Finding Love In Big Sky, Montana (Resort to Love--Finding Love line Book 2)

by Angela Ruth Strong

  He followed Paisley down the stairs to stand next to her. “Is this going to be her new obsession?” he asked.

  Paisley didn’t look over. “Yes. Though I’m not sure if it’s better or worse than the tattoo idea.”

  “Paisley,” Dot called from where Sam parked the machine. “Come ride with Sam first so I can see how you do it. If it’s like riding a motorcycle, I’m in trouble. My ex-husband left me here on his last motorcycle ride because he got tired of me leaning away from the curves instead of into them.”

  The information jumbled in Josh’s brain. Dot’s ex rode motorcycles? And he rode away without her? That was harsh. But it shouldn’t require Paisley to ride with Sam.

  “It’s easy, Dot,” he called. “You’ll be fine.”

  His words didn’t beat Paisley across the snow. She pulled on a helmet and swung a leg behind Sam. She flipped her visor open. “It’s fun, Dot. You’ll love it. Hang onto Sam like this.” She wrapped her arms around his waist tighter than Josh had been holding her in the car. What was up with that?

  Sam turned the key and the two took off, swerving slowly through the trees. Sam circled back. Paisley waved a hand overhead and whooped as they passed the shop a second time. Was she really having that much fun?

  Dot held her little fists up in the air as if victory was about to be hers. “I can do it.”

  Annabel stepped out onto the porch with a steaming cup of coffee. “Here you go, Joshua.”

  Josh forced his shoulders down and back so he could relax and smile at the redhead. “Thank you, Annabel. Are you going to go for a ride?” If so, he could yell at Sam that Annabel was also waiting for a turn. It would then be rude for him to keep Paisley on longer.

  “Me? No. Absolutely not.”

  Of course not.

  “Your brother is quite a daredevil, isn’t he?”

  “He’s something all right.” Josh sipped his coffee. The warmth barely registered.

  “He’s been friends with Paisley for a long time?”

  “Yes.” Josh had been stupid to think he could simply show up and a few days later have some kind of amazing connection with Paisley. If the woman who’d pledged to marry him couldn’t even trust him, and his boss questioned his success, and he was dumb enough to blow his money in celebration before his contract got signed, why would anybody want to be with him?

  Rejection shouldn’t be any surprise. And this small one shouldn’t even matter at all in the grand scheme of things. It was stupid to feel competitive with Sam. The kid was an American hero. What woman wouldn’t love him?

  Sam slid to a dramatic stop. Paisley climbed off and helped Dot on. She adjusted the helmet over Dot’s spikey hairdo.

  Watching her tore at something inside. His confidence? That should have already been ripped to shreds. But somehow she’d found one more little piece to destroy.

  Paisley was only one woman. Josh had dated lots of women. So why should this one matter? Why did he want to stalk over and ask her on a date? Which was even stupider, since he didn’t have any money to take her out. He couldn’t even buy her a Christmas gift if he wanted to.

  Hmm…a Christmas gift. What would he buy her if he did have money? An ornament? A scarf? Or something more personal? Something with meaning?

  Gah. It didn’t matter. Well, it didn’t matter to her anyway.

  Chapter Ten

  Paisley wiped the snow off the four rows of seats in the red sleigh and laid out the Sherpa lined blankets. Josh held the reins as a couple of kids petted Butch and Cassidy. He smiled for the picture their mom was taking. Sam passed out Styrofoam cups of hot chocolate and apple cider to their riders. How had Paisley ever thought she could do this without help?

  Sam glanced her way. “What are the days and times of sleigh rides again?”

  She climbed down into the snow, trying to remember the new schedule. Josh had posted it on the website. What was it?

  Josh looked over as if to check on her. “Fridays at six and seven, and Saturdays every hour from noon to five.”

  She nodded in agreement. If she filled all the slots, her ranch would break even, and all the money from parties and boarding horses and ice skating would be able to fund her camp.

  The mom with the camera leaned around the horses to get a better glimpse of her. “You’re the owner?”

  She patted Butch as she passed and held out her right hand to introduce herself. “Yes. I’m Paisley Sheridan. Nice to meet you.”

  The mom switched her phone to her other hand to shake. “I’m Elizabeth Rodimel. It’s nice to meet you. Though you must not be related to the old owner, Johan Borstad.”

  The woman knew Grandpa? “I am actually. He was my mom’s dad. He passed away earlier this year, and I inherited the ranch.”

  Elizabeth Rodimel held her hand to her heart. “Oh, I’m so sorry. He was such a wonderful man.” She wiped her eyes. “Only last year he was telling me about a special lady friend. I wondered if maybe you were related to her.”

  Paisley tried to keep her eyebrows from shooting to her scalp. Grandpa had a lady friend? And he’d told a stranger, but he didn’t tell Paisley? “How . . . how did you know my grandpa again?”

  “Oh.” The woman shook her head. “We always come up here to ski for Christmas. One year we won a free sleigh ride through the resort, and we loved it so much I’ve brought my kids every year since. Your grandpa seemed so happy and healthy last time I saw him. I was surprised to find the ranch under new ownership.”

  Paisley’s lips parted, but no words came out. She shook her head in shock.

  The woman’s eyes widened, and she looked back and forth between Paisley and Josh. “I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t say anything wrong. You look like a lovely couple, and I’m sure you’ll do a fantastic job taking over.”

  She and Josh a couple? And the Rodimel woman thought the two of them were taking over the ranch together? If she’d been speechless before . . .

  “Paisley.” Josh motioned her over. Was he trying to rescue her? Then he should correct the misconception since he still had the ability to talk.

  She stepped toward him to whisper as much.

  He put his hand on her shoulder to turn her toward the clueless lady. “Mrs. Rodimel, would you take a picture of us to post on the website?”

  The website? He wanted to be on her website?

  “Sam.” He waved at his brother. “Come join us.”

  A picture with her and the two brothers. That wasn’t a bad idea. But her head was still swimming with the shock of Grandpa having a special lady. She’d have to ask Dot about that. Surely the busybody would know who might have been spending extra time with him.

  Sam stepped to her other side. Each man wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She adjusted herself in the center and lifted arms behind both their backs, careful to keep her touch light on Josh. She didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. Or perhaps the right idea.

  “Say ‘sleigh ride’.”

  Paisley pasted on a smile. “Sleigh ride.”

  A light flashed. They were done. She untangled herself and twisted away from Josh before she got too comfortable.

  Charlie stomped through the snow toward her. A couple of guys from her repair shop followed with their wives. Paisley had agreed to let the mechanic bring the Canyon Auto Repair crew as a Christmas gift in exchange for the new alternator.

  “Hey, girl.” Charlie winked. “Do you need me to take one of these gentlemen off your hands?”

  She did. She really did. She started to point toward Josh, but he reached out and grabbed her hand before Charlie noticed her gesture.

  He tugged her toward where he stood with Mrs. Rodimel. “Isn’t that a great photo?” he asked.

  She focused on the screen. The beautiful snow-covered trees in the background. The red sleigh. Butch and Cassidy. Her with Josh’s arm around her. She didn’t look as overwhelmed as she felt.

  How did he look? She studied the tiny image of Josh’s face. He looked like a cowboy,
rugged and strong in Grandpa’s coat and hat. The photo could fool anybody. And she was certainly a fool.

  “Don’t you think it would look good on the website?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Thank you, Elizabeth.”

  “Certainly. I’m honored to help keep the tradition alive.”

  Paisley’s heart sank. She was keeping Grandpa’s tradition alive, but it wasn’t going to be a family endeavor the way Elizabeth Rodimel thought. Paisley had no one to share it with and no one to pass it down to. A tickle inside her nose warned of impending tears. She sniffed and turned away to face the rest of the crowd and give her spiel.

  “Welcome, folks. If you’ve got your warm beverage, go ahead and climb in the sleigh. It’s a beautiful evening to go dashing through the snow. And while I’m on the subject, I hope you enjoy singing Christmas carols.” Her tour guide persona took over, empowering her to interact as entertainment rather than on a personal level. “But Sam, no matter how much you like Jingle Dogs, there is no barking allowed.”

  Sam howled in response.

  Laughter floated around much like the large, wet flakes dotting her cheeks and getting stuck in her eyelashes.

  She met Sam’s gaze and tilted her head toward the driver’s seat. She needed him to sit by her so Josh didn’t.

  He registered her request and smiled a knowing smile. Had he noticed the tension between her and Josh?

  “Oh, Sam.” Charlie stepped between them. “You’re so funny. Come sit in the back with me so I don’t miss any of your jokes.” She grabbed his hand and tugged.

  Sam sent a shrug Paisley’s direction before following Charlie like the puppy he’d pretended to be.

  Paisley grimaced. She should have paid cash for the repairs to Big Red.

  She felt Josh’s presence beside her before she saw him. Her lungs sucked in enough icy air to cause her chest to sting.

  Then his warm gaze melted her insides into a puddle. “Climb up, and I’ll hand you the reins.”

  “Okay.” A part of her was jittery with excitement about sitting next to him, having his shoulder bump hers or his thigh press against her leg. The other part would rather leave the sleigh behind and get dragged around by wild horses.

  She shot daggers at Sam as she stepped up into the front row. He’d known she’d wanted to sit by him. At least there were only a total of eleven riders, which meant she and Josh would have the whole row to themselves. They’d have room to move without being squished together.

  Josh stepped in and handed her the reins. He lowered onto the seat next to her, his knee bumping hers despite the space. “What’s up?” he asked.

  “Hm?” She gave her best innocent look.

  He didn’t buy it. “You don’t look very happy about your mechanic friend sitting with Sam.”

  Rather than respond, she twisted her face into puzzlement. Because it wasn’t like she was going to say, It hurts to be near you. And I’m afraid that like frostbite, if I’m with you too much, I’ll grow numb to the pain and get comfortable, and I won’t even realize it’s killing me until you’re gone.

  She’d ignore Josh as long as she could. She was good with sleigh rides. Not so good with emotional roller coasters. “Everybody in?”

  Positive responses. She twisted to double check. They were ready.

  She faced forward, the reins light in her gloved hands. “Butch, Cassidy, walk.”

  The horses took their first steps. The bells jingled. The sleigh slipped through the snow. The kids in the back whooped.

  She used to ride with Grandpa when she was a kid. He smelled like pipe smoke. And he told stories of her mom when she’d been a barrel racing champion. And he protected her from Dad’s disdain. He’d been her hero. Yet how well had she known him if she hadn’t known he’d been dating?

  “I can’t believe Grandpa had a girlfriend. I used to always be his girl.” She’d said the words aloud without meaning to. She smooshed her lips shut. She didn’t want to talk to Josh at all. And especially not about relationships.

  Why had he wanted to sit by Paisley again? First she was fuming over his brother leaving her in favor of Charlie. Now she was pining over memories of riding in the sleigh with her grandfather. She would obviously rather be anywhere else but next to him.

  “Well, honey.” He leaned back and extended his arms along the top of their seat. If it made her uncomfortable, then good. “Your grandpa was a big boy. He had every right to date. As do you.”

  Her chin snapped higher. Cassidy whinnied like she sensed the change in Paisley’s mood.

  “What’s that mean?” she demanded.

  He shrugged, his arm brushing against her coat. “I mean if you want something, say you want it.”

  She sat up straighter. Her fingers tightened around the reins. “And what do you think I want?”

  Josh tried to catch her gaze, but she wouldn’t look his way. “I really have no clue.”

  They rode in silence even though Paisley opened her mouth a couple of times like she was going to say something. Once she did instruct the horses to trot. And she also answered a couple of questions about the ranch. Her patrons didn’t catch onto her uptight attitude and continued to laugh and talk amongst themselves. She was really pretty skilled at hiding her emotions. Which could be why he had so much trouble reading her.

  Snowflakes continued to melt against his skin, not so much cold as it was festive. Like nature’s confetti. Montana didn’t have the wind Chicago had, so even when the temperatures dropped, they were more like a walk into the freezer section of the store rather than joining a polar bear plunge into the lake on New Year’s.

  “I . . . I . . .”

  She couldn’t get out whatever she wanted to say to him. Maybe he’d pushed her too hard. Maybe he’d come across too forceful. He just wanted to shock her façade off. Did she truly dislike him? Was her on-again-off-again connection to him more like a fishing lure designed to trap him into promoting her business? Or had she kept him on the ranch in hopes of getting Sam to come for a visit?

  One look at her biting her lip and he softened. Okay, he knew she wasn’t like that. She was honorable. If she was hiding something, it had to be out of fear. And he didn’t want her to be afraid of him. So he’d ease up. He’d change the subject.

  “That photo Elizabeth took will look good on your website, and you should consider getting more done. Maybe you could do a trade with a professional photographer like the trade you did with Charlie.”

  She glanced at him for the first time since they’d left the barn. “I will check that out.”

  He surveyed the area. She had a great view of Lone Peak. Today it disappeared into a ceiling of clouds, but on a sunny day—

  “You can’t always get what you want.”

  Was Paisley talking to him? He looked back down.

  Her gaze was hard. Unflinching. Maybe even a little judgmental like she thought he was selfish for pursuing dreams.

  He leaned away. “I know. But that’s different than being honest about it.”

  She faced forward again. “How do you know? You’ve always gotten what you wanted.”

  He scratched his head. “Did you forget why I’m here?”

  She gave a bitter laugh. It wasn’t a flattering sound. “You’ve had a minor setback. Your boss will figure out what happened. Your fiancée will apologize for not trusting you, if you decide to marry her after all. And you’ll get your big deal.”

  He studied her profile. He’d never seen this side of her. Was this who she really was? Was that what she really thought of him? “I hope you’re right, but you sound upset about it.”

  “No.” She shook her head to get rid of any cynicism. “It’s great for you. But life doesn’t work out that way for everybody.”

  Why did she think his life had worked out so well? If he knew what he wanted, he went after it. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. Like right now when his most prized possession—his car—was a joke. When he didn’t have a cent to his n
ame. When his career was on hold indefinitely, possibly forever. When he’d never been able to find the woman of his dreams. And when the one woman who intrigued him the most seemed to be lecturing him on having it all.

  “How does it work then, Paisley? Tell me.”

  “Sometimes . . .” Her tone lowered. The lines on her face softened. She wet her lips with the tip of her tongue. “Sometimes you want the impossible.”

  He didn’t get her. What was so impossible? She had a pretty great life, and she hadn’t even had to work for it. She’d been groomed for it from birth. It had been handed down to her from a relative.

  Unless she’d never wanted to leave Sun Valley. Unless this was all about her broken engagement. Unless she still wanted to marry the Nick guy. She hadn’t seemed heartbroken, but he knew she was hiding something. “Is this about your ex?”

  She laughed again. This time it tinkled lightly as though she was surprised. “What does it matter? My ex. My grandpa. My mom. All gone.”

  Whoa. He hadn’t thought of it that way. She might not be hiding emotions. She might simply be numb with grief. Her mom had died a while ago, but that still had to be rough. Paisley hadn’t mentioned her dad. He was a pretty cool guy. But he lived in a different state.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. Even though that wasn’t enough.

  She nodded acceptance. “If there are things I want that I can’t have, I’m not going to focus on them. I’m going to focus on what I can make happen. Like turning my ranch into a camp.”

  She was smarter than him. She was kinder than him. She was less selfish than him.

  “That’s awesome.” He should focus on her camp, too. Because making it all about himself had him looking like a jerk.

  “What do you want, Josh?” She’d turned the question around. That wasn’t how this thing was supposed to work.

  After his whole lecture on honesty, how honest did he get? When he knew what he wanted, he always spoke up. Like the night he said he wanted to kiss her. But so often when he got what he wanted, it wasn’t enough. There was this restlessness inside. Like the multi-million-dollar deal wouldn’t even satisfy. “I want to figure out what I want.”