Charlotte Carter - Montana Wrangler

“Your apron?” She worked to keep a straight face.

He rolled his eyes, yanked off his apron and hung it on the peg where his hat had been. “Ten minutes.”

The screen door slammed behind him as he left.

Telling her grandfather they’d be back as soon as they could, Paige went out the front door.

Bryan was in the corral alongside a horse with a blond coat and mane. Impressed, she watched as Bryan hefted a saddle onto the horse’s back, then ducked down to grab the cinch and pull it tight. He seemed to know what he was doing.

In all honesty, Paige couldn’t imagine herself saddling a horse as expertly as that twelve-year-old did. Or at all. She’d be terrified the horse would step on her. Or kick her.

Bryan seemed unaware of the potential danger. That was doubly amazing considering his mother had so recently died horseback riding.

Paige bit her lip and hurried toward Jay’s truck. She had to make up for the way she’d failed her sister.

* * *

It wasn’t far from Grandpa’s place, around the north end of Bear Lake, to Highway 93 that went through town. Although the tourist season hadn’t officially started, the road was heavily traveled to and from Glacier National Park during most of the year.

Motels were mixed in between fast-food restaurants, diners and traditional businesses such as the local general store and barbershop. One cute shop, Love 2 Read Books and Bakery, had a clever caricature on the front window of a baker with a puffy white hat reading a book.

Nowhere did Paige see anything resembling an upscale resort facility with beach access to the lake. Only one restaurant, Sandy’s, seemed to offer something resembling fine dining, their specialty fresh fish and steaks.

Of course, being in such close proximity to Jay distracted Paige from her survey of the town. She couldn’t detect the scent of an aftershave, yet his masculine pheromones seemed to be doing a number on her, filling the truck cab and setting her on edge.

Or maybe it was his strong profile, a straight nose and determined jaw. Firm lips. Or even the way the wind blowing in the window teased his midnight-black hair, ruffling the strands like a woman’s fingers. Everything about him had her thinking in ways she shouldn’t.

“How come you were so excited to go to church this morning?” Jay asked. “Krissy sure didn’t have any interest.”

His question slammed the door on her wayward thoughts.

“Our folks didn’t attend church, either. The hardware store was open seven days a week. I helped out on weekends including when I was going to college.”

“That must’ve cut down on your social life.”

As if she’d had one. “When I finally moved away from home, I found I needed...something. I started going to a small neighborhood church. I felt welcome, maybe for the first time, and loved for myself.” Her cheeks flushed hot and she looked away. “That sounds hokey, doesn’t it?”

“Not really.”

She felt him looking at her and nausea roiled her stomach. Of all the dumb things to say, implying that she hadn’t ever been loved. Of course her parents had loved her. Her teachers, too. She was the good sister.

“So how about you?” she asked, determined to shift the spotlight away from her. “Do you go to church regularly?”

“I try to. If I didn’t, my ma would sure be on my case. She’s taught Sunday school for as long as I can remember.”

“That’s nice.” Paige was so new to the church, she was still trying to understand the Bible and to live a Christian life “So you’ve always been a Christian?”

Jay rested his arm on the windowsill, hesitating a moment before he spoke. “After my wife died a few years ago, I had some trouble with God, angry at Him for letting Annie die. But He and I have worked it out.”

Sympathy and a surprising surge of admiration filled her chest. “I’m sorry for your loss.” She wished there was something more helpful she could say but she didn’t have the words. “Your wife must have been quite young. If you don’t mind talking about it, how did she die?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed, the muscles of his tanned neck flexing. “Childbirth. Our son died, too.”

She gasped. Her chest ached with regret that she’d been so nosy. “I’m so, so sorry. How in the world did you ever get past your anger? Losing your wife and child?”

He glanced in her direction. “I finally figured out the Lord must’ve known what He was doing even if I didn’t. I had to trust Him.”

Tears burned in her eyes. Paige had to give him extra points for experiencing such a huge loss and rebuilding his faith.

After turning off the main road, Jay asked, “So have you thought any more about Bryan and what you’re going to do?”

Relieved by the shift from such an intimate, painful topic, she said, “As a matter of fact, I spent several hours on my laptop last night. You were right. Based on Montana law, even with Krissy’s letter, I’ll have to file a bunch of forms with the family court in order to officially become Bryan’s guardian.”

“I didn’t think it would be easy. You can’t just drag a kid off to Seattle without some kind of government rigmarole.”

“Apparently that’s true.” Given the information she’d found online, it wasn’t going to be as easy as strolling into the court in Kalispell, handing someone Krissy’s letter and getting the whole deal sewed up in minutes, either. The process was going to take days, if not weeks.

“So what are you going to do? Head on back to Seattle tomorrow?”

“No. I’m not one to give up that easily. I’ll drive to Kalispell tomorrow, see if there’s a way I can expedite the necessary approval.”

He glanced at her. “What about your boss?”

“Guess I’ll have to do some fancy talking, won’t I?” As much as she liked the hotel manager, she knew he wouldn’t be thrilled to hear her trip to Montana had to be extended. Yet nothing critical would come up in the next day or two that her assistant couldn’t handle.

“Or you could forget the guardian business and leave Bryan where he belongs.”

She tensed and stared out the windshield.

Jay made the turn into the church parking lot, which was filled with pickups and SUVs, the favored means of transportation in Montana. The church itself was a simple one-story, whitewashed building with a steeple topped by a wooden cross. A welcoming place to worship the Lord.

“I can’t forget about Bryan. Krissy picked me to be his guardian. For years I turned my back on her. A few phone calls to see how she was doing. Occasional visits. Presents at the holidays. Turns out all she wanted was for me to love her.” Guilt rose in her throat like a boulder, cutting off her air. She swallowed painfully. “Taking care of Bryan is the one thing she’s asked of me. I’m not going to say no.”

He wheeled into a space next to an RV and braked hard. “Even though you know it’s not what Bryan wants.”

That wasn’t a question, and Paige didn’t respond. Somehow she’d make it work. Make Bryan see that moving to Seattle was a great opportunity. They’d develop a good relationship. A loving relationship, one she’d want with her own child if she was ever blessed with children.

And she’d have a chance to make up for the way she’d treated her sister.

Jay hopped down from the truck and went around to the passenger side to help Paige. He needn’t have bothered. She’d managed on her own.

Within a few steps, however, Jay could tell walking in high heels on gravel wasn’t so easy. Paige wobbled, and he caught her arm to steady her.

Slipping her arm through his, she blessed him with a tentative smile. “Thanks.”

“Don’t you own any shoes without high heels?”