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Montana Wrangler
Charlotte Carter


With a high-flying career in the big city, Paige Barclay rarely finds her way back to the homestead in Bear Lake, Montana.But then a terrible accident leaves Paige in charge of her orphaned nephew. She’s prepared to take Bryan back to Seattle, far from the home he loves. Wrangler Jay Red Elk loves Bryan like a son and knows the boy belongs in Montana.He won’t let Bryan go without a fight. But as Paige grows closer to the handsome, determined cowboy, she begins to wonder whether she, too, belongs here—in Bear Lake by Jay’s side.







Big Sky Vs. Big City

With a high-flying career in the big city, Paige Barclay rarely finds her way back to the homestead in Bear Lake, Montana. But then a terrible accident leaves Paige in charge of her orphaned nephew. She’s prepared to take Bryan back to Seattle, far from the home he loves. Wrangler Jay Red Elk loves Bryan like a son and knows the boy belongs in Montana. He won’t let Bryan go without a fight. But as Paige grows closer to the handsome, determined cowboy, she begins to wonder whether she, too, belongs here—in Bear Lake by Jay’s side.


“Krissy wanted you to raise him, child. Raise him like he

was your own,” Grandpa said.

Paige’s mouth opened. Not a sound came out. She’d been named Bryan’s guardian?

Why in the world—

She’d always assumed Grandpa would be there if anything—

She couldn’t possibly—

Looking to the other end of the table, she realized Jay and Bryan were as shocked as she was. Mouths gaped open. Both of them struck dumb.

As if the words Grandpa had spoken had finally registered, Bryan’s eyes widened. His face turned red. He leaped to his feet.

“I don’t want her to be my guardian!” he screamed. “I want my mom!” Knocking over his chair, Bryan raced from the room and out the back door.

Stunned, Paige sent up a heartfelt prayer. Please, Lord, what am I supposed to do now?


CHARLOTTE CARTER

A multipublished author of more than fifty romances, cozy mysteries and inspirational titles, Charlotte Carter lives in Southern California with her husband of forty-nine years and their cat, Mittens. They have two married daughters and five grandchildren. When she’s not writing, Charlotte does a little stand-up comedy, “G-Rated Humor for Grown-ups,” and teaches workshops on the craft of writing.


Montana Wrangler

Charlotte Carter






www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)


Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.

—Proverbs 3:5–6


I want to express my appreciation

to the readers on the Harlequin Forums

who helped me to “grow” Bear Lake, Montana, with their creative ideas: Loves 2 Read Romance, who suggested Loves 2 Read Romance Bookshop

& Bakery, and Valri, who envisioned the

chatty postmistress in town.

Special thanks to my editor, Emily Rodmell,

who makes me write better books.


Contents

Chapter One (#u592f4bf8-dbd0-56e4-af55-85cba32ac43a)

Chapter Two (#u0ad1c207-e143-5171-aaea-6c2c062fc879)

Chapter Three (#u8359d1af-addb-5674-882b-005a86a85bb1)

Chapter Four (#u1b2a2ca6-f26c-5cb2-8bc9-53db60090d8c)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

Dear Reader (#litres_trial_promo)

Questions for Discussion (#litres_trial_promo)


Chapter One

Tears blurred Paige Barclay’s vision as she stood on the wide plank porch of her grandpa Henry’s house in the high country of western Montana not far from Glacier National Park.

She hadn’t cried at her sister’s funeral that morning. Their mother had always said crying was a waste of time and energy. Now, alone with her thoughts and her sense of guilt and regret, Paige’s tears were hard to hold back.

Paige eyed the horses shifting around in the nearby corral—her grandfather’s stable of horses used in his Bear Lake Outfitters operation. Their tails flashed as they flicked flies away. They stomped their feet. Occasionally they snorted or tossed their heads from side to side as though warning Paige to keep her distance.

Even from several hundred feet, she caught the earthy animal scent, which almost overwhelmed the more pleasant perfume of pine trees.

She wrinkled her nose. Did everyone in Montana have to own a horse?

She’d been terrified of horses almost as long as she could remember. Their size. Their big teeth. And that she’d been dumped from the saddle when she was five years old. A memory she couldn’t forget and one that still gave her nightmares. A broken leg. Pain. Surgery that left a scar she could still see.

Her mother upset and angry because she had to stay home to take care of Paige instead of working at the family’s hardware store.

Everything about Bear Lake and the outfitting business was entirely different from Paige’s life and her career in Seattle. In the same way, Paige and her younger sister Krissy had had little in common.

Krissy had loved horses, loved riding them, the faster the better. Four days ago, not far from here, riding a horse too fast, jumping the horse too far, had killed Krissy.

Growing up, everyone had said Krissy was the pretty sister. The fun-loving sister. Paige was the good sister. The plain sister.

Being pretty hadn’t done Krissy much good.

“My sister shouldn’t have died so young,” she said aloud, as though accusing the horses in the corral.

“If she hadn’t been riding so recklessly,” a smooth baritone voice announced, “Krissy wouldn’t have died, and I wouldn’t have had to put a good horse down.”

Thinking that she’d been alone, she started. Turning, she discovered Jay Red Elk had walked silently up onto the porch and was now looming over her. Considering she was a good five foot seven or eight, depending on which pair of high heels she wore, that was quite a feat.

Of course, her grandfather’s wrangler and trail guide stood well over six feet. His unreadable expression and more than a hint of his Blackfoot heritage in his chiseled cheekbones made him an intimidating figure. Not that she had any intention of backing down to him.

She realized during her occasional visits to Montana in the past few years she hadn’t paid much attention to Jay and had purposefully kept her distance from him and his horses. Mostly his horses, she realized.

Now she took a closer look at his hard, potently masculine physique, his closed expression and felt a shiver of awareness scurry down her spine.

“Krissy was reckless from the day she was born,” Paige admitted, her throat tight with the tears she hadn’t shed. The wildness and rebellion ingrained in Krissy’s personality had culminated in her pregnancy at age fifteen. Their parents had sent her here to live with their grandparents and to raise her son, Bryan. Apparently the change of scenery hadn’t tamed her spirit.

Jay rested his lean hips on the rustic porch railing and folded his arms across his broad chest. “She didn’t respect her horse or the land that is God’s gift to us. Perhaps if she had lived longer, she might have grown more wise.”

Shaking her head, Paige wasn’t at all sure age would have changed her sister. She was surprised, however, to hear the depth of caring in Jay’s voice. Perhaps living so close to the land, guiding others through the nearby wilderness areas, had given him a respect for both his horses and the rest of the Lord’s creations. She could admire that in a man.

“There were quite a few people at the funeral this morning. She must have had a lot of friends.” Paige, who often found herself in her sister’s shadow, had envied Krissy her popularity, but not the arguments and fights she perpetually had with their parents. Those battles had sent Paige fleeing to the safety of her room to hide behind a closed door.

“Bear Lake’s a small town,” Jay said. “Friendly, for the most part. Everyone knew Krissy. Some more than others.”

She winced, suspecting those who knew Krissy the best were men eager to take advantage of her. The few relationships Krissy had talked about during Paige’s infrequent visits had seemed like disasters in the making.

Despite herself, Paige wondered what the relationship had been between Jay and her sister. Had he succumbed to Krissy’s charms? Not that it was any of her concern.

“I would have thought you and Krissy would have had a lot in common.” Two attractive people. Horse lovers. How could they not have found themselves drawn to each other?

She felt his eyes, shadowed beneath the brim of his hat, surveying her. “Krissy wasn’t my type.”

No? What was his type, she wondered.

“Bryan seems pretty quiet for a kid,” she said, intentionally shifting her thoughts away from Krissy. Although Paige always sent Bryan birthday and Christmas gifts, she hadn’t spent too much time one-on-one with him. In recent years during her short visits, he much preferred to be outside with the horses than visiting with Aunt Paige. Now she wished she’d tried harder to get to know him. “How do you think he’s taking his mom’s death?”

“Like any twelve-year-old, I guess. He loved his mother.” Pushing away from the railing, he shoved his fingertips in the hip pockets of his new jeans and stood looking past Paige toward the corral. Instead of his usual dusty work clothes, he’d worn a turquoise western-cut shirt with a silver bolo tie and a dressy black Stetson to the funeral service at the community church in town. He hadn’t changed yet. He thumbed his hat back to a rakish angle. “He’s confused. Missing her, I suppose. He spends most of his time either at school or with the horses anyway. He’s getting to be quite a good trail hand.”

She shuddered at the thought of her young nephew spending so much of his time on a horse. Raised in Lewiston, in a small town in Montana prairie country, Paige was now a full-fledged city girl.

“I hope Grandpa Henry doesn’t let Bryan go riding off by himself,” she said.

Shifting his attention back to her, Jay’s startling blue-green eyes widened and his dark brows lifted. “Why not?”

“Well, because he could get lost. Or hurt.” That seemed perfectly obvious to her. This was wilderness country.

“If he got lost, he’d follow his own tracks back to where he started just like I’ve taught him.” Jay shrugged. “As for getting hurt, that can happen to any kid, even ones who live in a big city like Seattle. If you ask me, a kid’s better off living here than most any other place I could think of.”

She disagreed, and certainly didn’t care for his attitude about the city she now called home. After all, Seattle had wonderful parks and schools, top-notch cultural activities and every sporting event imaginable.

She lifted her chin. “I’m going to check on Grandpa. See if I can fix him something to eat.” The ladies of the church had provided a buffet lunch following the funeral service even though they hadn’t known Krissy well. But she’d noticed Grandpa had barely touched any of the salads or casseroles. “If you could round up Bryan, I’ll fix him something, too. Of course, you’re welcome to join us.”

One corner of his firm lips lifted into an imitation of a smile. “Thanks. I’ll come in later.”

* * *

Jay waited a moment after Paige went inside, then stepped off the porch. He strolled to the bunkhouse where he had his private quarters.

Whenever Paige had shown up at Bear Lake, she’d made no secret of her feelings about Henry’s outfitting business. Or her sister’s behavior. Granted, she’d been polite, and she’d tried to make friends with Bryan. But a career woman like Paige, who had some hotsy-totsy corporate job with a big hotel chain, had no clue what little boys liked to do.

She’d kept her distance from Jay. Unlike Krissy, who had fallen all over herself trying to seduce him with her bubbly personality and seductive body. He’d known right off that Krissy wasn’t a woman interested in a long-term commitment. Once he’d made it clear that he was having none of it, she had moved on to someone more accommodating.

In the process, she often left Bryan’s parenting needs to Henry and his late wife, Lisbeth. Over time, Jay had simply picked up some of the slack with Bryan—a good kid who needed a bit of encouragement and guidance.

Oddly, he’d always found Paige more physically appealing than Krissy. Paige seemed more natural than her younger sister, for all that she’d traded a small town for a big city. Instead of bleaching her hair nearly white like Krissy, she’d left it the color she’d been born with, a shade that reminded him of the sleek strands of a palomino’s mane. A straight nose and a cute little chin gave her an innocent look. Not as curvaceous as her sister, Paige was a more petite package, yet still feminine.

Not that he ever intended to act on his attraction to Paige. Like always, she’d be gone in a few days. Back to the crowds, traffic congestion and wealthy guests who stayed at her hotel. He wouldn’t even try to compete with that.

Jay’s apartment consisted of a living room, one bedroom, a bath with a claw-foot tub and a kitchen that was barely big enough to turn around in. Most of the time he ate in the big house with the family, so about all he did in his kitchen was brew coffee, which he drank black and potent.

For an emergency, he kept a jar of peanut butter on hand and some bread in the freezer.

His mother, who lived in Browning on the east side of the Rocky Mountains, kept him well supplied with photos of his nieces and nephews, which he propped on the end table next to the broken-down couch.

A photograph of his wife, Annie, took center stage among the other pictures. Annie had died trying to give birth to their stillborn son nearly six years ago. Annie had been everything a man could want—smart, funny, with dark eyes that sparkled when she smiled, and she rode a horse like she’d been born in the saddle.

Ignoring the familiar tightness in his chest, he went into the bedroom to change into a pair of well-worn jeans, scuffed boots and a comfortable shirt. Although he had a local kid who took care of the horses and was learning to be a trail guide, Jay never took that for granted. The animals were his responsibility.

* * *

Paige found her grandfather sitting in his recliner in the living room staring off into space. At eighty-five, he was still lean, his arms striped with ropy muscles, but his hair had thinned, revealing brown age spots the gray strands barely covered. From years in the sun, his face had taken on the look of a topographical map crisscrossed by rivers and canyons.

The room itself was familiar to Paige: the knotty-pine paneling, overstuffed furniture, photographs of Bear Lake on the wall and the upright piano she used to play with Grandma Lisbeth when her family came to visit. Those visits had been rare, her father reluctant to close the hardware store for even a few days.

No wonder she had dreamed of trips abroad, places far from Lewiston and the endless Montana prairie.

“Grandpa, are you hungry? I can fix you something to eat.”

Blinking, he turned his watery blue eyes toward her. “I’m going to miss that girl.”

“I know.” Paige sat on the arm of the couch next to him and took his hand, his fingers gnarled and callused from hard work. Given his age, she wondered if he’d be up to raising Bryan on his own now without Krissy around to help out. Or perhaps he’d been doing exactly that since Grandma Lisbeth passed on.

“She could be a wild one, I’ll grant you, but she never hurt anybody,” Grandpa said. “Me and Grandma kept thinking having a baby would settle her some. Never did happen.” He wiped the back of his age-spotted hand across his mouth. “Still, she had a good heart.”

“I know she loved living here with you and Grandma.” Her grandparents’ unconditional love had given Krissy the freedom to be herself, unlike the strict regimen imposed by their workaholic parents.

But Paige had thought by the age of twenty-seven Krissy should have become a responsible adult.

Five years older than Krissy, Paige wondered if she had paid more attention to her younger sister she might have grown up better. Might have understood how to live within the restraints their parents had demanded. But by the time Paige was ten, she was helping out at the hardware store after school and weekends. At the same time, five-year-old Krissy had hated the store, hated that Mom and Dad had spent so much time there instead of catering to her demands for attention. If only Krissy had tried to think of someone besides herself.

A rush of regret assailed Paige, and she shook the thought aside. No point in dwelling on the past, as her mother would say.

“There’s some leftover roast beef from last night. I could make you a sandwich. We’ve got more macaroni and potato salads in the fridge than we could possibly eat in a lifetime.”

“You go ahead and eat something. I just don’t have an appetite, child.”

Paige found it endearing that Grandpa still called her a child when she’d reached the ripe old age of thirty-two. “How about coffee and a cookie or two? We ended up with plenty of those, too.”

He patted her hand. “Guess I could handle that.”

“It’ll just take me a minute.” She kissed the top of his head.

The kitchen had been updated about ten years ago with granite counters, extra-deep sinks and a double-door refrigerator. The six-burner stove ran on propane and had an oven big enough to roast two turkeys side by side. Grandma Lisbeth had loved to cook for a crowd, including the hired hands they put to work during the summer months.

The kitchen, with its long butcher block table that could seat ten and walls of walnut cabinets, was about as big as Paige’s whole condo. Which, since cooking and entertaining at home weren’t on her list of talents, was perfectly fine with her.

She was preparing a pot of coffee when Bryan strolled into the kitchen, letting the screen door bang shut behind him.

Paige flinched, nearly dumping coffee grounds all over the counter. She recalled there was a locked gun cabinet in the mudroom filled with rifles and shotguns. She’d never gone near those guns and hoped to goodness Grandpa was careful to keep it locked when Bryan was around.

“Jay said you were fixing something to eat.” The boy was nearly as tall as Paige and whip-thin. His blond hair and delicate features made him resemble Krissy. She’d never revealed who Bryan’s father was—maybe she didn’t know—so there was no way to tell what genes the man had contributed to the boy’s appearance.

“Grandpa isn’t hungry, but I can fix you a roast beef sandwich, and there are lots of salads crammed in the refrigerator.”

“The same stuff they had at the church?”

“Yes. The ladies were very nice to let us bring the leftovers home.”

He made a gagging noise. “I’ll fix my own sandwich.”

“Up to you. Don’t you want to wash your hands first?”

He shot her a startled look. “They aren’t dirty.”

“You’ve been out there with the horses, haven’t you?”

“Sure, but that’s no big deal.” He dragged the plate of sliced roast beef from the refrigerator and plopped it on the counter.

Her career in the hospitality business, particularly at an Elite Hotel property in Seattle, had taught her cleanliness was crucial not only for the health of the staff and guests, but for the hotel’s reputation as well.

“Bryan, please. Wash your hands before touching the food.” Who knew what he might have picked up in the barn or stable?

“Mom always said a few germs won’t hurt anybody,” he grumbled. He turned on the faucet in the sink, waved his hands under the water and turned it off. “You happy now?”

Not even close. But Paige wasn’t Bryan’s mother. She needed to give him a break. The poor kid was hurting and likely looking for someone to rail against.

Assuming he had won the battle, Bryan rubbed his hands on his jeans, which looked like he’d worn them to roll around in the dirt. Paige squeezed her eyes shut. Leave him be. You’re not his mother.

Jay chose that moment to saunter in the back door, all long legs and lean body, his old tan-colored cowboy hat perched on the back of his head. He tossed his hat on a peg in the mudroom, then walked into the kitchen. A ring of sweat made his dark hair glisten where his hat had rested.

“What are you doing, kid?” he asked.

“Fixing myself a sandwich.” Bryan found a loaf of bread in the bread box, a jar of mayonnaise in the refrigerator and put them on the counter beside the plate of meat.

“Don’t go messing with that stuff until you wash up,” Jay said.

“I did. She saw me.” He cocked his head toward Paige.

“Let me see.” Jay took one of the boy’s hands, turning it palm up. “Yeah, right. I’ve seen cowboys spit and get their hands cleaner than that. Go use some soap in the bathroom.”

“Aw, come on. I’m hungry.”

“You won’t starve.” He turned the boy by his shoulders, shoving him gently toward the half bathroom that was just inside the back door.

Bryan stomped away, his boots heavy on the hardwood floor, and slammed the bathroom door.

Paige winced. “I was going to give him a pass on his dirty hands. I know he’s upset—”

“He’s a kid. He needs to be told what to do.”

“I thought this one time, he said his mother never—”

“Krissy probably didn’t. She wasn’t much for discipline.” He helped himself to a couple slices of bread and a big chunk of meat.

“And you think it’s okay for you to discipline him?”

He slathered mayonnaise on the bread. “Sure. Kids are like horses. They have to learn who’s boss. They’re happier if they know the rules.”

Paige didn’t like the idea of Jay comparing her nephew to a horse. Granted, the boy smelled like one. But he was still a child, not a horse to be broken of his bad habits.

Bryan returned to the kitchen, sullen but with clean hands.

“Get a couple plates down,” Jay ordered, his tone easy and casual. “You can have this sandwich and I’ll make another one for myself. Pour us both some milk, would you?”

Without balking, Bryan did as he was told.

Still holding the can of ground coffee, Paige looked on with amazement and a fair amount of admiration. Bryan appeared quite content to follow Jay’s orders. Clearly Jay knew more about raising boys than she had ever hoped to learn. Her focus on her career, and her ambition to move up to a position of manager of one of Elite Hotel’s European properties didn’t leave room for marriage or raising a family. Maybe someday, of course. But not in the foreseeable future.

So far no man had made an effort to tempt her to change her mind.

She watched as they sat down together to eat their sandwiches, then remembered Grandpa and the snack she’d promised him. Hurriedly, she got the coffee going and found a plate for the home-baked cookies.

She was just pouring his mug of coffee when Grandpa came into the kitchen.

“Since everybody is here, guess it’s time we all had a talk.” He sat at the head of the table and placed a large manila envelope beside him.

Paige delivered his coffee and cookies.

“Sit down here, child.” Grandpa indicated the seat next to him. “It’s important you hear what I got to say.” He glanced down the table. “You, too, boy. Pay attention now.”

An uneasy feeling raised the hair on her nape as Paige slipped onto the chair. Grandpa sounded so serious; something monumental must be on his mind. Could his health be failing? He seemed especially tired and stooped, which wasn’t like the grandpa she knew. Maybe he was going to sell the outfitting business and retire?

“Now then, we all know that Krissy could be reckless sometimes, but she did do some planning ahead. I’ll give her credit for that. ’Course, I did prod her a bit.” Clearing his throat, he pulled some papers from the envelope. “Your ma loved you, Bryan. Don’t you ever forget that.”

The boy poked his finger into his sandwich, making a hole in the soft bread.

“After your parents passed on a few years ago, Paige, I sat Krissy down to have a long talk about Bryan.”

The boy looked up. “What’d you say?”

“Hang on a minute, son. I’m getting to that.” His hand shook as he took a sip of coffee. “The point is she wanted to make sure Bryan was well taken care of if something should happen to her.”

A band tightened around Paige’s chest. Her little sister had actually worried about what would happen to her son if she had died prematurely. Grandpa must have been very persuasive. A swell of love for him and her sister filled her chest.

“She made arrangements for Bryan?” she asked.

“Yep.” Grandpa nodded and patted the papers he’d pulled out of the envelope. “She wrote out sort of a will, not that she had much money to leave to anyone. But she had her son. If worse came to worst, she wanted to be the one to name the person who’d raise her son. Be his guardian.”

Paige’s breath lodged in her throat. Maybe Krissy had finally named the boy’s father and wanted him to care for his son. Take responsibility at long last.

Grandpa shoved the papers toward Paige. “Krissy wanted you to raise him, child. Raise him like he was your own.”

Paige’s mouth opened. Not a sound came out. She’d been named Bryan’s guardian?

Why in the world—

She’d always assumed Grandpa would be there if anything—

She couldn’t possibly—

Looking to the other end of the table, she realized Jay and Bryan were as shocked as she was. Both of them struck dumb.

As if the words Grandpa had spoken had finally registered, Bryan’s eyes widened. His face turned red. He leaped to his feet.

“I don’t want her to be my guardian!” he screamed. “I want my mom!” Knocking over his chair, Bryan raced from the room and out the back door.

Stunned, Paige sent up a heartfelt prayer. Please, Lord, what am I supposed to do now?


Chapter Two

Paige pushed back her chair. “I’d better go after him.”

“No, I’ll go.” Jay stood, yanking Bryan’s chair upright again. His brows and mouth drew into a disapproving scowl. “You and Henry need to talk.” Grabbing his hat on the way, Jay went out the back door. The screen slammed behind him.

She exhaled. Someone really needed to fix that door.

Turning to her grandfather, Paige shook her head. “Why on earth did Krissy want me to raise her son? She and I have never been close. I hardly know Bryan, or even his likes and dislikes. It seems to me you should be Bryan’s guardian. You and Grandma took care of him from the time he was born.” More so than Krissy ever had, Paige suspected.

“Me and Krissy talked a lot about what to do if something happened to her. Since your folks were gone, we are the only blood relatives around.”

Paige had been stunned when her parents had sold the hardware store and moved to Arizona. Competition from big-box stores had finally driven them out of business. It turned out that decision, followed by a high-speed car crash, had been a fatal one.

“Thing is, I’m getting old,” Grandpa continued. “I don’t have many years left. We both figured I might not be around long enough to see the boy through to being a man.”

Her heart lurched. “Are you ill?”

“No, child, not that I know about anyway. And the truth is, Krissy loved you more than you might’ve realized.” He took her hand, and she felt him tremble.

“I love...loved Krissy, too, Grandpa. We’re sisters.” An ache rose in her chest. “But I didn’t really know her. How could I? We haven’t lived under the same roof for more than a dozen years.”

“I know this isn’t something you expected. ’Course, Krissy didn’t exactly expect to die young either, I don’t suppose. But she was clear about her wishes. I told her she ought to talk to you. See if raising her boy the rest of the way would be all right with you.”

“That would have at least given me some warning.” Talk about being blindsided. This was as bad as a thousand good ol’ boys in funny hats showing up at the hotel registration desk for a Shriners’ convention that wasn’t on her calendar.

If Krissy had asked, Paige would have told her right off that she wasn’t prepared to be any child’s parent. Certainly not a boy on the cusp of adolescence.

“I reckon she was afraid you’d say no,” Grandpa said.

“I would have, Grandpa.” That admission brought the heat of guilt to her cheeks. What kind of a rotten aunt did that make her? “What do I know about raising a boy? A boy who’s about to be a teenager? I can’t even imagine how I’d manage. And he sure wasn’t keen on the idea. You saw that.”

He sipped his coffee, then took a bite of a chocolate-chip cookie. “He’ll adjust to the idea, given enough time.”

“The way he acted, we’ll both be old and decrepit before he’s thrilled with the idea of me being his guardian. I’m practically a stranger to him.” Granted, she should have tried harder to get to know him. But given her life, her goals, she’d have to make huge adjustments in order to do a decent job of raising him. And Bryan would have to leave everything and everyone who was familiar to him. What in the world had Krissy been thinking?

“In those papers I gave you, there’s a letter from Krissy. There’s probably no law that says you have to take on the boy. But maybe there’s something in there that’ll make you change your mind.”

Paige sincerely doubted it. But could she actually walk away from her responsibility to Bryan, her only nephew, however ill-advised Krissy’s wishes might be?

* * *

Finding Bryan right where he’d expected, Jay leaned over the railing of Bright Star’s stall. A palomino gelding with a blaze on his forehead, the horse had been Bryan’s personal mount and his responsibility since the boy’s ninth birthday.

Archie, a border collie mix that hung around the stable, rested her nose on Bryan’s thigh as though she sensed the boy’s distress and wanted to help. Oddly enough, when the dog had shown up a year or so ago, Bryan had started calling her Archie before he realized the dog was a girl. The name had stuck.

“You okay?” Jay asked.

Bryan lifted his head, his eyes red rimmed. He wiped his nose with his forearm. “What’s all this stuff about her being my guardian?”

Jay wondered about that, too. Paige Barclay seemed the least likely person he knew to take on a half-grown kid. She hadn’t looked too happy about the idea, either. Which couldn’t have made Bryan feel any better.

“Guess your mom wanted to be sure you had somebody to look after you.”

“Not Aunt Paige!” He tossed aside a bit of straw he’d been chewing. “She’s weird. She dresses prissy and doesn’t even know how to ride a horse.”

Jay wouldn’t call the way Paige dressed prissy. More like citified and fancier than folks around Bear Lake dressed, that was for sure, but nice. Appealing to a man’s eye.

“Lots of people don’t know how to ride,” Jay said. Krissy had made a few snide comments about Paige’s disinterest in horses. So why had she chosen her sister to be her son’s guardian? A kid who lived and breathed horses? Made no sense.

“Why can’t Grandpa be my guardian?” Bryan scratched Archie between her ears and got a lick of thanks in return.

“Your mom must’ve had her reasons.” Jay couldn’t figure out what they were. But then, he’d never figured out what Krissy was all about, either. “Maybe she thought Henry was too old.”

“I know what we can do.” The boy pushed Archie away and jumped to his feet. “You can take care of me. You’re not too old.”

Jay did a double take. His heart pounded in his ears. Him? The boy’s guardian? Would that make sense?

“I’m not a blood relative, Bryan.”

“What difference does that make? You like me, don’t you?”

The boy’s agitation and raised voice caused Bright Star to shift away from him. Bryan patted the horse’s rump to reassure him.

“Yeah, I like you fine. But it’s your mom’s decision, not mine.”

“Don’t I get a say? I mean, isn’t there somebody I can tell that I don’t want prissy ol’ Aunt Paige? They can’t make me go off with her, can they?”

“I don’t know, son.” Jay had no idea what the law was about guardianship, but it did seem like Bryan was old enough to speak his mind to a judge or somebody like that. “Tell you what, there’s no reason to panic. Your aunt looked as surprised as you were about your mom’s request. Let’s give it some time, see how everything shakes out.”

“I can tell you one thing.” Bryan stuck out his chin like a prizefighter challenging his opponent. “For sure I’m not moving to Seattle, if that’s what she or anybody else decides. I’m staying right here with you and Grandpa and Bright Star.”

Jay wasn’t sure Bryan would have a choice, but he sympathized with the kid’s situation. The boy’s life was bound to change after his mother had tried to jump a gully that was too wide for the horse to make. She should’ve known better.

Even if Paige wasn’t scared spitless of horses, he sensed she wouldn’t ever do something that foolhardy.

* * *

A tear dropped on the letter Krissy had written to Paige. She’d brought the envelope with the letter to the room which had once been Grandma Lisbeth’s sewing room. Now it served as a guest room with a narrow daybed.

Her fingers shook as she reread portions of Krissy’s final message.

“I always wanted to be like you,” Krissy had written in her swirling, overly dramatic handwriting.



You were so perfect, never getting into trouble like I did. Even when I tried to be good, I messed up. Like the time I dumped all the nails in one bin at the store because I thought that would look neater.

I thought Mom and Dad would love me more if I did something good for a change like you did all the time.



Paige pressed her lips together and her chin trembled as she remembered how furious their father had been. Poor Krissy hadn’t realized nails came in different sizes and were separated for a reason. Neither their mother nor father had given Krissy credit for trying.

Paige had done as usual and made herself invisible in the back room. Why in the world hadn’t she helped Krissy?

Because you were a coward! You didn’t want your parents to be angry with you.

Finally, as time passed, Paige had realized that Krissy had stopped trying.

Paige sniffed and wiped away her tears. “I’m so sorry, Krissy,” she whispered. “I should’ve helped you. I should’ve been a better sister.”

Blinking, Paige continued reading the letter.



I know I used to drive you crazy by following you around. But I wanted to see how you did it, how you never seemed to get into trouble.

That’s what I want for Bryan. I haven’t been a real good mom, but I love my son more than I can ever say.

It just seems like I always want to see what’s around the next bend in the trail, thinking maybe I’ll find the answer I’m looking for somewhere out there. Fact is, I’ve never figured out what the right question is.

If you’re reading this, it means I took a wrong trail and now Bryan really needs you. He needs your stability, the way you have your head on straight, your ambition and your goodness.

I couldn’t give him those things. I don’t know how. But you can. Please, Paige, take care of my son for me. I love him more than anything in the world.

I love you, too.

I know Mom and Dad would want you to do this.

Kristine



Paige gulped down a whole bucket of guilt.

Mom and Dad would want you to do this.

She blew her nose and wiped her eyes. She slipped the letter back into the envelope, which also contained a copy of Krissy’s handwritten will, Bryan’s birth certificate and a record of his vaccinations up to three years ago.

She’d failed her sister. Like their parents, she’d ignored Krissy’s efforts to fit in, to be loved despite the fact she sometimes messed up.

Leaving the envelope on the daybed, she stepped outside onto the side porch from the sewing room.

Her grandfather owned sixty or seventy acres of land, most of it undeveloped. Paige had only explored a small portion as a child.

In the late afternoon rays of sunlight, the new needles on the pine and fir trees glistened bright green. Aspen trees down by the lake, which had shed their leaves for the winter, with the arrival of spring shimmered iridescent flashes of green in the light breeze. Not far away, Paige could hear Moccasin Creek flowing with snowmelt from the mountains that rose above Bear Lake.

Springtime was a wonderful time to be alive and a lousy time to die.

Tears sprang to her eyes again, and her vision blurred. “Why didn’t you tell me all this when you were alive?”

Paige would have tried harder to get to know Krissy. Understand her.

A painful laugh broke from her throat. What a joke! Krissy had recently celebrated her twenty-seventh birthday. Paige had had all that time to help her little sister and she’d done squat.

Now she had a second chance. With Bryan. If he’d let her try.

* * *

It was nearly dark and Grandpa was sleeping in his recliner when Bryan finally came in the house. He marched right past Paige, who was sitting on the couch reading, and went to his room. He slammed the door.

Patience, Paige. The youngster was facing a big change in his life. Little wonder he was upset.

Grandpa mumbled something and went right back to sleep.

Sighing, Paige got up and walked down the hall. She knocked softly on Bryan’s door. “It’s me. Can I come in?”

“Go away!”

“I think we ought to talk, Bryan. This is all new to me, too.”

Her plea was met with silence.

“Could I at least give you a hug? I know you miss your mother.” She’d hugged Bryan when she had arrived yesterday, but his response had felt more perfunctory than loving. Understandable given the situation and the fact that she hadn’t seen him in months.

She heard what sounded like a boot dropping to the floor in Bryan’s room. A moment later, the other boot followed the first.

“Your mother loved you very much,” she said to the closed door. “When she picked me to be your guardian, she thought it was the right thing to do.” Paige intended to follow her sister’s wishes as best she could. “Please, it won’t hurt to talk, will it? I’m sure we can work things out together.” That, at least, was her prayer.

The knotty-pine door remained firmly closed, the boy’s displeasure radiating through the wooden barrier without the need for words.

Paige hated confrontations. She had since she’d been a child. Although she’d learned how to deal with difficult situations in her position at the hotel, she didn’t think now was the time to push her luck. She’d let Bryan sleep tonight. Hopefully he’d be better able to listen and understand the situation in the morning.

Returning to the living room, she stood looking at her grandfather. There were definite signs of aging. He didn’t move as fast as he used to and she’d noticed he’d become breathless walking into the church for the funeral service. She feared the difficulty was more than the stress of losing his granddaughter.

Maybe Krissy had been right not to rely on their grandfather to see Bryan into adulthood. As much as Grandpa loved the boy, and Bryan loved him, the court might not even accept Grandpa as a viable candidate for guardian.

Too restless to read, and with no interest in checking what might be on the television, Paige decided to step outside for a breath of air and clear her head.

She retrieved her jacket from the sewing room and went out onto the front porch.

The spring air had a snap to it. She stepped off the porch and wrapped her arms around herself. The stars in the darkening sky twinkled in the clear air, a view rarely seen in Seattle. As she watched, more and more stars began to appear, each one filling its special place in the heavens.

Where was her special place? She’d dreamed of living in European capitals, caught up in their history and culture. In college she’d taken both French and German to help her achieve her goal. For the past three years, she’d used her vacation time to visit Elite Hotel properties overseas, immersing herself in the ambience, making contacts, planning her future.

In the course of one day, her future had taken a sharp turn and now included the welfare of a twelve-year-old boy.

* * *

As he headed to the barn for his last check on the horses for the night, Jay spotted Paige gazing at the stars. Cast in the faint rays of starlight, she looked vulnerable. Not the corporate executive who had shown up for her sister’s funeral yesterday. More approachable. More appealing and not so standoffish.

Even though he knew it wasn’t wise to test how welcoming she might be, he strolled toward her.

“How about a nickel for your thoughts?” he asked.

She started then glanced in his direction. “Is it part of your Native American thing to be able to sneak up on people?”

“Nope. My Scottish ancestors used to slip into English castles and make off with barrels of whiskey without making a sound.”

The trill of her soft laughter tickled down Jay’s spine. He hadn’t responded to a woman’s voice so strongly for a very long time.

“I gather they were well motivated,” she said.

“According to the stories my great-grandfather told, fooling the British was a mark of honor in the old days.”

She nodded before looking up at the sky again.

“So have you decided what to do about Bryan?” he asked.

“Krissy wanted me to be his guardian. I owe her that and more. I have to respect my sister’s last wish.”

Jay balled his hands into fists. That might have been Krissy’s wish, but it sure wasn’t Bryan’s. “You’re going to move him to Seattle?”

“That’s where I live. Where my job is.”

“Just curious, but how many horses do you own there in Seattle?”

“None, thank goodness! I live in a condo.”

He pictured shoulder-to-shoulder apartments with no room to breathe, and he shuddered as much for himself as for the boy. “So there’s a stable nearby where Bryan can board his horse?”

“Not that I know of. But Bryan won’t need a horse in Seattle.”

Jay moved a little closer and lowered his voice in frustration. “Miss Barclay, horses are that boy’s life. He lives and breathes for the chance to ride the trails in the mountains. Spot a bear. Or a mountain lion. Being able to see to a horizon that’s farther away than the building across the street.”

She straightened her shoulders. “The city has all kinds of advantages he doesn’t have here. He’ll be able to go to museums, art galleries, hear a symphony orchestra. He can learn to sail on the Sound. Play any sport he likes. It’s a wonderful place to live.”

His jaw was going to crack, he was biting down so hard not to tell Miss Barclay exactly what he thought of that kind of life for Bryan. “You don’t know a thing about raising a boy, do you?”

She backed up a step. “No, but I’m perfectly capable of learning.”

Pacing away from her, Jay struggled to keep calm. Krissy might have been reckless, but her sister was downright stubborn.

He circled back to her and got inside her personal space. “You’re going to take Bryan away from all that he knows and loves and stick him in some condo with neighbors close enough to hear them brush their teeth?” Jay couldn’t imagine any worse way to live, cooped up inside a building where he couldn’t smell the sweet scent of spring or the biting cold of a real winter.

Not budging an inch, she planted her fists on her hips, showing more spunk than Jay thought she had. If she were a couple inches taller, she’d be right in his face. In this case, that would be a bad thing. He might just kiss her, and wouldn’t that fry her beans?

“I know there will be adjustments we’ll both have to make, but that’s what Krissy wanted.”

“And precisely what adjustments are you going make? Take weekends off so you can be home with Bryan?” He was guessing. He didn’t know what her schedule was but he figured working at a hotel she had to work some crazy shifts.

Hooking her hand around the back of her neck, she hesitated. “I can’t do that. I’m the conference manager for the hotel. Most of the conferences are scheduled for—”

“Fine. Then Bryan’ll stay home alone. He’s old enough. Of course, he won’t know anyone except you. Hope you’ve got a lot of video games for him to play.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “All right, I haven’t worked out all the details yet. I just found out today—”

His jaw muscle twitched. “How big is your condo, Miss Barclay?”

“Will you stop calling me Miss Barclay?” she snapped. “My name is Paige, and I’m dealing with this guardian business the best I can.”

“Okay, Paige.” He shouldn’t be pressing her, but the thought of her dragging Bryan off to Seattle really stuck in his craw. “You didn’t answer my question about your condo.”

“It’s small, all right?”

“How small?” he demanded.

“One bedroom plus a home office,” she admitted grudgingly. “It will do until I can sell and buy a bigger one.”

“That ought to be cozy.” He snatched off his old work hat and speared his fingers through his hair. She seemed to honestly believe she could take on the responsibility for a twelve-year-old, move him hundreds of miles away from the only home he’d known and everything would work itself out. Not likely!

“It’s getting late.” She glanced over her shoulder toward the house. “I think I’ll go back inside. Good night.”

“Wait!” He didn’t want to stop sparring with her. Challenging her to think things through. He hadn’t yet convinced her taking on parental responsibilities for Bryan wasn’t such an easy thing to do. “When are you planning to leave?”

“Early Monday morning. I have to be at work Tuesday.” She took a few steps toward the porch.

“You’re taking Bryan with you?”

“I, um, I suppose so. I might not be able to get time off to come back.”

That was crazy. Jay had to stop her. “No, you can’t do that. You’re not officially his guardian until a court says so.”

She cocked her head. “I have Krissy’s letter. That gives me the authority—”

“He only has two more weeks of school before summer vacation. You can’t pull him out now. That would break his heart.”

“I can’t stay here for two more weeks. My boss would have a fit.” Her voice tightened. “We’ve got a big medical conference scheduled for next weekend.”

“If your boss is the right kind of guy, he’ll understand. Besides, two weeks will give Bryan time to get to know you and you to get to know him.” The lowered slope of her shoulders suggested he was finally getting through to her.

Hat in hand, he approached her slowly. “I understand you cared about your sister. And you care about Bryan, too. Give the boy a chance to know you, and yourself time to work out whatever steps you have to take to be his official legal guardian.”

She held his gaze in the starlight for a long moment as though she wanted to say something important. Instead, her jaw tightened. “I’ll think about it.” Whirling, she hurried up the steps and into the house.

Jay jammed his hat on his head. He wasn’t anything to Bryan except his friend. Grandpa Henry should be fighting on the boy’s side. Not going along with Krissy’s cockamamy idea of letting Paige raise her son.

So why was the idea of the boy moving away bugging him so much?

He thought of the son he’d lost, the tiny baby who had never drawn his first breath. The boy he’d dreamed of having. He’d planned to teach him how to ride. How to raise the best-bred quarter horses in the West. To live and work on the ranch he’d sold after Annie and the baby had died.

He’d wanted to teach his son to track animals through the woods. To hunt and fish.

But he’d never had the chance.

He scrubbed his face with his hand, remembering all of his dreams that had never come to pass. He hadn’t been able to bear the thought of remaining on the ranch after he’d lost Annie. Not with all the memories that haunted him.

Bryan wasn’t his own flesh and blood. But there were times, he admitted, when the kid looked at him with such—was it hero worship? Or could it be love? Despite himself, Jay had relished those moments.

However well-meaning Paige might be, he didn’t want her to take Bryan away.

And he had no idea how to stop her.


Chapter Three

Jay had given Paige plenty to think about, which resulted in a restless night. Her head was still spinning with all that she had to do when she woke the next morning.

She dressed in a black wool skirt and fitted yellow sweater with three-quarter-length sleeves, and headed for the kitchen. She planned to attend church this morning. To thank the pastor again for presiding over Krissy’s funeral.

Plus, she hoped with some concentrated prayer, the Lord would provide the guidance she needed.

The smell of rich coffee and the sound of male voices drew her. She stopped at the kitchen doorway and gawked. Bryan and Grandpa were sitting at the table. Jay, wearing a frilly pink apron that had to have been Grandma Lisbeth’s, was cooking pancakes on the griddle. He flipped one in the air. It landed smack in the middle of the plate he was holding in his hand.

“Very impressive.” She had no recollection of Jay preparing meals during any of her prior visits. Yesterday he’d already left to see to the horses when she’d come in for coffee. “You have an unexpected talent.”

He shot her a grin that crinkled the corners of his eyes and sped gooseflesh down her skin. A man had to be seriously macho to carry off a pink apron with such aplomb.

“When I lead a trail ride into the wilderness, the clients expect good eats and plenty of it.” He flipped a second pancake onto the plate and handed it to Bryan.

The boy grabbed the butter, slathered the pancakes, then reached for the syrup.

“Sit yourself down,” Jay said. “I’ll cook up a couple for you.”

“No, that’s not necessary. I only have coffee for breakfast.”

“You’re too skinny, girl.” Grandpa forked a bite of pancake into his mouth. “Jay’s pancakes will put some meat on your bones.”

She put an affectionate hand on her grandfather’s shoulder. “A woman my age has to be careful not to put too much meat on her bones.”

He harrumphed and ate another bite of his breakfast.

“You look like you’re dressed to go somewhere fancy,” Jay said, pouring two more circles of batter on the griddle.

She got a mug from the cupboard and poured herself some coffee. “I thought I’d go to church this morning. Anyone like to come with me?” When no one responded, she turned to Bryan. “How about you? We could hang out.”

He looked up at her with hooded eyes and shook his head.

The prick of rejection hurt. She shrugged it off. Bryan was asserting his independence. Understandable under the circumstances. Eventually he’d come around. She hoped. “How about you, Grandpa?”

“My arthritis is acting up bad this morning.” He downed a gulp of coffee. “There must be a storm coming.”

So far the day looked as sunny as yesterday had. But Paige knew not to challenge her grandfather’s weather predictions. She remembered all too well a picnic down by the dock at the lake with her mother, grandmother and Krissy with baby Bryan. They’d ignored Grandpa’s warning about the weather and he’d been right. Their picnic had been rained out.

Jay slid another plate of pancakes onto the table and sat down. “I’ll drive you.”

Her mouth gaped open. She hadn’t expected him to volunteer to take her to church. She wasn’t sure she wanted to spend time with him alone after the animosity he’d shown her last night. Besides, she was perfectly capable of driving herself.

She sat at the table opposite him. “That’s all right. There’s no need. I drove my car here.”

He crooked a single dark brow. “No sense to take two vehicles.”

“Don’t you have a trail ride this morning?”

Jay swallowed his bite of pancake. “Nope. Sundays are a day of rest for us and our horses. So it’s all settled. We’ll go to church together.”

Bossy cowboy! She closed her hands around her coffee mug, letting the heat seep in. “Fine. As long as you promise not to wear Grandma Lisbeth’s apron.”

He looked down at himself. Color darkened his ruddy cheeks. “Yeah, I think that’s a promise I can make.”

Suppressing a smile, Paige lowered her gaze. Sometimes a little teasing went a long way to smooth troubled waters. Or to gain the upper hand.

As soon as Bryan finished his pancakes, he was out the door heading for the stable and his horse.

With a grimace, Grandpa gathered himself and stood. “Think I’ll go have a sit-down in the living room.”

“Can I get you something for the pain?” Worried, Paige hopped up to take his elbow and walked with him into the living room.

“Don’t worry your head about me, girl. A little sit-down and I’ll be right as rain.”

Paige didn’t share his optimism. “Has the doctor given you a prescription for your arthritis?”

“Doc Johansen’s not much older than Bryan and still wet behind the ears. He’s as like to poison me as not. I keep my distance from that youngster. There’s not much he can do anyway about me getting old, is there?” He eased himself into the recliner and let out a sigh.

Smoothing the few strands of gray hair on his balding head, Paige crouched down beside him. “Maybe I shouldn’t go to church. I could stay home with you.”

“Nonsense.” He waved his hand like he was shooing a fly away. “I’m fine. You and Jay go on to church. It’ll do you both good.”

“If you’re sure...”

“Go on, girl. I’ll be fine.”

Reluctantly, Paige agreed to leave him on his own. She’d only be gone for a couple hours at the most.

But what would happen when she returned to Seattle? Who would take care of him then? At least when Krissy was alive, she had been around to watch out for Grandpa.

When she returned to the kitchen, Jay had already put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and cleaned up the counter. A handy man to have around.

“You ready to go?” he asked.

She checked her watch. “I guess so. I’m worried about Grandpa, though.”

He glanced in the direction of the living room and lowered his voice. “He really took Krissy dying hard. He’d been pretty lively before. Now...” He shrugged. “I’ll go change and meet you at my truck in ten minutes.”

He strolled toward the back door and plucked his hat off the peg.

“Jay,” she called after him.

He looked back over his shoulder.

“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?”

“I have running shoes but I left them at home. I didn’t expect to be gone but a few days.”

He glanced at her sideways. “You run?”

“Every morning unless I’m working an early shift. I joined a twenty-four-hour gym so I wouldn’t have any excuse to miss my workouts. Not even bad weather.”

That news surprised Jay. Given her sophistication, he hadn’t expected her to do anything more athletic than polishing her fingernails.

He glanced at her hand on his arm. Slender fingers, soft hands and nails that were cut fancy and shiny with a clear polish. Not showy but nice.

She released her grip on his arm as they reached the double-door entrance of the church. Ward Cummings, a former marine who could arm wrestle and beat anybody in town, Jay included, greeted them.

Ward handed Paige a program, then extended one to Jay. “Good to see you, Jay. Sorry to hear about Krissy.”

“Yeah. Pretty tragic.” Not only for Krissy and her son, but for the horse she rode, as well. “This is her sister, Paige. Came in from Seattle for the funeral. Ward Cummings.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, miss.”

Paige thanked him politely before moving farther into the sanctuary.

Jay and Ward did a mock arm wrestle before shaking hands. “She’s one nice-looking lady,” Ward said. “How long is she going to be around?”

Jay frowned, watching Paige walk ahead of him. “Not long.”

“Too bad. She’d add a little class to Bear Lake.”

Yeah, maybe, he thought as he caught up with her. But classy Paige had made it clear she wasn’t about to hang around Bear Lake any longer than necessary, and she sure wasn’t the kind who’d have any interest in a horse wrangler who smelled of sweat and leather more times than not.

He followed her into a pew wondering what she’d meant when she’d said joining a church was the first time that she’d felt loved. What about her folks? Hadn’t they loved her?

Right! They sent their other daughter away just because she got pregnant. That didn’t sound like love to him.

He sat down and reached for a hymnal.

“This is a lovely little church. Very peaceful feeling.” She spoke in a soft whisper than made him lean toward her, and he caught a whiff of her sweet perfume.

“I suppose it is. But sometimes if I’ve got a serious problem to work out, I go to a special place I found in the forest. I think of it as God’s natural cathedral. Towering pines. A waterfall that ribbons down the mountain like threads of silver.”

She studied him a minute, her expression intent, before she spoke. “That sounds lovely.”

“If you stick around long enough, I’ll take you there.”

She held his gaze, her eyes a deep, warm brown. “I think I’d like that.”

The organ switched from the prelude, introducing the first notes of the opening hymn. The congregation stood as Pastor Walker walked on stage and held his arms up in welcome.

Jay mentally kicked himself as he searched through the hymnal to find the right page. Why had he offered to take Paige to the spot where he went when he needed to pray? His private place of contemplation. A place where he felt closer to Annie.

He didn’t want to take someone like Paige there, a woman who didn’t want anything to do with him or his beloved horses.

As he held out the open hymnal to Paige, he realized he didn’t have to worry. She would turn down the invitation the instant she learned the only way to get to his cathedral was on horseback.

* * *

Grandpa had been right about a storm coming.

By afternoon, clouds had filled the sky, bringing with them an early twilight. Rain spattered on the roof and dimpled the worn path from the barn to the house. Inside, a cozy fire snapped and crackled in the natural-stone fireplace.

Grandpa was reading a newspaper. Bryan lay sprawled on the floor in front of the fire playing a game on an electronic device.

Pondering how she could break through Bryan’s reticence and make a connection with him, Paige sat down at the upright piano. She ran her fingers over the keys, running up and down the scales. She’d taken lessons and played all through high school, often accompanying the choir or student musicals.

“Hey, Bryan,” she said. “Remember when we used to play ‘Chopsticks’ together?”

He turned to look at her. “Uh-uh.”

“Don’t you remember this?” Using two fingers, she tapped out the familiar tune. “You got pretty good at it.”

She had his attention enough that he took the ear buds out of his ears. A tiny bit of progress.

“You played the melody and I played the accompaniment.” She struck the appropriate chords, improvising a few swirling runs. “Come on. Let’s try it together.”

“I don’t remember how.”

“I’ll show you again.”

Grandpa folded his newspaper. “Go on, boy. Give it a try.”

Reluctantly, Bryan got up. He walked to piano and sat on the bench next to her. She caught a whiff of wood smoke and little boy sweat, and smiled.

“Watch the keys I play, and you play the same ones an octave higher. Like this.” She demonstrated slowly, then asked him to try. He came close to getting it right and they practiced again.

When she thought he was ready, she let him set the beat and added the accompaniment.

They made it all the way through the song. “Magnificent!” she cheered. She held up her hand for a high five.

He looked startled, then grinned and slapped her hand.

A beginning, she thought. From little things, big things can grow.

Glancing toward Grandpa, she discovered Jay leaning one shoulder against the kitchen doorway watching her. His brows were lowered in disapproval, his lips a straight line.

Jay didn’t believe she could make a good life for Bryan. She did. For Krissy’s sake, and with God’s help, she would.


Chapter Four

“You don’t have to walk me to the bus.”

Walk? Paige was having to run to keep up with Bryan, who charged ahead of her to catch the school bus.

“I thought it would be fun to see how you got to school.” Of all the things she hadn’t brought with her, the absence of her running shoes was, at minimum, going to cost her a broken ankle.

“What fun?” He increased his pace, his backpack slung over his shoulder. “It’s a yellow bus. Big deal.”

“Bryan, slow down.” This was not the way she had envisioned starting her first Monday morning as Bryan’s sort-of guardian. “Let’s walk together.”

He halted and whirled toward her, scowling. “Aunt Paige, don’t you know the guys are gonna rag on me if they see you walking me to the bus like I was a little kid?”

“Oh.” She stopped. Swallowed hard. “I guess I wasn’t thinking.”

“Yeah, I guess you weren’t.” He turned and continued down the dirt road.

She didn’t follow him. Thoroughly chastised, she called after him. “Have a nice day.”

He didn’t bother to acknowledge her good wishes.

Sighing, she turned back toward Grandpa Henry’s house. She strolled along the side of the road, in no hurry now.

It’s not like anyone had prepared her to be Bryan’s guardian. They hadn’t given her a how-to book either. This trial-and-error business was going to be painful for both of them.

As soon as she got Bryan settled in Seattle, she’d have to arrange for family counseling. The two of them needed to learn to communicate better. Bryan would probably need some help dealing with his grief and the changes in his life.

The storm had passed through last night, leaving only a few puffy clouds in the early morning sky. Residual rainwater puddled the dirt road and oozed into the depressions left by her high heels. Jay Red Elk wouldn’t have any trouble tracking her, if he was interested. Which was unlikely.

She’d have to call her boss in Seattle, Mr. Armstrong, and tell him about the newest life-changing event since the death of her sister. Then she’d drive to Kalispell and try to deal with the guardianship arrangement.

Pausing, she watched a bee flitting around a cluster of blue lupine in a sunny area. She remembered Grandma Lisbeth knew the names of all the wildflowers in the area but Paige hadn’t bothered to remember them. Now she wished she’d paid more attention.

She looked up and her breath caught. Off to the side of the road in the shade of a stand of pine trees stood two white-tail does and their fawns, who couldn’t be more than a few weeks old. They still had their spots like two young Bambi look-alikes. The does eyed Paige suspiciously then moved farther into the woods with their precious babies.

Their beauty and dignity, their natural mothering instincts, touched something in Paige’s heart. Could she learn to be that good a mother for Bryan?

She could only pray she would, in time, learn how to give him all the love he needed.

As she approached the corral, she saw Jay saddling a horse.

He tipped his hat to her. “So you saw Bryan to the school bus?”

“Not exactly.”

He quirked his lips in what had to be an I-told-you-so grin. “He wasn’t too pleased to have his buddies see you playing mama?”

“Something like that.” She cringed, realizing he’d seen her trailing after Bryan like a stray dog.

“Kids can be sort of touchy about adults hanging around them,” he said.

Paige should have known that. But with her parents, she’d always done exactly what they had asked of her. If they came to a performance of the sixth grade class, she was thrilled. And that only happened if the hardware store could close early. She’d longed for her parents’ attention almost as much as Krissy had. The only way Paige could gain their praise was to excel at the hardware store.

A black-and-white dog with floppy ears trotted over to greet Paige. Noticing the dog was a bit plump, she knelt to pet him.

“Oh, aren’t you a good boy.” His tail wagged enthusiastically. “What’s his name?”

“That’s Archie,” Jay said. “He’s actually a she. Bryan sort of misnamed her, but it stuck anyway. She keeps the horses company, the coyotes away and lets us know if there’s a bear around.”

She popped to her feet. “There are bears here?”

“Not right now. If there were, Archie would be barking her head off.”

Taking a quick look up the hillside, Paige felt only marginally reassured by Jay’s comment.

“Archie’s also pregnant,” Jay said.

“Really? I did think he...she was getting plenty to eat.” She’d never owned a dog. Too much trouble, her mother had insisted. She imagined seeing newborn puppies would be quite a treat.

She edged closer to the corral, Jay and his horse, feeling safe with the sturdy fence between her and the animal. The way the horse watched her with those big brown eyes unsettled her. When he raised his head and nodded twice, she wondered what he was thinking and how far away she should stand from those big teeth of his.

“What kind of a horse is that?” She had to admit his chestnut coat was the reddish-brown shade of hair color many women spent big bucks to achieve.

“A quarter horse.” Jay flipped the stirrup up onto the saddle and reached for the cinch. “Best all-around riding horse there is.” Pride lifted his words.

“Does he have a name?”

“Thunder Boy.”

“That sounds ominous.”

Resting his arm across the saddle, Jay chuckled. “He’s harmless. The way he’s nodding at you means he wants you to say hello and pat his nose.”

She took a step back. “That’s okay. No need for introductions.”

His smile recast itself into a scowl. “Paige, if you want to get to know Bryan better, you’re going to have to make friends with horses. They aren’t going to hurt you.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “One of them killed my sister.”

“Krissy did that to herself.”

If Jay’s comment was meant to make her feel more comfortable around Thunder Boy, or any other horse, it wasn’t working.

He patted the horse’s neck, pulled something from his shirt pocket and stepped up to the fence. “Here.” He held out his hand. “Thunder really likes apples. Why don’t you feed him a piece?”

Paige gaped at the quartered apple. “I don’t think so.”

As agilely as a gymnast, Jay boosted himself over the corral and landed beside Paige. “We’ll feed him together. Come on.” Taking her hand, he opened her fingers and placed the apple on her palm. “Thunder will be your friend forever. I promise.”

Ripples of panic swam through her midsection. “No, really.”

Despite her refusal, he put her open hand on his palm. His warmth, the feel of his wide callused hand beneath hers, seemed to transmit a dose of the courage she’d always lacked. The sensation spread up her arm, blocking out her fears and her good sense.

Thunder bent his head over the top railing toward her hand.

“Steady now,” Jay crooned, either to Thunder or Paige, she wasn’t sure which.

Thunder’s big lips parted, revealing huge teeth. Paige almost bolted. But the horse kissed her palm with those lips in the gentlest of touches, testing the apple, then lifting it into his mouth.

Paige blinked, studied her palm, which was still intact and looked small in Jay’s much larger hand. She met his blue-green gaze. “His lips are so soft.”

Jay’s mouth tilted at the corners. “Soft as...” His thumb caressed her palm. “As soft as your hand.” He’d lowered his voice to a deep, masculine timbre that rolled through his broad chest.

Still gazing into his eyes, she slowly withdrew her hand.

“I’ve got another piece of apple if you want to try it again,” he said, his voice tempting her.

“I, um, I have to call my boss.” As if Jay were a magnet holding her close, it took all of Paige’s mental concentration to move away from him.

“Another time, then.” He touched the brim of his cowboy hat.

“Yes. Maybe. We’ll see.” Breathless, her heart racing, she hurried toward the main house. It had to be the altitude that made her feel off-kilter. The cool, crisp mountain air. Clearly, as soon as possible, she needed to return to Seattle and sea level where she’d be able to catch her breath again.

* * *

Thunder Boy nudged Jay’s shoulder looking for another treat. He rubbed the horse’s velvety nose.

“Okay, boy, you earned it.” Chuckling a bit, Jay palmed his last piece of apple. “Thanks for not biting her.”

Thunder lipped the apple into his mouth and nodded his appreciation.

Jay had met few people who were as afraid of horses as Paige Barclay was. Even fewer who had softer hands or who smelled so sweet. Like a bunch of honeysuckle growing alongside the trail. Impossible not to miss the perfume after you’d ridden on by.

He’d felt her tremble when he had taken her hand. Was that from fear? Or from something else?

He climbed back over the fence and untied Thunder’s reins. His job was to check out the trail to Arrowhead Cove, see if it was clear of winter debris, fallen trees or washed-out areas. He wasn’t supposed to lollygag around thinking about a woman with soft hands and a fear of horses.

It would be better if he could come up with a way to make her realize she wasn’t a suitable guardian for a twelve-year-old boy who loved horses.

Not suitable for Jay, either. Every inch of Paige Barclay shouted she wanted to return to the city. She belonged there.

Mounting, he turned Thunder toward the corral gate.

As he walked his horse past the big house, he spied Paige’s footprints in the soft ground leading up onto the front porch.

That woman really ought to get down to the general store and buy a pair of boots suitable for walking around the grounds and stable at Bear Lake Outfitters. Those high heels she wore might look fine on her and were okay for traipsing around on plush carpet in a fancy hotel, but not out here on the ranch.

But mountain country was different. She needed to learn that. Or go back home.

* * *

She’d tracked mud clear across the front room.

Leaning against a wall, she took off her heels and stood in her stocking feet. Mud caked her shoes, ruining them.

At the very least she’d have to start using the mudroom. And find some more appropriate shoes—and clothes—for whatever length of time she’d be here at Bear Lake.

She walked down the hallway to Krissy’s room. Guilt and regret, mixed with a trace of anger, assailed Paige as she reached the closed-off bedroom. Sisters should be close. Best friends. Someone with whom to share hopes and dreams.

That had never been the case between Paige and her sister.

Had it been Paige’s fault? Or Krissy’s? Or both to some degree?

Perhaps it was the five-year difference in age that had made it so difficult for them to communicate.

Taking a deep breath, Paige opened the bedroom door. She imagined Krissy was there, playing a game of hide-and-seek as she’d loved to do as a child. Any moment she’d jump out trying to frighten Paige.

The fact that wasn’t going to happen ever again stoked an ache in Paige’s chest that felt like a red-hot poker.

She drew a painful breath and looked around. The room shouted that a determined tomboy lived here. One who was far from being neat and tidy.

A black-and-white striped quilt had been carelessly thrown across the double bed. Photos of horses, cowboys and western scenes covered the walls. Clothes had been tossed unmindfully on a maple rocking chair; shoes and boots were left where they had fallen.

Paige shuddered, comparing her pristine and orderly condo where she rarely left anything out of place with her sister’s living space. One thing was clear, they would have driven each other crazy if they had been roommates.

A few years ago when Paige had been visiting, she and her sister had gone shopping together in Missoula, the largest town around, two hours south of Bear Lake. Their taste in clothes was so opposite, the trip was pretty much a disaster.

Feeling like she was snooping, Paige opened the walk-in closet door. Granted she and her sister were built differently—Krissy with a far more feminine figure than Paige’s almost nonexistent curves. Still, there might be a pair of jeans that would fit and maybe boots.

The thought of wearing her sister’s clothes made Paige feel ghoulish, but she wasn’t going to be here long. Her finances were such that she didn’t want to waste a lot of money buying new clothes she’d probably never wear after she returned to Seattle.

The closet wasn’t any better organized than the room. Clothes were hung in random order, jeans next to silk blouses, sundresses stuck in wherever there was room. The closet floor was a jumble of shoes and boots and fallen garments.

Kneeling, she pawed through the pile of shoes. She found one red tennis shoe, only a half size bigger than Paige wore. Now, if she could only find the matching one.

When she uncovered that, she dug in to find a pair of boots that might work for her. After that she searched for jeans. The ones she tried on were a bit baggy, but they would do for the next few days.

Taking a deep breath, she looked around Krissy’s room. The thought of clearing out and disposing of all of her sister’s things knotted in her stomach. She’d have to talk to Grandpa. And Bryan, she realized. It might be better to leave things as they were until the shock of losing Krissy had faded.

Surely there was no rush, and for Bryan’s sake, Paige didn’t want to erase the memory of his mother.

Returning to her room, Paige got the paperwork together that she needed to file for Bryan’s guardianship.

Then she called her boss. As she expected, Mr. Armstrong was not thrilled with the news that her return to Seattle would be delayed.

* * *

After the eighty-mile round trip to Kalispell, plus an hour dealing with the court clerk and filing her request to be Bryan’s guardian, Paige was tired and hungry.

As she drove by the barn, through the wide open door she noticed a young man and Grandpa inside. Parking in front of the house, she grabbed Krissy’s red tennis shoes, slipped them on and got out of the car. She left her high-heel pumps on the front seat.




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