by B. J Daniels
“Saved the day again.” Flint nodded. “That’s the problem. You use your own judgment, which is often questionable. However, you get results and those results have saved people’s lives. Members of my family.”
Harp turned his Stetson in his fingers and kept his head down.
“Maybe you’ve heard that Mark left to take a job down in New Mexico where his family is from.”
The deputy’s head came up fast, his eyes lighting up. Mark Ramirez was the local undersheriff. “I had heard that. I just assumed...”
Flint didn’t have to ask what Harp had assumed. Since Flint’s brother Tucker had joined the sheriff’s department, everyone probably assumed that Tucker would get preferential treatment. Which meant they didn’t know Flint at all.
“I need someone in that position who uses his head, who thinks before he acts, but that also uses his instincts,” he continued. “I’ve seen how you’ve changed over the past year. You’ve become a family man. You’ve taken on assignments that you thought were beneath you, but you didn’t complain. You have good instincts and you’re smart.”
Harp was sitting up, his expression anxious.
Flint chuckled. “I know you probably think you should be sheriff, rather than undersheriff, but I’m afraid the only job open—”
“Really? You’re considering me for the position?” The excitement in the deputy’s voice made him smile.
“Harp, I’m offering you the job.”
The deputy let out a whoop, caught himself and sobered. “I appreciate your faith in me.”
That was just it. Harp scared him by being impulsive and often not thinking of the consequences before he acted. But when it came to following his instincts, Flint couldn’t fault him.
He rose and so did Harp. Flint came around his desk to shake the deputy’s hand. “I’m glad to have you as my right-hand man, Deputy Cole.”
“Thank you, Sheriff. I won’t let you down.”
Let’s hope not, Flint thought, but smiled. “Did I hear that Vicki is expecting again?”
Harp’s chest swelled. “Another son.”
“Congratulations.” As Harp left his office, Flint thought about how marriage and a child had changed the deputy. How it had changed him.
* * *
CYRUS PARKED AND climbed the hill, stopping at the foot of his father’s grave as snow whirled around him. “Hey, Dad, sorry I missed your send-off. Sorry I couldn’t have been here. At least you’ll be getting your wish soon. All your sons will be married off.”
He took a breath and swallowed the lump in his throat.
“You don’t have to worry about the next generation, either. Everyone’s working on that. I hope to get on that as soon as AJ and I are married. If I’ve learned anything, life is short even if we all make it to the ripe old age you did. I wish you could see how happy AJ and I are together. She’s an amazing woman, but I think you already knew that. She says she wants a passel of kids.” He laughed. “Not sure about passel, but I’d love three or four, for sure.”
Cyrus looked out at the town below cemetery hill, his voice thick with emotion. “You have a nice view.” He caught something out of the corner of his eye and turned a little to look back at the ranch and swore. “Looks like you’ve got a good view of our missile silo.” He couldn’t help but chuckle. His father had been keeping an eye on it for years—especially since that night he swore he was abducted by aliens near the spot.
“Guess you can keep on watching what’s going on over there. If anything,” he added under his breath. Most people still thought Ely was a crackpot. Cyrus reckoned they always would. They’d never know what happened that night or any other night when his father had been watching the silo. But Cyrus would have put his money on his old man being a whole lot smarter than people thought even before Flint had told him about their father’s journal and the government taking it. They certainly believed the old man knew something.
The wind had picked up and the snow was falling harder now. He could barely make out the town in the distance. He tucked his chin into the collar of his coat, not quite ready to leave. He thought of his father spending all his time up in the mountains after he’d lost his wife. He’d never imagined that kind of love and devotion—until AJ.
“Well, Dad, I wish you were here for my wedding, it’s going to be in the summer, up in the mountains. I know you would have loved that. But I suspect you’re happier now that you’re with Mom. Rest in peace. We’re all going to miss you.”
* * *
AJ HAD NEVER seen a more beautiful bride as Billie Dee said her vows to Henry and he put the ring on her finger, pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She and Gigi were both in tears. It was a small wedding, family and a few friends only. As the pastor introduced Mr. and Mrs. Larson, a cheer went up. Then everyone was hugging everyone else.
Gigi insisted on cooking the after-wedding meal at the saloon. “You aren’t cooking on your wedding day,” she’d told her mother. “Anyway, you’ve never had anything I’ve cooked. Don’t you think it’s about time?”
Billie Dee had hugged her. “I’m so glad I waited to get married so you were here. I can’t wait to eat whatever you make.”
“Well, you’re a tough act to follow,” Gigi had said. “I’m going to have to step up my game.”
As congratulations died down, AJ followed Gigi into the kitchen. Gigi had flown in Friday night to get everything ready.
“It isn’t every day that your birth mother gets married,” she’d said.
AJ breathed in the amazing scents filling the kitchen. Her friend had been cooking almost from the moment she’d arrived. “You’re making my stomach rumble.”
Gigi grinned. “I just hope Billie Dee likes it.”
“Are you kidding? You could feed her dirt sandwiches and she would rave.”
“Not helpful,” her friend joked. “She did make a beautiful bride, didn’t she? Proves we’re never too old to fall in love.”
AJ caught something in Gigi’s voice. “You met someone. Oh my gosh and you haven’t told me?”
Her friend grinned. “I was going to tell you.”
“Well?”
Gigi laughed. “You’re going to love this. He’s a cowboy. A Montana cowboy.”
“You’re kidding?”
Her friend shook her head. “He walked into the restaurant one night in Houston. Our eyes met across the room...” She laughed. “I know, just like in the movies. He came back the next night and the next...” She shrugged.
“Where in Montana?” AJ asked, clapping her hands.
“About an hour away from here.”
AJ felt tears rush her eyes. “Have you told Billie Dee yet?”
“No, it is going to be my wedding present. Along with this meal, which we’d better get out there. Sounds like the family is getting restless.”
Darby and Mariah and Lillie came back to help carry out the food. There were Texas tamales, Gigi’s famous green chili shrimp, her version of Mexican rice and a pot of fresh pinto beans seasoned with bacon—a real Texas meal in honor of the bride.
“Don’t worry,” Gigi told the crowd. “I held down the spices, Montana style.”
As everyone gathered around the table, Henry led them in a prayer. But before they could dig in, Gigi said she wanted to give her mother a wedding present.
“This is enough of a wedding present,” Billie Dee argued. “Look at this meal. Gigi, you have outdone yourself.”
“I’m moving to Montana, about an hour away,” Gigi said. “Following your example, I met a cowboy and he’s asked me to marry him.”
Another cheer went up. Billie Dee burst into tears as her daughter came around the table to hug her.
“Okay, everyone,” Gigi said, her voice thick with emotion. “Let’s eat.”
The meal was beyond wonderful. AJ sat next to Cyrus and
looked around the table at the family that had adopted her. She couldn’t believe how blessed she was. Lillie had already started planning AJ and Cyrus’s wedding in the summer. Gigi had agreed to be her maid of honor.
Her parents had even cleared their busy schedules for the wedding. Her father had accepted the news that she wouldn’t be one of his company attorneys better than she’d expected.
“I just want you to be happy, Ashley Jo,” he’d said. “That’s all your mother and I have ever wanted for you.”
“I’m deliriously happy. I can’t wait for you to meet Cyrus.”
“Why don’t the two of you fly down for a weekend so we can meet him before the wedding?” her father had suggested.
AJ had laughed. “It’s a little hard to get my cowboy out of Montana right now. You’ll meet him in the summer and I hope you’ll start taking a vacation in Montana each year so you can spend time with your grandchildren.”
“Grandchildren?”
“Not yet, Dad, but soon. They’re going to grow up riding horses. Wait until you see this country up here. It’s a little bit of heaven.”
“Sounds like you’ve fallen in love with more than just your cowboy.”
“I’ve fallen in love with his family, as well,” she’d admitted. “And Gigi is moving up and getting married to a Montana cowboy, as well.”
“You girls,” he’d said with a laugh. “You’ve been inseparable for years. Gigi told me why you went to Montana in the first place. I’m sure I haven’t said this enough over the years, but, Ashley Jo, you’ve done us proud.”
Now as she looked around the room at the people she’d come to love, she still couldn’t believe it. She’d never dreamed when she’d come to Montana that her life could turn out like this. All she’d wanted to do was find Gigi’s birth mother in the hopes that it would take away some of her best friend’s pain after losing her adoptive parents.
She had never thought that she would fall in love with the Cahill family, let alone a handsome Cahill cowboy. And now Gigi was going to be close by, marrying a cowboy and living the ranch life, as well. After everything she’d been through, she still wanted to pinch herself as she looked over at her handsome, soon-to-be husband.
Dreams came true, she thought, even when they weren’t ones she’d ever dared to dream. Cyrus smiled at her and pulled her over for a kiss. Sometimes a girl just got lucky beyond her wildest dreams.
* * *
New York Times bestselling author B.J. Daniels
has already begun her next round of books
set in the Big Sky state—Montana.
This time from Stirling’s Ranch.
Keep reading for an excerpt from Stroke of Luck by B.J. Daniels.
New York Times bestselling author B.J. Daniels takes you to the small town of Gilt Edge, Montana, in her captivating and compulsively readable Cahill Ranch series!
Renegade’s Pride
Outlaw’s Honor
Cowboy’s Legacy
Hero’s Return
Rancher’s Dream
“Super read by an excellent writer. Recommended!”
—#1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller on Renegade’s Pride
* * *
Did you know that Harlequin My Rewards members earn FREE books and more?
Join
www.HarlequinMyRewards.com
today to start earning your FREE books!
* * *
Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!
Other ways to keep in touch:
Harlequin.com/Newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com
Stroke of Luck
by B.J. Daniels
“BAD LUCK ALWAYS comes in threes.”
Standing in the large kitchen of the Wild Horse Guest Ranch, Will Sterling shot the woman an impatient look. “I don’t have time for this right now, Dorothea.”
“Just sayin’,” Dorothea Brand muttered under her breath. The fifty-year-old housekeeper was short and squat with a helmet of dark hair and piercing dark eyes. She’d been with the family since Will and his brothers were kids, which made her invaluable, but also as bossy as a mother hen.
After the Sterling boys had lost their mother, Dorothea had stepped in. Their father, William, had continued to run the guest ranch alone and then with the help of his sons until his death seven years ago. At the time, Will and his brothers had thought about selling either the guest ranch or the main ranch in the valley or both. In the end, they’d realized that this was their lives and they couldn’t part with either. They also knew that Dorothea would be lost without them.
But there were times when he could have done without her brand of help, Will thought as the housekeeper leaned against the counter giving him one of her you’re-going-to-regret-this looks as he considered who he could call.
As his brother Garrett brought in a box of supplies from town, Will asked, “Do you know anyone who can cook?” He knew better than to ask his youngest brother, Shade, who also came in with a box he deposited inside the large pantry just off the kitchen. “Last box,” Shade announced, dusting his hands off.
“What about Poppy Carmichael?” Garrett said as he pulled a bottle of water from the refrigerator, opened it and took a long drink. “She’s a caterer now.”
Will frowned. “Poppy?” An image appeared of a girl with freckles, braces, skinned knees and reddish-brown hair in pigtails. “I haven’t thought of Poppy in years. I thought she moved away?”
“She did, but she came back about six months ago and started a catering business,” Garrett said. “I only know because I ran into her at a party recently. The food was really good, if that helps.”
“Wait, I remember her. Cute kid. Didn’t her father work for the forest service?” Shade asked.
“They lived in that cabin not far from here,” Garrett said. “She used to ride her bike over here and help with our chores.”
“I just remember the day she decided to ride Lightning,” Shade said. “She had to climb up on a stump to even get on the horse. I can’t imagine what she thought she was going to do, riding him bareback.” He laughed. “It’s a wonder she didn’t kill herself. I admired her grit, but what was she thinking?”
Garrett grinned and shot a look at Will. “She was trying to impress our brother.”
“That poor little girl was smitten,” Dorothea agreed as she narrowed her dark gaze on Will. “And you, being fifteen and full of yourself, didn’t give her the time of day. So what could go wrong with hiring her to cook for you?”
He groaned. “You aren’t making this any easier.” But he was already short staffed. Normally he and his brothers didn’t take guests this early in the season. Late spring, summer and fall were the guest ranch’s busiest times. But a friend of their father’s had made a special request.
Big Jack Hanson owned a small fly-fishing vest company outside of Bozeman called On the Fly. Big Jack wanted to hold a small retreat for some of his employees. He’d wanted to return to the Wild Horse Guest Ranch, a place from his youth.
A charismatic, large man with red hair like a fireplug, blue eyes and a talent for hyperbole, Big Jack had offered to pay extra. My crew needs this. I need this. You don’t have to roll out the red carpet or go to any trouble. Spoken like a man who knew nothing about hosting guests. But Will had given in since at one time, Big Jack had been like family.
At the sound of the shuttle van arriving with the guests, Will knew he had no choice. His guests would be expecting dinner tonight and since neither he nor Dorothea could do more than boil water...
He called information for Poppy Carmichael’s number and was put right through. The moment she answered, he hesitated, telling himself th
is was probably a bad idea on so many levels. But through the front window, he saw his guests begin to pile out of the van. They already looked hungry.
“Poppy?” He cleared his voice. “It’s Will. Will Sterling. Up at the Wild Horse Guest Ranch.”
“Will.”
The sound of her voice threw him for a moment. It was soft, refined, his name spoken on an almost smiling breath.
He plunged on. “My cook broke his leg and I’m desperate because I have guests arriving as we speak. Is there any way—” Dorothea was shaking her head and mumbling again about bad luck coming in threes.
“How long?” Poppy said on the other end of the line.
“A week. If there is any way you can fit it into your schedule...”
A soft laugh. “So you need me.” There was a small hesitation before she said, “Right away.”
“Yes! I have guests that need to be fed tonight. I’m sorry for such short notice. If you can swing it, I’ll pay your going rate and a bonus at the end of the week. What do you say? Buckshot bought most of the supplies and my brothers just delivered the rest, so I think we have everything you’ll need to cook this week already up here. We just need a...cook.”
A delighted chuckle. “I see.”
“I would be in your debt forever.” He squeezed the phone, closing his eyes as he made a wish that this would work out.
Another chuckle, this one sounding even more amused. “I’ll pick up a few things and see you in a couple of hours.”
He let out a relieved sigh as his brother Shade left the kitchen to go welcome the guests on his way out. It was late March, calving season, so both of his brothers would be returning to the ranch down in the valley today. They’d only stopped up to bring him the supplies Buckshot hadn’t been able to deliver after he’d broken his leg.
“You’re saving my life,” Will said into the phone.
“What are old friends for?” Poppy said and disconnected.
He stood for a moment holding the phone, repeating her words in his head and trying to decide if her tone was cause for concern.
