Montana Mistletoe. Roxanne Rustand

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СКАЧАТЬ regarded him sadly. There’d been a time when her greatest dream had been to stay right here and become Jess’s wife. To spend the rest of her life with him. She’d never wanted to do anything else.

      Breaking up with him had nearly destroyed her. Then Alan, a college friend, had caught her on the rebound while she still felt shattered and alone. She’d mistaken comfort and kindness for love, and had ended up in almost twelve years of marriage that cured her of all her remaining foolish hopes of happily-ever-afters.

      She would never again pin her hopes of happiness on some guy. Now she dreamed of doing something more.

      “I want to devote the rest of my career to autism research, so I’ve applied to a number of PhD programs in Special Ed. I hope to start school either spring or fall semester.”

      He raised an eyebrow. “I’m impressed.”

      “Well, don’t be,” she said with a laugh. “I haven’t been accepted yet. In the meantime, halfway through a school year isn’t the best time to try to find a full-time teaching position, so I’ve been trying to pick up enough substitute-teaching jobs to make ends meet. I finally decided to ask my dad if I could help out on his ranch and stay with him for a few months.”

      Jess gave her a curious look. “But that didn’t work out, apparently.”

      “He sent a very brief email saying I was welcome to come, so I showed up at his ranch a couple days ago. He hadn’t bothered to tell me about his whirlwind romance with a woman only a few years older than me. Or that they’d raced off for a Las Vegas wedding and a honeymoon in Florida for two weeks. Apparently they’d just come home when I arrived. Dad was out hauling cattle, but his wife was there and she was not very friendly.”

      She realized she was starting to babble, but couldn’t seem to stop.

      The whole weird deal with Dad and his new wife had been ricocheting through her head since that brief, awkward visit. What would a pretty young thing like Darla want with an old duffer like Dad? His money? He dressed like a grizzled old cowboy with a few dollars in his pocket, but he’d built his Shy Creek Ranch into a successful Angus-breeding operation, and West Coast investors had driven up the price of ranch land in recent years. He ought to be financially secure into old age unless something went terribly wrong.

      “It was very apparent that his bride doesn’t want me around, interrupting her marital bliss.”

      Jess’s lips twitched. “I suppose that would be a problem, with his adult daughter hanging around.”

      The touch of amusement in his voice gave her hope. “I obviously can’t stay there now that Dad has remarried. But I’d like to be in the area for a while so I can at least check up on—I mean, visit him. Without a job, I’ll need to leave and try to find work somewhere else.”

      Jess took another swallow of coffee. At the troubled emotions playing across his handsome face, she reached for her car keys on the table and started to rise. “I understand this is a difficult situation. You can tell Betty that I changed my mind about the job so she doesn’t blame you.”

      She was almost to the door when he called out her name.

      She turned back to him with mixed feelings of relief and dread. Given their past, it would be so much easier to just walk away. Maybe she could find a waitress job in Billings or Laramie or Denver if she couldn’t find enough substitute teaching days there...

      “This is probably a mistake, but we both know it’s nothing personal—just a business arrangement between two adults. Right?”

      Relief started to bubble through her. “Of course.”

      He handed her a piece of paper. “Here’s the advertisement I’ve been running in the Montana newspapers and a cattleman’s magazine, listing the expected duties and qualifications.”

      She picked up the document and scanned the list. “This seems reasonable enough. I’m not a gourmet cook, but no one will starve. As for the rest, no problem.”

      Jess lifted a brow but apparently decided she had to be kidding about her cooking, because he quoted a salary that was more than generous.

      She felt an inward sigh of relief. Now she had a place to live and an income to keep up with her bills.

      Best of all, she’d be close enough to visit Dad’s ranch now and then. He’d always been the strong, silent, reclusive type, and maybe this would be a chance to finally grow closer...and also make sure he hadn’t fallen for a woman planning to make off with his money.

      But this temporary job would be nothing more than that. Temporary. She had no illusions about it becoming anything more.

      Seeing the depth of Jess’s love for his grandmother and those little girls, she knew he’d matured into a wonderful guy. His family was blessed to have someone like him in their lives.

      But she already knew how little she’d mattered to him.

      He’d broken her heart beyond healing years ago, when he adamantly decided to pursue a dangerous rodeo career despite her pleas to stay home and be safe. Her own brother, a bull rider, had been paralyzed for life while competing just the year before, and Abby had been terrified for Jess. But he still hadn’t listened.

      After the biggest argument they’d ever had, he’d chosen rodeo over her. Then he’d turned his back and walked away.

       Chapter Two

      Jess felt a surge of deep relief as he pulled to a stop on the highway and waited for the twins’ school bus.

      He’d been stunned at seeing Abby again, and more than a little hesitant to hire her, but in retrospect her unexpected arrival had been a godsend. After today, she’d be able to handle the bus-stop run and most everything else involving the house, the girls and Betty’s needs during the day.

      At least until he finally found the right permanent employee.

      When Abby had stepped out of the shadows in Betty’s hospital room, he’d been nearly overwhelmed by his attraction to her, the clench of his heart and a cascade of memories that came out of nowhere, threatening his equilibrium.

      But seeing her had also catapulted him back to the last time they’d seen each other. The ultimatum she’d delivered. The wrenching pain he’d felt when she insisted that he give up his lifelong dream of a rodeo career that could help him finance vet school.

      Dad had already said that more college was a waste of time and that he belonged back at the ranch—promising that he wouldn’t get a penny for school. Vet school loans would have saddled Jess with crushing debt.

      If Abby had really loved him, how could she have tried to force him to give up what he wanted so badly? After his state championships in high school and college rodeo, she should have known that he had a good chance of making his dreams come true.

      They’d broken up.

      He’d done what he wanted.

      Yet just a year later, the irony of his decision bit deep. Dad got sick, and Jess had had to give up those dreams. СКАЧАТЬ