His Montana Homecoming

by Jenna Mindel

  She looked at him, afraid to blow her nose into something so fine. Who carried these anymore? “You sure?”

  “Don’t be silly. Use it.”

  Faith wiped her nose as delicately as she could under Dale’s scrutiny.

  “Better?”

  She nodded. Should she hand it back or what? She tucked it into her pocket instead. “I’ll wash this for you.”

  Dale stood and offered his hand. “I’m not worried about it.”

  “Well, that’s good.” Faith took it and stood. Considering that Dale didn’t like his hands dirty, Faith was glad he didn’t have a phobia or something about germs, too.

  “You can keep it if you want to.” Instead of letting go, Dale drew her closer.

  “As a token of your favor?”

  Dale chuckled. “I think it’s the other way around. You’re supposed to give me something.” His green eyes darkened with intent as he leaned close. “And your nose is still red.”

  “Yours would be, too, if you fell on your face in the snow,” she managed to whisper.

  “Cute, too.” He was so close that his lips were mere inches from hers.

  Faith’s heart stopped beating. She couldn’t quite breathe evenly, either.

  He rubbed his nose against hers. “Feels cold.”

  “Yeah…” Faith couldn’t think with him this close. She swayed a little.

  His hands gripped her waist. Steadying her. Inching even closer.

  Faith looked up into his eyes and shuddered with anticipation. He was definitely going to kiss her! Would their second kiss prove as potent as the first? She aimed to find out.

  Faith closed her eyes and melted the minute Dale’s lips touched hers. Gentle at first, Dale didn’t disappoint. Seconds ticked into blissful oblivion as he deepened the kiss and Faith returned the favor.

  There was no surprise this time. No shocked realization of a connection. Only confirmation of how deeply that connection had twined the last few days.

  And then, too quickly, the kiss ended.

  Dale had ended it.

  “What’s wrong?” She nearly yanked his head back down for a repeat performance.

  He smiled, but his gaze was behind her. “I think we found our tree.”

  Faith turned around and gasped.

  The perfect tree, a young Douglas fir, stood regally tall and nicely shaped. All eight or nine feet of it. Little pinecones littered the snow, probably blown off by last night’s wind.

  “Did you bring an ax or something to cut it down?”

  “I have a bow saw. Stay where you are and I’ll fetch the horses.”

  He nodded.

  She hesitated. Should they talk about that kiss and what it meant? Dale wasn’t apologizing this time and neither would she. Faith wasn’t a bit sorry. She was glad. Ecstatic.

  And definitely falling head over heels.

  Chapter Ten

  “Here, let me.” Dale took the saw from Faith’s glove-covered hands. He could do this.

  Scoping their towering Christmas tree, Dale thought he’d spoken too soon. What did he know about cutting down a tree? What did he know about using a saw? He looked at Faith. “Where should I cut?”

  “At the base.” She pointed. Her nose was still red and her lips swollen from their kiss. And more tempting than ever.

  He knelt in the snow. His knees were already wet and cold. The rest of him simmered. Kissing Faith again complicated things. She offered promises he couldn’t accept. Promises he’d never thought he’d wanted. What if he kissed her a third time, and a maybe a fourth?

  He sawed the trunk of the tree with vigor. A heady, citrusy smell mixed with pine wafted up his nose, erasing the memory of Faith’s soft scent. If he worked hard enough, maybe he’d shake these odd notions that in Faith’s embrace lay his future. Holding her felt too much like coming home. But he’d never had a real home, so how could he be sure what he’d felt was real and not some snow-day fantasy?

  He’d made it through the trunk in no time and the tree listed to one side. Faith pushed it over as he completed sawing the last little bit.

  “Now what?” He stood and handed her the saw.

  She slipped it into a leather case that hung from her saddle and then pulled rope from the same satchel. “We’ll tie it up and Viv will pull it.”

  Dale watched as Faith went to work with the rope.

  Then she looked up at him, eyes shining. “It’s the perfect tree.”

  “I think so.” The snow slowed to a few wispy flakes. “So, we’re heading back, right?”

  “Yep.” Faith walked toward Viv. “Hand me the two ends of that rope.”

  Dale did as she asked, pulling the tree a little bit with each step. Faith’s horse backed up and went sideways. “Has she ever done this before?”

  Faith soothed Viv with sweet talk and well-placed pats. “She has, but we’ll have to walk a bit until she gets used to it.”

  Faith tied those loose ends of rope on to metal rings on either side of the saddle all while talking softly to her horse. The woman had a way with her animal. The dark brown–colored Viv twitched her ears as if listening to Faith’s instructions, then tossed her head in a nodding motion.

  “I think she understands you.”

  Faith smiled. “Of course she does.”

  Dale stepped forward holding H.R.’s reins, ready for the long walk ahead. His horse whinnied and bobbed his head as if scolding him for goofing around. Dale couldn’t remember the last time he’d played in the snow.

  Especially with a woman like Faith.

  They should talk about that kiss. Dale needed to set the record straight before Faith got any ideas, but the words seemed stuck in his throat. He wasn’t sorry. He didn’t want to ruin the next few days they had together with reasons why they’d never work. He’d simply be careful, keep things light and easy and enjoy this.

  By the time they reached Shaw Ranch, Faith’s brothers were also returning from dropping bales of hay for the cattle.

  “What have you got there, Faith?” Austin pushed back his cowboy hat.

  “Our Christmas tree.”

  “Little early, don’t you think? We haven’t even had Thanksgiving yet.”

  Faith shrugged. “Mom and I thought since we’re all together, why not now.”

  Adam glanced at him. “Power’s been restored in town but not the outlying areas yet. Should be soon though.”

  “Great. I think I’ll head into town, check out your library and charge my phone and laptop. Get some work done.” Dale needed to occupy his mind with more than Faith and her Christmas tree–hunting skills. He needed to reschedule his flight out of Bozeman back to New York, unless his brothers came with the corporate jet. He’d check on that, too.

  She looked at him with wide blue eyes. “Take my car, okay?”

  “Sure.” Dale shifted in the saddle.

  He’d spun out with the rental, so taking Faith’s car wasn’t a bad idea. But why would she sound so panicked? Didn’t she think he could handle the lemon in snow? Or was she worried that he might keep driving and leave? That might have been the case a couple of days ago, but not now.

  Still, sticking around a woman who wasn’t the temporary kind begged for trouble. But he’d invited his brothers here, hoping Eric might change his mind about Europe if he saw the opportunities in Lone Peak. “There’s an extra set of keys with my name on them hanging in the foyer. I can take care of H.R. if you want to go now.”

  He looked at her. Maybe she wanted him out of her hair for a while, too. Some space to get her bearings. “What about the tree?”

  Faith nodded. “The boys will help me. Go on.”

  He slipped from the saddle. “I’ll be back in a few hours, then.”

  “In time to decorate the tree?” She held the reins of both horses, looking completely at ease.

  Dale smiled. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

  Funny thing, too. He meant it.

  *

  Downtown Jasper Gulch was prett
y quiet when Dale pulled into the library parking lot. He heard church bells chime the top of the hour. Icicles hung from the snow-covered roof. The Jasper Gulch library looked more like someone’s house than a public building, but the sign said otherwise.

  He got out of Faith’s car and glanced at the piles of snow that had been plowed into tidy snowbanks. Once inside, Dale looked around for a computer area.

  “Can I help you?”

  Dale spotted a woman with a severe expression that matched the tight swirl of hair at the back of her head. He gave her a polite nod. “Do you have an area where I might charge my cell phone and laptop?”

  The woman gave him a bright smile that softened her face. She held out both hands to him. “You must be Dale Massey. Welcome to Jasper Gulch.”

  “I am and thanks, Miss…?” He shook one of her hands, surprised by the strength of the woman’s grip.

  “Chauncey Hardman.” She laughed.

  “How did you know who I am?”

  “Word gets around in a town this small. Besides, you look a little like old Silas.” She winked at him.

  Dale nearly laughed. Another wink. Maybe it was a Montana thing. “Portrait in the bank’s safe-deposit-box room?”

  The librarian laughed again, a deep hearty sound. “Oh, no. I’ve seen pictures my family had and I’ve heard stories from my grandmother. Silas was somewhat of a rascal with the ladies, but then he settled down when he married. Nearly tore the town apart when he left.”

  He knew Silas had married a Montana woman named Grace and that’s all his father knew, too. Silas had managed to stay married to Grace until he died. Julian said that his great-great-grandmother had outlived Silas by only a year. Dale had verified the obituaries online.

  “Do you have a town-history section? I’d like to learn more about my ancestors.”

  This time Chauncey Hardman snorted. “Not anymore. All the Jasper Gulch specific information was given over to Olivia Franklin for the homecoming event. Mostly newspaper clippings and old photos, but that’ll all go into the museum.”

  “Museum?”

  “Jasper Gulch has built a historical museum with plans to open at the end of December when we bury a new time capsule.”

  Faith had mentioned something about a time capsule before. This whole town really got into it.

  “We turned over all we had. Between the new museum-building fund and the bridge-restoration fund, there’s not much left in the coffers for additional library donations, if you know what I mean. My grandmother had a few photos, but I gave them up, too.”

  Jasper Gulch was laying the groundwork for tourist growth by embracing their past and displaying it. The homecoming event might prove interesting, to see those old newspaper clippings and photos, if nothing else. Nadine had said they’d work that event in before Thanksgiving. He hoped so.

  Dale nodded. “I guess I’ll have to wait for homecoming then. Now, if you could direct me to a plug and a place to work?”

  “We do have a Montana travel section that has area history about mining and all. Even the talc mines over by Dillon are represented here.”

  Tempting information, but Dale needed to catch up before he spent time looking up stuff for fun. “I’ve got a few things to do yet.”

  Chauncey gave him another wink. “You take your time.”

  Dale nearly laughed. Was everyone in this town always so nice? “Thank you.”

  It didn’t take long for his laptop to fire up once plugged in and partially charged. New emails swamped his in-box, along with reports, copies of building appraisals and meeting invitations.

  An itinerary email caught his eye, so he opened it. Jeannie had forwarded the corporate jet’s reserved flight for Jordan and Eric, arriving in Bozeman on Thursday morning. A note at the bottom came from Julian, newly returned from Hong Kong and interested in seeing the property at Lone Peak. A kernel of irritation dug deep. His father didn’t trust Dale’s instincts for not jumping on the office space.

  Dale shook it off. The reality was that his father planned to join his sons for Thanksgiving Day. Had Jordan set this up after talking to Eric? Didn’t matter. His family was coming to Jasper Gulch.

  Did wonders never cease?

  *

  “Let’s get this monster in the stand.” Jackson Shaw slipped on his work gloves.

  “The needles are pretty soft, Dad.” Faith didn’t think he needed gloves.

  “Can’t stand the sticky sap.”

  Faith laughed. That reminded her of something Dale might say. She stepped back and watched her father and brothers lift the tall Christmas tree into a heavy cast-iron stand. The tree listed far to one side. “Careful!”

  Austin flashed an irritated look. “Just stay back out of the way.”

  Faith made a face and headed for the kitchen to fill a pitcher of sugar water for the tree. If she wanted it to remain fresh through Christmas, she’d need to keep it well watered.

  Returning to the living room with filled pitcher in hand, Faith breathed in the delicious scent of the fir tree. Perfectly shaped, yet not too perfect like a lot-trimmed tree, this one was wild and fresh. Dale’s tree stood tall and proud, like him. And it smelled like Christmas.

  She scraped her bottom lip with her teeth, reliving the kiss they’d shared at the foot of this tree in a flash of memory. It had felt like Christmas, searching for the right tree with a man who was wrong for her in so many ways.

  Her father took off his gloves. “Your brothers said Dale went with you to get this today.”

  Faith nodded. Her brothers had already scattered. Both of them gone before she could enlist their help in gathering the boxes of ornaments from the basement. “He picked it out.”

  Her father’s smile broadened. “Did he now?”

  Faith felt her face flush. She knew that look. She didn’t need her father’s help with Dale. “Don’t get any ideas, Daddy. Dale’s leaving.”

  Again, her heart pinched at the thought, only sharper this time.

  “Your mother said he’s staying for Thanksgiving because of you.”

  Faith wanted to believe that. She’d heard him ask his brothers to come, too, but that wasn’t her news to share. It might not even happen. “Not much of a choice, considering the weather.”

  Dale had been sent to represent the Massey family as well as check out commercial property. Staying for Thanksgiving had everything to do with her and, hopefully, the connection they’d forged. But Dale wasn’t sold on belonging here and he certainly hadn’t shared how he felt about her. As much as she wanted to believe he cared, he might not. She might still be safe in his book, and that’s what made this endeavor to win his heart so scary. What if in the end there was nothing to win?

  Scott had swept her off her feet, promising things he’d had no intention of delivering. Naive as she was, she’d believed him. Dale was different. He had to be. She hoped their ending was, too. She pulled out the tangle of lights from the only box she’d grabbed from the storage closet. This alone would keep her busy for a bit. There had to be a dozen strings balled up like a rat’s nest.

  “You can plug those in and see if they work before hanging them.”

  Faith looked at her father. “What about conserving energy?”

  Her father shrugged. “Doesn’t matter now. With town restored, we’ll be back up soon. Besides, purpose served. We got Dale off that computer of his, didn’t we?”

  Faith narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”

  “How can he spend time with you if he’s holed up in his room working? I shut off the breakers to that side of the house with good reason.”

  She felt the blood rush from her face. “You lied to him? To me?”

  Her father put up his hands in defense. “Now, Faith, cutting back on electricity helps conserve gas for the generators. Who knew how much we’d need and for how long?”

  Faith shook her head at her father’s backpedaling. He had a habit of manipulating circumstances to get what he wanted. Something he’d b
een doing a lot of with the centennial celebrations, but this went too far.

  Jackson Shaw might not be able to influence the weather, but that ice storm sure played right into her father’s hands. It delayed Dale’s departure. And gave her more than enough time to care for him.

  Faith plugged in the glob of lights. They worked. Hopefully, they’d still work once she’d sorted them out into single strands. “Will you please let Dale Massey decide on his own if he wants to spend time with me? I don’t need your help.”

  She wasn’t stupid. She and Dale had something more than mere attraction going on, but that didn’t mean he’d give up his life back East for her. She wouldn’t give up her life here, either. Like that monarch butterfly, Dale’s heart might not want to be kept.

  “I don’t know, honey. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. I say it’s poetic justice, too. After what Silas Massey did to the Shaws, marrying into their money might bring some of it back.”

  Faith’s mouth dropped as she looked at her father. She didn’t care about Dale’s money. “That’s a horrible thing to say!”

  Her father stood tall and proud, holding his sap-stained leather gloves. His expression changed to something dark and almost ruthless. “I’ll tell you what’s horrible. Something this town doesn’t even know. Silas Massey wiped out the bank before heading for New York. He stole from an entire town without so much as looking back. No remorse. Now, that’s horrible. If it hadn’t been for Ezra Shaw shoring up the bank with his own capital, there wouldn’t be a Jasper Gulch.”

  “How do you know all this?” Faith stared at her father.

  “From my grandfather. Ezra had told him with a challenge to make something of this town.”

  “So that’s why Silas left,” Faith whispered.

  It was so obvious, so rotten and terribly disappointing. Her girlish imaginings of Silas as a heroic gold miner crumbled.

  Her father’s eyes glazed over as if remembering as if it was yesterday. “Pretty much.”

  “That was ninety years ago.”

  Her father’s eyes hardened. “Some things aren’t meant to be forgotten. My grandfather taught me that. Made me promise—” He took a deep breath and puffed up his chest. “We Shaws are due payback.”