Her relief mixed with disappointment as she turned back to the bar and saw some people slide onto bar stools.
“What will you have?”
The couple ordered and she got busy making their drinks. She knew Caleb wasn’t watching her anymore. But she also knew he was not going to let this go. He’d find her again if she didn’t call him. Or he’d come back here and ask questions. That’s what cops did and she’d learned a few years ago that her brother was now a police officer. She didn’t want him asking questions here.
That meant he’d pull all the answers to those questions out of her. Good Lord, was she even ready for this? Julie knew this day made would eventually come. But now that it was here, all the memories, all the pain, all the reasons she’d left home came flooding back to her heart and her mind.
She pasted on the smile as she finished preparing the drinks and turned to place them on the polished bar. She had to focus on work. It might end up being her last night here, so she’d need all the tips she could get.
She glanced over to the spot where Caleb had been again. He still wasn’t there, but somehow she felt small and suddenly exposed, mostly because she knew he was right. She’d had no right to leave her family in the dark all this time. It was time to bring some light to the most painful ten years of her life.
* * *
Going to the Lone Creek Ranch to work on horses always felt like coming home. Hunter had had been regularly shoeing one of the boarded horses, Tenterhook, since the horse had been injured last winter during a barrel racing event with his owner, Tabby Swanson. The horse had thrown a shoe during competition, and had just been cleared by the large animal vet for additional training to strengthen his leg. Tabby was eager to get started.
Hunter had worried his business as a farrier would suffer when word got out about the accident, since he’d been the one to shoe Tenterhook the day before the accident. But the investigation into the murder of the Lone Creek’s ranch manager had proven it to be sabotage. Like always, Trip, the owner of Lone Creek Ranch, was a fair man. Despite his grief over the loss of his longtime friend, Trip had made sure the community ranches in the area knew the true story and didn’t fall prey to rumor that it might have been Hunter’s faulty work as farrier.
“I hear Tenterhook got the all clear for the next level training,” Brody said. Brody was the new ranch manager at the Lone Creek Ranch.
“Tabby is going to be elated,” Hunter said. “Trip’s on the phone with her now. To be honest with you, there were days she cried right here in his stall thinking that Tenterhook might need to be put down. But he’s doing well and is healing better than anyone expected.”
Brody nodded. “He’s a beauty. Do you think he’ll ever go back into competition again?”
“Beats me. Even if he doesn’t, he’ll be a good riding horse and live out his life.”
“It’s nice to hear good news.”
“I’m almost done shoeing him. He’ll be good to go.”
“Um, you have a visitor.”
Hunter glanced up at Brody as he tried to maneuver Tenterhook into a good position. “Visitor? Here?”
Something about Brody’s expression seemed funny, almost foreboding.
“Who is it?”
“Once you finish what you’re doing, come outside. I’ll keep her entertained until you’re done.”
Feeling a frown tighten on his forehead, Hunter stared at Brody as he made his way down the center aisle of the stable. That had to be the oddest conversation he’d ever had with Brody.
What the hell was that all about? Her? Why would someone come out to the Lone Creek to talk to him if they didn’t already belong here? If it were a client, they would have called and left a message.
Hunter finished shoeing Tenterhook and put his tools back in his case. He gave the horse a little nuzzle on his neck and then led him back to his stall. When he shut the gate, Tenterhook lifted his head over the top and whinnied. Hunter gave him another affectionate rub on the neck. They had become good friends over the years and he was happy his old friend was playful again.
* * *
It had been years since Julie had stepped foot on the Lone Creek Ranch. Even though she’d spent the night pacing the floor and changing her mind a thousand times, she’d woken that morning determined to take that first step. Dr. Matthews constantly talked to her in steps. That one step would lead to the next step and so on. It was the only way to heal.
Steps, my foot! Why had she come out to the Lone Creek Ranch? What good was it going to do either of them?
After telling Brody she was here to see Hunter, he’d disappeared inside the stable. She’d thought about getting back into her car and heading back to her small room at Margaret’s house. But before she could do anything, she heard boots coming closer. Her heart pounded in her chest as she thought of seeing Hunter after so many years. But it was Brody who’d emerged from the building.
“He’s just finishing up. He’ll be out the minute.”
She’d seen him before, but Julie couldn’t place him. She’d met so many people over the years that had just passed through her life and had been forgotten. She felt sure she should remember him. She just didn’t know why.
“Thank you. I’ll just wait here for him,” she said.
“You can sit over there on the bench while you wait,” he said. “You’d be out of the sun.”
For the first time since she’d climbed out of her car, Julie realized she was sweating profusely. Brody thought it was because she was standing in the sun. What a joke! Julie knew it was all nerves.
It had been over ten years since she’d seen Hunter Williams. Ten years of wondering what this moment might be like. She didn’t know what to expect. She’d imagined it at least a hundred times just this morning while she’d changed her outfit half a dozen times before finally deciding it didn’t matter what clothes she was wearing when she saw Hunter again.
Besides, Hunter was a ranch hand. Or used to be. Caleb said something about him shoeing horses for a living now. Regardless, he worked in a stable with horses and she knew what it was like to work on a ranch with horses. It didn’t matter if she were dressed up wearing a pair of shorts and a T-shirt or a ball gown. She’d get good and dirty.
“Thank you,” she said.
She started walking over to the bench under a large tree with wide branches. As soon as she was under the shade of the tree, she realized just how hot it had been standing in the sun by the barn door. She heard footsteps and glanced over her shoulder and noticed Brody was following her.
“You don’t have to wait with me. I’m sure you have work to do. I don’t want to keep you from your job.”
“It’s been a long time.”
“Yeah, it has,” she answered, not sure what he meant but not sure how to reply.
“What have you been up to?”
How could she relive the last ten years of her life in a few short moments before Hunter walked out of the barn and saw her? But then she realized that Brody really didn’t expect her to catalog every step of her life. It was just small talk. She’d somehow lost the ability to do that.
“I’ve been working at the Red Wolf Casino.”
His eyes widened. “Really? As a dealer?”
“No.”
“Ah. I haven’t been to the casino yet.”
She frowned. “Really? That surprises me.”
“Why?”
“I thought everyone within a five hundred mile radius had been out to the Red Wolf. It’s so close. I see millions of people every day.”
He smirked. “Millions?”
“It sure feels that way at the end of the night after serving drinks for eight hours.”
“A bartender.”
She chuckled at his surprised expression.
“Yeah, a bartender. Fully licensed.”
This year she was bartender. Last year she had been a waitress. The year before that she’d worked as a housemaid at one of the lodges in upstate Oregon.
She hadn’t quite settled on the thing she wanted to do for life. Be a mother. That had been robbed of her.
“If you haven’t been to the casino, you should stop by. People have a good time,” Julie said, glancing at the open barn door to check for Hunter.
When she looked back at Brody, she saw a shadow had crossed his face. “I’ll take you up on that. But it will have to wait for a few months.”
“Why is that?”
“I’ve got a date on the calendar. After that date, I’m good to go.”
Before she could ask what he meant, she heard boots on the concrete aisle of the barn getting louder. Her pulse quickened as she stared at the open doorway.
“Looks like that’s Hunter,” Brody said.
Hunter appeared in the doorway, adjusting his cowboy hat and squinting toward the two of them to get a better look now that the light had changed. His eyes suddenly widened as their gazes locked.
“What are you doing here, Julie?” Hunter asked, glaring at her with anger she knew she probably deserved. He was surprised but the anger was there and it was potent.
“Guess I’ll just let you two visit,” Brody said. Then he turned to Hunter. “I’ll be taking Tenterhook out for a spin in the corral before Tabby gets here.”
Hunter waved him off and continued to stare at Julie as he slowly walked toward her. She waited until Brody was out of earshot to say anything.
“I saw my brother last night,” she said.
“So?”
Hunter propped his hands on his hips. Damn he was better looking that she’d remembered. And she’d remembered a lot. He’d been full of muscles and lean as a working cowboy should be when she’d been in love with him, and that hadn’t changed. He was still as handsome as ever. Even wearing his cowboy hat, she could see a few strands of gray starting at his temple. She longed to touch it and feel her fingers in his hair again. They’d both gotten older even though in many ways it had felt as if time had stood still.
“Caleb said he was going to tell you that he saw me unless I told you myself.”
He frowned. “That’s why you’re here?”
“Yes.”
Hunter seemed distant for a few seconds, looking around the ranch as if he were looking for someone. And it occurred to her that maybe he was. Caleb hadn’t mentioned anything about Hunter having a woman in his life. What had she walked into?
He finally lifted his gaze to her. “Okay, now I’ve seen you.”
“That’s it?”
He turned away and paced a few steps before turning back and looking at her. “What do you want me to say, Julie? You’ve been gone for ten years and you never once thought to call me or let me know where you were or that you were okay. Why should it matter now?”
She shrugged but suddenly felt embarrassed. “Look, I just didn’t want you to hear it from Caleb. I thought it might be best if I came here myself. But I guess I was wrong. So now that you’ve seen me…”
She shook her head and started to stalk away but heard the sharp curse he tried to keep under his breath.
“You’re leaving? Again?” he ground out.
She felt the weight of tears behind her eyes and wanted to run. She was good at running. Dr. Matthews always told her that. And she had been right. It was time to stop. Seeing Caleb had proven that.
Julie swung around. “I don’t know what else to say.”
“That makes two of us. But I know that there’s a whole lot more we need to say to each other. Don’t you think?”
“Fair enough. But… I’m not ready, Hunter.”
He looked at her is if she were crazy, and she actually did feel that way. She had felt that way for long time. Dr. Matthews had insisted she wasn’t crazy. She was just grieving. Just. As if it was a small thing.
Julie knew her therapist didn’t think her grief was a small thing. She did feel like Julie had spent years trying to marginalize it in order to cope, which was why she was here today. She had to stop doing that if she had any chance of moving on with her life.
“I’m here. Not in Sweet, but close by anyway,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “I don’t know what I thought this would be like. I knew it was never going to be easy or comfortable for either of us.”
“You could say that.”
She fiddled with her hands as she forced herself to look at the stricken expression on Hunter’s face. “I think it’s time we talk. But I think we should wait until we both have a chance to get used to the fact that we are seeing each other again.”
He shook his head. “We’re not seeing each other, Julie. You left. For a long time, I might add. Just because you show up here—”
“I don’t mean dating. You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“This isn’t easy. Can we just leave this initial meeting as is, and say that we will talk in a few days so that each of us can get our bearings and then get some closure?”
“Bearings? I lost my bearings a long time ago when you left. Is that what you really want?”
“Yes.”
“And that’s the only reason you came back?”
She didn’t trust her voice anymore, so she nodded.
He kicked the dirt with his boot in frustration and cast a cold stare in her direction. “I had closure the day I found out that you left when you were pregnant with my child. And never bothered to tell me.”
Her mouth dropped open. Caleb hadn’t told her that Hunter knew.
“Yeah, I know about the baby,” he said. “And I want to know what happened.”
Tears filled her eyes. “There is no baby. Not anymore. I’ll call you in a few days.”
The look in his eyes shattered her heart. Would he have wanted their baby? Had he known all this time she’d been pregnant?
“Why bother? I think you just told me everything I need to know.”
Julie watched Hunter stalk into the barn. He had no idea how wrong he was. But she couldn’t tell him the truth today. Seeing his reaction, she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to get through telling him the truth without feeling a piece of her die.
Sweet Montana Secrets: Chapter Two
Julie met Caleb at a small sandwich shop outside of Sweet. She didn’t want to stay anywhere where she’d run the risk of having to answer questions she wasn’t ready to answer.
“So how did it go with Hunter?” he asked.
“About as well as I’d expected.”
Caleb sighed. “I know I pushed you but…he deserved to see you, Julie.”
She gave him a sidelong glance as they sat at the counter waiting for the waitress to serve their food.
“Who are you? If I had told you when I was in high school that I was seeing a rodeo cowboy ten years older than me, you would have skinned me or locked me in my bedroom.”
“That was ten years ago. And don’t let the badge fool you. I may still skin you.”
It was odd. She hadn’t known her brother hand gone into law enforcement when she’d gone searching for him. She’d found his number and his address and kept it in her wallet. Just in case. But that was as far as it went. Seeing him walk into the sandwich shop wearing a police uniform nearly made her laugh, and filled her with pride at the same time.
“How long have you been a police officer?”
“Since I was discharged.”
“Yeah? I never knew that was something you wanted to do.”
“I foolishly thought that maybe it would help me find you.”
Her shoulders sagged. “I found you. Maybe I’m a better detective than you are,” she said, trying to give him a competitive tease.
“I’m not a detective. Maybe someday, but not yet.”
“Oh.”
The waitress served their sandwiches. She had her usual tuna fish on a roll and he had a bison burger and fries. She’d never quite gotten the taste for bison like so many other people in the area.
“So when did you start dating Katie Dobbs?”
“Last winter.”
> He smiled in a way Julie had never seen before. All she’d done was mention her friend Katie’s name and Caleb was beaming.
“And you’re in love?” She knew the answer. It didn’t take a genius to read his expression.
“Yes.”
No hesitation. No needing to think about it. He was in love.
“She’s the one, Julie. You don’t know how many times over the last few months I’ve wanted to say that to you, hoping I’d get the chance to say it.”
She nodded and forced a smile past her envy. “I’m glad.”
“I want you to move back home,” Caleb said, ignoring his burger.
“Why?”
“I should think it would be obvious. You’re my sister and I miss you.”
“I’m only an hour or so away. There’s no reason for me to move to Sweet.”
“Come home,” Caleb urged.
“What home? Mom and Dad sold the house and moved away. There is no home in Sweet.”
“There’s my home. Well, my apartment. Move in with me.”
“You have a one bedroom apartment. Where am I supposed to sleep?”
“You can sleep on the sofa.”
“Gee, you’re not offering to sleep on the sofa so I can sleep in the bedroom?”
“No. I’m offering you a place to stay. Honestly, I’m not there that much anyway so you’ll have the place to yourself. So yeah, I guess you can sleep in the bedroom when I’m not there. I’ll be moving out in the near future when Katie and I are ready.”
“Yeah? So quick?”
“Yes. I told you. She’s the one.”
“I’ll have to commute to work if I live in Sweet,” she argued.
Caleb rolled his eyes. “It’s an hour. You just said so.”
She sighed. “I don’t want to.”
“Why not? Come home, Julie. I miss you. If you’re in Sweet, I can stop by and see you when I’m out on patrol. You can stop by our place whenever you want.”
Her heart squeezed. Throughout the years, she had missed her brother. She’d wanted to talk to him the way they used to talk before he went into the military and so many things in her life had changed.
“I’ve missed you, too.”
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