Claire, her future sister-in-law, laughed as she dumped the steaming pasta into the strainer. “You both need to get out of Montana more.”
Giving the petite blonde a look, Katie shook her head. “Nope. I got enough of the city when I went off to college. I’ll stick to Montana men who wear their jeans the way God intended—which is not plastered to their legs.”
“I don’t know, I think some guys can pull it off,” Claire mused, “If—”
Her words ended in a squeal as Wyatt wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck.
“You still checking out other guys, honey?”
She collapsed back against him in a giggle and shook her head. “No, cowboy. I’ve only got eyes for you and that glorious backside of yours in a pair of Levis.”
Katie averted her gaze, stirring the pot of red meat sauce as the two shared a kiss. Wyatt and Claire were so adorably in love and emotionally connected that sometimes it left Katie feeling uncomfortable.
Maybe it was because they all lived under the same roof and before the end of summer her brother and Claire would be married. Sometimes Katie felt a little bit like that third wheel cliché, even though she knew they’d never deliberately sought out to isolate her.
But after years of having been the only girl, she was sharing the role of “household female” with Claire. And Katie adored the woman, she really did, but it was a pretty big change. She’d adjust. Just like she’d adjusted to her father passing, and Cal moving out and selling his share of the ranch. Change was part of life.
Clearing her throat, she brought the subject back to the bachelor party. “Hey, Wyatt, one of the guests is from Marietta.”
“Oh, yeah?” He released Claire and moved to lean against the counter. “Who is it?”
“Hunter Richardson.”
Wyatt’s brows furrowed. “The name sounds familiar.”
“I think he graduated in Cal’s class. He was”—she searched for words—“a bit of a loner. He had a bit of a reputation. Skipping class, smoking and drinking underage, and often getting in trouble with the sheriff.”
“Oh, that guy.” Her brother nodded slowly. “Yeah, I think I know who you’re talking about. Same dude who went on to be a big game developer in Seattle, right?”
Katie blinked at that bit of info. “Uh, well, I have no idea, actually. I figured he just worked for Microsoft or something.”
“No, if it’s the same guy, then Hunter has his own company. Turned his life around in a big way, it sounds like. Good for him.” He gave a short nod. “It’s not an easy thing to do.”
“Hmm.” Claire frowned. “And now he’s back in Marietta and staying on your ranch? Kind of weird, isn’t it? Wouldn’t he want to stay with his family?”
“For a bachelor party?” Wyatt laughed. “Nah, now that’d be weird. There’s gotta be some kind of story as to why they ended up here, though. Is he the one getting married?”
“No.” The idea of him being the groom filled Katie with a weird sense of irritation.
Why it should matter, she couldn’t say. He wasn’t even her type.
Her chest tightened. She could tell herself that all she wanted, but her mind wouldn’t stop replaying that moment where he’d touched her braid and looked her over a little too thoroughly.
Maybe she wasn’t always quick to pick up on flirting, but there’d definitely been appreciation in his gaze. And, unfortunately, she couldn’t deny she’d been admiring his new image a bit longer than was probably appropriate.
Who knew if he was even single anyway? She hadn’t seen a ring, but that didn’t mean much. If he was all that and a bag of chips, like Wyatt had suggested, then chances were he was involved with someone.
The sound of laughing and men’s voices filled the house.
“Sounds like the bachelor party has arrived ready to eat,” Claire murmured. “Should we start bringing food out?”
Wyatt didn’t answer, because he was already grabbing the pan of giant meatballs and making his way to the dining room. That was one thing Katie had always admired about her brother. He didn’t get weirded out about helping out in the kitchen or breaking those stereotypical gender roles.
Claire pulled the garlic bread from the oven, quickly sliced it up, and then went to join the others.
The dining room table was extended with the leaf now that it was summer and the cabins were filling up. Besides Claire and Katie, the table was filled up completely with men. There was Wyatt and the two ranch hands, Lyle and Tim, and the three men from the bachelor party.
“Spaghetti? Is that really what we’re eating? Figured we’d be eating steak twenty-four seven seeing that we’re on a cattle ranch.”
Katie’s attention snapped toward the end of the table where one of the men sat. His surly tone needled and his lips were curled into a sneer of disdain. If she remembered correctly, he was the groom. Lance? Her heart sank and she bit back a sigh. If this was an indication of what was to come, it was going to be a long week.
“Steak every night would get boring fast, don’t you think?”
The slow drawl came from Hunter who was quietly helping himself to the garlic bread.
Lance sighed. “I’m just so damn pumped to be getting a break from Denise and her damn vegetarian cooking. If I never see another bowl of zoodles with cauliflower sauce it’ll be too soon. I want some fucking meat, man.”
Not even about to ask what a zoodle was, Katie gave him her most saccharine smile and slid the bowl of meatballs his way.
“Here, try these. They’re made with the beef we raise here on our ranch. I made each meatball by hand using various herbs we grow in our garden. The sauce has tomatoes I grow in the garden.”
“Shit, you serious?”
No, it all came from the local grocery. She bit her tongue, knowing there was no point in trying to be sarcastic when this man clearly lacked a sense of humor.
“I guess I can be down with that.” Lance’s sulk diminished some as he dished himself up a plate of sauce-laden spaghetti and then plopped three meatballs on top.
“We’ll be having a steak dinner tomorrow night,” Wyatt said, his voice a steely warning that Lance’s attitude wasn’t appreciated. “The first night can be a little chaotic with everyone arriving at different times, so we try and keep things simple.”
Katie shot her brother a quick look of appreciation, before sliding her gaze around the table. Dan, the other guy in the bachelor party, looked mildly uncomfortable. Fortunately, it seemed he didn’t share the groom’s appalling lack of manners. For the most part, he’d been fairly subdued and quiet.
When her perusal slid to Hunter, she found he was already watching her. His mouth curved into a tight smile and an apology flashed in his eyes.
The gesture meant more to her than he could’ve realized, and the ball of resentment in her stomach loosened a little.
She gave a slight nod, before the slight intimacy of the moment began to unnerve her. She broke eye-contact and reached for the pasta, more than ready for this first dinner with the bachelor party to be done.
Chapter Two
Although he didn’t consider himself a violent person, sometimes when Lance opened his mouth, Hunter wanted to shove his fist in it.
When Lance had carelessly insulted Katie, Hunter had clenched his fists beneath the table as a slow roil of anger had moved through him. He’d been about to speak up again, when Wyatt had first.
Hunter didn’t get angry often, but when he did, Lance was usually the main reason behind it. Fortunately, the dinner passed without any further offensiveness from Lance. Despite his bitching about the food, he’d devoured the dinner with obvious enjoyment.
Once dinner was finished, Hunter, Dan, and Lance said their thanks, before making their way out to the front porch. When conversation turned to heading into town and hitting up Grey’s Saloon, Hunter’s gaze drifted to the window where he could see Katie carrying plates into the kitchen.
A prickle of guilt hit him.
“Maybe we should’ve helped clean up.”
“Clean up? What, is this your mom’s house? Hell no.” Lance scowled. “This is our vacation. My bachelor party. That’s what we’re paying them for.”
What I’m paying them for. Hunter corrected mentally with a grimace. Still, it felt a little rude to eat and run. Or maybe he was just making it personal.
“You ready to hit this small-town watering hole?” Lance slapped his cousin on the back. “You ready to get wasted, Dan?”
“Yeah, sounds fun.” Dan’s tone was contrary to his words though.
“What about you? Ready, Hunter?”
Was he interested in going to Grey’s? God no. It sounded awful coming face to face with people from his past. Though he knew he wouldn’t be able to get away with avoiding it all week, he could at least plead off tonight.
“I’m pretty tired from the drive over, not to mention fighting off a killer headache. I think I’m going to crash early tonight. Tomorrow. I’m in.”
“Headache?” Lance scowled. “Man you sound like a chick.” He turned and walked away, throwing his hand up in the air. “Whatever. Have fun wanking off, buddy.”
Hunter watched the two of them climb into Lance’s BMW and hid a smile. Maybe he should’ve felt some level of guilt, but, hell, he figured when he was footing the bill, he had the right to pick and choose what to do.
As the sports car roared down the dirt road, Hunter checked the kitchen window again. There was no sign of Katie anymore.
A pang of disappointment hit and he walked over to the porch swing on the opposite end of the deck. He sat down, shoved his hands into his hoodie, and stared out at the blue sky above the tree lines. Sunset was still a few hours off, but he craved the brilliant starry night he couldn’t find in Seattle.
Silence fell over early evening, heavy and only broken by the sound of crickets. Calm eased through him, taking away all his irritation with Lance, and the stress of the long drive over from Seattle. His breathing slowed as the clean, evening air refreshed him.
It was better than any meditation class he could’ve taken.
Damn, but he hated to admit he missed this place sometimes. But this. Where it was just him and nature, he loved.
He couldn’t be certain how long he sat there, but the soft fall of footsteps had him snapping out of his near trance-like state.
The sweet scent of baked goods filled the air, before he recognized Katie’s slender form walking toward him. A hint of tension took root in his muscles.
“Figured you’d have headed into town with the rest of the guys.” She sat down beside him, holding out a plate of cookies.
He sat up straight and accepted a cookie off the plate.
“I’m not really your clubbing or bar type of guy.”
“Understandable. I get dragged out for a girls’ night now and then, because I’m told it’s good for me. But, fortunately, we really don’t have any clubs around here.”
He snuck a glance at her. She’d taken her braid out. Her hair fell in long waves over her shoulders, and over her blue plaid shirt.
So she went out occasionally, huh? He tried to visualize how Katie on a girls’ night out would look. Replace the plaid shirt with a halter top, maybe some big earrings and heavy makeup, and she’d certainly be getting hit on by just about every red-blooded man in the place.
“So, this Lance guy...”
He pulled his thoughts back to reality and grimaced. “Can be a complete jerk. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. He wouldn’t be the first one I’ve dealt with at the ranch.” She shrugged. “Besides, maybe he’s just had a long day.”
He nodded. It probably wouldn’t help matters to explain that, no, Lance really just was an asshole most of the time. “We were dorm mates, back in college.”
“Ah, so you knew him before you worked with him.”
He could almost hear her silently adding, that explains it.
Instead, she asked, “So, are you gonna try that cookie or just hold it?”
At her soft teasing and nod toward the dessert, he took a bite of the cookie.
“Chocolate chip?” he murmured after a bite. “Mmm, with pecans?”
“Yeah. Good, huh?”
“Incredible.” He finished the cookie in another two bites. “Did you make these?”
“Nah.” She gave a slight smile in the semi-darkness. “I’m okay at the meals, but when I try and bake I usually end up summoning a demon.”
He laughed, relaxing a little more around her. He wasn’t a natural born charmer with women. Not like Lance, or some of the other guys he’d known over the years. Granted, he’d had far more luck with women since his company took off, but sometimes talking to women often felt like taking a test he hadn’t studied for. A little uncomfortable. A little anxious. Like he’d never have the right answer.
Surprisingly, Katie didn’t evoke those emotions in him. He felt weirdly relaxed. The only time he felt this relaxed was when he was programming, gaming, or when he managed to immerse himself in nature. Be it hiking or camping.
Maybe feeling comfortable around Katie shouldn’t be a surprise, though. From what he remembered about her, she’d always been very sweet and social in school. The girl who was everybody’s friend, and never said an unkind word. The only reputation she’d earned was for never swearing.
She was the girl next door personified. Only she hadn’t lived next door to his home, in the rundown part of Marietta. She’d lived up here in the hills, on this wide-open ranch just outside the town.
She pulled one leg up on the swing and turned to face him. “So, you’re just hanging out here then? Calling it an early night?”
“Thinking about it. I’m a little tired.”
“It really is a long drive over from Seattle.”
He had to wonder how often she’d gone to Seattle. Had she ever been? “You’ve done it before?”
“All the time for a couple years.” She hesitated, then glanced out at the trees. “I went to the University of Washington for a year. While I was there I made sure to come back at least once a month to visit my family.”
Surprise rippled through him. “You went to the UW?”
She bristled and cast him a sharp look. “You don’t need to sound so amazed.”
“I’m not,” he protested. “Okay, maybe I am. I just didn’t figure you for—”
“The college type? Well it turns out in the end I wasn’t. Or not the full immersion kind.” She went quiet again. Her tone softer when she added, “I came home and got the rest of my degree online.”
When he fell silent next to her, Katie cringed inwardly. She could guess well enough what he was thinking. That she’d failed in school. That she couldn’t handle being away from her family. And maybe a half-dozen more scenarios.
Maybe she was guilty of one. The missing her family, but as to the first, he’d be wrong. She’d done great in school. High school and then college. But when she’d finally hit her to breaking point, she’d known she had to go home. And she felt no shame in it.
“What kind of degree did you get?”
There was no censure in his question, just curiosity. She’d been bracing for judgment so hard, the relief had the tension in her muscles easing.
“I got a business degree.”
He cast her a sideway look. “Really?”
“Yeah. You look surprised again.”
“No. Well, maybe I am a little. Kind of figured you for the teacher type or something.”
Her lips quirked. “You’re saying I give off the teacher vibe?”
“You’re just... I don’t know. Nice and sweet. I guess I always visualized you all grown up with preschoolers clinging to your leg or something.”
Amusement danced through her, because he wasn’t far off. She helped out in the daycare at church now and then.
“Are you laughing?”
She shook her head. “Well, maybe a little. I can’t decide whether to laugh that you visualized me as b
asically Mary Poppins, or just by the fact that you thought about me at all.”
His smile dimmed some and he shrugged.
“I mean we really didn’t hang out, Hunter.”
“Maybe not. But I knew who you were.”
“Were you friends with my brothers?” A thought occurred to her and she brightened. “Actually, you and Cal might’ve been in the same class.”
Any remaining hint of a smile vanished into his compressed lips. “Who knows, I can’t really remember.”
She frowned. “What year did you graduate again?”
Hunter rose, sending the porch swing into motion. “I’m going to head off to my cabin. Thanks for the cookie. You have yourself a good night, Katie.”
“Oh. All right.” She rose to her feet too, but he was already striding down the steps and toward his cabin. “You too,” she called lamely after him.
That was weird. She wrinkled her nose and watched him disappear inside the cabin.
Hunter Richardson was an interesting man, and it made her want to remember what kind of boy he’d been.
She eased off the porch swing and made her way inside the house.
“Hey,” Claire called out from the living room. “We were just about to take a walk to the river. You want to come along?”
“Thanks, but I actually have something else to do.” She flashed them a smile as she moved past them and up the stairs to the second floor.
Once inside her bedroom, she sank to her knees beside her bed. After reaching under, she pulled out the long storage case that held all sorts of old nostalgic items from her life, including yearbooks.
She grabbed all four from her high school years and tossed them on the mattress. She went straight for her freshman year, when Cal would’ve been a senior and Hunter too.
And there he was. Her chest tightened as she traced a finger over his face. That much was the same. A strong jawline and the intense hazel eyes that seemed to see so much. In this photo, his gaze was hard and defiant. Almost like he dared someone to criticize him.
His hair was even lighter then, and thicker and longer than she’d remembered. Discomfort slid through her. Back in high school this would not have been a popular look to have. Maybe even a little controversial.
Falling for the Hometown Girl Page 2