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There was a loud knock on the door and they both turned toward it.
“Room service. You two decent in there?”
“It’s Shane,” Jenny whispered, fussing with her uncombed hair.
“I know,” Savannah whispered back and started giggling. “You look fine.” She slapped at Jenny’s hands and called out, “Come on in.”
Shane pushed the door open with his back, carrying a full tray in front of him. “Hannah said this one’s on her, but that you two better not get spoiled. Lots to do for Thursday’s feast.” He set the tray sideways between them and started to leave.
“Want to join us?” Savannah asked. “Looks like there’s plenty.”
“I think I’ll leave you two alone with your girl talk.” He smiled politely as he stepped backward and left the room, closing the door between them.
Jenny sat cross-legged under the covers and studied the contents of the tray, not commenting on Shane’s surprise visit. “Umm...look at this! Belgian waffles and strawberries. Hannah is such a dear. I can’t wait to go down and see her.”
Savannah attacked one of the waffles. “You can pretend you’re not interested all you want, Jenny, but I saw the way you looked at Shane when you were here last year. Don’t tell me you aren’t attracted to him.” She bobbed her eyebrows a couple of times before stabbing more waffle.
Jenny pictured his stubbled chin and for a second she let herself imagine how it would feel against her cheek. Then she washed down her waffle with some black coffee and met Savannah’s questioning stare. “Look, I know you mean well, girlfriend, but don’t go getting any ideas about an instant replay of you and Ryder. Shane and I are two totally different people.” She pointed her empty fork at her friend and punctuated the air with it. “It isn’t gonna happen. I’m here to enjoy the holidays with my best friend and then I’m back to Michigan where I belong.” She held Savannah’s gaze a moment and could see the disappointment before she looked away.
What she said was true, wasn’t it? Michigan had always been her home. But when was the last time she’d been truly happy there? Especially since her mother’s death and Savannah’s move to this...this paradise. She wanted to think of it as a godforsaken place, but it didn’t ring true. Every time she thought of Montana it was a magical portrait, unspoiled by man, still populated by magnificent beasts—Shane not the least of them. If only she had Savannah’s gentle and trusting heart....
“Where did you go?” Savannah sipped her coffee and eyed her over the rim of the china cup.
Jenny averted her gaze. “Just enjoying the moment... being here with you.”
“I meant to ask you before, but how did you manage so much time off around the holidays? I would have thought you’d be swamped with parties.”
“We are, but there’s loads of college kids looking for holiday jobs. Besides, I’ve been working extra hours and freezing like mad. And I haven’t taken a day’s vacation since I left here.” She sipped more coffee and added, “The boss wasn’t exactly thrilled, but I didn’t give him much choice.” He could have asked her to leave permanently—an idea that had crossed her mind, anyway—but he hadn’t.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t get back for your mom’s funeral. The doctor thought it best I didn’t fly—”
Jenny reached out and touched Savannah’s hand. “Not another word. I totally understand.”
“You must really miss her.” Savannah squeezed Jenny’s fingers.
Did she? A wave of guilt passed through her. Of course she did. Sometimes. But in truth, most of the time she felt relieved. “You know what a bitter woman Mom was.” Savannah nodded, still holding onto Jenny’s hand. “She spent her whole life being angry with my father for deserting us. I wish she could have found some happiness before—” She heard the catch in her voice and let the words die on her lips. Savannah knew the story. There was no need to explain. And it was for this reason she had come to Montana—a friend who knew her like no other, who cared. There was a soft tap on the door and Jenny turned toward it, swiping at the moisture that teetered on her lower lashes.
“It’s Billy,” the timid voice said. “Can I come in?”
“You sure can,” Jenny called out, glad for the distraction.
Billy opened the door a crack and popped his head in, shyly assessing the situation.
Jenny turned to Savannah. “Who’s that handsome young man with all the pearly white teeth?” She winked and Billy stepped inside, moving slowly toward the foot of the bed.
Jenny opened her arms wide. “Come over here and give me a big ol’ bear hug.”
His grin spread from ear to ear as he ran the rest of the way. “I’m so glad you came back, Jenny Moon.”
She held him tight and rocked him side to side. “I’m so glad I came back, too, Billy Malone.” Then she set him away from her and studied him from head to toe. “You must have grown a foot since I was here.” She looked at his tousled blond hair that was so much like his mother’s, and she ached again for the loss this young boy must have felt eighteen months ago—a loss she knew he’d always feel. “And look at those teeth. Lucky you. No braces for those perfect choppers.”
He laughed and sat down on the side of the bed.
“Billy?” Savannah eyed him from the side of her face. “Did you miss your bus again?”
“No, ma’am. The furnace is busted at school so we got a longer holiday. Ain’t that great?”
“Isn’t it.”
“Yep. I think it is.” He looked from one to the other, then giggled, enjoying his own joke. “I gotta go help Dad snowplow.” He sprang off the bed with youthful enthusiasm and then stopped halfway out the door. “Wanna make a snowman with me later, Jenny?”
“It’s a date,” she said with a smile.
He started to blush and quickly shut the door between them. As soon as he was out of earshot, Jenny asked, “Does he talk much about Maddy?”
Savannah wiped whipped cream from her mouth with a napkin and looked suddenly quite serious. “He says a prayer for her every night at bedtime, but other than that he never mentions her name.”
“Poor little guy.”
“Sometimes Ryder takes him over to the Purple Palace for lunch. The same girls are still working the place since Maddy left them the business. He loves seeing them all and they’re so good to him, but he’s too smart for his own good. He has a pretty good idea what kind of monkey business goes on there, so we’ve limited his visits.” Savannah looked down at her bulging belly, then stroked it lovingly.
“As hard as we try to assure him that this is now his home and that he has a special place in our family, I think he still worries how this baby might change things for him. He idolizes Ryder so. I think the idea of sharing him might be scary.”
“But he’ll see in time that his place is secure.” Jenny rubbed her friend’s arm. “His concerns are only natural, don’t you think?”
Savannah nodded her head slowly. “I suppose.”
Shane had checked on a sick foal in the stables, gone back to the cabin and shaved, and was now standing in the kitchen making small talk with Hannah, wondering if it were a mistake lurking around for another glimpse of that troublesome woman upstairs.
Hannah took a loaf of bread from the oven and glanced up at him. “If yer hangin’ round fer some of this here bread, ya gotta long wait till it cools off.” She let her gaze dart between him and the task in front of her. “Or might there be a tother reason yer taking up my counter space, heh?” She wiped her hands on her apron, then stood with her hands on her hips waiting for him to deny the obvious.
The two women bounding down the back stairs to the kitchen saved him from sparring with the all-too-wise housekeeper.
Jenny set the empty tray on the counter, then flew into Hannah’s embrace. The old woman looked embarrassed but didn’t push her away, thumping her heartily on the back instead. “Good golly, girl. Ya ain’t nothing but skin and bones. How do ya manage to cook so good and weigh so little?” She stepped back, threw her arms out to her sides and laughed. “Looka me. Obvious I like m‘own cookin’, wouldn’t ya say?” She let out a husky chortle, then turned back to her bread. “So, ya gonna help me with Thanksgivin’ dinner, ain’t ya?”
Shane enjoyed the exchange and watched Jenny lean her elbows on the chopping block and smile across at Hannah. “Now what do you think?” There was a cockeyed grin on the older woman’s face. “It would be pretty hard to keep me out of here, but thanks for the invitation just the same. What can I do to help today?”
Hannah waved her hand then brushed a loose gray hair behind her ear. “Not a thing. I never start on Tuesday, so go have some fun while ya kin. Tomorrow we’ll be busier than flies on cow flops.”
Jenny laughed and turned to Savannah who was nodding her head toward Shane, her light brown ponytail swinging like a pendulum behind her
Behind them Shane said, “I got some free time if you’re interested in taking out a couple horses.”
Savannah offered a quick wink of encouragement and Jenny turned to face him. She folded her arms and looked as though she were weighing her options, but in truth he knew she wanted to go. Memories of previous rides rushed back to him, good times that he knew she hadn’t forgotten, either.
“Won’t we freeze our butts off? I don’t think I have the right clothes—”
Savannah moved alongside her friend. “I do.” She wrapped an arm around Jenny’s waist and squeezed hard. “So I guess it’s all settled. Gee, wish I could go with you but—” She withdrew her arm and ran both hands over her rounded middle. “I got some work to do in Max’s office.” She waddled out of the room and called over her shoulder. “Have a good time, you two.”
Shane shuffled his feet on the hardwood floor and hooked his thumbs into his back pockets. “If you don’t want to—”
She lifted her chin. “Who says I don’t want to?”
He waited for a smile or some sign of genuine interest, but all he saw was a mask, that old tough facade he’d seen so often. Her brown eyes met his and didn’t blink. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll meet you in the stable. How long will it take you to get ready?”
“See ya in ten,” she said curtly, then headed down the hall without a backward glance.
What was it going to take to thaw this woman, anyway? And why was he even trying? He started for the door, shaking his head and forgetting about Hannah.
“She’ll come around, son. Don’t let that look fool ya.”
With his hand on the doorknob he looked back at the woman who probably knew him better than any other. Her head was down but she was smiling in that knowing way of hers as she kneaded more dough.
“I’ll be back for some of that bread later. Smells great.”
“Uh-huh.” She kept smiling and kneading as he let himself out.
Before he could reach the stable, Ryder’s pickup truck crunched snow in the driveway and rolled to a stop. Billy darted from the passenger side.
“Isn’t it great, Uncle Shane?” he asked, his breath making small white clouds near his rosy cheeks.
“Isn’t what great, Billy?”
“You know...having Jenny here for the holidays.”
Ryder stepped out and rested his hand on the boy’s shoulder, one eyebrow cocked and a grin from ear to ear. Shane looked from one to the other. If he didn’t know better, he’d think the pair were part of some grand conspiracy. “Yeah. It’s great,” he said finally, forcing an edge of indifference into his voice. He glanced up the road and back. “Done with the plowing already?”
Ryder nudged Billy toward the back door. He didn’t need a second invitation to get out of the cold. “Josh rousted a few volunteers from the bunkhouse at the crack of dawn. They’d cut a path to the farmhouse before we got out here.”
“So how’s little brother doing up there?”
“The new interior partitions are all done and some of the drywall. He even has a bed set up and the fridge stocked. We may not see him for days.”
Shane laughed and started for the stable. “He’ll be back before Jenny’s Thanksgiving dinner. Count on it.”
Ryder followed him from the tack room to the horses as he started saddling a pair. “Speaking of Jenny—”
Shane spun on his heel, about to tell Ryder there were enough matchmakers lurking around, when Jenny opened the large double doors behind him.
Ryder stole a quick peek then smiled and muttered under his breath, “That answers one question. Have a good time.”
“Ryder!” Jenny flew into Ryder’s arms and he spun her around, lifting her booted feet from the ground. “It’s so good to see you again.”
Ryder set her down, his hands lingering on her narrow shoulders. “Ditto, sweetheart. You can’t imagine how excited my wife’s been, waiting for this time.”
“Me, too.”
“Well, sorry to run off, but I promised Billy I’d help him with some science project for school.” He looked back at Shane and winked, then shut the stable doors behind him.
Shane busied himself buckling straps, averting his eyes, trying to ignore the quickening of his pulse as she walked toward him. But soon the sweet smell of warm hay and dung were replaced with the scent of a woman who made him too nervous for his own good. The chestnut gelding he was saddling for her had a different reaction. He whinnied and put his muzzle forward for her to rub, possibly remembering her from before or simply interested in the butter-mint she held in her open palm. He took it greedily and she stroked his neck.
“How you doing, boy. You remember me? Hmm?”
Shane watched and admired her ease. For a city slicker, she did well with horses. If she was afraid of them, they would know. For a second he wondered if she sensed how uncomfortable he was with her. With more poise than he felt he said, “Ready to go?”
She tilted her hooded face to him, mischief dancing in her dark brown eyes. “Don’t I look ready?”
He could see puffs of her breath in the air between them, reminding him that everything wasn’t as warm as the layer of skin beneath his flannel shirt and down-filled jacket. He handed her the reins of her gelding, then walked two stalls over to his own quarter horse.
Once outside the stable, they mounted and he braved a look at her. “You sure you’re up to this?”
She stared at his face, no hint of a smile left on her lips or eyes. Then she said, “I don’t know. Time will tell, I guess.”
There was little doubt in his mind that she was no longer referring to their ride. With a quick look up the road, he dug in his heels and led the way.
Jenny rode past the corral and up the gentle incline, following the diagonal tracks in the otherwise pristine patch of new snow, a little surprised that their horses had left the groomed trail for a more difficult terrain. She stopped alongside Shane at the crest of the first hill and, after catching her breath, relaxed in the saddle and took in the endless horizon. The gelding lowered its head and pawed at the pillows of white beneath his feet, then sniffed so hard that it let out a loud sneeze, which made Jenny laugh.
“That’s better,” Shane said, and she glanced over at him, pretending not to understand, but the meaning wasn’t lost on her. She’d been combative with him ever since he had met her plane. And for what reason? To keep him at arm’s length? There had to be an easier way. It was a beautiful day and it would be a shame not to enjoy it. Besides, how much trouble could they get into out here, bundled up like a couple of Eskimos?
She stroked the horse’s mane and smiled, looking out at the valley and miles of butte and snowdrifted ridges, which almost blinded her with its whiteness. She squinted at the biggest blue sky she’d ever seen and remembered why she had loved this place so. The vastness of it all reduced her problems to less than a speck of dust on a freshly painted wall. At home her loneliness seemed to consume her, yet out here, where she could see the mountains meet the sky a hundred miles away, she felt at peace, one with her surroundings. Even if Shane had stayed behind this morning, she knew she would not have felt lonely here.
Shane reined in his horse and turned around, moving face-to-face beside her. “Warm enough?” His breath burst from his lips as he eyed her.
If she’d been cold before, the temperature inside her quilted parka rose by degrees with the feel of his breath on her cheeks. She watched his sure fingers untie the wool scarf at her neck. “What are you doing?”
His eyes met hers and lingered there before glancing down at her lips. She licked them involuntarily, then kicked herself mentally for doing so.
“Your skin’s not as weathered as mine. Frostbite’s nothing to fool with out here.” He started to turn the scarf around and knot it behind her head, but then he lowered it and gazed deep into her eyes, in that haunting way of his that left her feeling naked and without secrets. “Do you think we could call a truce while you’re here?” he asked finally.
“I didn’t know we were at war,” she snapped, seeing the disappointment in his eyes. He started to turn away but she grabbed his jacket and met his eyes evenly this time. “Okay. Truce?”
A slow smile reached his eyes and she felt a trickle of sweat trail down from between her breasts.
“Want to see Josh’s farmhouse? It’s about a fifteen-minute ride if we cut over the ridge.” He pointed east and she saw nothing but foothills and snow-laden pines.
“I’d love to,” she said. He moved closer and reached for her scarf, his eyes hesitating again on her lips. He shifted in his saddle and inched closer. Those slow hands she had always admired circled her and Jenny closed her eyes. Then she felt the tug of the knot at the back of her head and a moment later, his face so close to hers that she could feel his breath through the wool, he hesitated, then raised the scarf over her nose.
“There. That ought to do the trick.” There was a hint in his smile that said he knew what she was thinking, yet he didn’t give voice to his thoughts, but simply turned his horse and loped toward the ridge.
So much fur the kiss, she thought, and smiled hehind the cover of the scarf. He thought he was so clever. Huh! She’d seen it in his eyes. There was little doubt what was on his mind. And there was little doubt something would happen before long.
Jenny nudged her horse and followed Shane’s tracks, marveling at the beauty around her. Millions of tiny diamondlike flakes winked at the brilliant sun, keeping her company till she reached her destination. Once there, evergreens cast long ink-blot shadows, conjuring all sorts of images. She caught up to Shane and looked down at the stream below. A slow trickle was making its way over fallen timbers and shiny rocks of all sizes. She looked up and saw a puff of smoke coming from a fieldstone chimney a couple of miles away. It rose above an old farmhouse with a large covered front porch. A stake truck, parked alongside, was covered with a large gray tarp, a few two-by-fours jutting out the end.
“Is that Josh’s place?” Even from a distance it appeared warm and cozy, nestled among pines and bare-branched aspens that wound their way further up the foothills of the MoJoes, the majestic pair of mountains that overlooked Joeville, the area Shane’s great grandfather, Joe Malone, had laid claim to over a hundred years ago. For miles below there was level land and Jenny could already imagine fields of tall golden wheat waving in the wind as large combines cut a wide swath.
“Yep. It’s all Josh’s now. Used to be my great-grandparent’s place when they first moved west. Then Granddad built the ranch and this has been abandoned ever since. When Dad tripled our living quarters and added all the outbuildings, it didn’t look like anyone would ever live up here again.”
“I think it’s perfectly charming. I can see why Josh is so excited.”
“Yeah, well, wish we could say the same for Dad. He still holds fast to the old ways—that pure ranchers don’t farm. And now that Josh has taken up flying so he can crop dust when the time comes—” Shane repositioned his wide-brimmed bat and chuckled “—well, let’s just say there’s a little tension between Josh and Dad.”
Jenny laughed. “You’re a fine one to criticize Max for being set in his ways. When was the last time you changed?”
Shane sailed but his expression grew more serious. “What about you?”
Jenny stopped laughing. “What do you mean ‘What about me?’”
“Well, for example, why don’t you want to talk to Buck...learn more about those herbs you’re so interested in?”
She rolled her eyes. “Here we go again. Indians! Why do we always end up talking about Indians?”
His smile disappeared, his brown eyes turning nearly black. “Buck is one person, not a whole race. Besides, he’s like family to me. He’s a good and wise man who knows much about the things of the earth, who could teach—”
“Look, Shane—” She started to argue her point, but thought better of it. What difference did it make if he understood her attitude? She wasn’t going to change it, and that was that. “I promised Billy I’d help him build a snowman. Maybe we should head back.” She turned her horse away from him and avoided his eyes. She knew what she would see and feeling guilty was not on her agenda today.
Silently he turned and followed, eventually riding alongside her the rest of the way. The beauty she had witnessed on the way out was lost on her now, an inner turmoil dogging her every thought. She didn’t want to spar with Shane, but she could never share his love of Indians, either. Why couldn’t he try to understand and just let it go?
Three
As Hannah had promised, Wednesday was a busy day in the kitchen. In between serving the usual three meals, Jenny and Hannah prepared for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving dinner.
After supper Jenny covered her cranberry gelatin mold and found the last available space in the refrigerator, while Hannah wrestled with the thirty-pound turkey, finding another feather to pluck.
“There. Think I got ’em all. Ya sure we cain’t stuff it tonight? I always have, ya know.” Hannah reached for the large box of foil.
“I know a lot of people do, but it’s much safer to wait till just before we put it in the oven.” Jenny eyed the old woman who had had her way in this room for over forty years, surprised she was even considering a change.
“Well then...ya’ve proved ya know what yer doin’ since the first day ya set foot in here, Jenny Moon. So guess we jes wait till t’morrow.” She wrapped the big bird and shoved the box of foil in Jenny’s direction for the dressing.
Jenny smiled, enjoying the compliment Hannah had just paid her.
“So ya gonna stay here this time, young one? I sure did miss yer help. These old legs cain’t take much more of these long days.”
The casual conversation ended as subtly as a brick through the window. Hannah was now working her agenda. Jenny knew it would come sooner or later, but was surprised how soon. She remembered Max’s open invitation the last time she’d been here. There was no doubt she would be a welcome addition to the ranch. The work was actually easier and a lot less stressful than her catering job back home. And here she would be with Savannah and all the others she had come to care for. So why the hesitation? Only one word popped into her thoughts.
Shane.
Could she be around him for long and not get involved? Was she ready to trust him? Or any man, as far as that goes? A fling was one thing, but a commitment was quite another. Her mother had taught her well: men could not be trusted. In a flash she pictured Ryder with Savannah and the obvious love they shared Maybe, just maybe, some men were different....
“Whatcha daydreamin’ ’bout, girl? Didn’t ya hear my question?”
“Hannah, you don’t need me. Savannah’s a big heip and—”
“And she’s gonna have a youngin soon...who has ta come first, a course. Whatever time or energy she’s got left over will be spent changin’ beds and vacuumin’ for me. M‘back cain’t handle them jobs anymore. Besides, she loves doin’ Max’s paperwork in his clinic out back. That alone takes her hours nearly every day.” She picked up the bundled bird and headed for the extra refrigerator on the side porch.