The Last-Chance Maverick

by Christyne Butler

Jonah lowered his drink, still having not taken a sip. “Is my spending time with Vanessa a problem for you?”

  “Why would it be?” Derek said. “If I was interested in her I would’ve made that clear when the two of you were getting cozy at the Ace the other night.”

  His brother looked him straight in the eye when he spoke and Jonah believed him. But it bothered him that he’d never given what Eli had said about Derek offering Vanessa riding lessons—and if that meant anything—a second thought.

  Not when they danced.

  Not when he kissed her, and not for one moment yesterday.

  “So what did you two end up doing all day?” Eli tossed him a sandwich. “Please tell me you really weren’t working.”

  Jonah took his time finishing off the water, enjoying the coldness on his dry throat. He wondered if his brothers were baiting him, already knowing but trying to get him to say the words aloud.

  Not sure, he purposely took his time setting the empty tumbler down and then opened his sandwich, waiting until his brothers had both their mouths full before he spoke.

  “We went zip-lining on BearTrap Mountain.”

  In unison, both men choked, but at least Eli managed to keep his mouth shut. Derek ended up spitting out the water he’d chugged a second ago all over his boots.

  Jonah laughed at their stunned expressions, which probably matched his yesterday when he and Vanessa got to the ski resort and she finally explained what her cryptic comment about flying had meant.

  “Are you kidding me?” Eli finally asked, after swallowing his food and pounding a coughing Derek on the back so hard, the kid hopped off the truck to get away from him. “You? Zip lining?”

  “Yes, me.” Jonah grinned, giving a casual shrug. “It was something Vanessa has wanted to do for a while, not that I was aware of her plan until we got there.

  “Sounds like you had a good time,” Derek said.

  Jonah nodded. “Zip lining has become really popular over the last few years. Not to mention it’s a great way for a ski resort to earn money in the off season. The place was packed yesterday, and not just because it was the last weekend for the activity. The guides said they’d been swamped all summer long.”

  It was then his brain had gone into high gear. “I’m planning to talk to Nate Crawford about including something similar at the resort once we get started on the outdoor recreation portion—”

  “No, that’s not—” Derek cut him off, shaking his head. “Jeez, you’re a moron.”

  Confused, Jonah stared at his brother. “Come again?”

  “I’m not talking about business. It was gorgeous outside yesterday. What was it like on the mountain with the sun on your face and the wind in your hair?” Derek moved closer, invading Jonah’s personal space. “Did you step right off like those kids with a loud ‘hell, yeah’ coming out of your mouth all the way down the first time? Or were you so scared you could’ve wet your pants, but hey, there was no turning back?”

  Silence filled the air for a long moment as Jonah stared at his brother.

  “I think what he’s asking is if you, and Vanessa, had fun yesterday,” Eli added drily, as he started cleaning up their mess. “But I’m just guessing.”

  “Yes,” Jonah said. “It was fun. We had fun.”

  “I’d say from that smile of yours, you had a lot of fun,” Derek said. “Good to know you still have it in you.”

  Still had it in him? Jonah stared at his brother. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means this is the first time you’ve been out on a date with someone who lives in this town. It means it’s nice to see you being social. You know, instead pulling that hermit act like you usually do whenever you come home.”

  “I have a social life in Denver.”

  Derek remained silent, returning his stare for a long moment. He then shook his head before pulling on his gloves and heading back for the fence line.

  “You’ve got to admit, he’s got a point.” Eli jumped down from the back of the truck. “Yeah, we know you’ve dated some since your divorce, but like you said, that’s in Denver. We don’t expect you to find true love here again, but whenever you come back for a visit you’d either be at the cabin or sticking close to the ranch working on whatever architect stuff you’d brought with you.”

  “Finishing that cabin was important to me,” Jonah said. At least it had been over the almost six years it took him to complete it. “For a lot of reasons, and I can’t just walk away from my work obligations while on vacation.”

  “Either way, you were never interested in having any fun. Hell, you hardly cracked a smile most times.” Eli shrugged and continued to clean up. “It’s like you shut down as soon as you crossed the town line. I was surprised when you agreed to get a beer with me the other night.”

  His brothers were right.

  He’d always kept to himself whenever he’d come home.

  His mom had often tried to talk to him about it over the past few years, to get him to open up about the end of his marriage and how much he’d changed. Jonah had only reassured her he was doing okay, and proved it by working even harder on the cabin, only accepting help from his family when he had to tackle a job that required more than one person.

  But the cabin was done now. It had been for almost two years, sitting empty before Vanessa rented it.

  Now that his brothers had pointed out his changed behavior, Jonah had no answer as to why things were so different this time around.

  Was it because of a certain brunette who’d captured his attention his first day back?

  That same vivacious and gorgeous woman he had a second date with tonight after accepting an invitation for dinner.

  At the cabin she still didn’t know belonged to him.

  * * *

  This was his place.

  Vanessa stood in the small, but efficient kitchen, having just put the chicken breasts into the oven while keeping an eye on the two pots simmering on the stove top, still unable to believe what she’d learned earlier today.

  This was his place and he’d never said a word during their adventure yesterday.

  Excited that Jonah had accepted her invitation to come for dinner tonight, she’d made a quick trip to Crawford’s General Store earlier today.

  She’d decided to make him a favorite dish of hers, so she’d hoped to find a few necessary ingredients, or else she’d have to make the drive to nearby Kalispell.

  But as surprised as she’d been at finding angel-hair pasta and garlic cloves in the same place that also sold just about everything from flannel shirts to children’s toys to enough hardware to build an ark—or a cabin—it paled in comparison to what she’d overheard while debating which bottle of wine to pick up for the evening.

  She’d first heard her and Jonah’s names spoken by a couple of females in the next aisle, and then how the two of them were not only seen dancing the other night, but also spotted together at nearby BearTrap Mountain.

  Grinning over the fact she was now officially a part of the town’s gossip mill, Vanessa had started to step around the corner to actually confirm their stories when one of women mentioned how cozy it all was.

  Seeing how she was renting his cabin.

  A cabin Jonah actually built by hand.

  It supposedly had taken him years to complete it, according to one of the busybodies. He’d worked on it only when he came home for visits, refusing to allow anyone to help him. Apparently it had stood empty once he completed it.

  Until his mother rented it to Vanessa, that is.

  She looked around the open space that made up the kitchen, separated from the combined dining and living room by a V-shaped island. A woodstove, the same style as in the bedroom but a bit larger, stood on the other side of the island, providing heat for the entire area.


  The walls were filled with windows that opened up to views of the beautiful Montana scenery and the decking that surrounded the cabin on three sides. There were automatic shades that could be lowered after the sun went down, which it was in the process of doing right now.

  She found the remote and pressed the button, watching as the shades silently lowered into place. It wasn’t cool enough yet for a fire, so she turned on a few lights, including the intriguing antler chandelier that hung over the dining-room table, and lit some of the candles she had sitting out.

  The glow of it all reflected off the pale logs and filled the space with a warm radiance.

  It was beautiful.

  She’d fallen in love with the place the first time she’d seen it.

  Moving into the dining room, she fussed with the table settings, upset again that she’d left the store without picking out a bottle of wine, the news about Jonah and the cabin ringing in her ears.

  As soon as she’d arrived home, she’d gone on a cleaning frenzy, wanting it to look perfect when he saw it again, remembering how he seemed transfixed by the place when he’d picked her up yesterday morning.

  Now she knew why.

  She’d been waiting outside for him, so excited about their day, so he hadn’t actually been inside yet. The only thing he’d commented on had been the twin country-red rocking chairs she’d put on the front deck. She’d told him about finding them in Crawford’s and how it just didn’t seem right to split up the pair.

  Looking around the interior, she wondered what he would think of what she’d done to it.

  There’d only been a few pieces here when she moved in. The dining-room table with two chairs and that fabulous light fixture overhead, an oversize leather couch that had seen better days, but was oh so comfortable to stretch out on, and the king-size bed made from hand-hewn logs in the bedroom.

  Jonah’s mother had offered to look around the main ranch house for some stuff and despite Vanessa’s assurance that it wasn’t necessary, she’d come by the next day with a set of dishes and cookware for the kitchen.

  From there, Vanessa had enjoyed filling the place with whatever necessities she needed or any impulse buys that reflected her personal style. She shopped for everything from furniture to artwork to sheets for that glorious bed—

  A knock came at the door and Vanessa jumped.

  Then she laughed.

  “Oh, girl, you are being so silly.” She fluffed her wavy hair, tugged her sweater down over her hips and headed for the front door. “Coming!”

  That must be Jonah.

  He probably didn’t care two figs about this place. If he had, he would’ve said something to her before now. Maybe building it had been part of his job. The man was an architect, after all. He obviously had his own apartment or house in Denver where he lived full-time.

  “You’re obsessing about this because you’re nervous,” she whispered to her reflection in the small, ornately framed mirror that hung next to the entrance. “It’s just dinner. A second date. Nothing special.”

  She smiled, checked her teeth as she’d been sampling her cooking, and opened the door.

  Jonah stood on the other side, looking impossibly handsome dressed in jeans, a Western-cut shirt and boots. In one hand he held an oversize bouquet of gerbera daisies, a riot of neon yellows, oranges, pinks and greens. In the other hand a bottle of pinot grigio wine.

  “Hey there.” He held out the wine first. “I didn’t know what you’re cooking for us, but I remembered your wine at the Ace had been white. I hope this is okay.”

  He remembered that? She’d downed the remains of her wine within the first minute of finding him at her table.

  “And the flowers?” she asked, her words coming out much softer than she planned. “What’s their story?”

  “Ah, I hope they’re not too corny,” he said with a sheepish grin as he offered them to her, as well. “As soon as I saw these beauties I knew there was only one woman who’d appreciate them.”

  She smiled and reached for the flowers, their fingers brushing when he released them to her. “Nothing wrong with corny, which these are not. They’re lovely. Thank you.”

  “So, does that mean I can come in?” He leaned to one side, his gaze darting around the room. “Something smells great.”

  “Of course. Yes, please.” She stepped back, allowing him to enter. “Welcome home.”

  His footstep faltered for a moment, but then he moved inside and closed the door behind him, his gaze never leaving hers.

  “You know, don’t you?”

  She nodded. “That the cabin belongs to you? Yep. What I don’t know is why you didn’t tell me.”

  Chapter Six

  “How did you find out?”

  “The old-fashioned way.” She headed into the kitchen, turning the pots on the stove down to the lowest possible setting before grabbing a vase for the flowers. “I overheard a couple of gossipy old ladies in Crawford’s today. I think you and I are the latest hot topic.”

  “No surprise there.”

  His tone was sarcastic, but she heard humor there, too.

  Turning from the sink so she could put the flowers on the dining-room table, she found him still standing near the front door.

  He was looking around, as if he were seeing the place for the first time. Rita had said it’d been finished almost two years ago, but she was the first person to live here.

  Was this his first time back since completing the cabin? He seemed to be studying the place. Did he like what she’d done to it?

  “There’s a corkscrew in the top drawer next to the sink,” she said, thinking maybe he needed something to do. “Glasses are in the cabinet above if you want to open the wine.”

  He nodded and walked behind the leather sofa, his free hand trailing along the back of it for a moment. “Good idea. I could use a drink.”

  That makes two of us.

  Surprised at how nervous she truly was, Vanessa busied herself with rearranging the table to fit the flowers in the center. She then noticed Jonah holding back the blind that covered the large window over the sink. He stood transfixed, staring, the corkscrew forgotten in his other hand.

  Unable to stop herself, she joined him, curious as to what caught his eye. Standing close, she could feel the heat from his body as his familiar spicy cologne filled her head. It took some effort, but she managed to tear her gaze from his profile and look outside.

  She smiled. Another amazing Montana sunset.

  The last rays of daylight washed over the breathtaking scenery while a scattering of clouds seemed to slowly swallow the last remnants of color, the darkness spreading across the copper-colored sky.

  How could she have forgotten to take a moment to enjoy this? “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

  He dropped the blind back in place and turned to her. She waited a moment, her heart pounding in her chest as she felt his gaze on her, but then she looked at him.

  “Yes, very beautiful.” He studied her for a moment longer, and then turned his attention back to the wine bottle. “You know, I’m surprised my mother didn’t mention this place was mine when she rented it to you.”

  “Maybe she did, but I don’t remember. I just know I fell in love with the cabin the moment I saw it.” She took the half-filled glass he held out to her. “As soon as I walked in, the first thing I noticed was how it felt so...” She paused, searching for the right word.

  “Empty?” He offered.

  “Lonely,” she said instead, leaning against the counter. “A beautiful house, obviously crafted by someone with a great attention to detail—”

  “Thank you.”

  She looked at him, smiling at his interruption. “But it was like she was waiting for someone to give her a chance to be a home. You know, make he
r pretty, make her useful. Give her some style.”

  “Well, you’ve certainly done that. This place is nothing like it was the last time I was here.”

  She liked that once again a gentle wit laced in his tone. “You know, those ladies also said it took you a long time to build this place, and that you did it alone.” She took a sip of her wine. “How old were you when you started?”

  “I got the land from my grandfather when I was eighteen, and played around with the design for a few years.” He suddenly seemed very interested in the contents of his glass. “But I didn’t start the building process until I was twenty-one.”

  “Was it a school project? I’m guessing being an architect requires a college degree.”

  “Yes, the drawings had been part of my schooling, but it was a place I’d wanted to build for a long time. It wasn’t easy to find the time, between my school and work schedule—I was working full-time down at the local lumber mill back then. Of course, I guess it should’ve bothered me that my ex-wife didn’t seem to care about the amount of time I was spending out here.”

  Shock raced through Vanessa at his words, her stomach dropping to her feet. “You were married?”

  Jonah nodded, taking a healthy swig from his glass. “Yep.”

  “You were so young.”

  “Graduated high school and got married in the same weekend. We were both eighteen and had been together for four years.”

  Wow, thanks to her devotion to her art she hadn’t gone on a date until she was seventeen. “How long were you married? If you don’t mind me asking.”

  “Four years, almost to the day. Got my college degree and signed the divorce papers in the same week. Poetic justice, huh?”

  Vanessa was desperately curious as to what happened, who was at fault, but when he remained silent, so did she.

  Then she had another thought. Had he built this cabin for his ex-wife? Obviously they’d been divorced long before he completed it, but it could’ve started out as something—

  “This might be none of my business,” she blurted out, “but were you building this place for her? For the two of you?”