by Milan Watson
Gemma glanced around the open field and a smile lit the corners of her mouth. There was a copse of trees adjacent to the area he had picked out and immediately her mind kicked into gear. “We might even consider a tree house or two if you want to expand later on.” She started towards the trees and could feel the excitement of a new project rush through her veins. “This is really a great spot. You’ve got the stream trickling by, the trees to provide shade in summer, which will be your busiest time of year. A fire-pit under a starlit sky, will you need stables here?”
Dusty frowned. “I hadn’t thought of that. I’m thinking of offering horseback rides but… you’re right, maybe not a stable but a pretty fenced paddock. The kids could feed the horses, give them a real feel for the country, yeah let’s work that in as well.”
“Do you have size in mind?” Gemma asked, taking out her sketchpad and measuring tape. As she began pacing the area and getting an idea of what he wanted she felt the same familiar rush of adrenalin that had drawn her to architecture.
Right now there was nothing here but a field with a copse of trees and a trickling brook. She could already envision a small village of tourists eagerly soaking up the summer sun and kicking back with the fresh country air.
Thoughts of her history with Dusty were shoved aside as she began to make his dream come true. Because even if Dusty had pushed her aside after only three dates, he was still the only man she dreamed about.
Chapter 3
Dusty walked towards the main house, noticing Betty’s car parked outside. A smile lifted the corners of his mouth knowing he would be sitting down to a delicious dinner tonight; although he had a feeling he wouldn’t taste a single bite.
Meeting with Gemma had not only caught him off guard, it tossed him right back into the past and how he had felt back then. She had been the first girl he didn’t push for a kiss on the first date, the first girl he didn’t rush to bed, because for the first time Dusty wanted to do things right.
He’d quickly learned his lesson although it had taken him more than a year to get over Gemma Riley. She had crushed his heart and made him lose confidence in all women. Trust was a big thing for Dusty, just like it was for his family, and Gemma had betrayed that trust.
He shoved thoughts of Gemma away as he walked into the house. The house was a mix of old and new, Cheyenne and the Wild West with a few nods to modern conveniences. It smelled like leather and pine polish, and no place had ever felt more like home. A few years back his father had built on an apartment adjacent to Ford’s annex to give Dusty a little more privacy, even though Dusty still preferred kicking back in the living room of the main house to relax after a long day.
As his brothers returned from college his old man did the same for them as well. They all took their meals in the main house yet they each had a small space to call their own. Dusty still wasn’t sure if his dad did it because he was tired of having them underfoot or if he had just been kind.
He headed into the kitchen where he found Betty and Kelly discussing their days.
“Dusty, how’d the meeting go?” Betty asked at the sight of him.
No one spoke of what Betty was exactly to his father, but everyone accepted Betty’s presence as Clayton’s girlfriend. Dusty knew better than to ask if his father was ever going to make an honest woman out of her. Both Betty and his dad had lost their spouses, and after years of being friends their relationship finally reached a new level a few years ago.
“Dusty?” Kelly prodded when he headed to the fridge instead of answering. He grabbed a beer, popped the top and took a long drink before turning to meet their questioning gazes.
Kelly was in the process of moving to Saddleback Ridge after getting engaged to Ford a couple of weeks back. Right now her blue eyes were filled with concern.
Dusty wiped his mouth and sighed. “Not like I expected.” He turned and walked out of the kitchen, needing to clear his mind. Before he could answer his family’s barrage of questions he needed to find some answers for himself.
First on the list was why Gemma still managed to make his heart race and need pool between his thighs, even after what had happened between them.
He headed to the porch and took a seat as Ford ambled towards the deck with Drake short on his heels.
“Hey Dusty, you meet with the architect?” Drake asked, kicking off his boots still caked with mud.
Betty might not live on the ranch but that didn’t stop her from chastising them for tracking dirt into the house.
Dusty groaned. “Yeah, I met with the architect. The wonderful architect recommended to me by the firm in Denver. The architect that specializes in hospitality.”
Ford frowned as he leaned against the porch railing. “Well, if this architect is so darn wonderful why do you look like a dog that’s just been kicked?”
Dusty chuckled wryly as he searched Ford’s gaze, glancing at Drake. They all had similar physical traits; tall with dark hair and the hooded Caldwell eyes. Whereas Ford and Drake had their father’s blue eyes, Dusty and Logan inherited their mother’s brown eyes. “I’ll give you one guess who the architect is. I dated her a long time ago, she’s recently moved back into town and her name starts with a ‘G’.”
Logan came out of the house just as Dusty finished. Unlike his brothers who worked in Wranglers, plaid shirts and Stetsons, he looked crisp in a pair of slacks and a golf tee. “Gemma Riley? I’d heard she was back in town.”
Three heads turned to Logan as he let the screen door bang shut behind him.
“You didn’t think to mention that to me?” Dusty asked, baffled.
Logan shrugged. “Didn’t think it mattered. Didn’t you date her like ten years ago?”
Dusty shook his head. “Nine, nine years ago, and I didn’t date her, we had three dates.”
“That’s dating.” Ford shrugged. “So what’s the problem, she not up to doing the job?”
“What you boys doin’ sittin’ out here when Betty and Kelly are gettin’ dinner on the table.” The grumble from the sliding door had the four men turn to see Clayton step outside.
Clayton Caldwell was as legendary in Saddleback Ridge as Billy the Kid was in the Old West. His black hair might have turned to silver and his gait might be slightly slower, but he could still make a bull cower with his gaze.
Logan was the first to answer. “Nursin’ Dusty’s wounds.”
Drake chuckled, shaking his head. “Dad, you won’t believe who’s the architect for the dude ranch.”
“If it’s Eddie Macintosh you can tell him he’s fired before he even starts. When I was having those stables built he cost me an arm and a leg and the whole thing tumbled down before he was even finished. I ain’t wastin’ another dime or minute on him.”
Ford shook his head. “It ain’t Macintosh, Dad, its Gemma Riley.”
Clayton rubbed a hand over his jaw as he brought the name to a face. “Ain’t that the girl Dusty mooned over for months and then scowled over for years?”
Drake, Logan, and Ford chuckled at their father’s perfect recollection of Dusty’s last interaction with Gemma. “That’s the one.” Ford nodded.
“She an architect now?” Clayton asked. Dinner completely forgotten he stepped out onto the porch and joined Ford by leaning against the railing.
“The best in hospitality,” Drake confirmed.
“I didn’t scowl over her for years,” Dusty put in. He let out a sigh and took another pull on his beer. Why did he have to own up to his brothers and his father, now they wouldn’t let him hear the end of it?
“Eleven months and twenty-nine days then,” Ford teased, shaking his head. “I had no idea she came back to town.”
“Yeah, apparently she’s back for good.” Dusty groaned.
“Did you do your research before calling this firm in Denver?” Clayton asked with the type of even reasoning he always had.
“Yeah Dad. They assured me the person they were sending was the best in the field. I just didn’t expect it to be Gemma.”
Dusty heard Drake chuckle knowing his father was about to say something else. “I can manage just find, Dad.”
“Good. Then get inside so we can sit down to a meal.” Clayton turned and was about to leave before his mustache tugged up a little at the corners. “Her ideas sound any good?”
Dusty wanted to lie. He wanted to say she was incapable and that they’d be better off getting someone else, but he knew that would be as far from the truth as possible. Except her ideas were even better than his, it was maybe time he moved past what happened between them back then. Gemma Riley might have been the woman to break his heart, but she was also a capable architect with a résumé worth gasping at.
She was the best person for the job and even though Dusty had no idea how he was going to focus on the dude ranch and not the architect, he knew he owed it to his father and brothers to make a success out of it.
“Better than mine,” he finally admitted.
Clayton nodded. “Then that’s settled then,” he said with the air of authority one had after building an empire from a family ranch. “Dinner’s gettin’ cold.”
He turned and walked into the house. Drake and Logan followed him inside but Ford hung back with Dusty. “You alright there, seems like seeing Gemma again has shook you up some?”
Dusty shook his head and finished his beer. “Why would it shake me up to see the girl I fell in love with forever ago. The same girl I dreamed of building a future with before she sliced my heart into shreds. It shouldn’t bother me at all that she’s back and besides we’re just building a dude ranch together, it’s not like I can’t separate my personal life from business and that’s all this is. Business.”
Dusty stood and headed inside. Ford followed in his footsteps but not before muttering. “That’s what I thought when Kelly came out to the ranch last month.”
Dusty tried to lose himself in dinner conversation and his brothers’ willful bantering, but it was hard when Gemma’s green gaze kept haunting him even as he hungered to taste her lips again.
Chapter 4
Gemma stepped into the two bed roomed apartment she leased after moving back to Saddleback Ridge. It wasn’t that she minded staying with her parents, but after having her own place for years she had her own routine and enjoyed a little more privacy.
After setting down her briefcase she headed to the sliding doors. She opened them up and let in the aromas of Bobby’s bakery across the road and the sounds of Main Street. The apartments above Dr. Pruitt’s office had been in disrepair when Gemma left town, but on her return she was surprised to see they had been renovated and brought into the twenty-first century.
Having a view over Main Street suited her just fine, just like the small kitchenette which she rarely used to cook. Her kitchen skills ended at nuking and scrambling eggs. If she wanted a more fortifying meal the diner was just down the road and her parents’ place was just a few blocks away. If she wanted company, Bobby didn’t live that far away.
But tonight Gemma wasn’t looking for a meal or her friend’s company, tonight she was looking for a little peace and quiet to try and calm the raging storm in her mind. Seeing Dusty today had drawn on every last nerve she had to keep her head in the game. She felt emotionally exhausted and right back where she was when he stopped coming around.
A huff escaped her as she headed to the kitchenette where she selected a dry red; it suited her mood and she poured herself a glass. She kicked off her shoes and took a seat on the sofa, welcoming the warm evening breeze as she pondered over Dusty Caldwell.
All through high school she had crushed on him, regardless of dating football all-star Joe Parker. Of all the Caldwell brothers that her friends had fussed over, Dusty had been the only one she ever noticed. He had been a couple of years ahead of her and from a distance Gemma had always wondered if he even knew she existed.
On the night of her senior prom things had exploded between her and Joe. He had been pushing for a long time and that night Gemma had finally had enough. The breakup had been the blowup of the year, and Gemma had hid from everyone for the first few weeks following the public humiliation Joe had subjected her to.
But that summer everything changed. It all started with Bobby’s plan for her to put Joe behind her and get out there again. After much deliberation on Gemma’s part and nagging on Bobby’s part, Gemma finally joined Bobby at The Barn for an evening of line-dancing and freedom, instead she had found herself swept off her feet by Dusty.
A quiet sigh escaped her. She could still remember how her cheeks had flushed, how her heart had raced and how his lips had felt when he sneaked a kiss during a slow dance. For her it had been a dream come true. He asked her to dinner the following week and Gemma had fallen even deeper in love with him.
Their second date was a picnic on Falcon Falls. Gemma could still remember how the heat had warmed her back while Dusty’s gaze had heated everything else. That day she realized that Dusty would never leave Saddleback Ridge. Falcon Falls was his home and the horses were his life. It was a heady feeling to recognize the man you wanted to build a future with, heady enough that she had made out with him right there in the middle of a field.
By the third date Gemma was ready to give up her dreams of going off to study to become an architect. She was ready to throw herself into a relationship with Dusty, a future with a man who made her heart race, her blood heat, and made her forget her own name when his gaze locked with hers. They had driven into Colorado Springs for a romantic dinner. Dusty charmed and seduced her, it never moved past second base, but not because they didn’t want to, simply because Dusty was too much of a gentleman to take advantage.
She had fallen fast and fallen hard. After that third date Gemma was ready to commit to a future, the only problem was she never heard from him again.
He didn’t call, he didn’t come to see her, he didn’t even send her a text. For days she convinced herself he was just busy, until she had bumped into him at the general store. She had never known that warm brown eyes could turn to ice. That day she witnessed it for the first time.
She left for college two weeks later with a broken heart, and hadn’t seen him again until today. She took a sip of her wine trying to drown the past when there was an unexpected knock on her door.
“I come bearing cake!” Bobby’s voice called through the lock.
If it were any other night Gemma would’ve been grateful, but one look at her and Bobby would know exactly how much seeing Dusty had affected her. For a moment she contemplated not opening the door, but she realized Bobby wouldn’t leave otherwise. She set down her wine and headed to let her in.
“Did we have plans?” Gemma asked as she opened the door.
Bobby Anderson cocked a brow, her violet eyes narrowing. “Since when do I need plans to see my BFF? You were gone for eons; we’ve some catching up to do.”
Bobby shimmied past her into the apartment before she set down the cake box on the counter.
Ever since junior high Bobby and Gemma had been inseparable. Where Gemma had dreams beyond Saddleback Ridge, Bobby only left to qualify as a pastry chef before returning to her home town and opening a bakery. Most people in town had been skeptical that a bakery selling high end pastries and confectionaries would succeed in Saddleback Ridge, but Bobby had proved everyone wrong. Decadent Delights was now a fixture on Main Street just like the town hall and the Moonshine Tavern.
“Oh no, what happened? You never drink alone, and you opened a red,” Bobby asked glancing at the open bottle of wine.
Gemma shrugged defensively. “I drink red wine.”
“You prefer white and you usually only have a glass after a bad day. If you opened a red something else happened. Fight with your mom? Oh no, you got fired didn’t you? They decided the freelancing thing wasn’t going to work for them after all?” Bobby shook her head making her black curls
bounce on her shoulders.
Gemma was about to argue when she finally just sighed. “Being fired right now would be a better position to be in.”
“What?” Bobby shook her head as she moved around the counter and grabbed a glass before filling it with wine. “Now that I’m fortified, let’s hear it.”
Gemma debated for a moment whether or not she should tell Bobby what happened, then realized that sooner or later every inhabitant of their small town would know she was working at Falcon Falls anyhow.
“I went to see a new client today.” Gemma headed back to the couch and sank into the plush pillows before she continued. “It’s a dream job, Bobby. I’m talking designing a dude ranch from scratch. No reuse of old barns or renovating hunting cabins; I’m talking vast open space and a clean canvas to design a dream.”
“So what’s the problem? That’s what you moved back home for. You said it yourself; you wanted to work on unique projects. Wait, didn’t you say you were tired of designing tall buildings with pigeonholes?”
“The problem isn’t the job, Bobby, it’s the client.”
Bobby frowned. “Wait a minute…” Bobby’s eyes drew together. “I heard Betty mentioning to Moira something about a dude ranch being built when they stopped by the bakery the other day. But that was on Falcon Falls…” Bobby trailed off as her eyes widened. “You’re designing the dude ranch for Falcon Falls?”
Gemma laughed wryly. “Guess who’s taking lead in the project?”
She knew Bobby would get it on the first guess, she didn’t expect Bobby to fold double laughing her heart out.
“Yeah, laugh all you want…” Gemma said taking another sip of her wine.
“This is just too good to be true. You fled to college to get away from Dusty and now you’re back and your first project is working with him. Its fate, it has to be,” Bobby said clinking their glasses together in a toast. “Just goes to show you can’t run forever. Loose ends need to be tied up.”
“I wasn’t running,” Gemma insisted with a sigh. “I was going to college. Besides, he’s the one who broke things off.”
