Montana Love Letter

by Charlotte Carter

  Not only was Montana big-sky country, but it also was God’s country, and she thanked the Lord for leading her here.

  She glanced at Adam next to her and found him gazing at her, the hint of a smile teasing the corners of his lips. Their arms all but touching, a warm sense of pleasure, of being in the right place, brought a matching smile to her lips.

  Had the Lord brought her not only to Montana but to Adam, as well?

  It was far too early to jump to that conclusion. They’d known each other only a week. Not nearly long enough to be considering any kind of a relationship except friendship.

  When she’d discovered Raymond’s infidelities, she’d vowed to heal herself and achieve stability for Rae before she even considered having another man in her life.

  Whatever might be possible between her and Adam would simply have to wait. Maybe forever.

  That thought brought a sting of regret, which she immediately tamped down.

  * * *

  As they strolled back to the car after dinner, Hailey and Raeanne each took one of Janelle’s hands. A cute gesture on Hailey’s part, which Janelle suspected was linked to the girl still missing her own mother.

  Janelle would have to be careful not to get too close to Hailey, as much as that seemed hard to avoid with such an outgoing, naturally loving child. But she didn’t want Hailey hurt when she and Rae found their own place and moved out.

  Adam had stopped to speak to a friend in the parking lot. It occurred to Janelle that this was a good time to ask Hailey a question that had been bothering her all day.

  “Hailey, does you dad wear glasses?”

  The girl stopped abruptly. A crease formed between her eyebrows. “No, he doesn’t need glasses.”

  “I just wondered. This afternoon, it almost seemed like—”

  “I’m going to go tell Dad to come on or he’ll talk to that guy forever.” She slipped her hand from Janelle’s and dashed back through the parking lot toward her father.

  “We’ll meet you at the truck,” Janelle called after her, thinking Hailey’s reaction to her question wasn’t at all what she had expected. It was almost as if she knew a secret about Adam that she didn’t want to share.

  A secret that had nothing to do with glasses.

  Chapter Seven

  Janelle got her car back on Saturday, all shiny-new looking.

  Impulsively, she threw her arms around Adam’s neck and hugged him. “Thank you! Thank you! It looks beautiful.”

  For a moment, Adam tensed, but then let his arms slide around her waist. “You’re welcome.”

  She caught the not-unpleasant scent of auto grease and oil along with a hint of his shampoo and felt the warmth and strength of his body pressed against hers. A tremor rippled through her. Of need? Or longing?

  Stepping back, she was snared by his eyes. No longer gray, they’d gone nearly black.

  She licked her lips. Cleared her throat.

  “You’d better take your car for a spin.” His voice had a rusty quality she didn’t recognize. “See how it handles.”

  “Yes. Of course.” But her feet didn’t budge. As if someone had used superglue on the soles of her shoes, she couldn’t seem to move.

  “I’ll get the key for you.” He, too, seemed trapped by some unseen force.

  “That would be good.”

  “The key’s in my office.”

  “I know. For cars you’re working on, you hang keys on a Peg-Board near the desk and lock the office at night so they’ll be safe.”

  “I wouldn’t want anyone to steal a customer’s car.”

  “You’re a very responsible man.” Every time she spoke, her voice dipped lower and grew more breathy.

  “I’ll get your key,” he repeated.

  “Yes.”

  “Hey, boss!” Vern shouted. “You order new tires for McCloud’s truck?”

  Adam blinked as though coming out of a trance. So did Janelle.

  “They’re piled outside the door,” he responded.

  “I’ll get ’em.”

  Adam visibly drew a deep breath. “I’ll be right back with your key.”

  Unsure what, if anything, had just transpired between them, Janelle could only nod. Having her own car back was a good thing. She wouldn’t have to borrow Adam’s clunker. She’d be independent again, able to leave anytime she wanted to. She ignored the voice in her heart that reminded her that she didn’t want to leave—not yet.

  Almost reluctantly, she got into her car and drove out of the garage. The engine sounded as if it had been well oiled, the gears shifted smoothly. A job well done.

  After a few minutes she returned to the garage. Adam was lying on his back under a car.

  “My car runs beautifully,” she said to his big feet, the only part of him she could see. “What do I owe you?”

  “I put the bill on the desk.” His voice was muffled by a couple tons of steel. “There’s no rush.”

  “I’ll go ahead and pay you. Then I’ll send a copy to my insurance.”

  “Fine by me.”

  She cocked her head to one side. Five minutes ago they’d nearly...what? Apparently whatever they’d nearly done mattered little to Adam.

  He hadn’t even stuck his head out from under the car to look her in the eye.

  Men! And they claimed women were hard to understand.

  * * *

  Sunday morning, Raeanne stood patiently in front of the mirror while Janelle braided two small sections of her hair, then pulled them to the back and held them with a pretty clip.

  “My, don’t you look fancy for church.” Janelle kissed the top of her daughter’s head. She loved fussing with Rae’s hair, feeling the soft strands slip through her fingers. Combing her hair was right up there with hugs and kisses, a quiet mother-daughter moment that could be locked away in a memory box and retrieved later as needed.

  Kitty Cat was far less serene about the whole hairdo thing. She kept batting at the comb on the dresser or mock fighting with the kitten in the mirror, which brought gales of giggles from Raeanne—and equal joy to Janelle.

  The sound of her daughter’s voice was a gift, an answer to her prayers.

  Ready for breakfast, Rae picked up the kitten and carried it to the main house. Janelle opened the sliding door.

  “Good morning, all,” she said.

  Hailey hopped up from her chair at the kitchen table. “Rae, I love your hair! You look so cute.”

  “Would you like me to do your hair that way, too?” Janelle asked.

  Hailey brightened. “Oh, wow! Could you?”

  “Of course. Bring me your comb and brush and a clip you like. And a mirror, too.”

  She raced off toward her room with Raeanne in her wake followed by a bounding Kitty Cat.

  Janelle strolled toward the kitchen, where Adam sat at the table eating his breakfast.

  “Looks like we haven’t yet plumbed the depths of your domestic talents.” He got up to pour her a cup of coffee.

  “Blame it on a misspent childhood styling dolls’ hair. Which, by the way, eventually meant I had a whole closet full of bald dolls.”

  He nearly dropped the coffeepot and laughed. “I don’t think Hailey would look real good bald, if you don’t mind.”

  “Not to worry.” She grinned and sipped the rich coffee he’d managed to pour into her mug. “My technique has improved considerably since I’ve had Raeanne as my subject.”

  The girls came running back, Hailey with brush and comb in hand.

  “Rae, sweetie, show Adam what you want for breakfast while I fix Hailey’s hair.” She took Hailey by the shoulders, turned her around and had her sit on the floor in front of her. She ran a brush through the girl’s long, blond hair. “Your hair’s very fine.
It might be easier to manage if you cut it shorter, right about to here.”

  Rae hopped up in the chair next to Janelle with the bowl of cereal Adam had poured for her.

  Hailey studied herself in the mirror. “I don’t know. I’m used to it long.”

  “That’s all right. Let me make you a couple of braids, and we’ll see how that looks.”

  Busying herself making the braids, Janelle noticed Adam studying what she was doing. “It’s not hard. You just twist three strands of hair together and pin them in place.”

  “I remember at camp one summer when I was a kid making a leather belt that way. After about a week, the whole belt fell apart.”

  “The good thing about hair is that you can brush it out and start all over. No harm done.”

  He didn’t look convinced.

  When Janelle finished the braids and clipped them in place, Hailey looked in the mirror. “That is so cool!” Standing, she threw herself into Janelle’s arms. “Thank you so much. I love the braids!”

  “You’re more than welcome.” She hugged Hailey back. “Now, I’d better eat some breakfast or all through the church service my stomach will be growling as loud as a cow with a bellyache.”

  Hailey giggled.

  An hour later, as they were walking into church, Hailey opted to go to Sunday school to see her friends.

  As she ran off toward the classrooms, Adam said, “That was very nice of you to fix her hair like that. It looks good.”

  “It was easy and fun to do.”

  “Yeah, maybe. Lisa used to curl her hair and stuff.” He shrugged, although Janelle thought he was acting more casual about his late wife that he actually felt. “I don’t have the knack. I turn into all thumbs. Guess she’ll have to learn how to do it on her own.”

  Or maybe someday he’d fall in love and marry another woman, Janelle mused. A woman who loved to fuss with a child’s hair.

  A lump formed in her throat as she realized that the woman was unlikely to be her. He deserved someone who wasn’t carrying the burden of a marriage that had been a sham.

  * * *

  After church, Adam climbed into his truck. The girls squeezed into the fold-down seats of the extended cab, and Janelle took the passenger seat.

  This morning when Janelle had fixed Hailey’s hair, he’d suddenly realized how fast his little girl was growing up. While he had a couple of years until she reached the teenage years, she was well on her way. Soon he wouldn’t dare call her Peanut or squirt. She’d be too big. Too grown-up for silly nicknames and hanging around her old man.

  Where had the time gone?

  Janelle snapped her seat belt in place. “If you’re in no rush, could we drive by a house Sharon showed me yesterday? It’s not far, and I’d appreciate you taking a look. See what you think, if any big problems pop out at you.”

  “Sure. Tell me where.”

  She gave him directions. “It’s not very big, only two bedrooms. But there’s a basement and the kitchen has been remodeled recently. Sharon said it was only a block to the school bus stop.”

  Adam took a left out of the parking lot. His heart clutched at the thought of Janelle actually finding a house she liked. He was getting used to her being around. Eating breakfast across the table from her. Sitting on the deck together watching the stars come out.

  Even watching her create a fancy hairdo for Hailey. Something he didn’t have a clue how to do.

  Just like he couldn’t keep a handle on the paperwork for the garage. And now that she’d rearranged everything, put it all in neat and tidy files, he couldn’t even find what he wanted without asking her to dig it out for him.

  And wouldn’t you know, she’d started rearranging the cupboards in the kitchen, too. It had taken him forever to find the peanut butter yesterday. Apparently she’d bought some natural peanut-butter brand that was supposed to be healthier and required refrigeration.

  How was he supposed to know that? It was okay, he supposed, but didn’t taste like the old stuff.

  She was bringing a lot of changes into his house. Into his life. Although most of them he liked.

  Others just plain made him nervous. Like the way she kept sticking invoices or bills under his nose expecting him to tell her what they were about.

  “There it is, on the right.” She pointed at a small ranch-style house with white stucco and green trim. The lot was fairly big and backed onto a forested area. “The house is vacant, so you can park in the driveway. You can see the mountains from the porch, a great place to watch sunsets.”

  They all climbed out of the truck. The girls raced up onto the porch and tried to peer through the windows.

  Adam walked alongside the house, taking a look at the roof, which seemed solid. There was an obvious dip in the backyard that was bound to turn into a lake when it rained.

  “I thought it was nice to have some forested area behind the house,” Janelle said.

  “Maybe not so much in this case.” He walked into the woods a few feet and stopped. Did she really want to buy this place? She ought to have something bigger. More elegant, to match her style.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “See those snow markers with the red tips?”

  “Is that what they are?”

  “Yep. This is a snowmobile route.” He motioned for her to step out into what was a wide trail between the trees. “This runs from town up through the national forest area and comes back out to the highway at Summers. During the winter this turns into a freeway, with those noisy snowmobiles roaring up and down, scaring the wildlife to death and the drivers risking their own lives and limbs in the process.”

  Janelle’s forehead puckered and she pursed her lips. “It’s pretty close to the house, isn’t it?”

  “Closer than I’d like.”

  She hooked her hand behind her neck and rubbed. “Sharon didn’t mention this.”

  He shrugged. “Maybe she’s not familiar with the trail.”

  “Maybe.”

  In the distance, he heard the low rumble of approaching vehicles. “Let’s step back into the trees. We’re about to have company.” Taking her elbow, he led her off the trail.

  Within minutes, three all-terrain vehicles roared by, making enough noise to break a few eardrums.

  When they passed, Adam said, “I forgot to mention that ATVs use this trail the rest of the year.”

  “Swell.” Shoulders slumped, she turned to walk back to the house.

  He caught up with her. “I’m sorry. I know you thought this one was a real possibility.”

  “It would pretty much be a bad idea to buy a place in a nice, quiet neighborhood only to find out you’re living in the middle of a speedway where amateurs think they’re driving the Indianapolis 500.”

  “It’s worse on weekends than during the week. Maybe you and Rae could set up a hot-chocolate stand next to the trail. Make yourselves a bunch of money.”

  She whacked his arm with the back of her hand, but the hint of a smile softened the blow. “Thanks for the suggestion, but I think I’ll keep looking.”

  “Good idea.” Satisfied that he’d successfully delayed the day she’d move out of his cottage for at least a little while, he hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans and strolled back to the truck.

  * * *

  As the week progressed, Janelle became more and more anxious about the IRS hearing on Friday. She’d checked her numbers a dozen times. But would that be enough? What if she’d made a mistake?

  As soon as Adam returned from his weekly Rotary luncheon, she corralled him in the garage.

  “Adam, I really need to talk to you about the hearing Friday.”

  “You’ve squared all the paperwork away, haven’t you?”

  “Yes. In fact, based on your revised tax retur
ns, you’ll probably owe some penalties but overall much less than what the IRS is claiming.”

  “That’s a relief.” He dragged his overalls off of a hanger and tugged them on over his jeans.

  “I need to explain to you how I arrived at the bottom line so you can answer questions if anything comes up.”

  He stopped pulling up the overall zipper and gaped at her. His ruddy complexion paled. “You’re going to be there, aren’t you? You’re coming with me, right?”

  “Yes, I’ll come along. But I need to brief you so you’ll understand and can answer the questions yourself.”

  He shook his head. “No need if you’re there.” He started to walk away.

  “Yes, there is!” She raised her voice. “What if I’ve made a mistake? What if I misinterpreted something? I’m not a tax expert or a CPA. You’re the one who’s going to pay for my errors.”

  “Janie, I have complete faith in your work. You don’t make mistakes.”

  Janie? Her jaw dropped open. No one except her mother had ever called her Janie.

  She snapped her mouth closed. Opened it again. “You at least have to sign the forms. It’s the law. The IRS won’t accept them without your signature.”

  He lifted his shoulders in an easy shrug. “No problem. Show me where I need to sign.”

  She marked the lines where he needed to sign with a red X and watched him while he scribbled something that vaguely resembled a signature.

  Why had he called her Janie? Had he simply blurted it out because he was too lazy to say “Janelle”? Or could using her nickname be a sign of affection?

  And did she really want to know the answer to either of those questions?

  Chapter Eight

  The ride to the IRS office in Missoula wound through a scenic forest before reaching a lower elevation and rolling hillsides covered with a carpet of summer-brown grass.

  They had dropped the girls off at Mrs. Murphy’s house. Although not thrilled with the prospect, they took all sorts of games to keep themselves occupied.