by Amanda Renee
“What about my bag?”
“Give it to me.” Garrett lengthened the straps on the yellow Beauty and the Beast backpack and slung it over his shoulder. Appropriate considering he felt like the Beast this afternoon. “Now get on.”
Kacey climbed over his legs, doing her best not to hold on to him for support. Garrett grinned and revved the engine, causing the snowmobile to lurch forward a few inches. She immediately leaned against him and gripped his arms. “And away we go.”
Dylan hopped out of his lifted black pickup before helping Bryce down as Garrett drove up to the small two-bedroom log cabin. It had been Dylan’s until he’d moved into their uncle’s house. Garrett had given each of the kids a bedroom and he’d taken the loft. It served his needs, plus it wasn’t like he was bringing anyone home to share his bed. He doubted he’d ever be ready for that again. Rebecca had been his entire world for nine years until Kacey came along. And then Bryce. His family had been perfect.
The second the snowmobile stopped, Kacey slid out from under his arms and stomped up the front porch steps. He was getting tired of seeing the back of his daughter’s head all the time.
“Daddy!” Bryce ran to him. “I can write my name.”
Garrett lifted him into his arms. “You can? You’ll have to show me when we get inside.”
“Hey, man, I like the new look.” Dylan nodded to the backpack. “Kind of clashes with your jacket, but I think you wear it well.”
“I thought it complemented my eyes.” Garrett laughed as he climbed the stairs. “Thanks for picking up Bryce from preschool. I appreciate it.”
“No problem.” Dylan followed him into the house, just in time to hear Kacey slam her bedroom door. “It gives me a chance to prepare myself for when Holly’s this age.”
“I think you have a while considering she’s only a few weeks old.”
“You and Harlan keep telling me they grow up fast.” Dylan glanced down the hall toward Kacey’s room. “I take it there hasn’t been any improvement.”
Garrett set Bryce down and helped him out of his snow boots and jacket. “I made it worse. I embarrassed her in front of the kids on the bus because I picked her up on a snowmobile.” He eased Kacey’s backpack from his shoulders and tossed it on the armchair. “My kid hates me.”
“Has she really said that?”
“No, but she thinks it.” Garrett kicked off his own boots.
“I can remember us hating Mom and Dad a time or two when we were kids. It’s growing pains and the stress of starting over in a new place while trying to make friends. We were lucky. We went to school with the same kids year after year. You and I don’t have a clue how hard it is for her to adjust.”
“I know you’re right. It’s just difficult to take sometimes. I hate knowing she’s hurting. She barely eats and stays locked in her room.” Garrett grabbed a box of crayons and a stack of paper from the kitchen counter and set them on the coffee table. “Show me what you learned in school today, champ.”
Bryce chose a blue crayon and began drawing a large letter B. His tiny tongue stuck out between his teeth as he concentrated on his letters.
“How did things go with Delta this afternoon?” Dylan sat cross-legged on the floor across from Bryce. “That’s the most perfect B I’ve ever seen.”
“She’s mad at me, too.” And that bothered him more than it should. He peered over Bryce’s shoulder as he drew a C. “Very good, you’re almost there.”
Dylan’s brows rose. “You better not run off my farrier. She’s one of the nicest people I’ve met. She stays mostly to herself, but she’s a real sweetheart.”
“Look, Daddy.” Bryce handed Garrett the paper.
“Wow!” He ran his fingers over the printed letters. “I’m so proud of you.” He gave Bryce a hug and held it up proudly for Dylan to see. “My son did that.”
“Way to go, little man.” Dylan high-fived the boy.
“Can I go show Kacey?” Bryce asked.
“We’ll show her when she’s feeling better. Go hang it on the refrigerator for me while I talk to your uncle Dylan for a minute.” His son’s sock-covered feet thumped across the hardwood floor as he ran from the room. “The farrier bills are astronomical. With you wanting to keep the horses, I had to cut costs. So, I asked her to cold-shoe them from now on.”
“No wonder she was mad.” Dylan eased off the floor and onto a chair. “That’s not her style. She hasn’t been able to take on new customers in months. She’s in high demand because of her superior craftsmanship. I like her work. Her knowledge has prevented a lot of problems. When our last farrier retired, she effortlessly slid into the position. Let her do her job the way she sees fit.”
Garrett sagged against the back of the couch. “If you wanted a silent partner, then you should have said so ahead of time.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You asked me to go in fifty-fifty and that’s what I did. My fifty percent needs to cut costs in those stables, but you’re making it impossible. I can’t sell any horses. I can’t ask the farrier to save us money. You told me last week you’re happy with our feed distributor. What’s left? The veterinarian?”
“Don’t you dare.” Dylan braced his hands on his knees. “Lydia Presley knows each of my horses by name.”
“Our horses,” Garrett corrected. “A partnership shouldn’t be difficult to grasp considering you had one with Jax.”
“I accept our partnership, but I need you to focus on moving forward and making us money. I cut back all I could last year. When I asked you to run the stables, I didn’t mean for you to change anything. We have guests booked into the ranch the first of the month and we need to stick to our renovation schedule. Let’s try to avoid any further hiccups, please. I’ve had enough of those around here.”
“Fine.” Now Garrett needed to apologize to Delta tomorrow. He’d spent twenty minutes around the woman and already made an ass of himself. Not that he should care. The ranch employed her services and that was the extent of their relationship. “I need to feed my kids. At least the one that will eat.” He started for the kitchen and tripped over Bryce’s boots, causing him to stub his toe on the fireplace hearth. Totally his fault. He’d left them there. “Dammit, that hurts.”
“I have an idea.” Dylan slapped him on the back. “I’ll take the kids to my house, feed them and help Kacey with her homework. You need to let off some steam tonight and Kacey would probably enjoy spending time with Holly. Go into town, get a drink and a bite to eat and then pick them up when you’re ready.”
It was the best idea he’d heard all week. He needed to clear his head of the ranch, and that included Delta. The woman had already stuck in his mind like a fly to honey, and he didn’t need any more complications in his life.
Chapter Two
Complication must be Garrett’s middle name. No sooner had he walked through the doors of the Iron Horse Bar & Grill, when he spotted Delta at the far end of the dimly lit bar. Alone. Apparently, her next stop hadn’t been a customer.
Garrett weighed his options. Walk out before she saw him, grab a booth in the back and pretend he never noticed her, or eat crow and get it over with. Delta’s gaze met his as she lifted a drink to her lips and froze. He could have sworn her shoulders sagged at the recognition, but between the neon beer sign behind her and the waitress temporarily blocking his view as she swept under the stools, he wasn’t a hundred percent certain. Delta lowered her glass and shook her head, destroying any illusion of subtlety, and then waved him over. Garrett had hoped for a burger and a beer, but it looked like he was eating crow for an appetizer. So much for unwinding.
Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” played on the jukebox as he crossed the room and he couldn’t help but notice his boots hit the floor in time with the beat. Before Kacey was born, he and Rebecca had spent every Friday and Saturday night dancing around this very fl
oor. He hadn’t expected the memory to be so vivid eight years later.
“I hope our conversation earlier didn’t drive you here.” Garrett pulled out the corner bar stool next to hers and sat down. “It’s not even five o’clock.”
“I could say the same to you.” Delta sipped at her drink. “I was hungry, frustrated and this is the only place in town that’s not decked out for Valentine’s Day.” Her face soured at the mention of the holiday.
“Bad breakup?” he asked.
“Something like that,” she mumbled, staring down at the amber liquid as she swirled it in the glass.
“I hear you.” Garrett motioned for the bartender. “It’s not my favorite either.” His wife had died four days before the holiday, reminding him every year of what he’d lost.
“Bad breakup for you, too?”
“Something like that.” If only it had been a breakup, maybe his heart would have survived.
Delta nudged a platter of nachos toward him. “Help yourself. I can’t eat all this on top of the sandwich I ordered.”
“Thanks.” Garrett took her cordiality as a positive sign and reached for a few of the neatly stacked napkins along the back edge of the bar.
“What can I get you?” the bartender asked.
“I’ll have whatever she’s drinking.”
One of Delta’s brows rose. “Brave man.”
“Why’s that?” Garrett couldn’t help noticing how naturally beautiful she was without a lick of makeup. Truth was, he’d noticed it the moment he first saw her, but he forced it to the back of his mind. He had no business admiring anyone the ranch conducted business with. It was unprofessional and he wasn’t interested in anything more.
“I’m drinking chipotle whiskey.” Her mischievous smile presented more of a dare than a warning. “I don’t know if you can handle it.”
“I’m sure I can handle it. I’m a man. We’re rugged.” Garrett hooked his boots on the stool’s footrest and followed Delta’s eyes to the television she remained transfixed upon...sports scores from last night’s games.
“If you say so,” she said, her attention still unwavering from the screen.
“Seriously?” If Dylan thought Delta was one of the nicest people he had ever met, his brother needed to get out more. “I guess I gave you some first impression, huh?”
“Listen, don’t get me wrong. I get it.” Delta leveled her gaze to his. “You’re trying to save money wherever you can. But are you aware I had started charging your uncle twenty percent less than all my other customers over a year ago to help ease some of the ranch’s financial burden? Then I extended your payment terms six months later. I’ve taken two significant hits from my largest customer and now I’m taking another one. I won’t lie to you. It hurts. But, I shouldn’t have acted or reacted the way I did.”
Well, if that hadn’t made him feel like more of a jerk he didn’t know what would. “I knew about the payment terms, which I hope to amend sooner rather than later, but I had no idea about the discount. I should be the one apologizing. I was a bit overenthusiastic earlier.”
“Just a bit.” Delta’s smile tightened.
The bartender set Garrett’s drink on the bar top. “Did you want to place a food order?”
Garrett looked over the glossy double-sided menu. “Bacon cheeseburger, medium rare with fries.”
“Sure thing.” The man turned to Delta. “Your order’s almost up. Do you want them to hold it and serve it with his or bring it out when it’s ready?”
“Please don’t wait on my account.” Garrett had ruined enough of her day. He didn’t want to add dinner to it.
“I still haven’t made a dent in these nachos.” Delta sighed down at the plate. “Go ahead and hold mine.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yeah, well, I can’t sit here and eat with you watching me.”
“I could leave.”
“You could, but that would be rude of me to ask. Besides, I ordered a turkey club. It’s not like it’s going to get cold.” Delta nudged the nachos closer to him. “Please help me eat these.”
Garrett lifted a heavily topped tortilla chip. “Think we can start over?” he asked before popping the gooey piece of heaven into his mouth. “Man, these are awesome. You never used to be able to get nachos here. A basket of chips and salsa was about all you could order outside of a burger or a bar pie.”
“Been away for a while?”
“Almost five years. I visited my brothers when I could, but it’s been even longer since I came in here.” Garrett lifted his drink. “You still haven’t answered me about starting over.”
“Hard to forget being asked to do my job differently.”
“We’ll forget about that, too. Fresh start. This is our first meeting, and you can go back to doing what you do best.”
“I’m not even going to question why you changed your mind, but I’ll take the do-over.” Delta raised her glass to his. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Garrett Slade.”
“Same here.” Garrett’s eyes had already begun to water from the scent of the whiskey, but he took a man-sized swallow anyway. “Good Lord, woman!” He exhaled slowly, surprised that flames didn’t shoot out of his mouth. “How do you drink this stuff?”
Delta’s impish laugh rose above the music. “I can take the heat.”
Garrett froze. He hadn’t heard those five words in years. He squeezed his eyes shut against the memory, wishing he’d chosen someplace other than the Iron Horse tonight.
“Are you all right?” Delta’s warm hand upon his arm snapped him back to the present. “You need to take it easy with that stuff. It’s meant to be sipped, not chugged.”
Garrett shook his head. “It’s not that.” The concern reflecting in Delta’s caramel-brown eyes touched his soul in a way he hadn’t thought possible again. “This is the first time I’ve been here without my wife. We practically lived in this place before we moved to Wyoming.”
“Where is she now?”
“She died.” He took another sip of his drink, needing the heat to numb the pain of the memory. “Pancreatic cancer.”
Delta’s grasp tightened. He could have sworn he heard her swallow hard at the revelation, but when he lifted his gaze to hers, only sympathy greeted him in return.
She eased her grip. “Her loss must have been devastating for you.”
“Thank you.” Garrett patted her hand and shifted on his stool, effectively breaking all physical contact between them. He stared down at the gold band he hadn’t found the will to remove. In his heart, Rebecca would always be his wife. There could never be anyone else. “You reminded me of her when you said you could take the heat. Rebecca used to say those exact same words.”
“Really? Wow.” Delta rubbed her hands up and down her jean-clad thighs.
“Chemotherapy killed her taste buds and she constantly bet that she could out heat me.”
Delta stilled. “I’ve heard that.”
“Some things just stick in your mind, you know?” He folded his napkin into a tiny triangle. “It’s been almost three years and sometimes it feels like yesterday. Coming here is just hitting me harder than I expected.”
“I can imagine.” She picked up a chip and broke it in half before setting it back down on the platter. “So, this was your spot, huh?” Sadness reflected in her eyes as she spoke.
“Up until the day we moved away.” Garrett straightened his shoulders. “But enough about that. Tell me about yourself. I don’t remember you when I was growing up here, although you’re definitely younger than me.”
“I’m from Missoula, born and raised.” She cracked a knuckle against her glass. “And I’m thirty, so if I’m younger, it isn’t by much.”
“I have three years on you.” Garrett watched the kitchen door, hoping their orders would come out soon. He already felt he
had said too much. “So...what brought you to Saddle Ridge?”
“Henry, Silver Bells’ former farrier. I don’t know how well you knew him.”
“We spoke a few times in passing. Dylan and Jax always talked about him, though. Seems like a good guy from what I’ve heard.”
“He and my dad apprenticed together way back in the day.” Delta swiveled slightly to face him, causing her knee to brush against his. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bump you.” Her hand rested lightly on his leg for a brief second, but it was long enough to send his blood coursing quicker through his veins. “When Henry decided to retire, he called and asked if I was interested in taking over his customers. Before that, I was working for my dad. Coming here gave me a chance to have my own business. And Missoula is still close enough for me to visit my family on weekends and holidays.”
Garrett tried focusing on her face as a whole, but he kept wandering down to her mouth as she spoke. Her lips were full and naturally darkened, as if she’d just been kissed. Not that he needed to be thinking about kissing Delta or anyone else. His heart was permanently shuttered. Stick to the topic, Garrett. “How long have you been here?”
“A little over a year.” She sipped her whiskey with ease. “Where were you in Wyoming?”
“Wheatland.” Garrett rolled the glass slowly in the palms of his hands. Oddly enough, he found the liquor less intoxicating than Delta. “My wife and I moved there almost five years ago to be closer to her parents. I managed their cattle ranch up until a few weeks ago.”
A waitress set both of their meals in front of them. She was one more person he didn’t recognize. It used to be he knew everyone and their brother. When did he become a stranger in his own hometown? At least he’d made one new friend tonight.
“Silver Bells must be a big change from a cattle ranch.”
“It is.” Garrett took a bite of his burger and nodded. “It was time, though. I love my wife’s family, but we were living with them. I appreciated their help with the kids, but the place had a shroud of grief hanging over it. They talked about Rebecca all the time and her mother still set a place for her at the table.” Garrett didn’t even have to close his eyes to envision that empty seat across from him. It made every meal almost unbearable. “My kids are mad because I refuse to do that here, but I don’t want them growing up in a constant state of depression. That’s not to say I love Rebecca any less.” His voice began to rise. “She’ll always be my wife. No one will ever replace her.”