Montana Mavericks, Books 1-4

by Diana Palmer

  The dark glower in Luke’s eyes was intimidating. His unbuttoned shirt and beltless jeans were intimidating. Maris’s eyes widened. “You were in bed and then remembered that you’d left the saddles on the horses!”

  “So?”

  “So, nothing. I’m sorry I bothered you.” This time Maris brushed past him. He was only half-dressed, the same as her, even though her robe was ankle-length and tightly closed by a sash. Maybe she did want to pick a fight with him, but this was neither the time nor the place to do it.

  Luke neatly hooked a finger into the sash at the back of her waist and yanked her backward. His arms closed around her. Maris gasped. “Just stop it! I didn’t come out here for this!”

  He was breathing into her hair, causing her scalp to tingle. “I think this is exactly what you came out here for. I think you were lying in your bed all alone and picturing me out here alone in my bed. It’s a terrible waste, isn’t it, you in one bed, me in another?” His voice had grown husky. “Damn, Maris, we could make some mighty sweet music together.”

  Her traitorous mind painted the image he’d suggested. Sweet music. Her eyes closed as the throbbing between her legs began again. Her aching breasts reminded her of the many unhappy, lonely nights she’d spent as a woman tied to a man who hadn’t considered her pleasure since the first year of their marriage. The first few months, to be more accurate.

  But what made Luke any different? Hadn’t she and Lori, her best friend, talked endlessly about that very subject? And wasn’t Lori’s attitude virtually the same as her own—that a happy, romantic marriage was just a fruitless fantasy?

  Besides, Luke wasn’t offering marriage. He was offering her his bed and a night of sweet music.

  She went limp and spoke listlessly. “Let go of me.”

  Her abrupt change of mood startled Luke into obeying. But he was breathing erratically and his body was uncomfortably geared up for that “sweet music.”

  “Go on. Get out of here,” he said wearily. He couldn’t resist a parting shot, however. As Maris hurried through the door, he yelled, “The next time you come looking for a fight—or something—in the middle of the night, count on getting it!”

  Maris ran from the barn and kept on running all the way to the house.

  “Keith, would you mind doing the grocery shopping for me this week? I don’t want to stop working on the things for the yard sale.” The telephone rang. Maris went to pick it up and said, “Hello, would you hold for a moment, please?” Then she held her hand over the phone’s mouthpiece to finish up with Keith. “The grocery list and money are on the counter. Your paycheck is there, too.”

  Grinning, Keith walked over to the counter and gathered up the money, the grocery list and his paycheck. Earning his own money was the greatest feeling he’d ever had. “Thanks, Maris. See ya later.” He went out the door whistling through his teeth.

  Maris returned to her caller. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

  “It’s just me, Maris.”

  “Lori! Hi, how are you?” Maris sat down. “It’s been ages since we talked.”

  “I’m fine…busy, as usual. How are you?”

  Lori Parker Bains was a nurse and a midwife. She was an absolute doll with her gorgeous blond hair and big blue eyes, but her looks had never gone to her head and she had been Maris’s best friend since childhood. Lori had married her high school sweetheart, Travis Bains, but it hadn’t lasted, so, in a way, she and Maris were in almost the same boat as far as their manless lives went.

  Maris took a breath. “I’ve been busy, too. There’s a lot going on right now.”

  “You needn’t say another word. I’ve heard all about the hunk you’ve got working out there. The word around town is that he looks like Mel Gibson.”

  “The movie star? Good Lord, where did you hear that?”

  “From the gals at the Hip Hop. Incidentally, John Tully is taking all the credit for sending him out to your place to ask for a job. Seems very proud of himself for having been so helpful.”

  Maris groaned. “Oh, God. Do you mean to tell me the whole town is talking about Luke working out here?”

  “Afraid so, kiddo. Is it true? Does he look like Mel Gibson?”

  “Of course he doesn’t look like Mel Gibson. I’ve never heard of anything so ridiculous. He’s nice-looking, but he’s certainly not movie-star material.” If she were Pinocchio, her nose would be four inches longer, Maris thought disgustedly. Luke might not look precisely like Mel Gibson, but he was every bit as handsome.

  “Methinks the lady doth protest a little too much,” Lori quipped in her ear with a laugh.

  “Come and meet him for yourself,” Maris retorted.

  “At the very first opportunity, my friend.”

  They talked for about fifteen minutes, about other topics than Luke Rivers, then signed off with promises to see each other very soon.

  Maris sat there more than a little disgruntled. Damned gossips. Why was everyone else’s business so interesting to some people? Didn’t they have enough to do keeping their own lives on course? Or were they so bored with their own routines and ruts that they became titillated over a widow hiring a man to break her horses? Of course, Luke really was unusually good-looking….

  Slapping her palms on the table, Maris pushed herself to her feet. She was tired of the topic, and if one person—other than Lori, of course—dared to mention Luke Rivers to her with a smug twinkle in his or her eye, she would let him have it with both barrels.

  Luke was riding Mother. Maris stood with the soapy sponge in her hand and surprise on her face. He was in the secondary pasture, putting the mare through a variety of paces—a walk, a gallop, a trot. Mother tossed her head every so often, but obeyed Luke’s commands. Dropping the sponge into the bucket of water, Maris deserted the old sideboard she’d been scrubbing down and hurried over to the fence to watch.

  The grace and ease of Luke’s performance awed Maris. He was a wonderful rider, using both the reins and his legs to guide the mare. Around and around the pasture they went, then, without warning, Luke would head the mare for the fence, draw back on the reins and call “Whoa!” The mare stopped, of course, not wanting to tangle with barbed wire. But Maris could see that the animal was learning what the word whoa meant.

  Maris stayed at the fence for some time, but when she realized that Luke wasn’t merely taking a short ride, she returned to the sideboard. Before reaching into the bucket for the sponge, she brushed back a stray lock of hair on her forehead with the back of her hand. At the same time she spotted an approaching vehicle. Smiling, she started walking to the parking area to greet Jessica Larson McCallum. Only last week Jessica had married Sterling McCallum, and if two people were ever more mismatched, Maris hadn’t met them.

  But the newly wed Jessica had a glow these days that was pure magic, which couldn’t help denting Maris’s theory that men and women simply were not compatible.

  “Hello, Jessica,” she called ahead.

  “Maris, how are you?” Jessica called back while getting out of her pickup truck.

  “It’s nice seeing you. Come inside and we’ll have a glass of iced tea.”

  “Thank you. I could use a cool drink.”

  Jessica was tall and slender and quite pretty. In sending her a sidelong glance on their way to the house, Maris decided that Jessica was very pretty. Had falling in love added depth to her looks?

  They entered the house through the kitchen door. “How is Sterling?” Maris asked.

  “Wonderful, beautiful, loving, lovable…” Jessica stopped to laugh. “I could go on and on and bore you to tears.”

  “You’re happy.”

  “Ecstatic, Maris. And baby Jennifer…well, words escape me when it comes to Jenny. But—” smiling teasingly, she pulled out her wallet “—I just happen to have a few pictures of her.”

  The baby had been left on the Kincaids’ doorstep in April. No one could understand why they had been chosen, though everyone seemed to agree that boring,
Milquetoast Dugin Kincaid was hardly the type of man to be roaming around the countryside, fathering children. Certainly Jeremiah Kincaid, Dugin’s father, although still a vigorous man with an eye for pretty women, had been too old for those kinds of shenanigans. Of course, Maris thought, looks can be deceiving. It was more likely though that whoever left the baby chose the Kincaids simply because they were the wealthiest folks in town.

  After the baby had gone into the social-services system Sterling McCallum had tried to find her mother, or anyone related for that matter, without success. Jessica, who was the head of social services, had gotten so involved with the child she’d arranged to become Jennifer’s foster mother after marrying Sterling. Now, if everything worked out, Jessica, Sterling and Jennifer were going to be a happy family.

  Looking at the photos, Maris’s eyes filled with tears. She would never have such a beautiful little family, but maybe she could adopt a child on her own. Adoption was probably the only way she would ever have a baby of her own. “Oh, Jessica, she’s the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen,” Maris said, all but bawling with emotion.

  Jessica was blinking back a few tears of her own. “Sterling and I think so.”

  Maris handed back the wallet and went to the refrigerator for the pitcher of iced tea.

  “How’s Keith doing, Maris?”

  Jessica was the social worker who had brought Keith to the Wyler ranch. Jessica had called soon after Ray had died and explained his situation, and Maris’s heart had immediately gone out to the troubled, abused boy. She’d needed no time at all to consider helping Keith Colson; instead she’d told Jessica to bring him at once.

  Maris brought the tea and two tumblers containing ice cubes to the table. “Keith is doing great, Jessica, and that’s—” she grinned “—no bull.” The two women laughed over Maris’s little pun. “Seriously,” Maris continued, seating herself at the table with Jessica, “he’s a great kid.” Her gaze met Jessica’s. “I wish he were my son.”

  Jessica sighed softly. Maris had a good heart. Most people who suffered a sudden loss, as she had with Ray, wouldn’t have been able to take a boy like Keith into their home and treat him so kindly.

  “I know you’re grieving, Maris, but time heals all sorrows. Most of us have lost someone important. It just takes time to get over it. Not that you’ll ever forget Ray, but in time your pain will diminish.”

  “Grieving?” A moment of embarrassment pinkened Maris’s cheeks. She liked Jessica, but didn’t know her very well, certainly not the way she knew Lori, so there were some subjects she couldn’t talk about with ease. And maybe she should be grieving. Maybe she should be wallowing in self-pity because her husband had died. “Uh…yes,” she said lamely.

  “Is Keith working somewhere on the ranch right now?” Jessica inquired. “I’d like to say hello.”

  Keith was a much more comfortable topic. “He went to town today.” Maris smiled. “Armed with my grocery list for the week.”

  “And the cash to purchase the food?”

  “I would trust Keith with anything on the ranch, Jessica.” Maris leaned forward. “I would swear on a Bible that he will never get into trouble again.”

  “If that’s true, it’s your doing.” Jessica reached out and touched Maris’s hand. “Thank you. I just knew that all Keith needed was a chance, Maris. You’ve given it to him, and I truly believe that what goes around comes around. For your own kindness, you’ll be rewarded in some way. You’ll see.” Jessica began gathering up her purse. “I’ll be running along. Tell Keith hello for me. I’ll drop in again when I’m out this way.”

  “Anytime, Jessica.”

  It wasn’t until Maris was back outside and scrubbing the sideboard that she realized Jessica hadn’t mentioned Luke. Apparently there were some people in the area who didn’t listen to gossip, thank goodness.

  While Keith carried in the groceries, Maris began putting them away. When everything was unloaded, Keith laid some money on the counter. “That’s your change.”

  “Thanks, Keith.” Placing canned goods on a shelf, Maris said, “Jessica stopped by to say hello.” Instantly a wary glint appeared in Keith’s eyes. “I told her you were doing great, so please don’t worry about your future. You’re welcome to stay here for as long as you want.”

  Keith looked down at his boots. “Uh…even after school starts?”

  Maris went to the boy and took his hand. “Keith, I told you before that you can finish your schooling from here. Jessica told you the same thing. This is your home now.” She smiled. “What on earth would I do without you? You’re the only family I have.”

  Keith rarely mentioned his own family, especially his abusive father, and Maris never pushed him into talking about his past. But sometimes, like now, Keith’s youthful dark eyes contained more pain than she cared to see in anyone’s eyes.

  “Enough of that,” she said lightly, giving Keith’s hand a playful shake. “I’ve got a new job for you. Luke has been riding Mother and Curly today. What I want you to do is to ignore everything else and help Luke with the horses.”

  “No kidding?” Keith’s lapse into sadness completely vanished. “Can I start right now?” he asked eagerly.

  Maris started putting food away again. “Go out and talk to Luke about it. I really haven’t had the chance, what with one thing and another all day. But you heard him say those horses were going to need a lot of riding once he got them to a certain stage.”

  “Uh…Maris, I bought you a little gift.”

  Maris had noticed the bulge in his shirt pocket, but really hadn’t given it any thought. Now Keith reached into the pocket and brought out a small object wrapped in pink tissue paper. “It ain’t much,” he mumbled sheepishly, holding out the tiny package. “But it sort of reminded me of you…when I saw it.”

  With her heart melting, Maris accepted the package. So she wouldn’t cry, she forced a little laugh. “They always say the best presents come in small packages.” Gently she removed the tissue wrapping and saw a delicate, heart-shaped porcelain trinket. “Oh, it’s beautiful, Keith.”

  “It’s a little box,” he explained. “The top comes off.”

  The “top” was decorated with miniature red roses and green leaves. Never had a gift touched Maris more. But why would this fragile, lovely little object remind Keith of her?

  “The woman at the store told me that ladies keep things in little boxes like this.” He frowned. “But it sure wouldn’t hold anything very big, would it?”

  It was already holding something for Maris that was more valuable than diamonds—Keith’s affection. “I’ll find something to put in it, never fear, and I intend keeping it on the top of my dresser so I can see it every day. Thank you.” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and then saw the pleased surprise on his face. “I’ll treasure it always. Run along now and talk to Luke.”

  The boy bounded from the house and let the screen door bang behind him. Maris smiled wistfully and looked at the tiny box in her hand. “It really is beautiful,” she whispered. No one had ever given her anything quite like it before. She was not a porcelain-and-miniature-roses sort of woman.

  At least she had never thought of herself that way.

  Luke noticed Keith hanging on the corral fence. The horse he was working with at the present was a handsome animal. It had the configuration of a quarter horse with the distinct black-and-white spotted markings on its rump and loins of the Appaloosa. This was the first horse of Maris’s herd that really excited Luke. He’d already named him Rocky, and he liked the way the animal moved, even though Rocky wasn’t exactly receptive to Luke’s advances.

  Giving both Rocky and himself a breather, Luke walked over to the spigot, turned it on and splashed water over his head, arms and bare chest. “Hot today,” he called to Keith.

  “Yeah, real hot,” Keith agreed.

  After shaking the water out of his eyes, Luke ambled over to the fence. “So, how’s it going in town?”

  Keith shrugged.
“Same as always.”

  “Do your friends live in town?”

  “Uh…yeah, most of them.” It was a tough question to answer, because his previous friends weren’t going to be his friends when school started and he had to start mingling with his peers again. That was okay with him. He liked living like normal folks, and he wasn’t going to screw up and do something to ruin what he had on the No Bull. Which meant finding new friends, kids who didn’t get their kicks from stealing and vandalizing other people’s property.

  “Maris said I should talk to you about helping with the horses. She said you were riding Mother and Curly today. Are they ready for riding now, Luke?”

  “Mother is. You can start riding her in the morning. I’ll ride Curly a little more before turning him over to you.” Luke grinned. “Glad to have you on the team, Keith, but I can almost guarantee you’re going to get tired of riding before we’re through with the herd.”

  “I won’t, Luke. I know I won’t.” Keith gazed admiringly at the horse in the corral. “He’s kind of special-looking, ain’t he? How come he’s got those spots on his rump?”

  “Those spots are called a blanket, Keith. He’s an Appaloosa, and someone bred him to get that exact effect in his coloring. Breeding Appaloosas isn’t a simple matter. Mating an Appaloosa stud with an Appaloosa mare doesn’t guarantee an Appaloosa foal.”

  “No kidding? That’s kind of odd, ain’t it?”

  Luke ran his fingers through his wet hair, smoothing it back from his forehead. “It’s just a trick of nature, I guess.”

  “Did you grow up on a ranch?”

  Luke nodded. “In Texas.”

  Keith looked at the handsome animal standing on the other side of the corral. “You sure were lucky, Luke. I really like living on a ranch.”

  Luke was studying the boy. “Then you lived in town before this summer?”

  “I’ve been here since May—just after Ray died.”