Sweet Home Montana

by Lisa Mondello

  “You always did miss it.”

  Trip shrugged. “If you want to go for a ride, let me know. I’ll help you saddle up one of the horses. You might find Tabby and Kas on the trail.”

  “Thanks. If you need help making dinner, just let me know. I love to cook.”

  He laughed hard and loud and it echoed off the floor and through the barn. “You and Tabby won’t go hungry. Kas on the other hand might.”

  Katie laughed as she made her way down the aisle.

  She found Hunter putting away his tools when she reached the tack room.

  “Hi, Hunter,” she said.

  He turned around and she gasped when she saw his black eye.

  “Oh, my. Did you get kicked by one of the horses?”

  It took a moment, but Hunter recognized her. “Hi, Katie. No, this one was…deserved.”

  “Deserved? Did someone do that to you? On purpose?”

  “It doesn’t matter. It’s good to see you.”

  Katie remembered Hunter being larger than life when she was a teenager. He was still as handsome as ever, even with the black eye. But something had changed and she couldn’t put a finger on it.

  She wondered about what Caleb had told her about Julie being pregnant. And then it dawned on her about how Caleb had behaved in the church the day he’d all but accused her of holding back information about Julie. Had Hunter known Julie was pregnant? It wasn’t her place to ask.

  “It’s good to see you too, Hunter.”

  She walked over to him and gave him a warm hug. When she pulled back, he hesitated, and then asked, “Do you hear from Julie at all?”

  Her heart nearly broke looking into his sad eyes. “Not for a long time.”

  “Oh. I thought since you both left town around the same time that maybe you’d gone together.”

  She shook her head. “I wish I knew where she was. It would be nice to hear from her.”

  “Yeah, it would,” he said quietly. “Sorry to hear about you and Bruce. I didn’t know him very well but…”

  “I’m not. So don’t you be.”

  She’d said the words so resolutely that they shocked her. It was like closing a door that she’d fought to close forever and now finally could.

  She couldn’t take it anymore. She didn’t remember Hunter being so taken with Julie the way Julie had been with him. But maybe that was because Katie had been so engrossed in her own life.

  “It was good seeing you,” she said. “I have to head to the house to help Trip with dinner.”

  He waved as she turned away. She didn’t feel much like having dinner or waiting around for Tabby and Kas. But she forced herself to go to the main house and knock on the door where she found Trip fumbling around the kitchen. He seemed relieved to have her help when she offered.

  She was relieved he’d been there. Otherwise, she knew she would have headed over to Caleb’s house.

  # # #

  Chapter Eight

  They’d made it through dinner and Katie enjoyed the company and the laughter. She’d even talked with Kas about the offer Callahan’s lawyer had made to her earlier in the day. But through it all, she thought of Caleb. When dinner was over, she went straight over to his house. Although he was glad to see her at the door, he was clearly confused.

  “I’m not staying,” she said as he led her into the living room where they’d sat in front of the fire and talked and talked while he’d been recuperating. “I just…need you to understand something. I don’t know if it makes a difference. But I…”

  “What?”

  “You won’t get it,” she said, shaking her head and turning away from him. So many nights it had been easy to talk with Caleb and now she wasn’t sure. Especially after what had transpired between them.

  “What won’t I get?”

  “Why I left Sweet.”

  “You were in love. You got married.”

  “I had dreams. Big dreams. And I failed. Miserably.”

  “Failure is—”

  She waved him off. “A state of mind, not a person. Yes, I know. You sound just like my brother. In fact, you’re a lot like him.”

  His eyebrows drew together tightly. “You’re comparing me to Kas?”

  “You’ve never failed at anything your life. Have you? That’s my brother. He does things right all the time.”

  “He’s got a lot of money.”

  “He earned it.”

  “I know that. He made good business choices and smart moves and they all paid off for him. Now he’s a wealthy man.”

  She sat down on the sofa. “I’m not talking about money, Caleb.”

  Caleb frowned. “You’re right. I don’t get it. So explain it to me.”

  “You are exactly where you want to be. So is Kasper for the most part.”

  “The most part? What does that even mean?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing. I’m not even sure that he knows. I think Tabby has her heart set on coming back to Montana. His businesses are in New York City.”

  “I get it. Two worlds. Light years away.”

  “Exactly. But he has Tabby. He’s very content. No, he’s happy. He’s happier than I have ever seen him. Seeing him with her tonight, it was so clear.”

  “And that’s a bad thing?”

  She shook her head again. This time with a little bit more force. “It’s not Tabby and it’s not his money and it’s not his job.”

  Caleb laughed. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  She sounded so ridiculous. She hadn’t realized just how much until that moment. “You know what you want. You went into the army and served our country. Then you came home and now you’re a police officer in Sweet. Kas did the same thing. He went off and followed his dreams. He’ll figure things out with Tabby. But he has Tabby.”

  “What are you saying? You don’t want to be in Sweet anymore? You don’t want to finish the chapel?”

  “No, that’s not it. I want to finish this project. I want to finish something and have it turn out right for a change. But I wonder why I want to finish it. I had plans when I left here with Bruce. They didn’t work out. Not at all. It’s like I have a do-over and I have to get it right. And the life that I thought I was going to have, Bruce is having with someone else. And that’s okay.”

  Caleb’s eyes widened. “Just like that? You’re suddenly okay with what he did to you?”

  She shook her head. “He hurt me. He used me and made me believe his lies and then he walked out on me with nothing but the forty-seven dollars I had in my wallet. He drained the bank account and made plans with someone else all right under my nose and I never even knew it was happening. No one should ever hurt another person like that. And to be honest, it’ll probably take a long time for me to trust in that same naïve way I did when I married him.

  “But I’m not the same girl I was either. Sometimes I think I am. Most of the time I see the difference. And when they offered to buy back the chapel, it made me really confused.”

  “Whoa. Who made an offer? Callahan?”

  She took a deep breath. “His lawyer. He stopped by Sally’s today to put in the offer and she called me. What did I do? I immediately called my big brother.”

  Caleb leaned back on the sofa and poked at the fabric. “Why is that a bad thing? That’s what brothers are for. I’m sure he was happy to help you.”

  “He was.”

  “Why do I get the feeling this isn’t just about selling the chapel as is.”

  She shrugged. “I wonder sometimes.”

  “About what.”

  “I need to explain so you’ll understand why I’m confused.”

  “Okay.”

  “As soon as I heard that Bruce was having an affair, I confronted him, packed my bags, and I left. He’d already done the damage. It was going to take me a long time to build back what I’d lost in money, never mind self-esteem, especially after I learned he’d gotten that other girl pregnant and moved to San Francisco.”

 
; “He got another woman pregnant?”

  The pain of hearing the words not once, but twice, stabbed her heart. She wondered if she’d always feel that way.

  “Yeah. I worked and worked so he could finish school and get a job in San Francisco so we could live there and I could start a design company after I finished school. Only that didn’t happen. He’s living that life with someone else.”

  “I’ve never been married so I don’t know what it feels like to go through a divorce and feel that betrayal. I’m sure there are some things you probably need to work through. Maybe before you even move on with someone new.”

  She chuckled. “I don’t see that happening anytime soon.”

  “Why do you say that?

  “Oh, I don’t know. I’m impulsive. I’m completely unsure of myself.”

  “You’re too hard on yourself.”

  “Admit it. Even you thought I was crazy.”

  Katie thought about Caleb and the way that he had come into her life after so long. She wasn’t making any sense. She wasn’t sure where she was going. But it was easy to talk to him. And she’d missed that over the last few days when she’d been angry with him for thinking she was holding back information about Julie.

  “I’ve been a jerk,” he said.

  She glanced at Caleb and looked at his face. He was so handsome and she wasn’t sure she’d ever seen that side of him before. Oh, she’d always known he was good looking. Could never talk to Julie about that because, well, Caleb was her brother. Katie had known many girls in high school who’d befriend someone else just so they could get close to their hot brother who was the talk of the town. Katie had known that was the reason why Julie decided to take riding lessons out of the Lone Creek Ranch. She’d known Hunter was working there. She’d wanted to get close to him. And she eventually did. Was that why Caleb was with her now?

  “It’s no secret that you’ve been looking for Julie for long time,” Katie said.

  Her insides jumped with nerves. Did she really want to go down this path? She had no right to be upset with Caleb when part of her response had nothing to do with his asking her questions about his sister. Of course he wanted to know where she was. What brother wouldn’t want to make sure that his younger sister was okay? Katie just didn’t want to know that the reason he’d been hanging around as much as he’d been was because she had once been friends with Julie and Caleb was desperate for information.

  Caleb frowned. “Well, yeah. Wouldn’t you if Kas all of the sudden dropped off the face of the earth?”

  She shrugged, and stood up, unable to sit and just look at him. She knew if the tables were turned, she wouldn’t leave a stone unturned and neither would Kasper. Caleb was just doing what any loving brother would do.

  “Is that why you’ve been with me?”

  His frown grew deeper as he got up from the sofa. “Well, yeah, in a way.”

  She nodded her head and looked down to zip her jacket. But her eyes filled with tears, making it hard to see what she was doing and she fumbled with the zipper.

  “Did I say something wrong?”

  Katie shook her head. “You were being honest.”

  He took a few steps towards her. “Then why do I feel like I said the wrong thing?”

  Katie tried to shrug off the feeling of disappointment that was enveloping her. What was she thinking? She’d been thinking a lot about Caleb, that’s what. It had been hard to think about anything other than his sweet smile and those strong arms that she longed to be held in like when they’d been dancing.

  It had been a long time since she’d been held. She didn’t want to end up living alone like some of the other women she knew from the bank. These women would come in to cash their checks and talk about the husband that left them or the boyfriend that was gone. It didn’t matter what their age was for their particular story. The end result was that they were alone.

  Katie felt more alone in that moment than she’d been for months.

  “I need to go. Thanks for being honest with me,” she said quietly.

  He stared at her with confusion. “You just got here. Stay a while. Tell me what’s on your mind.”

  “I’m fine. I’m just busy.”

  “Keep telling yourself that’s. But then tell me the truth.”

  “I am telling you the truth.”

  “Talk to me, Katie. Something’s wrong.”

  “It’s nothing.”

  He walked the rest of the distance to her and pulled her into his arms.

  She felt the burning of tears filling her eyes so she turned away so Caleb wouldn’t see. But he would have none of that. Grabbing her with both hands he forced her to turn around and look up at him. “Something’s bothering you. And I know it’s not the chapel, and I know it’s not the accident. So what is it?”

  “I just… I wondered why you were spending all this time with me. And now you’ve told me. If I hear or remember anything about Julie, I’ll let you know. I promise I will. But you don’t have to spend all your time with me, and looking after me just so I give you information about your sister. I want you to find her.”

  He clenched his jaw as anger flashed in his eyes. “Is that you really think? You think the only reason why I want to be with you is to fish for information?”

  “You just said…”

  “I know what I said. I ask everyone about Julie any time I think there might be a chance of getting some new shred of information about her. But that has nothing to do with you and me.”

  “Yeah? Then fill me in. Because right now I’m a little unsure about what you and me is.”

  He touched her cheek and brushed his thumb beneath her eyes that were filled with unshed tears. “Let me see if this will convince you.”

  He bent his head and covered her mouth with his, gently at first and then filling her with such desire that she thought her whole body was on fire from his touch. He dug his hands into her hair as if to hold her mouth against his so the connection wouldn’t break.

  Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled her closer to him, pressing his body against hers and crushing her lips with such passion that her head was swimming. She reached up and placed her hand behind his neck, not wanting him to pull away or break the connection. She wanted him with every fiber of her being.

  And when he did pull away, she saw emotion that she’d never seen before in a man. He was with her and only her in that moment and she didn’t want their kiss to end.

  * * *

  Caleb looked down at Katie’s upturned face and those lips that were now swollen and pink and moist from their kiss. What the hell had he just done? She was probably in shock at the way he’d grabbed her so quickly and forcefully. He knew better than that. He was a police officer for God’s sake. He dropped his arms to his side and took a long step back, leaving her standing there as if dazed by his behavior.

  “I’m sorry, Katie,” he said kicking himself inside for giving in to thoughts he’d had of her over the last few weeks. She’d come to him in distress and he’d taken advantage of her vulnerability.

  “What for?” she asked.

  “I didn’t… I mean… I…” He blew out a quick breath and shook his head, mostly to shake out this feeling of desire that was still flowing through him and making him ache all over. “I didn’t mean to…”

  She gave a slow and sexy smile that hinted of confusion and amusement at the same time. “You didn’t mean to kiss me?”

  “I’m not usually that impulsive,” he said.

  “Well, I am.”

  She bridged the distance between them and reached up and cupped his face with both her hands. Lifting up on her toes she lifted her face to his and kissed him on the mouth again. Yes, she kissed him. She tasted sweet like he knew she would. His heart beat in his chest with every second that passed. When she pulled back from the kiss she stayed close so he could feel the heat of her body.

  “I was wondering when you were going to do that.”

  He frowned.
“You were?”

  “It took you long enough.”

  “Is that why you were so upset with me?”

  “What do you think? We’ve been spending all this time together. Are you telling me that you never thought about kissing me before this moment? Because I know I’ve been thinking about it. A lot.”

  A smile pulled at his mouth, and soon he was grinning from ear to ear so wide that it hurt. “What do you know.”

  She chuckled. “That’s all you have to say?”

  “I’d rather do this.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her up so that he could kiss her again. This time he kissed her slowly and he savored every single bit of her until he got his fill.

  She looked up at him with her eyes half open and said, “Don’t you ever apologize for doing that again.”

  * * *

  It wasn’t what he’d expected to see. He recognized Striker’s truck and a few others parked next to Katie’s car. A new addition to the parking lot was the dumpster that most likely had been delivered that afternoon. He’d driven by in the morning and it hadn’t been there.

  Caleb parked the truck in the only place where it would fit that didn’t have a big snow bank. Then he got out and slammed the door.

  As far as days go, today was fixing to be a beauty. There wasn’t a cloud in that big blue Montana sky. There was still a chill in the air but not enough to keep snow from melting. Soon the snow would all be gone and there’d be a pasture of green. He walked toward the side door and saw the cease and desist notice was still there.

  “Hello?”

  “We’re back here.” He heard Katie say. There was some laughter echoing off the walls of the open chapel.

  “I didn’t expect to see you here today,” Katie said with smile.

  He looked at her and saw all the men sitting around her as if in conference. Maybe they were just there to gaze at her as he was. A sudden fit of jealousy grabbed him in the chest.

  “I thought for sure you’d be at court this morning,” Caleb said. “The cease and desist letter is still hanging on the door.”

  “Sally took care of that.”

  “You sent the Realtor down to the court?”

  “Yeah, Sally and the lawyer. They are better equipped to tell the judge just how sound my real estate deal is. Plus, Mr. Littleton already spoke to Sally about an offer. Kas thought it would be better to let Littleton sweat if he didn’t see me.”