The Rancher's Secret Love (The Montana McGregor Brothers Book 2)

by Paula Altenburg

  “You can’t live on love.”

  “No, but you can love to live. Dancing is about expressing your feelings. You should try it sometime.”

  His eyebrows pinched in surprise. He looked at her as they pulled up to the flashing red Marion Street lights. “You think I don’t know how to dance?”

  Poor, oblivious Dr. Pretty. That wasn’t the skill she called into question. He couldn’t help but be a decent dancer. He moved with too much style to be anything else.

  But he had to quit thinking so much.

  “I bet you and your avatar do a fantastic one-step,” she said.

  He chuckled a little. “We do okay.” He rolled through the flashing lights, checking for oncoming traffic, before speaking again. “My sister Liz studied dance in New York, but gave it up when she and Blair got married. I don’t think she ever had any plans to dance professionally. She just wanted to go to New York. Our dad complained all the time about how much money her dreams cost him, and yet, in the end, it was his dream that killed them.”

  Mara’s heart whipped out a fouetté. It hurt for him. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I’m not advocating for people to give up on their dreams.”

  He’d lost her. Again. “Then what are you advocating?”

  “Nothing, really. Just thinking out loud.”

  The car hit a bump in the road as they made the turn onto her street. A few minutes later, she was home.

  Luke’s gaze drifted, just for a second, to the cemetery gate. The muscle under his right eye flinched, then his cheek smoothed. He turned the car off. The motor made faint clicking noises as it shut down.

  He helped her from the car, then walked her to the door. They both stood there for a moment, things awkward again. Moths flittered around the light mounted over the door. She slid her key in the lock and jiggled the knob until the lock gave. She debated asking him again if he’d like to come in, just for a coffee, and decided against it.

  Too much baggage. He’s in a bad place.

  “Thank you,” she said, her hand on the knob. “I had a great time, tonight.”

  “I did, too. Maybe we can try it again.”

  “I’d like that.”

  He pressed his lips to her cheek. “I’ll call you.”

  She wondered how many weeks it might take him this time, or if he really would call.

  He was gone before she had the door fully open.

  She closed the door behind her and leaned her back against it, scrunching her eyelids together and touching her fingertips to her cheek. Her abuela kissed with more heat. Her fingers trailed to her lips.

  So, however, did Luke—when he didn’t put quite so much thought into it.

  *

  Luke stood next to the computer screen in one of the new barn’s four robotic milking rooms and watched through the thick pane of glass as the robot arm latched the cups onto the cows that passed through the gate. A ration of grain helped lure them in. The cow’s ear tag was read at the gate by an automatic identification system. The system recorded information about the animal—how much milk it gave, and how much grain it consumed, for starters. If she was due to be milked, the gate opened.

  Lately, one of the sensors on this robot had been malfunctioning. Luke thought he had it fixed, but hung around to make sure.

  Besides, he was in no hurry to head back to the house. He’d had a disagreement with Jake at breakfast over Finn.

  He should have known not to bring up a sensitive subject when Jake was in a bad mood. It turned out his brother still had a thing for Lacey Anderson, the girl he’d dated in high school. And Lacey, as luck would have it, was a teacher at the Marion Street elementary school, which the boys now attended.

  Luke wasn’t sure what had happened between Jake and Lacey last night—as far as he knew, Jake had gone to a parent-teacher meeting—but one thing was guaranteed. Jake’s evening hadn’t ended any better than Luke’s.

  Luke did know what had gone wrong with Mara. It was his fault for the way their date had ended. He had no idea why he’d been such an ass about her dance classes, other than that he hated to see her get her hopes up about attracting male students. If Jake’s reaction to Luke’s suggestion they put Finn in dance was any indication, she’d get them up for nothing.

  But when she’d talked about male students, and she’d sounded so wistful, he’d thought of Finn. Liz had signed him up for a summer dance class in New York. He’d seen it noted in her calendar when they’d packed up the kids and their belongings. He’d barely paid attention to it then because they’d all had so much on their minds, but now that Mara had reminded him of it, he saw no reason not to carry through with his sister’s plans.

  Unfortunately Jake—the kids’ legal guardian—wasn’t on board. His objection was that Finn was already having a hard enough time fitting in at school, and putting him in dance wouldn’t help.

  Luke adjusted the sleeves of his barn coverall. He’d gone along with every other childrearing decision to date, but he was their uncle too, and he should get a say. To hell with his older brother. When he hadn’t fit in, Jake was the one who’d taught him to lead with his left. Finn was taking those dance lessons even if Jake had to teach him to fight, too.

  This had nothing to do with wanting to see Mara again so he could make it up to her for how last night had ended.

  The cow finished her grain, the cups disengaged, and the gate swung open, setting her free. Luke checked the cow’s data on the screen on the computer. Everything was in order. The sensor appeared to be functioning.

  With the barn chores attended to, he had work to catch up on for the college. They’d given him six months. After that, he had nothing. He stepped out of the barn, turning his thoughts in another direction. The sun burned hot in the cloudless sky. The dry spell seemed in no danger of ending anytime soon.

  The ranch house faced the Tongue River, which cut through part of the McGregor land. One of their enterprising ancestors had begun an irrigation system that functioned well to this day, so the cattle were in no danger of dying of thirst. The same couldn’t be said for the grass. They’d have to make hay soon and try to get it in while the quality was high.

  He entered the house through the mudroom behind the kitchen, kicked off his rubber barn boots, and hung his coverall next to the door. He washed his hands in the laundry tub. When he entered the bright kitchen, Zack was on the floor next to the oak table, playing with Lydia.

  “Hey,” Luke said. “Where were you two all morning?”

  Zack shrugged, a mean trick to pull off while on his hands and knees, growling at Lydia, pretending to nip at her belly. Lydia squealed and shoved at his face with her pudgy baby hands. She had the cutest hair ever, all fluffy and blond like the down on a newly-hatched chick. Drool spilled from her plump lower lip to her chin.

  “Where were you last night?” Zack shot back.

  Luke didn’t answer, and while neither had Zack, Luke was positive his brother had been visiting the neighbor again.

  Posey Davies had a daughter a little older than Lydia and no husband that Luke could discern. Posey seemed nice enough, although very reserved. She had a lost waif image going on, what with her white-blond hair and big eyes. He suspected there was a lot more to her story, and worried about Zack, who had a weakness for helpless women, becoming caught up in it. Where there was a baby, there was usually a baby’s father.

  He scooped Lydia off the floor, rescuing her from whatever wild animal Zack was pretending to be. At least Liz and Blair could rest easy knowing that at least one of their children was settling into ranch life without any trouble.

  “Liz signed Finn up for dance lessons this summer,” he said. “Grand has a teacher, but when I mentioned it to Jake, he was dead set against it. What would you think if I put Finn in dance lessons behind his back?”

  Zack rocked onto his heels. His socks were striped navy and gray. His T-shirt and jeans were both navy. Dark red hair stood up in clumps thanks to Lyddie tangli
ng her fingers in it. He looked eighteen, not twenty-eight.

  “I’d think what Jake doesn’t know won’t hurt him. He can’t keep track of everything that happens around here. That’s why he asked us to help out. And,” he added, a smirk on his face, “I think the dance teacher is hot.”

  Luke played it cool. “So I’ve heard.”

  “C’mon,” Zack complained. He got to his feet. “So things didn’t work out with Denise. Get back in the saddle.”

  Luke kept his focus on Lydia. He held her above his head and blew on her belly where her yellow jersey had hiked up. A cute pair of blue shorts—likely inherited from one of her brothers—covered her diaper-padded round butt. “Eventually. Not yet.”

  Zack changed the subject. “Are you really okay with staying in Grand for a year?”

  They hadn’t had much of a chance to talk about the will in the two days since the Wagging Tongue’s lawyer had dropped the bombshell on them.

  “I am.” Luke lowered Lydia into his arms. She patted his cheeks. Man, she was cute. “I’m not okay with taking a quarter of something that’s rightfully Jake’s.”

  “Jake doesn’t see it that way.”

  “I know he doesn’t.” Lydia grew tired of being held, so Luke set her down. She toddled over to the toy box in the corner and began tossing the contents on the floor. Luke looked his brother in the eye. “How do you see it?”

  “I think the ranch is growing. With the right planning it could support two families. Possibly three,” Zack added, a little too hastily, and the light bulb came on.

  “You want to keep your share?” Luke asked, to be sure.

  “I’m thinking about it.”

  A glimmer of hope he hadn’t known he possessed disappeared. Zack was an accountant. He was also excellent with animals and kids. If Jake wanted a partner, then Zack was the likeliest choice, because he brought added value.

  He’d also said “families,” not people.

  Luke forgot his disappointment, exchanging it for concern. “Does this decision to stay have something to do with Posey?”

  “Please. She won’t give me the time of day. I’ve missed Grand, that’s all.”

  But Zack’s gaze no longer held his, and Luke’s unease expanded. If she wouldn’t give him the time of day it was because he’d expressed interest, and Luke knew his brother. He wasn’t the kind of man to back down once he started after something he wanted. If Posey wasn’t interested in him, that was one thing. Zack would come to his senses. If she was holding back for some other reason, however—maybe one that involved her baby’s MIA father—then the McGregors might have a problem.

  Luke was tired of problems. They had enough without factoring in women. Jake was in a foul mood over Lacey. Zack had issues with Posey. Meanwhile, Luke?

  If he had a problem, it was of his own making. Mara was worry-free. She was fun and made no demands. Last night could have ended on a far different note if he hadn’t been so unprepared for that kiss. The next time he took her out, he’d know what to expect and be better prepared.

  First, he’d sign Finn up for that class.

  “Grand does have something special about it,” he agreed.

  Chapter Six

  “I don’t wanna dance,” Finn announced. “Dance is for girls.”

  It was Saturday morning. Jake had taken Mac to soccer practice and Zack was baking cookies with Lydia. Zack would cover for Luke if Jake got home first. It wasn’t that they planned on lying to Jake, or that it really mattered whether or not he found out. Jake genuinely wanted what was best for the kids. They’d agreed this was a need-to-know situation and they had it under control.

  Luke glanced in the rearview mirror. His nephew slouched as far as he could in his seat. He had his arms crossed, lower lip thrust out, and wore a dark scowl on his face. He looked so much like Zack when he didn’t get his own way that Luke wanted to laugh. The only difference was that Finn had the green McGregor eyes while Zack’s eyes were blue.

  Luke hadn’t anticipated resistance from Finn. He’d assumed Liz had signed him up for dance because he’d expressed an interest. Now he was beginning to suspect that the interest was all on Liz’s part and she’d hoped Finn might pick it up.

  “What makes you think it’s for girls?” he asked Finn.

  “Daddy says so. He says Mommy can put Lyddie in dance when she’s older.”

  Luke didn’t miss the use of present tense. Finn, in his five-year-old head, had a problem understanding that his parents weren’t coming back. Jake was considering getting both boys into therapy, and while Luke wholeheartedly agreed, he also believed that, in Finn’s case, time would take care of it. He simply wasn’t old enough yet to have a frame of reference for death.

  And as for Blair’s opinion about dance… Luke would have loved to be a fly on the wall for that conversation. Liz hadn’t been a militant feminist, but she’d been all about equal rights.

  “Dance isn’t only for girls,” he assured Finn. “Who do you think lifts them when they do those fancy moves?”

  Finn chewed on that. The scowl eased into a frown. “Bigger girls?”

  “Possibly,” Luke said. “Personally though, I like dancing with girls. Maybe they’d like to dance with boys sometimes, too.”

  “Why?”

  “Why not? What’s wrong with girls and boys dancing?”

  Luke waited.

  “You dance with girls?” Finn finally asked, suspicion rife in his tone.

  “I do,” Luke replied. He took another quick peek in the mirror. Finn looked a lot less sure of his stance. “Do you really not want to dance?” he asked. Because if he didn’t, Luke would turn the car around now. He didn’t need an excuse to see Mara again. He’d wanted to please her, yes, but not at Finn’s expense.

  It took Finn a second to answer. “I don’t want to lift girls.”

  “I don’t think that’s anything you need to worry about your first day,” Luke replied. “The boys who lift girls have had a lot of lessons. You don’t have to dance with girls if you don’t want to, either. But why don’t you give lessons a try before you make up your mind?”

  “Fine. I’ll try one. But that’s it.”

  By the time they reached Mara’s, the small parking lot in front of the cemetery was full and Luke had to park on the street. He unfastened Finn from his seat and held his hand as they walked to the studio door. While the street was a dead end and hardly busy Finn had the attention span of a squirrel and zero concept of danger. None of the McGregors trusted his common sense. The rule was, especially on the ranch where large machines were in constant motion, that if there was a vehicle around, an adult had to hang on to him.

  The door to the studio was open, so Luke and Finn walked in. About ten little girls were running around the large space like leotard-clad chickens on crack, jumping on the mats and hanging off the barres. The mirrored walls multiplied their numbers tenfold.

  Finn, for his part, forgot all about his aversion to girls. He shook off Luke’s hand and tore across the room to join the melee. The girls greeted him with equal enthusiasm, proving there was no explaining what went on in kids’ heads.

  Luke had no idea how Mara planned to tame this madhouse. All he could say was good luck.

  A gaggle of what he assumed to be mothers were crowded around a small table near the stairs where Mara was taking registration. Her head was bent and she hadn’t yet seen him. A few of the women noted his presence, however, and the chatter gradually died down.

  The sudden attention had nothing to do with him being the lone male in their midst. He’d rather it did. He and his brothers had been a hot topic of gossip for weeks and it seemed the interest in their family situation hadn’t yet tapered off.

  Mara finally lifted her head to see why the mothers around her had gone quiet. Blue eyes met his. Thick dark lashes fluttered as if she couldn’t quite believe what she saw. Then her gaze trailed to the passel of unholy terrors. She zeroed in on the redheaded newcomer at once. Her eyes,
widening, flew back to Luke’s face and he had the uneasy impression that she thought he was humoring her by bringing his nephew for lessons.

  That wasn’t what he’d intended at all.

  She would never challenge him in front of an audience, however. Instead, she smiled at him as if they’d never met. He had a flashback to the other night in his car. She’d worn a far different smile then, until he’d gone and ruined it.

  No more of that.

  “Welcome,” she said, and held up a sheet of paper. “Can I ask you to fill out one of these forms?”

  Making his way through the silent group of women couldn’t have been any more uncomfortable if he’d been stark naked. He’d gone to school with a few of them, although most were closer to Jake’s age than his. Their slight, not-quite-hidden smiles said they knew exactly why he was here.

  He nodded to everyone, acknowledging them the way he would a group of freshmen, then he concentrated on Mara and tried to ignore everything else. She wore a black leotard and tights, a filmy pink wrap-around skirt, and well-worn ballet slippers that might once have been white. She’d wound her mass of dark hair into a tight, ballerina-style bun. She looked elegant, professional, and of course, stunning. She lit up the space around her, casting the other women in shadow.

  When she rose to pass him the form and a pen, however, he noticed the bandage wrapped thigh-to-calf under her tights, and the way her knee didn’t quite bend when she resumed her seat.

  “I didn’t get a chance to pick up proper dance clothes for Finn,” Luke said, clutching the form. He’d dressed him in a pair of gray sweatpants and a Spider-Man T-shirt. “If you tell me what to buy I’ll make sure he has it for next week.”

  Mara dug another sheet of paper out of her pile. “Here you go. This has all the information you need.”

  “She offers Zumba classes on Wednesdays and Thursdays for adults,” one of the mothers added, her eyes twinkling. “If you’d like a class for yourself, too.”