Montana Hearts (23 page)

Bree handed them all one of the new trifold brochures she'd printed up to advertise the ranch. “I put Jace's endorsement on the inside flap,” she said, pointing.

Delaney read, “ ‘Collins Country Cabins is the best dude ranch I've ever had the pleasure of staying at,' says rodeo champion, Jace Aldridge. ‘In addition to their award winning menu, this rustic, western retreat offers comfort, beautiful landscapes, and as many thrilling activities as your heart can handle.' ”

“
This is terrible!”
Nora squealed.

Nadine followed her sister's gaze and shrieked. “Oh,
no
!”

“What's the matter?” Bree demanded. “Is there a misprint?”

“We were supposed to be cover models,” Nora exclaimed. “But this photo has us—­”

“Working in the kitchen wearing aprons, and bandanas over our hair!” Nadine finished.

Bree frowned. “What's wrong with that?”

“We'll never attract cute guys that way,” the twins chorused together.

Delaney laughed. “You mean like the undercover agents working for Fish and Wildlife? Clint and Clay?”

“They were undercover agents?” Nora squealed.

“How cool is that?” Nadine said, and laughed. “And
we
were spying on
them
!”

“I got a call from
True Montana Magazine
this morning,” Delaney announced. “They saw all the articles in the newspaper about the arrests and the poachers' plot to put us out of business, and they want to feature our ranch in their next issue, using my photos. Jace's sister, Natalie, offered to help me write the accompanying story that tells the public what
really
happened.”

“That will give us even more publicity,” Bree said, her face lighting up. “Who knows? Maybe Natalie could even write a book about it.”

“And have it turned into a movie,” Nora said, and her mouth fell open. “Do you know what that means?”

“We could be movie stars!” Nadine said excitedly, slapping her sister a high five.

Delaney bundled Meghan up in her coat, hat, mittens, and boots and took her hand as they walked across the first snow of the season to Isaac Woolly's property with the rest of her family. Jace had some kind of surprise over there he wanted to show her, but she didn't know what it was. Apparently her father
did
or he never would have insisted on joining them on his crutches.

Jace had gone on ahead, and when they arrived, Delaney saw him standing outside the Woolly Outfitter mobile unit. His eyes sparkled with excitement as he awaited her reaction, but she didn't see anything until he pointed up toward the banner hung across the roof.

Delaney's Animal Rescue.

“Jace, I don't understand. What does this mean?” she asked, coming closer.

“I'll explain in a minute,” he promised, and knelt down toward Meghan, who looked up at him with a scowl on her face. Pulling out the hand he'd hidden behind his back, he handed her a little mesh covered cage with a latched door in front. “This is for you.”

Meghan frowned. “But it's not my birthday.”

“We can't wait,” he told her. “The bugs will all be gone by then. And now that it snowed, we need to save as many as we can.”

Delaney watched, amused, as her daughter took the bug catcher, gave him a glimmer of a smile, then pouted, “You left and didn't say goodbye to me.”

“That's because it hurt too much,” he said, gathering her onto his knee. “I don't ever want to say goodbye to you, Megs.”

Meghan giggled. “I like when you call me Megs.”

“I like
you
,” he told her. “And from now on you'll be able to see me every day.”

“Okay, Cowboy Jace,” Meghan said, and hugged him around the neck.

Jace looked up and taking Delaney's hand, he said, “I found out Isaac was only leasing the land, and after the news hit this morning, the owner was willing to sell it to me on the spot.”

Delaney's mouth fell open. “You bought it?” She glanced at the sign again and gasped. “You're giving me my own animal shelter? What will you do with the rest of the land?”

“Well, you see,” Jace said, and the corners of his mouth lifted into another grin. “I talked to your father and we decided, with all the publicity, Collins Country Cabins is going to need to expand. I'm going to be a partner and help organize activities when I'm not working my other job.”

“You mean rodeo?” she asked, unable to believe this turn of events.

He shook his head. “No, I'm going to apply to be a game warden.”

“Are you serious?” She glanced from Jace to her father and he gave her a nod to confirm the news. Bree, Luke, Sammy Jo, and her ma all stood watching her reaction and Delaney realized she was the center of attention. She laughed and told Jace, “If you're a partner, then I guess that makes you part of the family.”

“Not quite. But there's something else that would.”

Lifting Meghan off his knee, Jace stood and took both her hands in his. “I called your lawyer and he said that Steve is willing to relinquish parental rights if we marry and I adopt Meghan. That way he won't have to pay child support.”

Delaney stared at him, not sure she understood what he just said. “Wh-­what?” she stammered.

“You'll never have to worry about him again,” Jace assured her. “Of course, I realize you might not be ready for a real marriage, so if you agree, we can continue to be friends, or date if you want to. I know you said you'd never marry again unless it was with someone you could call your best friend, so I promise you,” he said, his voice hoarse, “I'm going to do everything I can to be the greatest best friend you ever had.”

Tears filled her eyes as she looked at the wonderful man before her who had taken every step he could think of to make her and Meghan feel special and keep them safe. “You already are, Jace,” she choked out, her heart in her voice. “You already are.”

He hesitated. “Does that mean—­?”

“Yes.”

Jace grinned. “Is that a
direct
answer?”

Returning a smile, she nodded. “Yes. Yes, I will marry you.”

“What? No redirection or sidestepping?” he teased.

She shook her head and laughed and Jace drew her into his arms. “I love you, Del.”

“I love you, too,” she said, and Jace gave her a heart-­stopping look that flooded her with warmth, made her dizzy, and caught her breath all at the same time.

He captured her mouth in a tender kiss, then pulled back and announced to the rest of her family. “We'll have to marry right away. Does next week work for all of you?”

Delaney glanced at Bree and Sammy Jo, who looked on with identical ear-­to-­ear grins. “Will you two be
my
bridesmaids?”

They both nodded their heads vigorously and shouted in unison, “Yes! Of course!”

Then as Jace drew his head toward her again, Delaney heard her mother say, “She's only known him four weeks!”

“An intense four weeks,” Luke defended.

Her father chuckled. “Better than knowing him just one day.”

Jace smiled, his mouth just inches from her face. “I want us to know each other for an entire lifetime.”

“Me, too,” she said, closing her eyes.

Then his lips touched hers, and Delaney melted against him, and kissed him back, dreaming of the wedding, their future together, and all the other possibilities that could now be theirs—­as she, her handsome hero, and Meghan all lived
happily
. . . ever . . . after.

 

Keep reading to check out Darlene Panzera's

second Montana Hearts romance,

MONTANA HEARTS: SWEET TALKIN' COWBOY

Darlene Panzera continues her heartwarming western series

with a roughed-­up cowboy, the feisty girl next door,

and the deal that brings them together.

If it wasn't for an injury to his leg, Luke Collins would be riding rodeo broncos all day, every day. Until he heals, he's determined to help his family's guest ranch bring in money any way he can. But when a cranky neighbor gets in the way of his goal, Luke turns to the only person he knows can help: the gorgeous, rodeo-­barrel-­racing spitfire next door.

It's no secret: Sammy Jo's father is a pain in the neck. But if anyone can persuade him, it's her. So when Luke asks for help, Sammy Jo is more than willing to make a deal with the handsome cowboy. The cost? He's gotta get back up on that horse—­with Sammy Jo's help, of course.

As teamwork reveals a deeper connection, Luke finds himself falling for the beautiful girl next door. But to win her heart? He'll just have to do whatever it takes.

Click here to buy!

 

An Excerpt from

MONTANA HEARTS: SWEET TALKIN' COWBOY

A
LOUD SCUFFLE
sounded from within the cabin, followed by a thud, as if something had bumped against the interior wall. Luke Collins stopped his trek down the dirt path in front to listen and wondered who or what was inside. The two unfinished cabins at the end of the row on his family's guest ranch were
supposed
to be empty.

He glanced down at his two-­and-­a-­half-­year-­old niece and tightened his hold on her small hand.

“Onkle Uke, what's that?”

“What's
what
?” Luke asked, keeping his tone light to hide his alarm.

Another thud creaked the woodwork beside them.

“That
,”
Meghan said, her blue eyes wide.

Luke's gut tightened as he noticed the front door had been left ajar. “Could be a squirrel,” he told her. Then he remembered the other creature they'd found in a cabin the month before and forced a smile. “Or a skunk.”

“Pee-­yew!” Meghan said, scrunching up her nose.

Luke nodded. “Yes, skunks smell pee-­yew. Stand back while I check and see.”

The first of the two unfinished cabins had been framed, roofed, and sheeted with plywood; nearly complete. He stepped onto the wooden porch and adjusting his weight to his good foot, pushed the door in with the tip of his cane. Although he'd never dreamed he'd be using an old-­man stick while still in his twenties, the cane
did
come in handy from time to time and provided him with a ready weapon—­if ever he should need one.

The hinges on the door were new and didn't screech like some of the older cabins when opened. Luke waited a second to see if anything would run out. Nothing did, but another bump sounded on the inside wall, letting him know something was in there.

Something a whole lot larger than the creatures he'd mentioned to his niece.

A shot of adrenaline coursed through his veins and glancing over his shoulder, he told Meghan, “Go over to the garden and stay with your great-­grandma for a moment.”

He watched until the toddler had joined the eighty-­year-­old white haired woman a safe distance away. The day before, a few of the guests at Collins Country Cabins had reported seeing two men in black ski masks looking through their window while they were undressing. What if the peeping toms were holing up in
this
unfinished cabin?

Luke pressed himself against the outside wall and strained his ears to listen, but all was silent. Then, despite the limp from his left leg, he used the stealth he'd maintained from his past military training to move inside.

His first glance around the rough interior revealed a man's jacket lying on the floor. The savory scent of pepperoni pizza permeated the air. He heard a soft murmur of voices and spun toward his right, his cane raised high, ready to strike. And standing not ten feet away from him there was indeed a man . . . with his arms around his older sister.

Bree jumped away from her fiancé, Ryan Tanner, with a start. “Luke! What are you doing here?”

“My job,” he said, shooting them each a grin as he lowered the cane. “Which is more than I can say for the two of you, unless you've added kissing to your list of ranch duties.”

Ryan chuckled and wrapped an arm around Bree's shoulders. “Absolutely. No cowboy can work at peak performance without a few stolen kisses.”

“If you say so,” Luke said, unconvinced.

“I worked all morning on the finances and future bookings,” Bree informed him. “And Ryan doesn't have to lead the mini round-­up until tonight.”

Meghan peeked her blond, double-­pony-­tailed head through the doorway. “No pee-­yew?”

“No skunk,” Luke assured her. “Just Aunt Bree and Cowboy Ryan.”

“Looks like Delaney has
you
working hard,” Bree teased, referring to their younger sister. “She's got you baby-­sitting?”

Luke picked Meghan up with one arm and lifted her onto his shoulders. “Del's getting ready to take a few guests on a trail ride, and Ma, Dad, and Grandma plan to take a trip into town, so Meghan's gonna watch me work. I need to finish siding this cabin and continue framing the next.”

Bree gave him an earnest look. “We need the cabins finished before the Hamilton wedding in August.”

“Don't I know it.” His family was depending on his carpentry skills to get the job done and reminded him at every turn.

Luke couldn't blame them. As co-­owners of Collins Country Cabins, they each needed the large amount of money the wedding with its 100-­person guest list would bring in. Especially after their previous ranch managers fled at the beginning of the summer season with most of their cash. Their father had trusted Sue and Wade Randall, but when a fall from his horse landed him in the hospital, the ­couple used the opportunity to embezzle as much as they could.

“When are you going to start planning your own wedding?” Luke asked, trying to take the focus off himself.

Bree glanced at Ryan and smiled. “Sammy Jo agreed to help me plan an engagement party set for the end of next month, but the actual wedding won't be for another year.”

Ryan nodded. “I tried to convince her to marry me
now
, but she says she needs time to plan out all the details.”

“I just want it to be perfect,” Bree said, her cheeks coloring. “And I'm hoping the Hamilton wedding will give me some good ideas. You know, I thought we could decorate all the guest cabins with white garlands and . . .” Bree's voice trailed off and Luke watched her gaze drift toward his cane. “Of course I'll do all the decorating. I don't expect
you
to have to get up on a ladder, Luke. In fact, why don't you let Ryan and I help you right now?”

Luke stiffened. “Nope. I've got this. No offense, Bree, but you don't know the first thing about construction.”

“Well, then, why don't you let
me
watch Meghan,” she persisted, “so she doesn't get in your way and—­”

“Trip me?” Luke frowned. “No, I promised little Meggie that she and I would spend the afternoon together.”

Bree pursed her lips and her gaze drifted toward his cane again. “But it would be easier if—­”

He shook his head. “The days are longer now that it's the tail-­end of June. I'll get it done,” he promised.

Without anyone taking pity on me.

He knew his sister didn't mean to look at him like that, but he and his siblings hadn't seen each other for close to a year before they returned to Fox Creek to help out on their family's Montana guest ranch six weeks before. And up till then, he'd kept his injury to himself.

They still weren't used to the idea he needed a cane to get around, but then again, neither was he. The sooner he got the money for the knee surgery, the better, except . . . he cringed every time he thought of being knocked out for the procedure.

Greg Quinn, one of his friends in the army, survived a horrendous helicopter crash only to die twenty-­four hours later due to complications from the meds used to put him to sleep prior to surgery to remove a damaged kidney.

Luke swung Meghan off his shoulders and in one swift move, set her back on her feet. “Like I said, I've got it handled.”

“Okay, then,” Bree said, her voice still hesitant. A second later she smiled. “If you
do
need help, you know where you can find us.”

“Yes, I do.” Luke glanced down at his niece. “We'll leave them be and work on the other cabin,” he told the blond-­haired cutie. “The other one's more fun anyway.”

Back outside, Meghan giggled as she ran toward the open slatted two-­by-­fours framing up the walls of the cabin next door. “You can't catch me!”

Luke hobbled along with the help of his cane to chase after the child, but his mind remained back with Ryan and Bree.

He was happy for them. He was. They'd all grown up together and Ryan Tanner was a good man. With
money
. His family owned the Triple T cattle ranch, largest in Fox Creek, maybe largest in all of Gallatin County.

But only six weeks had passed since their father had been injured in a fall from his horse and Luke, Bree, and Delaney had come home. Only six weeks since their grandmother offered them each part of the ranch profits if they agreed to stay. Six weeks since Bree and Ryan had reunited after years of being apart—­long enough for Ryan to have a seven-­year-­old son.

And now, as of last night, they were engaged. How crazy was that?

There was no way
he'd
ever get engaged to someone after so little time together. At least they were planning to wait a year before going through with the actual wedding. Bree said she needed time to plan but he hoped it also gave her enough time to make sure she was doing the right thing.

Of course, he had to admit she and Ryan seemed meant for each other. He glanced down at his leg. Maybe after he saved enough money and had the surgery he needed to carry his weight, he'd consider dating again. But not before then. Not until he was whole. The
last
thing he needed was for a country cowgirl to remind him with every soulful glance that he was damaged goods.

And not the hair-­raising, high-­flying, bronco-­bustin' cowboy he used to be.

S
AMMY
J
O
M
ACPHERSON
raised the brim of her straw hat to get a better look at the pair in front of her.

“You can't catch me,” Meghan giggled again, her small body running easily through the open slats between the two-­by-­fours.

Luke grinned. “Oh, you don't think so?”

Meghan shook her head, making her pony-­tails swing back and forth. “Noooo.”

Luke pretended he couldn't find an opening big enough for him to squeeze through the beams like she had, which made Meghan laugh so hard she almost fell down backward. Then he went through the opening for the door and she squealed and ran through the vertical beams framing the future bathroom.

Sammy Jo smiled, the longing in her heart doubling at the sight of them. Luke would make a good father someday. A man tough enough to jump onto the back of a wild bronc, but tender enough to give in to the whims of a toddler.

“Can I play too?” Sammy Jo asked, her breath catching in her chest.

Luke turned his head, and when their gazes locked, the muscle along the side of his jaw jumped. “
Sammy Jo.
Aren't you a little old to play games?”

“Not if you're the one I'm playing with,” she teased.

He gave her a puzzled look as if trying to figure her out. Then his expression relaxed and the corners of his mouth lifted into a welcoming grin. She smiled at him in return. She couldn't wait to spend the afternoon with him. Her cheeks warmed and her insides were already dancing around in anticipation.

Luke arched a brow. “Does your father know you're over here consorting with the enemy again?”

She laughed. “I'm a rebel. You know I don't have anything to do with my father's silly feud with your parents.”

Luke glanced at his niece. “What do you say, Meghan? Should we let Sammy Jo play?”

Meghan looked at her and giggled. “You can't catch me.”

“Oh yes I can, you little munchkin,” Sammy Jo called out and chased her through the open framework.

“Not if I catch her first,” Luke countered, and dropping his cane, he leaned down and scooped the little girl up in his arms as she ran past.

“Aaaah!” Meghan squealed with delight. “Onkle Uke got me!”

“Lucky girl,” Sammy Jo said, coming to a halt beside them.

Luke held her gaze for a fraction of a second, then released the squirming toddler and glanced at the cane which lay on the floorboards between them.

Before he could ask, or do it himself, Sammy Jo bent down and retrieved the unique wood-­carved stick he'd brought back with him from the Florida Keys. No doubt he'd fashioned it himself from a piece of driftwood.

“Here,” she said, handing the cane back to him.

He hesitated, then reached out and took it. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

But obviously, it was a problem for him. His smile disappeared and his expression sobered. And she was sure something other than the cane had passed between them. Something . . . cold.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked, placing a hand on his arm.

He pulled away. “Nothing to talk about.”

“You know, there's a rehabilitation horse at the kids camp where I work on weekends. They said I could bring him over and let you give him a try.”

“I can't ride,” he said, shooting her a sharp look.

“You could,” she argued. “The horse lays down for easy mounting.”

She followed his gaze across the yard to the staging area where Delaney was helping some of the inexperienced greenhorn guests mount up for a trail ride.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I don't need special assistance.”

“The horse is a real sweetheart. There's nothing to fear.”

“I'm not afraid,” Luke said, almost cutting her off. “I'm fine the way I am.”

Sammy Jo found that hard to believe. Especially coming from
him
. Luke had been one of the best riders on the rodeo circuit before he left for the military. And over the last several weeks she'd seen the way he'd encouraged his sister Bree to get back up in the saddle again. She'd seen the envy in his eyes when he watched Ryan and the guests going on the mini roundups ride out through the gate. And she'd seen the way he sat for hours in the stable, polishing the tack of his favorite horse.

He
must
want to ride again. All he needed was something to spur him into action.

A flurry of pounding hooves sped toward them, and Sammy Jo spun around and jumped when a runaway horse brushed its shoulder against the outside beam of the cabin they stood in. Her gaze fell upon the rider. A woman of medium build clung to the animal's back like a spider atop its prey. Except the woman didn't have any control. And Sammy Jo feared she'd soon be the real victim, not the horse.