Montana Welcome

by Melinda Curtis

  Danny’s expression reflected anguish, visible past the red bruise rising on his cheek. “That was after I pointed out to your dad that I thought you had cold feet. You must not have heard that part.”

  “You’re saying that you didn’t have... And that I felt...” Stomach churning, Lily gripped the back of a nearby chair.

  Danny knew her inside and out. He knew her well enough to plunge out of an airplane and wait to make sure she pulled her chute before he pulled his. The fact that he cared for her had never been in doubt. But love...

  “Don’t believe him, Lily.” Conner laid a hand over hers on the chair. “He said your father sent him.”

  There was that. But perhaps the two men had talked, and Danny had received Rudy’s blessing to chase after her.

  He loves me?

  “You never told me.” And now... Did it matter? No. It was too late. She loved Conner.

  “Don’t believe him, Lily,” Conner said again.

  “You.” Danny glared at Conner and Lily’s joined hands and trembled with apparent rage. He pointed at Conner. “The other night you said you didn’t want to fight me. And now, with an audience, you pull this.” He gestured to his rapidly swelling eye. “Don’t imply I’m trying to manipulate Lily when it’s you and that Big E trying to pull the strings.”

  Lily’s stomach didn’t like the accusations flying about the room. They were asking her to choose sides.

  “Conner’s not that calculating.” Pepper angled her phone for a close-up of her face. “He told it like it was, whereas Danny doesn’t seem like a straight shooter. Look at what happened just now, throwing the first punch out of nowhere. That’s not the way to win back your fiancée.”

  “Don’t forget Danny never told Lily how he felt, either,” Natalie said sagely. “That’s some big overthinking. No, if anyone is manipulative—”

  “Enough audience chatter,” Danny snapped. “This is between the cowboy and me.”

  Lily frowned. “Shouldn’t it be between you and me?”

  “You think I was afraid of you?” Conner sneered, picking up her shawl and moving between Lily and Danny. “I didn’t need to fight after the concert because security was coming with their Tasers.”

  “Security?” Pepper turned to Natalie.

  “Tasers?” Natalie faced Pepper.

  “We missed it!” they both cried.

  “Ladies, not now,” Grandma Dot said, employing a severe tone that should have deterred everyone at the table from more upset.

  “You wily dog.” Danny laughed. “You goaded me to charge you in full view of security. Well played, cowboy. Well played. But you’re still the old man’s puppet.”

  “Be careful, young man,” Grandma Dot said, voice as hard as steel. “That’s my husband you’re talking about. It’s not too late to ask you to leave.”

  Danny leaned to one side, gaze connecting with Lily’s. “Notice the cowboy isn’t denying his role as a puppet.”

  Lily drew a calming breath. “But, Danny, you said—”

  “The way you’re digging a grave, Danny, Conner doesn’t need to say a thing.” Pepper grinned.

  “He just needs to watch you.” Natalie made the I’m-watching-you gesture, pointing at her eyes with two fingers and then pointing those two fingers at Danny.

  Of course Conner was watching Danny. He was paid to keep the Blackwell family and guests safe. So yeah, he needed to watch her ex. And yeah, his knowledge of horse behavior from being a trainer meant he knew how to judge character and evaluate threats. Wild mustangs were unpredictable. Men—especially upset, jilted grooms—could be unpredictable, too.

  Lily should have felt reassured. But there was something about Danny’s accusations that upset her stomach. If she hadn’t been sure—gosh, not 100 percent, but close—that Conner wasn’t a puppet trying to pull her strings, she’d be racing out of here.

  Conner was a good man, a smart man. And Lily loved him. But she loved Danny, too, as a friend. And both were saying things with a ring of truth.

  Rudy. Big E. She wasn’t certain of the motives of either man. But she had more experience with Rudy pulling strings than Big E.

  A woman rushed into the room and handed Grandma Dot two small bags of ice. Dorothy told her to hold dinner a few more minutes and gave a bag to each man. Neither put it where it would do the most good.

  “I know this looks bad,” Danny said to Lily, shaking the bag and rattling the ice. “I should have talked to you—not Rudy—about your feelings.”

  Grandma Dot scoffed. “It might be a little late for sensitivity, young man.”

  “Is it?” Danny’s gaze captured Lily’s. There was no anger. Not at her. “I’m not the one who hijacked a vulnerable bride or had me tased and detained. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Lily or to let her speak her mind to me. I haven’t had her locked in a motor home for days, feeding her lines to turn her against me.”

  There was truth in that. It spun and banged about inside Lily, trying to undermine her feelings—those sparks she’d felt for a just-met cowboy and hadn’t felt for her best friend turned fiancé, that toe-curling kiss, that certainty of love. Could she be wrong? About everything?

  Ice clattered on china as Conner dropped his bag on her charger plate. “I haven’t brainwashed Lily. I’ve listened to what she’s had to say.” He glanced at Lily tenderly.

  The way Lily felt when she was in Conner’s arms returned. The warmth. The comfort. The magnetic spark. There was truth in that, too.

  A woman wearing a white apron appeared in the doorway, frowning.

  “Blackwell rule.” Grandma Dot returned to her place at the table’s head. “Never upset the cook. It’s time to eat.” She indicated everyone should take their seats. “Put those phones away and abide by my no-arguing rule or you’ll be sent to your rooms.” She arched a silver brow and gave each of them a scathing look. “And don’t think I won’t do it.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CONNER’S KNUCKLES THROBBED.

  He handed his bag of ice to the server who set a plate in front of him.

  Pain was good. It made him sharp. He knew what the alternative to pain was—that numb feeling inside. He’d take pain any day, anger, too, especially when it came to protecting Lily from that jerk Danny.

  “Prime rib.” Lily stared at her plate and the thick slab of steak. She hadn’t picked up her knife and fork.

  “It’s fabulous.” Pepper had already cut into hers and was chewing. “Isn’t it, Nat?”

  “It is.” But Natalie stared at Danny, who sat across from her.

  “Let me.” Danny—the groom who refused to be jilted—slid Lily’s plate nearer his own and began cutting her steak.

  Conner should have known she’d need help. He should have been the first to come to her aid. He hacked at his prime rib, which was so tender he could have pulled it apart with a fork. He should have remembered Lily avoided food that required cutting or fork dexterity.

  “Lily loves barbecue.” Danny cut in a precise pattern, as if he cut her food all the time. “And spicy dishes. I’ve only been in town since yesterday, but it lacks the diverse cuisine we have in San Diego.”

  Dorothy gave him a cold stare, which was totally wasted since the man’s attention was on preparing Lily’s food as if she was a toddler.

  “You don’t have to dice her asparagus,” Conner snapped. “Or separate her mashed potatoes into bite-size portions.”

  “I know what Lily likes.” Danny centered Lily’s plate in front of her, turning it just so.

  Just enough to annoy Conner and embarrass Lily. There was color in her cheeks.

  “Sure,” Conner allowed. “You knew what she liked when she was a kid.”

  “Enough! Stop, the both of you. And, Danny... Don’t. Ever. Do. That. Again.” Lily glowered at her ex and then slowly picked up a fork. Slowly
speared a bit of meat. Slowly brought it to her mouth.

  “Pepper, I can’t remember what your bridesmaids are wearing.” Dorothy tossed the conversational ball in a safer direction. “Remind me.”

  While Pepper and Natalie prattled on about fabrics and specific hues of color, Conner leaned forward and glared at Danny. “We’re fully booked this week. You’ll need to leave in the morning.” The wedding party was due to arrive tomorrow.

  “I’ll be moving to one of the bunk houses in the morning.” Danny smirked. “It’s all arranged.”

  Bunk House One, Conner bet, gritting his teeth.

  “Lily, there’s a mountain bike trail about thirty minutes away.” To his credit, Danny had thought ahead, dangling treats Lily might find enticing. “A bike rental place, too. Want to go tomorrow?”

  Danny didn’t realize Lily had outgrown the desire for an adrenaline rush.

  “The mustangs are being delivered tomorrow.” Conner bared his teeth in a smile at his adversary. “If Lily’s serious about horse training, she’ll want to be there. But you go ahead.”

  “Not without Lily.”

  “You can go, Danny.” Lily, very slowly, slid her fork beneath a small mound of mashed potatoes. “I’m not your sidekick.”

  “Is the job open?” Natalie whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. It was clear she wouldn’t mind an opportunity to get to know Danny better.

  Conner would have been rooting for Natalie if Danny showed an ounce of interest. But she was about a decade too young in terms of life stage to catch the jilted groom’s eye. Not to mention Danny wasn’t honest. But Conner had arrived on scene at the church a good minute before Lily. He hadn’t heard Danny make any references to Lily having doubts.

  “You’re not my sidekick,” Danny snapped. “I care about you. You’re my responsibility.”

  Lily blanched.

  “How romantic.” Conner scoffed. “What you really mean is she’s the audience you need to make you feel more like a man.”

  Lily’s potato-laden fork paused in front of her lips.

  “I’m going to have to remind you of the house rules,” Dorothy said firmly. “No arguing at the table. Last warning.” She cleared her throat. “Pepper, I can’t wait to meet Ken. You said he’s coming tomorrow.”

  “I can’t wait to see him.” Pepper gave Danny a put-upon look. “Ken is fabulous, mature and the love of my life. If I thought he had any doubts, I’d talk to him about it, not his father or my father.”

  Danny’s mouth was set in a hard line. Nothing anyone said was going to change his opinion or his objective. He wasn’t going to leave the Blackwell Ranch willingly, not without Lily.

  And Conner was determined to thwart his every move.

  * * *

  “DOROTHY.” CONNER LINGERED at the guest ranch after dinner, helping wash dishes as he waited for the opportunity to talk to Big E’s wife. “Do you have a minute?”

  “Of course.” Dorothy was a tall, imposing figure, not to mention her personality was as large as Big E’s. She led him out to the porch. “I’m guessing you want me to send Lily’s fiancé away? You know, that’s something only Lily can do.”

  “Actually, I was thinking he needs a little help remembering his feet were the ones with a chill.” Conner cleared his throat before pressing on into dangerous territory. “He needs a worshipful audience. Let’s give him one.”

  She studied him. “Pepper’s friend Natalie might do the job. She’s interested.”

  “Beg pardon, ma’am, but she’s not the challenge a man like Danny falls for. There...uh...” He cleared his throat. “There used to be a woman here at the ranch. She’s been banned from the property, but...”

  “Conner.” Dorothy scowled, looking as if she’d like to ban Conner from the property. “You can’t be serious. You want to invite the last Mrs. Elias Blackwell here?”

  He dared nod his head while the idea hung between them in the rapidly chilling evening air. Zoe Blackwell was in her thirties and combined a toxic mix of alluring beauty and unpredictable chaos. But there was no way Conner was going to jump into this further than he had already until Dorothy chewed on the idea a bit. And she’d only gnaw on it if she cared for Lily.

  “Zoe has a way of upsetting the apple cart.” Dorothy was mumbling now. “My apple cart, if truth be told.”

  “Zoe has a knack for picking up seasoned strays, ma’am. And worshipping them.”

  “I don’t like this Danny character any more than you do.” Dorothy’s voice seemed distant. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to invite Big E’s biggest mistake back in the Blackwell gates. She’ll take a mile out of the inch we need her for and then keep showing up like a weed in my flower garden. If you want to protect Lily, why don’t you—”

  “Beg pardon, ma’am, but I don’t look like Blackwell-marrying material.” Conner leaned on the porch railing. The setting sun cast his shadow like a slim shard of tall grass across the front yard.

  Dorothy considered him in silence for an uncomfortable bit. “You know, I talked to Big E about his long-lost son. Lily’s not a Blackwell like my grandsons. She wasn’t raised with generations of expectations and responsibility, nor do we expect her to come in here and uphold the family legacy.”

  “And yet she has a legacy to uphold.” One she’d never live up to on the Rocking H.

  “Save me from men who think they’re undeserving of a good woman.” Dorothy leaned her hip against the railing next to him. “Whether you consider yourself worthy of Lily is neither here nor there. It was Lily’s choice to walk away from the marriage, and it’ll be her choice as to whether she sticks with that decision or comes to her senses and sees the cowboy who’s right in front of her. Trying to distract Danny with other women isn’t what’s needed here. You should pay attention to your own house before you try to redecorate someone else’s. Now, I’m relieving you of your concierge duties for the wedding. We can’t be known as the resort where staff gives guests black eyes.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Conner headed down the steps, Dorothy’s rebuke stinging in his ears.

  “Oh, and, Conner.”

  He turned.

  Dorothy gave him that hard stare of hers, the one that made Big E nervous. “Don’t ever ask me to invite one of Big E’s ex-wives here again.”

  * * *

  THE ROCKING H looked the same way it had when Conner had left over a week ago.

  A few fence posts by the thinly graveled drive were cockeyed. A couple of boards swung loose on the side of the barn. Parsnip trotted along the fence line, keeping up with his truck. And everywhere Conner glanced, things seemed to be covered in a layer of grime and neglect.

  Conner was familiar with guilt. It blossomed every time he returned from the Blackwell Ranch. He should reset those fence posts. He should grab a hammer and nails and secure the loose barn boards. As for the stallion...

  He’d somehow managed to jump a fence. He stood in the pasture nearest Conner and whinnied.

  “Like you want to pick up where we left off,” Conner told him, grabbing his bags from the back of the truck and heading for the door.

  “’Bout time you got home.” Mom stood in the doorway leaning on her forearm crutches. Her red sweatshirt had an appliqué of a chicken. Her jeans hung off her skinny frame. Her brown-gray hair was loose but neat. “Where’s Lily?”

  “She’s staying at the Blackwell guest ranch.” Conner’s boots crunched across the gravel as he eyed the front porch steps. The foundation had shifted again. The steps were pulling away from the porch proper. It was becoming a safety hazard.

  Mom backed into the house, banging against the front door and stepping around Ned, her orange tabby, as she did so. “I thought Lily would stay with us.”

  “Why?” Conner dropped his bags and hung his hat on a hook. He kept his boots on. He needed to go out later and check his mother�
��s chickens. He breathed a sigh of... Not relief. Not exhaustion. Not regret.

  Sadness. The Rocking H deserved better than him.

  Mom stood in the middle of the living room on the worn brown carpet. “Why would I think Lily was staying with us? Because she sounded perfect for you.”

  Conner frowned. “I thought you said I shouldn’t be her rebound man.” Wise advice.

  “Pishaw.” His mother banged her crutches on the floor, sending poor Ned fleeing for cover. “I only said that because it seemed like you wanted to hear it. You always do the opposite of what I say. I thought you might rebel.”

  Conner’s jaw dropped. “That is the worst logic ever.” But he’d expected as much. He marched into the kitchen, taking stock of the clean, if worn, counters and comparing them to the luxury of the Blackwells’ granite finishes. They didn’t have a bucket beneath a leaky roof, either.

  “Anytime you want to try being a parent and do better...”

  “Save me the lecture. Please.” Conner sat down at the kitchen table. The house was quiet. Lily wasn’t sitting nearby slinging a quip, huffing about something or other, or beaming at him as if he hung the moon.

  The only thing he hung was his hat on that lopsided hook in the foyer.

  “Do you want to eat?” His mother’s tone had changed from teasing to caring.

  “No. I had dinner with the Blackwells.” And afterward Lily had excused herself without so much as a thank-you for standing up to that ridiculous ex-groom of hers. In fact, he wondered if she’d been swayed by Danny’s accusations.

  She wouldn’t like to hear about that double bonus.

  His mother sat down next to him, resting her crutches on the arm of her chair. “Do you want to talk?”

  Conner sighed.

  “You want to talk.” She took a moment to stand and adjust her grip on her crutches. “I’ll get the cookies and milk. The cookies I made for Lily, by the way. She said she wanted to come over.”