His Montana Homecoming

by Jenna Mindel

  Dale snorted. “I haven’t had a good example of relational longevity. Not where I come from.”

  “New York?” Ethan looked confused.

  Dale chuckled. “No. Julian Massey—my father. He’s been married several times. In and out of relationships ever since I can remember.”

  “And you think you’re like your father, bound to repeat his mistakes.”

  Dale shrugged. “In some ways, no, but in other ways, yes. My dad left when I was six. I don’t want to do that to Faith. I don’t want to be that guy who ruins her life.”

  “Noble sentiments.” Ethan nodded. “But have you ever considered that maybe you’ve got it flipped around?”

  “How’s that?”

  “What if you’re worried that Faith might leave you?”

  Dale chewed his toast slowly, but it had lost all taste. Were his efforts to steer clear of serious relationships more about self-preservation? Maybe. But that didn’t mean he was right for Faith. They had so little in common.

  “Our earthly fathers fail, but you have a Heavenly Father who’s faithful. God will never let you down, Dale.” Ethan wiped his mouth with a napkin.

  “I’ve been reading the Bible lately, but I don’t know. I don’t see it. Some of those guys were killed for their beliefs. Isn’t that the ultimate letdown?”

  Ethan nodded. “We look forward to an eternal existence. Our lives here are temporary and will fade. What we do and whether we choose to live our short lives for God will impact forever. It’s the only thing we take with us.”

  “Our reward is on the other side?” Dale had read that.

  Again Ethan nodded. “I looked up your article after meeting you at the bank. It said you’re a man of your word.”

  “I try to be.” Dale shifted, uncomfortable. Feeling exposed. In business, yes, but with women? It had always been easy to keep things casual.

  “God sees what’s in a man’s heart. Open that up to Him, and you’ll choose the right path. Faithfulness is a decision made every day.”

  “I’ll think about that.” The words rang true. Choice being the key element. He’d always been honest, but pledging a lifetime together, forever? These days, that was a stretch for most. How did a man promise something like that and then deliver?

  Dale had tried to make good choices his whole life. He’d never been one for rash decisions. He took his time, checked things out and weighed the consequences versus rewards before he acted. For the most part, those decisions had served him well.

  Still, many of those choices were empty because he’d kept his heart as disengaged as possible. Did he dare trust it?

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Everything all set for tomorrow?” Faith’s mom asked Cord as he entered the equipment barn.

  Her mom tied a beautifully crafted plaid bow on the wreath they’d made from greens collected in the valley. Her mother, Julie and Faith had set up a worktable and, with a fire smoldering in the woodstove, it was pretty cozy. Julie had left for home and husband, while Faith and Nadine made the finishing touches.

  “We’ve been ready for tomorrow’s parade since soon after the Old Tyme wedding. As for dinner, I’ve been told they’re all set for that, too.” Cord picked through the branches of fir, pine and cedar. “What’s all this for?”

  Faith smacked back his hand before he pulled apart a swag that hadn’t been securely wired in the middle. “Those wreaths are for our front doors. Those are for the church. The swags go on our barns and those little bundles of pine are for the church windows around the battery candles tonight.”

  Cord made a face. “Little early, isn’t it? First the Christmas tree, and now all this?”

  “Faith wants to give Dale a real Christmas before he leaves. With all this snow, it looks right.”

  “And Dale’s family is coming.” Her brother grinned and elbowed her in the ribs. “I think someone’s got herself a boyfriend.”

  “Ha-ha.” Was it true?

  “Seriously, little sister, I do believe your Mr. Massey has a crush on you.”

  Faith shrugged off her brother’s comments, but her heart did a little dance of hope, only to slip and fall. Crushes typically faded with time. If Dale had feelings for her, why hadn’t he said anything? All she had to go by were the kisses they’d shared. Not a lot of clarity there when looking for a long-term relationship.

  What if she was just another fling to him, a fun way to pass the time out here? She tied a bow viciously tight. Well, okay, maybe not quite a real fling, but close enough.

  Nadine smiled. “With more Masseys to man the float, we’ll have a wonderful centennial Thanksgiving.”

  Cord’s face grew serious. “As long as whoever is circulating those notes doesn’t cause any trouble.”

  “Well, don’t mention anything like that to your father. He’ll only get upset.”

  “Too late, Ma. We’ve already discussed it. I’ve asked Deputy Calloway to bring an extra officer to patrol the area. We really don’t want any incidents at our Thanksgiving Day parade.”

  “I wonder what those notes were all about. What truth will be revealed?” Faith spoke her thoughts out loud.

  “Well, it’s all nonsense.” Her mother slammed down a lopper, startling them both.

  Then she up and left. Stormed right out of the barn with Ranger prancing at her mom’s heels.

  Faith looked at Cord. “What was that?”

  He shrugged. “I think everyone’s ready for this centennial stuff to be over.”

  She looked at the clock on the wall and gasped. “I’ve got to drop these off at the church and check on the decorations in town.”

  Cord helped her put the evergreen creations in a box. “Everybody was putting up garland and hanging lights when I left. You did something there and it’s pretty cool.”

  Faith smiled.

  “You really like this guy.”

  She nodded. It had gone far deeper than mere like. “I do.”

  “Don’t jump into anything too fast.”

  Faith laughed. “And the month it took for you and Katie to meet and marry wasn’t fast?”

  Cord gave her a sheepish smile. “She’s the right one for me. Look, all I’m saying is, be careful and sure. Dale Massey isn’t exactly a run-of-the-mill kind of guy. He’s a multimillionaire.”

  “I know.” Her brother had said a mouthful of truth that settled deep inside Faith’s heart. Nothing she didn’t already know, but hearing it said out loud made it more real. Dale Massey was a multimillionaire. A man who could have everything and anyone. Why would he want her?

  She let loose a heavy sigh.

  “Just leave the table and tools,” Cord said. “I’ll take care of it.”

  She leaned close and gave her brother a hug. “Thanks, you’re the best.”

  “I know.”

  She laughed, and loaded the box of greens into the back of her SUV. Faith turned around as Cord opened up the barn door. “Is Dale back from town, do you know?”

  Again, her brother gave her a big smile. As if maybe he knew something she didn’t.

  “What?”

  Cord shrugged innocently. “Nothing.”

  Faith checked her watch. She didn’t have time to pry out of him whatever it was Cord thought he knew. “Gotta go.”

  Dale had been in town all day. Hopefully, he’d be back in time to go to church. Her stomach tripped over and sunk. She hadn’t even asked him. What if, after all this, he said no?

  Wait—she had his cell-phone number from the business card he’d given her that first day. That wasn’t even a week ago. Maybe she rushed this, but then time wasn’t on her side here. She knew her heart. Soon, Dale would, too.

  Slipping behind the wheel, she keyed in his number, hoping it’d go through.

  “Dale Massey.”

  Faith blew out her breath. “Wow, Dale. I got through. Maybe we only drop long-distance calls out here at the ranch.”

  “Faith?”

  “Yeah.” Why did she feel like
a teenager asking a boy to her first Sadie Hawkins dance?

  “What’s up?”

  She could hear the smile in his voice. Picture it, too. “Um. I’m playing violin tonight at church and wondered if, well, if you’d like to go.”

  “Yes.”

  That was it? No persuading, no hesitation? She let loose a girlish-sounding giggle and then coughed to cover up her slip. “Well, okay. I’ve got some errands to run, but I’ll see you back at the ranch for dinner.”

  “Sounds good. And Faith?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I look forward to it.” His voice caressed her ears.

  Goodness, the man knew how to charm. Was that what he was doing? Or did he really mean it? If she meant anything to him, tonight she fixed to find out.

  *

  Dale drove Faith’s car into Jasper Gulch. The rest of her family had gone ahead on their own. She sat in the passenger seat draped in a long gray woolen coat and black cowboy boots. Not the everyday kind of Montana cowboy boots, but nice dressy leathers. Her hair had been swept up and she wore a little more makeup than usual.

  He kept glancing at her.

  “Turn right.” She pointed.

  He did as instructed, recognizing that Main Street was a block over.

  “Another right, and there’s the church.”

  An attractive wooden structure complete with bell tower sat back on the corner. White electric candles gleamed in the windows. It looked like an old church, built maybe even before the town had been founded. Interesting, since he would have thought most mining towns were historically rough and wild places.

  He pulled into the parking lot and got out. Bells chimed.

  “Are those real?”

  Faith looked up. “What, the bells? No. There are real ones up there, but they don’t work, so Ethan uses the recording like our previous minister.”

  “Why don’t you get them fixed?” So far this was the only artifice he’d encountered here.

  She shrugged. “I don’t know if they can be. I don’t ever remember hearing the real ones used in my lifetime.”

  He held the door open for Faith. “Don’t you think it’s odd how Jasper Gulch leaves things alone that need to be fixed?”

  “In a small town it all comes down to priorities and funds. Not much we can do.” She grabbed her violin case from the backseat.

  With the opening of a museum, a historical society wouldn’t be far off from forming, too. Those organizations sometimes wielded a lot of clout. He wouldn’t be surprised if someday those church bells were repaired.

  “Let me carry that.” He held out his hand.

  Faith grinned but didn’t give it up. “Not on your life.”

  “You can trust me.” It slipped out before he thought about the ramifications of that statement. He wished he knew if that were really true.

  Her gaze narrowed. “Can I?”

  He understood her protectiveness over the instrument, but she meant more by that question. He couldn’t reassure her. He didn’t know how to earn a woman’s trust. His own mother didn’t trust him. Was it as simple as Ethan Johnson had said? A choice made every day? “Looks like I have my work cut out for me.”

  That made her mouth drop open. Perfect for kissing.

  He laughed before he could do that. Now wasn’t the time for kisses. “What are you going to play?”

  Her eyes shone with excitement. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  Faith was up to something and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to guess that it had everything to do with Christmas. She really was his Christmas elf, spreading holiday cheer where he thought he had none.

  Cars pulled into the parking lot, and men and women waved their hellos while kids dashed inside. One kid threw a snowball, only to be scolded by his mother. Dale glanced at Faith, remembering their snowball fight and the kiss that had followed. The woman was far too easy to kiss. Would that fade with time?

  Dale trailed Faith up the steps. At the top, he took a deep breath. He hadn’t been in a church since the last time his father got married. And it had all been for show. Neither one had attended the ornate chapel where they’d been wed. That marriage hadn’t lasted but a year.

  Faith turned to him, as if sensing his hesitation. “There’s nothing weird beyond these doors, I promise.”

  He nodded. After his lunch with Ethan, he hadn’t expected anything odd. The minister had given him plenty to think about. He spotted two wreaths sporting big plaid bows hanging on the doors. Again, he looked at her.

  She smiled and went inside.

  He followed.

  “Evening, Dale.” Mike Walker, the hardware store owner, offered a hand after hanging up his coat. “If the weather holds, we’ll be ice fishing up on Ennis Lake in no time. Do you like to fish?”

  Dale shook it. Several others had greeted him and no one seemed surprised to see him here. “I’ve never ice fished before. Although, I have gone for trout in upstate New York.”

  Mike’s eyes gleamed. “Fly?”

  Dale spread his arms. “Is there anything else?”

  The hardware store owner laughed. “You’ve come to fly-fishing paradise, did you know that?”

  “I didn’t.” Another fine tourist draw. And one more outdoor activity to look forward to in Montana.

  Money can be a waste of time.

  Is that what Faith had meant? That in his all-consuming pursuit of profits for Massey International, he’d wasted some precious time missing out on things that couldn’t be valued with a price tag?

  Dale looked for Faith to ask her but she was gone. Her gray wool coat hung on a hanger. He placed his coat over hers.

  “We’ll talk,” Mike said.

  Dale nodded, but the sound of Faith’s violin pulled his attention. He stepped into the sanctuary and openly stared. People scooted around him because he blocked the door, but he couldn’t move a muscle.

  Faith stood on the platform. Wearing that black velvet dress he’d seen in the photo. She looked at him and smiled.

  And his heart softened and then froze. Faith’s expression rivaled the one he’d envied from that picture taken in Seattle. Only there was something far deeper in her eyes tonight.

  This was a Christmas gift like no other he’d been given, and Faith offered her heart right along with it. A gift he wasn’t sure he could take without breaking. Eventually. He recognized the tune of “Greensleeves” and marveled at the sound. So beautiful.

  Like her. Faith Shaw had a soft beauty that stole his breath away. But even more powerful was her kindness and genuine warmth. He watched her play her violin, feeling like the only one in her audience. She played for him.

  He shivered. But not from the cold.

  Maybe it was Faith’s reaction he feared. Once she knew him really well, would he be enough to make her happy? A woman like her deserved to be happy.

  He glanced at the sprigs of pine with more plaid ribbon around those electric candles in the windows. The same ribbon he’d seen on the wreaths at Shaw Ranch. Even he knew this wasn’t normal Thanksgiving decor. This was Faith’s doing. All because he had reasons not to enjoy Christmas.

  Until now.

  Faith Elaine Shaw had given him Christmas.

  A woman on the piano joined in and someone dimmed the lights. Conversation hushed as a small choir of ladies took their places onstage. People scurried to sit down. And Dale slipped into a pew behind Faith’s parents. The rest of the Shaws were scattered.

  Nadine turned and gave him a proud smile.

  He nodded.

  Ethan stepped behind a podium and looked right at him. “Good evening. We’ve got a gift of music tonight that’ll get you in the spirit of the upcoming holidays.” Then, to the rest of the congregation, he said, “If you’ll open your hymnals to page three hundred, we’re going to start by singing ‘Joy to the World.’”

  Dale stood with the rest of the audience, hymnal open, but he didn’t sing. He soaked in the sounds of Faith’s playing and the words
of a Christmas carol he hadn’t really listened to before. Never had anyone gone to this much trouble for him. He’d had his share of expensive gifts and exclusive dinner invitations, but no woman had ever given him something straight from her heart.

  “‘Repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy…’” the congregation sang with gusto.

  Robust like the rugged mountains that surrounded them, their voices blended and rose. And Dale liked it. He liked it a lot. This must be what real church was like. Rusty had mentioned the church as the people. Dale knew what he’d meant. It wasn’t about the building but what happened on the inside.

  Similar to that night the Shaw family had broken into song, Dale experienced a nudge of conscience. A tug at his soul. For what, he wasn’t sure. The words of the hymn expressed the wonders of God’s love.

  Faith’s gaze found his and he didn’t look away. Something sweet and promising shone from her blue eyes. Something real. But would it last? Could she be the joy he needed for that pledge of forever?

  After singing more songs, the choir performed a short medley of Christmas carols accompanied by Faith on the violin. Her movements were sure and graceful as she swayed with the music she made. Too soon, it came to an end and the pastor took to the podium.

  But then Faith scooted next to him in the pew, and that was nice, too. He covered her hand with his own and then inched closer and whispered, “Thank you.”

  “For what?” She asked innocently enough, but knew exactly what he meant. He could see the satisfaction in her eyes.

  He squeezed her hand. “Giving me Christmas.”

  “There’s more.” She threaded her fingers through his.

  “Yeah?”

  “After church,” she whispered.

  Now, that sounded interesting. And more than terrifying.

  *

  “Come on, let’s walk.” Faith flipped up the hood of her coat. The temperature had dropped some and light snow fell. It couldn’t be a more perfect night to take in the Christmas decorations put up by the merchants of Jasper Gulch.

  Dale tucked her arm in his. “Where to?”

  “Main Street. And maybe the triple G for pie. My treat.”

  He smiled and looked so handsome, so completely hers. “Sounds good.”