by Hebby Roman
Since his father had a fender bender a few months earlier, his mother had refused to allow him to drive. She also refused to drive farther than the few miles it took to get to the grocery store. His father took it in stride since he rarely left the ranch anyway.
Jared shook his head and turned on the television.
Chapter Three
“Deep breath,” Carmen Jones mumbled to herself as the airplane flew in for the landing at the Missoula International airport. Flying was not her favorite thing, especially with her penchant for being accident-prone.
Of course, flying was not as bad as what she’d been through lately. The last few months had been filled with a series of events that had not been on her “to-do” list.
Outside the window, the view was far different than flying over Atlanta. Snow covered mountains, snow covered buildings and well, snow covered everything. Just two weeks before Christmas and this town was definitely a winter-wonderland. She frowned as the plane landed with barely a bump and rolled down the runway.
“You can release my hand now,” the older man on her right said, his expression tight.
“Oh sorry.” At the man flexing his hand, Carmen felt bad. “I didn’t mean to squeeze so tight.” Actually, she’d not been aware of taking the stranger’s hand at all.
Thankfully the airport was small, so it was easy to find her way to the baggage claim. Just as she approached where people waited for passengers, she spotted him. The man who checked off every single box on her “Want To Do” list.
The tall, wide-shouldered guy had dark brown hair, bright hazel eyes and his jawline was darkened by a sexy five o’clock shadow. His gaze met hers for a moment, and then moved on to the other passengers.
Carmen purposely slowed down pretending to have problems with her rolling tote. Unfortunately, she didn’t take into account the people behind her. The same man who’d sat next to her tripped on her suitcase and stumbled forward. If not for someone reaching for his elbow, he would have fallen.
The poor man slid her a look, his face reddened by the almost fall, and he hurried away. She didn’t blame him.
When she turned to look at the sexy guy, he had his back turned. Hopefully he’d turn up at the baggage claim. It would be fun to have a little fling while in Montana. Carmen tried to come up with a way to give him her number.
People jockeyed for position at the baggage carousel. Carmen stood back keeping an eye out for the tall hunk. Thankfully, the man she’d tripped was on the other side and far enough away she’d not hurt him again.
White Christmas screeched over a sound system, filling the air with some sort of attempt at holiday tone. It would have been easier on the ears if not blaring through speakers needing to be replaced.
Just as the red light flashed and the carousel jerked to a start, the hunk appeared. He walked with an older woman who spoke animatedly, her hands moving with each word while he nodded every so often.
“How sweet,” Carmen whispered to herself. Patient and caring. Another two items to check off her “perfect man list”. Actually, those two things were not on her list. She added them for him.
Her black and white polka dot suitcase went by and she ignored it. One more turn would not hurt while she kept an eye to see where Hunky man and the woman decided to stand.
They kept walking, coming closer and closer, and she couldn’t keep from smiling.
“Excuse me.” A woman tapped her arm and looked at her carry-on. “Is that your suitcase?” Indeed her suitcase was passing by again.
Rocking around the Christmas Tree blared. Someone needed to turn the darn music down.
An elderly woman toddled over and tugged Carmen’s suitcase off the carousel. She wondered if perhaps the old woman had the same one as hers. Upon spotting her bright pink luggage tag, Carmen rushed over. “That’s my bag.”
The white-haired woman didn’t relinquish her hold on the handle. “I don’t think so honey. This one is mine.”
Carmen smiled, trying to keep calm. “If you read the bright pink tag there, you’ll see my name is on it. Carmen Dias.”
The woman pointed an arthritic finger at her. “If you don’t back off, I’m calling for security. You’re probably one of those bag nabbers.”
“What?” Carmen looked around, but other than a couple people who watched with bored expressions, she didn’t see any airport personnel nearby.
She caught sight of another suitcase on the carousel. It was also black and white polka dots. It was a bit smaller and had larger dots and a green sash on the handle.
“Look!” she exclaimed with the energy of a Labrador on speed. “I bet that’s yours.”
“Well don’t just stand there, get it for me,” the woman snapped, pushing Carmen’s suitcase away. “That’s my suitcase.” She pointed at the carousel.
The old woman shoved her aside and toddled to the carosel. She tugged at a suitcase barely able to.
“I think your grandmother needs help,” a teenager stated.
“Ah.” Carmen couldn’t think of what else to say. Not only was the woman a white-haired Caucasian, but she was also definitely nothing like her Mexican-American Nana. Deciding it was best to help so that people didn’t think she was mean to her grandma, Carmen let out a resigned sigh and reached for the woman’s bag.
At the same time, the old woman gained momentum and yanked the bag off the carousel. The suitcase sent them both stumbling backwards. Carmen’s heel hit her luggage and before she knew it, she was staring at the ceiling.
I’ll Be Home for Christmas screeched over the sound system.
The old woman looked down at her. “Now, which one is mine?”
Carmen pointed to the one next to her. “This one.” She sat up and let out a breath, not daring to look around.
“Oh good.” The woman grabbed the handle and smiled down at her. “Don’t sit on the floor dear, it’s probably very dirty.”
Carmen did her best to get up gracefully. She kept her gaze down as she hoisted the purse strap onto her shoulder. “You okay?”
Her head jerked up. She’d forgotten all about hunky man, who stood in front of her now, with a crooked grin. “Seems you’re having a hard time there.”
“Ah...no...I mean yeah. Thanks.” So much for giving a good first impression. Her words kept coming out as if she’d reverted to eighth grade. “I got it...them...my bags.”
“Okay.” He turned to the older woman. “Ready Aunt Rita?”
The woman gave Carmen a warm smile before looking to her nephew. “Ready as ever.”
Arms at her sides and shoulders rounded, Carmen watched the handsome man walk away.
She’d certainly made a grand fool of herself. Good thing she’d never see him again.
Across the carousel, she caught sight of the man she’d tripped earlier. He gave her a wide-eyed look and then turned on his heel and hurried away.
“Crap.” Lugging the suitcase and carry-on behind her, she made her way to the rental car desk. Hopefully she’d make it to the ranch without any new incidents.
The drive to the ranch would be easy. It was situated just outside the larger city of Missoula. The owners had given her precise directions, telling her it was about half an hour from the airport.
Once outside the airport, the cold air and snow-covered ground made Carmen hesitate and look back toward the airport. It had been a long time since she’d driven in snow. As she made her way to stall number eighteen, she kept an eye on the surroundings. Seemed like the streets were kept clear of ice and snow.
Carmen could take her time deciding where to stop and eat prior to heading out to the ranch. After all, she wasn’t expected until that evening. She’d caught an earlier flight, but had not told the couple who owned the ranch. This way she could take her time and do a bit of driving around to get a feel for the area before settling in for the evening.
She drove down a side street following her phone’s directions to a chain
restaurant when a naked man darted out from behind a dumpster and waved at her. He smiled broadly, acknowledging her with a nod.
It was definitely too cold to be naked. In her rearview mirror, his scrawny body kept her attention since he continued standing in the road.
“Damn it.” Carmen turned around and pulled to the side. She dialed 9-1-1 and waited for someone to answer.
“There’s a naked man in the street.”
“Skinny and ugly?” The dispatcher sounded bored.
“Ummm, I suppose.” Carmen gave them the street name and the name of a nearby business she could see.
It sounded as if someone asked where Detective Bowden was. The dispatcher told her someone would be there soon to collect the man, who she pronounced to probably be Henry.
Bowden was the name of the family she was staying with.
She remained for a few moments until a patrol car arrived. The police officers got out and held up a blanket to the naked man. He crossed his arms and shook his head.
Obviously, the man was impervious to the cold.
When her stomach grumbled, Carmen decided to leave. There wasn’t much she could do and the sight of the naked skinny man was not exactly something she wanted etched on her brain.
Just then, the police officer looked over and signaled for her to drive closer.
Carmen groaned. Nothing like a closer look at a naked man to keep her appetite in check.
After moving forward only a few feet, she stuck her head out the window. “Hello Officer.”
The police officer grinned. “Are you the lady who called?”
Carmen nodded. “Can I leave now?”
The officer came closer. Thankfully, the naked man had finally accepted the blanket from the other cop and was now pointing at the dumpster.
Williams, the name displayed on his uniform, was a man who looked to be in his mid-thirties. He was attractive with sandy brown hair and a mischievous look about him. He gave her a crooked grin. “Sorry you had to see that. Henry hasn’t been right since coming back from overseas. But, he means no harm.”
“I was worried since it’s so cold,” Carmen offered unable to keep from looking at his ring finger. There was a ring. She let out a sigh. “It is definitely an unforgettable welcome to Montana.”
Officer Williams shook his head. “I assure you we don’t all run around butt naked in the snow.”
“That’s a relief,” Carmen replied with a chuckle. “I’ll be on my way then, do you need anything from me?”
“Nope, have a great day Carmen.”
She froze. “How did you know my name?”
“You gave it to dispatch.”
“Oh that’s right. Okay...goodbye Officer Williams.” She made a show of pointing to his nametag.
His smile widened. “You can call me Greg.”
“See ya.” She drove forward slowly refusing to look at the naked man as she passed. Unfortunately he called out to her, “Merry Christmas!”
Carmen let out a long breath and waved without looking.
After a hearty meal accompanied by hot chocolate, Carmen was more than ready to find the ranch where she’d spend the next few weeks and get some rest. It had been a heck of a day. Thankfully, the drive to the restaurant and then heading on the road out of Missoula was uneventful.
Lucky Break Ranch came into view. There was log fencing for what seemed like miles and an iron archway with “Lucky Break” over it, also made of black iron.
Through the arch, a huge log cabin stood front and center amidst tall trees with mountains for a backdrop. It was beautiful. She brought the car to a stop to study the surroundings before approaching.
There were horses near a barn like structure with a wide-open front. She wondered if the animals were cold. There were a few other buildings, one she thought could be another barn, stable, or something similar. The fencing, made from tree logs, circled a large portion of the land. The fence seemed to be there more for decoration than to keep anything in or out. Then again, what did she know?
Past the area where the horses were, there was a pond and a line of what looked to be cabins. They were spaced with a bit of land and trees between them giving plenty of privacy. She itched to explore those.
Once again, the larger home caught her attention. A short distance from the house was a smaller cabin. It was adorable. She noted several pick up trucks and a sport utility vehicle parked beside the house.
It was time to meet the owners, get the introductions over and done so she could collapse into a bed. It was early evening in Montana, but late back in Georgia. She still had to report back to the office to inform them of her arrival, write up her first impressions and call Mila to tell her about the craptastick day she’d had.
She pulled up in front of the home and walked up the wide steps to a huge porch that spanned the entire front of the dwelling. There were welcoming rockers, although not so much when it was so cold.
Although the front door had etched glass on both sides, she could not see in past the colorful stained glass.
She pushed the doorbell and heard a deep bell sound inside.
A tall thin blonde woman, who looked to have stepped out of a ranching woman’s magazine, opened the door. Her shoulder length hair was tucked behind her right ear, the other side swung forward as she leaned to greet her. Friendly hazel eyes met hers. “You must be Carmen. I hope you didn’t have any trouble finding the place.”
“None at all Mrs. Bowden.”
“Please call me Natalie. Welcome to Lucky Break.” She looked over her shoulder. “Come in, I’ll introduce you around.”
They entered a spacious kitchen-living combo. Surrounding the table were three men, each had some sort of dessert on a plate and a cup of coffee either in hand or next to the plate. Conversation stopped when she and Natalie walked in.
Two large brown dogs lay on the floor, both picked up their heads and studied her.
“Well hello there.” A tall man, who Carmen figured to be Natalie’s husband, got up and came to greet her. He stuck out his hand. “Rick Bowden.”
“Nice to meet you.” She looked past the man and her eyes rounded at seeing not only Officer Williams, but also the man, Henry, who’d been naked on the street in Missoula.
“Hello,” Henry said.
“Fancy seeing you here,” Officer Williams said.
“Uh,” Carmen replied.
“Greg brought Henry over since he refused to do anything until he spoke to our son. He’s a police detective,” Natalie explained.
Carmen looked to the table. “Henry is a police detective?” She couldn’t keep her voice from lifting a few octaves.
Williams laughed. “That would be a good one.”
“No, my son is,” Natalie replied while guiding her to the table. “Have a seat, I’ll get you some coffee.”
“Where’s Jared?” Williams asked between bites of pie.
“He had to go to the other side of town. Should be here any minute,” Natalie said and placed a cup of coffee and slice of cake in front of Carmen.
Carmen wanted to cry. The day was only getting more bizarre. Not only had she made a fool of herself at the airport, called the police after spotting a naked man out in broad daylight, but now here she was sitting in a kitchen, at a table with not only the naked man, but the police officer and her new hosts. Thank God for cake.
“Are you okay?” Henry asked.
“Just a bit tired. Interesting day,” Carmen explained. “Certainly didn’t expect to be seeing you both here,” she told Henry and Williams. “Strange trip so far.”
Both nodded but didn’t say anything.
Footsteps sounded and everyone looked to the doorway behind her.
“Hey Jared,” Henry said with a wide grin. “Greg brought me here. Today is the day I’m sleeping outside naked.”
Natalie rolled her eyes.
Rick put down his cup and blew out a breath. “Here w
e go.”
Williams shook his head. “I hate to do this to you bro, but with the new baby, Patty would kill me if I brought him to our house.”
There was a deep groan from the man behind her. Carmen would wait to be introduced, then hopefully get Natalie to take her to her cabin.
“The writer I told you about is here. Come meet her, Jared.” Natalie motioned to Carmen, who’d just taken a sip of coffee.
Carmen turned and the coffee went down the wrong pipe. She gasped and coughed, and then began hacking like a dog with a bone stuck in its throat. Tears appeared and someone pounded her on the back.
Meanwhile the hunk from the airport switched between frowning and lifting his eyebrows as if waiting to see if he would have to intervene and resuscitate her.
Yep, the day seriously sucked balls.
By the time she’d been able to breathe normally and once again attempt to drink the rest of the coffee, the hunk was nowhere to be seen.
“Let’s get you settled. You look dead on your feet,” her hostess said while guiding Carmen toward the front door. “It’s a short walk back, so let’s go in your rental car.”
Much to Carmen’s delight, she was to stay in the smaller cabin, which was less than half a mile away. “Oh my goodness, it’s so cute!” Carmen exclaimed at the small wooden house. The front entrance was shaded by a small snow covered porch, on it a whitewashed rocker.
They walked in and put the suitcases beside the front door.
“Over here is the kitchen. It’s small, but adequate,” Natalie said as she motioned to the right. “I stocked it with coffee, there is creamer in the fridge. There is also bread and butter, plus a couple jars of jam. We make them here at the ranch.”
Natalie walked down a short hallway. On one side was a small bathroom, across from it a bedroom. “It’s small, but spacious. I sometimes wish I lived here. So much less to do.”
Carmen couldn't help but smile. The small cabin was straight out of a fairytale. Every detail decorated in pale greens and blues. The furniture was distressed, shabby chic style, which suited the whitewashed walls perfectly.