Somewhere Montana

by Platt, MJ

  Mac mounted and started to put him through the workout, warming up the muscles first like any good athlete. Then he worked the horse through the basic gaits, using elementary leg aids, on to several reining patterns.

  He had started maneuvering through a series of figure eights at a moderate lope when something ran across in front of them. The horse stopped short, almost unseating Mac. He looked down and there stood GG grinning at him. He felt his eyes going wide with shock, his face paling and hands shaking at the thought of what could have happened.

  Stretching down from the saddle, Mac grasped her by the back of her jacket, rode over to the fence, and reaching across, deposited her in her father’s arms. The angry glare he fixed on father and daughter would have made any of the Marines in his unit cringe. It didn’t seem to have any effect on Graham.

  “I told you, when you have them outside, you hold onto them,” said Mac, using his command voice.

  “She got away from me. By the time I caught up to her, she had already scooted under the fence,” explained Graham in an it’s-not-my-fault tone.

  “If you can’t control them, lock them in the cabin,” answered Mac tersely. “I’ll not have them, my men, or any of the animals hurt because of a preventable accident.” He saw the boy’s reaction, but at that point he didn’t care, his anger fed by the apprehension of the near catastrophe. Even the little girl’s tears didn’t deter him. “Now get them out of here and start being a parent.” Without another look, he turned the horse to the center of the arena where he sat gently stroking the spotted neck until he had settled them both down.

  Mac walked into the office and straight to the mini bar in the corner. He hadn’t noticed Sage at the computer comparing two of the stallions on the list of foundation bloodstock for the Appaloosas. He was thorough, listing the strengths of each stud and mare. But he didn’t wear blinders. He had also listed what he perceived to be weaknesses of each one.

  Pouring a shot of Jack Daniels, he downed it in one swallow. He set the glass down with a grimace and leaned on the bar.

  “What happened?” asked Sage softly.

  His head snapped around. Without a word, he crossed to the couch and sat heavily, his elbows on his thighs, hands dangling between his knees, and head down. Sage came over and sat beside him.

  “We need to add a line to the camp brochure. No children! We’ll keep the teen camps, but anyone taking part in a camp cannot bring their children with them. This is not a family picnic in the park!”

  He could hear the frustration in his voice loud and clear. She started to massage the back of his neck. He shivered and turned to face her, taking both her hands and holding them in her lap. Her gentle touch had spirals of electricity tripping along his nerve endings. Her closeness alone upped the heat in his veins a few degrees.

  “I don’t think you having to take care of those two kids is a good idea,” he opened. Then he proceeded to tell her what had occurred. He finished with, “I can’t have you getting hurt.”

  “GG is only four. She has no concept of danger. It appears there are several learning experiences lacking for both JJ and GG. Maybe the au pair was more interested in the father than the children. We will get along fine. I promise I won’t get hurt.”

  He liked the way she laid her hand against his cheek. He turned his head to place a kiss in her palm. Her gasp of desire made him smile inwardly.

  The sounds of others entering the house broke the allure of the moment. Mac stood and drew Sage up in front of him, his whiskey eyes clear, assessing. He could see the blush creeping up her cheeks as he lightly rubbed his hands down her arms. He wanted to place another devastating kiss on her parted lips. Instead, he stepped aside and, with a hand at her back, escorted her from the room.

  * * * *

  At the dinner table, Sage noticed GG was very subdued, occasionally slipping a wary glance at Mac. Maybe the young lady had learned a valuable lesson that day. Time would tell. When Sage subtly brought Mac’s attention to the child, his lips twitched in the suggestion of a smile and he gave a short nod of his head.

  Conversation among the men generally concerned the ranch, the survival camps, and the vastness of the area. When one would broach the subject of Mac’s service to his country and the areas to which he had been deployed, he skillfully steered the topic in a different direction.

  Dinner over, the men adjourned to the living room to go over the lists and the first order of business for the morning. They all thanked and complimented Little Mouse on the excellent meal. Buck flirtatiously tried to entice her to agree to move to Florida as his cook, until he saw the look on Two Feathers’ face. Then he quickly swallowed what else he was going to say and followed the others.

  Sage kept the children with her, giving them small jobs in helping to clear the table. GG beamed at being allowed to carry the salt and pepper shakers to Little Mouse. JJ was more serious about carrying the empty vegetable dish, walking slowly and carefully across the floor. Sage and Little Mouse praised them for their efforts.

  When the cleanup was done, Sage brought out the checkerboard and set it up on the kitchen table. She undertook teaching the children to play checkers. Tomorrow she would hunt up some of the other beginner board games and easy picture puzzles she knew were in the house. While keeping the kids occupied, especially GG, she kept an ear open to the meeting in the living room.

  As the group appeared to be winding down, she took in a tray of coffee. She allowed JJ to carry the plate of cookies. Not to be outdone, GG proudly brought the small sugar bowl, balancing it carefully in two hands. She gave her father a big grin after placing it beside the coffee without spilling it. He hugged both children, then gave Sage a look that said he didn’t appreciate her making his children work.

  How could he belittle their sense of accomplishment? To them it wasn’t work. They were able to do something they had never done before. Sage was ready to set him straight. Then she thought better of the idea. He was raising them to be part of the privileged set. They were still young enough to mold. She had a whole week. Maybe she could change that sculpture even just a little bit. At least plant the seed. She had learned a lot working with the kids in Bayview-Hunters Point.

  “That seems like an awful lot of extras to be carting around,” said Jim, waving his list. “I never pack that much, even on a cross-country run.”

  Sage couldn’t help but think of him as Rooster. He had a take-charge attitude. And she was sure if he ever married, he would rule the roost.

  “Depends on where you’re traveling and what season,” stated Mac. “This is for winter. Summer has a slightly shorter list.”

  “I suppose,” Jim reluctantly agreed. “Considering some of the winter trips I catch, some of these items look downright attractive. Two places I learned to stay away from in winter are the Donner Pass, up outside Truckee, CA, and Wolf Creek Pass in southwestern Colorado. I give them both a wide berth, especially if snow is in the air.”

  “It must be interesting, traveling all over the country like you do,” spoke up Alan.

  “I wouldn’t say it’s all interesting,” countered Jim. “I could tell you some real horror stories. Long haul trucking is not an easy life, especially if you have a family. That’s one reason I’ve chosen not to settle down.”

  “Yeah. Plus all the ladies you get to meet along the way,” suggested Buck with a lecherous leer.

  Jim threw him a quelling look, then proceeded to entertain them with humorous occurrences. Buck would jump in with an amusing event at his bar. Even Dave added his bit about hapless campers and hikers.

  Sage noticed GG had fallen asleep in her father’s lap and JJ was curled up against him trying to stay awake. She caught Mac’s eye and tapped her watch with her fingertip.

  “I think we best call it a night,” interrupted Mac. “We have an early start tomorrow and we need to be well rested. Graham, you need help getting those two sleepyheads back to the cabin?”

  “I believe I can manage,” the man
answered.

  “We’re all headed in the same direction,” added Jim. “No need for you to have to come out.”

  When they had the children bundled into their outerwear and the men had donned their jackets, goodnights were offered all around. Sage stood on the porch and watched until she saw the lights go on in the cabins.

  “Well, what do you think?” asked Mac, closing the door and turning Sage toward the stairs.

  “It should be an interesting week. At least you’ll have Two Feathers with you if any problems arise. I think you could depend on Jim and Dave in a crisis. Buck and Alan seem eager to learn and they’re not total scatterbrains. I can’t figure out why Graham is here. This is not his element. I finally recognized him. He’s connected to a couple of the charity organizations my parents support. I’ve met him at some of their functions.”

  “Any chance of him truly recognizing you? He kept looking at you as if he were trying to place you.”

  “I doubt it. He saw me with long hair, make-up, and dressed to the nines. Now it’s short hair, yoked shirt and jeans, plus a scar he couldn’t miss. No chance of him making the connection.” She smiled at him as they stopped in front of the open door to her bedroom.

  He cupped her face in his hands, his head slowly lowering, staring at her as if asking permission. She knew he would kiss her. She wanted him to. His lips touching hers were, soft, pliable, like being stroked by velvet. She latched onto his wrists, trembling in anticipation. He tilted her head and she opened her lips in an invitation for deeper exploration.

  With a groan he lifted his head, and then brushed another kiss across her lips.

  “You’d better get some sleep. I have a feeling those two urchins will be up and rearing to go the minute their eyes open.” He turned her into the room.

  “Good night,” she whispered, closing the door. She waited, hoping he would knock. It was a few seconds before she heard him walk away.

  Chapter Nine

  In the morning, Sage stood with the children on the porch, waving to the men walking out on the first day of their new adventure. GG stood silently, tears threatening to overflow. JJ held himself stiffly erect, although there was doubt in his big brown eyes. Sage knelt between them and wrapped an arm around each one.

  “What say we see what we can find to do this morning,” said Sage, herding the munchkins in the front door. “Maybe Little Mouse knows where there are toys and games.” She helped them out of their jackets.

  “In my backpack there’s coloring books and crayons,” offered JJ.

  “Sounds like a good place to start,” agreed Sage. “Bring it into the kitchen.”

  JJ scooped it up and ran ahead, GG right behind him. When Sage caught up to them, they were both kneeling in chairs at the table, JJ hauling everything out of the backpack. He placed the coloring books and crayons carefully on the table. Then he yanked out a small blanket, which GG immediately grabbed and stuffed her thumb in her mouth. The small cars that got pulled out with the blanket bounced across the table and onto the floor. JJ looked down at the cars, and then up at Sage.

  “Get ’em,” he ordered.

  “Who dropped them?” asked Sage.

  “I did.”

  “So who’s going to pick them up?”

  “Me?” he asked, astonished. “But Angela—”

  “Angela’s not here,” stated Sage with a shrug. “So you will need to pick them up.”

  JJ got down and picked up the cars, tossing Sage an embarrassed look. She didn’t say anything to him, simply placed a coloring book in front of each of them. “Little Mouse, did Mrs. MacLain keep any of the early toys, games, puzzles, that sort of thing?”

  “I’m sure she did,” answered the lady wiping down the counter. “They’d be in the closet by the fireplace in the den.”

  “Want to keep an eye on these two while I go look?”

  Soon Sage returned with an armload of boxes. She stacked them on the end of the table according to their contents. Both children eyed them with curiosity.

  “What are they?” JJ was the first to break the silence.

  “Those for us?” chimed in GG.

  “They belong to Mr. Mac, but we can use them, if we’re careful,” Sage said. “A couple easy board games and some starter picture puzzles.”

  “I want that one,” stated GG, reaching for the biggest box.

  “We’ll try that one first then, after you finish your pictures,” said Sage, placing her hand on top of it.

  “Don’t wanna color. All done,” said GG with a mutinous expression.

  “I see some areas you haven’t colored and you were doing such a good job. You need some green grass for your purple bunny to sit on.”

  “Wanna play with those,” declared GG, arms crossed across her chest, bottom lip in a pout, eyes narrowed.

  “You know, it’s always wise to finish something you started before going on to something else,” advised Sage. “Otherwise, nothing would get done. Suppose it snowed and I went out to shovel the walk. After I was half finished, I decided I didn’t want to do that. Instead I came in the house to watch TV or read a book. There sits the walk, not cleared of snow.”

  “You could pay somebody to do it for you,” JJ spoke up.

  “That’s not the point,” said Sage. “I chose to do the job, therefore I should finish it. Just like you two chose to color those pictures.” JJ and GG looked at each other and began coloring. Sage placed her hand over GG’s to stop her scribbling. “Also, any job is worth doing right and to the best of your ability.”

  After the children finished their pictures, they played one of the games. Then she tried them on small, simple picture puzzles until lunchtime. When lunch was over, she bundled them into their jackets, snow pants, boots, hats, and mittens and took them out on the back lawn off the kitchen. There she showed them how to make snow angels and to walk on snowshoes.

  GG was all giggles and smiles as she made her snow angel. The activity even drew a smile from JJ. When GG fell while using the snowshoes, JJ tried to rush over to help her and tripped himself up.

  “Oops, that was an accident,” said Sage. JJ immediately froze, a look of horror on his face. Sage helped GG to stand. “It’s okay, JJ. GG is fine. No harm done. When something happens you don’t plan on, it’s called an accident. People don’t always get hurt. You don’t have to be afraid of the word.”

  “But it was an accident that took my mommy away,” he stated, the pain of that loss evident in his sad brown eyes.

  “It was the action of the accident that did that, not the word itself. You are only six, and I understand you not knowing the idea of the difference. We can work on that if you like.” JJ shrugged a whatever, and Sage chose to drop it for the present.

  It was quite cold, so Sage kept them outside for only an hour or so. She led them into the kitchen and served them hot chocolate and cookies. Then she took them into the office, settling them on the sofa, and offering a selection of stories she could read to them. After each one had picked a book, she sat between them so both could see the pictures. Before she finished the first story, both children were fast asleep. She made them comfortable and covered them with a blanket. Then she went to the desk to try to get as much work done as she could before they awoke.

  * * * *

  Darkness was fast taking over the day when Mac and Two Feathers walked in the kitchen door, dropping their backpacks to the floor. Mac flexed his shoulders and winced at the sore spots he felt along his back.

  “I was about ready to send the boys out looking for you,” said Little Mouse, pouring them each a mug of coffee. “You’re never this late the first day.”

  “A little problem,” said Mac, wrapping his cold fingers around the hot piece of china. “We had finished teaching them how to make emergency snowshoes. When Alan tried his, one came apart and he twisted his ankle. Took us a little longer to get back.”

  “Nothing broken?” asked Little Mouse.

  “Just a sprain,” said Two
Feathers. “Gave us a chance to get in some first aid training early on. Doubt if it will keep him from continuing tomorrow. He’s tougher than he looks.”

  “How did Sage make out with the two mischief makers?” asked Mac.

  “Don’t you go finding fault with those two angels,” Little Mouse reprimanded him. “They were as good as gold. I think she’s having as much fun as they are. She’s got them in the den. Set it up as a playroom for them.”

  Mac walked quietly down the hall toward the sound of happy voices interspersed with giggles and joyful differences of opinions. He stood in the doorway watching the three on the floor building a farm with Lincoln Logs. It brought back memories of his childhood, his dad helping him build a cabin or barn from those same wooden pieces. A pensive feeling settled in his chest as he envisioned himself and Sage there with their own children. His chest tightened and warmth spread through him.

  Sage looked toward the doorway as if she sensed him there. He strode over and sat beside her, his hand stroking lightly over her hair and down her back to rest at the base of her spine. His smile at the children drew wary smiles in return.

  “Looks like you two had a busy day,” commented Mac, surveying the room; cars and trucks and other toys were scattered about the floor, a partially done picture puzzle on the table, and books were piled haphazardly on the end table by the couch, like it should look if a young family lived there. “The men are down at their cabins getting cleaned up. They should be up shortly.”

  “Oh no!” exclaimed Sage, ready to jump up. “I was supposed to help Little Mouse with supper.”

  “Not to worry,” soothed Mac, his hand holding her in place. “She has everything under control. I would say you were better occupied elsewhere.”