His Montana Homecoming

by Jenna Mindel

  Until he’d kissed her.

  After several attempts to make a blue-sky piece of the puzzle fit, he finally tossed it aside. “I’m done.”

  “The sky is the hardest part. All the pieces look the same.”

  He rubbed his forehead. “My eyes are crossing.”

  “You do look tired.”

  “Tired was hours ago. I might be heading for delirious.” He stood and stretched.

  Faith laughed. “Good night, Dale.”

  He gave her a tender smile that made Faith’s heart race. “Good night, Faith. And thanks.”

  “For what?”

  “I’ve never told anyone why I don’t do Christmas. Thanks for listening.”

  “Sure.” She watched him walk away.

  Talking might ease Dale’s hurt, but only God could heal the wound he carried. If Dale opened his heart.

  Faith tossed her puzzle piece aside and stared at the flames dancing in the hearth. She didn’t want Dale ending up like some modern-day Scrooge. He had warmth and a gentleness of spirit despite the arrogance he hid behind.

  And like the story of A Christmas Carol, Faith wanted Dale to experience the joy of Christmas before he left. Help him understand the reason for the holiday and why he couldn’t give it up, not yet. There had to be a way to show him. But how?

  *

  Dale woke up to weak light streaming through the windows. What time was it? He glanced at the digital clock that remained black. Power had not been restored. He cringed when he thought about what he’d missed, cut off from the world like this.

  He checked his watch, threw the covers back and swung out of bed. His muscles protested fast movement. A day in the saddle had definitely left its mark. He stretched, and grabbed his phone that still had some juice, gingerly wandering the room until he had the most bars flickering in and out. He hit the button for his assistant.

  “Massey International,” Jeannie said.

  He got through!

  “Jeannie, power’s out, and I’m not sure when I can make it out of here.”

  “No need to rush home, Dale. I rescheduled your closings for the Monday following Thanksgiving. One of the buyers couldn’t make it anyway.”

  She’d bought him time. “You’re amazing.”

  “Remember this come review time…” Her voice faded out.

  “Jeannie?” He checked his screen. Dropped! Again.

  With a sigh he peeked out the window. Snow fell softly as if they were inside one of those glass globes. He could see the Shaw men heading out with more bales of hay for the cattle. How many cattle did they have? The plowed driveway looked icy in spots where it wasn’t packed with snow.

  Ice hung from the barn roof, the fences, the house. How far along was the power company? He still had to get out of here. He ran a hand through his hair, surprised at the hollow feeling that came with the thought of leaving.

  He didn’t belong here. Even Silas had skipped town way back when. Dale’s family connections were weak and surface level at best. He might rule supreme in his eighteenth-floor office overlooking Central Park, but that’s where his legacy began and ended. It’s all he had. He needed to get back to it before he actually believed it possible to have more.

  Dale sat on the bed and looked at the nightstand. Opening the drawer, he spotted the Bible that lay there. It was a thick paperback that didn’t look near as intimidating as the tome he’d tried to read at school.

  He picked it up and thumbed through the pages. He remembered reading parts of the Bible. The beginning chapters depicting creation, and he recognized the word Corinthians. He’d read those pages before.

  Starting at 2 Corinthians, chapter 1, Dale read a brief summary about the upcoming group of letters from the apostle Paul. Helpful, that little bit of reference. The explained theme of triumph over adversity caught his eye, so he read on. And on.

  After several chapters of reading in plain modern English, Dale was impressed. Paul was a man of his word. And he had sound advice to impart, although Dale didn’t quite understand all of it. One particular verse stood out, stating that God would welcome him and be his Father.

  Interesting concept. That God could be more than God?

  Dale closed the book. Maybe he’d read more later.

  He took a quick shower under warm water and grimaced when his feet hit a chilly floor. The mayor had adjusted the hot-water tank to conserve energy. No matter how far Dale turned the hot-water knob, the water warmed only so far. Maddening. Were the roads passable today? The mayor had cleared the Shaws’ private road that led toward town. Surely power would follow soon.

  By the time Dale entered the dining room, he was sure he’d missed breakfast. But seated at the table was Faith, munching on something that looked good.

  “Hey.” He poured himself a cup of coffee.

  Faith’s smile was bright as sunshine. “Morning. I’ve got a great idea if you’re up for it.”

  He couldn’t help smiling back. “What’s that?”

  “Would you be willing to ride into the woods with me to cut down a Christmas tree?”

  He furrowed his brow. Was this idea the result of what he’d admitted last night? “Isn’t it a little early?”

  Faith shrugged. “A little, but since we’re pretty much stuck here without power, my family’s all in one place for once. The centennial celebrations have kept everyone busy. Tonight might be the only opportunity for us to decorate together as a family.”

  He wasn’t part of her family, but looking into Faith’s big blue eyes, he couldn’t refuse her. “Sure, why not.”

  “Morning, Dale.” Nadine entered with a plate of steaming muffins. “Hot out of the oven, if you’d like one, they’re zucchini walnut. There’s also an egg-scramble casserole in the chafing dish.”

  “Thanks.” Dale grabbed a muffin with a napkin. He’d eat more, though. He’d learned to look forward to breakfast since arriving in Montana.

  “Faith, I brought the tree stand down from the attic.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  Nadine smiled at him. “We have some beautiful trees behind the hill where Julie and Ryan live. With the guys busy dropping more hay, I’m glad you’re here to help Faith bring a tree home.”

  “Should be a novel experience.” He’d never cut down a Christmas tree before. Massey trees had always been artificial and professionally decorated. Even the office tree in the lobby was decked out by a designer.

  “I hope so.” Nadine sat down and helped herself to a muffin and coffee. “I’m heading into town with your father to assess the damage of the ice storm. When the power comes on, we’ll have to work in homecoming before the Thanksgiving dinner and parade. All the hors d’oeuvres have been prepped and frozen. With the power out, they’ll thaw and won’t keep much longer. This will be a balancing act for sure, but nothing we can’t handle.”

  Faith nodded and then looked at him with a question in her eyes.

  With his closings rescheduled, there was no reason not to stay. Homecoming was the reason he’d come. That and the office space opportunity at Lone Peak, but he’d made his decision on that, too. He didn’t even know if Bozeman had been hit with ice or if the airport was open again.

  He looked at Faith and smiled. “I suppose I’m stuck here for a while yet.”

  Faith smiled back.

  So did Nadine. In fact, Faith’s mom looked very pleased with this turn of events. “Good. Cord went into town to assess the progress on getting power back. We’ll know more today.”

  Until then, he might as well enjoy his Christmas-tree search. With Faith it’d be an adventure. Funny, but he looked forward to it.

  *

  Faith held out her hand to catch a few fat snowflakes on her glove. It had warmed up some, but they’d still get a couple of more inches by nightfall according to the weather report on the radio in the barn. They’d both listened while saddling up the horses. North of Jasper Gulch had been hit hard by ice, Bozeman included. Dale wasn’t going anywhere anytim
e soon.

  She kept her eye on Dale riding H.R. as they carefully picked their way up the hill near Julie’s bungalow. H.R. was a big but sure-footed horse, and he responded well to Dale even in snow. Dale didn’t look like a city slicker today. He looked good in the saddle. A far cry from that stuffy man wearing that awful olive-colored suit.

  That had been only a few days ago, and yet Dale seemed different. Somehow softer and more relaxed. Faith smiled, glad she’d let her mom in on her plan to give Dale Christmas before he left Jasper Gulch.

  And that pinch to her heart whenever she thought of Dale leaving? That she ignored, because she hoped he might stay. She wanted to be the reason he’d stay.

  “How far?”

  Faith urged Viv forward, so she rode ahead of Dale while they slowly trekked downhill. “See that valley of pines? We’ll find one there.”

  Dale shook his head.

  “What?”

  “Your family has so much land. And the views here are amazing.”

  Faith grinned. “I know. Would you like to see mine?”

  “Yours?”

  “My chunk of land where I hope to build someday.”

  Dale looked hesitant.

  “Come on. It’s on the other side of this valley. I’ve even got my own little fork of the creek that runs across the pasture and empties into our little lake. Cord’s house is on the other side there.” Maybe she chattered too much, but she really wanted Dale to see her land. Like a test of sorts, his reaction to it was key. For her.

  Faith clicked her tongue for Viv to move forward through the valley of pines, across the creek, and then Faith reined in to a stop. “This is it.”

  Dale leaned forward in his saddle and looked around.

  Faith watched Dale.

  The land had a gentle slope and lay tucked between a rise of hills and the pine forest they’d ridden through. Not too far from the ranch, with easy access for a future road, but far enough away to feel secluded.

  “Well, what do you think?”

  “Nice.”

  “Just nice? Look at that view of the mountains beyond the pasture. In the summer this meadow is littered with wildflowers and see, there’s the little stream. I think there might even be a natural spring. I’ll put my house right beside it and maybe even dig out a pond.”

  Instead of following where she pointed, he looked at her.

  She stopped talking.

  “This spot suits you,” Dale finally said.

  “Yeah? How so?” Curious. Would it suit him, too? What would a city guy like him do way out here? Learn to relax for one.

  He laughed. “I don’t know. Any minute I expect the Seven Dwarfs to come marching around the corner.”

  She laughed, too. And then asked, “You’re the real estate guru, what kind of house would you build?”

  He looked thoughtful. “Log and stone are nice, but I’d go modern with lots of glass. Maybe with a slanted roof toward the back to protect against wind and give the snow someplace to slide. Make it look like the house grew out of that rise.”

  “Yes. I’d like the house to blend into, but not overpower, the landscape.” Faith loved his insight.

  Those visions of him here came back with a vengeance. It was so easy to dream about building that house together. Oh, for pity’s sake! Why couldn’t he see it, too?

  Patience. She really needed to practice a little patience.

  Faith cleared her throat. “Let’s get that tree.”

  “Lead the way.”

  She turned her mare and they headed back the way they’d come. Halfway into the thickest growth of evergreens, she slipped off Viv and loosely tied her reins to the branch of a spruce.

  Dale did the same. “Will they be okay like this?”

  She chuckled. “They’ll be fine. We won’t go far.”

  Silently, they tromped through the calf-deep snow where it hadn’t drifted deeper. Straw-colored grass poked through around and in between trees. The air smelled fresh of pine sap and cedar and snow.

  Faith broke off a small cedar branch and breathed deep. “Smells like Christmas.”

  Dale chuckled when she handed it to him, but he sniffed it, too. “Nice.”

  He wasn’t nearly as talkative today as last night. Maybe he was humoring her. Knowing he was stuck here, maybe he figured he might as well go along for the ride. Did he mind passing the time watching her make a fool of herself with all that talk about her future dream house? He did watch her a lot, though, almost as if considering…

  Her heart pumped a little harder. That was nothing more than wishful thinking on her part or maybe plain old attraction on his. Nothing to get excited about.

  Faith stopped and looked around. “I don’t know, but I feel we’re getting close. A lot more smaller trees here.”

  “You call these small?” Dale looked up.

  “The tree goes up in the living room. Lots of clearance with a vaulted ceiling—we can easily bring back an eight-or nine-footer.”

  Dale looked around and then pointed. “What about that one?”

  “Pretty, but not very full. Let’s remember it and then come back if we need to.”

  “How on earth are we going to remember where it is?”

  Faith pulled some tall dry grasses up by the roots. Then she twined them together and tied the grass like a ribbon on the branch. She turned. “Like that, see?”

  “Nice.”

  “Is that all you can say?”

  “How about, let’s get a tree and be done with it.” His breath billowed white in front of him.

  Faith frowned. Was he cold and miserable or a lost cause where Christmas was concerned? She did this for him and wanted him to enjoy it. “The fun is in the search for the right one—a tree that wants to be this year’s Christmas tree.”

  He gave her an amused look. “And how do you know that?”

  Faith laughed. “I just do.”

  “You sure you weren’t found under a leaf in the woods as a baby? Or maybe you’re an elf dropped from Santa’s sleigh.” His green eyes teased.

  Faith grinned. Now, that was getting into the spirit of things. “I don’t have pointy ears.”

  “You’re sure about that.” Dale stepped closer and lifted the flap of her hat.

  She looked up at him. So tall and rugged with his whiskered jaw. What had they been talking about?

  Dale’s cell phone rang, shattering the moment.

  “Are you kidding me?” He pulled the offensive thing out of his pocket and held it to his ear as he stepped away. “Dale Massey.”

  Faith watched as Dale’s face hardened.

  “You’re going to have to tell him,” Dale said, and then listened. “Eric, you might want to think this through before accepting that job.” He looked at her. “I’m not sure when I’ll be back. In fact, why don’t you and Jordan fly out here for Thanksgiving. We can talk more about it. This town actually made a float for us to ride in their parade.”

  Faith’s heart leaped. Watching Dale smile as he talked to his brother gave her serious hope. The man had lightened up. And he was staying for Thanksgiving, giving her at least three more days with him. Time enough to show him what they had, and what they could be.

  “I’m losing you.” Dale shook his phone and growled. “I can’t believe I’m in the middle of nowhere and this is where I get a decent signal and then my phone dies.”

  “Everything okay?”

  Dale shook his head. “My brother Eric is a dope.”

  His half brother had been the reason for Dale’s meeting at Lone Peak to purchase an office. “Not interested in working at a ski resort?”

  Dale looked disgusted. “Not interested in working. And certainly not for Massey International. After Christmas, he wants to ski across Europe with a group of friends as a field tester for some ski-equipment company. Calling that a job is a joke. It’s playtime.”

  “Sometimes playing is good.”

  He squinted at her. “Not when there’s work to be done, li
ke now, finding a Christmas tree.”

  “That’s not work.”

  “It’s not play, either.” But his eyes looked too merry for her to believe him.

  “Shows you what you know!” She smiled.

  Dale ducked down and scooped up a handful of snow. He rolled it around in his work-gloved hands. “This is play.”

  Faith backed up. “Don’t even think about it.”

  Dale launched the snowball.

  Too late, Faith turned and it hit her in the back. She scooped up snow and made a ball of her own. She threw it at Dale, who hid behind a tree and pelted her with another.

  It hit her shoulder. “No fair.”

  Dale laughed and launched another snowball before she’d had a chance to make her second one.

  So she ran toward him and shook the tree he stood behind, sending globs of snow all over him.

  “Faith!” he roared.

  She laughed and then squealed when he charged.

  Faith took off through the trees hounded by Dale. She spotted the horses, still tied and looking bored, their backs already covered in white. They’d leave soon. As soon as they found a tree. As soon as she got one more snowball in.

  Creeping as quietly as she could, snowball in hand, Faith stalked Dale. Pretty easy. She could hear him a mile away. She slipped through a line of firs, ready to pounce, but no Dale.

  “Aha!” He jumped from behind her.

  She squealed again, started to run but tripped and fell face-first into a small drift of snow. “Oooff.”

  She sat up, wiping her cheeks, sputtering but laughing.

  Dale laughed, too. He knelt down and brushed snow from her hat. Then he took off his gloves and gently pulled chunks of snow from her hair. “You’re a mess.”

  Faith looked into a pair of tender eyes that softened his teasing words and warmed her from the inside out. “Thanks.”

  Dale tipped up her chin. “Your nose is red.”

  Faith sniffed hard. “Probably running, too.”

  She slipped off her gloves and fished in her pocket for a tissue but couldn’t find one. Great.

  “Here. One of last year’s Christmas gifts that I happened to stuff in my pocket before we left the ranch.” He handed her a supersoft handkerchief embroidered on the corner with the letters D and M. Not a cheap bandanna like the ones her brothers carried.