Montana Homecoming

by Jillian Hart

  “You’d rather be with him than without him.” Her quiet words spoke exactly what he felt.

  How did she know? He swallowed hard, pulse rocketing through him because he didn’t want to think about why. He didn’t want to open up to another woman. He wasn’t ready, he was fine on his own, he wasn’t looking for a woman to shred his heart. Especially one about to leave town as soon as the trial was done.

  Logic didn’t stop his feelings and caring for her deepened ever further.

  “Are you kidding? I’m too tough to get hung up on a dog.” Denial was the best course of action, he decided. “I’m glad I have him, but he’s just a dog.”

  “Understatement of the century.” She refused to be fooled by him, apparently. “Don’t worry. I won’t let your secret out. I won’t tell that you’re best friends with a dog.”

  “It’s not my fault.” Uh-oh, the woman was onto him. She’d figured him out. He straightened his spine, drawing himself up as imposingly as he could. “It’s the dog’s fault.”

  “He forced you to fall in love with him.”

  “Exactly. I’m a totally innocent man. I was a victim.” Laughter bubbled in his chest and spread through him.

  “Don’t worry, I understand. The dog is to blame. Not you.”

  “I’m glad someone gets it. I don’t want to wreck my hard-earned…”

  “Reputation,” she said, her soft alto blending with his like music.

  Like perfect harmony.

  “Uh, hello?” Colbie’s voice came from what seemed like a galaxy away. “You two? Earth calling Brooke and Liam.”

  “What?” He shook his head, felt the wind on his cheek and looked around. He saw a circle of people watching with smirks on their faces. Funny, he’d forgotten they were there.

  “We’re waiting on you two,” Bree spoke up. “To say grace? Or should we just go on without you…”

  “And let you two keep flirting?” Brandi finished, beaming with delight.

  “Flirting?” That was completely the wrong word. He would deny it with all of his might. “That’s not what’s going on here.”

  “No way. Are you kidding? This is what we do. Get wrapped up talking about Oscar.” Brooke blushed. A wave of pink swept across her face.

  Cute.

  “It’s Oscar’s fault,” he agreed. “Besides, she’s his dog trainer. We need to have a certain…”

  “Affinity?” Brooke came up with exactly the right word. “I don’t want Oscar to have to go back to the pound if this doesn’t work out between them.”

  “It’s totally about Oscar,” Liam agreed.

  “Yeah, right. We see that.” Colbie laughed, not buying it.

  Neither was he.

  “Dear Father,” Lil began the blessing.

  Liam bowed his head and folded his hands just in time.

  Chapter Eleven

  Images of Liam had stuck with her all afternoon. Impossible to get rid of them. In the courtroom she had concentrated as hard as she could on the rending testimony, but what was at the back of her mind? The rumbling richness of Liam’s laughter, his presence beside her on the picnic blanket and the story about her past she hadn’t told him. The one she could never tell him now.

  After court had adjourned for the day, she’d run ahead to fetch the SUV and bring it curbside so Colbie could stay with Lil, but while she was sitting in traffic what popped into her head? Liam pushing Lil’s chair over the grass, Liam gathering the delicate lady into his strong arms, Liam setting her gently on the blanket.

  And now riding through the streets of Bozeman with Bree at the wheel, what was she thinking of? The fact that she couldn’t wait to see him. She leaned her forehead against the window’s glass, cool from the blast of air from the dashboard vents. What was wrong with her? Why had her defenses wobbled again?

  “Are you worrying again?” Bree’s gentle amusement rose above the radio belting out Christian music. “For the record, I’m glad you and Liam are getting along so well.”

  “It’s all a show on my part,” she quipped as the little pickup lumbered into a parking lot. “I’m just being nice to him for the money.”

  “Sure.” Bree didn’t look like she believed that for a moment. “It’s all about the job with you, too.”

  “Right. It’s all about Oscar.” The truck puttered into the parking lot and rolled to a stop beneath the Dillard’s Doggy Day Care sign. “I came all this way to spend time with you during the trial. To make sure you’re okay. I’m not sure I should be spending evenings away like this. Maybe you need everyone to rally around you.”

  “I’m okay. I’m stronger than I ever thought.” Exhaustion bruised the delicate skin beneath Bree’s eyes, but she seemed stronger than ever. “Besides, you were with me today during that tough testimony. I can’t tell you what it means. You were there for the hard part, so go have some fun tonight. I’ll just be hanging with my fiancé and a sister or two.”

  “I could be one of those sisters.” Her palms had gone damp and she didn’t want to think about why. Perhaps because at any moment a certain dog would be loping out of that building accompanied by a very handsome owner.

  “You’ve been out of jail what, a year and a half?”

  “Nineteen months.”

  “And how much fun have you had in that time?”

  “Tons. So much I can’t remember it all.”

  “Yeah, right.” Bree reached across the console, her touch loving as her hand landed on Brooke’s. “Have some fun tonight. Help Oscar. I don’t want your visit home to be all about my trial.”

  “But that is the reason I’m here.”

  “Maybe it isn’t. Who knows?” A mischievous look flashed in Bree’s eyes. “Maybe God has led you here for another reason.”

  “To get closer to my sisters.”

  “Yes, but maybe there’s another reason.”

  “To get closer to Lil.”

  “Really? Are you going to keep doing this? Do I have to spell it out?” Bree folded a lock of straight blond hair behind her ear. “Are you in denial about what’s going on between you and Liam?”

  “Nothing is going on between me and Liam.” She refused to let it. It was as simple as that. If a girl wasn’t in control of her heart, then what was she in control of?

  “See? Denial. My point exactly.” Bree chuckled, a light and happy sound. It was good seeing her little sister so alive. Brooke remembered how still Bree had been in ICU, fighting death. The beep of the monitors, the tubes and machines, the fear that she could slip away hovered in the room. Emotion clogged her throat and she swallowed. Did it budge? No, it remained, another image she couldn’t erase.

  “I can’t imagine what you’ve been through.” Bree turned serious, a loving sister who squeezed Brooke’s hand. “I’ve thought a lot about it sitting in that courtroom and imagining what it was like for you to hear testimony against you, testimony that made you look guilty.”

  “It’s in the past.” She didn’t necessarily want to talk about this subject, either. “There’s nothing I can ever do to change it. I just have to go on and figure out how to make the best of where I am right now.”

  “That’s what I’ve learned, too. It’s helped to put the trial and getting shot in perspective. Tough times are a cruddy part of life but we can get through them. There are good and wonderful things on the other side.”

  “Like Max and your engagement ring?”

  “Yes.” Bree’s diamond gleamed in the sunlight but not as brightly as the happiness on her face. “I’m praying so hard that the good waiting for you is greater than the hard times behind you.”

  “Ditto.” She gave Bree’s hand a squeeze, meaning it with her entire heart.

  A resounding bark grabbed her attention. Oscar! A golden streak loped out the open door and into the parking lot.

  “He’s so cute,” Bree cooed. “I can see why you like him.”

  “Oscar is adorable.”

  “Oh, I was talking about Liam.” Bree laughed, ap
parently thinking it was so, so funny.

  “Right.” Brooke rolled her eyes, distracted by the thud of front paws hitting the side of the truck. A wet nose pressed against the glass and friendly chocolate eyes twinkled at her. His happy panting chased her worries away. “Hey, boy. Did you have fun today?”

  A cheerful bark seemed to say, “Yes!”

  If she concentrated on the dog, then she wouldn’t have to notice the man. Even if she felt his approach like doom circling.

  “Get down, you big clown.” Liam’s voice rang with humor as he tugged the big dog off the door. “No, I don’t need any of your kisses.”

  Liam’s laughter was a sound that lifted her soul.

  Not going to fall for him. She gritted her teeth, steeled her spine and unhooked the seat belt. The man may have breached the outer layer of her shields, but she had plenty of defenses left in her arsenal.

  “Have fun,” Bree called out cheerfully. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  Honestly. Brooke rolled her eyes, shook her head and hopped onto the pavement. Bree drove off with a finger wave, her truck backfiring.

  Deep rumbling laughter drew her attention. Oscar, prancing on both hind legs, kept trying to swipe Liam’s chin with his tongue.

  “Enough, dude! Down. C’mon.” Laughter looked good on him. Liam tried to wrangle Oscar’s paws off his chest. “Sure, I’m glad to see you, too, but can you get down, you big lug? Down. Sit.”

  Oscar gave one last kiss before he sank obediently to his haunches. His muscles quivered and he launched back up, unable to control himself, and landed another kiss along the side of Liam’s face.

  “Oh, you almost had it, buddy. Try it again. Sit.” Liam could be a dream standing there, shoulders braced, tall, long and lean, dark good looks and sparkling blue eyes. He looked like everything dependable and trustworthy in a man, everything she once used to dream of. These days she wasn’t a woman who could afford to dream. And if she did, no way could it be for Liam. This morning’s conversation had made that undeniably clear.

  “Sit for Brooke,” Liam urged. “C’mon, you can do it. A little more. Good, good boy. You did it. Way to go!”

  Think iron, Brooke. Unmovable steel. Don’t let him get to you. She unclenched her teeth, relaxed her fists and risked a few steps closer to the pair. “Good job, Oscar. Good sit. Woo-hoo.”

  The dog’s ears quirked. His head tilted. Delight glittered in his expressive eyes. Overjoyed, he rocketed off the ground with an explosive force NASA would be proud of. He leaped, he bounced, he danced with pride.

  “I think that deserves a pizza.” Liam hadn’t gotten the full word out before Oscar barked enthusiastically, apparently putting in his two cents.

  “See? He agrees. Two yay votes.” Liam ambled over, way too handsome for her good. “What do you say? Will it be three yeses? Do we have a consensus?”

  “What happens if I abstain?”

  “Can you really say no to that face?” He gestured to the dog prancing at his side.

  “No comment.”

  “Yeah, me, either.” He whisked open the passenger door for her. Oscar, unable to wait his turn, flew into the front seat, bounded into the back and sat panting like a good boy, perhaps dreaming pizza dreams.

  “How did the rest of the afternoon session go?” he asked, waiting as she stumbled closer.

  “Very sad. The first waitress was on the stand, talking about what she saw.” Another step took her to the truck, where he stood holding the door. So close she could see the strands of green threads in blue irises and the stubble of the day’s growth beginning to darken his jaw. Air molecules popped and evaporated. He blocked her in, becoming all she could see. Every bit. No sky, no earth, nothing, just handsome man, wind-tossed dark hair and sincerity.

  Why was she trembling? Why had her brain turned to mush? The effect of a long day. Surely that had to be it. When in doubt, cling to denial with both white-knuckled hands.

  “C’mon. Hop in.” He took her elbow and she planted one foot on the running board. See, nothing to worry about. That absolutely was not a sweet tingle of awareness at his touch. She felt nothing, nothing at all as she plopped onto the seat.

  “Why didn’t you stay in court all afternoon?” She tried to act casual because he wasn’t affecting her in the least. Not a bit. “Did you have better things to report on, secrets to expose?”

  “Exposing secrets isn’t my thing.” He closed the door and folded his arms against the bottom of the window frame. “My grandfather wanted me at a few management meetings. He still isn’t back full-strength from his cancer treatments.”

  “So you backed him up?”

  “I’ve always got his back.” He pushed the door and circled around the truck, walking fast and easy. Behind her Oscar panted, watching vigilantly to make sure his master wasn’t getting away. The driver side door popped open and Liam dropped behind the steering wheel. “When my parents were going at it, fighting like cats and dogs and I couldn’t take it anymore, Pop was there. Every time I called him, every time I walked home from school to his house instead of mine, he answered. He took me in. I owe him.”

  “And you don’t miss that exciting career you used to have?” She reached for her seat belt. “Wasn’t it hard to give up?”

  “Sure it was. I loved what I did, but I love my family more.” His answer came simply, the most honest thing she’d ever heard. He bowed his head, plugging his key into the ignition, turning over the engine. “Pop’s been a widower for most of my life. I’m his only grandson, and he had no one else. My dad is too wrapped up in his career, so no way could I let Pop down. I moved here because I wanted to make the most of the time we have left together, however long that is.”

  “That must be nice to be so close to him.”

  “It is.” He maneuvered the truck out of the lot. He leaned in toward her, making the whole world tip at an angle.

  Why was her reaction to him getting worse? Good thing she was sitting down because her knees turned to complete and total jelly. And breathing? Forget it. She couldn’t draw in a single oxygen atom.

  “I wouldn’t trade Pop for the world.”

  The truth about Liam? Tough and masculine on the outside, a softie on the inside. And what did that do to the guards around her heart? They began to buckle again.

  Danger. She didn’t want to feel this way for any man, especially Liam. He was heartache waiting to happen. It was a good thing she had that interview, a blessing she had a reason to leave town.

  Oscar poked his nose over the seat back and swiped a kiss against her cheek. The perfect distraction. She twisted to rub his head and gaze into those sweet doggy eyes. But she couldn’t ignore the man capably driving, hands on the wheel, confident and at ease. Impossible not to notice the striking structure of his face—high slashing cheekbones, firm, strong jaw. All character.

  Why did her stomach flutter?

  A new thought suddenly occurred to her. Maybe Oscar’s adorableness was getting past her defenses, and this wasn’t Liam at all.

  A girl could only hope.

  * * *

  “No, Oscar. Heel.” Brooke did her best to sound authoritative, but it was tough to do when she was laughing so hard.

  “This is never gonna work.” The leash he held in both hands pulled tight until even the nylon stretched.

  “The stitching is going to hold, isn’t it?”

  “If not, we’re in big trouble.” The dappled shade tumbled over him, shifting golden bits into the dark sheen of his thick hair, onto the curve of his jaw, along the breadth of his chest. Laugh lines creased his face so attractively that they could make every woman in a ten-mile radius swoon.

  Not her, she wasn’t swooning. As long as she didn’t look at him one second longer. She jerked away, focused on Oscar and grabbed his leash just above his collar. The dog stood on his hind legs, front paws planted solidly against a picket fence, watching little kids splash in a play pool, his tail whipping.

  “Don
’t even think about jumping over,” she warned him. “Oscar, down.”

  The Lab glanced over at her. Brows arched above innocent eyes as if to say, “What? I wasn’t thinkin’ that. Honest.”

  Yeah, right.

  “Do you know what your problem is? You’re too friendly.” Lovingly she scrubbed the dog’s head. “Down, boy.”

  Reluctantly his paws left the fence. He plopped to the sidewalk with a sigh.

  “Heel.” Liam tugged the leash gently. “C’mon, boy.”

  Oscar’s head swiveled. He sniffed the air. He barked loudly and took off at a dead run. Liam dug in his heels. “Whoa. This isn’t the Iditarod.”

  “I think he smells your neighbor’s barbecue.” Brooke dazzled as she jogged to keep up with the Lab. Laughing, hair blowing, moving with grace and ease. Open-hearted, happy, luminous, she turned around, moving backward. “There is something seriously wrong with your dog.”

  “Don’t I know it. He just ate. Two entire pieces of pizza and three crusts.”

  “Don’t forget the cheesy sticks he stole before we could catch him.”

  “At least he makes life an adventure.” The physical adventures were the easiest kinds. Hopping on a plane, buckling in and zipping off to parts unknown. Landing in the Sudan, the Middle East, Somalia and never knowing what to expect. Each tragedy he covered, every struggle and war showed him another piece of the world. His team would set up a satellite feed and do a job. Then back on another plane. He never had time to get attached, to sink in and to commit.

  But the emotional kinds of adventures? He was learning those were the toughest. He ran to keep up with the dog. “At least we know he’d make a good running buddy.”

  “If he actually kept running.” Amused, Brooke swung away, dark hair curtaining her face as Oscar abruptly put on the brakes, skidding to a stop at the neighbor’s lawn. With a whine, nose in the air, he pulled harder at his leash, frustrated when Brooke grabbed his collar.

  “C’mon, boy. Heel.” She earned an adoring look from the dog but his love of hamburgers was too strong. He lunged toward the neighbor’s yard and her grip didn’t loosen. “Sit.” Firm, she pointed to the sidewalk beside her. “Oscar, sit.”