Montana Born and Bred

by Hildie McQueen

  “What you are is silly,” her mother replied gulping down her wine. “I need a refill.”

  “The waiter just left. Why didn’t you ask him when he was here?” Jenna shook her head. “Mom, you drive me crazy, but I love you.”

  Her mother gave her a bland look. “I didn’t ask for a refill because I didn’t know your answer would make me want to throw you across the room.”

  Jenna let out a breath and studied her own glass. “I understand why you and Dad keep Ryan there. He’s a great worker, but he cheated on me, not once, but twice.”

  Of course, this was the time for her mother to say it was her own fault for turning down the man’s proposal three times. Instead, her mother surprised her. “If it’s any consolation, his current girlfriend is a slob and he’s always complaining about having to do his own laundry.”

  “Uh...no, that’s not much of a consolation. He’s always done the laundry.”

  “If you face him, you’ll probably realize you’re not in love with him anymore. Hell, I don’t think you ever were or else you would have married him.”

  “My heart still hurts when I think about him, so that’s something. And what about the fire? I feel so guilty. Who would have thought Droopy Pants Maloney was a pyro?”

  “Well, no one got seriously injured. The horses gave us quite a fright didn’t they? Maloney is out of rehab and he moved to Ohio.”

  “Umm hmm,” Jenna said while she studied her water glass. “It’s over, I know it. I overreacted and am still being silly. Hopefully, seeing Ryan again won’t hurt too much.”

  “Maybe the thought of Ryan gives you heartburn, not heartache. Oh, and he’s gotten a bit of a belly now.” Her mother chuckled. “He’s still a looker though.”

  The waiter returned and placed salads in front of them. “This isn’t what I ordered,” her mother said wrinkling her nose. “What are those? Fish?”

  “You ordered the Grand Caesar, Ma’am,” the waiter said and lifted his nose in the air. “They are premium anchovies.”

  “Oh.” Her mother didn’t look convinced. “They are stinky little guys. Aren't they?”

  When the waiter waited for whatever she’d ask, he looked to Jenna. “Is yours to your liking, Miss?”

  She’d ordered a house salad, which was topped with a mountain of chopped eggs, almonds, bacon and mysterious black items, she assumed were olives. “It looks great, thank you.”

  Her mother lifted the empty wine glass. “More Cab please. I’ll just pick off the fish.”

  “Please allow me.” The waiter grabbed a small plate from the tray he’d set on a stand and performed a five minute long removal of the fish with so much care, Jenna was convinced they’d be used again.

  Her mother huffed. “Once you return the fish to the ocean, can you bring my wine, please?”

  Jenna giggled as the guy strutted away with the tray. “Those must have been some special anchovies by the way he removed them.”

  “A bit of anchovy adds flavor, the whole thing is just plain overwhelming.” Her mother reached for her wine glass and stopped upon realizing it was empty. “Oh pooh.”

  While they ate, Jenna told her mother about her new job purposely omitting exactly whom she worked for.

  “I know their parents, not well. If the ranch is in Alder Gulch, then it’s the same Coles as that country singer, Bennett Cole. He’s a hottie.” Her mother grinned. “Maybe you’ll get to meet him.”

  “Sullivan Cole’s wife, Elle, told me about the singer. I’d never heard of him.”

  Her mother gasped. “Honey, I know you were in Africa somewhere, but even there they must listen to the radio.”

  Jenna shrugged and dug into her salad.

  “Reminds me. Your daddy wants to talk to you. He said to tell you to come see him.” Her mother picked at her own meal. “I can still smell those rotten little things.”

  “I do want to see the new stables. The pictures look great.”

  The waiter brought her mother a fresh glass of wine and she drank from it. “Droopy Pants had some sort of insurance. It paid for most of the rebuild and, with our own insurance, we didn’t spend any money.”

  “The horses suffered.”

  “It was such a pain to house them down the road for a while,” her mother agreed. But none were hurt. “Well, except for Sadie who lost part of her tail. She’s so dumb, she ran back into the burning building.”

  Despite the guilt, Jenna laughed. “Good thing she managed to run back out the other side.”

  Finally, after more prodding, Jenna promised to visit the next evening. She’d planned a two-day stay in Butte and would visit her parents late in the evening. From what she remembered Ryan would usually stay at work until about five. Hopefully, he maintained the same schedule.

  The next evening, the sun was setting as she pulled into the driveway of her parents’ ranch. The beautiful picture before her of the autumn tones on the horizon and long shadows cast the by the trees almost brought her to tears. Jenna slowed and scanned the area near the stables for Ryan’s truck. Not that she had any idea if he still drove the same one. There were two vehicles parked at the stables; one was a ranch owned truck, the other an SUV of some sort.

  Not waiting to see who was about, she drove to the back of the main house and parked.

  A pair of chocolate labs named Hansel and Gretel greeted her. Her parents’ pets ran circles around her legs as she hurried to the back door. Thankfully, she managed to get inside without meeting or seeing anyone about.

  Her mother stood at the sink. “Well look what the dogs dragged in. Andrew, come get in here quick before she escapes.”

  “Ha ha, funny,” Jenna said rolling her eyes. “I’m not that bad.”

  “Who is it?” Her father walked in and scowled at Jenna, but then smiled. “Bad enough to stay away for two years.”

  “Technically, it’s only a year and ten months,” Jenna stated, although she herself considered it two years. “I missed this place.” She accepted her father’s hug and, within seconds, he kissed her temple and returned back to the den.

  “What’s he watching?”

  Her mother shrugged. “Something Sci-Fi you can bet.”

  “I thought he needed to talk to me.” Jenna opened a cellophane bag and nipped a cookie. “Why did he leave?”

  “You know your dad, probably expects you’ll hang around for a while.” Her mother gave Hansel and Gretel a snack and shooed the dogs out the door.

  “Fix a cup of coffee or something and go watch TV with him. He’ll talk when he’s ready or during commercial breaks.”

  It was like old times as she settled into a recliner with coffee and another cookie while her mother sat on the opposite end of the same couch as her father. Mom sat with an electronic tablet to read.

  Jenna let the atmosphere sink in and, after a few minutes, the tension of being there evaporated.

  “How long you in town?” her father asked, his eyes not leaving the screen. Jenna flinched when a zombie bit into a hapless victim’s neck. “I have to go back early tomorrow. I’m picking up some dogs.”

  Her father watched another half-hour of television. Jenna had her feet up and arms wrapped around her legs to keep from attracting any zombies that could have been lurking under her recliner.

  “Your mother tells me you’re going to manage a ranch for the Coles over in Alder Gulch. Nice folks.”

  “I’ve only met two,” Jenna was purposely evasive. “Oh, and Sully’s wife. They are nice.”

  Her father nodded. “Their parents are good folks. Live here in Butte.”

  Jenna straightened, temporarily forgetting the zombies. “You know them?”

  “Of course, dear. We’ve done business with them and attend some of the same social events. You were always too busy following Ryan around to notice anything.”

  Was that really how she’d been? Obviously, she’d not been following him enough to find out he was cheating.

  “Speaking of the boy. He asked
me about you. I think he’s still hung up on you.”

  “Augh!” Jenna exclaimed. “He was messing around with Lorrie Morison and who knows who else. He didn’t love me.”

  “You could’ve married him.” Her dad stated the obvious.

  “He never had a ring.”

  Her mother sighed. “That’s true. Not sure why the boy kept proposing without a ring. I would have said no, too.”

  “Even to me?” her father asked, his eyebrows high. “What if I hadn’t had a ring?”

  Her mother looked from him to Jenna and back. “I would have sent you packing.”

  “Not true.” Her dad’s attention was back to the television at the growling of zombies and Jenna lifted her feet again.

  Soon, it became obvious her father did not have anything in particular to say to her. Judging by his soft smile when poking fun at either her or his wife, he was content to have them both in the same room after so long.

  Eventually, Jenna became so engrossed in the television show, she decided to catch the next one with her dad and spend the night there.

  Eighteen

  “Who’d you piss off?” Sully whistled at the state they found Bennett’s truck in. “Who the hell leaves his vehicle here anyway?”

  They stood in a “Ride Share” parking lot where his truck sat lopsided with two flats, three broken windows and both headlights busted out.

  “They must have played the Carrie Underwood song on the way here,” Sully said between guffaws. His brother was bent at the waist laughing so hard he almost joined in.

  “It’s right beside the airport, next to the tracks. I told you to come pick it up.” Bennett yelled to get his brother’s attention. “Shit, look, here’s the mirror.” He bent and picked up what was now a mangled side view mirror.

  The sight of it made Sully laugh more. “No you didn’t.”

  “Yes, I did. You said you’d pick it up here because you couldn’t drop me off. If I’d have known you were lying, I would have left it at the long term lot.”

  Sully scratched his head. “Maybe I do remember something. I’ll pay for the damage. Or we can set it on fire.” He chuckled, but sobered when Bennett glared at him.

  Four police cars showed up with lights on and sirens blaring. Must have been a slow day in law enforcement.

  “Overkill because they know it’s you.” Sully leaned on the truck. “Bet they will put out an APB for the suspects.”

  Bennett didn’t say anything. Instead, he walked to the first set of officers exiting their car. A stocky police officer approached with his hand outstretched. “Mr. Cole, big fan. Was your truck stolen from somewhere?”

  “Nope, my dumbass brother was supposed to pick it up from here, but he forgot.”

  The other two pair of officers walked up and everyone exchanged looks. Bennett waited to see who was going to be brave enough to say it was a stupid place to leave his expensive truck.

  Finally, after two hours of answering questions, signing autographs and posing for pictures, he and Sully headed to the ranch.

  “Hey, that tow truck was somethin’ else, wasn’t it?” Sully glanced at him. “Didn’t expect you for a couple weeks.”

  Since he had a two-day break, he’d flown to Montana on the spur of the moment. In two days, he would perform in Oregon and he figured coming home worked since it was closer than his last performance town. That’s where the band remained.

  Daniel, his manager, wasn’t too happy. But Bennett didn’t really care about missing a couple interviews. The man constantly overbooked him, anyway. Besides, he’d agreed to do the interviews remotely from the ranch.

  “Yeah, I’m a bit burned out and needed to come here and get some fresh air for at least two days.”

  Understanding he needed some time, his brother rolled down the windows and left him to his musings.

  Once they arrived, Sully let him out in front of his cabin and Bennett waved him off.

  He turned to walk to the cabin and was greeted by dogs rushing towards him. From the video conversation with Jenna, he recognized the black lab and the tick hound, but on their tails were a huge white dog and then, lagging behind the rest, a smaller mixed breed. Happy barks and wagging tales surrounded him, making it a struggle to walk. Bennett finally gave up, put his bag down, crouched and began petting the dogs.

  “Oh, I was wondering what all the commotion was about.” Jenna appeared through the front door and smiled shyly. “I’m sorry. I couldn't leave Hera or Mowgli. They were next on the kill list.”

  He stared at the motley lineup of dogs and shook his head. “I’m having a hard time figuring out which of you is most homely.”

  “Oh no.” Jenna rushed over and petted the dogs protectively. “Do you really think they’re all ugly?”

  Once again, he studied the animals that seemed to wait for a decision, some sitting, others standing still except for the wagging tails. Snickers, the black lab, was a nice looking dog, the tick hound not so much. Hera, a lab and other giant breed mix was cute, but the last one, Mowgli, the mutt, was missing part of his right ear and had bug eyes. “No not all of them are ugly.”

  “I meant to discuss the other two dogs with you. Elle said if you don’t want them, they’ll take Hera, but she doesn’t want Mowgli.”

  He didn’t blame his brother’s wife. The dog looked to be on its last leg. “How old is it?”

  “She is ten. Dropped off by the owners after they adopted a puppy.”

  Bennett clenched his jaw. “That’s pretty low. A dog is a companion for life.”

  Jenna nodded. “I think so, too. I know she won’t be around long, but I hope to give her some happy last years.”

  The little dog approached him tentatively and, although her tail wagged, she kept her head down and ears back. When Mowgli lowered into a submissive pose at his feet, Bennett bent down and picked her up. “You’re probably a lot smarter than we give you credit for.” The dog turned her head to the side when he scratched behind the ears. “Yep, this one is going to be trouble.”

  Seeming unsure, Jenna lowered to one knee and the other three dogs came to either stand or sit next to her. “Are you staying long? The loft area is finished and set up for you.”

  Still holding Mowgli, he motioned for Jenna to enter first and followed her and the crowd of dogs inside. Unlike the chaos he expected, when Jenna snapped her fingers each dog went to its respective bed and settled in. The fact each immediately began chewing on rawhide bones was probably their incentive for being so cooperative.

  Mowgli began wiggling to be put down and when Bennett did, the small dog raced to a much smaller bed.

  “Ever consider joining the military? You’d be a heck of a drill instructor.” It was nice when she relaxed enough to laugh.

  On the coffee table were her laptop and a glass of wine. Did she spend most evenings like this? Wearing yoga pants, loose fitting t-shirts and socks? The cozy setting made him wish for more days there in Montana. “Mind if I join you for a glass? Had a heck of a day.”

  “Yes, please. I imagine you’ve had a long day.”

  Bennett settled into the other end of the couch with not only a glass of wine, but also a plate with crackers, cheese and grapes to share. He felt as if he’d woken up in one of his favorite fantasies.

  Although unfortunately, this evening would most certainly not end like any of the situations he’d dreamed up. Yet for some reason, it was enough. More than perfect, actually.

  “My brother forgot to pick up my truck. It got vandalized to the point it may not run perfect again. More parts are missing then left behind.” Bennett continued to tell Jenna the story of what happened to his truck. The interesting thing, this time, for some reason, it was comical and both laughed as he regaled her with an exaggerated version of the afternoon’s events.

  Jenna stood after a few moments. All three dogs lifted their heads and watched her closely. “I’m going to feed the dogs their dinner and then cook something. You’re welcome to join me for din
ner.”

  “That’d be great. I’ll just put my stuff away.” Bennett hesitated. “From what I’ve seen so far, you’ve done a great job.”

  Her wide smile and bright eyes were hard to resist. “I’m kind of a control freak. Shouldn’t be inviting you to eat and things like that here. This is your home, so please forgive me if I sound as if I’m being too possessive. I can be too bold at times.”

  With a shrug, he lifted his bag and swung it up over his shoulder. “Not a problem. To be honest, I have rarely come here lately, so it feels more like someone else’s place than mine. I planned to rebuild, but after the remodel, I rather like that the cabin’s small and cozy. Perfect for two people and...” he eyed the dogs who continued to watch with interest. “Four dogs.”

  “Still...”

  “No this is your home now. And just to let you know, I planned to call and give you notice before I came. If anything, I owe you an apology for just popping in. I just had to get away...” He left the rest of the sentence unsaid. Why, exactly, he’d had an urge to come was not something he wanted to explore just yet.

  He jogged up the stairs while Jenna called the dogs to eat. The small herd followed her to the back porch area where she must have kept their food and bowls since he’d not spotted them in the house. It was rather quiet when he reached the loft and immediately stopped.

  His huge bed had been moved to the space. On one side was a two-drawer nightstand and on the other sat a table that had been made by one of his ancestors. Along a wall was a desk that he’d been told once belonged to his great-grandfather Grayson Cole and on the opposite wall a new chest of drawers.

  In the corner on a stand was one of his guitars. Bennett smiled at the thoughtfulness.

  The linens and comforter were all done in muted shades of gray and crisp white. Everything else was a kind of muted color other than the chair at the desk, which was a bold shade of deep red. He wondered about it, but figured it must have been an extra piece from either Regina or Sully’s home. He went to it and sat at the desk.