Under the Open Sky (Montana Heritage Series)

by Michelle Maness

  “Yeah, I guess. I’m finishing school so I can go to school, but yeah; it’s the next step so…” Amanda shrugged.

  “What? No big career plans?” Cade returned several tools to their places.

  “All I have ever wanted is to be a rancher’s wife,” Amanda shrugged. She knew a lot of her friends couldn’t wait to get out of their little two stop light town but Amanda loved ranch life.

  “Nothing wrong with that, but having a degree isn’t a bad idea either.”

  “So Daddy is always reminding me,” Amanda smiled. “I’m taking a fast track program in Haddon. Business management; I figure it will be good for a regular job or to the benefit of a rancher’s wife.”

  “Good luck, Manny.”

  “You still trying to save up for your own ranch?” Amanda watched with great pleasure as he pulled his shirt off and wiped the sweat off his face before lifting a couple of large buckets to relocate them to the storage room.

  “Yep. Two more years of college, four years working for your dad and then maybe by then I’ll have a down payment.”

  “You’ll make a good rancher,” she assured him.

  “I hope to,” Cade came to sit down by her a moment. “I want to prove to myself that I can do it,” Cade nudged at a bug crawling across the floor with the toe of his boot and kept his gaze down. “I want to prove that I can accomplish something, that I can marry and care for a wife and not perpetually be hurting her and my kids; that I have staying power.”

  “You’ll do it,” she said confidently.

  “My dad abandoned us, Manny; just left us. It killed my mother. His leaving combined with years of abuse killed my mom. I don’t ever want to do that to a woman or my child. After mom died, Dad took custody a whole eight months before the abuse caused the state to step in.”

  “How old were you?” Amanda asked.

  “Eleven and angry at the world. I made the rounds of all the foster homes, perpetually being kicked out. I got kicked out of another a week before my eighteenth birthday,” Cade shared. “My case worker had me in emergency housing figuring that was the best he could do for a whole week. That’s when your dad offered me a job. He didn’t pull any punches with me, laid it all out on the line. I would finish school. I would keep my nose clean and I would work hard.”

  “Your daddy told me that if I would work hard for him and pay attention that I could make something of myself. I think he was the first person to ever say that to me, Manny.”

  Amanda felt her heart turn over for him. She couldn’t imagine a world where your dad didn’t love you and care for you. She laid her hand on his shoulder to offer comfort, only to stir awareness of the strength beneath her hand. His skin was hot and smooth and Amanda couldn’t resist the urge to let her hand slide over his back. She looked up to find him watching her, his eyes an intense sapphire.

  “You know the problem with you?” she asked as she leaned forward and pulled a knee up to prop her chin on it.

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  “You are entirely too appealing and tempting.”

  Amanda watched him shake his head, prop his elbows on his knees and run his hands through his hair before he spoke.

  “You’re going to get me in trouble, Manny,” he predicted.

  “I’m not trying to get you in any trouble; I was just speaking my mind.” “Sometimes it’s better to let people wonder what you’re thinking,” he teased as he stood and resumed his work. “So what’s a fast track program?”

  “A really insane work load, including through summer, with graduation in as little as twenty-four months. Which is my goal,” Amanda put her foot down and scooted against the wall behind her.

  “You mean to tell me that you will be graduating in two years?” Cade was frowning at her.

  “Yeah, I wanted to get it done and over with. Why?”

  “I just figured you’d be in school another four years,” Cade turned abruptly and grabbed two more buckets. “What are you going to do after graduation?”

  “I don’t know; shop for a husband?” Amanda laughed. “I guess I’ll get a job or work for Daddy. His books stay a mess and he’s horrible at keeping track of the ranch records. Naomi is a domestic goddess but no help with the books.”

  “You plan on marrying that young?” Cade demanded of her.

  “I don’t know. I guess I’ll marry when I marry. I just know that I want to be rancher’s wife in the long run. It’s not an easy life, I know that, but I love life on the ranch and the rhythm of each season coming and going and the various chores and responsibilities that come with it.”

  “My favorite is probably foaling time,” Cade admitted with a smile.

  “I know; mine too. I love all the baby animals.”

  “I also like round up.”

  “Me too; it’s grueling and exciting all at the same time,” Amanda admitted before yawning.

  “You probably should go get some sleep,” Cade recommended to her.

  “Nah, I’m fine,” she argued. “What made you decide you wanted to ranch, Cade?”

  “Your dad,” he admitted as he closed the storage room door and locked it. “I admire your dad just about more than anyone I’ve ever met.”

  “He is pretty special,” Amanda smiled.

  “I owe him more than I can ever repay,” Cade pulled his shirt back on. “I’m headed to the house, you gonna keep the horses company or you wanna walk back with me?” Cade extended his hand. Amanda took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. She stood looking up at him, wishing could read his thoughts as his blue eyes stared down into hers.

  “Don’t look at me like that, Manny.”

  “Like what?” she asked.

  “Your eyes give away your every thought; you know that?” Cade turned and started for the door; Amanda followed him.

  “Whereas you give away nothing?” she countered.

  Cade turned from closing the door to smile at her.

  “I told you it’s better to let people wonder what you’re thinking sometimes,” he teased.

  Amanda, feeling slightly irritated at him that he so easily knew what she was thinking when she so seldom knew what was going through his head, crossed her arms.

  “Come on, Manny,” Cade extended his hand to her.

  Amanda placed her hand in his and allowed him to lace his fingers through hers as they walked back to the house, their pace unhurried. When they reached the house Cade moved upstairs to shower and Amanda settled into the porch swing to enjoy the cool night air. She was still seated, one knee under her chin, and one foot pushing the swing back and forth when her father and brother pulled up. Her brother greeted her before moving on inside.

  “Hey, Pumpkin,” her dad greeted as he seated himself beside her. “You look lost in thought,” he noted.

  “I was just thinking.”

  “Thinking what?” her father asked.

  “You said the old cabin is too far from the main house to bother keeping up; you could change that.”

  “Oh?” her father looked as though she had caught him off guard.

  “The rise between here and the barn would be perfect. Think about it, Daddy, it’s a part of our legacy and Trent and I are growing up. Trent will stay right here on the ranch and who knows, I’m likely to until I marry.”

  She watched her father nod.

  “You may be on to something,” he agreed as he tugged at his ear. “I’ll have to think on that and maybe look into it.”

  “I think you should.”

  “What did you do tonight?” her dad queried of her.

  “I read for a while and then talked to Cade while he worked. He’s really grateful for the opportunity you’ve given him, Daddy. I don’t think he expected anyone to give him a chance.”

  “He’s a hard worker; that’ll get him real far. I think he has the potential to really make his own name if he doesn’t get side tracked,” her father informed her.

  Amanda knew his words held a gentle rebuke. She met
her dad’s gaze and nodded.

  “I think so too,” she agreed.

  Eighteen

  Amanda got a job as soon as school ended and started saving money to take to college with her. Once again she was so busy she hardly knew it was summer. She figured this was the way it was for adults. She was still working on the details of where to live while she got her degree. The commute between her and Haddon was not too bad in good weather but would be difficult in winter. The college its self did not have dorms so that wasn’t an option. It was Jenny who finally made the suggestion that both her parents and Amanda’s father agreed was the best solution. Amanda and Jenny would rent an apartment or duplex together, each paying half of their half of the rent. Since their school did not offer dorms, their parents each put in half their monthly rent; the girls would work to pay for the remaining one-fourth each. When they finished school it would be their call what to do next but if they kept their apartment the rent would fall solely to them.

  By the time it had rolled around for Amanda and Jenny to move into their small duplex they had managed to accumulate most of the items they needed.

  “I can’t believe Dad is letting you live in your own apartment at seventeen,” her brother groused as he and Cade moved a couch into the girl’s duplex apartment.

  “How is it so different from a dorm?” Amanda demanded as she placed a box on the counter.

  “Dorms have rules, like no boys in your room and curfews.”

  “Maybe Daddy figures since girls are more mature we’ll be fine,” Amanda shot at him.

  “Dad hasn’t hung around with you like I have,” Trent reminded her.

  “I’ll be eighteen in a few months and Jenny is already eighteen,” Amanda reminded him. Her father had been required to sign a release and responsible party statement with the landlord before she had been allowed to move in.

  “That doesn’t make me feel any better,” Trent informed her.

  “They’ll be fine, Trent. They are both, over all, level headed; just a little too fond of shocking people,” Cade offered in their defense. “Besides you know your dad and Jenny’s parents will be checking in on them all the time.”

  “I hope so,” Trent muttered.

  “I could have stayed at home, considered it, but I need a job and then commuting in winter…Trent, it made more sense to move down here.”

  “I guess,” he finally conceded.

  “Who is in which room?” Sterling inquired as he entered with a mattress.

  “Oh!” Amanda jumped to lead him to her room. The bedrooms shared a Jack and Jill bath with a third door onto the hallway. Amanda and Jenny had laughed at the number of doors, but the floor plan worked well for them. By the end of the night the apartment was set up and ready to function; both girls were so giddy Amanda figured they would never sleep. Tomorrow would be all theirs before Amanda started her new job and school started three days later.

  “Wow, it feels odd, doesn’t it?” Jenny asked after everyone had left and they sat on their couch watching TV.

  “It does,” Amanda agreed.

  Their couch sat against one wall, the TV opposite them. A small galley kitchen sat off the neighboring dining room, and a small utility room led to the two car garage. They had a small patio off the dining room and a front walkway on their side of the duplex property. The neighborhood was made up largely of college kids and a few young professionals.

  “Do you feel grown up yet?” Jenny hazel eyes were twinkling.

  “No,” Amanda admitted with a wide grin. “You?”

  “No,” Jenny laughed. “I keep expecting Mom and Dad to come in and say the joke’s up.”

  “You’re old enough to do as you please anyway; I’m the one who still needs permission to do everything,” Amanda pointed out.

  “Not for too much longer,” Jenny reminded her.

  “Still several months.”

  “Afraid Cade is going to meet someone?” Jenny teased.

  “I figure there is someone, maybe lots of someones,” Amanda admitted. “We’re friends, remember?”

  “Oh yeah, I forgot,” Jenny rolled her eyes. “Does it bother you?”

  “What?” Amanda frowned.

  “The someones?”

  “I guess a little but we aren’t a couple, Jenny.”

  _________________________________________

  Amanda’s first year of college was flying by. She had settled into her classes, adjusted to her new job, and gone on a hand full of dates. Jenny teased her that her seeming nonchalance for the opposite sex was driving half the guys at school nearly insane, to which Amanda had responded that they didn’t need her help in that department. Jenny had found a boyfriend and actually seemed to really like this one. Amanda saw trouble coming though. Jessie seemed to think that three months was a magical number in relationships; Jenny didn’t agree. By Christmas the couple was no more and Jenny applied herself to her studies with a new resolve. Her friend wore a good front but Amanda knew that Jessie had hurt Jenny.

  Trent announced he had met somebody, it could be serious, and brought her home to meet the family. Amanda decided that Christy was nice enough but still couldn’t bring herself to like the woman. She had to admit that she had always hoped that her brother would wake up one morning and realize what a wonderful woman Jenny was. She guessed that wasn’t going to happen but she could always keep hoping right?

  She continued to write Cade and he continued to write back. He was seeing someone, though it wasn’t serious. Amanda loved their letters. She could say or ask anything and he would answer honestly, often with a joke or chiding, but he was never outraged as her brother would have been at such questions. She had recently written and asked him: is sex all men ever think about? To which he had responded: most the time, sweetheart; most the time. Amanda had laughed at his response. She missed him. Between both their schooling and work schedules she rarely saw him; even her brother was elusive these days. In a recent letter Cade had written: Nicole wants to know who the hell you are and why I’m writing you. What should I tell her? Amanda responded:Tell her it’s none of her damn business. She received back: She didn’t like your answer and stormed out; oh well. In a letter just after her birthday: How does it feel to be eighteen? Her answer: I’m too busy with school to find out if it’s any fun to make my own decisions. I haven’t even found any trouble to get into yet!

  As summer approached Amanda felt none of the excitement of previous years, for her nothing would change. She would continue to school and work through summer and occasionally agree to a date. Okay, so she was sort of seeing a guy. She and Josh had gone out several times now and he was a lot of fun. The problem was he seemed to want to make it something more exclusive; Amanda just wanted to hang out and enjoy laughing together. Why did it have to be all or nothing with men anyway?

  Amanda was asking herself this as she played pool with Josh, Jenny, and Ben, Jenny’s date for the evening. She had been looking forward to the evening but Josh kept sliding an arm around her waist, or dropping kisses on her neck as though he was trying to make a statement to the other men in the restaurant.

  “Your shot, baby,” Josh let his hand trail around her waist as he passed. Amanda, mentally thanking Cade for teaching her to hold her own at a game of pool, moved to the table and sank her shot. Her next shot bounced just off the edge just to prove she hadn’t quite mastered the game. She stepped back to let Jenny go and leaned against the unused table behind them. Her gaze was scanning the room when her heart leapt into her chest.

  “Here,” Amanda shoved her pool stick at her date and started weaving her way between tables.

  “Hey, Manny,” Cade grinned as she approached and threw her arms around his neck.

  “Hi! How are you?” she demanded as she leaned back in his arms.

  “I’m good,” he assured her as he let her settle back onto her feet, until his hands slid to her waist.

  “What brings you here?” Amanda drank in the sight of him.

&n
bsp; “I wanted to see how you and Jenny were doing but it looks like I caught you at a bad time,” he nodded to where her date was glaring at them and dropped his hands from her waist. “I was leaving town when I spotted your Jeep.”

  “Not at all, come join us?” Amanda invited.

  “I’m guessing that wouldn’t go over well.”

  “And I’m guessing I don’t care if it doesn’t,” she tilted her head in challenge.

  “Tell you what, let me get a table and maybe I’ll join you after I eat,” he suggested.

  “You better,” she insisted with a smile. He smiled back before finally acknowledging the hostess who was waiting to seat him at a table. Amanda reluctantly left him to return to her date; she was suddenly wishing she had been sitting home alone tonight. She would much rather be with Cade than avoiding Josh’s constant touches.

  “Who’s that?” Josh demanded as soon as Amanda approached the table.

  “Cade. He’s a family friend and works for my Daddy,” Amanda responded.

  “It’s your play,” Josh, his expression stormy, thrust her stick back at her.

  Amanda continued to play pool but she was distracted. She kept watching Cade watching them and wanted to ditch the game; only her desire to not be rude prevented her from doing so. Even with Cade’s distance across the room, Amanda could tell he was in an increasingly bad mood. Making her even more miserable, was the fact that Josh seemed more determined than ever to send the message that Amanda was his.

  “Can’t we just enjoy the game, Josh?” Amanda side stepped another attempt at pull her close for a kiss.

  “I thought we were,” he returned irritably. Josh stepped up to take his next shot and cracked the balls with enough force to send one off the table.

  “Whoa, careful there,” Ben cautioned.

  For the next hour Amanda glanced between her increasingly moody date and Cade where he sat drinking a beer or beers, she wasn’t certain.

  “I’m sorry,” Amanda finally whispered to Jenny when the tension between her and Josh began to influence their entire group.