“You’re a great dad, John McIntyre.”
“Thanks, Maggie Abernathy.” He chuckled. “Now what do you say to a snack and then a ride down the mountain? I’ll show you those cattle up close and personal after we’ve had some lunch.”
John spread out a woolen blanket with brown bison woven into the pattern around the edges. Judy sauntered over, looking pleased as John unpacked some grapes and buttery crackers.
“Everything fine with Walter?” I asked, stretching out my legs to the side and leaning back on my hands to get a better view of the mountains in the distance.
“Yeah, guess I worry about nothing,” she said, handing John the radio.
“I suppose we all do,” he added.
“I just can’t get over how beautiful it is here,” Judy gushed. “Gosh.” She snapped off a handful of grapes and popped them in her mouth one-by-one. When she was done, she stood and stretched her arms to the sky. “I’m gonna meander over by the horses. Gotta stretch out these legs.”
I popped two grapes into my mouth and took off my Stetson, setting it carefully on the blanket, admiring its creamy color and style. I leaned back with my hands behind my head, lowering myself to the ground until my spine touched the earth below me, and then closed my eyes, the scenery etched in my brain, my ears sensitive to buzzing horseflies and a squawking crow overhead. “It’s so nice not to hear traffic or the whirr of a siren,” I said. “Not to mention the space. It’s nice not having house upon house.”
“That’s part of the draw,” John said.
My chest rose and fell to the rhythm of the relaxed country air. “I know you’re not a city man, but I’m glad you left this place or I wouldn’t have ever met you. Maybe we would’ve strolled past each other at some point in time, but I feel like I’d always be searching for some missing piece.”
“What are you afraid of?”
I opened one eye and stared at him. “Plenty.”
“Being happy isn’t so bad,” he said. “Is that the fear?”
I closed my eye again, and his image replaced the scenery beneath my eyelids. His stare rattled my nerves. Damn. I swallowed the knot forming at the back of my throat. “I hate it when you make me think.” Sitting up, I took out my ponytail holder and ran my fingers through my hair. The weight against my shoulders grounded me. Something needed to. A soft curl stuck to my cheek as the breeze nudged against me, reminding me of being a child on lazy summer afternoons, staring across the lake back home when dr
eams came easy and I believed they’d all come true. John wasn’t the only thing prodding me to analyze life. Did God do this to everyone?
“You about ready to get back up on Sweet Jaclyn?” John adjusted his cowboy hat. He slapped his gloves against his thigh then brushed away the dragonfly that’d been hovering over him.
“I might need your help. She’s bigger when you aren’t standing on a mounting block.” I folded up the blanket then handed it to the man reeling me in with his invisible line. “I forgot my camera. Will you bring me back up here later so I can get some shots?”
John lowered his head with a flash in his eyes.
“What?”
“You sure you aren’t trying to get me alone? Sounds suspicious, ma’am.”
I redid my ponytail then put my hat back on. “As much as you’d like that.” As much as we’d both like that. “Nope. Just want some photos. Who knows, maybe I’ll make a coffee table book of Montana hand-colored photos.”
John rubbed his chin. “Sounds like a great idea. You’re good enough to do that. You know that, don’t you?” He stuffed the blanket back into one of the saddlebags, and then hooked the radio on his belt for the ride home.
For me, dreams had become just that, dreams. Was it really possible to grab the golden ring? It’d be just one more thing to carry, or maybe I’d miss as I reached for it and fall flat on my face. “I guess. I never really thought about it. All I’ve gotten is a stack of rejection letters with my cow photos.” Settling for personal satisfaction came easily.
“Maybe you just haven’t found the right niche yet.”
“Maybe.” What was my niche? My niche presently felt like a black hole. Did niches change with time? I supposed they did. And why was I so bound and determined to hang on to things that didn’t fill me up like a warm hug or that first sip of hot cocoa on a winter’s day?
John ran his fingers across my collarbone and down my arm. Leaning in he whispered in my ear. My breath caught in my chest as his lips grazed my skin.
“I can see you’re thinking, Maggie.”
His touch sent sparks through my veins, igniting a hot flash. He handed me the canteen. I eagerly took it wanting to extinguish the slow-burn I was feeling.
“I think we’ve climbed enough mountains for one day, neighbor lady. What do you say we head back to the ranch?” John hooked the saddlebags to his saddle. “You ready to go, Judy?” he called over his shoulder.
“Yup. Better see what those boys are up to.” She patted her horse’s rump. “Let’s go, Kick-ass Kate.” Judy ran her fingers through Kate’s silky mane. “Can you help me get back up here?” she asked John.
He held the saddle then boosted her up. Judy swung her right leg up and over like a pro. “Thanks.”
“I suppose you’re gonna need a hand, too,” he said, peering back at me.
“Probably, but I can try it on my own. Who knows, I might possess some super human strength.” I smirked, put my foot in the stirrup, and hoisted myself up by the horn. My right foot got stuck on the back of the saddle. John nudged it the rest of the way over. The heat from his touch penetrated my jeans. “Thanks, I almost had it.”
“Yeah, I’d say you’re almost more there.”
I wished I was as certain as he was. Feeling like a bumbling fool, I slid my sunglasses back up to the bridge of my nose. I fingered the reins as he untied Sweet Jaclyn from the tree for me. “Thanks, cowboy.”
“You’re welcome, ma’am.” He clicked his tongue as if he were beckoning Farrah to move faster.
John mounted his horse easily. He had enough muscle for the both of us. In the past, working out was not in my regime until Judy and I trained for the Race for the Cure last spring. I’d limited myself to walking Bones around the block and scurrying from my classroom to the copy room on a regular basis. Since then, Judy and I had teamed up for power walks in the neighborhood and short jogs. John’s forearms flexed as he hauled himself up. Beckett never had muscle definition like that. I squelched the thought of my ex-husband and focused on John, who directed Farrah to saunter my way. I settled into the saddle and rested my left hand on my thigh. “You ready?”
“I will be in a minute. I just came over here to do one thing.”
“What’s that?” I questioned John’s agenda since we were all packed up, mounted, and ready to go. Laugh lines formed at the corners of his emerald eyes.
“I just wanted to tell you.” He glanced down then prodded Farrah to move closer.
His knee grazed mine and we were face-to-face. I lowered my sunglasses to get a better look into his sultry eyes. “What?”
“I just want you to know, you look pretty darn good up on that horse. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were holding out on me.”
I clicked my tongue and gave Sweet Jaclyn a nudge with my heels. “Come on, girl.” I glanced back over my shoulder at the Montana man who was stealing my heart all over again. “Maybe I am.”
Chapter 6
Our horses clomped along at a leisurely pace down the dirt road back to the ranch. The endless sea of green was lined with wooden fences marking off grassy pastures. Chloe’s and Walter’s voices drifted in the breeze, their laughter like a crackling fire. Their jovial banter infectious. John trotted ahead, got off his horse, and tied Farrah’s lead to the post just outside the barn. He peered inside then walked back to help Judy and me dismount our two angels. When Chloe emerged, her cheeks were rosy, her hair was tangled, and broken pieces of hay clung to her clothing.
I held onto the saddle horn and slid down, bracing myself for an unstable landing. My knees ached the last ten minutes of the ride, but my behind felt okay, although tomorrow might be the bearer of bad news.
John took Sweet Jaclyn from me and tied her next to Farrah then he helped Judy down, and led Kick-ass Kate over to her sisters.
“Looks like somebody was in the hay,” John said.
Chloe brushed herself off and felt her head. “Guess that braid didn’t last very long.” Straw littered the ground when John rustled her blonde tresses.
“No worries, we can redo it if you want to.” I took off my sunglasses and peeked into the barn. Two small feet stuck out of a pile of hay in the stall closest to the door. “Anyone using that first stall?” I asked, scanning the floor for manure.
“Nope,” John said.
“Where’s Walter?” Judy asked.
I winked at her over the rim of my sunglasses. “Gosh, maybe he’s gone out to pasture with the cattle. That’ll be one less kid to make s’mores tonight,” I said, smirking at my own joke. “All the more for me.”
Judy stepped into the barn and looked around. “Well, I guess he’s gone. That’ll be one less kid to send to college.”
John lugged in a saddle and blanket then placed it on one of the empty saddle racks on the wall. “Man oh, man. Poor Walter. I guess I’ll have to eat his dinner too, since he’s gone.”
The boots wiggled and a grunt came from the pile of hay.
Chloe giggled.
Judy pretended to not see. “Chloe, are you sure you don’t know what happened to Walter? ’Cause I’m sure gonna miss him.”
Walter’s arms jutted out of the hay and he popped up like a jack-in-the-box. “I’m right here!”
Ashley came in with another saddle and blanket then slung it in onto a rack.
“I’ll get the last one.” John winked.
“I’ll start cleaning the horses up. Is it okay if I leave Chloe and Walter now?” Ashley asked.
“Yeah, I think you’ve done your penance,” John said as he walked by, his heels clicking against the floorboards of the barn. “Thanks, for your help. You can join us for dinner if you don’t have plans.”
“I’m in.” Ashley’s dimples emerged from behind her solemn expession.
Chloe ran around in circles like an overly excited puppy. “Yay, Ashley is coming to dinner.” She tugged at Ashley’s hand. “You can sit by me.”
“Okay, okay,” she said. “Let
’s go get Farrah and clean her up.” She took a breath and shook her hand free from Chloe. “I’ll get you a brush and you can groom her while I clean her hooves.”
Judy picked bits of hay out of Walter’s curly thick black hair. “Boy, oh boy. This is gonna take a while to get out. Holy moly, Batman.” She glanced around the barn. “Hey, where’s your brother?”
Walter gazed up at his mother. “He’s with that other guy down by the pond learning how to fish for flies. Who wants to catch a fly besides a frog?”
John led Sweet Jaclyn into the barn. “You mean he’s fly-fishing?”
“Yeah, that’s what I said, and you’re really not going to eat my dinner, are you?” Walter asked, his eyes dark rimmed with concern.
“Nah, I was just kidding, but I might eat your brother’s dinner,” John said jokingly. “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.”
Sweet Jaclyn snorted right on cue.
Walter’s face drooped. “I’ve never eaten horse before. That sounds gross.”
Judy ruffled his hair. “John was just kidding. If someone says they could eat a horse it just means that they are super-duper hungry.”
Walter brushed off the knees of his jeans. “Okay, but you can’t have my s’mores.” He pointed at John.
“Do you guys need help?” I asked, taking in all of John.
“Nah, you’re on vacation. Why don’t you two take Mutt and Jeff up to the house and have a rest.”
Walter grimaced. “Who are Mutt and Jeff?”
Judy held her son’s hand and led him out of the barn. “John is being silly. They are cartoon characters from a long time ago. He means you and Chloe.”
“Whatever. Mom, did you really not know I was hiding in the hay?”
Maggie's Montana (Montana Bound Book 3) Page 4
