Proposal at the Lazy S Ranch

by Patricia Thayer

  She watched her sister’s reaction. Would she accept the changes in this man? Even Josie had been leery that maybe the cold, distant man would return. Over the past weeks, she’d seen changes in Colt. She was willing to give him a chance to be the father he’d said he wanted to be, but Tori had to make her own decision.

  “Vittoria.” He came to her and without hesitation reached out and took her hand in his. “I’m so glad you’re home.”

  “Hello, Colt. I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”

  Josie could see how hard it was for her sister to hold back the tears.

  “It gets better each time one of my daughters comes home,” Colt told her.

  She shook her head. “I’m only staying until Ana’s wedding.” She glanced around. “Speaking of Ana, where is my big sister?”

  “She’s working at the high school,” a familiar male voice answered.

  They turned to see Vance coming toward them. “She’ll be home soon. Hi, Tori. It’s good to see you again.”

  Tori smiled. “Good to see you, too, Vance. How are you surviving the wedding plans?”

  He grinned. “Anything Ana wants. I just hope it happens soon before she realizes I’m not such a great catch.”

  “Oh, I think Ana knows what a good man you are.” Tears welled in her eyes. “And you’ve always treated her well.”

  “I love her and wouldn’t intentionally do anything to hurt her.”

  Tori nodded. “Good.” She stepped back as another woman hurried in.

  “Kathleen,” Tori cried as the older woman took her into her welcoming arms.

  “Another of my babies came home.” She wiped her eyes. “Praise the Lord.”

  Tori grinned and looked at the older woman. “I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed you.”

  “I know, child. I always enjoyed your cards and presents.” Those kind hazel eyes searched Tori’s face. “Your heart is sad. I’m glad you came home.”

  Even Josie had to wipe away tears.

  Tori nodded. “Would anyone mind if I went upstairs and rested?”

  “Of course not,” everyone chimed in. Tori looked toward the staircase. “Which room?”

  “I put your suitcase in your old bedroom,” Garrett told her.

  Josie felt her cheeks redden and rushed on to explain. “Garrett and Brody stayed during the blizzard two weeks ago.”

  Tori gave her a knowing smile and walked off with Kathleen.

  Josie looked across the entry at Garrett. He turned his gray gaze on her, and she felt that familiar jolt. He was a hard man to resist. She’d already let her defenses drop, but she couldn’t let it happen again. She was L.A. bound.

  * * *

  At eleven o’clock the house was quiet, and everyone had settled in for the night. In his room, Colt stood in the darkness by the window. If there was one thing he enjoyed about having to move his bedroom downstairs, it was the view. He could see the entire compound, the corral, the barn. He could keep an eye on the operation.

  He looked out at the foreman’s cottage and saw the lights go off. He smiled to himself. Ana and Vance were probably heading to bed. His oldest daughter had no qualms about staying with the man she planned to marry. Colt didn’t, either. Life was too short to waste; love was too fleeting.

  Regrets. Colt closed his eyes against the memories. He had too many regrets to count. The biggest mistake had been turning away from his daughters when they needed him the most. No more.

  Three of his four daughters were home now. Not for long, and somehow he needed to prove to them that he was worth the risk. Okay, Ana was happy with Vance, and they would be living close. Josie was a different story. He’d been watching the sparks fly between her and Garrett. He doubted that his girl was going to give the man a second chance easily. But he had hopes that they would work things out.

  Then there was Tori. Something bad had happened to her in California. He didn’t know what it was, and she didn’t trust him enough to tell him. He hated to see the pain in her beautiful dark eyes. He had to help her.

  Suddenly, fatigue hit him hard, and Colt closed the window shades and walked to his bed. When would he get his energy back? When would he get his life back? He opened the buttons on his shirt and stripped it off his shoulders and tossed it on the chair. He liked that his arm had regained strength. His therapy with Jay was tough, but it was paying off. He had good muscle tone.

  He went for the button fly on his jeans when he caught a familiar scent. Roses. He glanced toward the door and saw a small figure standing there. He blinked once, then again.

  “Who is it?” he asked, afraid to know. “Who are you?”

  “Colt...” a woman’s voice said.

  He froze. No. It couldn’t be. He felt his heart hammering in his chest as the figure stepped into the dim lamplight. The slender figure was dressed in black. Her hair was long, reaching her shoulders. Although her face was in the shadows, he knew her eyes were almond-shaped and as black as midnight. He forced himself to take a breath. “Lucia...”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  AFTER A RESTLESS NIGHT, Josie slept in later than usual. Tori was already up and gone from the room. Not surprising, since she’d heard her sister tossing around in the other bed most of the night. Not that she’d blamed her for feeling uneasy after the break-in. For now, they were both safe here. But how long could they hide out at the ranch when their lives were in California?

  Of course, Montana had Garrett Temple. And now, after his visit to L.A., she knew firsthand how he would never fit into her life, any more than she’d fit into his. No matter how incredible their night together had been, it had to be a onetime thing.

  Not that he would ever ask her for more. He had a child to think about. She smiled. Brody was a sweet boy, but his home was here, too.

  She sighed. No more dreams about Garrett. She needed to focus on Ana’s wedding, and enjoy her remaining time here with her family. She thought about Colt. She’d been surprised how much she liked spending time with him. He’d even taken an interest in her life and her work. The Colt Slater she’d remembered never had time for his daughters.

  Could her father change that much?

  After showering and dressing, Josie went downstairs to find Ana, Tori and Colt waiting for her in the kitchen.

  “Good, you’re finally awake,” Ana said. “We want to drive out to the lodge. Garrett and Vance are already there finishing up any last-minute details. Also, Colt and Tori haven’t seen the place.”

  “Do you think I have time for some coffee and toast?”

  “Of course you do,” Kathleen said, filling her cup.

  As much as Josie wanted to delay the inevitable, she had to go. After her quick breakfast, they jumped into Colt’s pickup and headed out to the river.

  Ana chattered most of the way about wedding details. Josie took notes and asked even more questions, trying to concentrate on her job rather than on seeing Garrett again. When Ana pulled up to the construction site, Vance and Garrett’s trucks were there, and her heart began to race.

  “Good, the guys are already here. I can’t wait to see all the finishing touches to the place.” She turned to Colt. “Oh, wait until you see it, Tori, Dad. It’s beautiful.”

  They climbed out and helped Colt while he used his cane to get over the plywood walkway toward the wide porch. Josie made more notes about some minor landscaping needs.

  Colt stopped and gazed at the two-story log structure. “Land sakes, she’s a beauty.” He looked overwhelmed. “I’m glad Ana didn’t listen to an old man’s rantings and got this place built.”

  Ana grinned. “Actually, the lodge was Josie’s idea.”

  “Well, I give you all the credit for coming up with ideas to help out. I’m so grateful.”

  They finally reached the front door, and Ana paused and brushed her ebony hair off her shoulders. “It’s been a while since I’ve been here. Vance said he didn’t want me to see it until it was completed. Dad, welcome to River’s Edge Lodge.�
� She swung open the doors, and the group walked across the threshold.

  Ana let out a gasp as her gaze moved around the large open room with the massive floor-to-ceiling river rock fireplace. There were honey-oak hardwood floors and the far wall was all windows, overlooking the river and mountain range.

  Tears came to Ana’s eyes. “Oh, it’s perfect.”

  “That’s good to hear,” a familiar man’s voice said.

  Josie swung around to find Vance and Garrett were right behind her. The handsome men wore tool belts to let the others know they’d been working this morning.

  Ana ran to her man. Josie stood in her place, hating the fact she wished she could go to Garrett. Whoa. He isn’t yours to run to.

  “It’s perfect,” Ana said.

  “Then it’s worth all the work we put in.” Vance looked at Colt. “How do you like it?”

  Her father shook his head. “What’s not to like?” He glanced at Garrett. “Thank you for all you’ve done.”

  “You’re welcome, but your future son-in-law and Josie put in a lot of work, too.”

  Vance turned to Ana. “I know Josie worked really hard, and Garrett also logged in time he didn’t bill us for. These two put in a long few weeks to make sure it was finished for our wedding.”

  Ana looked at her and mouthed, “Thank you.”

  Josie didn’t want any praise. “Hey, I’m the maid of honor, and besides, we need to get this place rented to start making some money.”

  “Well, then, let’s start booking the place,” Ana said.

  Tori jumped in. “We’ll need to take a few pictures for the website and then we can begin to advertise River’s Edge Lodge.” She turned to Colt. “Do we have your approval?”

  Josie could see the emotion on her father’s face. “My approval? But I didn’t put in a lick of the work.”

  Ana stepped forward. “The Lazy S is your ranch, Dad. Vance and I had power of attorney while you were recovering, but you’re still the head of this family, and we make decisions together.”

  Colt nodded as tears filled his eyes. “Let’s have a wedding, and then start taking reservations.”

  Ana clasped her hands together. “I have another question to ask you, Dad.” Ana paused a moment. “Would you give me away?”

  The room grew silent. Josie glanced at Garrett. He caught her gaze, and she couldn’t seem to look away until her father answered, “Oh, Analeigh, I’d be honored.” He took her hand. “But I hate to give you away since I just found you.”

  “I think Vance would be willing to share me with you. And we’ll be living practically outside your door in the foreman’s house.” She glanced at Vance and smiled. “Until we get our new home built this spring.”

  Colt tapped his cane. “I wish I could do more to contribute to the operation.”

  Vance patted him on the back. “Come spring, Colt, I have no doubt you’ll be back on a horse. Until then we’ll help each other because that’s what families do.”

  Colt nodded.

  Vance tugged on Ana’s arm. “Come on, we want to show you the rest of the place.”

  Vance and Ana took Tori and Colt up the stairs.

  Garrett stayed back watching Josie taking some notes for the wedding beside the big window. She’d been doing her best to keep her distance ever since they returned to Montana. They’d spent four days together while in California, and then yesterday they’d gone their separate ways. He’d found he’d missed her. Lying in bed last night, he couldn’t sleep as memories of her flooded his head. He knew these feelings he had for her complicated his life. It would be disastrous if let himself fall in love with her again.

  He wasn’t listening to common sense when he walked up to her. “How’d you sleep last night?”

  She swung around, looking startled. “Oh, fine. I was pretty tired after the flight.”

  He reached out and touched her cheek. “I miss you, Josie. Being with you in Santa Barbara was incredible.”

  He watched her eyes darken and knew she’d been just as affected by what happened between them as he was.

  She closed her eyes a moment. “It was, but we can’t go back there again.”

  He knew that. He heard the voices upstairs. “Maybe we could go somewhere and talk about that.”

  Josie shook her head. “Garrett, we had our night. A night that we should have had as teenagers, but we aren’t those kids anymore.”

  Years ago, they’d planned to wait until they were married to have sex. He forced a smile. “We still have feelings for each other.”

  “I think we always will.” She sighed and glanced away. “We have different lives now. I’m going back to L.A., and you’re staying here because it’s where you belong...with your son.”

  He felt tightness in his chest as his heart lodged in his throat. He was losing her again. He should be used to her rejection, but it still hurt like hell. “You’re right. Brody has to be my main focus.” Wanting her had made him forget that. “Then I guess there’s nothing more to say.”

  Josie avoided his gaze. “I guess not.” She finally looked at him. “If things were different—”

  He raised his hand to stop from hearing her regrets. The familiar ache brought him back to all those years ago. He felt the pain again. “There’s no need to explain. It’s been over for a lot of years. It’s best we stop now before—”

  All at once the rest of the group appeared above them along the open staircase and started down the steps.

  “We’re all going to lunch at the Big Sky Café,” Vance announced. “You two want to join us?”

  “Sure,” Josie said, lacking enthusiasm.

  Garrett couldn’t be with Josie and keep pretending. He looked at his watch. “I’ll have to pass. I need to check on another job in Dillon.”

  After another round of thanks to him, the Slaters started out the door. Josie was the last to leave. She turned and looked at him. “This is for the best, Garrett. You’ll see.”

  He nodded and she left. “Yeah, we’ll always have Santa Barbara.” Why wasn’t that enough?

  * * *

  It was Thanksgiving morning, and Garrett had to start the celebration by breaking the bad news to his son. They weren’t going to the Slaters’ today.

  “But we were invited,” Brody said. “Why can’t we go?” The child was close to tears.

  “There’s been a change in plans, son. They have family home from California and they should spend time together.”

  Brody jumped up from the kitchen table. “It’s not fair. I wanted to be with Josie and Tori. We were going to play video games.”

  “I’ll play games with you.”

  “I don’t want to play with you.” The boy glared at him. “What did you do to make Josie mad?”

  He was taken aback by Brody’s comment. “I didn’t do anything.”

  “Yes, you did. You always made Mom mad.”

  Whoa, where did that come from? “It wasn’t intentional, son. People argue sometimes.”

  The child didn’t look convinced, so Garrett went on to say, “We’re not Josie’s family, and Josie, Tori and Ana need time with their dad.”

  “I don’t believe you,” the boy shouted before he ran from the room.

  Garrett started to go after him, but walked to the kitchen window and looked out. They both needed to cool off. It was obvious he and his son had more to work through. Worse, Brody was getting too attached to Josie. When she went back to L.A., he knew his son would be hurt.

  “You okay, Garrett?”

  He turned to see his father and nodded.

  Nolan Temple walked over to him. “Kids say things because they’re hurt and disappointed.”

  “Maybe he’s right,” he began. “I wasn’t the best husband.”

  “But you were always the best father to that boy,” Nolan countered. “He had a rough time with the divorce, then his mother’s passing not even a year ago, and the move here. Give him time.”

  “What if I do it all wrong?”


  “Just keep loving that boy.” His dad nodded. “But don’t let your marriage to Natalie keep you from moving on.”

  Garrett sighed. He didn’t want to think about his ex-wife or their bad years together. “I wasn’t the man she needed. As you saw with Brody’s attitude, I caused a lot of damage.”

  “Don’t be too quick to take all the blame, son. It takes two to make a marriage work.” Nolan shook his head. “I’m sorry. I won’t speak ill of the dead.”

  His father changed the subject. “When Josie showed up, I was kind of hoping you two would find each other again. You kind of gave Colt and I some hope when you went off to L.A. together.”

  He’d given himself some hope. Garrett shrugged, not wanting to rehash this. He hoped he’d been able to accept the fact that once again she’d leave and he’d stay here. “And she’s returning to L.A.”

  His father nodded. “Have you asked her to stay?”

  Garrett thought back to the wedding in Santa Barbara. He’d seen Josie at work. “She has her business there. I have my work here. We have the ranch and our home, and there’s Brody.”

  “I guess you’ve thought this out.”

  “Look, Dad, I’m not that boy she left behind years ago. I have to think of my son. I’m not going to chase after someone who doesn’t want me.”

  “Who said she doesn’t want you?”

  “She did, okay,” he answered a little too loud. “Sorry.”

  His father reached out and placed a hand on his arm. “It’s hard to give you advice, son. From the minute I saw your mother, I fell in love.” His father’s gaze settled on him. “I don’t have any regrets except I didn’t have enough time with her. Twenty-five years seems like a lifetime, but it’s not. I miss her every day. I wake up missing her, and I go to bed every night missing her.”

  Garrett had always envied his parents and the affection they showed each other. He smiled. “You two were so loving.”

  “Josie and her sisters haven’t been as lucky with their parents. Colt might be seeing the error of his ways since his stroke, but those girls never had a mother and father who were there for them growing up. It makes trust hard.”