“It’s nice to meet you, Amy. Welcome to Saturday nightlife Montana style. What would you like to drink?”
Amy looked at the blackboard on the wall behind the bar. It ran the entire width of the room, advertising all sorts of exotic sounding drinks. “I’ll have an orange and mango juice.” She opened her wallet.
“I’ll pay for it,” Rachel said. “You and Sally go find a booth. Keep an eye out for Gracie. She said she’d try and meet us here with Tess. Do you want the usual, Sally?”
Sally nodded, gazing around the room. “There’s some empty seats opposite the jukebox. We’ll take your drink and wait for you over there.”
As Amy followed Sally across the room, she smiled at the odd assortment of people filling the bar. Cowboys, executives and students milled around the open plan room, creating the kind of atmosphere that Amy hadn’t felt in a long time. When Angie had been able to drag her into some of the bars around Chicago, there hadn’t been a cowboy hat in sight and even less plaid cotton shirts.
Amy jumped as Sally took off at a sprint across the room, throwing herself into the booth they’d seen earlier. Rachel’s glass wobbled on the table, sloshing bubbly liquid over the wood. Sally lounged back against the worn red bench seat, staring up at three big burly men standing in front of her.
“Sorry, guys. This booth’s taken.”
The trio of cowboys looked at each other, then down at the smiling brunette sitting in the seats they’d been heading toward.
Amy stood beside Sally. Even in high-heeled boots the men towered over her five-foot-eight body. And it wasn’t just their height that impressed her. They all had bodies built for the rough and tumble of ranch life; broad shoulders, muscles galore and ruggedly good looks that set Amy’s hibernating heart a-fluttering.
One of the men tipped his hat in Sally’s direction. “Brett Forster, ma’am. We could always share.”
His laughing grey eyes made Amy smile.
He caught her grin and his teeth flashed white under the pendent light dangling above the booth. “Ma’am.”
Sally tapped a finger on her bottom lip. “Let me think about that offer gentlemen.” She glanced at Amy and winked. “I don’t think sharing’s going to work. This is an all girls night, so unless you want to put on a pretty dress and join us, you’re out of luck.”
“Aidan? What are you doing here?” Rachel stood rock still behind the cowboys, staring at one of the men. She took a step backward, then skirted around the table. She sat opposite Sally, the two glasses in her hands thumping against the top of the wooden table.
A man with the darkest eyes Amy had ever seen glared across the table at Rachel. “I’m here for the same reason as you, I expect.”
Rachel frowned. She fiddled with the drinks and looked across at Sally. “Aidan is Jeremiah’s cousin.”
Sally’s eyes widened. “I thought you’d gone back to Texas?”
“I did, but I moved back to Bozeman a couple of months ago.” He looked across at Rachel. “Jeremiah’s engagement party’s on tomorrow night.”
“That was quick work.” Sally muttered.
Aidan’s gaze never left Rachel’s face. “I guess some people recover quicker than others from a broken heart.”
Amy moved around the booth and sat down beside Rachel. She looked as though she could do with some company. Her face had turned pale except for twin spots of color flaming high on her cheeks.
It didn’t look as though Aidan was too impressed either. He’d crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared at Rachel like she was a bug he’d like to squash under his scuffed boots. Uncomfortable silence settled around the booth as everyone waited to see what would happen next.
Brett cleared his throat. “It looks as though sharing a table wouldn’t be such a good idea after all. Have a nice evening, ladies.” He grabbed Aidan by the arm and hauled him across the room.
Rachel slouched in her seat. “Of all the times to bump into Aidan, I can’t believe it happened tonight.” She reached across the table and took a long gulp of her drink.
“Why didn’t you tell him he had it all wrong?” Sally asked.
“I tried, but he wouldn’t listen.” She took a deep breath and pushed her empty glass away. “I’m sorry about that, Amy. I was engaged to Aidan’s cousin for about six months. I’d never met Aidan before. One night I went out with some friends and drank a bit too much wine. And I umm…met Aidan and ended up kissing him and well…I liked it too much. I broke off my engagement to Jeremiah. Aidan thinks I’m some kind of tease that pounces on men when the mood takes me.”
Sally glanced across the room at the cowboys. “Men.”
“It was only a kiss, for cripes sake. Anyone would think we’d had a flaming affair the way he treats me.”
Amy wasn’t quite sure what to say to comfort Rachel. “Maybe he likes you more than he wants to admit?”
“He likes me as much as a swarm of mosquitoes. I’ve seen him twice since he got back to Montana and each time he goes out of his way to avoid me.” Rachel dropped her head into her hands.
“You could be like me,” Sally said. “The one man I want to date thinks I’m his best buddy. The most romantic thing we’ve ever done is gone fly-fishing.”
Amy burst out laughing. “Did you catch anything?”
“A cold.” Sally stared across the bar. “Aidan’s leaving with his friends. They’re heading out the door. Wait. The one with the flashy smile is heading back this way.”
Amy glanced up and stared straight into Brett Forster’s eyes. He held her gaze as he walked across the room. The pulse in her throat thudded against her skin. He was looking at her as if she was the most beautiful woman in the bar. She looked down at the drink she’d been sipping to make sure she hadn’t grabbed Sally’s by mistake, then at her chest, and then back into his smiling face.
Brett stood beside her, running his hands around the brim of his battered hat. “This might not be the right time, but if you’d like to meet sometime for a meal…or even a coffee…here’s my phone number.” He held one of the bar’s paper napkins out to Amy.
Her brain froze solid. “Umm…thanks.” She took the napkin and stared up at him.
Sally nudged Amy’s foot under the table.
“I’m Amy. Amy Sullivan.”
A grin darted across Brett’s face. “Nice to meet you, Amy Sullivan. I’d best get back to Aidan and Robbie. I’ll look forward to getting that call.” He lifted his hat to his head. His gaze passed around the table, frowning slightly when he got to Rachel. “Don’t mind Aidan too much. I think he likes you.”
Rachel’s mouth dropped open.
Brett winked at Amy then headed toward the main doors.
“Well…” Sally said as she watched Amy fan herself with the napkin. “This would have to be one of the most interesting evenings I’ve had in a long time.” She looked across the table. “Are you okay, Rachel? You’ve gone pale.”
“He has feelings for me.”
“A snail has feelings,” Sally scoffed. “The right man knows what to do with those feelings, not jump to the wrong conclusions.”
“But he has feelings for me.”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to talk to him again? He didn’t want to listen to you before, why would he start now?”
Rachel sat taller in her seat. “You’re right. I want a man who trusts me. Someone who listens to what I have to say and respects me for who I am. Aidan Mason isn’t that man.”
“Good for you, girlfriend.” Sally raised her glass in a toast. “Here’s to women who expect the best from their men.”
That sounded like a pretty sensible toast to Amy, so she clinked her glass against Sally and Rachel’s.
“And here’s to new beginnings,” Sally added, looking across at Amy.
“To new beginnings.” Amy stared at the napkin she’d put on the table. Maybe she’d call Brett. Maybe not. He probably wouldn’t want to know her once he found out she had a ten-month-old sister. Let alone e
nough issues to keep a psychiatrist in business for life. She looked at the phone number scribbled in black ink. The numbers were big and bold. Not too huge that they filled the whole napkin, but big enough that they made a statement.
“It won’t bite, you know.”
Amy glanced up.
“The napkin,” Sally said. “It won’t bite if you put it in your pocket.”
Amy crossed her arms and leaned against the table. She’d never been given a man’s phone number before. Not in a bar, not even at work. Maybe there were certain expectations she had to meet if she took the napkin home. Like ring him.
“It doesn’t mean you’re going to marry the man. You don’t even have to call him.” Sally sipped her drink, smiling around a bright orange umbrella bobbing in the top of her glass.
“If you want my advice,” Rachel said, “sometimes you’re better not to call them. You wouldn’t believe some of the weirdoes I’ve come across.”
“Brett’s not weird,” Sally sighed. “Take the napkin. If you’re not even remotely curious about him in the morning you can throw it away.”
Amy glanced between Sally, Rachel and the dratted napkin. They were right. It was a paper napkin. It didn’t mean anything. Nothing. She slipped it into her pocket and took a deep breath. She was still alive. The four walls hadn’t fallen down and the music was still playing.
“Come on you two…” Sally picked up her wallet. “Wipe those glum looks off your faces. We’re here to enjoy ourselves. Now what would you like to drink?”
Rachel handed Sally her empty glass. “I’m going to be good. Iced water with a squeeze of lime juice.”
“I’ll have the same.”
Sally rolled her eyes. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go chatting up any hunky men while I’m gone.”
Amy grinned at Rachel. “We wouldn’t dream of it.”
CHAPTER SIX
Amy headed out to the Gray ranch at nine o’clock the next morning. Sunlight glittered off the tops of the snow covered mountains. Clouds circled overhead, dipping and diving in time to the strong wind skimming across the Rockies. She smiled as she drove past the McGill’s haunted barn, turning into the Gray’s gravel driveway with a much happier heart than the one she’d arrived with a few weeks ago.
She lowered her window and waved at one of the Gray brothers riding swiftly across the field. He raised his arm and waved his hat in the air. Amy smiled. It had to be Matthew. Sean would have just raised his arm, and as far as she knew, Nathan wasn’t riding yet.
The electric window glided up and she rubbed her numb fingers on the front of her jacket. As she rounded the last bend in the driveway she slowed her truck to a crawl, enjoying the stillness of the morning.
The unhurried rhythm of life on the ranch was the complete opposite of everything in Chicago. The noise, the smell, the big city smog. Chicago was like a short-term parking space. No one stayed still for long. Everyone was constantly on the move, living at a fast and furious pace, balancing life like an acrobat walking a tight-rope.
The front door of the ranch house opened and Jenny came outside holding Catherine. They waved from the porch and Amy felt something tighten in her chest.
Jenny had taught her how to sew, how to feed chickens and how to make the best spareribs known to mankind. When Amy’s mom had been too drunk to go to parent interviews, Jenny and Paul had talked to her teachers. They’d helped with homework and found her a part-time job that she could do after school. Even before her mom left, Amy realized that family came in many different shapes and packages. It didn’t matter if the people you called family weren’t related to you. Love didn’t have rules. It didn’t set limits. It just was. Jenny and Paul were her family.
She parked in front of the house and stepped out of the truck, thankful that she’d found her way into the Gray family’s life.
“Someone missed their big sister.” Jenny laughed at the rosy cheeked baby jiggling in her arms.
“And I missed her too.” Amy planted a soft kiss on Catherine’s wooly hat. “You’ve been doing some more knitting.”
Jenny passed Catherine across to Amy. “I couldn’t resist. Come inside out of the cold. We can have some of the cake Catherine helped me bake this morning.”
Amy smiled down at her little sister. “Who’s a clever girl?” Catherine grinned a toothy smile as they walked through the house into the kitchen. “Did you manage to get any sleep?”
“Jenny did.” Paul leaned against the counter, tipping fresh milk into three empty mugs. “I was the one who got up every hour to check on Catherine. Your sister slept straight through the night. We didn’t hear a peep out of her until six o’clock this morning.”
Jenny put a chocolate cake in the middle of the table. “Paul, can you get some crackers and cheese for Catherine?”
Amy lowered her sister into the highchair and fastened a bib around her neck.
Catherine’s hand reached for the hat perched on top of her head. She pulled it over her eyes, chuckling to herself.
“We were playing peek-a-boo before you arrived.” Jenny handed Amy a piece of cake and Paul put a mug of tea in front of her. “How was your girls’ night out?”
“We had a great time. The meals in the restaurant were huge. I’ve never seen steak so thick. We boogied until our feet couldn’t take another dance. Thanks for looking after Catherine.”
Paul sat down, reaching for a slice of cake. “We had just as much fun with a baby in the house. Your sister pulled herself around the furniture for most of the night.”
The front door opened and closed. “Is that chocolate cake I smell?” Matthew’s voice filled the hallway. He walked into the kitchen and ruffled Catherine’s blonde curls. “How’s my favorite girl?”
Catherine blew cheesy bubbles out of her lips, grinning at him before stuffing another cracker into her mouth.
“I heard you had an interesting night over at Jay-Jays.” Matthew glanced at Amy, then disappeared behind the pantry doors. Within seconds he reappeared with a plate clutched in his hands, filling it with a huge slice of cake.
“Interesting how?” Amy asked.
“Aidan Mason.”
“Good grief, news travels fast in Bozeman. How do you know we saw Aidan?”
“He came over to Charlie’s Bar and Grill after he left Jay-Jays.”
Amy wondered what else Matthew had heard. If Aidan had been there, then Brett probably was too.
“He’s still got a bee in his bonnet about Rachel,” Matthew said. “If you ask me, the man spends far too much time thinking about that woman.”
“You’d better not eat all the cake.” Nathan walked into the kitchen.
Amy held her breath as he rinsed a coffee mug under the faucet. Her gaze followed the long line of his back and wandered over his well-worn jeans.
“Does anyone else want a drink?”
“Me.” Matthew headed over to the counter and took a mug out of the dishwasher. “Coffee with two spoons of sugar.”
Nathan raised his eyebrows. “I take it that means you had a late night?”
“About as late as Amy. I slept at Sally’s apartment and she got home just after me.”
Coffee sloshed over the handle of Nathan’s mug. He flicked his fingers, muttered something under his breath and held his hand under the cold faucet.
Matthew held the dishtowel out to him. Even from across the room Amy could tell that Matthew was fit to burst with information that she didn’t want anyone to know about.
Nathan glared at his brother, snapping the fabric out of his fingers. “How was your night, Amy?”
“Great.”
Matthew grinned.
Amy scowled.
Nathan looked between the two of them. “Is there something you’re not telling us?”
“If you want cake you need to get yourself a plate, Nathan. Amy had a lovely night with her friends.” Jenny moved around the table, pulling a cardboard box off the seat of a chair. “I’ve started a quilt for Catherine. W
hat do you think?”
Jenny held a beautiful patchwork quilt in her hands. Soft pink fabric with fairies dotted across the surface had been stitched together in blocks to form a star pattern. Amy ran her hands over the design, knowing it must have taken hours to sew everything together. “It’s lovely.”
Jenny pulled another parcel out of the box and dropped reels of silver thread into her hand. “This is for the border. I’m going to do some free-form stitching with the thread. Doris made a similar quilt for her granddaughter and I thought it might look nice on Catherine’s cot. I should have it finished in a couple of weeks.”
Amy stood up and gave Jenny a hug. “It’s beautiful.”
“So what happened last night?” Nathan bit into his cake. His gaze never left Amy’s face.
Amy cleared her throat, sitting down before her knees gave out. “Nothing. We had a great time. Plenty of dancing and lots of fun.” She felt a blush skim along her cheeks. The harder she tried to ignore Nathan’s stare, the warmer her face grew.
“Weren’t you going up in Ian’s helicopter this morning, Nathan?”
He turned toward his dad. “In about an hour. Sean found more of the McGill herd in with our cattle. Fences must be down somewhere.” Nathan leaned against the kitchen counter. He lifted his mug of coffee to his mouth. His gaze stayed pinned on Amy.
Matthew leaned across the table. “Tell him.”
“No.”
“Go on,” Matthew muttered. “You know he won’t leave you alone until you tell him.”
Jenny dropped her quilt box back on the seat. “That’s enough. If you can’t be civil you can go outside and find something else to do.”
Matthew frowned at his mom. “But we’ve only just arrived.”
“I don’t care. Behave yourself or go.”
Nathan walked across to a cupboard and pulled out a thermos. “Sean and Dave are in the back pasture. I’ll take some coffee to them before Ian arrives.”
Paul stopped chewing. “How are you getting over there?”
“I’ll take one of the four-wheelers.”
“Are you sure?”
Forever in Love (Montana Brides) Page 11