Montana Dad

by Jeannie Watt

  Will tended to move stiffly, the result of more than one encounter with a bronc back in his younger days, but as he held components of the frame in place so that Rosalie could fasten them with the rechargeable drill, he seemed to loosen up, and he also started to whistle under his breath as he worked. He seemed to enjoy the puzzle of the tent.

  While she and Will constructed the frame, Gloria laid out the cheerful pink, green and white striped canvas cover, then they all gathered around to debate the best way to get the heavy material up and over the frame.

  “Maybe I should call Travis to help,” Will said. The frame was eight feet tall at the highest point. “He’s in town for a couple hours.”

  Gloria gave her head a shake. “We grab these ropes and throw them over the frame and drag the canvas over the top.”

  Will grinned at her. “Like tarping hay.”

  “If you say so,” Gloria responded. She shot Rosalie a look and came this close to winking. Rosalie was certain of it.

  Well, she would let Gloria have her fun. She wasn’t going to worry about where her friendship with Will was heading, because she’d made it very clear that all she was interested in was friendship. Will seemed fine with that. Like her, he was looking for companionship. A different kind of companionship from what he got at the morning co-op coffee meetings.

  Rosalie couldn’t say it was exactly easy-peasy getting the canvas up over the frame; however, they managed to get it into place after a few false starts.

  It fit like a glove, and Gloria beamed. “It’s perfect.”

  “It looks nice,” Will agreed. He turned to Rosalie. “Do you need help taking it down?”

  “We’re going to leave it up for a couple of nights to see if there are issues with the wind and such.”

  “Good idea. If you ladies no longer need me, I promised Travis I’d meet him for lunch...he’s paying.”

  “You don’t want to miss that,” Rosalie said on a laugh. “Thanks so much for the help, Will. I’ll walk you to your truck.”

  She’d spent so much time dodging the man that it seemed odd to want to prolong her time with him, but life was odd sometimes.

  Will stopped at his truck and looked down at her. “I have a question, Rosalie. And I trust that you’ll feel free to say no.”

  Her heart started beating faster. “What question is that?”

  “Would you like to come out with me on Friday? Nothing fancy. I was thinking we could go to the Shamrock Pub. Just...casual like.”

  So that she didn’t feel pushed or pressured.

  Rosalie smiled. “I’d like that, Will. Shall I meet you there?”

  “I could pick you up.”

  “Eight o’clock?”

  “Eight it is.”

  * * *

  NICK BROUGHT HIS hand to the small of Alex’s back as they stopped just inside the door of the Shamrock Pub, his touch warm and reassuring through the thin cotton of her simple chambray blouse. Before her lay a classic Irish pub and a sea of cowboy hats.

  “It’s busy,” Alex murmured. Almost every table was filled, and two bartenders were working behind the beautiful antique bar that graced the far wall.

  “It’s a popular place.” Nick pointed to one of the few free tables. “Why don’t you commandeer that table and I’ll see if I can round up a couple more chairs for Katie and Brady.”

  “Will do,” she said, noting that another couple had come in through the back door and were also looking for a place to sit. She reached the table and settled into a seat that allowed her a view of both doors and the bar, putting her purse on Nick’s seat.

  Then she closed her eyes for one brief moment, doing her best to center herself.

  She was on a date, and there was no reason she should be so uptight...except that this date mattered.

  The drive to town had been quiet, with her and Nick staring out the front windshield, both lost in deep thoughts. It had been Nick who’d broken the silence as the lights of Gavin came into view.

  “Scary, huh?”

  Alex had slowly turned to meet his gaze. “Totally.”

  Although, honestly, Nick had more on the line than she did. Any decision he made in his life affected his daughters, whereas Alex had to worry only about herself, her own peace of mind. And not alienating the family she was truly coming to care for. A family that, even though she’d known them for only a short time, was more of an anchor to her than her real family had ever been. The call from Lawrence had helped her to realize just how well she’d landed and how many blessings she could count. She could still be in Virginia, living with her mother, letting the paranoia about her apartment break-in and the investigation eat her alive.

  “The first date is the hardest.”

  Will there be more?

  Alex hadn’t voiced the question aloud. Instead she’d given Nick a sidelong look, hoping he didn’t realize she was studying him. There was so much about him that she admired. The way he kept his word and cared for his daughters and was there for his family. And he’d been there for her, helping her deal with her fears, simply by his presence, if nothing more.

  Nick spoke to a couple sitting at a nearby table, then grabbed two chairs and headed back to their table. He’d barely set the chairs down when the rear door opened and Katie walked in, looking dazzling in a pink tank top and dark denim jeans, holding hands with a breathtakingly handsome dark-haired cowboy.

  Nick got to his feet and waved them over to the table before sitting down again. He wasn’t quite seated when something caught his attention across the room. Alex followed his gaze and spotted Rosalie sitting at a table with a rather dapper older cowboy.

  “Huh,” Nick said as he settled all the way into his chair.

  “Is it unusual for Rosalie to go out?”

  “No...but...” He pressed his lips together thoughtfully, then met her gaze. “I don’t usually see her in the Shamrock.”

  “She seems quite comfortable,” Alex said.

  “Yes,” he said musingly. “She does.”

  “Grandma’s here,” Katie announced as she pulled out a chair. “And I think she is purposely not looking at us.”

  “I think you’re right,” the dark-haired man with her said with a smile. He held out a hand to Alex. “Brady O’Neil.”

  “Alex Ryan.”

  “We are poor hosts,” Katie said to Nick, “making people perform their own introductions.” She gave him a cheeky smile. “My excuse is that I’m kind of stunned to see Grandma out with Will McGuire. What’s yours?”

  “They have been spending a lot of time together,” Nick said before raising his hand to flag down the server, a young cowboy with a towel tucked into his belt. He ordered two pitchers, then adjusted his chair so that his back was to his grandmother and put a hand on the back of Alex’s chair.

  She gave Nick a quick glance, and he met her gaze with a smile in his eyes before shifting his attention back to Brady. He seemed more relaxed now that they weren’t alone. Or maybe he’d come to some kind of reckoning, because he started casually caressing Alex’s shoulder with the tips of his fingers as he spoke to Brady, messing with Alex’s peace of mind, albeit in a good way.

  “Are you doing okay?” Katie asked.

  Alex gave her a perplexed look. “Yes.”

  Katie shrugged. “You seem a little nervous, but you don’t need to be. Nick’s nervous enough for both of you.”

  Alex glanced at Nick, who was deep in conversation with Brady, then back at Katie. “How can you tell?”

  “Sister superpowers.” She leaned a little closer, lowering her voice. “I know you guys are taking it slow and all that, and rightly so, given the situation, but I just want to tell you that since you’ve shown up, Nick is different. He’s happier. So maybe you guys are just friends, but whatever you are...good work.”

  Alex blinked, not certa
in what to say after that rather amazing speech. “Uh...thank you?”

  Katie smiled and raised her beer, and Alex couldn’t escape the notion that Katie had just accomplished something she’d set out to do.

  “By the way,” Katie said more loudly, “Bailey and Kendra are cooking up plans to have a sleepover at your house.”

  Alex automatically glanced at Nick, who said, “Don’t be puppy-eyed into something you don’t want to do.”

  “No. You don’t understand,” Alex said. “It sounds like fun.”

  “Hey. I could come, too,” Katie said. “We could play games with the girls, make popcorn or fudge, then watch something fun and mindless after they go to bed. I have a stack of old DVDs that—”

  “Do you have Bridesmaids?” Alex interjected.

  “Yes!” Katie held up a hand and Alex high-fived her. Brady and Nick exchanged looks, then tipped up their beers.

  “We’ll set a date tomorrow or the next day,” Alex said.

  A few minutes later the band started, and Katie and Brady exchanged a look, then got to their feet and started for the small dance floor. Rosalie and Will also got to their feet, but instead of heading to the dance floor, they went to the door, Will’s hand hovering protectively at the small of Rosalie’s back.

  “Smart move on their part,” Nick said. “It’s more like a mosh pit than a dance floor out there.” He gave Alex’s fingers a small squeeze. “But if you want to brave it, I’m game.”

  “I don’t need to dance.” She was happy sitting there with Nick’s hand on top of hers.

  “Your grandmother looked like she was having a good time.”

  “Yeah. It’s kind of strange to see her out on a date, but more power to her. By the way, just so you know, my sister is under the mistaken impression that she can whisper.”

  Alex bit her lip but smiled, anyway. “I wondered if you’d heard the part about you being nervous and...the other stuff.”

  “How could I not?” His expression sobered and he leaned closer, putting his hand lightly on her knee. “But she’s right. I am nervous, and I am happier.”

  Alex nodded, not knowing what to say.

  “And, now that my grandma is no longer here to witness, I’m going to kiss you, Alex.”

  Her heart hit her ribs, but her voice was even as she said, “Here?” with a lift of her eyebrows. “In a crowded public place?” It had been a long time since she’d flirted in a bar, but judging from Nick’s expression, she was holding her own.

  He smiled, sending a plume of warmth curling through her. “Unless the lady has an objection.”

  She leaned closer, bringing her lips close to his. “No objection.”

  His lips met hers and her eyes went shut. She’d thought the place was too busy for anyone to notice, but she heard a couple of small whoops before Nick leaned back and smiled at her.

  “Sorry about that,” he said in a voice that kind of rolled over her, making her skin tingle.

  “For the kiss or the response of the crowd?”

  “The crowd, Alex. I don’t for one moment regret the kiss.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  TWO DAYS HAD passed since Nick had kissed Alex in the Shamrock Pub and then again on her front porch after taking her home. Two days since he’d whispered that she brought something special to his life before opening the front door for her and then declining her offer of coffee.

  Instead, he’d framed her face with his big hands, giving her the sweetest kiss before bringing his forehead down to rest on hers. “I think I’d better go home, so that I am not tempted to stay.”

  Alex’s stomach still did a little free fall when she thought about the regretful note in his low voice. But Nick was the kind of guy who had a code, and that code included not rushing things out of respect for her and her trust issues, and out of concern for his daughters.

  Speaking of which...

  Alex turned in her seat to smile at Kendra and Bailey, who were already in the process of unbuckling their booster seats.

  “Okay, girls. Do you have everything?”

  “Except the stuff Bailey left on your table,” Kendra said as she helped her sister lift the armrest of her seat.

  “I’ll get it at the sleepover,” Bailey announced.

  Nick had dropped the girls at Alex’s place early that morning before he’d taken a trip to Missoula to pick up a lathe he’d bought via social media. Katie and Brady were meeting with a wedding planner and Rosalie had been tied up until noon, so Alex had the girls all to herself until she dropped them at Rosalie’s gorgeous Victorian house, where Nick would pick them up.

  “We had fun,” Kendra said as she scrambled out of the car.

  “I liked the pancakes best,” Bailey agreed.

  Alex had made chocolate chip pancakes using one of the giant cast-iron skillets Juliet had left behind, and then the three of them had taken a walk, with Kendra pointing out all of the plants her Aunt Katie had taught her to identify and Bailey picking flowers.

  Looking back, her life had been so empty before the Callahans had come into it. Alex was as in love with the girls as she was with the father.

  Rosalie opened the front door and waved at the girls, who raced for the front gate. Alex undid their seats from the seat belts and followed with a seat in each hand.

  “Is that glitter I see on your hands?” Rosalie asked Bailey, who turned her wrist so that the glitter caught the sun.

  “We made pictures with the stuff Alex’s aunt left when she moved out,” Kendra explained.

  Rosalie met Alex’s gaze with a warm smile. The woman approved of her, and that was huge. Alex smiled back. “We had fun,” she said simply.

  “Do you have time for a cup of tea?”

  Alex shook her head. “I have some shopping to do.” She waited until the girls were in the house before saying, “I’m hosting a sleepover in a few days, and I wanted to get some special food and a few odds and ends for some games we used to play at boarding...”

  Her voice trailed, and Rosalie laughed before putting a reassuring hand on Alex’s shoulder.

  “I know that you went to boarding school. It’s not a crime.”

  Alex let out a sigh. “I know.” She smiled wryly. “It’s just that my background is so different from that of the people around here. I want to fit in.”

  “I think you fit in in the best way,” Rosalie said with a knowing look. “Now I’d better go see about my crew. We’ll see you soon, Alex.”

  Alex blew out a breath as she walked back to her car, then spontaneously smiled as she opened the car door and a bubble of happiness rose inside her. She was living a life she hadn’t imagined possible when she’d first arrived in Montana. A life full of warmth and a sense of belonging.

  * * *

  ALEX’S SENSE OF well-being lasted until she drove through her unlocked gate and parked in her usual spot near the old barn. That was when she noticed the top of Roger’s head showing momentarily above the backyard gate and then disappearing. Her heart stopped.

  Roger wasn’t supposed to be in the backyard...but Bailey had gone back into the house at the last minute. She might have let him out or left the back door open.

  Alex let out a shaky breath. She was so looking forward to the day when things out of the norm didn’t trigger a panic attack. When she could accept that she wasn’t being hunted down by people who wanted their money, and that the guy in her apartment had been a run-of-the-mill burglar.

  She forced a wry smile as she gathered her purse and bags of groceries, nudging the car door closed with her hip. The fact that she was happy to be robbed by a normal burglar spoke to how crazy her life had been before she’d fled.

  “What are you guys doing out?” she asked as she shooed the dogs back and managed to open the gate latch with one finger. A true urbanite, she hated to make two trips, so all of
her bags were hanging from her arms.

  Sure enough, the back door was open, and the dogs had made their way out by pushing on the unlocked screen door.

  “Well, sunshine is good,” she murmured, and maybe it was time that she allowed herself to believe that Roger would stay put if she left him in the yard, even though she knew for a fact he could get out if he wanted. A few days prior he’d taken a running leap and was able to lever himself up to the top of the pickets. He would have gone over if Alex hadn’t seen him. But even if he did, would he leave Gus?

  No.

  Alex nudged the screen door open with her foot and stepped inside, dropping the bags onto the table and pulling her arms free of the handles. Roger made a beeline for the living room, and then she heard him race up the stairs. Alex stared after him, then noticed that Gus, who hung by her side, was also staring intently.

  He’s waiting for Roger to come back.

  Of course.

  But as she looked around the kitchen, she realized that some of the drawers weren’t fully closed, as if someone had opened them and hadn’t quite gotten them shut again.

  Alex’s heart started thumping against her ribs, and since her Louisville Slugger was upstairs, she picked up a short piece of two-by-four lumber that Nick had left leaning against the wall after making repairs in the cellar. The second that she set foot in the living room, she sensed that someone had been there. Her laptop was not on the coffee table, where she was certain she’d left it, and again, the single desk drawer wasn’t quite closed.

  Alex stood stock-still and listened.

  Despite the blood pounding in her ears, the house seemed quiet. If someone was still there, then they’d hidden their vehicle, which would have been something of a trick, since there were no good hiding places when the only buildings were a small barn, an unused chicken house and the house she was standing in.

  Roger trotted down the stairs and sniffed around the living room, interested, but not agitated. Alex gripped the two-by-four more tightly and made her way up the stairs, swallowing dryly as she crept upward.