by R. C. Ryan
The two men shared a smile, and Great One held up the bottle of brandy.
Burke shook his head. “I’m already on overload. Time for me to hit the sack.”
As Burke walked away, Nelson LaRou helped himself to a splash of brandy and sat staring at the dying flames of the fire. If he were a younger man, he’d have taken Reed up on his offer to head to town, if only to watch the reunion of his grandson and the pretty shopkeeper. But since he was stuck here on the ranch, he’d have to rely on his storyteller’s imagination and see it in his mind’s eye.
A lonely single mother and a cowboy fresh off the range. That would be enough to cause quite a display of fireworks.
He’d bet good money that Luke was right. Reed was already hooked. He only hoped the lady in question shared his great-grandson’s passion.
Because Reed was the youngest, Nelson had a special fondness in his heart for him. When the lads were younger, he’d watched Reed fight for his place among his older siblings. He’d always admired the boy’s tenacity. And now, as Reed had grown from boy to man, he displayed a quiet strength, a steely determination, to reach his goals and achieve his heart’s desire.
Reed had worked tirelessly since his early teens. No one put in more hours with the herds than Reed. And now, finally, this year could be the one that would reward him for all his hard work.
Nelson sighed. It wasn’t the right time for a dedicated rancher to be distracted by a pretty woman. But then, he thought, was there ever a right time? Love was such a fickle mistress. She could come creeping up when it was least expected.
And wasn’t that both terrible and wonderful at the same time?
Chapter Thirteen
Reed!” Kyle jumped up from his spot in the corner of the shop and raced headlong across the room to fly into Reed’s arms. “Where’ve you been? Me and Mama missed you.”
Reed scooped him up and swung him around before setting him on his feet. “I missed you, too, little buddy.” He looked over to where Ally was standing with two older women. “I missed you both.”
Ally lifted a hand in greeting, while continuing to describe the age of the dining table and matching chairs formerly owned by a minister and his wife from a nearby town. “They were reluctant to let go of it, because it had formerly been owned by Reverend Tupper’s mother, but their new parsonage is too small to accommodate it, and they agreed it was time to let it go.”
Reed stood perfectly still, letting the sound of her voice wash over him. He’d missed it. Had missed her. And everything about her, including that sultry voice.
Kyle tugged on his arm. “Want to play with my trucks?”
“Sure. Why not?”
As they crossed the room, Gemma stepped through the doorway, now decorated with strands of beads that fell from a peace sign on which she’d hand-lettered the words GEMMA’S CLOSET in neon colors.
Gemma was dressed in wide-legged pants and an exotic tunic in hot pink. Her hair was the same shade of pink spikes, and dangling from one ear were a plastic moon and stars that brushed her shoulder. The other ear sported a silver snake that followed the curve of her lobe, its tongue poking out from between strands of hair at her temple.
“Interesting look.” Reed pointed to the sign. “This is new.”
She smiled. “Jeremy found it in a trash can outside a recycle center in Maysfield.”
“That’s a long way from Glacier Ridge.”
She nodded. “He went there to look for a job.”
When two teenage girls walked in and headed toward the back room, Gemma turned away, calling, “Got to get to work. Talk to you later.”
“Yeah.” He watched her walk away before kneeling beside Kyle. “What are we playing?”
“Mama got these new toys in a bundle yesterday.” He held up some ancient cast-iron trucks that appeared to date back to the nineteen hundreds.
“Wow.” Reed picked up one and began to examine it closely. “This is a beauty.”
“It is?” The little boy studied the one in his hand. “But they’re all the same color. Want to race?”
Before Reed could answer, the women buying the dining room set walked out the door and Ally hurried over.
Reed got to his feet and stared at her for long moments without saying a word.
She was dressed in a pale yellow sundress with a rounded neckline and fluttery short sleeves. The skirt fell to just above her ankles. She wore white sandals that showed off pretty pink polish on her bare toes.
Because he knew Kyle was watching, he whipped his hat from his head and said, “You look…pretty.” Inwardly he groaned at such bland words. But words failed him. The truth was, she took his breath away. Just seeing her, he would have gladly devoured her on the spot if they were alone.
She stood twisting her hands together and smiling up into his face. “And you’re all tanned from the sun.”
“Life in the hills.” He nodded toward the door. “So, did you make a sale?”
“Yes. They said they’ll have someone come by tomorrow with a truck to pick up their purchases.” She glanced at her son, looking from one to the other. “You were gone a long time.”
“I hadn’t expected to stay that long, but the herd needed me. I’m sorry I didn’t call or text, but service rarely works up in the high country.”
“That’s all right. I was…” She smiled at her son. “We were both fine.”
“No…trouble?” He didn’t want to ask more in front of Kyle.
She shook her head, sending a cloud of red hair dancing about her cheeks. “No trouble. Did you eat?”
“Yeah. Yancy had a special supper ready. How about you and Kyle?”
She nodded.
He watched as the two girls who’d been shopping in the back room walked toward the door carrying bulging plastic bags. “Looks like Gemma’s business is picking up.”
“She’s developing a following.”
When Gemma held the door and the girls left, Ally called, “You can turn the sign around, Gemma. We’re closing early.”
“Great.” Gemma did as she was told and waved a hand at the truck parked across the street.
Within minutes Jeremy stepped inside and called a greeting before taking the girl’s hand.
“Bye,” they called in unison before skipping away toward the truck.
Reed watched them go before turning to Ally. “So, things are working out between you and Gemma?”
“She’s perfect. She agreed to get here around noon each day, so Kyle and I can go upstairs for some family time. And she stays until closing.”
She indicated the upstairs. “Want to go up for coffee?”
“Maybe later. Why don’t we take advantage of the great weather and walk around town?”
Kyle’s eyes went wide. “Maybe we could walk to D and B’s for a chocolate milk shake, or I’s Cream?”
Reed’s smile grew. “I don’t see why not.”
“Oh, boy.” The little boy was quick to put away his trucks and hurry to the door.
As Reed trailed Ally out the door and waited while she locked up, he was grinning. “That didn’t take any persuading at all.”
Ally dropped the key in her pocket and took Reed’s outstretched hand. “When it comes to sweets, Kyle is the first in line.”
As they made their way along Main Street, they greeted friends and neighbors out for a stroll. After the fourth such greeting, Reed turned to Ally. “You’ve managed to make a lot of new friends.”
She nodded. “It still amazes me. I’ve met more people since moving here than I ever knew in all the years I lived in the city. I used to get in my car, drop Kyle at day care, and go to work. At the end of the day, it was the same. Once home, I never went out because most of my fellow workers were single. There was no place in that life for a mother with a young son. Now”—she lifted a hand to indicate the parade of people passing by—“Kyle and I feel free to visit D and B’s Diner, or stop by I’s for ice cream, or walk to the schoolyard and play on the swing
s and slides.”
As they passed the sheriff’s office, Eugene Graystoke poked his head out the door. “Hey, Reed. Glad to see you.”
The two shook hands.
“I was up in the hills with my herd.”
“That’s what I heard.” The sheriff darted a glance at Kyle, up ahead, his nose pressed to the glass of the hardware store.
Knowing he couldn’t be overheard by the boy, he said, “I’m sure Ms. Shaw told you there’s been no sign of Glen Lloyd, either here in Montana or in Virginia. But since her former boss said Glen took his vacation leave, and then extended it to a leave of absence, they don’t know if or when to expect him back. That means he could be anywhere.” He turned to Ally. “Have you heard anything more since that email?”
Reed’s head swiveled. “Email?”
Ally flushed. “There were a number of them. They came while you were in the hills. They started off friendly enough. Glen said he was thinking about me and hoped I was thinking about him. Then he suggested several meetings. And finally, they became long, ugly rants saying I was a heartless tease, and he was going to teach me a lesson.”
“Did you answer?”
“Of course not. But I passed them along to Sheriff Graystoke before deleting them without giving a reply.”
The sheriff held up a hand before Reed could say a thing. “For the record, they’re all in my file, with a copy to the state police special unit. And Ms. Shaw knows that if she gets any more emails from this guy, I’ll do the same.” He turned to her. “So our guy’s gone silent?”
She nodded. “Not a word. Maybe he’s finally given up. There hasn’t been a single incident since the front window was smashed.”
Eugene Graystoke looked thoughtful. “We’ll hope that no news is good news. But I can’t stress enough that you need to stay vigilant.”
“I will. Thank you, Sheriff.”
“Good. Now you’d better keep an eye on that little guy.”
Ally and Reed walked away and caught up with Kyle, who was now peering into the windows of the barbershop. Putting him between them, they each took one of his hands as they crossed the street and headed toward I’s Cream Shop.
Later, as darkness settled over the town, they made their way through the nearly empty street and paused to allow several vehicles to pass. As a stream of trucks drove by, the wail of a man loving a woman could be heard in one of them.
Reed held tightly to Kyle’s hand. His other arm was around Ally’s waist. He leaned close to whisper in her ear, “Now there’s a song for the ages.”
For the space of a heartbeat they stared into each other’s eyes, until Kyle tugged on Reed’s hand.
They crossed the street and headed toward Ally’s shop.
She dug out her key and unlocked the door.
As she did, Reed looked up. “Is that a new security camera?”
She nodded. “The other one didn’t offer enough range. I’m hoping to buy a couple more as my profits increase.”
“That’s a good thing.”
She paused. “Want to come in for coffee?”
“Sure. I’d like that.”
He followed her inside and trailed Kyle up the stairs to the apartment.
Once there, he looked around at the bright, homey touches that had been added to the tiny sitting room. Framed pictures of Kyle as a baby. Photos of Ally and Kyle riding a merry-go-round and eating cotton candy. Splashing in a pool. And laughing. Always laughing.
“This looks really good.”
Kyle beamed. “Mama let me help pick out the ones I like best. She said they make her happy.”
Reed walked closer. “They should. They’re happy memories.”
“Want to see some more?”
“Sure thing. Where are they?”
“I’ll get them.” When Kyle hurried off to his room, Reed stepped closer to study the photos more clearly. “No pictures of Kyle with his dad?”
“Rick’s military assignments kept him out of the country most of the time.”
“But when he came home…” Reed shrugged. “I guess, if I had a son like Kyle, I’d be snapping photographs of us together all the time.”
Before Ally could respond, Kyle was back, carrying a pile of pictures in his arms.
“Look.” He dropped them on the sofa and began spreading them out. “Here’s me and Mama at her work when I was just little. She let me do stuff on her computer.”
“Wow. Look at you. Working like your mom.”
“Yeah.” The little boy’s smile was as wide as a mile. “And here’s me and Mama jumping in a pile of leaves.” He pointed. “That’s me.”
“All I see is a pile of leaves.”
“There’s my hair. See?”
Reed chuckled. “It’s hard to see where your red hair starts and the red leaves end.”
Kyle turned to Ally with a look of astonishment. “That’s just what you said, Mama.”
“Great minds.” She started toward the kitchen. “While you two are looking at old pictures, I’ll start the coffee.”
Reed watched her walk away, admiring the way the long skirt hugged her bottom. When he realized Kyle was watching him, he dragged his attention back to the pile of photographs. Though there were more than a dozen, not one, he noted, had a trace of Kyle’s father. Odd, he thought. Rick may have been gone for long periods of time while on assignment for the military, but his return should have triggered some picture-taking moments between father and son.
“Coffee’s ready.”
At Ally’s call, Reed helped Kyle gather up the photographs and carry them to the boy’s room, where he deposited them in a big box in the bottom drawer of his dresser. Then the two of them walked to the kitchen.
The table held two cups of steaming coffee and a glass of milk, along with a plate of brownies.
“Me and Mama baked these today while Gemma was working downstairs.”
“You baked them?” Reed helped himself to one and took a big bite before humming with pleasure. “I’ve always had a weakness for brownies. Are you sure you baked these? They’re really good.”
Kyle was beaming. “I helped, didn’t I, Mama?”
“Yes, you did.” She passed the plate to him before taking one for herself. “Actually, we made two batches. I gave the other one to Gemma to take with her.”
“So, no regrets with your decision to hire her?”
“None. She’s a natural at selling.”
“Natural?” Reed grinned. “I doubt that word would ever be used to describe Gemma. She’s the most unnatural teenager I’ve ever seen.”
“I know she looks different. But more and more young people are discovering her place. And I’ve noticed that once my customers overlook her odd way of dressing, they’re attracted to her, as well. She’s sweet and pleasant, and she really knows how to sell.”
Kyle yawned loudly, and Ally glanced over. “Ready to get into your pj’s?”
“Not yet.” He was staring at Reed.
Seeing it, Reed caught the boy’s hand. “Come on, little buddy. Why don’t I lend a hand?”
“Okay.” Kyle was off his chair and racing toward his bedroom with Reed following behind.
A short time later, amid lots of laughter, Kyle called, “Mama, I’m ready for bed. Want to hear my prayers?”
She walked into the room to see Kyle already under the covers and Reed sitting on the edge of the bed, just putting away one of her son’s storybooks.
“Look, Mama. Reed read Goodnight Moon to me. I said it was a baby book, but he said those are the best. And I really liked it.”
“I see.” She settled herself on the opposite side of his bed. “Then I guess you won’t need another story tonight.”
“Uh-uh.” He struggled to keep his eyes open.
Minutes later, after whispering his prayers, he called, “Night, Mama. Night, Reed.”
“Good night, little buddy. Or should I say good night, moon?”
Kyle was already fast asleep.
&nb
sp; When they were back in the kitchen, Ally turned to Reed with an arched brow. “Okay. How did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“That magic you worked on my son. I expected to find him scheming a way to stay up for just another hour. Instead, I find him already in bed and practically asleep.”
Reed shrugged. “No magic. I watched while he brushed his teeth and got into his pajamas. I snagged a book out of the pile by his bed and started to read.”
“He never lets me read any of his baby books.”
Another shrug. “Yeah. He told me it was a baby book. And I told him those were my favorites. After that, he settled down and went into his zone.”
“His zone.”
“His ‘My-eyes-are-so-heavy-I-can’t-keep-them-open-another-minute’ zone.”
Ally shook her head. “In case you haven’t noticed, at the kitchen table my son was staring at you with a hunger in his eyes that I’ve never seen before. As though you were that plate of brownies and he wanted to devour you.”
“Yeah. I noticed.” Reed’s smile was quick and dangerous. He reached out and drew her close. “I wish his mother would look at me that way.”
She put a hand to his chest to hold him a little away. “And inflate that giant ego of yours, cowboy?”
“Aw. Come on. Just enough to let me know I was missed. At least a little.”
Her voice lowered. She avoided his eyes. “You were.”
“What was that? Could you say it louder?”
“You were. Missed.”
He lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
“A painful admission. So…” She flushed slightly. “Your turn. Did you miss me, too?”
“Way more than I wanted to. I was up there to do a job, and a certain red-haired witch kept getting in my head, messing with my mind.” His tone deepened. “All the time I was up in the hills, I kept worrying that you were just a dream. Tonight, on the way to town, I started thinking I’d show up in Glacier Ridge and find this old building still empty, and you and Kyle were figments of my imagination.”
