Snowbound in Starlight Bend

by Jennifer Ashley

  Her three suitcases rested next to a narrow door that probably led to a closet. Haley was still dressed, her sweater and slacks feeling limp and fusty, and she longed to leap up, shower, and pull on fresh clothes.

  Her phone pinged again. Haley scrabbled for her briefcase that had been placed on the rocking chair and dragged out her phone, which was fully charged now.

  The text was from Linda, who’d been her friend since they’d discovered they had a crush on the same guy in high school. They’d bonded when he’d decided to go out with a girl who was already a model and made it clear he didn’t like eggheads. They’d commiserated and become fast friends.

  You okay? Linda wrote. Where are you? We’re getting worried.

  Haley’s thumbs busily moved in response. I’m fine. In Montana. Tell my dad I’m all right.

  The screen indicated Linda was typing back, then, Montana? Where? In a cabin? A snowdrift? Your car?

  Haley grinned as she sent back: At a ranch house near a place called Starlight Bend. Nice people helping me. A cowboy and his aunt.

  The phone was quiet for a long time. Haley imagined Linda, her black hair perfectly coiffed, plucked brows over deep brown eyes arching as she studied the phone. Then her coffee-colored fingers dancing over the keyboard.

  Cowboy? Is he hot? Or chew tobacco and spit?

  Hot, Haley texted. Definitely hot.

  The reply came right away. You need to call me. I can’t get through except texting.

  I will when I can. Tell Dad I’m okay.

  More waiting, then, OK. Then we are so going to TALK.

  Haley sent back a smiley face.

  She closed the app, relieved. A quick test showed Haley she still couldn’t call out or text her dad, but Linda would contact him, Haley knew. Haley liked to always make sure Dad knew where she was whenever she could—she did not want him to go through what he had when her mother had disappeared.

  Weird how the cell service was so arbitrary, as though something in the air influenced it. Maybe that was just the price of living in such an isolated place.

  For now … A glance out the window showed her it was still snowing. Haley doubted her car would be dug out today. She would have to stay longer, a thought that made her heart warm.

  She stopped, stunned. She was happy she couldn’t get out of this place and back home to bustling Seattle? Haley loved Seattle, every rainy minute of it.

  She heard Lance barking below and saw Maddox stride outside into the snow, Lance leaping after him. Maddox headed around the house toward the big red barn, walking like he had all day and nothing to worry about. He whistled to Lance and patted the dog when he ran close.

  Maddox didn’t look up at the house, only strolled on, white snow settling on his black cowboy hat. Haley’s heart burned. She craned to watch him until he disappeared under the shelter of the barn, then she was sorry she couldn’t see him anymore.

  She sat back down on her bed with a thump, disquiet, excitement, and feelings she thought she’d never experience again welling up in her.

  She had a crush on the arrogant cowboy, Maddox Campbell.

  Well, hell.

  Maddox knew when Haley descended the stairs and made for the kitchen. There was a change in the air, a change in his awareness. That, and Lance barreled out the kitchen door right into her.

  “Hey, there.” Her voice softened a long way as she greeted the dog. “Good morning to you.”

  Haley liked dogs. Big point in her favor. Once she lost her fear of horses, she’d like them too.

  Wait, what was he talking about? She wouldn’t stay around long enough for him to teach her to enjoy riding horses. Haley McKee would be back to her billion dollar business real soon. He wondered if she’d mention who she actually was before she went. Kind of rude of her to leave that part out last night.

  Haley walked into the kitchen with Lance pinned to her side. She sniffed and said, “Mmm. Smells good, Aunt Jane.”

  “Just some pancakes and bacon and eggs,” Aunt Jane said modestly. “Nothing special.”

  “I’ll take it.” Haley was all smiles as she seated herself at the kitchen table. Lance sat next to her, ready in case a piece of bacon escaped and sailed his way.

  Haley had put on jeans this morning—slim, tight designer jeans, made for looking good on a casual lunch date, not riding across snowy country.

  Aunt Jane dished out food then joined them. “Sleep well?” she asked Haley.

  “I did, yes.” Haley sounded surprised. “Better than I have in a long time.”

  Haley caught Maddox’s eye and looked quickly away, but she didn’t flush, barely acknowledged him. Did she remember him bending down and kissing her good night? At least on the top of the head. Was she mad at him for that? Or did she care?

  Likely she hadn’t noticed. She’d been far gone toward sleep.

  “Feel up to going into town?” Maddox asked her. “To get your phone looked at?”

  Haley stopped with an egg-laden fork halfway to her mouth. “The roads are cleared already?” she asked in hope.

  “Aren’t you cute?” Maddox chuckled. “Nope. Still blocked. I mean, feel up to going into town on Sammy?”

  Her expression turned to one of trepidation. “I don’t know. Is he up to it?”

  “He likes you,” Maddox said. “He told me,” he added with a straight face. “I’ll take another horse, and we’ll go together.”

  The eggs started to fall off the fork. Lance edged forward. “Me ride alone?” Haley asked worriedly.

  “Easier for Sammy if we don’t ride double. You’ll be fine.”

  The glob of eggs fell to the edge of the table. One second they were there, the next, gone. Lance blinked in all innocence, though he had tiny dabs of yellow on his whiskers.

  Haley studied her empty fork, frowned, and scooped up more eggs. “I guess I can try,” she said.

  Now why was Maddox disappointed she didn’t argue with him? He realized he kind of liked arguing with her. Her eyes sparkled and her face flushed when they did, and she liked to push herself up to him, her curve of breasts an inch from his chest.

  Haley went back to eating. Lance licked the evidence off his whiskers and settled back down to wait and watch.

  Maddox would have to come up with more things for them to fight about, he decided, before she disappeared and never came back. He could think of one or two really good things already.

  “I’m going to fall off.” Haley clutched the horn and back curve of the saddle as Maddox instructed while she waited for him to give her a leg up.

  Cantle. The back part was called a cantle, he’d said. As though remembering that would keep her aboard.

  “No, you won’t,” Maddox said. “You did fine yesterday.”

  “Because you were holding on to me.”

  That had been nice. His bulk had surrounded her, his warmth cutting the sharp cold.

  Maddox didn’t look as though the memory was a happy one. “This time your training wheels are off. You’ll be all right.”

  Lance sat and watched all this with interest, his tail furrowing patterns in the snow.

  Maddox grabbed Haley’s ankle and shin and boosted her up. Today Haley’s jeans made mounting a little easier, as did the cowboy boots Aunt Jane had lent her. Aunt Jane’s feet were a little bigger than Haley’s, but Aunt Jane had stuffed newspaper into the toes and declared they’d be fine.

  Haley had donned a thicker sweater and a padded jacket Aunt Jane had found for her. Much better protection from the cold than her light coat. A knit hat jammed over Haley’s head kept the wind’s nip from her ears.

  Maddox pushed Haley upward, then grabbed her around the hips and hauled her back when she started to go over Sammy’s other side.

  “You’re supposed to sit down,” he growled. “What kind of weird-ass saddles do they have in Seattle?”

  “I don’t ride in Seattle, so I don’t know,” Haley said loftily. “And you push too hard.”

  “Yeah, yeah, b
lame it on the hard-ass cowboy.”

  Haley frowned at him. “You have the biggest chip on your shoulder. I’m not some rich city bitch condescending to speak to the country folk.” She calmed a little. “Your aunt would never let me even if I wanted to.”

  “Aren’t you?” Maddox’s smiles were gone. “When were you going to tell me you’re Haley McKee of McKee’s Lumber and Hardware, with giant stores all over the west? Did you come here to scope out a new place? To drive all our mom-and-pop stores out of business?”

  Haley’s mouth hung open, her face frozen, which had nothing to do with the continuously falling snow. Her heart froze too.

  Maddox looked furious. Haley felt a stab of dismay. She hadn’t wanted to talk about her family’s business. People treated her differently when they knew her background, and she was enjoying being plain Haley.

  “Of course not,” she managed. “I was taking a shortcut, like I said. Heading for Sandpoint.”

  “Starlight Bend isn’t a shortcut to anywhere. Have you told my aunt about this? Or are you too chicken-shit?”

  “I did tell your aunt,” Haley said quickly. “About being that McKee, I mean. Yesterday, when I was helping her make dinner.”

  Maddox scowled. “She didn’t bother to tell me. I looked you up. You have your own Wikipedia entry.”

  She did. Her PA had made sure of it.

  “I promise I didn’t come here to do anything but drive through,” Haley said, not liking how he was looking at her. “We’re not planning to expand into small towns. The market studies say it’s not feasible.”

  His anger made his eyes dark. “So you’re staying out not because you care about ruining local economies but because you can’t make any money?”

  Haley firmed her lips. “That is not what I meant. I take a lot of factors into account, like whether local people would lose everything they’d worked for. I don’t slam stores down without careful thought. Besides, I’d never heard of Starlight Bend until I got stuck here.”

  “Well, make sure you forget all about it when you’re gone.”

  “Oh, I will. I will. Now, let’s get to town so I can fix my phone and find a way out of here.”

  “Fine,” Maddox said curtly.

  He slapped Sammy on the rump and the horse jogged forward a few steps. Haley found her world bumping, her feet coming out of the stirrups, and then she was sliding off, arms flailing.

  She landed flat on her ass in the snow. Sammy stopped and turned around, lowering his head to make sure she was all right.

  Maddox’s booted feet stopped right beside Haley. He hauled her up, eyes worried, his arms going around her in the process.

  Haley looked up at him. Maddox stilled and looked down at her. They were so close the snowflakes couldn’t squeeze between them.

  They stared at each other while snow fell, both horses waited, and Lance’s tail thumped.

  Then Maddox closed his arms firmly around Haley and kissed her hard on the mouth.

  Chapter Five

  Sweet taste of a woman. Haley rested her hands against his chest, unmoving, as her lips parted and her tongue licked spice into his mouth.

  Maddox’s heart thumped so hard he couldn’t hear anything, not that there was much to hear. In the silence of the barnyard, he could stand and kiss Haley, unaware of everything but her mouth, her heat, her body against his. She might be ultra-rich and unattainable, but she was one hell of a good kisser.

  Haley made a little noise in her throat, which sent his temperature high and made his body rock hard. He had the sudden vision of her with him under his sheets, the room hot with their lovemaking, she giving him a languid smile. She’d brush her fingers across his face, then pull him down to her to drown in her warmth.

  Back in the real world, Haley’s nose was cold against Maddox’s cheek, her mouth seeking, her hands sinking into his coat and pulling him closer. She wasn’t shoving him away. She wanted the kiss, sinking into his embrace and giving him a deep kiss in return.

  Maddox firmed his hands on her back, getting lost in her. Her mouth held heat, her body lithe as she swayed against him. Her tight breasts, curved hips, and strong legs pressed him through their coats.

  The kiss gave him everything he needed, her lips smooth and warm, her body supple under his hands. Their biting words floated away on the wind, their anger’s power dying as they communicated in a much more basic way.

  Lance smacked into Maddox’s thigh. Maddox stumbled, his mouth bumped Haley’s, and she pulled hastily back. Her eyes were wide, brown and gold, lashes flecked with snowflakes, her parted lips red.

  Lance wagged his tail hard. He was looking past Maddox at Buddy, who was on his way up the path toward them.

  The man grinned hard, which meant he’d seen Maddox kissing Haley. Lance had broken them apart in time for Buddy not to have to shove his way past them. Good dog.

  “Morning,” Buddy sang out. He paused as he reached them. “Need a leg up?” he asked Haley.

  “I’ve got it,” Maddox said abruptly, but at the same time, Haley said, “Would you mind? Maddox keeps throwing me off the other side.”

  Buddy’s mouth quivered as he moved to Haley’s side. Maddox would have to kill him later.

  Buddy wrapped his arm around Haley’s leg before Maddox could object, and had her up and safely in the saddle in the space of a moment. Haley landed solidly on the seat, sending Maddox a look of triumph.

  Buddy adjusted the stirrups then waved a hand at her thanks and discreetly walked on toward the barn. Maddox positioned Haley’s feet in the stirrups, trying not to enjoy the firm feel of her calves.

  “You’ll follow me,” Maddox said, mounting his horse, a tall gelding with a thick black coat. “Just hold on to the reins and let Sammy have his head. He knows what to do. He won’t spook or bolt. Lance, stay here and take care of Aunt Jane.”

  Lance sat down, looking disappointed, but he stayed. Maddox pulled his horse in front of Sammy, who waited patiently for him to pass.

  “What’s your horse’s name?” Haley’s voice behind him sounded strained. Regretting the hot kiss? Or embarrassed by it? Maddox’s lips still tingled.

  “Boone,” Maddox said as he led the way to the path to town. “He was a stunt horse. Retired now. Sammy was the same.”

  “What kind of horses are they?” Another question to fill the space. “I’ve never seen any this shaggy.”

  Maddox patted Boone’s neck, his glove sinking into the wiry fur. “All horses have long hair in the winter. If you’ve only seen horses in shows or on TV, they get clipped for that, regardless of the season. Up here, we let them keep their natural coats in winter.”

  “Oh.” Haley sounded fascinated. “I never knew that.” He heard her pat Sammy. “I like them with long hair.”

  Maddox did too. He’d never admit it, but he loved burrowing his bare hands into his horses’ warm winter coats.

  Their conversation didn’t so much drift into silence as cut off abruptly. Maddox couldn’t think of a damn thing to say to her, and Haley ceased asking questions.

  Maddox didn’t regret the kiss at all, no matter what she thought about it. He’d do it again. In fact, he would do it again, as soon as he could. Haley would disappear into her world soon enough, but not before Maddox tasted her once more.

  If it led to nothing, then it didn’t. If it did—well, he’d work that out later. Maddox had learned a long time ago to live from day to day. Don’t anticipate the future; don’t hold so tight to the past that you can’t walk on.

  It was five miles over the fields to Starlight Bend, ten by road. Maddox led Haley along paths he’d known since he could walk, through stretches of woods and open ground, the mountains a constant backdrop.

  The town nestled on the edge of a lake, which was iced over now, but in the summer, the lake was deep, deep blue, as though sky and water melded. Mountains towered to the north and west, Starlight Bend in a bowl of beauty. Summer saw the lake full of boats for fishing or just gliding on the
water; winter brought ice fishing and snowmobiles.

  Maddox rode down into the town, the residents moving around briskly, snow never slowing them down. There was the Lakeside Cafe run by Becky Smith, who made a mean breakfast and killer pies. The scent of fresh-roasted coffee drifted in the air, making Maddox’s mouth water.

  The bar everyone called Stan’s that overlooked the lake was a fine place to hang out with friends after a long day. The sporting goods store, Big Sky Living, where residents of Starlight Bend bought their fishing and hiking gear, could be seen in the distance, dominating the skyline. Lights that were strung up every Christmas hung glittering in the dim winter morning, twinkling like fireflies.

  Cars crawled through the main street that had been somewhat cleared, though side streets were still blocked with the snow that continued to fall. A little snow never kept residents of Starlight Bend down for long. The weather was overcast and misty, sending gloom over the town, but when the sun finally came out again, Starlight Bend would glitter with a diamond hue.

  Maddox lifted his hand to those they passed, calling greetings. The few who’d met Haley at the party last night included her in their good-mornings. More than one person was on horseback, that being a handy way to get around in heavy snowfall.

  Riding horses through town was so common here that the store Maddox headed for had hitching posts in the front. Andy Baldwin ran a fixit shop, simply called Andy’s, where he repaired everything from refrigerators to the latest handheld gadgets. He had an uncanny knack with electronics and mechanics that no one could match. If something broke in Starlight Bend, Andy could fix it.

  Maddox dismounted, clipped lead ropes to the halters his horses wore with their bridles, and tied the ropes with quick release knots. Then he went to help Haley down.

  She came off Sammy stiffly, her arms going around Maddox to steady herself. She flushed as he set her on her feet and quickly stepped away from him.

  Maddox hid his frown and led the way into the shop. He noticed Haley looking around in bewilderment, which was what most people did the first time they came in here.