The Man from Montana

by Julianna Morris

  “Maybe, but it seems as if something is missing.”

  “We feel the same. It’s just...we just don’t... How can you stand being around Mr. Carson?” Melanie asked in a rush.

  Tessa gulped and pressed a hand to her stomach. She understood wanting someone to blame, and Clay was the logical person, whether or not he was at fault for Renee’s death. Grief was hard and they were all muddling through the best way they knew how.

  “Mom, being around Clay isn’t going to make me think about Renee any less. And from what I’ve seen, he’s competent and safety-conscious. I want to stop being angry about what happened. This might be the best way.”

  Some of the tightness eased from Melanie’s face. “I know. We’re angry, too. Reverend Hathaway keeps saying we need to move on.”

  “That’s what I’m trying to do up here. Give my love to Dad, and I’ll talk to you both again soon,” Tessa said, even though seeing their pain made hers worse because she hadn’t been able to do anything that helped.

  “Good night, darling. We miss you. I won’t tell you to be careful, since I know you’re always careful.”

  Tessa collected her daypack and put a can of bear spray on her belt, but as she headed past the main horse barn, Clay came through the double doors.

  Drat.

  She still wasn’t accustomed to running into him at odd moments, something that happened regularly with her living on the ranch. He seemed to be on good terms with the wranglers and guides who lived in the men’s bunkhouse, so it probably wasn’t an issue for them. But in her case, a whole lot more was going on than just trying to prove herself as a valuable employee.

  “Oh, hi,” she said awkwardly. “I was just going for a hike.”

  “I’m pleased to see you remembered to bring your bear spray. Where are you headed?” he asked.

  “Higher into the hills. I’ve never lived in a place where I can walk out into nature without driving for miles first. I’m cashing in on the advantage.” She shifted her feet uncomfortably. “Um, is there a particular trail you’d recommend?”

  “Several. Most of our shorter day hikes originate from the ranch.”

  “Right, the trips between one and four hours long. I read about them on the website,” she explained when he looked surprised. “I thought knowing about the various excursion packages would be a good idea while working in the office.”

  “Of course. If you’d like, we can hike together. I could show you some of the trails and start explaining how the trips are handled.”

  “Sure, sounds great,” Tessa said, though she would have preferred getting away for quiet reflection and to consider her next steps. Clay, on the other hand, probably wanted to accelerate her training as quickly as possible. She wished she could tell him that she’d just work for her lodging, but it would raise too many questions.

  “Then I’ll be right back.”

  Clay returned in a few minutes with a daypack of his own and they set out.

  A measure of Tessa’s tension eased with the steady pace. Though Clay topped her by a number of inches, she didn’t have trouble keeping up. He also didn’t talk every single minute, just pointed out various features in the landscape, along with tidbits of natural history.

  The crisp scent of evergreens suffused the air as the altitude rose and Tessa inhaled, letting it fill her senses. After forty-five minutes, they crested a ridge and saw a small lake, set like a jewel among the trees.

  “This is Bull Moose Lake. It’s where the two-hour hike turns around,” Clay explained. “Always keep an eye on the time. If the group has lagged, there’s a shorter trail back. I’ll show you that next.”

  “It’s beautiful,” Tessa said, drinking in the scene. There weren’t any hidden lakes in the desert around her grandparents’ property, though there were several arroyos with year-round water. Water was precious to a desert dweller. “Are we still on the ranch?”

  Clay shook his head. “I wish. This land is managed by the forest service. My ranch is so small it can barely be called a ranch, but it’s adjacent to protected wilderness. That makes it ideal for an outdoor adventure company. The former owner had the same idea, but overextended himself building the different facilities. Then his wife passed and he lost interest.”

  “That’s too bad.”

  “Yeah. Luckily I was in a position to expand my business at the time.” Clay took off his pack. “Hungry? I grabbed food from the kitchen. Just leftovers from yesterday’s ranch barbecue, if you don’t mind. A small way to show my appreciation for letting me combine your hike with training.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with leftovers.”

  While they ate, a Steller’s jay landed on a rock nearby and let out several loud squawks.

  “He’s either hoping for part of our meal or scolding us for being here in his territory,” Tessa said. “My apologies, we don’t feed animals or birds,” she told the inquisitive jay as it hopped back and forth and cocked its head at them. She could see why some Native American mythology portrayed blue jays as nosy gossips or tricksters.

  “Not feeding animals can be one of the hardest things to help guests understand,” Clay remarked. “They often think it’s unkind to withhold food from birds and other animals. Even when the reasons are explained, they don’t always believe them.”

  “I bet they don’t feel that way about a five-hundred pound grizzly.”

  “Not if they have any sense, though you’d be amazed at some of the stories I’ve heard. By the way, I should have thanked you for helping with Ginny on the backpacking trip. You may have been trying to prove yourself to me, but she needed reassurance and you provided a nice level of support to her.”

  “I would have done it regardless.”

  * * *

  CLAY THOUGHT THAT was probably true. He’d tried talking to Ginny on the first day of the hike because she seemed to be having trouble, but she’d assured him that everything was fine. It would have been wiser to do what Tessa had done—speak with her in private when her husband or no one else could hear. He never stopped learning how to be a better guide.

  Working with inexperienced clients was probably the most challenging part of guiding for him. They had to be warned regularly about risks and they sometimes pretended to know more than they actually did. Or in Ginny’s case, she’d been trying not to reveal too much fear and discomfort to her husband. Tessa’s handling of the situation had earned her high marks.

  Perhaps he should have considered hiring her as a guide from the beginning, but until Oliver hurt his leg, there hadn’t been any openings. Admittedly, Clay also preferred guides who already knew the trails. It would be a while before he was comfortable sending Tessa out solo, and then only for shorter day hikes since she wasn’t a wilderness EMT.

  “Is this what you expect to do for the rest of your life?” she asked, breaking into his thoughts. “Run an outdoor adventure company?”

  “Why not? I started as a guide for someone else. It was a good outfit, but I wanted more choice over how things were done. Becoming my own boss was the only way to do that.”

  Tessa’s faint smile seemed to communicate volumes, but he wasn’t sure what it was saying. Sometimes her emotions seemed crystal clear, other times so much seemed to be churning inside of her that he didn’t have a clue what to think. Complicated women baffled him.

  “So now you have vans, horses, a ranch and barns full of equipment,” she murmured. “You even have your own commercial kitchen and staff to prep food for overnight trips. From the outside looking in, you seem to be as ambitious as your father. Maybe more.”

  Clay stared. “That’s absurd. I’m not the least bit ambitious. Anyway, like I said, most of the facilities were here when I bought the ranch.”

  “Aren’t you fooling yourself? Not that I’m criticizing, but you appear consumed by your company. Don’t you ever think about the other thi
ngs that life has to offer?”

  “If you’re talking about marriage, I’d rather be single,” he said firmly. “I’ve never wanted the traditional route. Life as a guide is much easier when you don’t have a spouse or children. I like my freedom. Anyway, I have too much going on to want any distractions.”

  “I see.” Tessa wiped her fingers. “Oh, I meant to tell you about a woman who came into the office this afternoon, but then everything else happened. She wasn’t interested in the trips you offer, instead she kept asking about the ranch and the people who live here. She got rather pushy, especially when I wouldn’t say anything beyond what the company does. I didn’t think it was any of her business who lived on the property or what their social lives might be.”

  Clay’s senses went on full alert. “What was her name?”

  “She simply introduced herself as Mallory, almost as if she expected me to recognize her. It made me wonder if she could be a reporter from a Montana newspaper or television station. Or a local celebrity of some kind. Anyway, I gave her your card and said to direct any questions to you. She seemed annoyed, but didn’t argue.”

  “Did she have bright red hair? That is, practically fluorescent red?”

  Tessa nodded and Clay gritted his teeth. Apparently, his brother’s ex-wife was back in the area.

  “That was the best way to handle her. Notify me immediately if she returns. Or Andrew or my aunt and uncle. If we aren’t here, call us, no matter where we might be.”

  “Since I won’t be in the office, I can’t imagine I’ll encounter her. Unless you’ve changed your mind about where I’m going to be working.”

  “No, I haven’t. But I doubt Mallory will respect the private areas of the ranch.”

  Curiosity filled Tessa’s face. “Exactly who is she?”

  “Trouble,” Clay said succinctly.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “I UNDERSTAND,” TESSA SAID, though she didn’t understand in the least. But the expression on Clay’s face was forbidding and she decided it was better not to ask for clarification.

  Instead, she focused on the lake, wishing she could absorb some of its peacefulness. Unfortunately, there was too much suppressed energy radiating from Clay.

  “It’s getting late. Maybe we should head back,” she suggested after a few minutes.

  “Right.” With jerky movements, he gathered the containers from their meal and began stuffing them into a bear bag, using none of the careful attention she’d seen during the four-day backpacking trip. She frowned, even though the chances were low of them running into a hungry predator on their return hike.

  “Maybe we should close everything up more tightly,” she suggested. “And the bear bag should be rinsed since there’s barbecue sauce from the chicken on the outside. You don’t want that on your daypack.”

  “What?” Clay looked down at the leftovers he was handling so carelessly. He muttered something she couldn’t decipher. “I’ll take care of it.”

  He walked away from the lake and trail with the bag and a bottle of water as Tessa closed the other containers and made sure no crumbs of food would be left to attract animals, bears and other predators being the biggest concern.

  As a rule they didn’t see bears in Tucson, though a few wandered down from the mountains or lived in riparian washes. Mountain lions were a little more common and she often spotted bobcats around her grandparents’ ranch. The past few years a mama bobcat had been having her kittens behind the hacienda. Tessa’s grandfather had set up a video camera near her favorite den, though the mama moved the family around quite often.

  A brief, intense homesickness hit Tessa and she gulped. She didn’t miss Tucson; it was her family and the desert that called to her, with its quiet, subtle beauty. Even the blistering hot days were in her blood, when the heat made the air shimmer in waves and blur the outlines of the mountains beyond. Sometimes she had the fanciful thought that time and space might intersect on afternoons like that, explaining the mirages people were reputed to see.

  The crunch of boots nearby made her shake herself. She would be home again soon enough. In the meantime, she had the mountains of Montana, which were nice, too.

  Clay crouched, packed the food containers into the bear bag and put it in his pack.

  “I apologize, I’m usually more careful,” he said. “It isn’t unknown to see bears, coyotes and other animals close to Elk Point or the ranch. I don’t blame them since we’re intruding on their homes, but we need to exercise caution.”

  “You mean this wasn’t another test of my skills?” Tessa asked, trying to lighten the moment.

  He met her gaze squarely. “I don’t try to trick anyone, but if it had been a test, you would have passed with flying colors. I’m also pleased you didn’t hesitate to say something. I don’t want any of my guides or wranglers to worry about calling me out when I’m wrong. It’s important.”

  His sincerity impressed Tessa. Some people couldn’t tolerate being wrong and would go to absurd lengths to avoid accepting responsibility. But Clay seemed confident and secure enough to admit when he’d made a mistake.

  He gestured to another trail leading down from the ridge. “That’s the short route back. We’d better get moving.”

  The pace he set on the return hike was even faster than the one they’d taken earlier. He was silent, as well, but Tessa didn’t mind. She had even more to think about now than before.

  Working with Clay meant she was starting to see him in a much more personal light. He wasn’t putting on an act as a rugged, impassive guy. That was simply who he was. If Renee had fallen for him, she must have quickly realized he wasn’t the kind of man who settled down. And her rival wouldn’t have been other women, but the lure of the mountains and forests.

  The freedom Clay craved was the freedom to go into the backcountry as he pleased, without having to consider a wife or children. In another day and age he might be a mountain man or an explorer, like Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Instead he was a backcountry guide.

  Tessa was so lost in thought that she didn’t realize Clay had stopped walking until she practically ran into him. So much for being alert and watchful herself. Luckily, he didn’t seem to notice, or was being polite. She shook her head at the second possibility; he wasn’t the type to be polite when it came to backcountry safety.

  “That’s one of the advantages of this particular trail,” he said, pointing. “We see moose here quite often. Eating plants and shrubs doesn’t provide all the sodium they need in their diet, but they can get it from aquatic foliage.”

  A hundred yards away Tessa saw a large moose standing up to its knees in the water. His rack of antlers had to be nearly six feet across. He was still somewhat thin and angular from the ravages of winter, though dedicated eating would resolve that soon enough.

  “We don’t have any of those in Arizona,” she murmured. “He looks positively primeval. As if he was put together from spare parts of other animals.”

  A low chuckle came from Clay and his taut expression eased. “Spare parts? I’ll have to remember that. Is this the first one you’ve ever seen?”

  “Other than in nature programs and documentaries.”

  * * *

  THOUGH CLAY WANTED to get home so he could speak to his brother and the rest of the family, he waited awhile to let Tessa watch the moose feeding. After all, he wouldn’t have hired her in the first place if she wasn’t a nature lover. He didn’t believe somebody could be a top guide without loving the places they were sharing.

  It was good that Tessa didn’t constantly feel the need to say something. She might be better than him at knowing when and when not to talk to a group about the sights they were seeing. On his first trips as a guide, he’d been so enthused about sharing his knowledge that he’d gone overboard telling guests about every tree and plant and rock formation. He still struggled to strike the right balance.
It didn’t help that each group of people was different.

  After a while, Tessa turned. “What a remarkable animal.”

  “I agree. Just don’t let clients get too close—twenty-five yards is the absolute minimum, and more if the animal seems aware of the group. A moose may give the appearance of being clumsy, but it’s fast and can be aggressive if it feels cornered. We also don’t let clients leave the trail for photographs.”

  Clay motioned to the path and Tessa fell into step with him. When they got back to the ranch, she murmured “good night” and headed for the bunkhouse. He watched the gentle swing of her hips for a long moment, also appreciating how the long rays of the sun glinted on her hair.

  It was a distraction he didn’t need.

  He shook himself and took out his cell phone to see if his former sister-in-law had called while he was out of range. Nothing. He strode to the ranch house where his brother lived and knocked on the door.

  “Hi, dear,” said Aunt Emma as she opened it. “Come in. Are you hungry?”

  “I grabbed some leftovers from the main kitchen, so I hope nobody was counting on them. Look, I need to talk to Andrew, along with you and Uncle Lee.”

  Her smile faltered. “That sounds serious.”

  “It’s about Mallory.”

  Now she looked as concerned as he felt. “Derry is already in bed. He wore himself out playing with Molly. Andrew and Lee are out in the shop. Go into the den and I’ll get them.”

  Molly ran over to greet Clay, though she seemed to realize he wasn’t in the brightest of moods. She whined softly and leaned against his leg as he ran his fingers through the ruff of fur on her neck. She loved children, so he frequently let her spend the day with his nephew. Now he thought it would be best to leave her at home until they learned what was going on. Molly wouldn’t let a stranger near Derry, and that’s exactly what Mallory was—a stranger.