Finding Love Again (Crystal Lake, Montana Book 1)

by Ann,Christa

  At about twelve-thirty in the morning, Shannon and her friends decided to leave. Ryan and Steve walked them out to their car.

  Shannon turned to Ryan. “Thank you for inviting us. We had a great time.”

  “I’m glad you all came. You should come to the ranch and go riding. We can take the horses to the lake, have a picnic lunch, and go swimming. You and your friends, I mean,” Ryan added.

  Wanting to say yes right away, Shannon responded instead, “I’ll let you know.”

  He watched Shannon and her friends leave, then Ryan left with Steve to head home.

  * * *

  She needed to really think about whether or not she wanted to see him again. Why would she get involved with someone who lived so far away? Could she have just a summer fling and not let her heart get involved? She just wasn’t sure.

  On the way back to the cabin, her friends talked about everything that had happened and the people they’d met. “Did you notice how nice the people here are, unlike back home. In Florida, they avoid looking at you. Everyone knows everyone else here and asks about family and their businesses.”

  Shannon thought about how much she had in common with Ryan. He was just so easy to talk to, and his sense of humor… What shocked her the most was that she had fun with him. Even during her marriage with Tom, there were times that they had nothing to say or just had no interest in what the other one did.

  Lisa interrupted her thinking. “You and Ryan did a lot of talking. Did you two have fun?”

  “We talked about his horses, his ranch, and possibly going horseback riding and having a picnic at the lake. What do you guys think?” Shannon asked them with a slight blush.

  “I don’t know about you two, but I bet that Ryan really only wanted to ask Shannon and not all of us. I think he wanted to have some alone time. So he can really get to know our Shannon without so many people around.” Erika sounded like she was only kidding, but Shannon wasn’t too sure.

  Shannon looked at one of her closest friends with annoyance. “He’s just being nice, and friendly.”

  “Oh, sure he is, honey. Bianca, Erika, and I can just see it now. All four of us, Ryan and maybe Steve, riding under the moonlight and then relaxing by the lake under the stars. How are four ladies going to make out with two guys?” Lisa started laughing hysterically.

  “He said lunchtime, you idiot, not dinner. So, no moonlight, stars, or swimming naked.”

  “Hey, I never said anything about swimming naked. But that would be damn fun—to see Ryan and Steve strolling from the lake, naked, with all their muscles shining in the moonlight. The water running down from their hair to their necks and chests. Then traveling down to six-pack abs and navel. Then down even further to….”

  “That’s enough, Lisa. I’ve heard just about enough.” Only Lisa would say something like that. Well, Erika would, too. Shannon know exactly where she would go next, and she didn’t want to hear any more.

  That’s when Erika just had to chime in with, “…their cocks!” Bianca blushed and Shannon just shook her head. “Had to go there. Sorry. Well, I’m not really sorry.”

  “I’m going to bed now. See you all in the morning.” Shannon might not be able to sleep, now that Lisa had planted that image of Ryan emerging from the lake naked and wet. Water running down his body from those wide shoulders, over that massive chest, to his ripped six-pack abs down to his hard…. Stop, just stop. Now I need a cold damn shower.

  As Shannon went down the hall to the room she shared with Bianca, she could hear Lisa and Erika laughing their fool heads off. Great, just great.

  CHAPTER 4

  The next two days went by faster than anyone wanted. They went shopping at some of the local stores and did a lot of hiking trails. Shannon and Erika both brought their cameras so they would have a lot of pictures. The scenery was gorgeous.

  The top of the mountains still had some snow on them. Mule deer and Pronghorn sheep were everywhere, feeding with their young. The even got to see the state bird, the Western Meadowlark—yellow along the chest and underneath they had a black “V” on their chest. The back was white with streaks of black, and their heads were streaked with brown, white with very little yellow.

  That morning, they ate breakfast at the cabin and discussed the county fair, which began that day. None of them had ever attended a county fair before. While they talked, Shannon looked at her camera to make sure that all her pictures came out okay from the hike yesterday.

  “Hey, Lisa, do you think Ryan will be at the fair?” Oh, Erica started early this morning. When they’d went to town to eat at the diner, she’d asked Nell if she had seen Ryan.

  Picking up her coffee, Lisa answered, “Oh, I bet he will be. Nell said yesterday that everyone will be there. He’ll be looking for Shannon.”

  “Both of you need to shut the hell up.” Shannon threw a piece of toast at Lisa. “I’m not getting involved with someone else. Besides, if I wanted to date I would date someone back home. Why would I get involved with him?” Shannon looked at all three of them.

  “Well, let’s get going. I want to see everything.” Erica picked up her purse and started toward the door after placing her breakfast dishes in the dishwasher.

  They headed out the door and drove toward the park, which sat three blocks from the diner. They lucked out, finding a parking space one block from the fair. It looked like all the stores were closed so that everyone could attend.

  On one side of the grounds, games lined up—things like ring toss, water guns to blow up balloons, and bottle bust. Two games of horseshoes were going on and the men playing were almost as loud as the kids running around laughing. The prizes ranged from stuffed animals to discounts at some of the stores, or even coupons for the diner.

  To their right, they saw the food stands offered homemade jerky, corn dogs, hamburgers, and corn on the cob. Next to the snowball stand, they saw the best pie and cake contest, to which Nell had submitted one of her pies—huckleberry.

  The left side of the fair held contests dealing with livestock: horses, cows, goats, and sheep. Behind the pony and horse rides, Shannon found Ryan.

  Ryan spoke to all of them once he’d spotted them, but he kept his eyes on Shannon. “Hey, I haven’t seen you around. What have you ladies been doing? I was hoping you would come over to take a ride.”

  Shannon could feel the blush on her cheeks as she looked up at Ryan. “We went on some hikes and shopped and relaxed. Drove to the diner once or twice to eat, so we didn’t have to cook. Took a ride down to the Indian reservation. I got some pottery and turquoise jewelry”

  “Dad, I’m back.” That came from a voice behind Ryan.

  “Okay. Colby, this is Shannon and her friends. They’re on vacation from Florida.” Colby gave his father a look, but she sure didn’t know what it meant. When she glanced up at Ryan, he had a scowl on his face for his son.

  “Hello. Nice to meet you,” he said before he turned and strolled away.

  “Want to take a ride? I promise she’ll be a smooth ride,” Ryan promised.

  There was no way Shannon would pass up that opportunity. “Absolutely.”

  Shannon followed Ryan over to a chestnut-colored Quarter Horse named Sundancer. Ryan proclaimed her to be a calm horse, and said they would love riding her. “She’s not one of the horses that you’re loaning out for rides?” she asked Ryan as they headed up to stroke Sundancer’s mane.

  “No. This is my daughter, Carly’s, horse. She just got done showing her. Came in second.” You could hear the pride in his voice.

  “Who came in first? I missed seeing the horse contest.” It was the one event she’d looked forward to, but they’d wanted to support Nell at the pie contest. Shannon and her friends had become very fond of Nell and loved her homemade huckleberry pie.

  Ryan chuckled. “That would be my son, Colby. My boys are always competing with one another. If you look over there, you’ll see Midnight.” Midnight was a black Quarter Horse with a small white star on hi
s forehead. His coat shined like black silk. By the time he explained, he already had Sundancer saddled and ready to go. He even had a lead rope ready.

  “Ryan, I don’t need a lead rope. I know how to ride.” She didn’t try to hide her annoyance at him holding the lead rope. Lead ropes were typically used with those who didn’t know how to ride.

  Ryan turned to Shannon with a surprised look on his face. “I know you can ride, but it’s part of the rules with the fairgrounds. We have to lead the horses around the enclosure so no one gets hurt… for insurance purposes.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” She flushed with embarrassment because of her snappy remark. Without saying anything else, she mounted the horse and attached the reins to the saddle horn. Shannon leaned forward and patted the horse on the side of her neck.

  Ryan guided the horse around the enclosure twice. After she dismounted, he gave a ride to Lisa and Erica. It took some convincing to get Bianca on the horse, but the girls finally got their friend on Sundancer. Ryan went around slower with Bianca than the rest of their group, because she was so skittish about being on a horse. When he got back, Shannon took one more ride. Ryan was only too happy to give her a ride. She would love to ride more than his horse.

  When he got back with Shannon her friends and Steve stood together, talking. Before Shannon dismounted, Ryan placed his hand on her knee. “I would love to have you and your friends come out to the ranch. We can go for a ride, bring lunch out to the lake I have on my property, and go swimming, too. What do you say?”

  Shannon was about to answer when she heard, “Dad, Sundancer isn’t part of the horse rides. I brought her here to show her, not to ride her. I don’t like strange people on my horse.”

  Ryan slowly turned around to face his daughter, the muscle jumping in his jaw. Shannon could tell that he didn’t appreciate her tone or manner. From the look on his daughter’s face, she knew that she’d gone too far.

  “Sundancer may be your horse…that I paid for, but it’s my ranch, and my money that takes care of her, and you haven’t ridden her in months. Don’t you ever talk to me like that again. Are we clear?” Ryan looked really annoyed and his expression showed he wouldn’t back down.

  Carly cut a glance to Shannon then her father. “Yes, sir. I’m sorry.” She rushed off, heading to join Colby who stood a short distance away and clearly saw the whole thing.

  After taking a deep breath, Ryan helped Shannon down.

  Ryan told Shannon about what kind of horses he had and set off over to her friends. Steve decided that he would join them tomorrow. Shannon noticed that Steve stood close to Erica. The guys asked what they’d seen so far and what they’d enjoyed the most. They decided that they would all get something to eat. Shannon felt Ryan place his hand on her lower back as they went to order food.

  * * *

  Carly and Colby watched their father leave and when he placed his hand on Shannon’s back, Carly reached out and gripped Colby’s arm. “Did you see that? Why is he touching her? He’s married. Who is she? I need to call Mom.” She began to take out her phone.

  Colby reached over and took her phone away before she did something she would regret. When she started to yell at him, he interrupted her. “Carly, for one, Mom and Dad aren’t married anymore. If he wants to date or flirt it’s his business, not yours. You need to stop trying to get them back together. It’s not going to happen. I just met her a little while ago. Her name is Shannon, and they’re here on vacation. Steve is renting one of his cabins to them.”

  “But, Mom and Dad loved each other once. They can do it again.”

  “No. It’s been over for three years. Stay out of it, sis. Don’t you call Mom. Besides, she’s in L.A. with what’s his name,” Colby reminded her as he placed his arm around his sister and squeezed. “I need to get back to help Dustin give everyone rides. Leave it, sis.” He kissed the top of her head and headed back to where his brother waited for him.

  She watched her brother lope away. I’m calling Mom. There has to be way to get Mom to come here. Carly planned to get her parents together if it was the last thing she did. Her father wasn’t going to be with anyone but her mother.

  Her mom’s cell phone went right to voicemail. “Mom, you need to call me or come here right away. It’s Dad. Some woman is after him, and I know all she’ll do is hurt him. Please call me back. I need your help.” Well, that should do it. Now I just have to wait for her to call me back.

  * * *

  “Are you going to stay for the music and dancing?” Ryan asked Shannon.

  Lisa looked at Ryan and Steve. “We’re planning to. Are you guys going to be around?”

  After agreeing to stay together and listen to listen to music, they wandered around to find a place to sit down. Shannon watched as Ryan’s children passed them about four times, but didn’t stop by to talk to them.

  “Do you only have the two children? I heard you had two boys.” Shannon wanted to know more about Ryan. She shouldn’t. Her heart couldn’t take being broken again.

  Ryan explained, “I have twin boys, but they’re fraternal twins. You met my daughter. I’m sorry for what happened.” He leaned back on his elbow. “My sons help with the ranch and will take over one day, I hope. Not sure what Carly is going to do. Maybe go to college.”

  Shannon turned to see Ryan. “My son, Dylan… I worry about him most of all. The military is a career for him, but what happens if he gets deployed? I know he’s well-trained, but that doesn’t matter to me. I’m his mom, and I still worry. In a way, I hope he doesn’t re-enlist. You must think that’s selfish of me to say.” Fear twisted her gut at the thought of something happening to her son if he got deployed.

  “No. If it was one of my sons or even my daughter, I wouldn’t want them deployed. I enjoy having them close to me. I don’t know how the hell you do it,” Ryan stated.

  “I try not to think about it and I don’t watch the news.” Shannon couldn’t believe that she was opening up to Ryan. It felt right and made her feel lighter, too. Ryan didn’t make her feel that she had no right to worry or make the remarks that some made. Like, ‘He’s well-trained so don’t worry’ or ‘You shouldn’t be surprised. He’s in the military.’

  The music played into the night and people danced everywhere. Frank, Nell, Max, Mitch, and JP joined them as the evening wore on. JP sat next to Lisa, and Max and Mitch perched on either side of Bianca. Ryan leaned into Shannon to whisper into her ear. “Want to take a walk?”

  She nodded and Ryan helped Shannon to stand. “Hey, we’ll be back,” she told her friends.

  They walked in silence through the fairgrounds, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. The quiet relaxed her after all the stimulation of the day. When they reached the other side of the park, Ryan led her to a bench surrounded by pine trees.

  They sat side by side, enjoying the night, the sounds from the fair, and the wildlife. The slight chill to the air made Shannon glad she’d worn jeans and a flannel shirt over her V-neck t-shirt. She didn’t know what to say since they were alone. Ryan broke the ice. “So, did you have fun today?”

  “Yes. Your community really gets involved. It’s nice to see how other places do things.” She felt like a high schooler on a first date instead of a grown woman, widowed, with two adult children. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and wondered what his lips would feel like against her skin. Would he taste as good as he looked? What is wrong with this damn picture? A shiver ran through her at her thoughts.

  Ryan must have thought she was cold, because he moved closer and placed his arm around her. “I guess I should’ve brought a blanket for you.”

  No way she would admit why she shivered after that, because she liked having his strong muscular arm around her. Shannon inhaled his scent—horse, hay, and spice. The combination stirred a desire inside her that she hadn’t felt in years.

  “I’m good. Thank you,” was all she could think to say.

  Ryan turned slightly to look at her. “When you all come over
tomorrow, I can take the wagon for Bianca since she’s skittish around horses.”

  “You have a wagon? Really?” Shannon couldn’t believe that ranches still used wagons.

  Ryan’s smile warmed her as much as the husky timbre of his voice. “Yeah, of course. Sometimes we have to move the cattle or horses to the other side of the property. So, we take out the equipment in the wagon and camp out. If the fence needs repairs, we load up the wagon with everything we might need.”

  She nodded. It made sense. “We’re going to go to the next town with Nell and have a girls’ day out. Frank gave Nell the day off to go with us. Or Nell just told him she’s going.” She smiled at the idea of Nell telling someone five-ten to her five-one that she’s going out and taking the day off.

  “Well, how about the next day? Do you have anything going on?” The hope in his voice came through loud and clear.

  Thankfully, she agreed. “That sounds great. Lunch it is. I’ll call you sometime tomorrow to get directions. I guess we need to head back.”

  Ryan stood and offered his hand to help her up. Once she was on her feet, he said, “First, I need to do this.”

  He leaned in then brushed his lips across Shannon’s once, twice, then licked her bottom lip. When she opened slightly, he surged forward and entered her mouth with his tongue. She tasted the huckleberry from the pie they ate earlier. He pulled back first, and looked deeply into her eyes. “You taste wonderful. I could kiss you all day.” He started to rest his forehead against hers.

  “I haven’t been kissed like that in years,” she admitted.

  Ryan smiled, showing dimples that she hadn’t noticed until then. “Then maybe I should kiss you again.” He straightened and moved his hands down her arms until he could intertwine their fingers. She leaned into him, smelling his scent again, spicy and a hint of…ocean breeze. “If we don’t move soon, I’m not sure if I will let you go.”