by Amelia Shea
They continued down the narrow hallway, passing his small dining room and living room combo and through the front door. He let her pass before locking up. Locking his door was unnecessary. He lived on the family property, and it was safe. However, he didn’t want Regina to get any ideas about coming back, trying to change his mind and surprising him later. It had happened twice before, and he wasn’t a fan of surprises.
His phone rang again. This time it was his dad.
“Hello?”
“You out on chores?”
“Heading out right now, sir.” He looked at Regina who was waiting by his truck now. “Got sidetracked.”
“I bet you did, son.” His tone was disapproving. His father had raised boys for the last thirty years, and he himself had been wild according to his mama. But one thing Edward Fords despised and did not tolerate was anything interfering with his land. “Your land is your legacy, boys. You respect it, honor it, fight for it.” For as long as Grey could remember, those words were imbedded in his head.
“Got the call from the lawyer, Ms. Montgomery will be arriving tomorrow. I’ve already spoken to her and she’s accepted my invitation for dinner with the family. I’ve also informed her you will pick her up at six.”
Grey released a harsh breath. The last thing he wanted was to spend any time with some spoiled bitch who had no sense of responsibility. Christ, he did not need this. He stomped down his front steps toward his truck.
“Dad, I have the feed pick up tomorrow at Larson’s. Can’t Jasper pick her up?”
The line was silent, and he braced for what he knew was coming.
“Greyson…you will pick up Ms. Montgomery at six tomorrow night. Am I making myself clear?”
“Yes, sir.”
The line went dead and Grey shook his head. His father was demanding and wanted things done one way, his way. Greyson was the same. But his Dad always trumped him. Whether he liked it or not, he would be picking up Ms. Montgomery at six tomorrow night.
Chapter Three
“Where the fuck am I?” Britt screeched as she sat parked on the dirt road. She had been sitting on the narrow road surrounded by trees for about ten minutes. Ten minutes of watching huge brown cows cross the road, slowly. For the first few minutes she was mesmerized. She’d never seen anything like it. The cows were just walking across the road. Crazy.
The awe lasted only a few minutes, and now she was annoyed.
She rested her head on the steering wheel, praying for patience. This is why she disliked animals, they were assholes. “Jesus, fucking move!” She screamed and pressed her hand on the horn. This did nothing. They didn’t even look over at her. Assholes.
She slumped back against the headrest and closed her eyes. She needed this day to end, and it was only eleven thirty in the morning. Her flight had been delayed, and when she finally arrived in the small Montana airport, they had to circle the runway due to heavy traffic. Yeah, traffic was probably friggin’ cows on the tarmac.
When they finally landed, it had taken her forever to get her rental car. The lady behind the counter wanted to know all about where she was from and why she was visiting and if she had ever been there before. She kept to her manners, when really all she wanted to do was tell her to mind her own business. Anytime Britt was about to say or do something rude, she thought of her dad. It usually kept her smart mouth intact. Usually.
Britt had tapped her foot, forcing a smile. “Nope, first time here.”
The gray-haired plump woman smiled back. “Welcome to Big Sky Country.”
She had nodded and taken the keys from her hand.
Her ride from the airport had been about an hour, and her GPS was of no use. Several wrong turns later, she was fairly certain she was close to Whisper Point, and then the damn cows happened.
She threw open the car door and jumped out, slamming it behind her. She marched forward ten feet, threw her hands in the air, and shouted, “Oh my God, fucking move!”
She blinked in shock and her mouth gaped open. Really? She stood in amazement as the cows started to move slowly onto the grass. She surveyed the road, thankful no one was witness to her losing her shit. Before she could get back in the car, the road was clear. She made a mental note: Cows are submissive, be authoritative next time. Good to know.
She drove down the road a few more miles and made a left on the road she assumed was Cal’s property.
She drove slowly up the long dirt driveway. There wasn’t a mailbox out front, but there was a sign for Gracie Point. She was pretty sure this was it. She looked to the right, then left, and back again to the right, taking in her surroundings. The driveway was about a quarter of a mile long with trees lining the path. It was really pretty. Dirt circled the car and the road was bumpy.
On either side was a wood fence and green pastures. There were a few bushes and some trees scattered, from what she could see, but mostly it was an open field. The house came into view and she smiled. Pulling up in front, she turned off the engine and just sat there, looking at the little brown house with the yellow door. It was just as Cal described it. She was staring at Cal’s house, the one he dreamed of spending his days in. The one he died in.
She slumped back in her seat, losing her smile. The small ranch house was nothing special—it wasn’t spectacular—it was four walls and a roof. But to Cal, it had been his last everything. For him, it had been his dream. A dream he was giving to her.
“Hi there.” The loud knock on her window and a man’s face in her view startled her.
Britt screamed, jumping back into her seat and grasping her hand over her heart.
The man held his hands up in a surrendering stance and backed away from the car. His handsome face looked concerned. His cowboy hat hung low over his squinted eyes. She just stared at him. Her heart raced so fast she thought she might be having a heart attack. His blue eyes creased at the corners, smiling at her with apprehension.
He pointed to his chest. “I’m sorry to scare you, Miss Montgomery. My name is Lucas Taylor, I work here.”
Britt inhaled a deep breath and released it. Her heart was beating out of her chest. This guy had scared the hell out of her. She smiled at him. He still remained in the same stance but dropped his hands to his sides.
Opening the car door slowly, she got out.
“Hey! Sorry, I didn’t know anyone else would be here, you just spooked me.” She forced a smile, trying to ease him a bit.
“Sorry I snuck up on you.” He held out his hand and she clasped it. “It’s nice to meet you, Miss Montgomery.”
He released her hand. “Call me Britt, the whole Miss Montgomery thing has me looking over my shoulder for my…uh yeah, just Britt is good.” Nice save, Britt, you dumbass.
He nodded with a sweet smile. “Britt.”
Lucas looked about her age, maybe a year or two older. He was hot in a very cowboy way. His sandy blond hair poked out over his ears from under the brim of his hat, and sweat beaded down his neck. He was taller than her with thick, bulging tanned arms. He looked like he should be in a truck commercial.
They stood awkwardly, staring at one another. There was comfortable silence, but this wasn’t it. She rocked on her feet and blurted out the first thing to pop in her head. “So, it’s not a myth, huh?” She pointed to his hat.
His eyebrows cocked down in confusion. “I’m sorry?”
“The hat, cowboys wear cowboy hats.”
A small, amused smile spread across his face, and he nodded. “Yes, ma’am. How ’bout I help you with your bags?”
Ma’am? She held back her giggle. It would be downright rude to laugh at this man for his manners. It wasn’t his fault she wasn’t used to this type of man. It was actually pretty sad. Damn polite cowboy chivalry? She could definitely get used to Montana if all the cowboys were like Lucas.
“That would be great.”
She walked to the back of her car, opening the trunk. She only had two bags and Lucas grabbed both before she had a chance to take
the small one. He led her up the small, crumbling, paved walkway. When she walked up onto the porch, she saw the two rocking chairs.
“I plan on getting some rockers for the front porch. The view is spectacular from the front porch. Morning coffee and my book, life will be perfect.”
She turned around and stared out at the view from the porch. The corner of her mouth quirked up. It was a spectacular view. Lucas got her attention back by holding the door open. She walked in and stopped to glance around. There was a decent sized living room with cathedral ceilings, and a floor-to-ceiling old hearthstone. The furniture looked comfy and the room was inviting. She noticed there weren’t any pictures or personal items of Cal’s. The room across from her was the dining room. It had a round table with five chairs. A small china cabinet was shoved in the corner. The room looked unused.
“The kitchen is back here,” Lucas said, walking down the short hallway. She followed him past the staircase to a dated kitchen with a few cabinets and a small table with two chairs. Everything in the kitchen was yellow. Everything. He gave her a tight-lipped smile and guided her to a small room off the kitchen with two doors, one leading into the yard.
“This is the mud room and that door gets you to the basement. Do you want me to show you?” He pointed to the other door.
“No, it’s all right.” She walked back, looking around at the kitchen draped in her least favorite color.
“There are two bedrooms upstairs and the bathroom. Sarah stocked the fridge this morning so you had some snacks and such.”
“Sarah?” Britt asked.
“Sarah’s my girl, my girlfriend. You’ll meet her later at the Fords, Beth and Ed are her aunt and uncle.”
“Oh. So, you’ll be coming too, then.” It would be nice to have a familiar face at dinner, even if she had just met him. She noticed he looked uncomfortable and twisted his hat in his hands.
“No, I uh…won’t be there. I wasn’t invited.”
“Oh.” This was super awkward. She nodded and quickly looked away.
“Well, I’ll let you get settled. Holler if you need anything, I’ll be in the barn. I can give you a tour later if you’d like.”
“Sure, that’d be great,” she lied.
He nodded again and put his hat on when he reached the back door. She watched him walk out. Nice guy, and good looking in the boy-next-door kind of way. She moved closer to the kitchen window and peeked out. His sandy blond hair was in need of a cut, but somehow it worked for him. He was tall, maybe six feet, with a lean body. His short-sleeved shirt showed off his strong arms. Nice butt, too. Sarah’s a lucky girl.
She checked out the upstairs after Lucas left. It was small, two bedrooms and a small bathroom. She took the smaller room with the twin bed. She figured the one with the full-size bed was Cal’s, and she didn’t want to use his space.
She lay down on the bed. Everything that had happened in the last forty-eight hours had been exhausting. She was beat from the trip and just needed a ten-minute power nap. She would just close her eyes for a few minutes.
“Britt?”
Who’s that? Britt turned on her side, eyes closed, and cuddled into her pillow. She had always had vivid dreams. They seemed so real until the moment before she woke up.
Her body shifted on its own as if someone was nudging her. What the hell? Strange.
“Britt?” There was the voice again, smooth and sexy. Her toes curled. This dream might be a good one. She huddled deeper into the pillow, trying not to fully wake up before this dream got good.
“Miss Montgomery?”
Her eyes shot open and she turned over quickly, coming face to face with Lucas. He backed away from the bed. She squinted, focusing on the ranch hand.
“Thought I’d check on you. It’s a little after five, thought I should wake you.”
Britt rolled out of the bed, losing her footing from grogginess, and fell into Lucas. “Damn, sorry. Thanks, Lucas.”
“No problem.” He chuckled.
She started rushing around the room, silently cursing herself for not waking up earlier. Mr. Fords’ son was going to be there in less than an hour. She opened her suitcase, rifling through her bag. Her head jerked over to Lucas, who was still standing in the middle of the room.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to show you the property but I can come by tomorrow and help out if you’d like. You should have someone in your corner.”
“In my corner?” She smirked. “You don’t have to be here, Lucas. I’m sure you’ve got stuff you need to do.”
“Actually, I don’t. I’ll be here,” he insisted as he backed out of her room.
Britt shrugged. “Okay, thanks.” If he wanted to come in and help her, who was she to tell him no?
She took a quick shower and got dressed in record time. She was just slipping on her wedges when she heard the faint sound of the doorbell. Grabbing her bag, she started out of her room. She hobbled down the stairs, adjusting the straps on her shoes. She rushed to the door at the sound of the bell again. Jeez, impatient much?
She opened the door and froze in her spot.
Her eyes were locked on the man in front of her. Her neck angled up. He must have been about six foot two or taller. His presence consumed the small doorway. His blue eyes stared back at her, and she could feel her entire body flush and heat. What the hell? She gulped down a breath when his lips curved at one of the corners of his mouth. Damn, he’s sexy. His dark brown hair looked damp and was cut short and neat with a side part. His neatly trimmed goatee surrounded plump lips. Now, this guy definitely belongs in a truck commercial. He was rugged with hard angles, and friggin’ gorgeous. Her breath hitched when he stepped forward.
“Miss Montgomery?” He extended his hand. Britt looked down at his hand. It was big. Shaking her head, she berated herself. Stop staring. She reached out, feeling the calluses on his palm. She stared down at their clasped hands and then allowed her eyes to drift up to his wide chest, covered in a checkered, blue collared button-down. She couldn’t see the muscles rippling through his shirt, but she was imagining them. Oh God, this guy is hot.
She nodded, feeling the blush on her face. “Yeah, Britt.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Britt. I’m Greyson Fords, you can call me Grey.” His voice was deep and smooth, making her heart race at the sound. Grey. Even his name was sexy. When she envisioned a cowboy, this was the type of man she saw. The only thing missing was a hat, a horse, and some rope. A giddy tremor coursed through her body. The things a man like this could do with rope. Without realizing it, Britt smirked.
He cocked his eyebrows in question. Damn girl, pull yourself together. She blinked, shook the salacious thoughts out of her mind, and stepped back from the door. “Come on in, I just need to grab my keys.”
Turning around, she walked into the living room to get her stuff. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. This guy had her totally turned up. Damn, it had been too long since she’d had sex. Her most recent relationship had only lasted four months. He had wanted more of a commitment from her, and she wasn’t ready to give it. Above everything, Britt valued her independence and her alone time, something Jeremy, her ex, disliked.
She heard his footsteps behind her and sensed he was close.
“How was your flight?” he asked in a matter-of-fact tone. It was obvious he was less affected than she was by their meeting.
“Good, but long,” she answered, turning around to the darkest eyes staring at her.
Her breath caught, and visions of her and him naked in a big bed, his hands, her lips, the moaning and panting, the pleasure… She blinked and snapped herself out of her quick but detailed daydream and blushed. Jesus, Britt, settle down. She rushed past him to the door.
He smiled politely as he followed her out the door. She turned her back to Grey to lock the door, taking an extra second to gather herself with a deep breath. They walked toward his blue pickup, which was huge. She quickly tried to figure out how she was getting into his
truck without showing off her panties.
She glanced to her left to see Lucas coming from the barn. She waved as he gave her a head nod with a tight smile. She looked up at Grey, who also had tense lips. If she had to guess, she’d say there was no love lost between the two of them.
He opened the door and offered her his hand. Caught off guard, she stepped back until she realized what he was doing. She laughed. “Oh, you’re offering me help, right? To get in?”
It was Grey’s turn to be confused. “Yes.”
Her face flushed. “Of course. I just never had a guy offer to help me into a car.”
“Truck.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Sorry?”
“It’s a truck, darlin’.”
“Right. Truck.”
Grey reached out for her hand, clasping his around hers, and pulled her toward the truck. “I’d say if you’ve never had a man help you into a truck, you’re spending time with the wrong guys.” He turned her to face him and gave her a sexy smile before his big hands gripped her waist. She felt the chills skitter over her skin and instinctively reached out to grab his shoulders. For a brief second, they were locked in a stare. Her nipples beaded with arousal.
She gasped as he lifted her into the truck as if she weighed nothing. “Oh.” She locked eyes with Grey. His smile was gone, but there was something in the dark stare he was giving her. Britt eased into her seat and licked her lips, watching his eyes follow her mouth. Did his eyes just darken? Maybe he was a little affected by her, after all.
She was definitely hanging around the wrong type of guys. She would have to change her criteria for future boyfriends. She smirked, watching Grey walk around the front of his truck. It wasn’t really a walk but more of a confident strut. Damn, would fanning herself be obnoxious?
»»•««
The ride to the ranch was short, too short for Grey’s liking. He had been pleasantly surprised when the unreliable, irresponsible city girl had turned out to be a beauty. Her long golden hair draped over her shoulder in waves with long bangs swept to the side. Her brown eyes were soft and warm but somehow appeared to be laughing. Most importantly, they had been locked on him since she opened the door. The blush kept making an appearance during their introductions and had Grey thankful his father insisted he be the one to pick her up. She was not at all what he had expected. Grey was appreciating all her assets. Her body, well, there was no denying this girl was the complete package, head to toe gorgeous, and exactly the way Grey liked it. His eyes scanned her body when she was grabbing her keys. Mile long legs, cleavage giving him a small glimpse at her breasts, and a round ass made for spanking. Grey practically drooled at the sight. Been a long while since a woman had gotten under his skin and caught his eye the way the woman sitting next to him had. He had bedded gorgeous women, but none quite as beautiful as this one.
