Montana Darling (Big Sky Mavericks Book 3)

by Salonen, Debra

  As if catching their words over the cheers coming from the group occupying the sofas in front of the big-screen TV, Ryker turned his camera their way. Meg stuck out her tongue. Emilee pulled her ear lobes and scrunched up her nose.

  His laugh made some of her nervousness disappear. She decided to ask the question that was on everybody’s mind. “Do you think Mom and Ryker are going to work?”

  “Yes, I do. Know why?”

  Emilee shook her head.

  “That piece of land they both had a stake in ties them together. I know it sounds like a trivial thing, but for wolves, territory is life. Their den shelters their babies and provides a nucleus for the pack. It’s kind of funny how the land brought your mom and Ryker together. The hand of some watchful souls reaching out from beyond, maybe.”

  “Ryker’s brother is really handsome.”

  “He’s too old for you.”

  “And too young for you.”

  They both laughed. “Not my type anyway. Got that whole John Wayne thing going. I’m nobody’s little woman.”

  Emilee nodded. “That’s true, but promise me you won’t buy egghead professor sperm. Don’t do that to your kid. At least include a little burly jock. Please.”

  Her aunt’s brow arched in a way that used to scare Emilee. Now, she thought it was funny.

  “What makes you think I’ll have a boy?”

  “Mom told me about the swinging needle our gypsy grandma told you about. Mom was supposed to have three kids, two girls and a boy. And the needle only moved once for you. Counter-clock wise. A boy.”

  Meg groaned. “My blabbermouth sister.”

  But, Mom was too busy talking to Ryker to notice that people were talking about her. You didn’t need to be a gypsy to see they were talking love and the future and happy stuff.

  Maybe I’ll get that baby sister after all.

  Some day.

  She’d be okay with that. She didn’t want to tell her mom, but Emilee actually liked her dad’s and Bree’s baby boy. She and Hunter had agreed to spend Christmas with Dad so they could bond with their new half-brother. Mom would be sad and lonely without them—unless Ryker was here. Maybe they’d go to Arizona to see Grandma and Grandpa, who’d flown up here for the long Thanksgiving weekend. Grandpa couldn’t wait to get back to their friends and the retired life.

  Her phone vibrated in her pocket. A new text.

  She entered her pass code then hit the text app. A photo of the smallest, ugliest turkey she’d ever seen filled the screen. “Eiouw.”

  Meg gave her a questioning look, so she showed her aunt the image then read the text from Haley. “Mom’s new bf is a vegan. We’re having tofurky. Trying not to barf. Save me some leftovers.”

  Meg grimaced. “Sounds like something Serena’s folks would have served when she was growing up.”

  They both looked at Serena and Austen snuggled together on the couch, oblivious to the hubbub around them. Emilee had never seen her uncle more relaxed. He didn’t even get all alpha when Ryker and Flynn Bensen showed up.

  “Who’s Haley?” Meg asked.

  “Another new girl. We bonded during school pictures.” Ryker didn’t know it, but he’d been instrumental in them meeting when he asked both for their help during the Spirit shoot. Haley herded people from the left, Emilee from the right. Afterward, they’d laughed about their newfound skill of “cowboying” self-absorbed teens.

  Emilee typed, “LOL. Will do. G-Ma made 10 pies.”

  Five…but who was counting?

  “Dinner’s ready,” Grandma called. “No hats, phones, tablets or TV at the table.”

  “Gotta go.”

  “Me, too. Later.”

  Emilee stashed her phone in her hip pocket in case she needed to take a picture or two. Maybe a selfie eating pie. Haley would be so jealous.

  *

  Mia looked at the table with pride. True, she’d had help. A lot of hands in a lot of pots in her kitchen, but she’d juggled the timing of all the dishes the way she ran a trial—with precision and attention to detail. And, to her profound surprise, she’d had fun, too. That change she credited to her new besties: Serena James and Bailey Jenkins-Zabrinski.

  Mia glanced at her new sister-in-law, who positively glowed, her baby bump delightfully evident under the warm persimmon and crème alpaca sweater Serena’s mom had knitted for her. Serena and her parents somehow roped Austen into deep-frying a turkey. The golden bird glistened at the far end of the table surrounded by heaping bowls of organic greens, yams and side dishes she couldn’t wait to taste.

  The other new additions to their table, Louise and OC Jenkins, had provided all the appetizers, which included the best smoked salmon Mia had ever tasted—OC’s contribution. Never in a million years could she have imagined this eclectic mix that, somehow, simply worked.

  “Okay, everyone,” Ryker said. “Look here. If you can’t see the camera, the camera can’t see you, and I will edit you into the finished print. No promises what sort of animal, arachnid or invertebrate will represent you. Are we ready? One…” He held up the remote and walked to his place beside Mia. “Two…” He sat, hugging her close with his free arm. “Three.”

  The flash was followed by two unannounced candid shots that made everyone laugh.

  Ryker winked and kissed her boldly on the mouth before letting go to start passing the mashed potatoes as her father carved the twenty-pound bird on their end of the table.

  As Mia looked around, her heart expanded to the breaking point with love. The past few weeks since the wedding had been challenging, filled with ups and downs, self-doubts and second-guessing, but, finally, on a starlit night, her breath crystallizing in mid-air, she’d looked at the sky and asked the only question that mattered. “Do I love him?”

  The answer resonated in her mind as brilliantly as the shooting star that flashed across the night sky.

  She’d texted him with trembling fingers. “Come back when you can. We have unfinished business.”

  “Land business or life business?” he’d replied seconds later—almost as if he’d been waiting for her in some distant time zone, wide awake, attuned to her sleeplessness.

  “Love. Life. You and me business.”

  He’d called her, then. Their call lasted two hours, but when she hung up she’d known peace unlike anything she’d ever felt. Ever. She’d crawled into bed and slept nine hours. When she finally awoke, she rounded up her children to break the news. “Ryker’s coming back for Thanksgiving and he plans to stay.”

  “For how long?” Hunter, the practical one, had asked.

  Forever? “For long enough to decide whether or not we have what it takes to make a life together.”

  “Mom,” Emilee had cried. “You and Ryker are going to be a couple? For real? OMG. It’s about time. I was afraid you blew it when he left.”

  “He’s okay,” Hunter said after a few moments of thought.

  She hadn’t known what to expect from her children, which made her a little sad to admit. But their acceptance inspired her to be equally honest with her brother. Austen’s response hadn’t been quite as positive.

  “I’ll withhold judgment until Mr. Bensen and I actually have a chance to talk. Serena thinks he’s great. Even OC called him a keeper, but you know me, Mia. I made a mistake with Ed and I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

  “We both loved Edward, Austen. For different reasons. I take full responsibility for the mistakes I made in our marriage. Ed’s not a terrible person, he just wasn’t the right husband for me.”

  Austen’s expression turned panicky. “And this Ryker guy is? Aren’t you rushing things?”

  She crossed her arms. “Aren’t you thinking about asking Serena to marry you?”

  “Maybe…okay, yes. But that’s different.”

  She gave him a look she knew he’d understand.

  Their standoff ended with a grin, which grew to a laugh. “How ’bout we table this discussion until after the holidays,” Mia suggested
. “I invited Ryker and his brother to have Thanksgiving dinner with us. He might get a look at our group and run the other way.”

  “Serena, too,” he said, giving her a hug.

  But Mia knew that was a lie. Serena and Austen would announce their engagement soon. She was sure of it. After all, he was her twin, and seeing Austen and Serena canoodling at the end of the table Mia knew he was completely, madly, whole-heartedly in love for the first time in his life.

  She knew the feeling.

  “Are you happy?” Ryker asked softly, leaning sideways till their shoulders touched.

  She felt him all the way to her toes.

  “I am. Can’t you tell?” She pushed up the corners of her mouth, which actually ached from smiling so hard. “I may need Botox after today.”

  He held a perfectly al dente baby purple carrot—from Serena’s mom’s Community-Supported Agriculture box, which she’d packed in her carry-on luggage—to her lips. “No Botox. Ever. I plan to document how beautifully you age for the rest of our days. Au naturel.”

  Her body tingled with anticipation. He’d booked a suite at the Graff and already told his brother to be prepared to fend for himself because he and Mia were going offline. Luckily, Mom, Dad and Meg had volunteered to entertain Emilee, Hunter, Chloe and Mark all weekend so their parents could have some adult time.

  Now, they just had to get through dinner, football in the backyard and the cranking of the homemade ice cream maker to top her mother’s pies. This, Mia knew, was going to be a Thanksgiving like no other.

  Chapter 16

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  Mia finished drying off after her restorative shower then slipped her arms into the plush warmth of the Graff Hotel robe. She rubbed her cheek against the thick, luxurious cotton, tugging the belt tight. She closed her eyes a moment to savor not only the decadent tactile sensations but also the rich peace of silence. The only sound was the low murmur of music coming from hidden speakers.

  Ryker had been as delighted as Emilee would have been when he spotted the in-room music system that allowed him to plug in his phone and choose the playlist he’d been putting together for this night. John Legend’s sultry voice reassured her that he loved all of her…just as Ryker claimed.

  She opened her eyes and used a hand towel to clear away the steam from the mirror. She fluffed out her damp hair, smiling as wispy curls bounced to life. She thought she’d miss long hair, but that wasn’t the case at all. A change that might not have happened if not for the cancer.

  Impulsively, she untied the fabric belt at her waist and opened the robe. The lights above the sink hid nothing. She studied her bare breasts in the mirror, turning sideways and back.

  Not bad, she admitted. Not bad at all. I think I can live with these.

  She’d barely completed the thought when a light rap sounded. The door inched open and Ryker’s hand popped in. “Bubbly. The good stuff, too. Courtesy of Troy Sheenan.”

  She opened the door wide enough for him walk in. His all-male, jaw-dropping double-take reinforced her confidence. She took the glass but set it on the counter without taking a sip. She didn’t need champagne. She needed him.

  “Thank you.”

  He looked at the glass then back to her. “For what?”

  “For making me like myself again.” She slipped off the robe and let it pool at her feet. “Your photos made me face my fear head on, but the look in your eyes just now makes me feel alive inside and womanly and sexy. And I’ll love you forever for that gift.”

  He took a breath, polished off his glass of golden bubbles then set down his glass, too, and reached for her. “You’re welcome. But you should know that’s exactly what I planned to tell you, too, tonight.”

  She pressed her face to his chest. “Why?”

  “I realized I couldn’t move forward until I faced the past. That meant confronting my mother and saying goodbye to Colette. You have no idea how liberating both of those things felt. Empowering.”

  “Flynn told me you also gave your stepfather a get out of jail free card.”

  “Sorta. But before you think I’m some altruistic chump, I should admit, I was bought off. My mother bribed me…quite handsomely…to let bygones be bygones.”

  She sensed there was a great deal more to the story but decided now was not the time to ask for details. Instead, she said, “Interestingly, so am I. As I told Flynn when you were outside risking life and limb to play football with my crazy family, I went to the County yesterday and started the subdivision process. When it’s done, he’ll get his five-acre portion. Free and clear to build on or sell. His call.”

  His jaw dropped. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “Yes, I did. Flynn didn’t deserve to lose out on his memories of his Montana summers with your dad any more than you did.” She tightened her hold on him. “We,” she said, stressing the word succinctly, “are never selling. Five acres is plenty of room for you and me to build our dream house on our land.”

  “Our land?” he repeated. “Our dream house. That sounds like a marriage proposal, Mia Zabrinski. I thought we were incompatible. Footloose me. Pillar of the earth you.”

  His tone was light but she knew the question needed answering. “I might have over-simplified our differences. And, for the record, I’m not suggesting we tie the knot right away. Marriage is a big step. Some people—Austen, for example—think we should date first.”

  He laughed. “You mean give it the winter and see if we still like each other?”

  She nodded.

  He grinned. “I’m all for dating, but I promise I’m always going to like you.”

  She saw the truth in his eyes, but there was one other important, potentially divisive issue they had to discuss. The solution had come to her in her dream last night.

  “We need to talk about kids,” she said, her voice going tight. “You want them, right?”

  “No. Sorry. You’re going to have to get rid of Hunter and Emilee.” His grin made her stick out her tongue.

  “I mean…what about another one? Yours and mine together.”

  He pressed his hand flat against her bare belly. “I thought that wasn’t possible? And, I’m okay with that. I’m not in love with your baby making parts…” He stumbled and added, “well…some of them, but—”

  She cut him off. “You’re right. The inside plumbing is gone. But, at my doctor’s suggestion, I let him harvest some eggs before the operation. He told me even if I never desired to have another child, at least, this way, I had the option.” Ryker didn’t say anything. He appeared to be thinking. “Honestly, I put that whole idea out of my mind. Even when Meg was talking about using in vitro to get pregnant, I spaced on the possibility of us using a surrogate…if we want a baby. Someday.”

  His eyes shone brightly but his answer—his love for her—came across loud and clear. “I know this is going to sound strangely traditional coming from me, but I’d love to get married first and then have a baby. Just tell me when.”

  She took a deep breath, kissed him soundly then whispered against his lips, “When.”

  When. The word made Ryker’s imagination soar. He could picture them tying the knot in the spring. Or maybe after their house was built. The possibilities were endless, but, first, he owed her the same honesty as she’d given him.

  He reached down and picked up her robe. “Come back into the bedroom. There are a couple of things I want to show you.”

  He led her to the beautiful mahogany table to the right of the gas fireplace, which flickered romantically. From the carry-on tote, he produced a folder and handed it to her. “These are the rough mock-ups of a book that will come out next spring. My agent says there’s a lot of buzz already.”

  She hesitated. “Will it make me cry?”

  He scratched his head. “Maybe.”

  She sat and opened the folder on her lap. She took her time, reading the text and studying the images of Ryker and Colette. “She was beautiful. It hurts my heart to know she’s dead.”<
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  Ryker knelt on the floor beside her chair. “Mine, too.”

  “I expected to be jealous—even though that would be petty and ridiculous.”

  “And human. I felt a stab or two of the green-eyed monster seeing your family photos spread around your parents; house. Edward holding Emilee when she was a newborn…pushing Hunter on his two-wheel bike…everybody smiling. It hurts to have missed out on so much of your life.”

  She pointed to one of the final images. He’d taken it the morning of their ride. Colette was leaning against the side of the house waiting for him to finish taking pictures. One hand rested on her belly, her face turned up to the sun. Her expression radiated joy.

  “I’m glad she was so happy. That kind of serenity is a gift some people never feel. Your book might lead them to it.”

  He rocked back on his heels. “That’s what her parents said when I went to France to show them this. They’ll receive her share of the royalties. Mine will go straight into a scholarship in her name. I like to think if our child had been born this would pay his or her way through college, the way my father tried to provide for me.”

  She made a soft cry and reached for him.

  He kissed her with a need that was both raw and timeless. He stood and pulled her to her feet. “Come closer to the fire. I have one other thing I need to show you. When I stopped at the house this morning, Flynn spotted the boxes my mom sent with my studio stuff. Remember?”

  She nodded. “Your childhood mementos.”

  “Flynn asked me what was in them and I couldn’t remember, so we looked and I found this.”

  He pulled a small, slightly yellowed snapshot out of the pocket of his robe and handed it to her.

  “Did you take this?”

  He nodded. “The summer Dad gave me my first point and shoot camera.”

  She moved it closer to the light from the fire. “Is…is that me?”

  She pointed to the girl in the red swimsuit floating in an inner tube, her eyes alight with joy. She had a stick of some sort clamped in her mouth, but you could still see the big, carefree smile on her face. Other kids were grouped together but she’d drifted closer to the shore. Close enough to make eye contact with an impressionable young photographer.