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“I’ll admit, I called in a chit from our college days. She wasn’t all that anxious to get up there. But she’s fearless. I knew she’d do it.”
A blonde waitress walked past them, waving an order ticket.
Seth didn’t recognize her, but then he’d been gone most of the last ten years. She gave him a sassy smile, and he smiled back. But she had to be a local and he didn’t want to go there, so he broke eye contact quickly. Too bad about Hannah being Rachel’s friend.
“Kristen, same thing?” Nikki got a nod and grabbed the tequila from the back shelf. “Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll get Hannah to the Sundance,” Nikki said, and started toward Kristen waiting at the end of the bar.
“Thanks,” Rachel said. “Oh, Seth, how about you? If you’re still around and Nikki has to close, any chance you can give Hannah a ride?”
He heard Nikki laugh, caught a brief glimpse of her giving Rachel an eye-roll. So maybe Hannah being a friend wasn’t a problem at all. “Sure,” he said. “Count on it.”
2 (#u03e99d7c-248d-59b5-a9b4-3e9fd30a920f)
NOT LONG AFTER Rachel left, Hannah took Seth up on his offer to drive her to the Sundance. She’d resisted at first, not wanting to impose, but it seemed he wasn’t going to leave the bar without her. Once they were outside, he gestured to the right. “My truck’s that way.”
Hannah hesitated. “Tell me the truth,” she said giving it a final try. “Did Rachel twist your arm? Because, honestly, I don’t mind waiting for Nikki.”
“Nah, I figured I’d play hero and rescue you from the masses.”
She still wasn’t sure she believed him, and she would’ve told him just that, if it weren’t for that ridiculously charming smile of his. It was a tad crooked, the corner of his mouth hiking up slightly higher on one side. The adorably boyish look was an amazing contrast to the dark intensity of his eyes. “Those guys had to be pretty drunk to ask me for an encore.”
Seth chuckled. “That’s downtown Saturday night for you. Up ahead is the Full Moon Saloon. Been open almost a year now. Before that, we had only the one bar.”
“Wow. The Watering Hole is kind of small, too.”
“The Full Moon is supposed to be a lot bigger. I heard they have live music some nights and a mechanical bull in the back.”
“You haven’t checked it out yet?”
He shook his head. “I’d been away for a while. I moved back seven months ago but I don’t come to town much.”
Hannah got the feeling he didn’t really want to talk about himself so she held her curiosity at bay. Anyway, she could get all the information she wanted from Rachel. “Well, Montana is beautiful country, so green, and the mountains are breathtaking. I don’t understand how you could’ve left in the first place.”
“It won’t be all that green for much longer. Not with the heat we’ve been having.”
“Well, I’m from Dallas, and it’s been exceptionally hot for a couple years now.”
“Yeah, Rachel mentioned you’re from there.” He was over six feet tall, with long legs that could probably go much faster but he stayed at a nice comfortable pace that better suited her.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Texas, but excuse me for not being sympathetic when you say it won’t be green much longer.”
“I’ve been there,” he said. “I seem to recall some nice areas.”
“Of course there are, mostly in the Hill Country, but overall it’s been so dry and just...brown and ugly.”
“Yep, the drought has hurt a lot of folks—ranchers, farmers and ultimately the consumer.” He gestured to a sign posted in the window of a bakery. “As a matter of fact, there’s going to be a town meeting on the topic.”
Hannah had been too busy looking at the bakery’s name. The Cake Whisperer. Cute. She caught only a quick glimpse of the handwritten sign as they walked past it. “Grazing permits. What does that have to do with the drought?”
“Cattle have to eat,” he said. “If you don’t have enough grass on your own land, you have to find some. It just so happens the government owns a good deal of prime grazing land,” Seth said, with an enigmatic smile that revealed nothing of his political leaning.
Something that Hannah understood. Discussions about politics and religion always made her edgy. “So, the local ranchers can get a permit and let their cows graze on government grass?”
“For a fee, yes. And not just local ranchers, some of whom have been using the land for decades without a permit. Hence, the emergency meeting. It’s a touchy subject around here. That’s why I stay out of it.”
“Huh.” She wondered if her father knew anything about grazing permits or had thought about looking beyond Texas. Depending on shipping costs, leasing land here could solve his problem. Maybe she’d poke around and get some info.
Right now, though, she was more interested in Seth. His language surprised her. With his scuffed boots, worn jeans and blue T-shirt, he looked like a typical cowboy. Sometimes he sounded like one, and other times not at all. Now she really wanted to grill Rachel about him. What had she said about him having issues?
“Ask me,” he said with an air of amusement.
At the sudden realization she’d been staring, she blinked. “Ask you what?”
“Whatever it is that’s got you thinking so hard.”
Tempting, but no, she’d wait for Rachel. It was possible the night could end really well and she didn’t want to mess things up. “Where did you park? The next county?”
Seth stopped and opened the passenger door of a late model, dark gray truck. “Here we go.”
“Is this yours?”
“No, but it’s closer,” he said, pulling the door wide. “Go ahead. We’re all friends here. We swap vehicles all the time.”
Hannah opened her mouth to ask if he was joking, then closed it without a word.
He laughed. “Of course it’s mine.”
“I knew that,” she said, glaring up at him.
Humor lit his eyes. He really was very good-looking and it was all she could do not to touch his dimpled chin.
Before she gave in to the impulse, she looked up at the June sky filled with stars. So many that she couldn’t keep count if she tried.
“Sorry,” she said, when it registered that he was waiting for her. “The sky is so beautiful out here.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” His gaze swept the vast expanse of inky backdrop. “I’ve visited a lot of different places, and so far nothing beats a Montana sky. Probably why I loved astronomy so much as a kid.”
“Really? Not anymore?”
“Ah, you know...” He shrugged. “Life happened.”
“I get it. Oddly enough, I was just thinking about how stargazing had been one of my favorite things to do as a little girl. Now I can’t remember the last time I slowed down long enough to look up.”
“Did you grow up in Dallas?”
“No. My parents own a small ranch a couple hours west of the city in the middle of nowhere.”
“A ranch?” His brows went up. “No kidding?”
Hannah wished she hadn’t told him that part. He’d expect her to know things about ranching. But her father hadn’t taught her anything, or wanted her around. He’d considered her a nuisance. “When I say small, that’s not an exaggeration.”
“But your folks raise cattle?” he asked, and she nodded. “How many head?”
“I’m guessing around a hundred. My dad works by himself.”
“That’s not as small as you think. Statistically speaking, fifty head is closer to the average. But, yep, he could easily handle a herd that size alone.”
She started to climb into the truck but it was a high step up so she accepted the help he offered. His hand was big and strong, with long, lean fingers, and his palm was not nearly as tough as she’d expected.
Once she was seated and buckling up, he closed the door and came around to slide behind the wheel. Just as he was going to start the engine, his cell phone buzzed and he took a quick look at it. Then he checked his watch.
“Honestly, you don’t have to drive me anywhere,” Hannah said. “I can wait for Rachel or Nikki.”
“If it was a problem, I’d tell you. I don’t have anything I need to do at the moment.” He put his phone on the console and started the truck. A country music song blasted from the speakers and he quickly turned off the radio. “I wanted to get away from the ranch for a while. That’s all.”
“You were in the bar for less than an hour. That’s not much of a—” She sighed at the smile tugging at his mouth. Okay, so she’d noticed him when he’d first come in. So what?
At the sound of laughter she turned and saw two couples leaving a steak house. Once they were on the sidewalk, the women tried awfully hard to see through the truck’s tinted windows. The shorter brunette smiled and waved.
Seth waved back. “So,” he said, “what do you want to do? Go straight to the Sundance? Go for a ride? Get something to eat?”
Excitement flared, then the truth hit her. “That tricky little—Rachel had me convinced this was all because she had to run to get a part for Matt. I swear I’m gonna kill her.”
“I don’t think I can help you with that,” he said, and pulled the truck away from the curb. “But I will need to know which direction to go.”
“The Sundance, I guess,” Hannah said, and he looked disappointed, so that was some consolation. “How well do you know her?”
“Rachel? Not all that well. We went to different high schools. I know her brothers.”
“Well, I love her dearly but she has a nasty little habit of trying to fix up her friends. Or anyone.” Hannah snorted. “She’s horrible about it.”
“Oh, that’s right,” he said with a slow nod. “She used to piss off Cole and Jesse.”
“Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me one bit.” Hannah cleared her throat. “Anyway, I’m pretty sure that’s why she asked you to give me a ride. I mean, I’m only here for a week, but—well, who knows what she was thinking...”
Seth didn’t respond. He had no reaction at all, and not because he needed to pay attention to traffic. Main Street was practically dead.
“Another thing you should know—I didn’t say anything to her about you. So if she is trying to hook us up, it’s all her doing.” She stared at his thin, high-bridged nose, waiting, knowing he’d heard her. But he kept his eyes on the road.
Maybe she shouldn’t have brought it up. He’d drop her off at the Sundance and she’d never see him again. The idea was surprisingly disappointing. She was still staring at him when he finally turned to look at her. Hannah pretended she was looking past him at the well-lit service station, the last vestige of civilization before the highway stretched into darkness.
“Are you waiting for me to say I have a problem with that?” he asked. “Because I don’t.”
“Which part?”
“Any of it.”
Hannah wasn’t sure what to make of that. Obviously he didn’t care about Rachel’s meddling. But did he also mean he was open to hooking up? “Well, neither do I,” she said, her heart pounding as she watched a slow, telling smile curve his mouth.
After driving for another mile or better, she still couldn’t think of anything more to say. And clearly he didn’t feel the need to contribute. Normally she was fine with silence, but not knowing where they stood was maddening.
As it was, she couldn’t stop herself from glancing over at him every few seconds. His hand was on the steering wheel, and his T-shirt exposed his muscled arm. The short sleeve clung to his well-defined biceps.
“Why aren’t you staying with Rachel and Matt?”
“I had a conflict and couldn’t make it to their wedding, so I just met Matt today. Seems like a great guy. And of course he would be...” Hannah shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I didn’t want to get in the way. A week’s a long time to have a houseguest.”
“I see your point. Summer is a busy season, though I don’t think Rachel is involved in the day-to-day operation.”
“No, but she’s at the Sundance every day. The dude ranch keeps her hopping even though she and Jamie split duties.” She saw his brows lower in a frown. “Cole’s wife, the woman who was with us at the Watering Hole. She’s handling reservations, meals, that sort of thing, and Rachel takes guests on trail rides and gives riding lessons so she doesn’t have to pull any of the men away from the cattle side.”
“That doesn’t sound like much fun for you. Unless you’re going to help with the lessons.”
Hannah cursed her big mouth. It would’ve been so much easier if he didn’t know about her parents’ ranch. “I don’t ride well enough.”
Seth glanced over at her. “You grew up on a ranch.”
“I’m aware,” she said with a forced laugh.
“Did you use ATVs?”
It was tempting to lie and say yes, but she wasn’t good with those either. “My dad didn’t like me hanging around while he was working, so I just...” She shrugged. “Read a lot of books. Where’s your ranch in relation to the Sundance?”
He didn’t seem eager to answer. For God’s sake, it was an idle question. Only meant to change the subject. It wasn’t as if she planned on showing up uninvited.
“About thirty minutes, give or take,” he said with a faint smile. “Depending on traffic.”
Hannah grinned. “I saw a truck hauling a horse trailer. I can see how the streets might get congested.”
Seth briefly took his eyes off the road to look at her. “Assuming Rachel’s going to be busy, what are you doing tomorrow?”
“Um, nothing, really. I’m going to try to sleep in, a long shot at best.” She wound her fingers together, a nervous habit she thought she’d broken years ago. This wasn’t like her, being hesitant. “You have something in mind?”
“Oh, quite a few things,” he said, his laugh as deep and gravelly as his voice. “Are you interested in seeing the sights? Not that there’s much around here but you might enjoy a drive to Glacier National Park. After that we could get some dinner.”
“Not much here? The Rockies are practically in your backyard.” She turned to look out the window. Even in the gathering darkness, she could see the distant snow-topped peaks jutting into the night sky. And, of course, the stars. Hundreds and hundreds, maybe even thousands. She sighed and turned back to Seth. “Yes. I’d love to, thank you.”
“Good. You sleep in and I’ll get the men squared away for the day, then we’ll make it happen,” he said. “What was the sigh for?”
“I still can’t get over the stars. I don’t remember the sky ever looking this spectacular at home.”
“Are you in a hurry to get to the Sundance?”
“Not at all,” she said, stifling a yawn. Travel days were always hard, but she wasn’t about to miss out on anything Seth had to offer.
“Then how about we take a short detour?”
“I’m game if you are.”
