Montana Dreams

by Kim Law

  And that she planned to base their future on whatever had come from that reading?

  He forced his jaw to unclench. “And what, exactly, did this woman tell you?”

  Megan wasn’t a large person. In fact, she was only an inch over five feet. Yet she suddenly looked even tinier. She stared back at him. “She said I’m with the wrong man.”

  Jaden didn’t so much as blink.

  “And I think she might be right,” she rushed to add.

  “You think?”

  She nodded, her composure rebounding in front of him. “I know, Jay. And I’m sorry about that. We’re good together. We always have been. But . . . maybe we were more of a college thing.”

  “We’re a hell of a lot more than a college thing.” A headache had started behind his eyes. Hadn’t they just been sitting there talking about their future?

  “But don’t you worry that the sizzle might have gone out a bit? We used to be so—”

  “We still sizzle,” he gritted out. She was the best damned sex he’d ever had. They had sizzle!

  “We’ve barely said more to each other than ‘how’s the weather’ since I moved here. Something isn’t right about that, Jay.”

  “We’re both busy.” He shoved the ring into his pants pocket. “And you’re wrong. We are not basing our lives on something some woman who’s never met me, nor seen the two of us together, tells you.” He shook his head, his anger now at a full boil. “It’s just cold feet. Like I told you. We’ll talk about this again later.”

  He opened his door and climbed from the seat, suddenly ready to get his wedding duties over with. To forget that this conversation had even happened. But the finality of Megan’s voice stopped him before he could slam the door.

  “It’s not cold feet.”

  He ducked his head and glared in at her. She couldn’t really mean—

  “It’s the end.”

  Her tone was so decisive that he’d swear he literally felt his heart crack down the middle. “Meg.” He shook his head. “Don’t do this.”

  “I am sorry, Jay.” She climbed from the other side of the car, and the wind howled as if understanding the very pain he felt. “I still care for you,” she went on. “I always will. But I think we just got comfortable. I don’t want either of us to settle, and I fear if we stay together, that’s what we’ll be doing.”

  He was not settling. Megan was his world.

  Jaden looked at the church again. His siblings had disappeared back inside, but he took in the snow gathering on the eaves and the golden light cast from the Victorian-style sconces. This was the oldest church in Birch Bay. It was the church his sister had started taking him to after their mother died.

  He’d planned to suggest that he and Megan marry here.

  “I can’t believe you’re choosing now to do this to me,” he said, still not looking at her. How the hell was he supposed to go in there and act like nothing was wrong?

  “I didn’t choose now,” Megan corrected. “I didn’t know you planned to pull out a ring.”

  “But you’ve been thinking it.” He felt like such an idiot. “For weeks you’ve been thinking that you didn’t want me anymore. That you don’t—”

  He snapped off his words, refusing to sound any more pathetic than he already did.

  She didn’t love him. End of story.

  He didn’t know why it came as such a surprise.

  “We’ve grown apart, Jay. That happens to people. But it doesn’t take away from what we once had. It doesn’t mean I don’t still care for you.”

  His mind whirled as he tried to make sense of her words. Of a world where his girlfriend would no longer be his girlfriend. He couldn’t picture it.

  He stared down at the car, his thoughts tripping over each other. And then the logistics of the moment occurred to him. “I brought you here tonight,” he mumbled. Dammit, what was he supposed to do now? “As my date.”

  Should he offer to take her home first? Ask them to wait to start the wedding?

  Would she be willing to sit in the car until he’d done his part?

  “I’m also a friend of your family and of the bride,” she replied, her tone gentle. Her hand touched his arm, and he realized that she’d rounded the car and now stood beside him. “I want to stay for the wedding, Jay. I think a lot of both Gabe and Erica, so I want to be here for them. But I won’t say anything about us. Not tonight. We’ll just . . .”

  She trailed off, so he finished her thought for her. “Pretend.”

  They’d pretend. As if he could do that while his heart was shattering.

  “I don’t want to draw attention,” she added. “I’ll slip out and call a cab when I’m ready to go. And I won’t stay long. I’ll go back to the house to pack my bags, and—”

  “No,” he interrupted. He closed his hand over hers. She was beautiful. Brilliant. The only person he’d ever loved. And she cared for his family as much as he did. “You don’t have to move out of the house.” She’d been staying with his dad and Gloria due to the retail store being across the street. “I’ll go to a hotel tonight. And I’ll leave”—his voice cracked on the word—“tomorrow. Stay at the house. Help out all you want.” He nodded as if he were okay with the words. “I’ll go back to Seattle.”

  And he’d try to figure out a way to convince her she was wrong.

  Megan studied him for a moment, as if weighing the sincerity behind his words, then she lifted to her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You’re a good person,” she whispered. “And this is for the best. Once you have time to think about it, you’ll realize it, too.”

  Chapter Two

  Sweet mother of pearl.”

  Arsula Moretti faked a cough at the murmured words, her hand camouflaging her instant grin, but instead of looking over at her friend, she kept her gaze locked on the reason for the comment. “They do make quite the picture, don’t they?”

  Four brothers standing shoulder to shoulder, each with dark, thick hair and sculpted features that would capture any woman’s attention, and all over six feet—with the exception of Jaden, who was only a few inches shorter.

  Yep. Photo worthy. Without a doubt. And the fact that they were all currently wearing tuxes only enhanced the image.

  “They make the kind of picture that has my clothes suddenly feeling too loose,” Maggie replied. Maggie taught with Erica at the elementary school and had also been in the wedding. “So loose they might just slip right off.”

  Arsula snickered. “Right here while Gabe and Erica are having their first dance?”

  “Right here . . . in the coat closet . . . upstairs in a hotel room . . .”

  “Outside, in the middle of the freaking snowstorm,” Arsula added, getting in on the game. She didn’t really want to shed her clothes with any of them, though. First of all, they were all brothers of the woman she worked for. They were also brothers of her friend’s brand-new husband. And both of those situations could make clothes-shedding somewhat awkward.

  But also, one of them was married, another was a bit of a recluse, the third was a player, and the fourth . . . she sighed. The fourth was downright grumpy. He was also the one who’d “walked” her down the aisle.

  She scowled at the mere thought of the youngest Wilde. Jaden had been mentally absent since the moment he’d stepped inside the church’s vestibule.

  The wedding planner, who’d been about two seconds from becoming unglued by that point, had caught sight of him and immediately directed him to Arsula’s side. She’d then signaled the processional to start. And while Arsula and Jaden had been awaiting their turn, Arsula had quickly stuck out a hand and offered a smile to the remaining sibling she’d yet to meet.

  Neither gesture had been returned.

  Instead, she and Jaden had made their way to the front of the church, and after Gabe and Erica exchanged vows, one of Jaden’s brothers had had to nudge the moron when it was his turn to escort his assigned bridesmaid back down the aisle.

  Arsula�
��s scowl grew deeper. It had been mortifying.

  “Champagne?” a server in black and white asked, jolting her back to the present and reminding her that Gabe’s brothers were about to toast the bride and groom.

  “Thank you.” She accepted the flute. But then she returned her attention to the man whose passive blue eyes were framed behind the retro round lenses of his glasses. The mere fact that Jaden had never once acknowledged her existence should totally tick her off. He’d been more than rude.

  However, while he’d been ignoring her, she’d been paying attention to him. And she’d picked up on one very vital piece of information. Though he’d been MIA from most moments throughout the wedding, the taking of the pictures, and the sit-down dinner . . . he had spent a fair amount of time tossing glances at his girlfriend.

  Or was she now his ex-girlfriend?

  Arsula had to wonder, because while Jaden had been looking at Megan, Megan had been looking at anything but him. And whether the deal had actually gone down or not, Megan definitely intended to break things off with him.

  “Erica seems so happy,” Maggie said, and Arsula forced herself to once again return to the present—and this time to stay there. She’d check in on Megan before the night was over. She wanted to make sure the other woman was okay. See if she needed to talk.

  “She and Gabe are adorable together.” Arsula’s gaze returned to Erica’s heart-patterned wedding gown. She, Maggie, and Erica had spotted it at the same time the day they’d gone dress shopping, sealing the deal for a Valentine’s Day wedding.

  “I hope we find someone who makes us that happy someday.” Maggie’s words came out wistful, and Arsula slipped an arm through her friend’s.

  “Are you kidding me? That’s not even in question. I mean . . . how could we not? We’re awesome.”

  Maggie chuckled in agreement and dropped her head to Arsula’s shoulder, while Arsula’s mind once again spun. She didn’t actually know what the future would hold, of course. That would be a gift well beyond the one she had been born with. But she did know that deserving people had a habit of having things work out. Especially if they were willing to look inside themselves and to listen with their gut.

  The dance ended, and Erica and Gabe, each as smitten as the other, remained wrapped in each other’s arms. Erica rested her head on her groom’s chest, and they both smiled at Cord as he took the microphone and cleared his throat over the speaker.

  “To the bride and groom,” Cord began.

  As the Wilde brothers took turns offering good wishes and the hope for a healthy life, Arsula took in the explosion of shimmering red décor. The ballroom had been transformed into Cupid’s paradise, and though Arsula wasn’t necessarily looking for love at that point in her life, she had to agree with Maggie. She, too, hoped she’d one day find this kind of bliss. It was too beautiful a thing not to want.

  Nick and Nate finished up the toasts, both pulling chuckles from the crowd, and the DJ in the corner once again started up the music. Guests began mingling, some heading straight for the candy bar—which consisted of a wide variety of assorted chocolates to commemorate the day on the calendar—and Arsula decided to weave her way through the crowd. She’d come without a date, so she didn’t need to stick close to anyone in particular, which would allow her to chat with lots of people. And that was one of her favorite pastimes.

  She’d lived in Birch Bay for five months now, having moved to the town she’d never even heard of after waking one morning and knowing there was somewhere she needed to be. She’d packed up her car, said goodbye to her parents and three older brothers, and hadn’t looked back. She also hadn’t regretted her decision. Not even when she’d gone home for Christmas and her dad had laid into her.

  But also, it had been five months, and whoever the person was she’d moved here to help had yet to reveal themselves. And that was beginning to weigh on her. Especially after she’d gone home for Christmas and her dad had laid into her.

  “Arsula Moretti.”

  She stopped moving at the sound of her name.

  “You. Look. Amazing.”

  Arsula broke into a grin as she turned and found Jewel Brandon beaming at her. Jewel had been one of her first clients after moving to town. She’d come into the office one day, having hired Dani to roll out a marketing campaign for her bull-riding stock contracting business, and she and Arsula had ended up going to lunch.

  “Thank you.” Arsula reached out for a hug.

  “That dress was made for you,” Jewel continued. She took Arsula’s hands as they separated, holding them out to their sides. “Red is your color, girlfriend.”

  Arsula looked down at the floor-length velvet dress, and though she didn’t say it out loud, she knew the dress complemented her dark hair as well as her part Native American, part Italian features. “I will admit that I didn’t complain when Erica chose this for the wedding,” she teased.

  “I can see why.”

  They both laughed and then spent a couple of minutes catching up. Jewel had been eight months postpartum when they’d met, and over lunch that first day, Arsula had learned that, though thrilled to be a first-time parent, Jewel had struggled more than she’d expected. She’d gone through a bout of depression and had recently begun experiencing dreams that left her in a state of anxiety.

  “How’s the baby?” Arsula asked. “And Bobby.” She glanced around, hoping to catch sight of the woman’s husband and child.

  “They’re both amazing. Leah started walking last month, and we already can’t keep up with her.” She waved a hand toward the crowd behind her. “We left her at home today, but Bobby’s around here somewhere. He saw a high school buddy he wanted to catch up with, so I headed to find you.”

  “I’m so glad you did.”

  They talked for a few more minutes before Jewel declared it was time for her husband to dance with her, then Arsula continued her trek through the crowd. She caught sight of Jewel’s sister Harper on the other side of the room.

  Harper was married to Nick Wilde, and after Jewel had raved about working with Arsula, Harper had ended up seeking her out as well. Harper and Nick had a happy marriage, but that didn’t keep her from continuing to suffer occasional guilt over the loss of her first husband.

  “Dance with me, beautiful lady?”

  As she once again stopped in the middle of the dance floor, this time she didn’t have to see the person before knowing who went with the voice. “Max Wilde,” she said as she turned. “Just the person I’d hoped to dance with.”

  The patriarch of the Wilde family gave a deep laugh and placed an arm at her waist. “You clean up nice. Anyone ever tell you that?”

  She chuckled. Max could be as big a charmer as his sons. She’d met him at the same Labor Day party where she’d first been introduced to Cord, Nick, and Gabe. That was also where she’d met Erica. “And you, sir, could make any woman in this room swoon.”

  She tucked her head into his shoulder as they danced, and feelings of gratitude washed over her. She’d never had trouble fitting in, yet that hadn’t kept her from being uneasy at the thought when she’d first driven into Birch Bay.

  “How’s Gloria?” she asked, referring to his wife of two years. His first wife had been gone almost two decades.

  “She’s right as rain. Treats me like a king.”

  Arsula smiled. “And the farm?”

  Max ran the family cherry orchard, having come back to the job after stepping aside for several years, and though she’d been out at the house only one time, it hadn’t taken more than that to understand the love the man carried for the place.

  “It’s . . . good,” he answered, and at his hesitation, she pulled back.

  “You sound worried.”

  “Nah.” He shook his head. “No need to worry. Not yet. Just a feeling . . . or something.”

  She hadn’t meant to, but she realized she’d stopped dancing. “About what?” She always listened to feelings.

  “Some trees we plant
ed back in the fall.” He waved a hand, clearly hoping to dismiss the conversation. “A pick-your-own field we hoped to grow. No big deal.”

  “And it’s not doing well?”

  “I . . .” His shoulders sank as he looked at her. “I actually won’t know until spring, and honestly, there’s no reason to believe there will be a problem. It’s been a cold winter, but not cold enough to do harm. I just . . .”

  “Feel that there are going to be issues?”

  He nodded as if not wanting to accept it. “I can’t help but fear we’re going to lose them.”

  “So you replant,” she offered. As always, leaning toward the bright side.

  “Yeah.” He nodded again. Then he restarted them dancing.

  “And if those don’t take,” she added, “you replant again.”

  Max didn’t reply, just nodded his head a third time, and another sort of worry started to build inside Arsula. She couldn’t pinpoint it, but tracing her gaze over the lines of the man’s face had her own gut speaking.

  “Are you okay, Max?”

  He pulled his gaze back to hers. “Sure. What’s not to be okay about?”

  “I don’t know,” she murmured. “Just . . .”

  “Life is good,” he said, his voice ringing a tad too upbeat. “Couldn’t be better.” But when he no longer made direct eye contact, Arsula’s concerns grew.

  She nodded, not ready to push the issue, but told herself to check in on him later.

  The song ended, and she thanked Max for the dance, but as the next song began, her gaze landed on another member of the Wilde family. This time it was Jaden. He stood at the bar set up on the other side of the room, an empty tumbler in hand, but unlike previous instances when she’d caught sight of him, his attention was no longer on Megan. It was on her.

  And this time . . . her gut told her something entirely different.

  “Crap on a cracker,” she muttered to herself.

  When Jaden didn’t look away, a hint of nausea began to swell.

  Really? she asked herself. Him?

  Well, that’s irony for you. She’d been waiting five months to find out who her subconscious had sent her here to help, and now she finally knew. It was the man whose girlfriend she’d recently suggested would do well to accept that he wasn’t the person for her.