Sweet Home Montana

by Lisa Mondello

  Katie huffed and stopped what she was doing. She poked the shovel into the snow bank and glared at him. “What are you doing here, Caleb? Did you come to accuse me of something else?”

  He knew better than to be hurt. He deserved her anger right now. But he was hurt. He was glad to see her, and would deal with the cold shoulder until that sweet heart of hers melted again. Clearly she wasn’t as happy.

  “I came here to say…” Anything he said would be lame. He didn’t exactly know why he needed to come here except to apologize. But was that enough? It wasn’t everything.

  How could he tell her that he’d been thinking about her nonstop? That it wasn’t just Julie that fueled his anger. His frustration for the way he felt about her also drove him mad.

  The first thing he’d done when he’d gone into the police station on his first day back to work, he’d been wishing he was back at the chapel helping her even though, technically, it was illegal to do so. She wasn’t supposed to be there either. But he knew from his own “sources” that things had been cleared and small bits of progress were being made.

  He wanted to be there. And not because he wanted to bang a hammer or pull boards that were rotted, or try to save those beautiful hardwood floors that looked like they were a mess but he knew could be sanded down and made magnificent again. Somewhere along the line, Katie’s dream of renovating that chapel had turned into Caleb’s dream. But it was only because of Katie.

  He peered over at her. She was standing there with a red nose from being out in the cold, tight lips and jaw because she was still angry with him.

  “If you keep clenching your teeth, you’re going to break a tooth.”

  “That’s my problem.” Her hip was swayed to one side as she lifted her chin. His mind immediate roamed to that night when they’d been on the dance floor and he’d held her in his arms. His fingers itched to be holding her hips and feeling them sway to the music.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  “You should be.” She looked at him for a few seconds and then huffed, shaking her head. “You can be an infuriating man, Caleb. You know that?”

  “So I’ve been told.”

  “I don’t think you’ve been told enough. I’m exhausted trying to figure you out!”

  “Are you going to be mad at me forever?”

  She stared at him, making him a bit nervous.

  “Well?”

  “I’m thinking.”

  He grabbed the shovel and started shoveling the path.

  “I’m kidding. Give me back the shovel.”

  “How do I know you aren’t going to hit me over the head with it?”

  “I don’t want to get arrested.”

  He chuckled. “That would be a first. All of the sudden you’re worried about being arrested? What happened to the other ten times I caught you trespassing?”

  “It wasn’t ten times. Don’t exaggerate.”

  “I’m sorry. Have dinner with me tonight?”

  “I can’t.”

  He nodded as disappointment filled him.

  “I’m supposed to go over to the Lone Creek Ranch later. Trip is making dinner for Tabby and Kas.”

  Caleb smiled. “That ought to be interesting.”

  Katie chuckled.

  “Well, enjoy your dinner,” Caleb said. “I need to get to work.”

  “Okay.”

  He left feeling as bad as he had when he’d arrived. He’d apologized, and that was something he’d come to do. But some part of him thought that Katie would have had a different response.

  She had plans tonight and they didn’t include him. He should feel rejected. But as he climbed in his truck that’s exactly what he felt, along with a healthy dose of jealousy.

  * * *

  That sure was a swanky car sitting in a pile of snow in the parking lot of the chapel as Caleb drove by on his way to work. The man standing next to the car talking on his cell phone was probably ruining his fancy shoes that he was lifting out of the snow as if he were dancing. Caleb wasn’t on patrol, but there was no harm pulling in and seeing what this stranger was doing on the property.

  He pulled the truck into the parking lot and parked a few yards away from the fancy car just in case this guy had a lawsuit in mind like Henry Callahan. He didn’t need someone accusing him of getting too close and causing a scratch on an expensive paint job. Caleb had seen that sort of thing happen before from out-of-towners who turned their nose up at anyone with a pickup truck instead of a Porsche or a Ferrari. He got out of the truck and slammed his door loud enough for the eagles and the bear to hear. But this guy kept talking on the phone. Only when Caleb cleared his voice twice did the stranger lift his head and glance at him. But he kept the cell phone still pressed against his ear.

  “Hi, there,” Caleb said. “Looks like you might be stuck.”

  “Hold a second,” the stranger said to the person on the phone. He lifted a finger as if needing Caleb to stop talking so he could finish a conversation. Caleb wasn’t having it.

  Caleb cleared his throat again. “What are you doing out here?”

  “Are you the tow man?” The man finally glanced at Caleb’s truck and then groaned. “I called for tow not a mechanic.”

  “Well as you can see, I didn’t bring a tow truck.”

  The guy actually rolled his eyes. Hollywood folk. They came in from LA trying to snatch up land and put up a big fancy house that they couldn’t afford to build out in California. But it was cheaper here. They could take their pictures back to their friends and brag about their weekend retreat to unwind. And most of them hated every minute being here and every person who called Montana home.

  “Do you at least have a winch on your truck? They said I needed a winch to get out of this snow pile.”

  Caleb smiled, but only because he wanted to have fun with the jerk. “I have a rope.”

  The guy frowned. “Can you use it to get me out of here?”

  “I might consider it if you had some manners.”

  The man glared at him, and then turned his back to Caleb. Into the phone, he said, “Of course, they sent me an idiot.”

  The man swung around and pasted on a plastic smile that made Caleb want to laugh.

  “Tell your friend the ‘idiot’ is a cop,” Caleb said.

  The man’s eyes widened with surprise. Then he glanced over at the truck. “You don’t say. Where’s your police car?”

  “No one but an idiot would take a cruiser into new fallen snow the way you’ve just taken this Porsche. But seeing how I know you’re not from Montana, I’ll let that part slide. Who did you call?”

  “AAA. They said they sent someone.”

  Caleb made a face. “Most likely they called the closest garage. That would be Jamison Locks place. But you have a good wait until he gets here.”

  “Why is that? I’m sure if I call him I can make it worth his while to come here quicker.”

  “Yeah, you could. But I doubt very much he’s going to leave the delivery room and his wife when they’re expecting their first baby.”

  “Is there anybody else at his garage who can help me out?”

  “Sure. But I just heard over the radio that there was a pileup up on the road to the ski resort, so the tow crew is probably a little busy. I think you have at least two or three cars ahead of you before someone will be able to get out here.”

  The man’s jaw tightened. “I was hoping to be back on the road long before dark. It’s a good ride back to Vegas.”

  “I see. You never said what you are doing out here.”

  “I represent the owners of this property,” the man said.

  A fingernail of irritation dug into his spine. So this is the guy who was pushing his weight around with Katie. “You’re the one who put that petty cease and desist letter on the door?”

  The man turned towards the makeshift door where the sign was posted. Then he chuckled. “You call that a door?”

  “This property’s been sold. Your client no l
onger owns it.”

  The man stared at him for a few minutes. Then he shined a smile and extended his hand. “Darren Littleton.”

  Caleb looked at the man’s gloved hand. Those gloves probably cost more than Caleb’s weekly paycheck. Caleb didn’t care. He pulled his thermal glove off his hand and extended a bare hand to the man. If they were going to shake hands, he was shaking it like a man. As if sensing a challenge, the man stared at Caleb’s hand and then slowly pulled off his glove one finger at a time. Then he shook Caleb’s hand.

  “I’m Officer Caleb Samuel. I happen to know Katie Dobbs purchased this property from your client. All paperwork was in order and the deed was filed at the town hall. It’s a solid sale as far as the real estate lawyer in town is concerned.

  “We’ll see about that.”

  “No,” Caleb said, shaking his head. “It’s a done deal. When deals are made around here, it’s done. Finished. We don’t go for people pulling fast ones on our residents.”

  “Is that what you think this is?”

  “I know it is. The word has it Callahan’s soon-to-be ex-wife realized this property was in his name and had control over selling it without her blessing. It’s also well-known through friends of hers in LA that she’s trying to snatch every last nickel from him in the divorce,” Caleb said as he watched Darren’s face turned from smug to skeptical and then to actually being impressed. “Callahan’s wife was pretty angry with him because she thought he should have been able to get a better deal instead of liquidating quickly so she wouldn’t touch his other ventures. Does that sound about right?”

  Darren chuckled smugly. “I don’t discuss my clients with strangers.”

  Caleb made a face. “But we’re not strangers. We just shook each other’s hands and introduced ourselves. If you own property around these parts that goes a long way to making you part of Sweet. Your client may have owned this property for years, but the real estate transaction made with Katie Dobbs was legal. All you’re trying to do now is run up the clock and make it so that she can’t pay her bills. But don’t you worry. She has enough financing to not only fight you, but also win and do the work she plans on the property. And she plans on telling the judge that when she meets with him.”

  “Is that right?”

  Caleb nodded. “Quite honestly, I really don’t care what you feel about this property because as of Monday morning this is going to be seen before a judge. And that judge is going to see that the real estate transaction you made here in Sweet is a hundred percent legal. Then I’ll be back here to make sure that you’re not on this property.”

  Caleb turned and walked back to the truck.

  “Aren’t you going to help me?”

  “Now why would I do that?”

  “You said you had a rope.”

  “I do. But that’s my problem. Your problem is cleaning up the mess you made here and staying off this land until the cease and desist order is resolved. Otherwise, I’ll be back here to arrest you. I’m sure one of Jamison’s crew will be out here soon enough to drag your vehicle out of the snow. Hopefully before Monday morning.”

  Caleb didn’t bother looking at the man’s face as he got into the truck and he started up the engine. However, he did get on the radio to dispatch and talked to Harper Madison

  “Dispatch, this is Officer Samuel.”

  “Caleb,” Harper said dryly through the radio. “I know you’re not supposed to be on duty out in the field.”

  Caleb pulled out of the parking lot and headed back towards the station. “Do you know if Jamison’s crew is still out by the ski lodge?”

  “He just pulled the last car into the shop. Hell of a wreck but no one was killed. Just a few scratches.”

  “Good to know. If you can send one of the boys down to the old chapel, there’s a Porsche that needs attention.”

  “What’s that? A Porsche?”

  “Yeah. Someone stuck out at the chapel would like to get out of town as soon as possible.” He heard Harper’s laughter before he replaced the mouthpiece to the radio console. The sooner Darren Littleton left Sweet, the better it would be for all of them.

  * * *

  Katie pulled into the driveway of the Lone Creek Ranch and drove slowly down the plowed driveway until she reached an open area with a ranch house in the stable were situated. It was a familiar drive. She remembered doing it almost every day after school for some time when she used to take riding lessons.

  Trip had been a good riding instructor. Despite her parents not owning enough land to have horses, they never discouraged Katie’s love of animals and horses and paid the extra that she couldn’t afford out of her allowance in order for her to have riding lessons. Later on, she would come here with Julie Samuel and they would ride together. Trip didn’t mind letting them go off on the ranch trails on their own because by then they both were schooled enough to know what they were doing.

  She parked her car next to Kas’s rented vehicle. The one thing Katie always loved about her brother was no matter how successful he got or how much money he made, he still appreciated a practical truck when he came home to visit. Four-wheel-drive was necessary in these parts during the cold and snowy Montana winters. But today the sun was out and it was shining bright. The temperature was high enough that some of the snow from last night’s storm was already melting, making the ground soft and the smell of earth pronounced as she climbed out of her car.

  Tabby had mentioned wanting to take Tenterhook out for some exercise. She’d been spending all her time down at the ranch. Her horse had been injured before Christmas. For a while they weren’t sure what the horse’s chances were of making it. The jury was still out on whether or not Tenterhook would ever compete again in barrel racing competitions. But he didn’t have to be put down and that had been Tabby’s biggest worry since his injury.

  Katie took the path to the stable as she’d done many times in her youth, intending to search for Kas and Tabby to talk about the phone call she’d gotten earlier in the day from Henry Callahan’s lawyer. She opened the door to the horse barn, and then closed it behind her. Then she waited for her eyes to adjust to the change of light. Sun on bright snow was quite different from the darkness inside the stable. No one was in the aisle so she headed down toward the tack room to see if Tabby and her brother were there. Along the way a beautiful bay poked her head out of the stall as Katie walked by.

  Katie smiled and walked over to the horse. “Hey, girl. I haven’t seen you in such a long time Sugar Puff.” She stroked the horse’s nose and neck and was rewarded with the bobbing of the horse’s head. “I sure did miss you. Did you miss me?”

  Just as she was about to leave Sugar Puff, and head down to the tack room, Trip, the owner of the Lone Creek Ranch, poked his head out of the tack room.

  “Well, if it isn’t Katie Dobbs.” He laughed one of those joyful laughs that Katie remembered from when she was a kid.

  “It’s good to see you, Trip.” She rushed over to him and slipped into his outstretched arms. Trip had the reputation of being everyone’s favorite uncle. He wasn’t as old as her parents were. He’d done well for himself on the rodeo circuit early on and was able to purchase the Lone Creek Ranch from his family. The ranch was his life and everyone knew it.

  Trip had never married and never had children. But the kids who came for riding lessons were like his adopted children. Tabby had been like that after her parents died. Tabby’s father and Trip had known each other from the rodeo circuit and when Tabby’s parents passed away, Trip had taken Tabby under his wing and made the Lone Creek Ranch her home.

  “I was so glad Tabby said you were coming by for dinner. It gives us some time to catch up.”

  Trip let her go and she took a step back to look at him. “How are you doing? I’m sorry I haven’t been out to see you since your accident.”

  “I’ll have none of that. You’re here now and it’s always good when I get to see one of my riding students. You’re a little earlier than I expected.
Did you come here to ride?”

  She shook her head. “Actually, I was hoping to catch Tabby and Kas. Are they around here somewhere?”

  “It was such a good day that they ended up taking Mad Dog and Crusader out for a ride. Tenterhook won’t be doing any riding for a while until that leg heals properly. Most of the horses have been stuck inside all winter. Since the shooting over Christmas, I haven’t been strong enough to do my normal work. And without Tabby or Levon here, well, things have fallen by the wayside a little.”

  “I heard about the shooting. I’m so glad you weren’t hurt worse. I…I heard about Levon, too. I’m really sorry.”

  The pain on Trip’s face echoed what Tabby had told her. Levon, a ranch hand that had worked at the Lone Creek Ranch for years, had been killed over the winter.

  “Levon was good man. He’s missed around here. But he’d be the first one to say that life goes on. Hey, there’s one person you might recognize.”

  Katie frowned. “Who’s that?”

  “Hunter. You remember he used to come out to the ranch a lot to shoe the horses. He’s out here today.”

  Katie smiled. “I remember Hunter,” she said.

  Trip laughed. “Both you and Julie had eyes for him way back when.”

  Panicked, Katie weaved her hands at trip to shush him. “Keep your voice down.” She laughed anyway. Then she shrugged. “That was a long time ago.”

  “Not so long. Go say hello. He’s right down the aisle shoeing Tenterhook.”

  “I haven’t seen him in ages. Since…” She thought back to when she was a teenager. When had she stopped coming to the ranch to ride? That’s right. Right after she’d met Bruce. “Is Hal still working here?”

  “Sure. So good to see you remembered all of us.”

  “Of course.”

  “But you missed Hal. He’s out scouting horses. He’s been investing in some rodeo stock here and there with his earnings.”

  “Really?”

  Trip nodded. “I might get into the business myself. Maybe do some rodeo training.”