Montana Dreams

by Jillian Hart

  “Maybe.” She’d gone to school with John, too. She waited until he’d wandered off to start his appraisal in the attic before returning to her work in the kitchen. Time to tackle the dirt ground into the grooves of the linoleum. But when she went in search of the floor cleaner, the bottle was empty.

  Maybe she’d run to town, pick up cleaning supplies, deposit her unemployment check that had come in the day’s mail and pick up pizza and cheese bread for supper. Not only was it Simon’s favorite, but she wouldn’t have to take a cleaning break to fix a meal. It was a total win-win. Plus, she could escape the low, resonant notes of Hunter’s voice and the sight of him in the field. He did look amazing with the wind tousling his dark hair. His patience with their son got to her.

  Just watching made her fall in love with him even more. There was no chance for her breaking heart as she grabbed the truck keys and headed for the door.

  * * *

  He’d lost sight of Millie in the window. Hunter reined Dakota to a stop.

  “Good job, Simon.”

  “Well, I haven’t fallen off yet.” Simon shoved his glasses higher on his nose. “And besides, Sundae’s doin’ all the work.”

  “He’s doing all the trotting anyway.” He was beginning to see some things differently. The future, for instance. He couldn’t picture it any other way than spent riding with his son in a summer’s field. “You have a good touch with the reins. Not too tight on the bit, not too slack.”

  “When can we go fast?” Impossible not to love the kid.

  “Trotting isn’t fast enough for you?”

  “It’s a lot of up and down. It’s pretty bumpy.”

  “Once posting is second nature, we’ll try cantering.” Yeah, he could really get used to spending his days like this. He was beginning to see his life in a whole new way. He had a son. There were things he wanted to teach him, time he wanted to spend with him. A lot of things had become clear that hadn’t been before.

  His phone chimed, so he hauled it out of his pocket. The message was from Millie.

  Heading 2 town. Quick errand, she’d written.

  Need any help? He texted back and spotted her skipping down the front steps, her ponytail rippling behind her. She stopped to bend over her phone screen to answer him.

  Nope. Bye. She yanked open the old truck’s door, and the squeak from the protesting hinges carried to him all the way in the field.

  His phone chimed again. Wondering if she’d spotted the problem yet, he squinted at the screen. The message wasn’t from her.

  We’re on R way back, Luke’s message read. Should B there in 3 days.

  Good. Hunter didn’t like to admit it, but he’d missed his brother big time. He tapped out an answer. R U engaged yet?

  I proposed on the beach at sunset.

  Figures. Hunter dismounted. His boots hit the ground and he resumed typing. How does that ball and chain feel?

  Really? That’s what U say? Not, congrats. Not, good 4 U, Luke?

  He stared at his brother’s words. He hadn’t meant to let Luke down. He bowed his head, thinking about typing I’m sorry when his phone chimed again.

  That’s exactly what Dad would have said. Luke’s message packed a punch. Not that it was true.

  Okay, maybe it was a little bit true.

  Or a whole lot.

  “Hunter?” Simon dismounted and bent to pick a daisy in the grass. “I’ve been thinkin’. Should I call you, like, maybe, Dad?”

  “Is that what you want to do?” Hunter knelt to pick a coneflower and held it out for the boy to add to his growing bouquet.

  Vulnerable blue eyes fastened on his. A little nod. It was easy to remember being Simon’s age following his father around the farm, wishing for the closeness that his friends had with their dads. He’d hoped that maybe one day his dad would change. That one day he’d stop turning away, stop scolding and finding fault and become a real dad. The kind you did things with, who hugged you and made you laugh.

  “Then it sounds good to me.” He took off his Stetson and plopped it on the boy’s head.

  “Okay, Dad.” The hat slipped too low and Simon shoved it up with a smile that outshone the sun.

  “Why don’t you keep picking flowers for your mom, okay? I need to talk with her for a minute.” He gave the Stetson’s brim a tug to shade the kid’s eyes, patted Dakota’s neck and climbed through the fence rails. On the way across the lawn he tapped a quick message to his brother.

  Way to go. U and Honor deserve a forever happiness. He hit Send and tucked the phone in his pocket. It wasn’t easy to change. He might not be an alcoholic ex-con like his father, but he’d learned a lot of things from him. He could hear his dad in memory as crisp as the brilliant day around him. Love is for suckers, kid. Don’t ever be a fool. He saw where he’d taken on his dad’s belief and used it to protect himself from ever being hurt again. Luke was right.

  But Millie wasn’t going to hurt him. She had never hurt him.

  He found her in the old rusted Ford, hands to her face, leaning on the steering wheel. He cleared his throat. “Want me to give you a push?”

  She jerked, startled. “Hunter, give me a heart attack, why don’t you? I didn’t hear you sneaking up on me.”

  “Sorry, couldn’t help myself.” He propped his forearms against the hot metal door, peering in at her. “I see you in trouble and here I am.”

  “Why you?” She quirked one brow, trying to make light of it. “Why can’t it be someone else, anyone else?”

  “Good question. Maybe that’s just the way it is.”

  “Sort of along the lines of what can go wrong will go wrong?”

  “Maybe.” The corners of his mouth quirked upward. “Want to pop that in Neutral for me?”

  “Done.” Her heart felt ripped open looking at him, so she looked everywhere else. At the carport behind her, at John’s truck ahead of her, even at the steering wheel.

  “Great. Make sure the parking brake’s off.” He shoved away, his presence drawing her like the gravitational force of a black hole, sucking her in, pulling her gaze inexorably toward him. She couldn’t stop it. He braced his hands on the hood and pushed. The truck rocked and rolled and she steered around John’s vehicle. When she was clear, she hit the brakes.

  “Before you go, I have something to say to you.” Hunter’s shadow fell across her. He towered at the door, more powerful and handsome than ever. “I get why you didn’t tell me about Simon.”

  “You do?” That was a surprise. “I worried you might never forgive me.”

  “I was pretty hard on you, and I shouldn’t have been. I’m sorry.”

  “It was a shock. You had the right to be angry.”

  “No, I lost that right long ago. The way I treated you when you came to me asking about an engagement ring and kids, remember? A smarter man might have figured that one out.”

  “No comment.” Whew, it felt good to have that resolved. Off her chest. To know he wasn’t going to hate her forever. “Maybe I should have been braver back then.”

  “You were plenty brave. I was the problem. Hot-headed and turning into my old man.” He grimaced, as if that caused him great pain. “Maybe you didn’t know I came to apologize the next morning, but you were gone. You shattered me, Millie. Ground me into dust.”

  “How could I have done that? Impossible.” As if she was going to buy that story. Hunter was just trying to make her feel better, trying to fix the broken places in their past for Simon’s sake. “I never meant that much to you. You didn’t do love, remember? You don’t believe in it.”

  “Like I said, I was an idiot. Just because I wanted to pretend something didn’t mean it wasn’t true. I was afraid to love you.”

  “I know.” She looked down, surprised to find her hand still folded in his. “I was afraid,
too. We were young. We were both doing the best we could.”

  “I should have done better. That’s something I will do from now on.”

  “That’s good for Simon. We’re older now. Wiser.”

  “You, definitely. Me? Maybe.” He was all she could see of the world, his dark hair, his violet eyes, the sun in the sky behind him. “I know why you kept Simon from me. I broke your heart and you didn’t want me to break his, too.”

  “Yes, that’s exactly it.” He did understand. He really did forgive her. Tears filled her throat, making it impossible to tell him what that meant. That after all these years she could finally let go of her guilt and Simon could have the father she’d always wanted for him. “I only wanted him to be loved and wanted.”

  “He is loved and wanted.” Hunter winced. That had to be a hard thing for him to say, this man who shielded his heart forcefully. “And so are you.”

  “What?” She definitely, absolutely, no way could have heard that right. It had to be wishful thinking putting thoughts into her head. “What did you say?”

  “I love you.” His fingers tightened around hers, holding on, as if he never wanted to let go. “You didn’t figure on ever hearing those words from me, did you?”

  “No. I’m sure I’m hearing things. Maybe from sleep deprivation, overwork or too much lemonade.”

  “This is strange for me, too.” He’d spent a lot of energy protecting what was never in jeopardy. Millie was loyal and true to those she loved. He steeled his spine, gathering his courage. It was time to go all in, to be the man he wanted to be. The man she deserved. No more holding back, regardless of how hard it was. He had to face what he honestly felt for her. “I’ve had it all wrong. Life shouldn’t be spent keeping your heart safe. Life is about loving, about living with your heart.”

  “Now I know I’m hallucinating. The Hunter McKaslin I know would never say anything like that.”

  “Sure, go ahead and rub it in. I deserve it. I’m not done yet.” He had so many promises to make her, ones he would move heaven and earth to keep, if she would let him. But there were issues to resolve first. “Your father told me a lie, one that kept me from going after you that morning when I’d discovered you’d left. I believed it then, but all I need to do is to look at you, to really look, and I know it was just another lie of his. I’m sorry I wanted to believe it. I know you, Millie. There was no one else, was there?”

  “No. Not in all this time.”

  “For me either. I loved you, I should have trusted in you. That won’t happen again.”

  “So I see.” Tears stood in her eyes but did not fall. She looked so beautiful with her hair in pigtails, down-to-earth and all his. His Millie. “Will you stay in Montana? Let me love you. Let me marry you. Let me be the husband you deserve.”

  “You’re proposing to me?” Her jaw dropped and she stared up at him in disbelief. “But you don’t believe in marriage.”

  “I believe in you. I’m pledging my life to you.” He went down on one knee, cradling her hand in both of his. Nothing had ever felt so right. “I thank God for bringing us back together because I had the privilege of falling in love with you a second time. I got another chance to get this right. To let you know that what I feel for you is great and real and without end. Please be my wife.”

  “Yes.” A tear rolled down her cheek. He was offering her his heart, the one thing she thought he’d never be able to do. She’d be a fool not to accept it. “I love you. Of course I’ll marry you. As long as you’re sure about the marriage thing.”

  “Fine, go ahead and tease me. I deserve it.” He rose, framed her face with his hands and caught that lone tear with his thumb.

  “This is how it’s going to be for the rest of our lives,” he promised. “You and me, happy.”

  “Sounds like a dream.” Joy filled her like the incandescent summer day, everlasting, eternal and sustaining. One look into his eyes and she could see he felt the same way. He’d opened his heart to love.

  “That leaves only one thing to do to seal this proposal.” He leaned in, amusement tugging the corners of his mouth.

  “A kiss?” she asked.

  “A kiss.” True to his word, his lips slanted over hers. He kissed her tenderly, making her feel as if she were the most precious thing on earth to him. He made her feel like his dream come true.

  Epilogue

  One month later

  “You so didn’t fool me,” Brandi said, seated on the backyard picnic table as she cut her slice of wedding cake with a fork. “The minute I saw Simon, I knew he was Hunter’s.”

  “The minute? Please.” Brooke shook her head, laughing, and scooped a frosting flower off her piece of cake with a finger. The reception was as casual and comfortable as the wedding had been. “I knew the second I saw that boy. The cowlick, the dimples, the nose. Even the shape of his head.”

  “You know the shape of my head?” Hunter asked with his mouth half full of cake.

  “Hey, I spent my childhood trailing after you, big brother, and staring at the back of your head.” Brooke rolled her eyes.

  “I know just what you mean,” Luke chimed in and slid his arm around Honor’s shoulders. Their wedding was scheduled for October in Malibu, where her friends and family lived. It would be a fun trip for all the McKaslins, Millie decided, now that she and Simon were McKaslins.

  “Hey! I think I’m being insulted here.” Hunter winked at her. “Isn’t my wife going to come to my defense?”

  “Sorry, defense is your job.” She leaned against him to give him a quick hug. “I do the cooking, you do the defending.”

  “Funny, that wasn’t your attitude yesterday when you told me to come help you in the kitchen.”

  “We were making tacos,” Simon explained as he scraped the last of the icing off his plate. “Mom needed help with all the chopping.”

  Laughter rang around the table, and Millie basked in the happy sound of family. Her family. Life couldn’t get any better. She felt ready to burst with joy. True to his word, Hunter had done his best to live with his heart, shower her with love and devotion and be the wonderful father Simon deserved. He’d renovated his house for her and Simon, moved in Shadow and Smokey and bought her father’s farm and cows. The McKaslin dairy had expanded so much that they’d hired Milton as foreman. Now all that was left was the happily-ever-after, and she knew it would be.

  “I love you, husband,” she whispered in his ear, so only he could hear.

  “I love you more. Forever and always.” His kiss brushed her cheek. Honest love reflected in her gaze, and he’d never get enough of seeing it. Although he’d been married only an hour, it had been bliss. No ball and chain, no misery, only two hearts joined.

  The way love should be. It was easy to see their future. Moments spent laughing, working together and raising their son. There would be another baby or two to add to their family one day. Life was good. Overcome by his feelings, he leaned in to kiss his wife’s cheek. “Ahs” rang out around the table, but he hardly noticed them.

  All he could see was Millie, his heart and soul, his best dream come true. His forever happiness.

  * * * * *

  Dear Reader,

  Welcome back to another McKaslin Clan story. I’ve wanted to write Hunter’s book for a while, since all through the earlier stories in this series I kept asking myself, why does this guy have such a negative attitude toward romance? What makes him tick? Well, in Montana Dreams, I got to find that out along with the answers to a few other questions. Will Millie be able to mend things with her dying father? Will anyone figure out who Simon’s real dad is? Can Hunter find a way to open his heart and let love in? I hope you enjoy finding out those answers, too, as Millie and Hunter journey toward the love God means for them.

  Thank you for choosing Montana Dreams and for returni
ng to the McKaslin family with me.

  Wishing you love and grace,

  Jillian Hart

  Questions for Discussion

  What are your first impressions of Hunter? How would you describe his character?

  What are your first impressions of Millie? What do you learn about her from the way she treats her father, her son and Hunter? What does this tell you about her character?

  Hunter believes the best way to protect yourself from heartbreak is not to have a heart. What does this say about him? How is this belief holding him back in life?

  How does Millie feel about Hunter at the beginning of the book? What influences her? How does this change as she spends time with him again?

  Why do you think Hunter pitches in and does so much for Millie? What is at the core of his behavior?

  When does Millie begin to see Hunter differently?

  What do you think of Millie’s relationship with her father? How hard do you think it is for her to take care of him? How does it change her?

  What are Hunter’s strengths? What are his weaknesses? What do you come to admire about him? How do you know he will be a good father?

  What changes Hunter’s mind about love? What makes him believe in love?

  What values do you think are important in this book?

  What do you think are the central themes in this book? How do they develop? What meanings do you find in them?

  How does God guide both Millie and Hunter? How is this evident? How does God lead them to true love?

  There are many different kinds of love in this book. What are they? What do Millie and Hunter each learn about true love?