Montana Cowboy

by Jillian Hart

  “Yep, we’re smart to avoid it,” Wren agreed with a wink. “But I keep telling myself, there has to be some good men out there. Finding them is the trick.”

  “You said it.” Why Luke’s face flashed into her mind was no mystery. He was a good guy.

  Good guy. Wrong time.

  “I’m going to go put my feet up, stare at the TV and do absolutely nothing while I eat an entire bag of barbecue chips.” Wren turned, heading next door.

  “Hmm, a bag of chips. Great idea.”

  “You know it!” Wren’s keys rattled, her door opened and she was gone.

  Honor took her plate to the eating nook. Bless Wren, who knew how to make a sandwich. Cream cheese and sprouts spilled over the crusts, thick with tomato and turkey. Yum. Her stomach rumbled in anticipation.

  Barbecue chips sounded good, so she shot over to the pantry. A strange sound in the apartment stopped her. Weird, because the strange sound was her. She was humming.

  Actually humming. What could have prompted that? She snared the chip bag from the pantry, dropped into her chair, bowed her head to say grace and Luke’s face flashed behind her eyelids. That man’s friendship—not any deeper feelings—seemed to be the reason for her humming.

  Lord, thank You for this day and for this meal. Thank You for new friends who have brightened my day. Amen. She raised her head and her cell chimed. She ripped open the chip bag and munched on a few chips while hunting down her phone. “Hello?”

  “Good time or bad time?” Luke asked warmly.

  “Any time is a good time.” She couldn’t deny it. The sound of his voice made the evening shine. “I’m surprised to hear from you, though. I’m guessing you would be busy with cleanup, knowing you.”

  “Yep, I just finished up. I wanted to give you a heads-up.”

  “Really? About what?” She made a beeline to the fridge and chose a can of cream soda.

  “My sisters sure like you.”

  “I like them, too.” She popped the top, guessing Luke was in his truck. She could hear the rush of the air-conditioning and the click, click of his turn signal.

  “According to rumor, Brooke just sent you an email inviting you along on some plan of theirs. You can turn them down. You won’t hurt any feelings.”

  “Why would I want to turn them down?”

  “You haven’t figured that out by now? After all those comments?”

  “Oh, right, about me being your date.” She plopped into a chair and grabbed the chip bag. “Sorry, I’m going to crunch in your ear, but I have a severe addiction to Ruffles.”

  “Can’t blame you there.”

  Why was it always so easy to talk with Luke? From the very beginning, when she’d first read his comment on Good Books, she’d typed out a response as naturally as breathing.

  Maybe that was proof this wasn’t a romantic thing. Romance was a disaster—all those nerves, those silences that slipped into a conversation and a coiled-up stomach from being vulnerable. Friendship was much, much better.

  “I just swung through the drive-thru,” he confessed as something crackled in the background. “Since I couldn’t resist Mr. Paco’s Tacos, I might crunch a bit, too.”

  “Then at least we’ll be crunching together.” She hit speaker, so she had her hands free. “Don’t worry about your sisters. I can set them straight on our friendship. What did they invite me to, do you know?”

  “My guess is their volleyball team. They are down one member since that fiasco last week.”

  “Fiasco?”

  “A sprained wrist. I wasn’t there, but I heard it happened in the middle of a heated game.”

  “Where were you?”

  “Where I always am.” He paused to crunch into what sounded like a hard shell taco. “Taking care of my girls.”

  “Your cows.” She loved that he called them that.

  “I’m sweet on them, but don’t you tell ’em. Once a female knows she has a man’s heart, she has the upper hand.”

  “Is that right?”

  “I don’t want the whole herd to think they’ve got me wrapped around their hooves. I’ve got to maintain some semblance of control.”

  “It’s a matter of pride.”

  “Glad you understand. I’ve got to hold on to as much of it as I can.”

  How was it possible that it felt like he was in the room with her, as if no distance separated them?

  That’s how you know this is just friendship, she thought. Because it had never been like this with one single man she’d ever dated. Luke was so simple to talk to. They had an effortless connection and natural accord. They simply got along, no fuss, no worries or those little insecurities that had always plagued her in a romantic relationship.

  Wasn’t this totally better?

  Thank You, Lord, she sent up in prayer. Thank You for friends and Montana cowboys.

  “You have to keep in mind I’m outnumbered, five hundred to one—well, two, if you want to count my brother, which I don’t.” His good-natured quip put a smile on her face, making it hard to bite into her sandwich.

  “Poor Hunter. He didn’t seem so bad when I met him. I was expecting a really dour, stern man, but he looked nice.”

  “It was an anomaly. An unexplained occurrence.”

  “Sure.” Like she believed that. The ribbing between brothers was based on love and respect, and no amount of Luke’s denial could disguise it from her. As their conversation continued and Luke began a funny story about his favorite cow, Betty, she took a bite of her sandwich, listening with all of her heart.

  This was exactly what she needed in her life right now. A good buddy, someone to hang with and someone who wasn’t looking for more.

  * * *

  The ranch came into view around the last corner in the country road. A sign their conversation had to end. Work awaited him and so did Hunter.

  “I was surprised at your volleyball skills,” she admitted, her gentle alto keeping his attention as he slowed for the turn up the hilly drive. “You never mentioned you were such a good player.”

  “When I joined the church in high school, the youth group was big into volleyball.”

  “So you’ve been playing a long time.”

  “More years than I’d care to admit.” That was so long ago, another lifetime away. A painful time in his life when their dad had abandoned them and their mom had fallen apart. Mom hadn’t made it for Brooke’s wedding. That hurt, and he hoped the impact hadn’t hit Brooke too hard. No one had raised their hopes very high but, still, it would have been nice if Mom had made the effort. “One day I dragged Hunter and Brooke along. Speaking of Hunter, guess who I see?”

  “Your brother. You must be home.” Did she sound a little sad about that?

  “Almost.” He was, too. He motored up the bumpy gravel drive, wanting to prolong the discussion. He didn’t want to say goodbye. Two houses stood on the hill, an acre apart. The gray clapboard was his, the brown one at the end of the land was Hunter’s. But where was his brother standing? On Luke’s porch, hands on his hips, scowling.

  “Looks like I’m in trouble.” No surprise there. He circled into his drive and cut the engine. “I hate to say it, but I gotta go.”

  “Wow, time whizzed by. It’s seven o’clock already. Give the calves a pat from me, oh, and Nell, too.”

  “Will do.” He couldn’t say goodbye. The word stuck on his tongue, refusing to be said. That wasn’t a good sign, either. “Have a good night, Honor.”

  “You, too.”

  Sadness kicked through him when he ended the call. You’re in big trouble, he told himself. Big, big trouble. He pulled the hand brake and hopped out into the hot summer evening. A dry wind whipped his face.

  “You were talking with her, weren’t you?” Hunter strode across the lawn
. “She’s going to make you sorry you ever typed ‘howdy’ to her.”

  “She’s a nice lady.” He joined his brother striding across the gravel to meet him. “Even you have to admit she’s nice.”

  “I never said she wasn’t. Everyone likes her.”

  “Then what’s the problem?” He couldn’t help teasing, as it was a younger brother’s responsibility. “You don’t have to look for doom.”

  “Someone has to.” A grin twitched at the corners of his mouth. “I would have thought the doom was obvious.”

  “Don’t know what you’re talking about.” Luke jiggled his keys as he tromped across the grass. “Nothing’s going to go wrong between Honor and me. We’re just friends.”

  That word was like a dagger in the chest, but no one needed to know.

  “Just friends. Sure. Like I believe that.” Hunter shook his head, dark hair tousled by the wind. “I saw the way you looked at her. You’re smitten.”

  “Smitten? I don’t think so.” That wasn’t a lie, considering what he felt was too powerful to be considered merely smitten. He’d describe it as stronger than full-blown like but shy of head-over-heels in love.

  Good thing. He had a chance to put the brakes on his feelings before they got any more serious and before he got hurt.

  “She’s here for three more weeks.” He actually said that as if it didn’t hurt. “She’ll go back to her life in California. I doubt she’ll have time to hang out online, so don’t get your suspenders in a knot.”

  “I’m not wearing suspenders.” Hunter almost smiled. “I’m worried about you. A woman like that…well, I don’t want you getting your hopes up.”

  “No worries. My hopes are right where they belong. On the ground.” He loped up the front steps. Harry, the cat curled up on the porch rail, watched him through slitted eyes.

  “Good. When it comes to women, a man has got to be sensible.”

  “Is that why you haven’t dated in the last decade?” Luke grabbed his barn boots from their spot by the front door. He swung around and sat on the top step to put them on.

  “Yep. I’m the smart one. I keep women at a distance.”

  “I thought they were the ones staying away from you,” he quipped.

  “Either way works.”

  Luke shook his head. No idea what he was going to do with his brother. Hunter’s heart had been broken real good long ago. He never recovered. Millie Wilson had been the love of Hunter’s life. Some things a heart couldn’t recover from.

  Which was why he was glad he’d met Honor in person today. He’d seen it for himself. She wasn’t interested in him. So he would stop hoping for more. They would stay friends, and only friends. End of story. There could never be anything more.

  “Tomorrow I’m going to let the cows out here to graze.” Hunter led the way across the lawn to the barn down the hill. “They’ll get rid of these weeds. Better than using some chemical. Someone’s got to go ride the irrigation lines before tonight’s watering. I’m sure there’s a leak in the pipes somewhere. Got to figure out where. Might as well have you do it.”

  “Me?” Amused, Luke squinted against the lowering rays of the sun, listened to the larks and robins singing in the pasture and stopped to wait for the old herd dog to lope up to him. He gave Nell a scrub on the head. “I might have important things to do with my evening.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Besides, it might get your mind off your friend for a few hours.”

  “I thought we settled this. Honor can’t break my heart.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. She’s a land mine. I’ve stepped on one just like that, and I’m trying to save you from it.” Hunter winked, untied his horse’s reins and swung up. “Don’t forget I’ve got your back.”

  “With a brother like you, who needs enemies?” Luke quipped, chuckling, trying to pretend he didn’t understand what Hunter was trying to do. He couldn’t say his brother was wrong.

  His heart was already a little broken over Honor Crosby. It would likely break more by the time their friendship was done.

  The instant he set foot inside the barn, a symphony of calves mooing and lowing greeted him, scolding him for being late. His boots clomped on the cement as he called out a hello to his girls. The sun shone in the open doors and sifted through the breaks beneath the eaves, exposing bits of hay dancing in the air. Behind the barred gate, the herd watched him with friendly, long-lashed eyes, talking to him in their way, wanting attention like all God’s creatures did.

  “Ladies, I didn’t mean to keep you waiting.” He stopped to rub a nose here and a poll there. “I’ll get your grain ready.”

  This was his life. There had to be a lady out there who could fit into it, a Montana girl who loved animals and ranch living. But honestly, it hurt to think about whoever she might be because he kept seeing Honor’s face.

  * * *

  “Jerrod, this is very good.” In the sunlit library, Honor looked up from reading his essay on Hemingway’s book. “You supported your hypothesis perfectly, and your analysis of theme was top-notch. Well done.”

  “Thanks.” Jerrod blushed at her praise, his math book open in front of him. His work papers littered the table near the window of walls that looked out at the summery deck and forest.

  The work week was whizzing by since their weekend outing to Brooke’s wedding, five days ago. Honor felt cheerful because she was about to see the McKaslins again.

  And Luke.

  Ignore that little leap, she told herself, laying a hand over her sternum. And focus on your job.

  “How are the word problems coming along?” she asked.

  “Slow, but I think I figured this one out.”

  “Good. I gave you some tough ones. Think of them as mental exercise.”

  “I’d rather do push-ups.” Jerrod grinned.

  She set aside his essay, unable to keep her gaze from sliding over to her laptop screen. Luke’s most recent email stared at her.

  Are you coming? Brooke wants to know, since she’s the captain of the team.

  Why isn’t Brooke on her honeymoon yet? she typed and hit Send.

  Because their cruise isn’t booked until next month when she can get away from her job, came his reply.

  And I’m only filling in for tonight?

  That’s the word. The player who injured her wrist will be back in two weeks.

  Awesome. Tell Brooke I’m there as long as I don’t get behind a truck carrying a big concrete tube thing again.

  I’ll relay the message. Looking forward to hanging with you tonight. Should be fun.

  Definitely. Her face felt unusually warm, which made her realize she was humming again. Jerrod looked up from his work, clearly she’d interrupted him.

  “Sorry, go back to work. Didn’t mean to interrupt you.” She ignored the teen’s eye roll, glad to be happy again.

  She had Luke to thank for that.

  Chapter Six

  “I didn’t know you were so into volleyball.” Colbie jogged up, the grass crunching beneath her feet. Dappled shadows from the overhead trees dotted her as she skidded to a stop. “This is the first time you’ve come to one of our matches.”

  “I’m starting to be a volleyball enthusiast.” Shy about his feelings and hoping they didn’t show, he dug a water bottle out of the cooler and handed it to her.

  “You are so not fooling me, brother dear.” She twisted off the cap and took a long pull. Behind her, other players were breaking up, seeking out cool drinks and towels after the first explosive set of the contest. “Any word from Honor?”

  “Just that she got behind a gigantic tractor creeping down the highway and she’ll be here when she can.” He resisted the urge to haul out his phone and double-check the message she’d sent over a thirty minutes ago.

&nbs
p; “It’s a long drive just to come for a game. She must really like volleyball.” Colbie took another swig.

  “No comment.” Really, how many times did he have to explain it to his sisters? At this point they weren’t believing a thing he said.

  “Who are we talkin’ about?” Brooke hopped up, gladly taking the water bottle he handed her.

  “Guess?” Colbie waggled her brows.

  “Honor.” Now Bree stumbled up, eager to join in the discussion. “I can’t believe you talked me into taking her place until she gets here. I’m a disaster. Did you see my attempt at a serve?”

  “Hey, you only hit the net twice.”

  “I’m a disgrace to the team. It’s embarrassing.”

  “It really is,” Colbie and Brooke teased.

  Lots of people out tonight, even in the blazing summer heat. He scanned the park, watching for her. Sweat beaded his forehead so he swept off his Stetson. “Bree, where’s Mac?”

  “He pulled an evening shift otherwise I would be with him and wouldn’t be here humiliating myself.” Bree gave Colbie an affectionate nudge with her elbow. “I have a hard time saying no to you.”

  “And I used it to my advantage.” Colbie dumped the remaining water over her head. “You’re as red as a beet.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  “No, I mean you need to hydrate.” Colbie held out her hand, and Luke slapped a cold water bottle into it. “Drink up.”

  “There she is.” Hardly paying attention to his sisters, he launched off the picnic table, striding into the scorching evening sun.

  I’m just glad to see her, that’s all, he told himself as he cut around a knot of volleyball players collapsed on the grass. It was a long drive, and he’d been worried. Anything could happen—an overheated engine, a leaking tire, a collision. It wasn’t because his heart beat slower when he caught a glimpse of her welcoming smile. Nope, that wasn’t the reason. Not even a little bit.