Six Months in Montana (Montana Sweet Western Romance Series)

by Kelley, Pamela M.

  "No, I haven't seen her since then. Her family is still here, but the guy she married worked for a big four accounting firm and took a transfer to Australia shortly after their wedding. As far as I know, they are still living there."

  Molly couldn't help but wonder how Christian would feel if he ever ran into his ex again? It had been a long time, but she had done some damage. Molly was glad to hear Heather was out of the country, so running into each other wasn't likely.

  Christian stood up and started walking toward the door, "Let's go get your car jumped and head home."

  Once he’d charged her car for a bit, the motor started easily, and Molly drove back to the ranch with Christian following her, just in case something went wrong.

  "Have you eaten yet?" he asked, as they walked into the kitchen.

  "Just nibbled on some cheese and crackers." Molly realized she was starting to get hungry.

  “Mrs. O'Brien made a beef stew for us. She left instructions to turn it down to a low simmer, and I was doing that when you called.”

  "That sounds wonderful." Molly got out two bowls, as Christian sliced several pieces of crusty bread for them from the loaf Mrs. O'Brien had also baked earlier.

  "A little wine to go with?" He asked as he reached for a bottle of Merlot. When Molly nodded, he opened the bottle and poured them both a glass.

  They chatted easily during dinner, catching up on how their respective days had gone. The stew was delicious, just the thing for the cold winter weather, and the Merlot was smooth and easy to drink. Molly was a little surprised to find her glass was empty when they finished eating. She wasn't planning to have a second glass, but Christian refilled his and when he asked if she wanted more, it suddenly seemed like a good idea. She could feel all the tension melting out of her body and realized she had been a bit on edge, more worried than she'd realized about the inn's opening day. It was such a relief that everything had gone so smoothly.

  "Feel like a game of pool?" Christian asked, after they'd cleared the table and put the dirty bowls in the dishwasher.

  "Why not?" It was still early and a Friday night, so it sounded like a good idea and something different. They hadn't played yet since she'd arrived at the ranch. Christian had a finished basement that was set up like a game room, with a tournament-sized pool table, dart board, big screen TV and a small bar.

  "I will warn you though, I haven't played in years, and I never was very good."

  "Pool is like riding a bike, it will come back to you." Christian said, as he grabbed the bottle of wine to bring along to the basement.

  Though Molly was rusty at first, it did come back to her as they got into the game. And it helped when Christian gave her a few pointers, explaining how to work angles to make the ball go where she wanted it to. At one point, he came up behind her and showed her exactly how to hold her cue lower, so she would have more control. Though Molly found it hard to concentrate when his arms were on either side of her as he demonstrated the ideal grip. She felt the energy in the room shift, and it didn't lessen when he left her side to take his own shot.

  Christian, of course, won the first game easily, but Molly held her own in the second and then actually managed to win, though it was by default as Christian blew his last shot. The eight ball went into the pocket that he called, followed by the white cue ball, meaning he scratched and it was an instant loss for him."Congrats!" he said, as Molly made a face. That wasn't the way she wanted to win.

  "Hey, a win's a win." He high-fived her and, as their hands touched, Molly looked him in the eye, willing him to kiss her again.

  Christian only hesitated a moment, before pulling her into his arms and bringing his lips down to hers. She felt the same sparks this time as she had when they’d first kissed, and the same disappointment when he pulled away and shook his head.

  "Don't apologize again," she said quickly, as Christian opened his mouth to speak and then was quiet for a moment.

  "I shouldn't have done that though. We already talked about this, how it's not a good idea." He didn't look happy as he said it.

  "I think it would be a very good idea. We're obviously attracted to each other and we're married. Why not see where it goes?"

  Christian looked at her in amazement. "You can't mean that. You know my track record. I don't do commitment any more. And you have to get back to Manhattan."

  "We have four months to go. A lot can happen in that time. Aren't you a little curious to see how it goes?" Molly's heart was racing. She couldn't believe she was trying to talk him into having a relationship with her. It felt so brazen, but yet so right. She knew she was taking a risk and maybe he really couldn't commit to anyone, but she was hopeful that if it was meant to be they could somehow work things out.

  "You'll still be going back to Manhattan." Christian insisted, as he emptied his wine glass. They'd finished the bottle between the two of them.

  "Maybe I will, maybe I won't. Maybe Rose Cottage will be enough, if things go well with us. If they don't, then I will leave and you can go back to the way things were. It's really a win-win." She truly believed that Christian was capable of committing; he'd once been engaged after all.

  "A win-win….okay. I think that might be the wine talking." He sighed and then said, "If you really mean this, then I'm up for it, but it's not something to decide lightly. We've both been drinking. Sleep on it, and then if you really do want to see where this could go, let me know. If you don't, just forget we ever had this conversation. And on that note, I'm going to bed." He gave her a quick hug and then took their empty glasses and the wine bottle with him, and Molly watched him walk away, enjoying the view and smiling to herself, because she knew she wasn't going to be changing her mind.

  Chapter 12

  Breakfast was a big hit the next morning, especially the quiche and coffee cake. The bowl of fruit that Molly had spent a good half hour preparing sat mostly untouched. Once her guests had finished eating, and had gone on their way, Molly poured herself a bowl of cereal and added a generous helping of the fruit. Someone had to eat it after all, and it was delicious. She'd cut fresh pineapple and tossed it with wild blueberries, sliced strawberries and bananas.

  When she was just about done, her cell phone rang and she was excited to see that it was Meghan. They hadn't talked in over a week and Molly always looked forward to their chats. Although hearing Meghan’s voice did tend to make her a little homesick for Manhattan. Meghan asked about the inn and how it was going and, once Molly had given her the update, Meghan filled her in on the real reason for her call.

  "So, I ran into your boss, Ben, the other night. We'd all gone to Harry's Place on Thursday right after work." Molly loved going to Harry's Place; all the bartenders knew them, as they often met up there as it was right around the corner from the hotel and from Meghan's office.

  "How is Ben?" Molly asked.

  "He's great, really great, actually." That was interesting. Did she detect a hint of interest in Ben? That was something new. Molly was about to ask, when Meghan went on to say, "So, anyway, Ben was filling me in on the renovations at the hotel, and it sounds like they're actually a little ahead of schedule. He asked about you, if we'd been in touch, and if I knew when you were planning to be back in Manhattan. It sounds like he's eager for you to return as soon as you're able."

  Molly's first reaction was excitement. She couldn't wait to see the improvements at The Clarendon, and it sounded like she might not have to wait as long as she'd thought for her promotion if Ben was anxious for her to return. It was everything she'd dreamed of, although she realized that she wasn't in a hurry for her time in Montana to end. Leaving here would be bittersweet.

  "I can't come back before the six months are up, that's what we’re agreed to. But it will be here before we know it. Time is flying."

  "So you're not too miserable being there?" Meghan asked.

  "No, not miserable at all. I'm enjoying it actually." Molly was about to tell Meghan about the latest development with Christia
n, but something held her back. Nothing had really happened yet, and she didn't want to jinx it, in case things didn't work out, after all. "Rose Cottage is keeping me busy, and I'm having fun building a business from scratch. So far so good."

  "Oh, good, I'm so glad to hear it." Meghan sounded a bit distracted. Molly was just about to ask her about her love life, and if she'd imagined her interest in Ben, when Meghan said, "Shoot, I'm sorry to cut this short, but I have to run. Someone's at my door."

  "Okay, I'll let you go, talk soon." Molly hung up, and started cleaning the kitchen. The rest of the day flew, as she was distracted by daydreaming about seeing Christian later. She'd woken up even more convinced that they could be really good together. Though she had to admit she had butterflies in her stomach from anticipation. Her mind was made up; she only hoped that Christian hadn't changed his.

  On the way home, Molly stopped at the local market and picked up a few things for dinner, and a bottle of her favorite Cabernet. It would go well with the steaks she was planning to make. It was one of her favorite recipes: juicy rib-eyes, with a red wine reduction sauce and a delicious topping of panko crumbs mixed with blue cheese that was finished under the broiler to get the crumb topping crispy and the cheese a bit melted.

  She was surprised to see Christian's truck already in the driveway when she got home. Although it was a Saturday, it was still a work day for him, and he'd mentioned briefly when she’d seen him that morning that he thought it would be a long day, as they were trying to finish up a building project that had run into some delays.

  Molly parked and then brought her bags into the kitchen. She heard water running upstairs and figured that Christian was in the shower, so she decided to start getting dinner ready. She had assembled a big salad and was about to put the steaks and potatoes in the oven to bake, when Christian came down the stairs carrying a small suitcase. He looked anxious and in a hurry.

  "Is everything all right?" She asked.

  Christian looked at her and she saw concern and fear in his eyes. "No. I got a call to say my brother has been in a bad accident. A nurse from the hospital let me know that it's pretty serious, and he's on his way into surgery. I'm heading to the airport now. I’ve just booked the next flight out to Chicago. I have no idea how long I'll be gone. It depends on how he's doing. Might be a few days, might be all week. I'll call and let you know."

  Molly's heart went out to him. "Do you want me to come with you?"

  "No. Like I said, I have no idea how long I'll be gone, and you need to take care of Rose Cottage."

  "Okay, well, at least let me drive you to the airport. You shouldn't be driving right now." Christian hesitated, but Molly insisted. "We don't need two accidents because you're distracted by worrying about your brother. Come on. The airport's not that far."

  Molly turned off the oven, put on her coat, grabbed her bag and headed to the door. Christian followed, and put his suitcase in the back seat of her car.

  They drove to the airport mostly in silence, after Christian had filled her in with as much as he knew about the accident. Dan had been about a mile from his apartment when a drunk driver had come around the corner and plowed into him head on. Dan lived in the city so he wouldn't have been driving that fast, but Christian didn't know the extent of his injuries and was just hoping that they weren't life-threatening.

  Molly hadn't seen Dan in years. He hadn’t made it for the wedding because he’d been out of the country. Christian had explained the terms of their grandfather's will, and Dan had found it amusing and had been glad that their grandfather hadn’t tried to set him up, too. Christian had explained previously to Molly that their grandfather had included Dan in his will, and had left him a small share of the ranch.

  Dan had gone to college in Chicago and stayed there after graduating. He’d worked at one of the big papers for several years, and then a blog he wrote on investing had taken off and now he worked for himself, investing in the stock market, sharing his successes and failures on his blog and taking the occasional freelance writing assignment to keep things interesting. At age thirty two, he was a few years younger than Christian and was also a confirmed bachelor.

  "Is he dating anyone? Is there anyone you should call?" Molly asked, as she pulled into the airport parking lot.

  "I have no idea. I haven't met one of his girlfriends since his college days. He says he doesn't date anyone long enough to warrant an introduction."

  "That sounds familiar." Molly said, trying to make light of the moment.

  "We're nothing alike." Christian said seriously, as he got out of the car and then grabbed his bag from the back seat.

  "Okay. Call me with an update."

  "Will do. Thanks for the ride, I appreciate it."

  The plane ride to Chicago was long and bumpy, followed by a jarring stop- and-go taxi cab trip to the hospital. It reflected Christian's tense mood well. He couldn't stop worrying about Dan. He and his brother were pretty tight. There was only a two year difference between them, and they'd always gotten along great for the most part. Christian had understood why Dan had needed to get away for college, to get some distance from the small town he'd grown up in. They were definitely opposites in that regard. Christian couldn't wait to return to Beauville, after graduating from the University of Montana in Missoula. He could have gone to the Bozeman campus, which would have been closer to home, but the program at Missoula was stronger.

  Dan had gotten accepted into the University of Montana at Missoula as well, but had considered it his safety school. As soon as he’d received the letter of acceptance from the University of Chicago and their excellent writing program, his mind had been made up. He’d fallen in love with the hustle and bustle of Chicago, and the idea of moving home after graduating from college had never really crossed his mind.

  Besides, by the time Dan had graduated from college, he’d had a job already lined up at the Chicago Tribune, one of the country's top papers. The only reason he’d been able to get in as a fresh college graduate was because he'd done a paid internship during his sophomore year, and it had gone so well that they’d occasionally given him small stringer assignments, such as covering annual meetings of the Chicago Board Options Exchange and other related business stories.

  Dan had found the world of options trading fascinating, and the more he covered it, the more he’d learned. He’d started doing a little trading himself and found he had a knack for it. Just for kicks, he’d started a blog to discuss his trading experiments, and the thought process and strategy he used for each trade. The blog had built a rabid following and questions had come pouring in from readers. That's when he’d realized that he might actually be able to develop a side business with the blog. He’d turned it into a membership site, where his blog and trading information would only be available to monthly subscribers. Dan had thought he'd make a bit of extra money, but he’d vastly underestimated the potential.

  Within a year, fees from the monthly membership had exceeded three times his salary at the newspaper. In addition, he was having even more success with his trading. Enough so, that he’d decided to give notice to the paper and then make himself available as a freelancer, picking and choosing the assignments that most interested him.

  All of this went through Christian's mind as he sat by his brother's bedside, waiting for him to wake up. The doctor had stopped in once to check on him, and had told Christian that Dan was lucky: he'd broken his leg in three places, but it didn't appear that there was any internal damage. The doctor had also said that the surgery had gone well, but that Dan was going to have difficulty getting around for several months.

  Christian also thought of Molly as he sat waiting. He wondered what she was up to, and how nice it would have been if she had come. He knew that, if she had been sitting next to him, that just her presence would have kept him calm, and helped ease his worrying about his brother. He also realized how much he’d enjoyed coming home every day to her welcoming smile and warmth.

  Final
ly, about twenty minutes after the doctor's visit, Dan stirred and then opened his eyes. He stared blankly around the room, and then blinked when he saw Christian. He looked both confused and pleased to see him.

  "Hey buddy, how are you feeling?"

  "Like shit. Like I got run over by a truck." Dan attempted a smile and then said, "I think maybe I did actually run into a truck."

  "That's what they say," Christian confirmed.

  "Has the doctor been in? What did he say? Can I go home today?"

  "Not today. They want to keep you another twenty four hours to watch for infection. You broke your leg."

  "Just the leg?"

  Yeah, in three places. You're going to have a tough time getting around for a few months."

  "How long?" Dan directed the question at the doctor, who had just walked into the room holding his clipboard.

  "For you, at least four months. You broke your tibia and fibula, multiple breaks. You'll need physical therapy after that."

  "I'll be on crutches for four months?" Dan did not look at all happy about that.

  "At least. Might be longer, depends how you heal." The doctor was very matter-of-fact; it was going to take some time.

  "Dan, you can do your work from anywhere, right? It's mostly all online stuff?" Christian asked.

  Dan nodded and Christian continued. He'd been thinking this through while Dan had slept. Dan lived in a beautiful old brownstone, on the fourth floor, and like most of those old buildings, his didn't have an elevator. His closest friends lived nearby in similar walk-ups.

  "I think you should come home with me while you recuperate. There's no way you can manage four flights of stairs every day on crutches. Plus, you know we have plenty of space at the ranch. You can stay in Gramps’ old room." His grandfather's room was a spacious one, on the first floor, just a few steps from the kitchen, and was an en suite with an oversized bathroom. It would be perfect.

  "I guess so." Dan didn't look thrilled at the thought of spending multiple months in Beauville.