by Jane Porter
Joe and Sophie had their own Christmas tree and wreaths hung in all the windows. Tall crimson pillar candles and more fresh green boughs covered the mantel. There were stockings hanging from the hearth, old-fashioned knit stockings with the names Joe and Sophie stitched on them. The whole house looked like something out of a magazine, beautiful, and elegant, rustic and luxurious at same time. Ivy exhaled, relaxing a little. Maybe staying here wouldn’t be such a punishment after all.
Sophie continued the tour upstairs, showing Ivy a glimpse of the master bedroom and then a room down the hall that would one day be the nursery, and then another room at the far end of the hall that was their guest room.
The guest room featured a four-poster, rough-hewn log bed, with a thick red and white checked quilt. The shams were red and white as well, a mix of patterns that looked a little Scandinavian, and a whole lot of charming. More sunlight spilled through the tall windows giving her a view of trees and mountains and the dark blue Yellowstone River below.
Sophie crossed the floor and opened another door before flipping on the light. “Your own bathroom. It’s got a tub and a shower, because Joe and I couldn’t agree which was more important so, you have a little less closet, but you have more choices for bathing.”
“This is wonderful,” Ivy said huskily.
“So glad you like it. As I think Sam told you, you’re our first guest.”
“Will Sam’s mom ever like me again?”
“She still likes you.”
“I’ve been banished.”
Sophie laughed. “I was banished, too. Sent down the mountain to Marietta.”
“Were you really?”
“Yes. And I was given a very frosty reception for a long time.”
“But you two get along so well now.”
“You and Summer will be just fine. Trust me.” And then Sophie wrapped her arms around Ivy, and gave her a big hug. “Just know I’m glad you’re here.” She drew back and smiled into Ivy’s eyes, before letting go. “Those Wyatt boys can be challenging. I needed another girl on my team, and I didn’t get just any girl, but one of the best barrel racers in the country.”
“Somebody is doing too much talking,” Ivy answered.
“I looked you up online, too. You’ve qualified twice for national finals in Las Vegas, the second time just two years ago. Apparently you were on fire.”
“It was a good year. Competing, at least.” Because it was also the year her mom died, and instead of being with her mom, she was traveling all over the country barrel racing.
“You’ll be back in Las Vegas soon. Mark my words. You’ll be there next year. And if you are, I want to go and watch you compete. I’m still kicking myself that I wasn’t in Las Vegas to watch all the boys this year. It would have been awesome to see Sam get his first world title.”
“Yeah.” Ivy bundled her arms across her chest, and glanced around her room. “Can I please give you some money, to help cover some of the utilities while I’m staying here? I feel bad just crashing your place—”
“No! We don’t want your money, and we won’t take it. Even if you stayed for six months, we wouldn’t charge you a single thing.”
“I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
“You’re not. You’re a friend of Sam’s, and we’re glad to have you here.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“You said plenty. It’s good to help friends.” Sophie headed to the door. “Since Sam has brought everything over, I’ll leave you alone to unpack and settle in. Shout if you need anything, okay?”
Then Sophie was gone and Ivy stood in the middle of her new room trying to decide what to unpack first. But honestly, she didn’t feel like unpacking. She just wanted to get her truck and drive, and drive some more. It seemed as if she’d been locked down forever and she missed freedom and travel and the wide-open road.
A firm knock sounded on her open door and she glanced up. Sam stood in the doorway. “How are you doing?” he asked.
“Okay. How about you?”
“Thinking I might head out, do some Christmas shopping, grab lunch somewhere. Want to go with me?”
“Yes.” She didn’t even hesitate. “I was just thinking I need to go, get out, do something.”
“Have you heard from Ashley’s parents yet?”
“They’re hoping I could come see Ashley tomorrow. Today she has a lot of physical therapy and they think she’ll be too tired for a visit this afternoon.”
“So you’re free until work?”
She nodded. “I just want to stop by the garage, pay for my truck, and I’m free until work.”
“When can you leave?”
“Let me just get my money and coat and we can leave now.”
“Meet you downstairs,” he said, before leaving.
Ivy pulled her aluminum hatbox down from the closet shelf and opened it. It was empty. She didn’t understand. Maybe she’d taken down the wrong hatbox. She took down the other one. Same.
She stared at the two open hat boxes on her bed. There was no mistake. Her money was gone. Every bill, whether a five, ten, twenty, or one hundred dollars, was gone.
Ivy dug through her empty duffel bag, and then checked her suitcase. She looked inside her boots. Checked drawers. Checked coat pockets. But nothing. Her money, all her savings, were gone.
She was still tearing her things apart when Sam returned. “Hey,” he said, “thought we were heading out.”
She sat back on her heels. “My money’s gone,” she choked. “Every bit of it.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. I kept it in my silver hatbox. And Sam, I had thousands saved. Over four thousand.”
“When was the last time you saw it?”
“I counted it just a few days ago. Checking to see if I had enough for my truck, and I almost did. But now it’s all gone.”
“Did Joan have access to your room?”
“I would lock my door but I have a feeling she had a key. Sometimes things would be moved around a little bit, but I didn’t think she knew about my money. I thought I’d hid it pretty well.”
“This is why people use banks, Ivy.”
“Thanks, Sam. Super helpful.” She rose, and closed the open hatboxes and put them away on the closet shelf before folding the duffel bag and sticking that under her bed. “Go without me,” she said lowly. “I can’t pay off the truck now. There’s no point in me going to Marietta.”
“I’ll pay for your truck, you pay me back.”
“With what? Scotch? He’s all I have left.”
Sam’s gaze met hers and held. “I know you’re mad, but I’m not the enemy.”
“No. I am! I’m an idiot—”
“Stop. Get your coat, get your purse, and whatever you’ll need for work. We’re getting out of here. Now.”
As Ivy headed down the stairs with Sam, she caught a glimpse of Joe in the big open kitchen with Sophie. His arms were around his wife’s waist, and he’d said something to make her laugh, and the next moment they were kissing.
She felt a pang seeing Joe and Sophie’s happiness. Sam had noticed as well. “They’re definitely in the honeymoon stage,” Sam said, closing the front door behind them. “But it took some time for them to get there. They apparently had a rough start.”
“Sophie said your mom was tough on her at first,” Ivy said as they walked to Sam’s truck parked next to the fleet of other trucks in the large gravel driveway. “I guess she made Sophie stay in town?”
“I don’t know much about that, but yeah, Mom wasn’t thrilled Joe found his wife through an ad.”
“But then he and Sophie fell in love.”
“Thank goodness, because before Sophie arrived, Joe was a miserable sod. Last Christmas he was so irritable and unhappy none of us wanted to be around him, and this year, he’s practically Father Christmas.”
“It’s sweet. I love how festive their house is,” she said, climbing into the passenger side.
He closed the door beh
ind her and then headed to the driver’s side. “That’s all Sophie’s magic,” he said, getting behind the wheel. “She went a little crazy there and here. She was the one that found our old stockings in the attic and got Joe to put up the big tree. She wanted Grandad and Mom to have a traditional Christmas when all the boys came home.” Sam fell silent, and then turned to look at Ivy. “Think confronting Joan will do any good?”
Ivy shook her head. “She’ll just deny it.”
Sam started the engine and gave it a moment to warm up. “Has she taken things from you before?”
“Not outright steal, but she’d use things I’d bought and never replace them. Any food I put in the fridge was fair game.”
“I’m really sorry.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Sam. You have no reason to apologize.”
“I can be sorry this happened.”
“True. Because I’m sorry, too.”
“Let’s go pay for your truck. We can figure out the logistics of paying me back later.” He flashed a smile and shifted into reverse, backing up. “It’s not as if I don’t know where to find you.”
“Very true.” She hesitated. “And I’d appreciate the loan, if you really don’t mind. I was so excited to get my truck again.”
“I couldn’t last a day without my truck. I get it.” He shifted into drive and they headed past Sophie and Joe’s and on down the Wyatt’s private road.
“Sophie comes from a big family, doesn’t she?”
“Yes. She loves to spoil Joe, and enjoys taking care of Mom and Grandad. Family is important to her.”
Ivy felt an envious pang. The Wyatt house was never quiet. There was always something interesting happening. “Family is important to me, too. I just had a much smaller family.”
“You and your mom were really close. I’ve never been close with my mom.”
“That’s probably because you prefer your own company.”
“I do, some of the time.” He shot her a quick glance. “But you’re good company. Some of the best actually.”
“Christmas at my house was so different from what you do at your house. We didn’t have a big tree. We didn’t have a lot of gifts.”
“Did you have one of those tabletop trees?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes, and all the ornaments were horse related. Every single one of them. I didn’t think that was weird until now.”
“What’s weird about it? You were horse people, so of course you had a horse themed tree.”
“When I was little I’d even set up a manger scene beneath the tree—with Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus in a wooden stable, surrounded by a dozen plastic horses. No sheep or cows or camels for me. Just horses keeping watch.”
Sam laughed. “I know far more about you now than I did when we were together.”
“We were always so focused on training, travel, and competing that it was tough finding time to just hang out and talk.”
He didn’t say anything and Ivy wondered if she shouldn’t have said that. And just when she was certain she’d upset him, he said, “There’s something to be said for just being friends… for just being yourself. Platonic relationships don’t have all the added pressure of romantic ones.”
Suddenly Ivy didn’t know where to look, or what to do, or what to feel. There were moments—like this—where Sam felt like hers again, where she and Sam were comfortable and close, and they could talk about everything. “Speaking of romantic relationships, are you dating anyone right now?” she asked.
“I’ve been very casually dating,” he answered, “but nothing that I’d call a relationship, and certainly nothing exclusive.”
“So there’s no girl who will be upset that I’m staying at your house over the holidays?”
“I’ve never cheated on you, Ivy, nor anyone else. That’s not who I am.”
“So our kiss last night…” She looked at him, hoping he’d jump in but Sam said nothing.
He lifted a brow, waiting.
Heat rushed through her, warming her face. “That kiss…”
“Yes?”
“It didn’t feel… platonic.”
“No?”
“No. It felt… amazing.”
“Hmm. So less heat the next time? Maybe less tongue?”
Ivy burst out laughing. She reached over to slug Sam’s arm. “Oh, my gosh. Sam.”
“What?” he asked innocently.
“Nothing,” she spluttered, face hot, lips twitching because it was ridiculous how much she loved this Sam. He was everything to her. Still.
Heart tender, Ivy turned her head, focused on the scenery beyond the truck window, trying to control her chaotic emotions because she couldn’t pretend that he didn’t matter to her. She couldn’t pretend that she didn’t want what she had lost. Love.
Sam.
Sam’s love.
A coyote suddenly darted across the road, and Sam braked, and then as it disappeared into the brush, he began driving again. They were descending back into the valley, and she watched the narrow road framed with clusters of aspens, oak, and pine. The Wyatt Ranch was high up in the Absaroka mountain range, their property nestled beneath the high, craggy peaks.
The Wyatts had a lot of land, beautiful land, with breathtaking views of the valley below. Even now she marveled at the beauty of Paradise Valley. “I’m a Montana girl through and through, but Paradise Valley is probably my favorite part of Montana. It’s so beautiful, and I love being this close to Yellowstone. From Custer it was a three and a half hour drive. Here, you’re just twenty minutes away.”
“To the North Gate.”
“Yes, but then it’s an easy drive to Lamar Valley and the huge herds of buffalo.”
“We could do that one day. Maybe after Christmas?” he suggested.
“Won’t you be gone to close on your new place?”
“I’d only be gone a day. I’m not moving in immediately. The house on the property needs some work.”
“So you’re coming back here?”
He glanced at her, a smile in his blue eyes. “Do you mind?”
She blushed again, everything inside of her all jangly and sensitive. “No.”
“We could train together, get ready for the new year.”
Ivy crossed one leg over the other at the knee and wrapped her hands around her knee. “I’d do better working at the Wolf Den. I’d make money faster. I’m out of shape, and Scotch is out of shape. With my savings gone, I can’t take any risks.”
“If your money wasn’t gone, what would you do?”
“I’d lease a place outside Marietta. I want a place with a barn and acreage.”
“How many acres are you wanting?”
“At least ten. Twenty would be ideal.”
“How many horses would you want to board and train?”
“The goal is eight or nine, but I’d be happy to start with four.”
“You’ve crunched all your numbers?”
“I know this stuff. It’s what Mom and I did together. I’m just going to do it on my own now.” She hesitated. “I shouldn’t have sold her business and rented her place out. I should have just settled down there and continued what she’d started.”
“That’s not what she would have wanted for you.”
Ivy shrugged. “She loved watching me ride. She loved following my career, but it was never meant to be my whole life. I far prefer training over competing.”
“Do you?”
“Competing is grueling. If you don’t have a team, or family members who can travel with you and help out with everything, it’s just too much.”
“Wes used to travel with you.”
She felt like she’d swallowed a rock. “Yes.”
“It must have helped when he handled things, at least in the beginning?”
“It did. And it felt good to have him driving me, and helping make sure the horses were getting all the right veterinarian care, but it wasn’t long before I discovered there was a price to be paid for having h
im help. I wasn’t used to being told what to do. I wasn’t used to being told to be quiet. I wasn’t used to having someone decide which events I’d enter, and what horse I would ride—”
“He would do that?”
“That was probably the worst part of it. I know my horses, and I know where they’ll do best, and when they’ll do best. Belle’s my girl, but like any mare, she can be moody, and there are times she shouldn’t be competing. Same with Scotch, there are some places he just doesn’t ride well at, and I know those places, and I know what Scotch needs to perform at his best.”
“Wes is a cattle stock contractor. He knows nothing about horses.”
“I know. But he read some magazines and talked to some folks and thought he was a hotshot.” Ivy shrugged. “The worse thing I could do was contradict him in public. That always ended badly. Every single time.”
“The moment you realized what you were dealing with, why didn’t you just leave?”
She made a soft huffing sound. “I couldn’t,” she said even more quietly. “And I don’t even know why. I was just… numb. Stuck.”
“How did you finally make the break?”
“He had a big meeting in Denver. I was supposed to be heading to a rodeo in Texas. He put me in the truck, said he’d see me soon—”
“Because he was going to meet you after his meeting wrapped?” Sam guessed.
She nodded. “Once I hit the highway, I headed north instead of south, and kept driving through Utah and Idaho until I reached Polson. I spent a few days with Jill Snyder, the Montana Circuit Director, told her a little bit about my situation, and she helped me find the job at the Kruse ranch.”
“So she knows about Wes?”
“She knows that I didn’t want him to find me, and she knew that’s why I wasn’t going to be competing the rest of this year.”
“She should have done more to help you.”
“She did plenty. This was my problem, not hers.”
*
They were nearing Marietta and Sam took the exit off Highway 89 that was closest to the Wolf Den, as that was also where the garage was. Sam got out with Ivy, and then rather than go make the payment himself, he handed her his credit card. “Let me know if I’m needed,” he said.
She nodded and disappeared inside the office.