Montana Homecoming

by Jeannie Watt

“In that case, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Yes.” Cassie opened her door as Travis started walking down the street toward his truck. “Good luck with the plumbing,” she called after him. It seemed like a friendly thing to do and the more she practiced, the better she’d get.

  He turned and took a few backward steps. “Since you won’t drink with me, I guess I have no choice but to deal with it tonight.”

  “Such is life.” She opened the door and settled into her seat, her muscles going slack against the cushioned leather as she watched Travis turn and walk down the empty street toward his truck.

  He was right. Dealing with one another in a polite way was exhausting. But for her grandmother’s sake, she’d suck it up and make this thing work.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  TRAVIS CLOSED THE cabinet door under the kitchen sink and got to his feet. The fix was simple enough—the kitchen plumbing would have to be replaced and he imagined the bathrooms would be the same. He’d offer to do it, but with the haying coming up fast, as well as the wedding, it was possible that his grandfather would simply hire the job done. He could afford it. The ranch was doing well, and Will had been careful with his money, to the point that the McGuires offered a four-year scholarship to a deserving student every year. Cassie had been the first recipient, because Will had thought that giving it to Travis wouldn’t look right. But the ranch had helped pay for Travis’s education, and a rodeo scholarship had covered the rest. They’d both done okay, except that Cassie had used her education, while he only used facets of his.

  As Cassie had said earlier when they parted ways, such was life. Situations cropped up; decisions were made. Cassie had chosen her career over family life and he’d done the opposite.

  They’d both given up something.

  Travis went upstairs to check the bathroom plumbing, his boots echoing on the wooden steps. Things looked good under that cabinet, but he was going to suggest that his grandfather change out all the sink plumbing to keep leaks at bay.

  He came back down the stairs and stood for a moment in the living room, debating next moves. It was early and he wasn’t ready to drive back to the ranch. Cassie might have said no to a drink, but there was no reason he couldn’t stop by the Shamrock Pub and see if his old rodeo friend Gus Hawkins was tending bar. Maybe a beer would help take the edge off, because after his dinner with Cassie, he was just this side of tense. It had been difficult to carry on as usual when he really wanted to interact on a more personal level.

  Why was he so drawn to her?

  He’d decided long ago that it was more than the sense of protectiveness that had flooded him when she’d taken the facer during graduation, although that had been the turning point. After that, her face and mannerisms had become a source of fascination. He enjoyed the way her eyes narrowed and gleamed as she plotted strategy, and the suspicious tilt of her full lips when she thought he was playing her. More than that, he liked it when she let go and laughed and they shared a moment, however brief.

  She hadn’t laughed much tonight, but he had enjoyed it when the old Cassie peeked out from behind the professional facade Cassie had erected. He hadn’t been kidding when he said that she came off as stiff, and that stiffness, he assumed, was a defense she’d developed to tamp down her natural impulses to accept every challenge, fight every battle. In the professional world, particularly education, an attitude like that might be a hindrance to career advancement, at least until a person reached the upper echelons, and Cassie was all about her career.

  And there it was. Cassie. Career. That was what he was up against and a small part of him whispered that it was best to leave things as they were and not complicate both of their lives by engaging.

  * * *

  HAVING GROWN UP RURAL, Cassie did what everyone did when they made a trip to town—she stopped by Hardwick’s Grocery to grab a few needed items before driving back to the ranch. Walking the aisles had been remarkably soothing after being on high alert with Travis for over an hour, and when she returned to her car with a bag of life essentials—microwave popcorn, chocolate and the diet soda Katie didn’t like—she felt more in control. It was amazing how an hour with Travis had tilted her world. Even more amazing was the fact that she was still thinking about his fingers grazing her back and how she’d responded.

  Unacceptable.

  Right.

  She started her car and headed out of the parking lot, telling herself that she had the situation under control and that tomorrow’s session with Travis and the horse was no big deal.

  She was approaching the Gavin city limits sign, set a hopeful half mile outside what one would consider the limits of the city, when her phone rang. She answered via her sound system, then pulled off the road as a familiar voice said hello.

  “Darby?”

  “Yes! I’m in town and I’d love to get together tonight. Is that possible?”

  “You’re in town? I thought you weren’t due until next week.” She had a note on her calendar.

  “Kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing.”

  “Imagine that.” Cassie’s very best friend from high school was also her polar opposite. Darby used to joke that, between the two of them, they made a normal person. Maybe that was why they’d been inseparable.

  “I got a call for an interview in Missoula earlier today, and given the current state of my company, I decided I’d better jump on this before my ship sinks.”

  “I can understand that.” Darby worked in the corporate office of a major department store, but online shopping was putting a squeeze on them, and it was anyone’s guess as to whether the store would survive. “I bet the job being in Montana doesn’t hurt your feelings.”

  Darby had never wanted to leave Gavin, but career opportunities in their small hometown were minimal. At least Missoula was only a couple of miles away.

  “I have my fingers and my toes crossed,” Darby said with a laugh. “I know it’s a drive for you, but I’d love to talk face-to-face.”

  “I think this was meant to be because I’m on the edge of town.”

  “Excellent! I’m at my brother’s and he’s in the process of going over my car because it’s making a funny noise. He does not want to go out for a drink when he’s done, but I do.”

  “I’m turning around now.”

  “Are you talking on the phone while driving?” Darby asked sternly.

  “No. I’m not. I pulled off at the city limits. I’ll pick you up in five.”

  “I can’t wait to catch up.”

  It’d be more a matter of Darby catching up with Cassie than vice versa. Darby emailed often, while Cassie kept waiting for the perfect moment to write back. And, stunner, the perfect moment rarely arrived. She communicated, but not as frequently as her friend. For that reason, she would be buying the drinks. One each, because she had a long drive home.

  Darby was waiting for her in the driveway and Cassie was struck by how little her friend had changed. Her reddish-brown hair was caught up in the artless bun that suited her angular face, and her bangs brushed her eyebrows as they had since she and Cassie had become besties in the fourth grade. When Darby wore makeup, she was stunning. When she didn’t, she was striking. Tonight she was striking.

  Cassie had barely gotten out of the car before she got a hug. “It’s been too long,” Darby said. “You look great.”

  There was a scuffling sound from under Darby’s car and her brother Finn appeared on the other side. “Hey,” he said with his easy grin.

  “Hey yourself. Are you sure you don’t want to come out with us?”

  “Are you kidding? Every time I go out with you guys, I end up in trouble.”

  “Not true.”

  “Yeah?” He lifted his eyebrows. “Name a time.”

  “Funny,” Darby said with a mock sneer. Then, as she walked with Cassie to the car, she said sotto voce, “You
can think of a time, right?”

  “Maybe...” Not really. Poor Finn had never done well with the two of them, having gotten into trouble more times than he should have. It wasn’t that she and Darby had made trouble...it was more like they’d stumbled into it and Finn followed.

  “I’m a rule follower now,” Cassie said.

  “You’ve always had a predilection for rules, but lately—” Darby opened the door “—I’ve noticed an alarming escalation.” She grinned at Cassie as she closed her door.

  “I can’t be in charge of district-wide discipline policies and do some of the stuff we used to do.”

  “Guess we won’t be toilet papering any houses or anything tonight.”

  “Nope. Not unless I’m certain we won’t get caught.”

  Darby laughed, and Cassie noticed that it wasn’t her full-on life-is-great laugh. Having a shaky job situation was stressful. “Where to?” she asked.

  “Surprise me.”

  Cassie put the car in gear. “One surprise, coming up.”

  * * *

  “YOU HAD DINNER with Cassie Callahan?” Gus Hawkins, half owner of the Shamrock Pub, set a draft in front of Travis, then wiped the polished wood with a damp towel, taking care not to make eye contact. Probably because he had a stupid smile on his face.

  “Our grandparents are getting married, so Cassie and I are putting our rivalry behind us.”

  “You went to dinner to celebrate this newfound peace?” Gus lifted a skeptical eyebrow, then reached for his water bottle.

  “It’s a little early for celebration.”

  “Still have a few kinks to work out?” Gus guessed.

  “It is Cassie we’re talking about.” Travis picked up his beer.

  “But things have kind of softened between you, right?”

  “Can you imagine them any more tense than they’ve been?” Back when they’d fed off each other, acting and reacting.

  “Not without one of you exploding,” Gus said before drifting down the bar to take an order.

  “Is Thad okay?” Travis asked when he came back.

  Gus frowned at the mention of his great-uncle, who owned the other half of the pub. “Yeah. Why do you ask?”

  “I thought you’d given up bartending to ranch full-time.”

  Gus gave him a self-conscious grin. “Lillie Jean is kind of pregnant and I’m taking the occasional shift to make extra money for baby stuff.”

  “Kind of pregnant?”

  “Not showing, but totally into it. The sewing machine is going full-time.”

  “And you?”

  Gus’s smile widened. “It’s scary, but exciting. And Thad...” He laughed. “He’s been waiting a long time for a great-grandniece or nephew. I think he’s going to change the big wooden ranch sign to include the baby’s name.”

  “Better hope he or she wants to ranch.”

  Gus tipped the water bottle again, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “My kid will want to ranch.”

  A commotion at the far side of the room brought Gus’s head up. Raymond Quentin was being his usual asinine self, trying to hit on Vince Taylor’s daughter Mellie. Travis shook his head and focused back on his beer.

  “I’ll be tossing him out before the night is over,” Gus predicted.

  “My money is on Mellie. She’ll toss him out.”

  Gus laughed. Mellie was a princess, but not someone to mess with. “More like neuter him. I think it’s going down now.”

  Indeed. She said something to Ray, his face went red and then he made a sneering reply before heading back to his laughing group of friends near the pool tables. From the shoulder punching and finger pointing, it was fairly obvious that a bet had been made and that Ray had failed in his mission.

  Travis turned back to the bar, but Gus watched for a few seconds more before turning his attention back to his friend. The place was busy, but not so much so that Gus couldn’t carry on a conversation.

  “I hope he’s learned his lesson.” Gus leaned his shoulder on one of the decorative columns behind the bar. “How are things on the ranch?”

  “Busy.” Travis tipped his mug. “And the wedding will be on the ranch, so that just adds to the...”

  His words trailed and his beer mug didn’t quite reach his lips before he put it back down again.

  “What?” Gus asked, automatically looking to the door.

  “Nothing.” Except that his dinner date, the one who had to go home, wasn’t at home. She was here. Cassie and her friend Darby stopped inside the door, exchanged looks, then made their way to a table.

  “Right,” Gus said. “Listen. If you guys challenge one another tonight, make it pool or darts. Not drinking, okay?”

  Travis gave his friend a dark look.

  “Old habits can be hard to break,” Gus said before tilting up his water bottle.

  Travis’s mouth curled into a smirk. “Thanks for the moral support.”

  “Anytime.” Gus punctuated the words with a couple of swipes of the bar rag, then headed down the bar to where a patron waited at the far end.

  Travis had a couple of choices. He could have his drink at the bar and slip out, or he could amble over and have a pleasant word with Cassie. She hadn’t gone home. Big deal.

  But why couldn’t she have simply said that she had plans?

  Because her plans are none of your business.

  He was about to turn back to the bar, when Cassie spotted him from across the room, and from the way her eyes widened and her lips parted for a brief instant, it appeared that she was having a small attack of the guilts. Travis stepped down off his stool. Best to clear the air. No hard feelings and all of that.

  “No bar fights,” Gus said in a half-serious voice.

  Travis lifted a hand to indicate he’d heard, then wound his way through the tables toward Cassie and Darby. This was an excellent time to practice the fake politeness of which they spoke.

  * * *

  “I DON’T BELIEVE IT,” Cassie said in a low voice. Darby—who was surreptitiously watching Ray Quentin, a man she’d once disastrously dated believing that he was misunderstood and redeemable—followed her gaze.

  “Oh,” she said simply. “It’s Travis.”

  “It is. I had dinner with him and told him I was going home.”

  “I guess he knows that’s not true,” Darby said.

  “Guess so.” Did she owe him an explanation? In the name of peaceful relations, she might.

  Darby gave her a perplexed look. “You had dinner with him?”

  Cassie gripped her drink with both hands, the ice in the gin and tonic the server had just delivered chilling her fingers. “We are on the cusp of developing a new working relationship.”

  “Meaning?”

  “When we’re around family, we’ll be nice to one another.” She didn’t mention the part about spending time together to practice getting along, because she was still mulling over the situation in her head.

  “That will be new and different.”

  Cassie gave her friend a look, then glanced up as Travis neared the table. “Hey,” she said when he was close enough to hear. “Guess I owe you an explanation.”

  “Nope.”

  He honestly looked as if he didn’t want to hear one, but she continued to explain, just so that the facts were out there. “Darby called as I was leaving town.”

  “You don’t owe me an explanation,” he said firmly, which made her feel more self-conscious than before, as if she was protesting too much, which she was.

  “Right.” She lifted her chin. “Would you like to join us?”

  Travis shook his head. “I’m catching up with Gus. But thanks.”

  “Why’d you come over?” She had to ask, even though she had a feeling she was going to regret doing so.

  “So that
you wouldn’t feel self-conscious about being here after saying you were going home.”

  Her cheeks began to heat as she said, “Oh.” She wasn’t used to being thrown off her game by someone being nice, and it was kind of annoying. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. See you later.” He gave her a cool nod, then smiled at Darby. “Good to see you, Darby.”

  “Yeah,” Darby echoed with a smile. As soon as Travis was out of earshot, she leaned closer and said, “How is he still single?”

  “I guess,” Cassie said through her teeth so no one could hear her, “that the right woman hasn’t come along.”

  “Huh.” Darby took a sip from her drink. She glanced at Ray again. “I hope he doesn’t notice me.”

  “Do you want to leave?” Because Cassie wouldn’t mind leaving one bit.

  “After my drink.” She lifted her diet cola. “I’m not going to let a blast from the past keep me from doing what I want to do.”

  “Good for you.” But having Travis and Ray there had put a damper on their moods. “When will you be driving back through Gavin?”

  “The interview is tomorrow at one, if Finn gets my car up and running. If not, I’ll borrow his. I’ll be back tomorrow evening or early the next morning. I’m burning vacation days for this, but I’m afraid that if I don’t, I’ll be getting those vacay days in a severance package, so I don’t mind.”

  “That’s tough.”

  Darby drew in a breath and exhaled. “It’s the way it goes. But maybe this is a silver-lined cloud. I’d really like to get something closer to home.” She picked up her drink, then sipped through the straw. “I’d like to live here, so that I’m closer to family, but I’ll never find anything in my field here.” Like Katie, Darby had built a career in the human resources department of her company, but specialized in recruiting. Unfortunately, as business decreased, so did recruiting opportunities.

  “Do you like your field?” Darby frowned and Cassie continued, “Katie quit her corporate job and started fresh. She’s really happy.”

  “She also has a ranch to live on rent-free.”