Riding Home

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  Regan followed Zach’s gaze. “Lily’s working it.”

  “She sure as hell is. I’m impressed.”

  “I’ve tried talking to Morgan and Tyler, but they just brush me off. They want to be affronted on my behalf, and that’s that. I was hoping my folks would make it out for this party and they’d talk to my sisters, but at the last minute my mom got the flu so they canceled. Lily will be a big help, though. She’s all about peace, love and forgiveness.”

  “You found yourself a gem, O’Connelli.”

  “I did. So what about you and Jeannette? Looks like you two get along great.”

  Zach continued to watch the group of women. Jeannette appeared to be having a good time. “We do get along, but she’s about to make partner with her law firm.”

  “Is she?” Regan grinned. “That’s terrific. She didn’t tell me that. I’ll be sure to congratulate her.”

  “It is terrific.” Zach swallowed another mouthful of beer. “But that means her life is very solid back there. And I’ve finally found the place I’ve been looking for. You live here, so I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. This place gets in your blood.”

  “It does, which means she could learn to love it, too. Talk her into moving. She’s a go-getter. Tell her to set up a law office in Shoshone. We could use one.”

  Zach considered the very tempting idea. But finally he shook his head. “I can’t ask her to give up a partnership she’s been working toward for years. She wants it. I think...” He caught himself before he said any more. Probably better not to discuss his theories with Regan.

  “Of course she wants it.” Regan also continued to watch the group of women talking and laughing. “She’s desperate to please her parents.”

  Zach blew out a breath. “She mentioned something about that.”

  “I’ve interacted with Dick and Eunice Trenton over the years, and it’s obvious they’re more interested in their racing stable than in their daughter. I get the impression she’s been tolerated instead of cherished.”

  “I’m afraid you’re right.”

  “It’s a defining part of her story. Because she inconvenienced her parents, she has to be the perfect child. I’m sure they gave her hell over the broken engagement.”

  Zach nodded. “Sounded like it to me. Unforgiving people with high expectations.”

  “That’s why I was so glad when she blew off the card and present thing. That was a real step forward.” Regan turned toward Zach. “If you had anything to do with that, then I have to say you’re a good influence on her.”

  “Maybe I played some small part.” He met Regan’s gaze. “But that doesn’t mean she’d give up the opportunity to make partner so she could come out here and build a practice from the ground up in a little town like Shoshone. Nothing high-profile about that move. I can’t see her doing it.”

  “Depends on how much she wants to be with you.”

  Zach took a deep breath. “That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?”

  12

  JEANNETTE REALIZED WHAT Lily was doing and she thoroughly appreciated it. For the first time since she’d arrived in Shoshone, she had a friendly conversation with Morgan Chance. She made friends with Morgan’s two children, both redheads like Morgan, and discussed the real estate business in Shoshone, which was Morgan’s field.

  She was a little more nervous about talking with Tyler, Regan’s twin sister, because she’d heard what a close bond twins could have. Tyler’s dark eyes and hair reminded her so much of Regan that she felt as if she knew her and they were already friends. Yet they weren’t, and Tyler could be carrying a lot of resentment.

  Lily’s warm presence helped enormously, though, and soon Tyler opened up. Her former job as an activities director for a cruise line meant she’d traveled the world, including places Jeannette had visited with her parents. Tyler’s enthusiasm for beautiful spots like Florence and Santorini melted any remaining tension. Soon all the women at the table were busy planning their dream vacations.

  Unfortunately Cassidy, Regan’s eighteen-year-old sister, wasn’t sitting with them. She’d made no effort to be friendly and probably wouldn’t be easy to win over, but Jeannette was encouraged by the interaction with Morgan and Tyler. Cassidy would just take a little longer. If only Jeannette had more time...but she didn’t.

  In about thirty-six hours, she’d be on a plane to Virginia. Would she be back? That was hard to say. She loved Regan like a brother and his sisters were a hoot, but popping in and out of Jackson Hole might not be as easy as she’d like to imagine.

  Drake wouldn’t be in town much longer, either. He and Tracy had decided to move to Virginia. Drake planned to establish an equine rescue facility for Thoroughbred racehorses, and Tracy had just been admitted to the University of Virginia and had been able to transfer some of her online credits in psychology. Jeannette looked forward to visiting them.

  Flying to Jackson Hole involved a much bigger commitment though. And then there was the issue of Zach. She couldn’t come to Shoshone and pretend Zach didn’t live here, too. She’d be looking for him around every corner. She’d want to know whether he’d found the woman of his dreams.

  Ugh. That was a depressing thought. Yet he was a virile, lovable man who deserved to have a woman in his life. Once she left town, he’d probably start looking for someone who fancied a cabin in the woods.

  As if her thoughts had drawn him to her, he approached the group of women gathered around a picnic table, a group she’d become a part of in the past half hour. She was proud of that, but she was glad to see Zach. She’d missed him.

  “I don’t want to interrupt,” he said, “but the guitar players are tuning up and I’d like to borrow Jeannette for a dance.”

  Morgan laughed. “If the dancing’s about to start, we’ll all be out there, even the kids. A Last Chance party is about the food and the dancing.” She turned to Lily. “Speaking of that, aren’t you and Regan supposed to start this thing off?”

  “I think that’s a wedding tradition, not an engagement party tradition.” Lily shrugged. “But what do I know? I’ve never been engaged before, let alone married.”

  “Regan and Lily probably should start the dancin’,” Jeannette said. Then she realized maybe she shouldn’t have stated that so directly. “At least that’s how we do it in Virginia. Y’all might do it differently out here.”

  “See, I thought that was how it should go.” Morgan made a shooing motion with her hands. “Go get your man, Lily, and boogie on out there so the rest of us can join in. My dancing feet are itching to see some action.”

  “Okay.” Lily left her seat. “But don’t leave us out there alone for too long, please. Regan and I are kind of new to this Last Chance dancing tradition. Compared to you guys, we might suck.”

  “Hey,” Tyler said, “if my hubby can learn to hang with these folks, anybody can. You’ll be fine.” She glanced at Zach. “I’ll bet Jack asked if you could dance when he hired you. Am I right?”

  “You would be right.”

  “And can you?” Morgan asked.

  “I should be able to manage, at least for a number or two.”

  Morgan looked doubtful. “We’re talking about country swing, not hip-hop. Isn’t that mostly what they do over in L.A.?”

  “There’s a fair amount of that, sure. But along the way I picked up a little country swing.”

  Jeannette wondered if anyone else caught the gleam in Zach’s eyes as he said that. She’d spent enough time with him to know that expression meant he relished the challenge of whatever activity was coming up next, whether it was dancing or making love. And if he danced the way he made love, he’d be amazing at it.

  She got up from the table and turned to Morgan and Tyler. “Thanks for the conversation. It’s always fun to talk about travel plans.” />
  Morgan smiled. “I’m glad we got to know you a little better.”

  “Me, too.” Tyler stood and held out her hand. “Be sure and send me a postcard if you get to Dubrovnik. It’s a cool little city.”

  “I will. Thanks.” Jeannette squeezed Tyler’s hand. “See you both on the dance floor.”

  As she walked away with Zach, he leaned closer. “Feeling better about the O’Connelli sisters?”

  “Those two, for sure. Lily deserves the credit. She broke the ice, and believe me, there was some ice that needed to be broken.”

  “Lily’s great, isn’t she? From what I hear, she could have chosen to make a lot of money designing computer games up in Silicon Valley, but instead she decided to operate an equine rescue facility in Shoshone.”

  “That’s admirable.” Jeannette could see why Zach would be all in favor of a move like that. “Did she like designing computer games?”

  “I think she liked it okay, but it didn’t satisfy her the way the horse operation does.”

  “Then I’m glad she found what works for her. It’s so important to enjoy what you do.”

  “Absolutely.”

  If they’d been alone instead of heading for the dance floor, she might have used that as a jumping-off point for a discussion about the Wyoming bar-exam study guide he’d bought. But this wasn’t the time or place for that.

  The pair of guitarists opened with a Tim McGraw number that didn’t seem too taxing for Regan and Lily as they two-stepped around the dance floor. Jeannette couldn’t remember ever dancing much when she’d dated Regan, but he seemed to be having a great time. Lily brought out his playful side. Apparently she and Regan had been too much alike to cause sparks to fly.

  Jeannette had been taught ballroom dancing as a debutante, and the dance instructor had added a few lessons in country swing for the fun of it. Watching Regan and Lily confirmed that she’d be fine out there. The catchy music had her tapping her toe.

  She leaned toward Zach. “Those guitarists are good. Who are they?”

  “Two of the ranch hands.”

  “They’re not professionals?”

  “Not officially, although they’ve made some demos and something might come of that. I’ve sent some tracks to a few of my friends in the business.”

  “That’s terrific, Zach. Sometimes all it takes is the right connections.”

  “The thing is, they both love working on this ranch. I don’t know if either of them really wants to perform full-time. Tyler sings with them sometimes, and I know she’s not interested in living that life.”

  “Yes, but they’re good. If they have the talent, then—”

  “Not everyone wants to take it to the next level.”

  She didn’t want to argue that point. She didn’t want to argue at all, in fact. “So what are their names?” She was curious in case someday one of them became famous.

  “Watkins is the older guy with the handlebar mustache. He has a first name, but nobody uses it. Trey Wheeler’s the younger one. He’s engaged to Elle, that blonde standing across the platform from us.”

  Jeannette located the woman he was talking about. Tall and athletic-looking, she was dressed like everyone else in jeans and a casual shirt. But there was nothing casual in the way she focused on Trey playing that guitar. “She’s crazy about him. She’s practically glowing with pride. That’s very cute.”

  “He’s crazy about her, too. She’s a ski instructor at one of the resorts. Trey said this is the first summer she’s stayed in Jackson Hole instead of flying down to Argentina to work during their winter months. Obviously she didn’t want to leave him to go down there.”

  “Obviously.” Jeannette couldn’t help thinking there was a subtext to all the information Zach had given her about people who’d changed their lives for the sake of love.

  She also wondered if Elle missed skiing while she stayed here to be with Trey. Sure, couples sometimes had to make sacrifices in order to be together. Would she? If Zach asked her to leave Virginia to be with him, would she consider it?

  The answer wasn’t simple. She wouldn’t give up practicing law to be with him, and she couldn’t imagine working in a law office every day and coming home to someone who had turned his back on that profession. Sooner or later that would become an issue between them.

  They had to talk about it, and postponing that discussion weighed heavier with every passing moment. She took a deep breath to release some of her tension. The scent of recently cut lumber was strong here, and she guessed by the unmarred surface of the plywood platform that this had been the project that Zach had helped with this afternoon.

  That thought reminded her that he still hadn’t had any sleep. Until he had, she couldn’t pester the poor guy with questions about his future. She leaned closer. “How are you holdin’ up?”

  “Great.”

  “I just happened to think...do you have to work tomorrow?”

  “Yeah. I’m a new hire, so I work Sundays.”

  “At dawn?”

  He chuckled. “That’s when the animals get up.”

  “Whew. Then let’s not stay long. I’m surprised you’re upright, now that I think about it. Do you need coffee?”

  “Dancing with you will be way more effective than caffeine for jump-starting my engine.”

  She smiled up at him. “What a nice thing to say.”

  “What a nice thing to do.” He glanced at the dance floor. “More folks are joining in. Let’s go.” He took her hand and led her up the steps.

  “What about my hat? Should I take it off?”

  “Not unless you want to. I can work around your hat.”

  “Then I’ll leave it on.” She was pleased with the white straw hat and felt more country wearing it.

  Anticipation raced through her at the prospect of dancing with Zach. She remembered how much she used to love dancing, but she hadn’t made it a priority in a long while. She’d concentrated on work and forgotten how to relax.

  Zach drew her into his arms, and from the moment he started to move, she knew dancing with him would be wonderful. He had an excellent sense of rhythm and dear God, did he know how to lead. His partner could be a mediocre dancer and Zach would make her look as if she should be a contestant on Dancing with the Stars.

  As they circled the floor and he twirled her first one way and then another, she laughed from the sheer joy of it. She’d never had this much fun dancing with a guy. The song ended, and she gazed up at him, breathless with pleasure. “I know you must be tired, but can we do that once more?”

  His grin flashed. “Yes, ma’am, we sure can.”

  “You’re very good at this.”

  “You inspire me.”

  She met his gaze. “I think we inspire each other.”

  His expression grew serious as he brushed a thumb tenderly over her cheek. “Hold that thought.”

  Then the music began again and they were off, dancing together as if they’d been doing it for years. Yet she knew it was Zach making it seem that way. He was far more talented than he’d let on.

  Other dancers called out encouragement and praise. Jeannette had never danced with someone who took such control of the floor, and it was a heady experience. Jack and Josie Chance whirled by and Jack gave them a thumbs-up.

  “Looks like I won’t lose my job for being a washout at dancing,” Zach murmured.

  “You were never in danger of that, were you?” She ducked under his arm as he turned her in another perfect spin.

  He caught her expertly around the waist. “Nope. I won a couple of country swing dance competitions last year.”

  “You sandbagger!”

  “Keep that under your hat.” He guided her through another tricky maneuver.

  “I will. Your secrets are safe with me
.”

  He twirled her again and pulled her in close. “My secrets aren’t my biggest concern.”

  She spun out and came back in tight against him. “What is?”

  “My heart.”

  That left her speechless. They finished the dance, but those words, spoken casually, echoed between them. She didn’t think they’d been meant casually at all.

  Still trying to catch her breath from the pace of the dance, she flattened her palms against his chest and felt the rapid beat of his heart, the one he was hoping would be safe with her. This temporary relationship didn’t feel so temporary now. Lifting her gaze, she looked into eyes filled with intensity. “We should go.”

  “Yes, we should.”

  “We need to make the rounds and say goodbye.”

  “Absolutely.”

  Together they satisfied that obligation. They spoke with Lily and Regan before moving on to Morgan and her husband, Gabe. They caught Tyler right before she went up to sing, and Jeannette apologized for leaving without hearing her.

  Everyone knew that Zach had to work in the morning, so no one expressed surprise that they were heading out. Jeannette could sense their quiet speculation, though. No doubt many of them had noticed the bond developing and wondered what would happen when she left for Virginia.

  Last of all they searched out Jack and Josie. The Chances were conveniently talking with Jack’s mother, Sarah, so they could thank her, too. Elegant without seeming formal, Sarah was dressed in jeans and a tailored shirt. She wore her silver hair in a simple pageboy and favored Native American jewelry.

  As they were starting to move away, Sarah laid a hand on Jeannette’s arm. “As I recall, tomorrow’s your last day here.”

  “That’s right.” Jeannette fought the sinking feeling that statement brought.

  “Zach will be tied up all day, of course, and you may want to spend the time enjoying his campsite. It’s beautiful out there, but if you’d like to take a ride tomorrow afternoon, I’d be happy to show you around the property. On horseback is really the only way to see it.”