Trent's Montana Bride (Sweet, clean Western Historical Romance)(Montana Ranchers and Brides series)

by Maya Stirling

  Chloe and Evan.

  Trent had gone into town intent on getting some more facts. He figured the best place to start would be with the sheriff. He'd been good friends with Ethan for longer than he cared to remember. Sheriff Ethan had saved Trent from more than one close call during his bachelor years. There was a good natured understanding between the rancher and the sheriff, and Ethan had helped out many a time whenever rustlers had caused problems.

  Trent had made it into town fast, not wanting to leave Chloe alone too long, nor have her worry about his absence, as he knew she would be prone to do.

  Luckily the sheriff was in when Trent paid him a call. The information he'd been given by Ethan hadn't calmed Trent's already frayed nerves one bit. It seemed that there was a stranger in town. He'd been around a few days. Trent figured he must have followed them to Billings from Helena, even on the day of their wedding. That thought chilled him.

  Ethan said that the guy had been upsetting people, being real insistent in his requests for information about a woman who'd recently come from Helena. The complaints had prompted Ethan to go have a word with the man, a certain Josiah Bentley, in his hotel room. When Ethan had pressed Bentley about his business in Billings, the man had been defensive and reluctant to answer any questions. In the end Ethan had had nothing he could detain Bentley on. The worst the man was causing was a nuisance, and that wasn't an arresting offense.

  But the last thing Ethan told Trent was what had prompted Trent to come racing back home. Ethan had said that Bentley had finally gone to the church and asked the minister. Not being one given to lying, the minister had told Bentley just who Chloe Wilder was now. Mrs. Chloe McIntyre of a certain ranch outside of Billings. The minister had come over to Ethan after speaking to Bentley, just to check if everything was okay.

  But the fact that Bentley knew where Chloe was made Trent's blood freeze and prompted the race back to the ranch. He had to get back there. Whoever Bentley was, he obviously knew Chloe from her time in Helena. That meant he had probably known Lucas. Could Bentley have been involved in Lucas' death?

  Driving hard across the valley, coming close to the house, barely able to contain the impatience burning inside himself, Trent's jaw tightened at the thought that a man who'd been anywhere near Lucas when he'd died, might be at his ranch right now, bothering Chloe.

  The horse came over the last rise before the ranch house and Trent's body flooded with relief at the sight of the white building. But immediately he let out a furious grunt when he saw the horse that was tied up at the front door.

  The man was here!

  Trent spurred his mount on and raced into the yard, leaping down off the horse even before it had come to a halt. He called out to Chloe as he threw the reins over the hitching post, his voice echoing in the emptiness of the yard.

  Trent bolted onto the porch and hammered his fist against the door, throwing it open and striding into the hallway. He called out again. "Chloe! Where are you?"

  A soft voice came from the parlor. It was Chloe's. "We're in here, Trent," he heard her say in a surprisingly calm manner.

  Trent dashed into the parlor and slid to a halt on the wooden floor. His mouth opened and his brows furrowed, confused at what he was seeing.

  Chloe was seated on the sofa with a cup and saucer in her hand. In contrast to what he'd expected to find, Chloe seemed calm and composed. There was no sign of anxiety on her face at all.

  Next to her sat a roughly dressed man, in his thirties. The man also held a cup and saucer in his hand.

  "Trent. This Mr. Josiah Bentley."

  The man stood and extended a hand to Trent, but Trent's eyes narrowed and he hesitated before reluctantly shaking Bentley's hand.

  "What's going on, Chloe?" Trent asked.

  Chloe lips widened into a patient smile. "Mr. Bentley knew Lucas," she said.

  Trent frowned. "Knew Lucas? How?" he said looking at Bentley.

  "That's why I came here to speak with Mrs. Wilder," Bentley said, his voice low and measured.

  "That's Mrs. McIntyre to you," Trent declared looking toward Chloe. He saw her smile.

  Bentley nodded. "Of course. I apologize. She is indeed your wife now. Or so the minister informed me."

  Trent felt impatience rise up in him. "What's your business, Mr. Bentley?"

  "He's just given me some information about Lucas. You might find it of interest, Trent," Chloe said gesturing her husband to take a seat by her side on the sofa.

  Trent frowned and gave Bentley a questioning look which the other man merely smiled at. Trent took his place next to Chloe. She placed a calming hand on his forearm. Bentley took a seat next to the fireplace. He laid his cup down on the small table and composed himself.

  "First off, I want to apologize for any distress I might have caused you good folks." Bentley's voice was calm and sounded sincere to Trent. "I've been trying to speak with Mrs. McIntyre for a while. Since before she became your wife, Mr. McIntyre."

  "Can you please get to the point, sir" Trent said brusquely. Chloe squeezed his arm and narrowed her eyes. Trent sighed. "Carry on, Mr. Bentley," he said with an apologetic tone.

  Bentley nodded. "As I've just told Mrs. McIntyre, I knew Lucas Wilder. He was an associate of mine."

  "What kind of associate?" Trent demanded.

  "We were supposed to be working together in the business of transporting cattle," Bentley said.

  "What do you mean, supposed to be?" Trent asked.

  "Me and a few others were working for a man who claimed he had a legitimate contract to transport some cattle. Lucas Wilder was one of us. He was a good man. I liked him a lot. He was good to my boy," Bentley said. Trent saw that Bentley's expression changed at the mention of his son.

  "Anyway. It turned out that the contract wasn't legal and that we'd all been lied to. The man who had employed us was a rustler. And he was aiming to use us to steal some cattle from a ranch just outside Helena. When we all found out what was really going on, we all confronted the man," Bentley said.

  "What was the man's name?" Trent demanded.

  "I can't tell you that because I don't know his real name. We were all getting paid in cash. No questions. Truth is, most of us were desperate for the money," Bentley said.

  "Lucas was involved in rustling?" Trent said disbelievingly.

  Chloe gazed at Trent. "He didn't know, Trent. He thought it was a legitimate job. Cash in hand. Lucas and I needed the money," she said.

  Trent looked at Chloe and saw pain in her eyes. He took her hand and gave her a soft, reassuring smile.

  "What's this got to do with how Lucas died," Trent asked.

  Bentley continued. "When we confronted the organizer of this stupidity, he refused to admit that it was illegal. We wanted some money anyway for the time we'd put in. He refused. There was a struggle. Me and that scum of a boss went at it hard."

  Bentley halted and Trent saw his brow furrow. The man swallowed and sighed. He reached for the cup on the table, brought it to his lips slowly and took a sip.

  "During the struggle my boy grabbed a hold of a gun. He only wanted to help me. The gun went off."

  Bentley looked straight at Trent. "The bullet hit Lucas. It killed him right there. On the spot. It was an accident," he explained. "A crazy accident." Bentley shook his head.

  Trent felt his breathing halt for a moment. He looked at Chloe. Her face was pale but there was a curious expression in her eyes. It was almost like a patient acceptance. Maybe the truth had brought her some strange kind of peace and, even, reassurance.

  "Lucas was shot dead by accident? By your son?" Trent asked.

  "He's only fifteen. I couldn't have him condemned for that. Not at his age. It was an accident," Bentley sighed again, and Trent could see the struggle the man was going through to contain his emotion. "But the truth of it has been burning me up ever since. I just owed it to your wife to tell her the truth. I just took me this long to find her."

  There was a long silence in the room
. Finally it was broken by Chloe's soft voice. "Lucas didn't die a violent death. It was just a simple accident. He'd been tricked into something and he was trying to do the right thing by getting out of a bad situation," she said quietly. "I'm grateful to Mr. Bentley for coming here and giving me the explanation I so desperately needed," she said looking at Trent.

  Trent considered what he'd just heard. He thought he should challenge Bentley's version of the story. How could Trent be so sure the man was telling the truth? It could all be a pack of lies. But then he looked at Chloe. He saw the composure on her face and knew that he should keep his mouth well and truly shut. If it was good enough for Chloe, then it was good enough for Trent.

  Mr. Bentley seemed to sense that he had done his job. He stood, announcing he'd be on his way.

  "Thank you for coming, Mr. Bentley," Chloe said to him as they made their way out to the yard. Bentley settled himself on his horse.

  "I hope what I've told you has gone some way to allowing you to find some peace after the tragic passing of your husband, ma'am," Bentley said sincerely.

  Chloe nodded. "It has, Mr. Bentley," she said.

  As he watched Bentley ride away Trent thought what a fool he'd been, racing home like that. But then, he'd had no idea what had been awaiting him back at the ranch. What had really been waiting for him had been the truth. And it promised to be a truth which would allow him and Chloe to move on with their lives.

  Lucas' life had ended with a tragic accident. Those kinds of things happened all the time out here in Montana. It was beautiful and dangerous all at the same time.

  Trent turned to Chloe. He tried to wrap an arm around her waist. He figured she'd appreciate him being close. Instead, she looked deep into his eyes. Her mouth set into a tight grimace.

  "What is it Chloe?" Trent asked. "What's wrong? We know the truth now. I feel so bad for Lucas. But at least we know he wasn't murdered in cold blood," he said bluntly.

  He saw Chloe's jaw tighten. She turned away from him. Trent took her by the shoulders and tried to turn her around, but she wouldn't budge.

  "What's wrong, Chloe?"

  She turned around and locked her eyes on Trent. "I have one question to ask you Trent McIntyre," she said.

  Trent leaned back. Chloe looked like she wanted to bite his head off. And when she spoke he didn't know how he was going to answer her.

  "Were you in love with me before Lucas and I got married?"

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Chloe scrutinised Trent's even features. They were flushed after his ride home. His eyes were wide. The question had rocked him back on his heels. She could see that.

  "Well? Are you going to answer me?" she demanded.

  Trent frowned. "I don't know what you mean, Chloe," he gasped.

  "I mean what I say. Did you have feelings for me while I was courting Lucas?" she asked.

  Chloe glanced around the yard. She was glad to see that there was no-one around to hear their conversation.

  Trent ran a hand through his dark hair. "What gave you that idea?"

  "Did you or didn't you? It's a simple question," Chloe said taking a step closer to Trent. He, in turn took one long step backwards, but Chloe wasn't going to let him keep his distance.

  Trent coughed and twisted his head, trying to keep from looking at Chloe. She leaned around and made sure Trent couldn't avert his eyes.

  "I don't know what to say to that, Chloe," he answered.

  "Just tell me the truth, Trent," she said defiantly.

  Trent shook his head. "I can't give you a straight answer to that, Chloe," he said quietly.

  "Why not?"

  "It's kinda...complicated," he said hesitantly.

  "How complicated can it be to give me an explanation for these," she said reaching into a side pocket and pulling out the photos and letter.

  Trent's eyes bulged when he saw what was in Chloe's hand. "Where'd you get those?"

  "Where you had them hidden," she answered.

  Trent's face turned the color of ash. "That was supposed to be private," he said reaching for what Chloe held.

  She withdrew her hand and held it out by her side. "It can't be private because it concerns me," she said.

  Trent's eyes narrowed and his lip tightened. Chloe knew she had him on the back foot. "Why didn't you tell me that you and Lucas both had feelings for me?"

  Trent rocked from side to side, his lips still held tight.

  Chloe leaned in closer to him. "I had no idea that you felt anything for me, Trent."

  Trent's eyes came up and fixed on Chloe's. The expression in them made Chloe's heart beat faster. Chloe thought she saw an admission of guilt in his eyes. He knew he'd done wrong in not telling her that he'd once nurtured a flame in his heart for her. He'd tried to make their entire marriage seem like something that was merely an obligation, an arrangement, when all along she'd always been in his heart.

  Trent glanced away for a moment. Chloe worried that she might have been too insistent, demanding answers he wasn't willing to give her.

  "I did feel a mighty strong attraction to you, Chloe," he said eventually. "But Lucas and you looked like the perfect couple. Every time I saw you both together, it just seemed right. I had no business standing in the way of my best friend finding happiness," he said.

  Chloe sighed. "But why didn't you tell me when it came to you and I getting married?"

  "Would it have made any difference?"

  Chloe couldn't give Trent and immediate answer to that question.

  Trent took Chloe's shoulders in his firm grasp. "If I'd have told you that I always wanted you, would that have changed your mind about becoming my wife?"

  Chloe shook her head. "No. It wouldn't have. I know why you chose to marry me. It was out of respect to Lucas," she said.

  "And it was out of respect to him that I couldn't declare how I felt about you," Trent said, his voice firm and decisive. Chloe looked up into his dark, shaded brows and saw the intensity there, the feeling that was burning inside him. His fingers held her arms tight.

  Chloe peered into Trent's eyes. "You've shown respect to Lucas just by taking care of me and Evan. And now we know what really happened to him. How he really died. Isn't that enough?" she said.

  Trent's gaze burned with indecision. Chloe could see the fire behind his eyes, the workings of his mind. She was aware of his breathing becoming quicker, his nostrils flaring slightly.

  Trent's head dipped and he kissed her, his lips taking possession of Chloe's. She leaned her head back, lifting her mouth up, submitting to him, savoring the firmness of his tender attentions. His lips consumed her own. She felt his hand at the back of her head, his fingers laced through her hair, drawing her close. His body leaned into her, strong and forceful. Chloe allowed Trent to pull her close, enclosing her, making her a part of him. The world seemed to spin.

  Almost as suddenly as they had met, their lips parted, and Trent gazed down into Chloe's eyes. "Chloe. I love you," he said, his voice deep and vibrant, his breathing fast. She felt his words resonate against her, burrowing their way into her.

  Chloe's mouth opened in surprise. She hadn't expected him to declare to her in such a forthright manner, especially not at this moment. Chloe could see that he was waiting, expecting her answer. His eyes were wide with expectation.

  "Trent, I..." she said hesitantly.

  Trent's eyes widened, his mouth creased into a thin smile. "Yes, Chloe?"

  Chloe felt something sink inside her. "I don't know what to say," she said.

  Trent's brows furrowed. "Say what you feel," he answered.

  Chloe turned her head. "I don't know what I feel anymore," she murmured.

  Trent cupped her chin in his hand and gently turned her head to him. "Tell me the truth that's in your heart," he said quietly.

  Chloe gazed up at Trent. This man had taken her when she was at her lowest and had given her hope. He had agreed to honor and respect her deceased husband. He had promised to provide for her and he
r son, and give them both a chance to live the dream of a Montana future. What right did she have to deny what had been growing in her heart these past days? And now she knew that this man truly loved her; had always loved her; had even given her up because it had been the right thing to do.

  She could only imagine the pain he'd felt at losing her once. And she was sure that he would move heaven and earth to ensure that he wouldn't lose her a second time.

  Chloe gazed up at Trent's intent features. There was only one answer buried in her heart. It was the one that had whispered to her on those long nights alone in her room; it was the one that had made her heart fill with happiness as she watched Trent and Evan together.

  "I love you, Trent," she said gazing earnestly into his eyes. She saw the darkness in them vanish as she uttered the words that she knew would forever change her life.

  Trent leaned down and kissed her once again, this time time with a tender and gentle caress. His lips were soft and loving. Trent's fingers brushed lightly across her face. The kiss seemed to go on forever.

  Then Chloe felt Trent's arms wrap around her, enveloping her in an embrace that she suddenly realized she never wanted to end.

  EPILOGUE

  ONE YEAR LATER

  "I'd like to propose a toast to three beautiful women and their three very lucky husbands," Trent said raising his glass, resting his other hand on the edge of the the table. "One of which, of course, I am," he concluded with a smile. He glanced down at Chloe who smiled up at him from her place seated by his side. Little Evan stayed close to his mother who looked like she wasn't going to let him out of her sight for a second.

  The sun shone down on a scene of celebration. It was the day they'd all decided would be perfect to commemorate the three marriages which had taken place exactly one year before. The long table had been set up in front of Trent and Chloe's ranch house. It was covered with an array of delicious food. The guests had come from near and far. There was Nathan and Abby Grantly with their young daughter Emma; Devlin and Elise Cooper; Mrs. Ross and her fellow housekeepers; the ranch foremen from the three ranches; Joshua McKenzie, a visiting cousin of Nathan's who owned a ranch out in the western part of Montana; and two very special newcomers.