Forever Dreams (Montana Brides) (30 page)

He rushed to the sink and grabbed an empty cup, filling it with cold water. He drunk it faster than it spilled out of the faucet.

Jordan burst out laughing. “You’ve got it real bad, brother dearest. The woman’s got her claws into you big time only you’re too thick to see it.”

“What the hell are you talking about now? Gracie’s claws are nowhere near me. If it weren’t for the fact that she’s staying with mom, I wouldn’t even know where the hell she was living.”

Jordan headed over to the fridge, disappearing behind the doors for all of two seconds. “Thank God for Mrs. Davies. At least you’ve got decent leftovers.” A plate of cold meat and a bag of bread ended up on the counter. “This is what we need. I’ll make some sandwiches and you can tell your little brother all your troubles.”

Jordan started stacking slices of bread with meat. Trent walked over to the fridge and grabbed the salad and mayonnaise. If he had to talk about his nonexistent love-life, he might as well eat in style. They could be here for a long time.

“How did your first day at school go?” Karen stood at the kitchen counter, putting the finishing touches on a meat pie for dinner.
 

“I had a great time. The kids were really pleased to see me and Gerald has a nice teaching style. The next two weeks should be fun. Do you want me to make a salad?”

Karen nodded at the fridge, “Everything you’ll need is in there.” She put the pie in the oven and then moved across to put the kettle on for a drink.
 

Gracie chopped some peppers and started deseeding a handful of grapes. “There’s a new exhibition opening up at the Crazy Horse Gallery next week. One of the teachers is exhibiting and gave me two tickets to opening night. What do you say we put on our bling and go hobnob with the glitterati for the evening?”
 

“Sounds exciting.” Karen took a sip of coffee and watched Gracie as she shredded the lettuce. “I know this is none of my business, but I need to say it anyway. Trent seemed downright miserable when he dropped your suitcase back the other night. You haven’t been looking all that happy yourself. In fact, looking at those dark rings under your eyes, I’d guess you haven’t had much sleep over the last few days.”

Gracie tucked her chin down, hoping Karen didn’t spot the heat flaming across her face. She knew Karen meant well, but she didn’t know the truth about her marriage. It wasn’t sitting too well in Gracie’s heart knowing she’d deceived Trent’s family. She considered them good friends and they only wanted the best for her and Trent. She started to slice some tomatoes and stopped. Maybe if Karen knew the truth about their marriage she wouldn’t feel so heartbroken that they’d parted company. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

Karen sat down at the kitchen table, waiting for Gracie to continue.
 

This would be harder than she thought. “The thing is…Trent and I didn’t get married because we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. I got a little bit tipsy and it just sort of…happened.
 
We couldn’t get a divorce straight away, so we agreed to stay married until I found my father.” Gracie waited for the shock to hit Karen’s face. It didn’t look as though she was shocked at all. Maybe she hadn’t understood. “We don’t love each other.”

“Ah. Now
that
I can disagree with.” Karen sat forward in her chair. “I’d have to have half a brain not to know something wasn’t right when you got back from Las Vegas. But until you came along, Trent wasn’t interested in courting any of the women I introduced him too. He was too busy managing the ranch.” Karen patted the seat beside her. “Sit down, honey.”

Shuffling over to the table, Gracie reluctantly sat in the chair Karen held out.

“The last few years have been hard on all of us. When his first marriage ended, Trent lost all interest in everything except the ranch. And when his daddy died, something inside of him broke, and he didn’t know how to fix it. Trent and his father were like two peas in a pod. Sometimes when he laughs I’d swear Wayne was here, filling the room with happiness.”
 

Karen rested her arms on the table. “Last year I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My two boys kept me going. It scared us all, but Trent took it the hardest. He got it into his head that he wanted a family. Anyone would think that I hadn’t been trying for the last ten years to get him interested in the opposite sex. But he couldn’t find the right woman. Until you, Gracie. I know my son, and that man loves you. He just can’t seem to get it past that thick skull of his that you’re important to him. Give him time to figure things out before you leave.”

Tears welled in Gracie’s eyes. Catching her bottom lip between her teeth, she tried to stop the quiver sweeping through her body. “It’s no use. Trent doesn’t love me.” Gracie took a deep breath. “I’m not going to spend my last two weeks in Bozeman mooning over a man who wants me in his life for all the wrong reasons.”
 

Karen rubbed the top of Gracie’s hand. “Apart from my wayward son, how’s the rest of your visit been?”

A small smile tugged at her mouth. “Amazing. I hoped that I’d find my father, but I’ve found so much more.”

“Life sometimes has a habit of working out just fine if you let it take its course.” Karen held her gaze. “Don’t give up on Trent. He just needs a bit of time as well.”

Gracie rose from the chair, kissing the side of Karen’s cheek. “Thanks for caring. Now I’d better finish the salad before I get fired by the boss.”

Trent happened to need a few supplies from a store in Bozeman at around two thirty on Wednesday afternoon. Just to be considerate, he had a shower and threw on some clean clothes before making the trip into town.
 

Jake Stanley, the owner of Jake’s Hardware, sniffed the air as he walked past. “I smell me a man on the path of true love.”

Trent scowled. Jake had a sick sense of humor. “What’s wrong with taking a bit of pride in my appearance?”

Jake hooted with laughter, “Pride? Who needs pride when they’re mucking out the barn or driving cattle across miles of land? It’s not pride that makes a man reach for the deodorant. It’s love, that’s what it is. A woman can tie a man up so bad he forgets he needs a certain amount of sweat to be manly.” Jake puffed his chest out and thumped his hand on the counter. “Mark my words, Trent McKenzie. A good woman changes a man’s life forever.”

Trent took in the precision creases in Jake’s shirt and the carefully trimmed hair sitting just above his collar. “Looks to me like you should know a thing or two about being tied up. That collar sits mighty fine on that shirt of yours.”

Jake beamed. “Got me a fine woman. Sometimes a man has to put up with the more genteel ways of the fairer sex in order to get the fringe benefits.” Jake winked. “If you get my meaning.”

Trent choked back a laugh. “Thanks. I got it loud and clear.” Grabbing a coil of twine he dumped it on the counter. “Put this on my account and I’ll see you next week.”

Trent glanced at his watch as Jake zipped the barcode through the till. Quarter to three. Plenty of time to reach the school before the final bell rang. He figured if he was in Bozeman, he might as well take a quick detour and make sure Gracie was okay. Not that he’d say anything to her. Hell, she probably wouldn’t even give him the time of day.

Chucking the twine on the back of the truck he hoped they didn’t have stalker patrol outside the school. He could get himself into serious trouble sitting in the street waiting for a glimpse of one of their teachers. A pretty little teacher with fiery red hair and a temper to match.

He sighed as he drove toward the school. He missed Gracie more than he could ever remember missing anybody. Even Daisy had withdrawal symptoms, for cripes sake.

Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, Trent watched the front entrance to the school. He’d spotted his Nissan sitting in the staff parking area fifteen minutes ago, so he knew Gracie must still be in the building.

Kids of all shapes and sizes had disappeared out the main doors ten minutes ago. And still no Gracie. Just when he’d almost given up, she walked out into the sunshine beside a man who stood far too close. Before Trent knew what his legs intended, he’d jumped out of the truck and headed straight toward them.
 

Gracie’s head tilted up,
laughing at something the guy said. A rope of muscle tightened in Trent’s throat. The thought of his wife taking more than a casual interest in another man wasn’t altogether pleasant.

Her blue gaze flicked across the grass, catching him midstride. “Trent? What are you doing here?”

He cleared his throat. Gracie looked so good he wanted to take her home, then and there. He soaked in every last inch of her five-foot-one body, including the scowl plastered across her face. “You’ll get permanent wrinkles with that bulldog look, honey.”

Gracie spluttered, turning her back on him.
 

Oh, man. This wasn’t working out how he’d imagined it.
 

“Richard, this rude man is Trent McKenzie. Trent, Richard.”
 

He shook Richard’s hand in a firm grip. Keeping his eyes locked on Gracie’s face, he waited for her to make the first move. She frowned at him, not looking too happy at his unexpected visit.
 

“Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, Richard. Thanks for lending me the books.”
 

“No problem.” Richard looked across at Trent. “You’ll be alright, Gracie?”

Trent felt his hackles rise. Of course she’d be okay. He’d been her husband for over two weeks. What did the guy think he’d do? Kidnap her?
 

“I’ll be fine, Richard. Have a nice afternoon.”

Trent watched Richard the Lionheart exit stage right. “Who’s the human bodyguard?”

Gracie’s eyes narrowed, her red hair practically frizzing on the spot. “He was looking out for me, Trent McKenzie.” She unlocked the four-wheel-drive, dropping her books on the back seat. “You conveniently forgot to answer my question. What are you doing here?”

He should have gotten down on the ground and groveled at her feet, begging for her forgiveness. Even pledging his undying love would have helped smooth turbulent waters. But all that came out of his stunted brain was, “I had to come into town, so I thought I’d come and see how the Nissan’s going.”

Gracie slammed the door.

He cringed.

“Your vehicle’s running fine, cowboy. Now if you’ll excuse me, your mom and I have a date to get ready for.”

“A date? Why the hell are you going on a date?” Trent’s roar upset a flock of birds sitting in a tree nearby. They screeched indignantly and flew into the air, a ripple of black feathers against the blue sky. He tried to take a deep breath to calm himself down, but that only gave his brain time to catch up with his mouth.
 

“You’ve only been gone from the ranch for six days and you’re going on a date? Who is he? Not that Richard guy I hope?” Gracie planted her hands on her hips, glaring a bit more at him. At this rate she’d be lining up for Botox by the time she turned forty.
 

“And what’s wrong with me going on a date? I’m an almost single, no strings attached woman. I can do whatever I like.”

His body felt like exploding. “No strings? What am I? A pasta noodle?”

Gracie gave him a sugar sweet smile that hid a heart of stone. “If only life were that simple. Goodbye.”
 

Storming around to the driver’s door, she revved the engine and nearly reversed over his foot. Damn fool woman would get one of them killed at the rate she was going.

He couldn’t do anything else but follow her back to his mom’s. Saving every other driver from his whacky wife was the noble thing to do.
 

Noble his ass. He wanted to know more about the date she’d planned.
 

He pulled out of the parking lot, keeping a watchful eye on the truck speeding down the road. Hell, who was he trying to fool? He’d already stuffed up what could have been a romantic reunion with his wife. Gracie didn’t have a romantic bone in her body toward him. He’d be lucky if she ever spoke to him again.

Gracie watched the midnight blue truck pass every vehicle behind her, then sit right on her tail. Trent had another thing coming if he thought he could boss her around after she’d walked out on him. She slowed down as she rounded the corner into Walnut Drive, indicating to turn into Karen’s drive. Part of her hoped he’d followed her just to make sure she got here in one piece. The other part…well, she wasn’t even going to consider what the other part wanted. Gazing in her rear vision mirror, she watched as he parked his truck on the curb.
 

Karen was on her hands and knees, weeding the front garden when Gracie got out of the Nissan. One look at Gracie’s face must have been enough to warn her of the storm that’d been brewing over Bozeman Elementary School fifteen minutes earlier.
 

Looking past Gracie, Karen frowned at her son. “Trent? What are you doing here?”

“What is it with you two? Can’t a man visit his mom without feeling like he needs to make an appointment?”

Gracie huffed, moving toward the front door. “I’m going inside to get ready for the exhibition. I’ll be ready in about thirty minutes.” She looked over her shoulder. Surely Trent would get the message and be gone before she’d finished?

“Just yell if you want me to scrub your back, honey.”
 

Gracie shot him a dirty look. Muttering unladylike things under her breath, she stomped into the house. She didn’t know what she’d ever seen in the man. How could a girl fall in love with such an egg-head? Gracie’s vision blurred as she pulled the most insanely sexy dress she’d ever bought out of her closet. If ever a woman needed an outfit to bolster a flagging spirit, then this was it. And if Trent McKenzie happened to be around the house in thirty minutes, he’d better be prepared for life as he knew it to never be the same again.

Gracie ran her hands down the front of her dress, staring at the wanton hussy in her bedroom mirror. The strapless red gown pushed her not inconsiderable assets up and beyond the limits of her double-D bra. A healthy expanse of creamy skin sat provocatively above the tight bodice, casting a flirty shadow between her breasts. The floor length dress hugged her hips, cocooning her legs in a tight silk wrap. The skirt looked positively demure in comparison to the knock-out bodice. Until she moved, that is.