Claire laughed and spontaneously pulled her old friend in for another hug. “Oh El, it’s so good to see you.”
Ellen squeezed her tight in response before pulling back with suspiciously misty eyes. “I’m just sorry I didn’t get back sooner. Steve’s parents moved to Dillon two years ago to be closer to their other son and his family. I promised them and June that we’d spend the summer there and the summer turned into the fall and, well….” She sighed and some of her earlier strain returned. “I guess I put off coming back here. Sometimes it’s easier to pretend that we’re doing okay and moving on with our lives when we’re not constantly surrounded by memories.”
Claire swallowed a thick lump in her throat at Ellen’s brutal honesty. Her openness after all these years was humbling. Claire couldn’t even discuss an encounter with an attractive guy in the grocery store let alone pour out her heart like Ellen was doing.
As if reading her mind, Ellen straightened, all signs of haunting grief disappearing as her eyes lit up with mischief. “So,” she drawled, linking her arm through Claire’s and leading her idly in the direction of the frozen goods which was where Claire had last seen Ruby heading.
She knew what Ellen was about to say but couldn’t think of a polite way to shut her up before the words came out.
“What’s going on with you and Cole Deckland?” Ellen’s voice became a whispered squeal as she said Cole’s name and Claire smothered a ridiculous giggle. At least she wasn’t the only one who turned into a goofy teenager at the mere mention of the town’s favorite bad boy.
“Nothing,” she said quickly. Maybe too quickly judging by Ellen’s suspicious sideways glance.
“That’s not what I heard,” Ellen teased.
Claire rolled her eyes. Two minutes after seeing her old friend again and it was like no time had passed at all. “Trust me, it was nothing.”
Her voice sounded stilted and for one crazy minute she felt a pang of something close to disappointment at the truth of those words.
Uh oh.
She could not go getting excited about the idea of Cole Deckland. This was exactly why he was dangerous. Because he was charismatic and charming and a former crush. The three fatal C’s.
Ellen sighed. “That’s too bad. I need one of my friends to get the dream guy so I can live vicariously.”
Claire laughed and squeezed her friend’s hand which was resting on her arm. “Need I remind you that you married your dream guy?”
Ellen grinned up at her. “I married my dream guy. Not the dream guy. There’s a difference.”
She laughed again and was surprised to hear the sound. Goodness, how long had it been since she’d laughed like this?
“My dream guy was perfect for me,” Ellen said. Claire was glad to hear only a hint of sadness in her voice as she talked about her deceased husband. “I wouldn’t trade a second of my time with him, not for all the money in the world.”
Ellen turned to face her, one eyebrow lifted. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t live vicariously through my friends.” Her face split with a wicked grin. “I mean, Cole Deckland?” Her head dropped back with a sigh. “Do you remember how every girl wanted to date him?” Ellen dropped her voice to a whisper as an elderly couple passed by. “Every girl in our high school wanted to be the one who finally tamed the wild child.”
Claire just smiled. She remembered. Of course she remembered. But she was too embarrassed to admit that she’d wanted to be the one just like every other girl. She’d known better even back then, but that hadn’t stopped her from fantasizing. There had been something about Cole that made him seem dangerous but safe all at the same time. Mischievous but not truly bad. Wicked but not evil. She bit back a sigh. She knew the type well, albeit not from firsthand experience. The kind of guy she’d just described was the same one she read about each night before bed. She’d always had a penchant for historical romances and in those books, Cole’s part would be clear. She supposed he was the modern day equivalent of a rake—the kind of hero who just begged to be reformed.
Her mother came into view and just in time. If ever there was a fantastic real-life reminder of just how foolish it was to try and tame a rake, it was Ruby. She’d spent the better part of her life trying and failing to make bad boys good. There was no way Claire would follow in her footsteps.
Ruby smiled at Ellen. “Welcome home, sweetheart. Where’s your little one?”
“June’s at school,” Ellen said.
Ruby’s eyes widened and her eyebrows shot up comically. “No! She can’t be old enough for school already.”
Ellen nodded. “I’m afraid so. I was homeschooling her in the fall so we could spend some more time with Steve’s family, but it was time to come back home. I missed my own family and June needed to be around her friends.”
Ruby nodded, her kind face filled with understanding. “Kids need their friends.” And then with a nudge to Claire’s side, she added, “No matter how old they get.”
Claire rolled her eyes. Very subtle. Ellen gave her a knowing smile. “Well, it’s a good thing she finally came back home then, huh?”
Claire tensed for a moment, waiting for the questions and comments that she’d been dreading since she returned. Why was she back? For how long? What about her dancing career?
But no questions came. Ellen was watching her closely, her green eyes far too perceptive. Finally, she said, “I heard you’ve been working at your family’s bar.”
There was no judgement in her voice, for which she was grateful. She gave a short nod. “That’s right.”
Ellen’s lips pulled to the side as if she was considering something. “I wonder if….” Her cheeks turned a pale shade of pink and she shook her head quickly. “Never mind.”
Claire’s curiosity was piqued. “No, what were you going to say?”
“It was a question, really.” She shifted uncomfortably. “Actually, more like a favor.”
Before Claire could say anything, Ellen rushed to add, “But no pressure, obviously. You are under no obligations here, I swear.”
Claire laughed. “Okay, no obligations. But now I’m dying to know what this favor is.”
Ellen looked around furtively. Claire realized that was how she looked when she’d thought the Reynolds were eavesdropping.
When she spoke, Ellen’s voice was low and her face wrinkled up in a grimace. “June would love to learn how to dance….” And then, as if there was any doubt what she meant, she added, “Ballet.”
Ugh. The world seemed to shift as her stomach took a nosedive. It was obvious where this was going, but Ellen continued anyway. “I don’t know how long you’re staying but I know there are a lot of kids who’d love to take a class or two….”
She trailed off and pressed her lips together. After an uncomfortable silence in which Claire struggled to think of a response, Ellen let out long exhale. “Sorry, was that a horrible thing to ask?”
Claire shook her head quickly. “No. Of course not.” And it wasn’t horrible to ask. But whether she could do it was another matter entirely. Physically she could. Her injury might have prevented her from dancing professionally but she could still move. In fact, regular stretching and exercise was supposed to help her heal.
So physically, yes. She could do it.
But emotionally? Mentally? Could she really stand the thought of teaching what she loved when she couldn’t do it herself?
Her heart was conflicted. Her mind was torn. Part of her said yes. Of course she would help her friend in any way she could. But another part of her wanted to refuse. That was the same part that had kept her holed up at the bar, never going out, never seeing friends. Too busy licking her wounds and healing her heartbreak to get outside her little bubble.
One look at Ellen’s hopeful expression made her decision. How could she say no to her old friend who’d welcomed her back with open arms? Not to mention her daughter. She might not have met June, but she knew that passion for dance better than anyone and if her dau
ghter held even the slightest interest in the art form, wasn’t it her duty to help foster that?
She’d be forever grateful to Ruby for having seen that passion early in life and, more importantly, doing everything in her power to nurture it. Doing that had meant driving her an hour and a half each way to the closest city so she could take ballet lessons, a luxury that their small town didn’t have.
And still didn’t, apparently. They might have all the traditional sports, like football, basketball, and soccer, but they were distinctly lacking in the arts.
Without letting herself think it through any further, she forced a smile. “Of course,” she said. “I’d be happy to.”
Ellen squealed and jumped up and down. “June will be so happy. And I’m sure the other girls in her class will as well. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
Claire’s apprehensions melted away as her friend embraced her, causing a scene by bouncing them both up and down in her excitement.
Now that she’d committed, she tried to figure out the logistics of her new volunteer position. “I don’t have a space—” she started.
“Let me worry about that.” Ellen was backing away, a broad grin spread across her face. “I’ll reach out to the other parents and work out a schedule that works for you and the kids and… oh, I’m just so excited. I’ll see you later, I have lots of work to do.”
Ellen was still calling out to her as she rounded an aisle and disappeared from view, presumably to get to work on forming a makeshift ballet academy.
Claire sighed. What had she gotten herself into?
Ruby patted her arm. “That was a good thing you did, Clarabelle.”
Was it? Then why did her chest ache at the thought of it?
But it wasn’t just that. A whole range of emotions surfaced, making her head spin. Before she could make heads or tail of them, she became aware of her mother watching her. She turned to find her gazing in her direction with a smug smile.
“I guess this means you’ll be staying in Lulu for a little while longer than, huh?”
She stared at the spot where Ellen had disappeared and let out a heartfelt sigh. “It would certainly appear that way.”
Chapter Eight
The tension in the ranch the next day was palpable. Another family meeting occurred spontaneously as Cole walked into the home’s spacious living room to find Dax poring over Alice’s laptop as she hovered nearby, clinging to the edge of the sofa as if holding herself in place.
He’d bet money she was biting the inside of her cheek to physically keep herself from pestering Dax. They all knew that Dax didn’t do anything quickly… except marry. But that was a different story and one sure to anger Dax if he teased him about it now.
But when it came to the ranch and business, Dax had a slow, methodical approach. Just like Dad, he followed the tried and true methods of the past. He’d never rush into a crazy new scheme. Not that Alice’s idea was crazy, necessarily, but it was certainly a sharp departure from the way things had been done at the Twilight Ranch.
But then, maybe it was time for a change. Cole had looked over the sites Alice had emailed to him the night before so he knew what Dax was seeing. Local competition, success stories of ranches that turned into guest ranches, the statistics behind tourism in Montana.
It was compelling stuff. He wasn’t a numbers guy like Dax but the case Alice laid out seemed sound. She’d even thrown out some rough estimates on how much it would take to convert some of their outbuildings into appealing guest homes and the price was reasonable, especially if it paid off.
When Dax looked up and glanced in Cole’s direction, he could see his younger brother was torn. He hated the idea, that much was obvious. Of course he did. He ran a legitimate cattle ranching operation, the idea of transforming that into something that appealed to tourists went against everything he’d worked for.
Cole might have had his differences with his brother but as he watched him struggle with this new idea, his heart went out to him. For the first time in a long time, he felt like what he was—the older brother. The one who should be the protector. Instead, Dax had taken on the role, but maybe now, for once in his life, Dax needed him to step up.
He had to be tactful about it, of course. Even after he’d stepped aside and left the running of this place to Dax, some of that old animosity was still there between them. Dax would get his panties in a twist if he thought Cole was trying to come back and make major decisions.
Leaning against the fireplace mantle, he crossed one leg in front of the other as he took a sip of his coffee. Alice was giving him an expectant look that bordered on hopeful. He could see why, he was probably the far more open-minded of the two, and far less tied to tradition and “the old ways.” He cleared his throat and aimed for diplomacy. “Well, Alice, I think I can speak for both of us when I say you went above and beyond with this idea.”
He saw Dax relax a bit as he nodded in agreement, and Cole’s confidence grew. “I’m real proud of you for thinking outside the box and for doing the work involved to give us a good idea of what this proposal would entail.”
Alice’s lips hitched to the side, clearly not sure how to take his compliment. She had a suspicious look about her as if she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Smart girl.
He glanced at Dax again, trying to gauge his mood. Apprehensive would be the kindest word for what he saw in his brother’s grim expression. Taking a sip of coffee to stall for time as he gathered his thoughts, he watched his two exceptional siblings. Amazing how two people so opposite could come from the same gene pool.
Three people, he supposed, if he threw himself into the mix. But now, standing there watching them, he could see himself in both in a way he never had before. He was a perfect mix of the two, with Alice’s sense of humor and ability to laugh mixed with Dax’s quick temper and hard-headedness.
He supposed the fact that he shared something in common with each made him a good buffer at times like this. That thought filled him with a pleasant sensation, almost like something had fallen into place inside him.
But they were both waiting for him to continue talking and the silence was growing tense. Now was not the time to be psychoanalyzing himself or what this new sensation meant.
Turning to Alice, he said, “I imagine Dax has some reservations—”
He held up a hand to stop her interrupting. “And rightly so.”
She scowled at him and crossed her arms. He supposed he and his brother didn’t corner the market on stubbornness.
Turning to Dax, he tried the same calm, rational tone. “Dax, I think even you can admit that Alice did real good with her work here.” He gestured to the laptop Dax had set to the side.
Dax nodded slowly. “Of course she did.” Then, as if realizing he was talking about her like she wasn’t in the room, he turned to Alice, his expression softening in a way that was solely reserved for their little sister. “Al, you did great. I’m real proud of you.”
Alice’s scowl eased slightly but she still looked wary, like she was still waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Cole intervened before Dax could start lodging protests. “Maybe it would help if Dax told us some of his concerns so we can address them.”
They both stared at him like he was nuts. Or brilliant. He’d prefer to think brilliant. “I’m serious. This is an emotional topic for all of us. None of us want to lose this home.” He glanced to Dax, “Or the land.”
“But tourists?” Dax apparently couldn’t hold it in any longer. He said the word tourists like others would say cockroaches or rats.
“Paying tourists,” Alice corrected, a hint of her humor seeping through with her rueful smile. “Look, I know this isn’t what we’ve done in the past—”
Dax made a sound low in his throat that could only be called a growl. Cole scowled at him, silently shushing him before this turned into an all out fight and not a civil family conversation.
Dax and Alice were locked in
a stare that he knew neither was going to break anytime soon.
He took a step away from the mantle to get their attention. “You both need to listen to each other if we’re going to have a productive discussion.” That got their attention, and they both looked at him in disbelief. “All right, debate,” he amended.
Dax leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed. “I hate the idea of catering to rich folks who don’t know the first thing about ranching—”
“Do you hate it more than losing this house?” Alice demanded. “More than losing the land that’s been in this family for four generations?”
Cole knew she was right but he also knew Dax would react badly if he thought they were ganging up on him. So instead of saying so outright, he said, “What if we did a trial run?”
They both looked to him again. “What do you mean?” Dax asked.
Cole shrugged. “I’m saying Alice put together a great plan on how to re-outfit this place. But that requires an investment in time and money….” He looked to both to see if they would argue. Neither did. “I’m thinking we try it out on a smaller scale first. See how bad it really would be,” he said to Dax. “Gauge the interest level on the local level,” he said to Alice. “That way we can try it out without throwing a lot of money into it.”
Alice was scowling at him as though here were a traitor. “Al, it’s not that I’m disagreeing with you. It’s clear that if we want to bring in more of an income we’ll need to think outside the box.”
“We shouldn’t have to,” Dax interjected. “If we got paid the way we—”
“No, we shouldn’t have to,” he agreed. “In an ideal world we’d be getting by like our forefathers have always done.”
Alice sighed as she stood and started to pace the room. “That’s just it. They always just got by.”
Cole glanced at Dax and saw that he too was surprised by the frustration in her voice.
Dancing Queens & Biker Kings: Sweet & Rugged in Montana Page 7
