Montana Dreams

by Anna J. Stewart

Gino ducked his chin and when he blinked, two huge tears fell onto his cheeks.

  “Gino, are you listening to me?”

  Gino nodded, swiping at his eyes and runny nose.

  “I don’t ever, ever want to hear you call yourself stupid again. Is that understood?”

  It wasn’t, Matteo thought, what Gino expected to hear. He glanced up, brows knit.

  “In fact,” Matteo continued, “I don’t want you to use that word again at all. It’s a horrible word and does a lot of damage. You know that because you feel it in here, don’t you?” He poked a gentle finger against Gino’s chest.

  “But I got the words wrong.” His confusion broke Matteo’s heart. “Sometimes the letters look right, then they don’t. They get all mixed up.”

  “That’s okay. I and some really good teachers can help you figure that out, so you do spell the words correctly. It’s called a learning difference. It means you don’t learn the same way other people do. But that’s okay, Gino. And now we can do something about it, there’s nothing wrong with being different.”

  “I don’t want to be different.”

  “I know.” How well he understood that. Matteo put an arm around Gino and drew him close. “I know you don’t, but we don’t always get to decide what sets us apart from others. This is a little bit scary for me, too, Gino. Because I want you to have the absolute best life you can, and now I need to figure out how to make that happen.”

  “Does that mean...” Gino frowned again and turned trusting eyes up to him. “Does that mean you can fix me?”

  Matteo caught his son’s chin in his fingers. “There is nothing to fix. I know it’s hard, but I really need you to try to stop feeling and thinking that you’re broken. There are so many people who have the same difficulties you do. And there are so many people out there who can help us. We’re going to find them.” He jerked a thumb toward the door. “Peyton’s out there right now looking stuff up on the internet. That’s pretty cool, right?”

  “Yeah. She’s nice.” Gino snuggled against him. “She didn’t get mad and yell at me or leave me alone to figure it out even when I got it wrong.”

  Anger thrummed deep inside Matteo. “Have other people made you feel that way?”

  “Yeah. The kids at school. And sometimes... Mom.”

  “And that’s why you stopped doing your work at home?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And why you got in trouble in school?”

  Gino’s head shot up, his eyes wide. “Did Mr. Shinto tell you?”

  No, Matteo thought. You just did. “I bet it was a lot easier doing something wrong and getting sent to the principal’s office than doing work you didn’t understand.”

  Another shrug. “I guess.”

  “Well.” Matteo gathered him close and held on. “You don’t ever have to worry about that with me. Not ever. That’s a promise. And I always keep my promises.”

  “Does this mean I get to go on the trail ride?”

  “How about we maybe do a little more homework before I say yes. Right or wrong, I want you to get in the routine of doing your school assignments. Like I said this morning, school is your job. We just need to find a way to make it a little easier for you.”

  “Okay.” Gino gave him a slight smile.

  Matteo got to his feet and helped Gino up. Together, they returned to the living room. Peyton glanced up from her computer.

  “Everything all right?”

  “It will be,” Matteo assured her. “Gino and I are going to do some more schoolwork.”

  Peyton nodded, and when Gino walked over to her, she handed him his books. “I’m glad you’re feeling better, Gino.”

  “I am.”

  She cupped his face in her hand. “Your dad’s a smart man. And you—” she kissed his forehead “—are a very smart boy. You know how I know? Because you listen to your father.”

  Her smile from across the room made Matteo’s heart sing. “Gino, how about we work over here.” Matteo pointed to the sofa. “And let Peyton get back to her business.”

  Gino did as he was told, leaving Matteo to approach Peyton himself. “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure.” She handed him a few sheets of paper she’d printed off on her portable printer. “These are exercises I found on the internet that are used to help diagnose dyslexia. It’s just alphabet and number tests.”

  “I also made a list of storybooks for his age and thought maybe we could head to the library this week. In the meantime—”

  “In the meantime, you’ve done enough.” Matteo crouched down and grabbed hold of her hand. “I appreciate all this, but you have Electryone and the Olwen project to deal with. We’ve got this.”

  “Oh.” She blinked, frowned, then seemed to force a smile. “Sure. I just thought I’d... Never mind. You’re right.” Her smile seemed tight and a bit regretful. But this wasn’t about Peyton. This was about his son. “Gino’s your responsibility, not mine.”

  “Thanks.” Papers and pencils in hand, he joined his son on the sofa, and after earning another smile from Gino, they got to work.

  * * *

  BY TUESDAY MORNING, the rain had vanished, and the sun was shining once again. The trail ride was definitely on and, after a few days of mostly being cooped up inside, it didn’t take much convincing to get Peyton to shut down her computer and see what Falcon Creek had to offer.

  It might, however, take a little extra effort to get her on a horse.

  Katie and her assistant forewoman, Izzy, were lining up the trail horses nearby, checking saddles and pointing to Peyton, Matteo and Gino. Ty had already checked in with them and was making the final lunch-delivery arrangements with Hadley before they headed out. Peyton sank her hands deeper into her poofy red jacket and tried to remember how much she used to love to ride.

  “They can smell fear,” Matteo murmured in her ear.

  Peyton yelped and spun, her sneakers slipping and sliding in the mud.

  “Whoops. Got ya.” Matteo grabbed her arms and kept her from losing her balance. “Sorry. Didn’t realize you were so lost in thought.”

  “Neither did I.” Peyton stood there, caught in his hold, and looked up into the eyes that ever ceased to fascinate her. He’d cowboyed up, as he’d called it this morning, and was wearing jeans, a long-sleeved dark blue flannel shirt and a hat he’d borrowed from the bunkhouse.

  Never in her life would Peyton have thought a cowboy hat could have made him more attractive, but looking at him, those amazing eyes of his glinting from beneath the dark brim, the way his hair was begging to be touched, had her thinking all kinds of things a woman should never, ever think about her bodyguard.

  But she had been thinking those things. Even before the hat.

  She’d been thinking about them a lot.

  They’d fallen into a bit of a rhythm the past few days, her, Matteo and Gino, with their walks down to the dining hall, stopping to check in on Matteo’s horse—who still didn’t have a name—and Goldie, who continued her affectionate attachment to Peyton.

  Ty had even taken advantage of Peyton’s influence and asked her to lead Goldie out of her stall with tempting apples and carrots so he could clean out the space.

  It had felt good, Peyton thought, to help. First with Gino, now with Goldie. The fact Gino no longer fought his father when Matteo suggested practicing his letters and numbers felt like a triumph.

  “How’s your project going?” Matteo asked, stepping back and releasing her.

  “Good. Fine.” Peyton tucked her hair behind her ear. “I finally settled on a company for the solar-panel construction. Shot Vilette an email this morning.” The response had been short, precise, and essentially told Peyton she was officially out of work to do before the final signing meeting with Olwen’s creators as soon as she got back.

  “So, that’s why you agreed to com
e out and play?”

  “I guess.” Peyton managed a laugh. “I wouldn’t be a very good example to Gino if all I did was work, right?”

  Matteo’s eyes sparkled. “I appreciate you thought about that.”

  “All right, here we go!” Katie Blackwell stepped away from the horses and headed over to her, Matteo and Gino. “I think we’re good. We’re just waiting on two more people... Ah. There they are now.”

  Peyton turned in time to see Lily’s truck pull up beside the guest lodge. Her sister climbed out, then held out her hand to a tall, very handsome, very cowboy-looking cowboy. After stopping to speak briefly with Hadley and Ty, they headed their way.

  “Hope you don’t mind us crashing the party,” Lily said. “We got done early this morning, and since Katie’s out of riding commission these days—”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Katie’s cranky muttering was tempered by how her hand gently brushed against her belly.

  Lily grinned. “Conner, this is my sister, Peyton. Peyton, your soon-to-be-brother-in-law, Conner Hannah.”

  “Hi.” Peyton made sure to make the first move, holding out her hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

  “You, too.” Conner returned the greeting, then tipped his hat. “Have to admit, you’re about exactly what I imagined, given Lily’s description.” He turned his attention to Matteo. “Conner Hannah.”

  “Oh, sorry. Matteo Rossi,” Peyton said. “My assistant.” The lie was almost easy to tell now. “And this is his son, Gino.”

  Matteo reached behind him without looking and pried his son around.

  “Pleasure.”

  “I hear you both used to ride,” Conner said.

  “It’s been a while,” Matteo admitted and cast an uneasy look to the horses. “This will be Gino’s first time, though. He’s been looking forward to it for days.”

  “Then, let’s get you up and into the saddle.” Katie reached out her hand. “I’ll give him the basics, run him through a few things. Conner will ride next to him as a precaution, if that’s okay with you?” She asked Matteo, who nodded.

  “That’s fine. Thanks. Gino, you mind Miss Katie, all right? You mind whatever she or Mr. Conner has to say.”

  “Uh-huh.” Gino’s shoes squelched in the mud as he walked off.

  “So, you’re Peyton’s assistant?” Lily rocked back on her heels, still clinging to Conner’s hand. “What happened to Todd?”

  Peyton started. She didn’t realize Lily knew her real assistant’s name.

  “School,” Matteo said before Peyton could. “He couldn’t take time away and Vilette was adamant about Peyton having time off.”

  “You’re here to make sure she relaxes?” Lily cast a knowing look at Peyton, who glared back. “Good to know. If you find out how to make that happen, believe me, that’ll be priceless information. Heard you found a horse wandering the property the other day. Ethan said he thought she’d been abused.”

  “Looks that way,” Matteo said. “We looked in on her this morning. She’s doing better, I think.”

  “We’ve dealt with a number of traumatized animals,” Conner said. “Happy to work with her if you decide you want to keep her.”

  “I haven’t gotten that far yet. But thanks,” Matteo said.

  “Hey!” Katie yelled as she strapped Gino into his saddle. “You guys need to saddle up already. Sun’s climbing. Lily, you and Conner have Starbuck and Apollo.” She pointed to the two painted horses at the far end of the barn. “Peyton, we’re giving you Spock. He’s easygoing and knows this trail better than I do. Matteo, that’s Bones. He’s all yours. Need help?”

  “Yes—” Peyton stopped when Matteo’s hand brushed against her back.

  “We’ve got it. I’d rather she stay with Gino,” he said under his breath, and Peyton nodded. “And remember what I said. They smell fear.”

  “I’m not afraid,” she said and had to be pushed forward toward Spock, who was a deep, dark brown and reminded her of her favorite imported chocolate. “Just...cautious. It’s been a long time since—”

  “If I can do this, you can.”

  Odd, she thought, how she could almost see his past in his gaze. A past he’d accepted and moved beyond rather than wallowed in. So much about Matteo was admirable. Appealing. Attractive. And not just because of how he looked; she hadn’t met a lot of men like him—maybe, she thought, because her father was right. She didn’t take the time to look up and see what was going on around her. But she was looking up now.

  And saw Matteo Rossi.

  She smiled, shielded her eyes. “It’s just like riding a bike, right?”

  “Sure.” Matteo grinned. “A bike with a mind of its own, but if that makes you feel better...”

  “Ha ha. Not helping.”

  Peyton hesitated, catching sight of Lily and Conner up at the front of the group. Conner reached down and tucked Lily’s hair behind her ear. Lily beamed up at him before reaching for the saddle horn.

  Peyton instinctively made a step toward her sister to help. Lily didn’t have enough strength in one hand to pull herself up and into the saddle. Peyton stopped when Conner placed his hand around Lily’s, steadying her balance and her grip as she mounted the horse. Peyton’s heart swelled. The ease with which they worked together, the way they looked at each other, as if they were sharing secrets only the two of them knew, erased any doubt she might have had about Lily being in Montana. It was impossible to miss the absolute adoration she saw shining on Conner’s face as he moved on to his own horse.

  “Hey, you stalling again?” Matteo’s teasing jolted Peyton back to reality. She climbed the three-step platform, but before she pushed her foot into the stirrup, she took a second to meet her charge. “Hi there, Spock.” She held out her hand, then drew her palm gently down the side of the horse’s neck. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Please don’t tell me you are expecting an answer.”

  Peyton would have glared at Matteo, but the teasing tone in his voice had her smiling instead. “He might. You never know. I’ll be fine. Go on. Unless you’re stalling.”

  “Kettle, meet pot.” But he moved to his own horse, climbed his own platform, and after only a slight hesitation, hoisted himself into the saddle as if he’d been doing it every day of his life. She saw it, the flash of momentary panic in his eyes, as if he’d just realized what he’d done.

  Matteo’s hands seemed to tremble as he grasped the reins, but when he lifted his gaze to meet hers, it was steady. “Your turn.”

  “Right. Hear that, Spock?”

  Spock gave her a look that didn’t exactly bolster her confidence. She pushed her foot into the stirrup, grabbed the horn and hoisted her other leg up and over. As if the saddle and her body had muscle memory, she settled right in.

  “You good?” Matteo said from behind her.

  “So far.” Spock took a step back, then forward. She draped the reins loosely into her hands, squeezed her knees into Spock’s flanks and leaned over. “We’re going to do just fine, you and me, right, boy?” She petted him again, then looked to where Gino was beaming at Katie.

  Unable to resist the expression of pure joy on the little boy’s face, she pulled out her cell phone and took a picture. Spock took exception to the faint click and let out an odd sound.

  “Whoops.” Katie looked back as Spock did a little unexpected dance away from the fence. “Should have warned you he doesn’t like cell phones.” She hurried over, held out her hand. “I’ll hold onto it until you get back.”

  “Go on,” Matteo urged when Peyton hesitated. “Bet you can’t go a day without it.”

  “That sounds like a challenge.” She loved the way his lips curved into a smile.

  “Can be. Want to make it interesting?”

  “Name your stakes.”

  “You go a full twelve hours without using your cell phone
for anything, and I’ll deliver every meal to you at the cabin for as long as we’re here. Whenever, whatever you want, I’ll get it.”

  “Aren’t you already her assistant?” Katie asked with a confused frown.

  “Assistant, not servant,” Matteo clarified, still grinning at Peyton. “Sound good?”

  “And if I lose?”

  “No work for the rest of our stay. None. Nada. You just enjoy the ranch.”

  “No...” She actually balked.

  “Better make up your mind. We’re heading out.” Matteo jerked his chin toward the front of the pack.

  “You can do it,” Katie urged. “Meal delivery alone is worth it.”

  “Fine.” Peyton held out her phone to Katie.

  “Nope.” Matteo moved Bones up until he was next to her. “You have to do it on your own, with your phone with you. Is it okay with Spock if the phone’s off?”

  “Yeah,” Katie said, shielding her eyes even beneath her hat. “Guess that does make it a bit more of a challenge, doesn’t it.”

  “Wouldn’t want it to be easy, now, would I?”

  Peyton scrunched her face and, with one hand, turned off her phone and shoved it into her pocket. “All right. You have a deal.” And with that, she kicked her feet and set Spock to falling in line.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “WHAT ON EARTH am I going to do for a week without my computer or cell?”

  Matteo hadn’t been able to wipe the smile off his face for the past five hours, ever since Peyton had succumbed to her cell-phone addiction and pulled it out to snap pictures during their lunch at the lake.

  “Deprogram yourself?” Matteo suggested as he waved Gino inside the cabin after supper at the dining hall. The kid was already yawning wide enough he could very well drown in the shower he needed. Little boy dirty, covered in mud and grime and sweat from head to toe.

  And looking as happy as Matteo had ever seen him.

  “Don’t blame me for you losing the bet,” Matteo told Peyton when she aimed a particularly irritated glare in his direction. “You made the choice to use your phone.”