Her Montana Cowboy

by Jeannie Watt

  She placed the gym bag on the console between them, forming an impressive barrier, then settled in her seat, fastening her seat belt as Gus shut his door. He had no idea what she’d done with her weapon, and as he started back down the road, he tried to put himself in her position, assuming that she wasn’t there for a nefarious purpose. A lone female in the middle of nowhere with no cell signal and only a dog in a reindeer sweater for protection. Of course she was nervous.

  But why was she traveling to the ranch, and how did she know Thaddeus?

  Why would she come to the ranch without calling first?

  Gus hoped that he really was rescuing the woman rather than giving trouble a ride to the ranch, but his gut told him that a woman who gave her name reluctantly was not a woman he wanted staying at his place.

  * * *

  LILLIE JEAN KEPT her eyes forward as the truck bounced over ruts and skirted vehicle-eating puddles. This situation was surreal. She was no longer in control—of anything, it seemed—but she did her best to appear unconcerned about her lack of power.

  “How long were you stuck?”

  Lillie Jean gave her rescuer a quick sideways look. He had a strong profile, high cheekbones. A chin that kind of said, “Don’t mess with me.” Dark brown scruff covered his jaw, but it looked as if it was the result of forgetting to shave, rather than an affectation, as was often the case where she came from. She thought his hair might be dark blond, but too much of it was hidden by the battered cowboy hat to be sure. He did not look like someone who would hurt her, but she was in the middle of nowhere and he was a stranger, so she was taking no chances. Henry also kept an eye on the guy while pressing his warm body against her chest. Her little dog was taking no chances, either.

  “Since around four o’clock.” She’d arrived in the small town of Gavin around three o’clock and decided to drive to the ranch, take a look at her inheritance, meet her grandfather’s partner, then head back to town and stay in a motel for the night. She should have gone with her other plan of heading out to the ranch first thing in the morning, but she had a feeling she would have still gotten stuck.

  “Long time.”

  “I never expected a mud puddle to be on the other side of the corner.”

  “Always expect the unexpected on a country road.”

  And in life. Lillie Jean sat a little straighter in her seat as the lights of the ranch came into view and stayed there instead of disappearing as they crested small hills. What now? She’d meet Thaddeus Hawkins late at night. Probably get him out of bed. He and his nephew might offer her a bed. And she would accept, because what was her other option?

  This was not the position she’d hoped to be in when she arrived.

  She should have called ahead. Should have set up an appointment via her grandfather’s lawyer. There were a ton of things she should have done. Maybe it was grief, maybe it was the need to simply get away from her old life, but climbing into the boat of a car that her grandfather had kept for “old time’s sake” and driving to Montana to see the ranch and ferret out some answers from Grandpa’s partner before seeing if he wanted to buy her share had seemed like a good idea. No—it had seemed like a way to take control of a life that seemed to be barreling out of control. And, indeed, as she’d driven north, she’d started to feel almost intrepid, following a course that was so out of the ordinary for her. She was in control, and, darn it, she was going to get answers. She’d played over many scenarios in her head as she’d driven—and not one of them had ended like this.

  The cowboy—Gus—slowed as he drove under a weathered wooden arch into the ranch proper, which was nothing like Lillie Jean had envisioned. A light on a tall pole illuminated two small run-down houses and another light shone on a cluster of weathered buildings—a barn and several sheds. There was movement in the shadows behind the fence next to the barn. Henry’s hackles lifted and he let out a low growl.

  “Better keep hold of him until we get into the house. You don’t want him disappearing out into the pasture.”

  “Are those horses?” she asked as Gus pulled to a stop next to a picket fence.

  “Cows.” He shut off the engine and the headlights faded.

  Cows. Of course. It was a ranch.

  They opened their doors at the same time. Lillie Jean scooped up Henry and held him against her chest with one hand as she pulled her tote bag out of the truck with the other. The tire iron stayed where it was, lying on the floorboards. She felt a little foolish about her self-protective measures, but if she had it to do again, she’d do the exact same thing. A wooden sign attached to the gatepost welcomed her to the H/H Ranch. Lillie Jean’s mouth tightened. The H/H didn’t feel very welcoming...but it was half hers. The land was worth something even if all the buildings looked as if they were about to fall down.

  Once the gate was closed behind her, she put Henry on the ground and followed Gus up the uneven walkway to the back door. Henry quickly did his business, then hurried back to Lillie Jean. Gus opened the door, and they walked directly into a mudroom with boots lining the wall and a broad assortment of coats and hats hanging on hooks above them. The room was freshly swept and baskets of folded clothing sat atop the washer and dryer next to the door leading into the house.

  Gus crossed to the door, snapped on a light and stood back so that she could enter first. The big kitchen was as neat as the mudroom. The oak table in the center of the room was an antique and the simple white appliances were close to being antique.

  “You can sleep in Thad’s room. Give me a sec and I’ll get you some sheets.”

  “Where will Thad sleep?” she asked, horrified at the idea of rousting the old man out of bed and sending him to sleep who knew where.

  “Where he’s probably sleeping right now. In the apartment over the bar.”

  “What bar?”

  “The Shamrock Pub. His bar. Our bar.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Thad doesn’t live on the ranch. He hasn’t lived here for years. He only stays here when he needs to pitch in around the place.”

  Lillie Jean’s mouth fell open. “You’re saying...”

  “It’s just you and me here tonight.” He folded his arms over his chest and his expression wasn’t at all amused as he said, “Do you want to go back to the truck for your weapon?”

  CHAPTER TWO

  TWENTY MINUTES LATER, Lillie Jean was lying in a twin bed, staring at the ceiling, too keyed up to go to sleep even though it was almost 3:00 a.m. Gus had handed her sheets for the stripped bed, pointed her in the direction of the bathroom, then disappeared down the hall to a room at the end.

  None of this is going according to plan.

  Not one thing. Thaddeus had been in the town she’d driven through on her way to the ranch, and, as things stood now, she was dependent on a guy who was probably going to be none too happy when he discovered the reason she was at the ranch in the first place.

  A guy who didn’t know her last name, because she hadn’t wanted to tip her hand.

  A guy with lip prints on his forehead.

  That had been startling. It had taken a moment for her to realize that the prints weren’t lipstick. She didn’t want to think about what the prints were made of or how they got there. None of her business, but seeing them had been enough to make her flip the lock on the bedroom door. She knew nothing about this guy, except that he was extremely good-looking and walked with just a hint of a limp.

  Lillie Jean rolled over, pulling the sheet with her. Her insurance covered towing, so tomorrow she’d call her company and have them get her car out of the mud—if they would travel out this far to rescue her. She truly was isolated out here in the middle of Nowhere, Montana. There were other ranches in the vicinity—she’d seen lights in the distance as she’d followed Gus into the house—but for all intents and purposes, she was stranded in a place with no close neigh
bors, no easy access.

  Again...nothing going according to plan.

  Kind of the theme in her life over the past months.

  Suck it up. The one thing she would not succumb to was self-pity. Her mom would have her hide for that...or rather, she would have had it. Lillie Jean had grown up knowing that even if she was a touch shy, and even if she wasn’t confrontational, she was expected to be strong and roll with the punches. She’d done a crazy thing coming here to Montana on impulse, and now she was suffering consequences. A natural part of life.

  She squeezed her eyes shut, felt a touch of moisture at the corners at the thought of her mother. Drew in a deep breath and did her best to come to terms with the situation at hand.

  I’m rolling, Mom.

  I’m rolling so hard that I get dizzy sometimes.

  * * *

  GUS SCRUBBED AWAY at the lip print on his forehead, then gave up in disgust. If he didn’t stop scrubbing, he’d have no skin left. No wonder the woman had looked at him so strangely the night before when he’d come back with the sheets. She’d stared at his forehead, then looked down with a few mumbled words of thanks before disappearing into the bedroom. As expected, he’d heard the lock click shut.

  Thank you, Mimi, for the “temporary” tattoo and the strategic placement.

  The door to Thad’s room was closed as he went by on his way to the kitchen. He started the coffee, then went to the mudroom, slid his feet into his chore boots and shrugged into his heavy canvas coat before heading out to start the tractor. After feeding, he’d roust the woman and before they took the tractor down to pull her car out of the mud, he was going to get some answers. Like who was she and what did she want with his uncle? He wasn’t a big fan of mysteries and secrets. He’d let her hedge the night before, but now that they’d gotten a few hours of sleep, he wanted to know what was what before dragging Thad into it.

  There was just enough frozen moisture in the air to feel sharp as he drew it into his lungs, and to coat the gravel with a thin skiff of frost. He unplugged the tractor’s block heater, started the big machine and left it to idle while he fed the barn cats and then tossed hay over the fence to the horses.

  He crossed the driveway with a scoop of food for Clancy, the cat who lived under the front porch of the empty manager’s house. Clancy popped his head out, then disappeared back under the porch when Gus set down the bowl, pushing it far enough under the floorboards to allow the cat to feel safe while eating. He then snagged the empty bowl from yesterday and carried it back to the barn with him. The cat had never warmed up to anyone other than Sal, but was too wild for the old guy to take him with him when he retired to Dillon.

  When Gus returned to the barn forty-five minutes later, after feeding two pastures of hungry cows, he left the tractor running. If his guest was out of bed, he was ready to yank her car out of the mud—after she answered a few questions.

  He heard water running in the bathroom when he walked into the kitchen, so he poured a cup of coffee from the full carafe and sipped it while leaning against the counter. The house felt different with someone else in it. Strange how vibes or energy levels or something like that changed. And the house didn’t feel the same way it did when his uncle spent the night.

  Finally footsteps went to the bedroom, then a few seconds later he heard Lillie Jean coming down the hall to the kitchen. Last night he’d come to the conclusion that his guest reminded him of the Disney princesses on the T-shirt Callie, his fill-in bartender, regularly wore. She was small with a lot of dark hair falling down her back and framing her face. Nice mouth, wide eyes. Suspicious wide eyes. She wet her lips as their gazes met and her back went just a little straighter.

  “Good morning.”

  It was almost but not quite a question. She moved past him to check to see if the yard gate was closed, then opened the back door and let her dog outside.

  “Good morning. Coffee?”

  “Please.”

  She hovered near the doorway as he poured her coffee, and then he set the cup on the table and took the chair at the other end. A few seconds later she opened the door and the little dog raced in, his nails clacking on the mudroom floor.

  “Nice sweater,” Gus said drily.

  “Henry doesn’t have a lot of hair. Can’t have him freezing to death.”

  “No. I guess not.”

  “This was the only sweater I could find in a gas station when I realized how cold it was up here.”

  Lillie Jean pulled out the chair and sat, taking hold of the coffee cup with both hands, but making no move to drink.

  “Things look different in the light of day?”

  She gave him a startled look. “What does that mean?”

  Gus regarded the table between them, a frown pulling his eyebrows together. Play the game or cut to the chase?

  He looked up, met those blue-green eyes and made his decision. Cut to the chase. How many people had this woman twisted around her finger with that innocent expression and those startling eyes? However many, he wasn’t going to be one of them.

  “Who are you and why are you here?”

  Her eyes went wide at the blunt question, then narrowed as she pressed her lips together, her gaze never leaving his face. At least she didn’t play coy. Gus had no patience with eye batting and mock shyness, having dealt with that particular come-on about a zillion times during his shifts at the pub.

  “I told you my name and I’ll discuss the rest with Thaddeus when I get back to town.”

  “Why do you want to see him?”

  “Are you his keeper?” she responded coolly.

  Lillie Jean looked like a waif in the storm, but she had some backbone. “No. I’m his nephew and I watch his back.”

  “I will not come at him from behind.”

  Was she messing with him? Three years of tending bar at the pub had given him a pretty good feel for people, but now he suspected his first read on Ms. Jean was off base. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to intimidate her into telling him her mission. But he was going to give it another shot.

  “Why are you here?” he asked softly.

  “I need to talk to Thaddeus. It’s...personal.”

  Her continued use of his proper name threw him. “How do you know him?”

  “I don’t. But we have mutual acquaintances.”

  “Who sent you here?”

  She put her palms on the table on either side of her coffee cup. “I don’t know you, so pardon me if I don’t unburden myself to you upon request.”

  Now Gus’s eyes narrowed as he regarded the woman across the table. He’d definitely read her wrong. Her delicate appearance and the fact that she’d been rattled the night before had thrown him off track. This woman was a straight-talker. Now it was up to him to discover if that was good or bad.

  “Tell you what... I’ll call Thad, tell him you’re here, and he can decide whether he wants to see you.”

  It took her less than a second to say, “Very well.”

  He pushed his chair back and went to the old-fashioned wall phone hanging near the fridge. He hoped Thad wasn’t going to kill him for getting him out of bed early, but this matter needed to be dealt with. His uncle’s voice was thick with sleep when he answered on the fifth ring, and then he cleared his throat and said hello once again.

  “It’s me,” Gus said. He glanced over at Lillie Jean who sat watching him, an impassive look on her face. “There’s a person here at the ranch who wants to talk to you.”

  “Who?”

  “Her name is Lillie Jean.”

  “I don’t know a Lillie Jean.” Thad sounded bemused. Gus knew the feeling. From behind him Lillie cleared her throat.

  “Hardaway,” she said. He gave her a confused look. “Lillie Jean Hardaway.”

  Gus gave his head a shake and repeated what she’d said. “Hardaway. Lillie Jean Har
daway.”

  There was a silence on the other end of the phone, and then Thad said, “I’ll be right out.”

  Gus frowned at the change in Thad’s voice. “Wait. Explain what’s going on.”

  “I will.” He exhaled loudly. “When I get there. Just...make sure she doesn’t leave.”

  “I don’t think that will be an issue,” Gus said. “Her car is axle-deep in the mud on the blind corner. Watch yourself coming around it.”

  “I will.” Was it his imagination, or did his uncle suddenly sound older? “I’ll be there in forty minutes.”

  Which meant he was pretty much going to put on his clothes and walk out the door. Which in turn meant that he was in some way familiar with Lillie Jean Hardaway and that seeing her was important enough that he wasn’t going to burn any daylight before doing so.

  “I’m curious,” Gus said, folding his arms over his chest. “Why you didn’t give me your last name? Why did you let me assume that Jean was your last name?”

  “I’m cautious,” she said matter-of-factly.

  “That’s not an explanation.”

  “I told you...”

  “I know. You don’t know me. You don’t know Thad, either.”

  “That doesn’t really matter.”

  He was about to ask why when she frowned at him.

  “I have to ask,” she said in a way that made him think she was purposely changing the subject, “what happened to your forehead?”

  “I’m not overly cautious,” he said darkly. Which was a lie. He was always careful in his dealings, which was why Lillie Jean’s appearance on the ranch was sending up so many red flags.

  “Is that a tattoo?”

  Gus ran his hand over his forehead. The skin was still tender from the scrubbing, but the mark was just as dark as when Mimi had put it on him the night before. That was the last time he let a roll of the bar dice decide his future.

  “It’s supposed to be temporary.”

  “Not the result of a drunken trip to the ink parlor?”