Six Months in Montana (Montana Sweet Western Romance Series)

by Kelley, Pamela M.

"Something doesn't look right." Henry, one of Christian's most senior men was at Mandy's other end. "You ever deliver a breech before?"

  "No, not yet." Christian answered.

  "First time for everything. For me too. I've seen quite a few of them, though, over the years. I could probably walk you through it, if need be."

  "Hopefully, Doc will be here before then. Should be any time now."

  "Okay, but you might want to tell her that. She's starting to push, and that's not good."

  Molly watched the scene before her with alarm. The normally sweet tempered horse now looked petrified and in severe pain. She let out a blood-curdling scream that gave Molly goose-bumps and made Christian take a step back.

  "You need to get right in there," Henry instructed. "Reach in and shift that baby down, so she can come out smoothly. Kevin and I will hold either side of her."

  Christian only hesitated for a second before he stepped forward, rolled his sleeves up as far as they could go and then plunged his hand deep into Mandy.

  "It's not working, nothing is moving."

  "You gotta keep pulling and pushing until it does," Henry said.

  "Okay, I think I'm almost there." It seemed like an eternity, but was only a few minutes before Christian slowly pulled his arm out and, a moment later, with a burst of energy, Mandy dropped her foal. The baby horse lay there motionless until its mother licked its forehead, and then it let out a small sound and slowly moved its legs. Henry explained that the foal would actually be able to stand by itself within an hour or two.

  "So, what did you think?" Christian asked proudly.

  Molly realized she had tears running down her face. "Amazing."

  At that moment, Dr. Jones walked into the stable, sized up the situation, then said, "Looks like you don't need me here." Congratulations were given all around and the doctor checked both animals, pronouncing them healthy and doing well.

  "I'm sorry I wasn't able to get here sooner, we ran into some delays at the Ferguson ranch; another breech birth actually. Good to see you've handled that before."

  "I have now," Christian said with a grin, "thanks to Henry."

  "You did all the work," Henry said gruffly. "I just told you what to do, that's the easy part."

  "What happens now?" Molly asked.

  "They rest, and we eat."

  An hour later, a freshly showered Christian joined Molly in the kitchen and they sat down to eat. Over lasagna, salad and garlic bread, Molly filled him in on her meeting with Traci and their plans for Rose Cottage.

  "That sounds great! When did she say she could have it done by?"

  "The guys said that the physical remodeling should be finished end of this week, and then she'll only need two weeks to do everything. We could be up and running after that."

  They discussed plans to get the inn opened. Molly thought her mother and aunt might want to help with the food. Aunt Betty's coffee cake and her mother's chowder would be perfect for a bed and breakfast. They didn't want to run a full restaurant, but Molly thought that being able to offer a light lunch of soup or salad could set them apart from other B-and-Bs, and of course there would be freshly baked cookies and lemonade in the afternoon, and wine and cheese before dinner. Her guests would be on their own for dinner, but she would have menus from the local restaurants available to help them decide.

  "You know you may want to talk to Isabella. She could be a good source of referrals for you." Christian's suggestion took her by surprise.

  "You think?" Molly wasn't enthused by that idea.

  "Sure. Think about it. She regularly meets with people who are thinking about moving to Beauville, and some are going to be from out of town looking for a place to stay while they're here. I bet she gets asked all the time for recommendations."

  "I suppose you're right," Molly admitted grudgingly. She hated the thought of asking Isabella for help. That reminded her to ask about the party. It had slipped her mind, with the drama of Mandy giving birth.

  "Speaking of Isabella, I actually ran into her this morning and she asked if we were planning to go to her big barbeque next weekend. I told her, of course we'd be there. But I don't remember you mentioning it?"

  "Oh that." Christian looked annoyed for a moment. "Honestly, the invitation came a few weeks ago, just after we returned from our honeymoon and, at the time, I just didn't want to deal with seeing Isabella. I know that's not fair, but I thought it might be easier for both of us to skip it."

  "Well, too late now. I told her we're going."

  Christian took another bite of lasagna and thought for a moment.

  "You know, it might actually be a good thing. I can talk to her for you, feel her out about referring people."

  "I don't know." Molly hesitated. "Why should she help us? Especially me? I'm not sure how I'd feel about that if I were in her shoes."

  "I'm sure she's over it all by now," Christian said confidently. "Isabella's a good person, she'll do the right thing."

  Chapter 7

  Molly spent the better part of an hour staring at the dresses hanging in her closet, waiting for something to jump out as the obvious choice. But nothing did. Finally, after trying on and rejecting a dozen different options, she reached for an old favorite. It wasn't the most exciting dress, and it was a few years old, but it was the most flattering one she owned. Meghan called it her 'miracle dress' as it was solid black, which made her look a few pounds slimmer, yet it was soft and loose around the waist, so she could relax and eat whatever she liked.

  Christian was ready to go when Molly came downstairs. He smiled when he saw her. "You look great!"

  "Thanks, you too." Molly couldn't help but admire the way his new jeans hugged his hips and how his navy button-down dress shirt made his blue eyes pop. She wondered if the butterflies in her stomach were just pre-party nerves.

  Christian drove, and they arrived at Isabella's family ranch about twenty minutes later. It was just past seven, and there were already hundreds of people there. A huge tent had been set up to accommodate the crowd, and at first there was an overwhelming sea of people as they walked in. Cocktail tables were scattered here and there and, as they headed toward the bar, Christian was stopped repeatedly by people he knew, and introductions were made to those that Molly hadn't yet met, which was about half of them. Finally, as they reached the bar, Molly spotted her mother and aunt at one of the tables. They'd staked out a spot closest to the main bar. Aunt Betty waved them over excitedly, as soon as she saw them.

  "How long have you been here?" Molly asked, noticing that their drinks were half-empty.

  "Maybe a half-hour," Aunt Betty said.

  "Closer to an hour," her mother corrected. "Your aunt wanted to be sure to get a good spot for people-watching.

  Christian said a quick hello, and then went to the bar to get a round of drinks for everyone.

  "Have you seen her?" Aunt Betty asked.

  "Isabella? No, surprisingly we haven't run into her yet."

  "She must be in the main house, probably checking with the caterers." Aunt Betty said, as a server carrying an elegant tray of stuffed mushrooms came by. They each took one and Molly grabbed an extra for Christian. He returned a minute later with everyone's drinks. Molly took a sip of Chardonnay and surveyed the room. There had to be at least three hundred people here, and although most of them were strangers, she was pleased to see that she recognized quite a few of them. Just about everyone who had attended their wedding was here, as well as other friends of her mother and aunt that she'd met recently.

  "I told you it was quite a scene," Aunt Betty said, as she accepted another hors d'oeuvre, this time spanakopita, a delicious triangle of puff pastry wrapped around a filling of spinach and cheese.

  "Don't forget there's a massive buffet coming," her mother said, as Aunt Betty reached for a second spanakopita.

  "Do you mind if I take off for a bit? There's a few people I need to talk to." Christian was being waved down by three men at another table.

&nb
sp; "Of course not." Molly recognized the men as local contractors and also members of the men's golf league that Christian played in every Wednesday night. They were at a table at the edge of the crowd, drinking whiskey on the rocks and smoking cigars.

  "Your Christian looks very handsome tonight." Aunt Betty had a matchmaking gleam in her eye. Molly didn't want them to get any false hopes.

  "He does," she agreed. "But he's only 'my Christian' for six months."

  "We'll see." Aunt Betty then turned her attention to the crowd and kept them in stitches for the next twenty minutes or so. She knew something about everyone that passed by their table, and some of it was so outrageous that Molly thought she was making it up.

  "That's Phil Thompson," her aunt said, as an elderly gentleman with snow white hair stopped by Christian's table to say hello.

  "He's in his early nineties, just lost his wife a year ago, and has now turned into a social butterfly. Even has a Facebook page. Says it keeps him young. He still drives, has two convertibles, one of which he painted himself with leftover boat paint. He's the guy with the smiley face car."

  Molly smiled, as she pictured the car. She'd seen it a few times around town. It was a small older-model Capri, painted a pale green color, with a giant yellow and black smiley face on each door. She hadn't yet met Mr. Thompson, but had a feeling she was going to like him.

  Christian returned to their table a few minutes later with Mr. Thompson by his side, and introduced Molly to him.

  "I'm so sorry I had to miss your wedding. I heard it was really something. I had a little mishap that slowed me down a bit. Damn hospital insisted on keeping me for three nights. Can you imagine? They wanted me to stay longer, but I'd had enough and checked myself out."

  "I hope you're feeling better," Molly said.

  "I was never sick, young lady. Not for a minute. I just needed a new ladder. I was outside painting and my ladder gave way. They thought I'd broken my hip or something, but it was just a bad sprain. My daughter gave me hell though. Made me promise to stay off ladders. Told her I would, but we'll see."

  They chatted with the lively Mr. Thompson for a bit longer, until he was spotted by two older ladies who waved him over to their table.

  "Oh, I'm in for it now," he said, with a gleam in his eye. "So many pretty ladies, so little time." With that, he left them and Christian added, "He was one of my grandfather's best friends. He's all talk, you know. His wife, Ellen, was the love of his life. This past year has been really tough for him. He's just starting to get out and about now."

  "I hope I have half his energy when I get to his age."

  "I wish I had his energy now!" Isabella exclaimed. She'd suddenly appeared at their table and welcomed them all. They all chatted for a few minutes, and then Isabella was ready to move on.

  "They are bringing out the food now. Be sure to help yourself when you're ready. Daddy's barbeque sauce is legendary. Oh, and Molly, I love your dress." Molly couldn’t tell from her tone if she meant it. It kind of reminded her of the sugar-sweet Southern comment ‘Bless her heart’, which meant anything but.

  "Thanks, yours is amazing," Molly responded. She actually felt a bit like a plain Jane though, standing next to Isabella. Her dress was really something. It was an elegant cream shade and of a stretchy jersey-like material that showed off her near perfect hourglass figure. It was very Marilyn Monroe, with a skirt that flowed out just below the knees and a sexy halter top with pearl beading on the bodice. Her hair was done to perfection, in a carefully curled tangle of loose spirals that were gathered up at the sides and fell dramatically down her back. Her cowboy boots were gorgeous too; the heels were so high that Molly wondered how she managed walking in them. But she did, and they caused her hips to swing confidently back and forth as she walked away, knowing that the attention of most of the men nearby was on her.

  Including Christian, who started to walk after her. "I forgot to ask her about the inn referrals. Be right back."

  He caught up to her easily, as she wasn't moving too quickly in those heels. They were just far enough away that Molly couldn't hear the conversation, but it didn't look like it was going well. Isabella was all smiles when Christian first caught up to her, but within a few minutes her face took on a stormy look and she ended the conversation abruptly, turning around and walking away while Christian was still talking. A few moments later, he returned to the table looking a bit confused.

  "I take it she didn't love your suggestion?" Molly asked.

  "I think she'll come around," he said and then, when Molly raised her eyebrow at that, he added, "eventually. I think I just caught her off-guard. She's busy with the party right now. She asked me if I was kidding, and then said we'd discuss this at another time."

  "What did you ask her?" Aunt Betty was dying to know, and Molly could see the curiosity on her mom's face as well. She hadn't yet mentioned Christian's idea to them, so she quickly filled them in. When she finished, Aunt Betty gave Christian a smack on the arm.

  "What on earth were you thinking? You asked your ex-girlfriend to refer people to your new wife's business venture, less than a month after you broke up?"

  Christian looked surprised. "I guess it wasn't the best idea. I really thought she wouldn't mind, since she knows the details behind our marriage."

  "All she knows is that you're with someone else now," Aunt Betty said.

  "The buffet is open, anyone ready to head over?" her mother asked. Molly knew it as an attempt to change the subject.

  "I'm ready and starving, let's go."

  The amount of food was staggering: several different kinds of meats and barbeque sauces; all kinds of side dishes, most involving butter, cream and cheese, veggies, salads, and hot, crusty rolls. They all piled their plates and raved about the food. Isabella's father had cooked the meats, but they’d used a caterer for everything else. Molly made a note to find out the name of the caterer and keep them in mind, if they ever needed to use one at the inn.

  While they were eating, a jazz band played softly in the background. When they were just about finished, a different band came on, and started playing livelier dance tunes. By the second song, people were making their way onto the makeshift dance floor. Molly excused herself to hit the ladies room, and just as she was about to exit the stall she heard a familiar voice and paused.

  "He actually asked me to give referrals to his new wife. To help her. Can you believe it?" Isabella sounded furious, and Molly decided to wait a moment or two longer, hoping Isabella and her confidant would leave.

  "Men are so dumb. Completely clueless. I bet it didn't even occur to him that the suggestion was completely inappropriate." Molly didn't recognize the other voice, but it sounded like it was coming from an older woman, possibly Isabella's mother.

  "I told him we'd talk about it later, just to get rid of him. There's really nothing to talk about, though. How could imagine that I would possibly help her, of all people?"

  Molly cringed at that. Isabella clearly had no interest in being her friend. She actually sounded like she hated her, and given the situation, she supposed she couldn't really blame her. She didn't want to further embarrass her by walking out now, so she stayed put and was relieved when she heard them leave a moment later.

  She was drying her hands, when Isabella walked back into the bathroom and stopped in her tracks when she saw Molly. Molly could see the wheels turning, as she was wondering if she'd heard her talking.

  Isabella spotted a lipstick by the mirror and snatched it up.

  "I just realized I left this behind."

  Molly hesitated for a second. She wanted to apologize, but then it would be clear to Isabella that she’d overheard her conversation. So, instead, she simply said, “Thank you so much for inviting us. Dinner was wonderful.”

  “Christian is always invited,” Isabella snapped, then added a bit more graciously, “I’m glad you are enjoying yourself. If you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to my guests.” Without waiting for a response she w
as gone, and Molly wondered if despite his good intentions Christian had actually made matters worse. Isabella was in a position to not only help them, but she could also do some damage if she wanted to, by steering people away from Rose Cottage. Molly felt guilty for a moment for letting her thoughts go in that direction. Isabella wasn’t happy to be dumped, who would be? But Molly couldn’t imagine that she’d be that vindictive. Christian was probably right, and she was just taken off guard. Although Molly wasn’t counting on a referral any time soon.

  ***

  The following week flew by. Christian was busier than usual, dealing with day-to-day ranch issues, as well as on the real estate development side, putting finishing touches on several houses that were almost ready to hit the market. Meanwhile Molly was spending most of her time at Rose Cottage, working closely with Traci on the decorating which, to her delight, Traci actually completed late Friday afternoon, ahead of schedule. To celebrate, Molly impulsively invited her out to the ranch that evening for dinner and drinks, and told her to bring Travis along, if he'd like to join them. She knew Christian would enjoy hanging out with his best friend.

  She called Christian to give him the heads-up on her way back to the ranch, and stopped by the local market to pick up some wine and cheese to have with dinner. A little later, Molly came downstairs after showering and blow-drying her hair and was on her way into the kitchen to start prepping for dinner, when she saw something out of the corner of her eye that made her stop and take a step backwards for another look. Christian was in his office, sitting in his favorite leather chair, head back and mouth wide open. He was sound asleep, with Toby curled up by his feet.

  Molly hated to disturb him, but she needed to wake him up so he could jump in the shower and get ready before their guests arrived. She walked over, gently touched his shoulder and his eyes flew open.

  "Sorry, you looked so comfortable, but Travis and Traci will be here in about a half hour."

  Christian looked confused for a moment, then rubbed his eyes and leaned forward.

  "Thanks. I can't believe I conked out like that."