Luke's Would-Be Bride. Sandra Steffen

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СКАЧАТЬ the box of pots and pans she was unpacking.

      “Forget the cowboy hats,” Lisa said coyly. “Did you ever see so many cowboys in one room?”

      “This is ranching country, so it only stands to reason that there would be cowboys here.”

      Lisa pushed an empty box out of her way. With her hands on her hips she asked, “But doesn’t it seem more than a little amazing how things are working out? I mean, what were the chances that we’d see that advertisement luring women to Jasper Gulch? Could it be possible that there really are men in the world who are looking for more than a one-night stand?”

      “You heard what they said at the meeting tonight,” Jillian answered. “The Jasper Gents are shy but willing.”

      “I think they might have been stretching the truth a bit with that shy part.” Lifting her hair off her neck, Lisa asked, “Does it feel awfully warm in this kitchen to you?”

      Jillian shook her head and said, “Do you think the fact that you decided to stir up a loaf of cinnamon swirl coffee cake, which you baked in a kitchen that was already sweltering hot, has anything to do with that?”

      Lisa shrugged. “I couldn’t help it. After passing out those flyers to the people at the town meeting tonight, I had an incredible amount of restless energy. And you know I always cook when that happens.”

      Straightening, Jillian strode to the refrigerator. Of course she knew that Lisa cooked when she got excited, just as Lisa knew that she couldn’t boil water. Their knowledge of each other went back through a series of years, through a series of heartaches, of whispered secrets and treasured smiles, to a time when they’d both needed a friend more than they’d needed anything else in the world. In the face of such a friendship, the fact that they were complete opposites only made things more interesting.

      “I’ve never felt like this before.”

      The deep, raspy note in Lisa’s voice drew Jillian around. “What do you mean?”

      “I’ve never felt on the verge of so many possibilities. I mean, just look at this kitchen. Look at this house.”

      Jillian glanced at the old-fashioned stove, the worn floor and painted cupboards. She’d seen a lot of kitchens that were more modern, but she knew what Lisa meant. This rented house marked a new beginning for Lisa, a chance at happiness, maybe even a chance at love.

      Since the only items in the refrigerator were leftover burgers from a fast-food place in Western Minnesota and two half-empty cans of soda, she closed the door and stood leaning against it. A breeze wafted through the nearby screen, fluttering the flyaway wisps of hair around her face.

      “You were lucky to find this house in so short a time.”

      Lisa muffled a yawn with one hand. “We can thank that sweet old Cletus McCully for that. I liked him the moment I met him when he showed us this house two weeks ago. He said he trusts me. Can you believe that? He didn’t even ask for a security deposit. Did I tell you that he said people don’t lock their doors at night in Jasper Gulch? I’ve never lived in a town like this, and I certainly never thought I ever would. But just look at us. We’re here. You’ve already found a job, although I was hoping you’d take a little time off for a change, and I’m going to open a clothing store. Maybe you’re right, Jillian. Maybe dreams really can come true.”

      Jillian followed the course of Lisa’s gaze out the window to the east. “Of course dreams really can come true. Travis and Cori are living proof.”

      “Yeah. What do you suppose everyone’s doing back in Wisconsin?” Lisa asked.

      “They’re probably doing what they always do at eleventhirty on a week night. Sleeping.”

      “I’ll bet Travis and Cori aren’t sleeping.”

      Jillian shook her head at Lisa’s reference to their friends who were planning to be married next month. “You, Lisa Markman, have a dirty mind.”

      “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you for years.” After a slight pause Lisa added, “Do you think they miss us?”

      For at least the thousandth time since she’d met Lisa, Jillian wondered what it would take to make her friend see herself for what she really was. At five foot five, Lisa was a little shorter than Jillian. Her hair was thick and straight, the ends reaching to her shoulders, heavy tendrils brushing her eyebrows. On the outside was a woman who wore bright clothes, had a sultry laugh and a figure to die for, but inside she was one of the most caring and loyal people Jillian had ever known.

      “Are you homesick, Lisa?”

      “Who me?” She straightened, visibly pulling herself together. “This is my home now. The Jasper Gulch Clothing Store is set to open in less than a week, and I’ve already met a good share of the bachelors here in town.”

      A dozen men’s smiling faces flashed through Jillian’s mind, but only one unsmiling face remained. A strange kind of warmth started in her throat and slowly settled lower. Trying to think of something—anything—else, she said, “Did any of those men make a lasting impression on you?”

      “I met so many of them in so short a time it’s not easy to remember their names. Let’s see. There was one man named Karl, and I think one of them said his name was Boomer. There was an Archie and a Ben and I remember a boy named Jason, and of course that sweet old Cletus McCully. And there was that woman named Mel who owns the diner and Isabell Pruitt, who, if you ask me, looks as if she makes a habit of sucking lemons, and I remember someone named Clayt.”

      “And Luke.”

      “Who?”

      Jillian gave herself a mental shake. “Shouldn’t the loaf of coffee cake be cool enough to eat by now?”

      Lisa reached for a towel then hurried away toward the front door. Jillian stood perfectly still at the kitchen counter in Lisa’s newly rented house. She could hear the sound her friend’s bare feet made on the worn linoleum. Otherwise the night was silent.

      She’d always heard that the plains were supposed to be windy places. Tonight only the barest of breezes wafted through the open window. She wondered what the weather was like in Wisconsin. Although her life in Madison hadn’t been easy, it was still the one place in the whole world that she considered home. It was where she’d grown up, where her parents and grandparents were buried and where she’d met the three best friends she’d ever had. It had felt strange to leave Ivy Pennington and Cori Cassidy yesterday morning. But Cori was getting married soon, and Ivy, an older woman, who’d been the surrogate mother of them all, had encouraged Lisa and Jillian to check out the Jasper Gents here in South Dakota. Lisa had been so excited about coming to Jasper Gulch, Jillian hadn’t been able to turn down her request to come with her.

      In all honesty she had been feeling at loose ends lately. And she was enjoying the change of pace. Her rent was paid on her apartment in Madison, and it was going to be fun to watch Lisa systematically search for the man of her dreams. But the one thing Jillian hadn’t figured into her summer holiday agenda was her reaction to Luke Carson.

      “Jillian,” Lisa said, interrupting her train of thought, “where did you say you put that coffee cake?”

      “Right there on the railing,” she said, hurrying through the quiet СКАЧАТЬ