Montana Hearts

by Darlene Panzera

  “Why don’t you take them home with you?” Ben asked, handing her the other cub in addition to the first. “No one knows how to care for these cute little guys better than you.”

  Carol agreed. “You have a way with animals, Delaney. A gift.”

  “My father would kill me!” she exclaimed.

  Carol smirked. “Then don’t let him find out.”

  Her father wasn’t the only one she was worried about. What about Jace? Could she spend time with him and still tend to the cubs?

  JACE WAS IN the stable tending to Rio when Delaney’s grandma came out to pay him a surprise visit.

  “Put some of this on his leg and I guarantee you’ll start seeing a difference in the way he walks by the time you have to leave,” Ruth Collins said, handing him a white tube.

  Not seeing a label, he asked, “What is it?”

  “Some of my homemade mineral-­infused hand cream. It’s a natural healing remedy great for any kind of wound, but especially sore muscles and chapped hands,” she said, and nodded toward his fingers. “You should put some on yourself and take care of those chapped knuckles of yours.”

  He looked into the eye of his horse, who stood in the stall beside him. “What do you think, Rio? Should we give it a try?”

  Rio twitched his ears and let out a snort.

  “I gotta say, it does work,” Ryan said, coming up the aisle and leaning over the half door of the horse’s stall. “She gave me some, too. I told her I didn’t need to go greasing up my hands like some woman, but the cuts in my fingers did heal and I’ve been using it ever since.”

  “Well, okay, then,” Jace said with a nod. “If it has Ryan’s endorsement, I’ll give the cream a try.”

  “You men can tease me about it all you want,” Ruth warned. “But I know who you’ll be coming to see when your mineral lotion runs out and your hands start bleeding again.”

  Ryan cleared his throat. “My mother would like to see you, Jace. You’re invited to dinner tonight. I’m supposed to issue the invitation on behalf of the entire family.”

  “Well, then, tell her I accept.” Jace ran his hand through Rio’s black silky mane and swished it back and forth. “There’s something I need to give back to her.”

  His cousin turned to leave, then glanced back over his shoulder and added, “Bree’s going to be there. And Delaney and Meghan are invited, too.”

  “My, won’t that be something,” Ruth predicted with a chuckle. “Can’t wait to hear about Zach’s reaction to all this. There might even be some cousin-­to-­cousin combat. Jace, you might be back for another tube of my mineral cream to heal your hands a whole lot sooner than I thought.”

  Jace didn’t want any trouble with the Tanners. He had to admit he was curious to see what his aunt and his other cousins looked like, but his main goal was to deliver half of the inheritance owed his aunt Lora and then get out of there.

  “You look nervous,” Delaney commented as they knocked at the door of the Triple T ranch. “Are you nervous?”

  He swallowed the lump in his throat and shook his head. “Of course not.”

  “Nothing to be nervous about,” Bree told them, pushing the door open and walking right in. “We’re all family.”

  Except, in his experience, family didn’t usually stand around in a horseshoe formation gawking at you the moment you stepped through the door. Bree took his arm, pushed him forward, and initiated the introductions.

  “Doesn’t he look just like you?” Bree asked, her voice overflowing with enthusiasm.

  Lora cupped a hand over her mouth as she looked at him, then her eyes grew moist and she said, “He looks like my brother. Only his hair is darker, much darker.”

  “So is my sister’s,” Jace said with a nod.

  “I’d like to meet her, too,” Lora said with a smile, and invited them all to sit down at the table. “We’re having steak and potatoes, a staple around here since we live on a cattle ranch. I hope that’s all right with you?”

  “I’ll eat whatever you’re serving,” Jace assured her. He pulled out a chair to sit beside Delaney, but Zach stole his seat by sitting down first. Recalling Ruth’s warning about him in the stable, he decided it was best to sit somewhere else and circled to a chair on the other side of the table across from her.

  Lora glanced at Delaney and Meghan. “We also have salad for you.”

  “Oh, that’s right,” Zach said, and grinned. “Bet you didn’t know Delaney was a vegetarian, did you, Jace?”

  Delaney’s mouth dropped open and she gave Zach a look of horrified disbelief, then looked across the table toward him.

  “Actually, I did know,” Jace said, hiding a smile as Delaney’s mouth dropped open further. “Vegetables are part of a good, healthy diet.”

  “That’s not going to stop you from eating meat, though, is it, Jace?” Zach taunted.

  Jace glanced at Delaney, wishing he could do just that. If it made her happy, he’d eat only vegetables for the rest of his life. But it was also the first time he was a guest in his aunt’s house and she’d already gone through the trouble of cooking an extra portion just for him. He really didn’t want their new relationship to start off on the wrong foot. He hesitated, undecided what to do.

  “Of course it’s not going to stop Jace from enjoying his dinner,” Delaney said, sticking up for him. When everyone turned to stare at her, the color left her face and her lower lip trembled, but she continued. “Not eating meat is my choice, but I know how the world works. We have cattle on our ranch, too. And I’m not going to tell anyone else how to eat.”

  “Well said,” Lora’s husband, Bo, agreed. “So . . . Jace, I hear you’re a steer wrestler?”

  Jace nodded, while his aunt Lora dished him a plate of food. “Been bulldoggin’ most of my life.”

  “Ryan used to compete in the local rodeos back when he was in high school,” Bo informed him. “In fact, all my boys competed in rodeo at one time or another.”

  Dean, the oldest of his cousins, gave him a quick look and said, “Yeah, winning could put instant cash in your pocket for the weekend.”

  Dean placed a slight emphasis on the word “cash” and after Jace finished chewing his first mouthful of steak, he put down his fork, wiped his mouth, and said, “Thank you for the invite to dinner, but that’s not why I’ve come.”

  His aunt gave him a quizzical look. “What do you mean?”

  Taking an envelope out of his shirt pocket, he laid it on the table beside her. “In here is a check for all the money I believe my mother owes you—­your half of the inheritance that you should have received from the sale of your parents’ ranch. I’ve even included interest.”

  All four of his cousins stared at the envelope and the room went so quiet even little Meghan stopped chattering.

  “Is this your money, or your mother’s?” Lora prodded.

  “Does it matter?”

  “I believe it does, Jace,” Lora said, and pushed the envelope back toward him. “I know why your mother withheld it from me. She was scared. But I had four boys to feed and we didn’t have much money at that time either. We could have worked together. Instead, she withdrew and didn’t associate with us, robbing me of the chance to get to know you and Natalie.”

  “I didn’t know about the inheritance until five days ago,” Jace told her. “My mother told Nat and me that she’s sorry.”

  Lora nodded. “I think we all are.”

  AFTER DINNER, THE Tanners insisted on giving Jace a tour of the house, the grounds, the cattle, and exchanged life stories and holiday memories, which should have been shared, but had regrettably been missed. At the end of the tour, Lora and Bo led the way back into the house and everyone gathered in the living room.

  Bree pulled Delaney aside and whispered, “I think it’s going well, don’t you?”

  Delaney nodded and glance
d toward Jace. The Tanner brothers had stepped up to the plate to make their cousin feel welcome. Except Zach, who continued to goad him by acting like he was her boyfriend.

  She walked halfway across the room, determined to sit beside Jace by the fireplace, when Zach grabbed her hand and pulled her down beside him on the couch. Reaching beneath their seat, he pulled out two guitar cases, opened them, and handed the first guitar to her.

  “How about some music,” Zach said, not really giving her an option. “Has Jace heard you play?” Turning toward his cousin, he added, “Delaney and I play together all the time.”

  “Only a few times,” she corrected, shooting him a frown.

  Zach laughed. “Sorry, I guess I just wish it were more.”

  Delaney gasped, appalled he had the nerve to flirt with her right in front of everyone. In front of Jace! To cover her embarrassment, she strummed a few chords, then chose a song to play, a popular country-­western ballad titled “Only Yours,” which had recently been making its way up the music charts. Zach played accompaniment, following her lead, while everyone else sat listening, clapping their hands or tapping their foot.

  She hadn’t made it halfway through the song when a rich, deep baritone joined in and she was so surprised that for a moment she missed a note. Glancing up, she saw Jace looking straight at her with a look of pure adoration on his face and oh, my, the cowboy could sing!

  He had a clear, beautiful voice, and as Delaney recovered from her surprise and continued to strum strings, she knew in her heart she could sit there and listen all night long. There were nine other ­people in the room, but it seemed he sang the words just for her. And when he got to the line, “I’d give anything to be only yours,” he winked at her, like he had at the rodeo when they’d first met.

  Zach responded by leaning his head in toward hers so that they were almost touching, an intimate gesture too close for comfort. She leaned away and wished she had the courage to tell him to stop, but she didn’t want to cause a scene and have everyone look at her again. Even though they were looking at her, and trying not to laugh, as the two men competed for her attention.

  Then Dean, Ryan, and Josh decided to join in the fun and sang, too. It was amusing and created a bond between Jace and the three oldest cousins, but Delaney’s fingers grew tired, and after an hour, she put the instrument away.

  Jace grinned. “Maybe I’ll have to teach you to sing, so you can sing along with us.”

  “Maybe in addition to photography I’ll have to teach you how to play guitar,” she challenged.

  Another way to keep Jace from hunting!

  “Aren’t you going back to Arizona soon?” Zach asked, arching his brow.

  “Give the guy a break,” Ryan said, coming to Jace’s defense. “And stop flirting with Delaney.”

  Ryan’s brother Josh added, “Yeah, can’t you see she’s not interested?”

  “You are embarrassing her, Zach,” Dean, the oldest of the brothers, agreed. “And we can’t have cousins fighting over the same girl.”

  Bree laughed and looped her arm through hers. “Time to go?”

  Delaney smiled and pretended to glance at her watch. “Yeah, I have to go home and get Meghan to bed.”

  “I don’t want to go to bed,” Meghan said, climbing up into Jace’s lap and giving him a high five. “I want to hear another song.”

  Delaney looked at the two of them together for a moment. It was obvious who her daughter thought was the better man. She never climbed up into Zach’s lap.

  “How about I sing you a song on the ride home?” Jace offered.

  “A bedtime song?” Meghan giggled. “Okay, Cowboy Jace.”

  Cowboy Jace. Yes, Delaney thought, warmed by the title her daughter had given him. If he wasn’t a hunter, he’d be more than the better man.

  He’d be perfect.

  JACE ENTERED THE Collinses’ guest registration office, closed the door behind him, and picked up the phone. He’d received an urgent text message from his sister while driving back from the Tanners’ informing him that their mother had received another threatening letter.

  “It says, ‘Drop from the race or we’ll hurt Jace,’ ” Natalie read aloud when he called. “Mom doesn’t know what to do. She took it to the authorities and thinks maybe you should be assigned a bodyguard.”

  “There’s no way I want some security servant following me around day and night,” he argued. “No one’s going to hurt me.”

  “Don’t be too confident,” Nat scolded. “Every time you’re overconfident it gets you into trouble.”

  Except tonight. He’d been a little bolder than he intended, but the smile on Delaney’s face and dreamy look in her eyes when he sang to her had been worth it.

  “What if they threaten me next?” his sister asked, a note of fear in her voice. “What happens if Mom’s elected governor and she passes initiatives to go after these poachers? What will happen then?”

  Jace had been having too much fun with Delaney to do any real investigating into the poaching rings. He’d hoped maybe the first letter his mother received had just been sent to intimidate her, nothing more. But now that the second letter threatened him, he had to wonder if the poachers were trying to set up the Collinses because he was there. Was his presence a threat to Delaney’s family?

  He thought of the carcasses Jed and Luke had found along the edge of the property and the deer they’d found outside the horse pasture that morning. He didn’t know if it was the same group of poachers issuing the threats, but it was time to find out.

  After he finished talking to his sister, he called Bucky’s dad to let him know what was going on, then placed a call to Gavin McKinley.

  “Got some extra time tonight to show me that trophy wall you’ve been talking about?” Jace asked, keeping his tone friendly.

  “Sure,” Gavin exclaimed. “Come on over.”

  The hike up the trail to Fox Creek Outfitters didn’t take long and when he arrived Gavin threw open the door. “Jace, I’d like you to meet my father.”

  Jace walked into the spacious timber framed lodge, eyed the badge on the older man’s shirt, and shook his hand. “Good evening, Sheriff.”

  Sheriff McKinley gave him a rueful grin. “Gavin says he’s been trying to coax you to come out on a hunt with him but you’ve been distracted by fairer conquests.”

  “The Collins women are beautiful, wouldn’t you agree?” Jace asked him.

  The sheriff chuckled. “They are indeed. Ruth and I have been friends for many years. And I got to know the other Collinses very well this past summer with all the trouble they’ve been having.”

  “I bet Fox Creek Outfitters hasn’t had any trouble,” Jace mused. “After all, who would dare mess with a company owned by the son of the town sheriff?”

  “You’re right,” the sheriff said, slapping his hand on his son’s shoulder. “I’ve got him covered.”

  “I bet you do.” Jace looked up at all the animal heads mounted on the paneling that rose two stories high and whistled. “Geez. When you said you had a trophy wall, you weren’t kidding.”

  Gavin pointed to the head of a mountain lion with its mouth wide open as if ready to sink its sharp teeth into its prey. “Got that one last season,” he boasted. “He’s worth a fortune.”

  “Do you ever sell them?” Jace asked, as if interested.

  Gavin shrugged. “Sometimes. But usually our guests like to go out on a hunt and get their own. We’ve got horses, ATVs, and all the equipment you need. The only thing I could use more of is beds. I’ve got fifteen rooms here at the lodge and hope to expand Fox Creek Outfitters by building some cabins.”

  “Like Collins Country Cabins?” Jace pressed.

  “Yeah, they’ve got twenty-­six, right by the river, too. Lots of animals go down to drink at that river.” Gavin let out a grunt. “I’d buy their ranch from th
em if they’d ever sell, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen any time soon.”

  “Especially now that Bree, Luke, and Delaney have come back home,” Jace added.

  “Yeah, you’re right about that.” Gavin arched his brow and gave him a hopeful look. “Which is why I’d like to make you an offer.”

  Jace narrowed his eyes. “What kind of offer?”

  “How about half of Fox Creek Outfitters?”

  “Become a partner?” Jace asked, glancing first at Gavin, then the sheriff, who nodded his approval. “Are you serious?”

  “With your name we could build this place into the premier outfitting company of the entire state,” Gavin said, puffing out his chest.

  “And when you aren’t off on the rodeo circuit you could come here and hunt whenever you want,” the sheriff added.

  Jace hesitated. “I have to admit, when I came over here tonight I wasn’t expecting this.”

  “You told me to make you an offer you couldn’t refuse,” Gavin reminded him, then pinned him with a direct look. “So what do you say?”

  Chapter Eight

  DELANEY PUT ON a robe over her nightgown and followed Bree downstairs. When Grandma called a family meeting, they listened, no matter what time of the night. Thankfully Delaney had been able to tuck Meghan into bed first. The evening at the Tanners’ had worn her little girl out. Delaney had almost been asleep herself when Bree knocked on her door and told her to hurry.

  “What’s wrong?” Delaney whispered, padding down the hall in her slippers.

  Bree shrugged. “No idea.”

  Their father must have overheard them because the moment they came into the living room to join the rest of the family, he bellowed, “I’ll tell you what’s wrong. We still don’t have our endorsement, that’s what’s wrong.”

  Delaney froze, then slowly made her way to the far end of the couch beside her grandma, who usually protected her.

  “How are you doing with that, Del?” Luke asked, his face drawn and filled with concern.