* * *
Laughter and music filtered out the open door of the GG as she approached. Someone had decided to leave it propped open. She’d chosen to walk down and was glad she had. The lot was packed and the aerobic exercise had been exactly what she’d needed.
Taking a deep breath, she braced herself for whatever she’d encounter and stepped inside.
“Ingrid!”
She turned at the sound of Kendra’s voice. But instead of Kendra, she was greeted by a giant golden eagle.
Kendra’s blue eyes peeked out of the face mask. “I didn’t expect to see you here! How are you?”
“Much better. What a gorgeous costume.”
“Isn’t it?” She spread her arms and gave a little flap to her wings. “Mandy made one for each of us and they’re all different. She tried so hard to finish them before the parade. Didn’t happen. Come on, let me find you a place.”
“I don’t see very many empty chairs. I could sit at the bar if—”
“Not necessary. Quinn saved me a seat next to him, but there’s no way I’ll be sitting down tonight.” She threaded her way through the tables.
Ingrid followed, her chest tightening more with every step. Quinn would be sitting with his family.
“Ingrid!” Deidre hailed her from inside her barn owl costume. “Glad you made it, girlfriend!”
“Wouldn’t miss it! Love the costume!”
“Hey, Ingrid!” Jo was decked out as a falcon. “What a trouper you are!”
“Hi, Jo!” To calm her nerves, she focused on the Whine and Cheese ladies in their spectacular costumes. On the far side of the room, the magnificent bald eagle must be Christine, who had the height to carry it off. Judy was perfect as a pygmy owl. “Kendra, these costumes are amazing.”
“We’re so proud of them. They’ll get lots of use, too. We’ll wear them for every Raptors Rise event.” She paused next to a circular table for eight. “Hey, everybody! Look who’s here.”
Ingrid pasted on a big smile and did a fast sweep of the table—Roxanne, Luke and Abigail, Quinn, Pete, Gage…and Wes. Breathe.
Everyone started talking at once, mostly asking about her health. She assured them she was fine. After some shifting of seats, Quinn positioned her between Roxanne and Abigail. Quinn held the chair and scooted her in.
“Thank you.” She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him. When she faced forward, Wes was directly across from her.
He cleared his throat. “Glad you’re better.”
“Thanks.”
He held her gaze. I won’t let you down. Ever. Then Gage said something and he turned to respond.
She was still staring at him when Roxanne wrapped an arm around her and gave her a quick squeeze. “I’m so glad you’ve recovered. I was worried about you. You hardly ever get sick.”
“I know. I—” She was interrupted when Deidre arrived to take her order.
“Bear with me,” Deidre’s wings fluttered as she poked at the touchscreen of the digital order tablet. “I can’t fit my glasses under the headpiece and I haven’t figured out how to enlarge the print on this thing.”
“I can enlarge it for you.” Roxanne held out her hand.
“Excellent.” Deidre gave her the tablet. “I should’ve asked you earlier. Then I wouldn’t have scrambled that lady’s order.”
Ingrid glanced up at her. “What happened?”
“She wanted ginger ale and I brought her gin and tonic by mistake. But she drank it right down and seemed happy with it. In fact, she asked for another one.”
Roxanne grinned. “See? No worries. Want me to take Ingrid’s order while I’m at it?”
“Thanks. I suck at this, Ingrid, but can you please give me a humongous tip, anyway? We’re donating all our tips to Raptors Rise.”
“I absolutely will.” She chose something at random from the abbreviated menu, doubting she’d eat a bite of it. “And I do want ginger ale, please.”
Roxanne entered the order and handed the tablet back to Deidre. “That’s what you’ll get. Alcohol would be a bad idea after what you’ve been through.”
So true.
Kendra hurried over and grabbed Deidre by the wing. “Get that order in pronto. When Nicole and Bryce finish this song, we’re going to do the thing.”
“Hot damn. Now that part I am good at.” She glanced at Quinn. “You’re up first, though. C’mon.”
“I’m on it.” He pushed back his chair. “If you’ll all excuse me.”
“Go get ‘em, Dad,” Rox said.
Ingrid leaned toward her. “What’s happening?”
“He and Zane will unveil the picture and talk about Raptors Rise. And after that…well, you’ll just have to wait and see. We need to turn our chairs around.”
Ingrid was only too happy to oblige. Sooner or later someone was bound to notice that she kept glancing at Wes.
Bryce and Nicole finished their number with a flourish and Bryce stepped up to the mic. “If you’ll all give your attention to my big brother Zane, he and our resident artist Quinn Sawyer have a treat for you.”
Zane and Quinn stood on either side of the large draped picture propped on an easel. Zane lifted the mic in his hand. “When Mandy and I were kids we dreamed of creating a rescue organization to help these noble birds of prey survive and thrive. All this…” He paused to sweep an arm around the room. “An entire community coming together for that cause, proves that dreams can come true. Thank you.”
The room erupted in cheers and Zane waited for the hubbub to die down before continuing. “Quinn Sawyer’s new to Eagles Nest but he’s already contributed so much to this town. He’s donating what you’re about to see to Raptors Rise. It will hang in the GG for the next month to draw attention to the organization. After that it will have a place of honor in the lobby of our visitor center. Quinn, I can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am.”
“You’re very welcome, Zane.” Quinn shook hands with him before taking the mic. “Zane’s efforts with Raptors Rise have inspired me from my first visit to Eagles Nest. It certainly inspired this. I call it Home, Sweet Home. After tonight, prints and notecards with this image will be for sale in the gift shop and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Raptors Rise.” He glanced over at Zane. “Ready?”
Ingrid leaned toward Rox. “This is so exciting,” she murmured. “Have you seen it?”
“I have. You’ll love it.”
Zane and Quinn each grasped a corner of the drape and flipped it backward.
Murmurs and gasps of delight filled the room. Then one of the Sawyer boys—sounded like Wes—called out Yeah! and started clapping. Instantly the crowd was on its feet, applauding Home, Sweet Home, an image of an eagle family—two chicks tucked in the nest protected by mom’s wing while dad stood guard.
Ingrid drew a shaky breath. Home, Sweet Home. What a beautiful tribute to the love of family. Quinn believed in it or he wouldn’t have created this piece of art.
Wes believed in it, too. He’d demonstrated it time and again in his devotion to his dad, his sister and his brothers. Because of their close bond, he trusted them and they returned the favor.
If he told Roxanne that he was confident his new relationship with Ingrid would work out just fine, she’d trust his judgment. She wouldn’t worry about it.
And as that realization dawned, another followed close on its heels. Had it really been Roxanne’s feelings she’d been protecting? Or, as Wes had said, was this her issue? Gazing at the eagles, the truth hit her between the eyes.
As the applause died down, Kendra walked over to Quinn. Laughing, he placed a kiss on her beak before handing her the mic.
“Eagles Nesters!” Kendra spread her wings as she sauntered over to the dance floor where her four costumed friends had gathered. “Thanks to the incredible talents of Mandy Fielding McGavin, the Whine and Cheese Club is appropriately dressed for this…” She glanced at Deidre, who was busy preening her feathers. “What should we call this?”
�
�It’s a happening!”
“Alrighty, then! Let the happening begin!” She set the mic on the nearest table and turned toward the bandstand. “Hit it, kids!”
Bryce and Nicole launched into a rousing country version of Shake Ya Tailfeather and the Whine and Cheese ladies threw themselves into a raucous, tush-wiggling dance.
Ingrid laughed until the tears came. She wouldn’t have missed this for the world. When the dance ended, she yelled and stomped with everyone else as the tight knot of anxiety slowly loosened. I won’t let you down. Ever.
“That’s it, folks,” Kendra was breathless as she grabbed the mic again. “It’s time for eating, drinking, and celebrating being a part of this wonderful town. Be kind to your wait staff. We know not what we do.”
Rox turned to Ingrid and gave her a hug. “I’m so glad you got over the flu and could come tonight.”
Ingrid met her gaze. “I didn’t have the flu.”
“What?”
“Listen, since the food’s not here, yet, could we…can I talk to you outside?”
“Of course.”
“It won’t take long.” She started toward the front door, winding through the tables.
Rox followed close behind. “If you didn’t have flu, what’s wrong? Is it something worse?”
“It’s nothing bad, I promise.”
“But you missed work. You don’t do that.”
“I’ll explain.” She walked into the cool night air and turned as Rox came through the door. “I’m in love with Wes.”
Rox’s eyes registered shock. “You’re…my brother…Wes? You’re in love with Wes?”
“I didn’t mean for it to happen, but I’m pretty sure he’s in love with me, too. I was worried about telling you this, but—“
“I never in a million years thought—”
“I know.” She took a deep breath. “I’m supposed to be on hiatus. That’s why I asked him not to tell anyone that we were seeing each other, especially you, but he wasn’t happy about keeping it a secret.”
Rox scrubbed her fingers through her dark hair. “So when…how long have you…”
“It started last week.”
“When last week?”
“Thursday night.”
“So on Saturday, when we all watched the movie…?” Her brow scrunched up.
“We were already together.”
“Whoa.”
“And this is the place where I should be saying I’m sorry. And I am, because I should have told you. I should have trusted you with the information. But I’m not sorry that I’ve fallen in love with—”
“Wait, wait.” She put up both hands. “You’re going too fast. Something’s not adding up. If you’re not sorry you’re in love with him, why did you pretend to be sick?”
“That’s where it gets complicated.”
“It’s already complicated! Okay, let’s back up. You’re in love with my brother. He’s not your rebound guy or a passing fancy.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Do you love him more than you did Mark?”
“Mark’s not even in the same league as Wes. I’ve never felt like this about any guy. I look at him and I want to gobble him up. He’s warm and passionate and funny and he really knows how to—”
“TMI. Let’s not forget I’m his little sister.”
“Right.”
“But it’s good to hear you talk like that. You never talked like that about Mark.”
“I know. And I should’ve told you about this.”
Rox gazed at her. “Maybe, although I can kind of see why you didn’t. You figured I’d think it was too soon.”
“It is really soon, but Wes is amazing. He’s perfect for me and I think…I hope…I’m perfect for him.”
Rox gazed at her. “The idea’s growing on me. I can see how you two would be pretty great together. But I still don’t understand the stomach flu thing.”
“Yesterday we sort of…broke up.”
“Broke up? Why, for God’s sake? You just said you love him, so—”
“He wanted to tell everybody and go to this event as a couple. I refused. I’d convinced myself that you’d be upset, that I had to protect you from the truth, when in fact, I was protecting myself. And projecting my own fears onto you.”
Her expression softened. “You can always tell me the truth.”
“I know that, now. It was all about me. I was afraid Wes would hurt me like Mark did, only instead of it happening in Boston, my entire life here in Eagles Nest would be ruined in the process.”
“Oh, Ingrid.” She enveloped her in a hug. “He would never treat you that way.”
“Of course he wouldn’t.” She drew back and sniffed. “Even if it didn’t work out, knowing him, he’d try to take all the blame.”
“Yeah, he would.”
“Because that’s the kind of guy he is, loyal and kind, sweet and considerate. I love him so much, Rox.”
“Have you told him that?”
“No.”
“If I send him out here, will you promise to tell him?”
She gulped. “Yes.”
“Then stay here. I’ll go get him.”
“Okay. You’re a good friend.”
“So are you.” Rox gave her another quick hug and hurried inside.
Ingrid paced in front of the door until Wes came barreling out.
He stopped in front of her, breathing hard. “You told her.”
“I did.”
He dragged in air. “And she seems okay with—”
“I love you.”
He stared at her.
“You look surprised.”
“I didn’t…I thought it would take…”
“Time?”
He nodded.
“I thought so, too.” She stepped closer. “I was wrong. I started falling in love with you when you scooped me up and carried me over the finish line of the three-legged race. But I was scared to admit it. I was afraid…”
“That I’d hurt you?”
“Yes. I didn’t trust you, even though everything you’ve said and done has been telling me I couldn’t find a more trustworthy guy than you.”
“Or one who loves you more than I do.”
Her breath caught.
“I’ve said this in my head a hundred times.” He held her gaze. “Now I get to say it out loud. I love you, Ingrid. And we are going to be so happy together you won’t be able to stand it.”
She soaked up every bit of warmth in his beautiful eyes. “I believe you.”
“That’s all I’ve been waiting to hear.” Reaching for her, he drew her gently into his arms. And as he kissed her, the last tiny scrap of fear disappeared from her heart, leaving room for love. So much love.
Epilogue
Although Gage had announced to Wes that he intended to go see the woman in Great Falls, it was several weeks before he climbed in his truck and pointed it in that direction. It was the sort of enterprise that took some mental preparation. Besides, it was fun hanging around Eagles Nest and observing Wes in full love-struck mode.
Their dad was nearly as besotted, but at least he’d had some time to settle into a less manic phase. Wes, on the other hand, could barely get through a conversation without referencing his sweetie-pie. Cute as hell. Gage was happy for him.
Coupling up was all the rage in his family these days. His sis and Michael were nearly finished building their love nest outside of town and had hinted they might be tying the knot soon. Pete was the only sure thing if Gage wanted company for drinking beer on the porch.
He might have procrastinated longer on Project Emma except he’d run out of things to do around his dad’s place. Unlike the Lazy S, this operation didn’t require much maintenance. While he’d stashed away enough money that he didn’t absolutely need a job for another six or eight months, he preferred having satisfying work. The real joy in porch sitting with a beer came after completing a long day of honest labor.
But he’d postponed jo
b-hunting until he found out whether Emma had any interest in picking up where they’d left off. That might not seem logical to anyone else, but it did to him. And now it was time to make the trip to Great Falls.
He chose to drive up on a weekday. He’d arrive about four and if she had the same job, bartending at a cozy little Western place he used to frequent, she wouldn’t have started her shift yet. If she wasn’t at her house, he’d try the bar.
Just showing up was a little crazy and he owned that. He’d always tended to color outside the lines. He figured if it was supposed to work out between them, she’d be at home. After the first shock, she’d be glad to see him. She’d invite him in and they’d…take it from there.
The closer he got to Great Falls, the more he wanted it to happen that way. The timing had been wrong a year and a half ago but it might be perfect now. A Christmas romance had been a dicey concept from the get-go. Sentimental songs, meaningful gifts and mistletoe kisses just confused the issue.
If he ended up staying the night, he’d text Pete and let him know. And if he spent the night…. Probably shouldn’t contemplate that. Not while he was behind the wheel.
But just saying he did stay tonight, then what? Shouldn’t he have some sort of game plan? Some path forward?
Factors to consider—he’d become fond of Eagles Nest. Reconnecting with his family had been awesome. He wouldn’t mind making Eagles Nest his home base.
Last time he’d been in Great Falls, Emma hadn’t seemed totally bonded with the town. Didn’t have family close by. She’d said something about road-tripping with a girlfriend and ending up there. The friend had left but Emma had landed a job and hadn’t gone with her.
He couldn’t imagine her not liking Eagles Nest, though, and business was booming at the Guzzling Grizzly. He’d considered asking for a job there. But he wasn’t ready to tie himself down to anything. Not yet.
First he had to settle this thing with Emma. It was the first step in creating a different life than the rolling stone existence he’d maintained for years, ever since driving away from the Lazy S at eighteen.
He was slightly jacked up on adrenaline when he turned onto her street. He’d been singing along with a country station but he switched that off.
A Cowboy’s Challenge_The McGavin Brothers Page 16
