Mountain Angel (Northstar Angels, Book One)
Page 35
Beside him, Austin McGuire, a fellow Northstar ranch hand, shook his head and let out a low whistle. “If only I were a younger man,” he said.
His son, Shane, lifted his brows in amusement. “Good thing you aren’t. She’s my best friend’s mom!”
“So?”
“Luke’ll pulverize me at football camp this summer if I don’t defend her honor from my lecherous old father.”
The other ranch hands sitting at the counter with them chuckled in amusement. Austin’s eyes glittered with laughter.
It wasn’t long before his companions went back to their meals. It was a little earlier than many of them usually liked to eat dinner, but they’d been up since before sunrise, moving the Crystal Peak herd up to the summer allotments, and oatmeal and sandwiches only went so far. JP had suggested the Ramshorn, having heard June was working tonight. No one thought anything of it.
From the corner of his vision, JP watched June glide through the dining room to check on her customers.
When she’d seen to everyone—there were only three other tables besides the ranch hands—she settled behind the thick log bar and again picked up her schoolwork. Frowning, he turned his attention more fully to her. She was a dedicated, talented teacher. Even Shane, who hated science, loved her classes. The same qualities that made her such a great educator also made her difficult to get close to. JP tried not to sneer. She put her job and her students before all else, including—or especially—the few men she chose to date. He could attest to that all too well. She’d told him as much, once. The memory still grated, and it took more effort than it should to force his emotions back under the surface. There would be a reckoning for that soon enough.
Shaking his head, he corrected himself. There was one person who came before even teaching in June’s life.
Her adopted son. Luke.
His gaze shifted to the young man now striding through the front door after showing the party from Oregon to their cabins. Luke McKindel, as he’d been back then, was now Luke Montana and had grown from a short, skinny, scared-of-his-own-shadow pre-teen to a tall, strong, and charismatic sixteen-year-old with far too much confidence. Everything else he had—June’s undivided devotion, an athletic ability that made JP seethe with envy, and a sharp intelligence—was topped off with hair the color of late afternoon sunlight, laughing blue eyes, and a boyishly-handsome face. He had it all. And he deserved none of it. Not after he’d stolen June from JP.
It wasn’t June’s fault. She was only doing what came naturally to her. It was the boy who had turned her from him. He deserved to suffer for it.
The fury that boiled at thought of him was nearly impossible to contain. JP’s fingers clenched around his coffee mug as mindless rage consumed him. Only by momentarily allowing his weaker side to flicker to the front was he able to swallow his hatred. As soon as his pulse slowed and his grip on the mug loosened, JP subverted that spineless part of him, effectively wrapping its fragile nature in a cocoon of sweet vengeance. His gentler half was pained by June’s rejection and her declaration of loyalties, but couldn’t find the strength to right the wrongs. Just like it couldn’t face the trauma of his brother’s horrible suicide. That’s why JP had taken matters into his own hands then and why he was so firmly in control again now. JP hadn’t balked at the splatter of blood and brain matter on the walls of his brother’s bedroom, nor gagged at the gaping hole in his beloved sibling’s skull. He wouldn’t back down if a little more blood needed to be spilled to get his satisfaction, either.
He lifted the coffee mug to his lips and sipped. He couldn’t let his anger get the best of him or he’d never win. He’d end up chasing a hopeless dream forever if he couldn’t maintain his focus.
“Well, c’mon, boys. We ought to get down to the C Diamond, see if Old Matt needs a little extra help before we head up to Andy’s for poker,” Austin said. He grabbed the check off the bar and paid. “June, thanks for the coffee and the grub.”
She lifted her head out and smiled. “You’re welcome. Don’t work or play too hard tonight, boys.”
“Never,” JP replied with a laugh.
About the Author
Suzie O’Connell grew up in Western Washington, but a two week adventure at her step-sister’s rustic Montana cabin left a permanent mark, and she has called the mountains and valleys of Southwestern Montana home ever since. She has been writing stories for as long as she can remember, and writes even when she’s not writing. Everything around her is story fodder. Her love of writing and of Montana pushed her to pursue (and earn) a Bachelor of Arts in Literature and Writing from the University of Montana-Western. She now teaches high school English.
When she isn’t writing or teaching, Suzie enjoys spending time in the mountains with her husband Mark, their daughter Maddie and their golden retriever Reilly. She is almost as happy with a camera in her hand or helping her husband build log furniture as she is writing, and will readily jump on any excuse to enjoy the beauty of Montana.
For more information about Northstar and the Northstar Angels, check out her website at
www.suzieoconnell.com
Books by Suzie O’Connell
Northstar Romances
Mountain Angel (Northstar Angels, Book One)
Summer Angel (Northstar Angels, Book Two)
Wild Angel (Northstar Angels, Book Three) – Coming Late 2013
Twice Shy (Hammond Brothers, Book One)
Once Burned (Hammond Brothers, Book Two) – Coming Early 2014
Other Titles
Home Now (A Short Story)
Table of Contents
Copyright
dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Epilogue
Sneak Peek of Summer Angel
About the Author