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

by Angela Ruth Strong

  Paisley’s rubber boots squeaked against the floor as she spun to face the shop owners who were now holding hands with each other and galloping around the room. “Where’s my flyer?”

  They galloped by. Dot waved and yelled back over her shoulder. “What flyer?”

  Paisley’s eyes flooded.

  Josh pressed a hand to her spine to let her know she wasn’t alone.

  She shook it off. “My flyer for hiring ranch hands,” she yelled across the room.

  The women circled back their way. “I took it down,” Dot squealed, her voice as gleeful as before. “You don’t need ranch hands when you have Joshua and Samuel.”

  Except that he was leaving. Sam should have been standing there with her. If she wasn’t going to accept Josh’s money, then Sam was the only one who had anything to offer her.

  Paisley turned to him then, her expression hopeless. Did she want help? Did she want him to yell at Dot for her? Or did she only want someone who understood?

  He’d start by offering empathy in the form of a wrinkled brow and sad smile. She didn’t snap at him or throw things this time. He lifted a hand slowly to run it down the sleeve of her blazer. She let him.

  The front door swung open, bringing the familiar chill along with a couple of stout older men with mischief in their eyes. “How dare you start dancing without us,” said the one wearing a red buffalo checkered hat with ear flaps.

  “How dare you be late.” Dot spun Annabel into the man’s arms.

  The man in the trucker hat pulled off his jacket to reveal a snake tattoo wrapped around one arm. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and chomped his gum.

  “You’re not getting off that easy.” Dot yanked his hand out of his pocket and pulled him onto the dance floor.

  Both couples spun their direction.

  “What are you two waiting for?” Annabel glided by as if on skates. “If you’re here, you might as well dance.”

  Her dance partner clumsily cha-chaed beside her. “Oops. Sorry. I think I got your toes.”

  Josh held up a hand again to wave them away. Of all the times for The Coffee Cottage to be turned into a dance hall . . .

  Paisley turned, her hand covering her mouth, but her eyes didn’t seem as shiny. “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

  Relief surged through Josh’s veins. If she hadn’t lost her sense of humor, there was still hope. “At least you’re not throwing shoes at me anymore.”

  She bent her head and leaned into him, her crown pressed against his chest. He lifted his hands to hug her in tighter. But he couldn’t. Not after how hard she’d fought to keep him away. Not after he told her he’d be heading home soon. Not after he realized she was a better fit for Sam. That would be taking advantage of the situation. He dropped his hands to his sides.

  She didn’t move. He rolled his head back to send an “ah, come on” look heavenward. Because if she stayed there, he’d be a heartless jerk not to hug her. He lifted his hands, flinched from the coming impact, and gingerly placed them on her shoulders.

  Not bad. It was a kind gesture. He could do this. It wasn’t like he was going to . . .

  His fingers massaged the muscles at the top of her back. Gah. He needed to stop. But she was so tight. So tense. Only one moment longer. He wouldn’t think about the way her hair tickled his chin. Or how he wasn’t sure if the sugary smell was coming from her or fresh-baked cookies. Or how if the music slowed he could slide his arms down around her back and rock with her to the melody.

  It was a good thing Dot and Annabel’s dance floor was soon going to be returned to a coffee shop. And there weren’t any holiday dances coming up that he knew of . . .

  He froze as memories invaded. Bree had taken him to a Holly Ball last year. The ticket prices were ridiculous, but he justified it since all the money went to a charity.

  What if Paisley put on a ball as a fundraiser for her ranch? His mind listed off resources and timeframes and the publicity involved. Together, they had what it took to make it happen. And people traveled to Big Sky for Christmas—people with money to spend. They’d see the value in helping fund a youth ranch. If not, he’d make the event something that they’d want to be seen at. He could invite Emily up from Sun Valley because her celebrity status always drew a crowd.

  Paisley pulled away and lifted her chin to look at him. Her eyes were wary like they thought he might be about ready to nuzzle his nose against her temple. Not that he didn’t want to, but his mind had been elsewhere. His gaze bounced with the energy of his thoughts.

  She tilted her head. “What?”

  “We’re going to host a Cowboy Christmas Ball.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “You want us to what?” Tracen’s voice blared over the phone the next morning.

  Josh glanced out the office window. A reporter from Big Sky News would be there any second, and he had to ensure his brother and famous sister-in-law were going to make the trip up for the Cowboy Christmas Ball and a silent auction fund-raiser the following Saturday, before he did the interview. “It’s only a five-hour drive,” he reasoned.

  “Do you know how much time we spend traveling?” asked Tracen. “Mercy. We only got home yesterday from filming another Wonder Woman movie, and we have to go to Sundance Film Festival in Utah in a month. I finally built my cabin, but I’m never here to enjoy it.”

  Yeah. His life was rough. “Put Emily on the phone.”

  “That’s not cool.”

  Josh smiled.

  “If you talk to Emily, she will . . .” Tracen’s voice faded away as if he’d covered the mouth piece. “It’s Josh. He’s trying to take advantage of your celebrity status.”

  Nice. Josh shook his head.

  Muffled bumps and scratches echoed over phone wires.

  “Josh? How are you?” Emily’s sweet voice rang out. At least she cared.

  “Hey, sis.”

  Paisley carried in a couple mugs of coffee. Her eyes widened at his use of the word sis. She set one mug down and pointed at the landline telephone before mouthing, “Emily Van Arsdale?”

  Emily Van Arsdale Lake was more accurate, but Josh nodded. The thrill he got at seeing Paisley’s awed expression beat out the excitement of his first meeting with the actress.

  “I’m doing pretty well,” he said. Did Emily still think he was suffering from being suspended from his job and dumped by his fiancée? He’d fill her in later. “I was actually wondering if you would want to come to Big Sky next weekend for a Cowboy Ball and silent auction. It’s to raise money for my friend’s ranch that she is turning into a camp and retreat center for families and kids.”

  “That sounds really cool.” Emily paused. “Tell me more about the friend.”

  How did he explain? Maybe he best leave that to Paisley. “Here. I’ll let you talk to her.”

  He held out the phone.

  Paisley stepped back and waved her free hand in protest. Funny, he never would have expected the cowgirl to get tongue tied over a movie star.

  The doorbell rang. He stood and set the phone down so Paisley would have to pick it up to talk to Emily or be considered rude for leaving the phone on the desk.

  When Paisley realized what he was doing, she set her mug down and raced him to the office door. He reached it first and shot an arm across to block her path. She ducked to squeeze under. He shifted over so they were face to face. That should scare her away.

  She didn’t move immediately as he’d expected, but she wrinkled her freckled nose in defeat.

  “Don’t be rude,” he admonished before leaving her to talk to Emily. He’d get the door and let Paisley work out the details of Emily’s visit the next weekend. Which they would. And Tracen would come along and hang out with his brothers and eventually admit he was glad to be with family for the holidays.

  Josh jogged to the front door and swung it wide to find not only a newspaper reporter but a film crew. He squinted at the van parked below the balcony. Channel Seven? They had to be fr
om Bozeman. He’d emailed a press release but hadn’t expected such a quick response.

  The man who looked more like a college kid than a reporter held out his hand. “I’m Kyle Gray with KBZK. I was in the area for a piece on ski patrol and rescue dogs and figured I’d stop by to find out about your Cowboy Ball. Is it true actress Emily Van Arsdale will be attending?”

  Josh grinned as a second car pulled up. Might as well make it a press conference. He’d been in over his head with life as a ranch hand, but he was in his element now. “Oh, it’s true. And I’d love to tell you more about it. Come on in.”

  By the time Paisley joined him in the great room, he had two journalists along with the television reporter seated on the leather couch. He held out his arm to usher her to the leather armchair next to the Christmas tree. “Here she is now. This is Paisley Sheridan, the new owner of Bright Star Ranch. She’s turning the place into a retreat center and kids’ camp. Tickets for the Cowboy Christmas Ball will be raising money to help her get it started. I’ll let her tell you all about the event.”

  Paisley eyed the row of interviewers then gazed at him, her mouth slightly open. It had to be a shock to go from talking to a celebrity to practically becoming one. He nodded toward the chair to get her to move. She closed her mouth and stepped forward slowly as if taking time to mentally prepare for what she was going to say.

  “Ms. Sheridan, have you always wanted to run a camp?”

  “And how did you come up with the idea for the ball?”

  “Where are you from again?”

  Josh stepped behind the couch to watch as Paisley got comfortable then began to share her passion. He crossed his arms, feeling proud of both her and his ability to help her. Though the real test would come that night after the news was announced, when they saw how many tickets had been sold from her website.

  Sam joined him, on a break from his job of recruiting donations for the silent auction. “Pastor Taylor called. He’s gotten the whole worship band on board to play at the ball. They are having an extra practice tonight to work on country songs and Christmas carols.”

  Josh nodded. That was a relief. A ball needed more than him on Grandpa Johan’s guitar.

  Paisley tucked a strand of hair behind her ear to keep it out of her face as she leaned forward, earnestly sharing her vision for the ranch. “As a little girl, I had two favorite places in the world. One was summer camp with my friends. The other was here with Grandpa Johan. I’d never imagined I would get the opportunity to combine both of those, and now that I do, I’m so excited to make a difference in the lives of other children.”

  His heart swelled for her. She may still be mourning her grandfather’s death, but she’d used a tough situation to make the world a brighter place. She had a purpose.

  His heart deflated a little. Because though he loved what he did, he’d never had the same kind of purpose. He helped giant corporations make money by selling products. Was anybody going to have their life changed by a product?

  The ring of the phone interrupted his thoughts. Which was fine. They weren’t comfortable thoughts anyway. He shook away the feeling of discontentment and trotted down the hallway to take the call in the office.

  “Bright Star Ranch,” he answered.

  “Josh? This is Charlie. My guys have all agreed to act as parking attendants and a shuttle crew for your ball.”

  “Perfect.” One more answer to prayer. Because they could decorate the barn with twinkle lights and bring in a dance floor and heaters, but if they couldn’t get the guests down the two-mile dirt road, then any tickets sold would be worthless.

  “We’ll come out Saturday morning to plow the snow out of the field by the highway. Then we can park cars there.”

  Brilliant. Josh had never had a promotional event come together so easily. “I don’t know how to thank you, Charlie.”

  She laughed. “Have Sam save me a dance.”

  That meant at least one dance where Paisley would be free to dance with him. “I’m sure Sam would love to dance with you.”

  Sam leaned in the doorway from the hallway. He shot Josh a dirty look and shook his head. Was it because he didn’t like Charlie or because he preferred Paisley?

  “Gotta go, Charlie. See you Saturday.” He set the phone in the cradle and turned to face his little brother. “Did you need something?”

  “I need you to let me choose who I want to dance with.”

  Josh wasn’t going to ask who Sam would choose. He was having too good a day to ruin it with thoughts of Paisley in Sam’s arms. “Anything else?”

  “Paisley is taking the reporters out to the barn for pictures. I thought you might want to go.”

  Josh jumped up. “Thank you.”

  He’d join her so she knew she wasn’t alone in this. If he’d gotten bruised and scraped up when getting on a horse for the first time in years, she could certainly get hurt when dealing with reporters for the first time. He grabbed the old coat he now thought of as his and jogged through the snow.

  Paisley stood in front of the barn pointing up at the star he’d helped Sam hang. “The star isn’t only a symbol of Christmas, it represents the name of my ranch, which I named because I want people to be drawn here and find hope the way the wise men found hope in Jesus.”

  Photographers focused their cameras on her, their whirs and clicks punctuating her speech. And there was nothing Josh could have added to make her words more beautiful. Had she just described him? Had he been drawn to the ranch for a divine reason?

  Paisley spotted him. Her cheeks dimpled. “Josh hung the star. He helped me design the logo, too.”

  Heads turned his way.

  “Can we get you in the photo, Mr . . .?”

  “Lake.” Would Paisley want him in the photo? The reporters didn’t know he’d be leaving soon. Paisley made it sound like he was as involved with the ranch as she was.

  Kyle Gray faced him, his head cocked. “Lake? As in Emily Van Arsdale Lake?”

  Josh flicked his gaze past the man toward Paisley. She still hadn’t said anything about him being in the photo with her. She watched him with a dazed look in her eyes. She probably wasn’t even thinking about him. She was focused on the fund-raiser and her dreams of opening a camp. Which was what he should be focused on, too. “Yes. Emily Lake. She married my brother, and they will both be here for the ball.”

  He had their full attention now. They’d want to note the connection in their reports. He didn’t want the story to be about him, but he wanted to help Paisley’s cause. He’d join Paisley if she didn’t protest.

  Josh walked across the snow to stand beside her, and it didn’t feel weird at all. It felt like coming home.

  She smiled up at him. “Thank you.”

  Cameras flashed. And he knew he should turn to pose for them. But he couldn’t take his gaze off her sparkling eyes. Because though she was thanking him for what he’d done, he wanted to do more.

  Paisley lowered gingerly to the arm of the couch. Sam had sprawled across the whole thing, so there was no room for her, but it wasn’t like she could sit still anyway. Her interview was supposed to come on the news any minute. And more importantly than what she looked like or how she sounded, was how viewers reacted. Would they buy tickets for two-hundred and fifty dollars apiece? So far, she’d only sold two. And that had been to Heather at the bank. Most of the people Paisley knew would be helping out at the ball, so it wasn’t like she could sell tickets to friends. Not that many of them could afford it.

  The fund-raiser had been a good idea. And Josh had been amazing at putting it together. But she still didn’t want to get her hopes up. “You really think people will pay that much for tickets to a dance?” she asked.

  Josh set his laptop on the kitchen counter so he could watch ticket sales. He stepped closer to the living area of the great room and leaned against a log beam. “People at Big Sky resort spend ridiculous amounts of money on fur coats, and they need a place to wear them.”

  That w
as a good point, but it didn’t keep her from nibbling on a nail with nervous energy. The screen flashed to a rescue dog at Lone Peak. Somebody at the news station had thought rescue dogs were more important than her ranch. That couldn’t be good. “The resort offers some events of its own,” she countered, looking over her shoulder to gauge his reaction.

  Josh nodded. “We’re not limited to resort guests. People will drive down from Bozeman, as well.”

  Would they? “Maybe if they had more than a week to plan for it. You don’t think they needed more warning?”

  Josh lifted his shoulders. “Ideally, you could have been promoting the ball months in advance, but if people want to come they will come. Next year we can . . .”

  His voice trailed off, but they left a burning sensation in her belly like a cattle brand. Next year? We? Why would he say that? She couldn’t ask the questions aloud. But she couldn’t take her eyes off his, either. His reflected the uncertainty she felt.

  Was there a chance he wouldn’t return to Chicago? She couldn’t breathe.

  “It’s on.” Sam rolled up, bumping her hip with his elbow.

  She turned her back on Josh, but she could barely register the images on screen. Until the camera panned to a shot of them together in front of the barn. The way he strode over. The way she smiled up. The way they kept looking at each other rather than the camera. Oh no. She covered her mouth with her hand. The couple on screen made staring into each other’s eyes look so natural. How could she face him again after that?

  The screen flashed to a picture of her logo and the event information, but she couldn’t even read it to make sure it was correct. She was still seeing the image of herself smiling up at Josh. Like she was in love with him.

  “You guys, I left Sun Valley to get away from feeling like the third wheel,” Sam joked.

  But it was no joke. He’d seen their connection. That meant everybody watching the news would have seen it. Dot. Annabel. Charlie. Pastor Taylor. Josh.

  What did Josh think? She couldn’t see him. So she listened.