The more she thought about Trent’s problem, the angrier she got. It was beyond her how he could even contemplate marrying someone he didn’t love. Plenty of people never got married, never had children. He wanted a wife for all the wrong reasons and keeping his land away from Jordan had to be the dumbest one of the lot.
The man didn’t deserve a nice girl like Mary-Beth or locking lips with someone like Gracie. He deserved to spend the rest of his days with a vulture like Jo-Jo. They could live the rest of their days auditing their bank accounts and breeding more prize winning cattle.
If she was angry with Trent, she was even angrier with herself. Helping him find the answer to his dreams had seemed like fun at the time, but now it seemed plain dumb.
Grabbing a glass from the pantry, she tipped juice into it, managing to slosh orange all over the counter. Glaring at Trent, she grabbed a dishcloth from the sink and waited for his final verdict. She didn’t really care who he chose to marry. It was his decision and he had to live with it. “Let me know when you want me to move into Bozeman. I’ll stay in a hotel until Gerald gets back.”
He stopped buttering his toast. Guarded grey eyes studied the scowl on her face. “I want to marry you.”
Gracie froze. “What?” Her hand landed in the puddle of juice.
“I want to marry you.”
Heart pounding, she waited for him to laugh at his joke. He just leaned against the counter, butter knife in hand, looking for all the world like a man enjoying a normal early morning conversation.
Her brain felt thick and heavy, like it was wadding through quicksand. “But I wasn’t on the list.” The more she tried to make sense of what he’d said, the less sense it made. “You can’t marry me. I’m not getting married.”
“Of course I can marry you. It’s a perfect solution.”
“Who for? It’s not perfect for me at all. I didn’t come here to find a husband. I came here to find my father. Find where I belong.”
His knife clattered against the counter. He glared at her like she was a demented fool. “Why do you need to find yourself? You’re standing right here in my kitchen and I’ve just asked you to marry me.”
Gracie’s toast popped with an almighty bang. She picked it up off the counter, swiping a thick knife of butter across the top. She didn’t care about fat content and calories. She needed comfort. And if the only comfort she could find was in a thick inch of butter, then that was good enough for her.
Biting into the toast, she chewed like her life depended on it. “I’m not going to marry you, so you might as well forget you ever asked me. Go for number two.” With a growl she added, “I’m sure you’re keeping your options open.”
“What the hell’s gotten into you woman? Last night you were all over me like a good dose of poison ivy. Now you’re acting like you can’t even stand the sight of me. What’s changed in the last few hours that I don’t know about?”
“Me. That’s what’s changed. Last night was a mistake. It should never have happened. It’s not going to happen again. My father abandoned me because he didn’t love me. I flat out refuse to be part of any relationship, let alone marriage, not being loved for the person I am.” Gracie threw the rest of her toast in the bin. “I will not be a convenient baby incubator to a man with half a brain. I’ve got a great life back in New Zealand. I don’t need to marry someone like you.” She stormed out the kitchen, heading for the front door.
“Come back here, Gracie.” Trent bellowed. “We haven’t finished discussing this.”
“Yes we have,” she yelled from the porch, heading at top speed toward the barn.
Trent shoved his hands through his hair, trying to figure out what had just happened. What a God-awful mess. He’d just blown any chance of ever convincing Gracie they were perfect for each other. He wanted a wife, someone he could enjoy living with. He wanted children. He wasn’t looking for love or any of the frilly extras that made a man forget what was important in life. And his land was the most important thing to him.
“What’s going on in here?” Jordan stood in the doorway with his arms crossed and a no-nonsense look on his face. “I could hear you yelling from my truck. Where’s Gracie?”
“She headed across to the barn.” Trent pushed off from the edge of the counter and walked toward the deck.
“I don’t know what you’re hoping to achieve by bullying her, but it’s going to stop right now.” Jordan followed him outside. “If you can’t at least treat her with respect, she can pack her bags right now and I’ll take her over to moms. At least she’ll be safe from whatever hornet’s buzzing in that brain of yours.”
“Butt out of something you don’t understand.” Trent braced his hands against the railing. “I’m not bullying Gracie. We had a difference of opinion.”
“You could have fooled me.”
Trent looked at the mountains, gripping the wooden railing tighter. “I asked her to marry me.”
Jordan moved closer, a frown across his face. “You need to work on your approach. You’re in serious trouble if that’s the reaction you get from the woman you love.”
“It wasn’t that kind of marriage.”
“What do you mean? How many kinds of marriage are there?”
Trent let go of the railing and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I want a family. I want kids to pass the ranch onto. I like her, and I know she likes me.” At least he thought she did. A woman who kissed a man until he forgot about where he was must feel something for him.
“You like her? Holy hell, no wonder she took off.” Jordan looked toward the mountains, then back at his brother. “Do you love her?”
Trent stuck his hands in his pockets. “Of course I don’t love her. Fifteen years ago I thought I was in love and look what that got me; a whole pile of emotional blackmail that twisted my mind in twenty different directions. I loved a woman who thought her life was over if she couldn’t get cell phone coverage from every damn place on the ranch.”
“Gracie’s not like that.”
“Yeah. She wants wooing. She wants roses, chocolates and candlelit dinners.”
“It’s called love, Trent, not some phony excuse to stand in front of a priest and sign her life away.”
“Tell that to the thousands of couples who get divorced every year.”
“Forget the marriages that don’t work,” Jordan growled.
“Easy for you to say when you’ve never been there.”
“I’d say Gracie had a lucky escape if having kids is the only reason you asked her to marry you. If mom knew what you were up to she’d be ashamed.” Jordan headed inside, slamming the front door on his way out.
Trent stared across at the barn. Acid churned in his stomach. He didn’t want to think about his mom or his dad. They’d had a great marriage. If he could have found someone that loved him as much as his parents had loved each other then he wouldn’t be standing outside feeling like a jerk. He may not love Gracie, but he did like her. A lot. Too much. Hell, even he didn’t know how he felt about her. But he did know that she was the perfect choice for him. Gracie wanted love, commitment, a future. She wanted to find her father. He wanted children. He wanted to pass the ranch onto family that cared about the land as much as he did.
Maybe they could both get what they wanted. He might grow to love her. Maybe, over time, the toe curling lust that spiraled deep in his gut whenever he got close to her would turn into something more. And marriage would give her more time to find her father. She could search every state in the country and never have to worry about visas or work permits again.
He leaned against the wooden railing, staring off into the distance. If Gracie wanted wooing, then that’s what she’d get. He could woo a woman senseless if he put his mind to it. He wanted Gracie in his life, and he planned on doing everything he could to make sure that’s what she wanted too.
Gracie Donnelly didn’t know it, but her single days were numbered.
Gracie collapsed the legs on a tabl
e they’d used last night. Her temper had calmed down to a slow simmer, leaving her feeling grumpy and hollow. Jordan walked into the barn and lifted the table out of her hands, stacking it against a wall.
“You did all of these on your own?”
“Yep.” Gracie moved to the other side of the barn. She didn’t feel like making small talk, big talk or any kind of talk. Her heart felt like it had been squished under size thirteen cowboy boots and hung out to dry.
Jordan kept giving her side-ways glances as she yanked crepe paper and balloons off the walls. He must have known something was up because he didn’t say much. He just pointed at the next job that needed doing.
“You okay?”
Gracie looked up from sweeping the floor, flicking straw dust from her face. “Just dandy.”
“You’ve worked your butt off in here. Why not call it quits for the morning? You can take my work truck and go exploring. I’ll get a ride home with someone else.”
Looking through the barn doors at the early morning sunshine, Gracie was tempted to make a run for it. There were lots of places she hadn’t seen and lots of reasons why she didn’t want to stay on the ranch. Her conscience tweaked at the thought of the work left to do. “What about the others?”
Jordan looked around at the near spotless barn. “We’ve just about cleaned up everything for them. I don’t think they’re going to miss one of their star crew if you’re not here to help finish off.” Jordan grabbed her jacket, pushing her toward the barn doors. “Off with you woman.”
Gracie looked at her watch. It was the perfect time to go hiking in the mountains. She’d be able to enjoy the scenery without having to dodge tour groups or families out for a day in the sun. She took the keys dangling from his fingers and held them tight.
“Okay, I’m going. Just keep that brother of yours away from me. He’s not in my good books at the moment.”
Jordan grinned. “I never would have guessed.”
When Gracie left the barn, she didn’t pay much attention to the sound of tractors working in the fields or the breeze flicking the sheets on the clothesline. All she cared about was keeping as far away as possible from Trent. His truck was nowhere in sight, so she drove across to the house and raided the kitchen for a picnic lunch.
Grabbing her backpack and a map, she headed out the door, leaving a brief note on the counter. She doubted Trent would be worried about her anyway. He had far too many other pressing things on his mind. Like finding a woman desperate enough to live out here so he could raise his kids and talk to the cows all day.
As she drove along the highway, the knots in her stomach slowly unraveled, disappearing in a puff of air like the fluffy white clouds circling the mountains. Whatever woman took Trent on needed to understand the full extent of his relationship issues. It was just as well she’d seen his proposal for what it was and not been sucked into believing the man actually had feelings for her.
She followed the road signs to Bridger Bowl. As soon as she’d parked Jordan’s truck she grabbed her map and headed across to one of the hiking trails. The further she walked, the less she thought about Trent. So she kept walking, kept pounding the dirt track taking her further into the mountains.
She listened to the screech of an eagle as it rose in the sky, watched sunshine bath the meadow in a dew fresh glow and breathed in the clean, sweet smell of pine trees.
Thousands of people flocked here every year and it was easy to see why. The slope of the mountain screamed out for a blanket of thick white snow. Gracie could almost hear the soft swish of skis as they cut across the dips and ridges surrounding her and feel the cold bite of ice against her skin. She sighed, knowing she wouldn’t be anywhere near Montana come winter.
After another half hour of walking she pulled a bottle of water out of her backpack and took a long, cool drink. A squirrel poked his head out of the wildflowers growing either side of the trail. He looked at her then scuttled behind some rocks, his grey speckled body disappearing out of sight. Gracie grinned when his head popped up again, further along the track.
She pulled out her map, ran her finger along a red dotted line and realized she’d walked further than she thought. She glanced at her watch, then back at the map. The next fork in the trail didn’t look too far away and it was such a beautiful day that she couldn’t see any reason not to keep walking.
She gazed at the mountains soaring above her and took a deep breath. She had no idea how to get herself out of the mess she’d created with Trent or what to say when she got back. But maybe it didn’t matter. Maybe everything would sort itself out without any interference from her. And maybe a pink pig had just floated past in the sky.
“Where the hell have you been?”
Dropping her backpack on the kitchen floor, Gracie risked a quick glance in Trent’s direction. He stood in his office doorway looking like Lucifer reincarnated. Arms folded across his chest, legs braced for combat, and a stubborn jut to his jaw all meant one thing. Trouble. All he needed was steam coming out his ears and he would have had the whole package wrapped up tight.
So much for not knowing what to say when she returned. Giving him a level stare, she reached in the fridge for the juice. “I drove over to Bridger Bowl and went for a hike along one of the trails.”
“On your own?”
She knew where this conversation was going and she didn’t like it. “Yes, on my own, Trent McKenzie. I’m thirty-one-years-old. I know how to look after myself.” At his disbelieving stare she asked, “Didn’t you get my note?”
“You mean the one that said you were going for a walk and you’d be back in a couple of hours?” There was no maybe about it, steam curled from his head, warning of an imminent eruption. “That was six and a half hours ago,” he roared.
Gracie bit her tongue. She would not get annoyed with him. “I lost track of the time. I’m sorry if you were worried.”
Uncrossing his arms, he took a deep breath, letting his gaze travel slowly down her body.
A lash of raw heat scorched every inch of her bare skin. Lucifer had definitely arrived.
“You don’t look as though you’re any worse for wear, just a bit of sunburn.”
She didn’t know whether he was annoyed or relieved that she’d escaped any major damage.
Trent scowled some more. “Next time let me know where you’re planning on going…and take your cell phone.”
Her teeth snapped shut. A bloody tongue would put the finishing touch on his lecture for irresponsible behavior. If he didn’t quit soon, she’d lose what patience her hike had inspired and let him know exactly what dark thoughts were swirling around her head. “Okay,” she ground out. “I can do that.”
Rubbing his hand along his jaw, he stared down at her backpack. “Are you hungry?”
“What?”
“Food. Did you take anything to eat?”
“Of course I took food with me.”
Trent crossed his arms in front of his chest, then dropped them to his side. “Good…that’s good.”
Turning back to the counter, Gracie poured some juice into a glass and wondered what else was on Trent’s mind. He never fidgeted, but right now he looked as though he didn’t know what to do with himself.
“I want to apologize. For this morning.” He cleared his throat. “I want to apologize for putting you in an awkward position. It was never my intention to upset you with my offer of marriage. Can we still be friends?”
Her glass sat forgotten on the counter. An apology had been the last thing she’d been expecting. Before she’d left Bridger Bowl she’d decided that everything that had happened between them couldn’t possibly work itself out. She needed to pack her bags and head into Bozeman before she got herself more involved in Trent’s life. Now she didn’t know what to do.
Gracie gazed at the six-foot cowboy standing uncertainly in the middle of the room. Why wasn’t he sulking like all the other men she knew would have been? He hadn’t gotten what he wanted, would never get what
he wanted from her, so why was he suddenly being so nice? Especially after nearly tearing her head off for arriving back at the ranch a few hours late.
In some perverse way it made total sense that he would be an exception to every rule she could imagine. From the moment she’d waved goodbye to her friends in New Zealand, nothing had gone according to plan. So why should Trent be any different? Here he was, apologizing for asking her to marry him. Apologizing for not loving her enough to give her what she really wanted.
Gritting her teeth, she tried to conjure up a spark of self-righteousness. It didn’t work. Whenever Gracie was around him, her body refused to listen to her brain. Some massive chemical imbalance reduced her mental agility to zero. She had to squash down the soft spot inflating in the region of her heart. Attempting not to look like a total pushover, she walked across to him, slowly extending her arm. “Friends.”
His eyes lit up at the softly spoken truce.
Damn. That soft spot inside Gracie just got bigger.
He clasped his warm hand around hers. “Friends.”
Gracie buried herself deeper under her quilt, ignoring the banging on her bedroom door.
“Are you getting out of bed sleepyhead, or do I have to come in there are wake you up?”
“Go away. It can’t be five-thirty yet.”
“On the dot. If you’re not downstairs in ten minutes the deals off.”
Pushing her hair out of her eyes, Gracie squinted at the alarm clock and groaned. They’d both been trying hard all week to forget about Trent’s unwanted marriage proposal and so far their truce had been working.
A late night at Karen’s house had left cobwebs in her brain that needed to be swept away quick smart. Trent had offered to take her across to Yellowstone National Park for a hike to Union Falls. It was supposed to be one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the park and she wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass her bye. But she needed to be downstairs and ready to help on the ranch by six, otherwise there’d be no trip anywhere.
Forever Dreams (Montana Brides) Page 11
