Buch lesen: «Montana Unbranded»

CHAPTER ONE

“STOP YOUR FIDGETING, Molly. I promise I’m almost done.”

Dani Jardine deftly inserted three more pins into the cream-colored fabric gathered at her friend’s waistline, then rose to her feet and executed a slow walk-around, studying the drape of the gown. Molly Ferguson was standing with her arms obediently outstretched at shoulder height and had been for the past five minutes, but her patience was wearing thin. She met Dani’s eyes in the mirror, tossed her shoulder-length mane of red hair, blew out an impatient breath and dropped her arms to her sides.

“Well? Can you fix it?”

“There might be just enough fabric for me to make the alterations.”

“Will it look all right?”

“You’re going to be the most beautiful bride ever.”

“You don’t think I look fat?”

“Molly, you couldn’t possibly look fat.”

“I’ve gained five pounds in the past two weeks.”

“So stop eating all that corned beef and cabbage.”

Molly gnawed on a fingernail, turning sideways and eyeing herself in the full-length mirror on her friend’s bedroom door. “I wish it were that easy, but it’s more than just food.”

Dani met her friend’s eyes in the mirror. Molly’s were dark with unspoken pathos and shining with tears. For a few moments Dani wondered what could possibly be wrong, and then it clicked, and a big smile brightened her face. “You’re pregnant! I don’t believe it.” Dani hugged her friend impulsively. “You’re having a baby! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I only found out this morning. All winter we’ve been crazy busy with the fund-raiser for Madison Mountain and I was so afraid we wouldn’t make Condor International’s deadline to raise the money. I was sick to my stomach all the time and I thought it was from the stress of it all. Then we made the deadline, we raised the money, we did it. The mountain was saved from that huge mining operation. I should have felt better but I just kept feeling squeamish. Then this morning, because Steven insisted, I went to see my doctor and...” Molly drew a sharp breath and the three recently inserted pins popped out of the fabric. The tears spilled over and Molly wiped them from her cheeks. “It turns out, I’m very pregnant.”

“That’s wonderful news, Molly! You always wanted kids, and in a few weeks you’re getting married to the man of your dreams. But you’re acting like the doctor just gave you a death sentence. What’s wrong?”

“Steven doesn’t know yet, and when my mother finds out she’ll disown me. She’s very Catholic.”

“Steven’ll be tickled pink and so will your mother. How far along are you?”

“Dr. Phillips thinks almost two months. Eight weeks! And I didn’t even notice missing my monthlies, that’s how stressed out I’ve been.”

“A December baby is perfect.”

“Why?”

“Because a baby has to be the most perfect Christmas gift of all,” Dani said, giving Molly another hug. “I’m so happy for you both.”

“But the timing couldn’t be worse—we don’t have any money, the practice is struggling, we’re living on a shoestring and...”

“You have each other and now you have a baby to celebrate. You’re the two luckiest people in the whole world.”

Molly wiped fresh tears from her cheeks and tried for a smile. “I know you’re right, Dani, but the baby part scares me. I’m not ready to be a mother and I don’t know how I’ll tell Steven. We agreed to wait a few years before starting a family.”

“Unless I missed something in high school biology, Steven had something to do with all this.”

Molly heaved another big sigh and more pins scattered to the floor. “Oh, Dani, I wish we still lived in the same town. I love Steven’s place and it’s close to our office, but I miss our talks over lunch. And right now I really, really miss those big, steady paychecks I got working for Skelton, Taintor and Abbot.”

“You’d hate yourself if you were still working for those heartless corporate sharks. The law firm of Young Bear and Ferguson is going to be a great success, and who knows where I’ll be in a year’s time. I might just have to move south to be nearby when you need a babysitter or a third partner.”

Hope illuminated Molly’s face. “I’d love it if you moved to Bozeman, but what about your house? What about Jack?”

Dani picked the pins up off the floor, avoiding Molly’s eyes. “Jack and I split up,” she said with what she hoped was an offhand shrug. “It was bound to happen, Molly. He was gone ninety percent of the time with his job and surrounded by beautiful stewardesses.”

Molly reached out and clamped on to her, all wild red hair and hazel eyes. “You mean, Jack’s gone? When did this happen? How could he just walk out on you like that? What about the house? The dogs?”

“The house was mine to begin with and he left me his dogs. He walked in one night about two months ago, told me he was in love with another woman, said I could have everything, not that there was anything of his here except for the dogs, and that was that. It was all very civil. Too civil, really. I didn’t cry or beg him to stay. I don’t think we ever really loved each other, not the way you and Steven do.”

“Let me get this straight. He walked out on you two months ago, and you didn’t tell me?”

“I didn’t want to upset you. Your wedding’s coming up and you were working so hard on raising the money to save Madison Mountain and...”

“Oh, Dani.” Molly embraced her fiercely, causing more pins to pop out. “How could he do that to you? You’re the smartest, sweetest, most gorgeous girl on the face of the planet and he’s the biggest idiot of all time. I’m so sorry it didn’t work out. Or maybe I shouldn’t be. You deserve a whole lot better and now you have the chance to find that person.”

Dani shook her head with a rueful laugh. “Not me. I’m done with men. Come on. Get out of that dress, very carefully, and I’ll buy you lunch.”

“I can’t eat for another month, remember?”

“You’re eating for two now, and don’t worry about your gown. I’ll alter it this week, but you might want to think about bumping the wedding date up.”

“I’d rather not,” Molly said with a shake of her head. “The invitations are in the mail. But I’ll think about it.”

Molly’s cell phone rang while she was in the midst of peeling out of the wedding dress, and in her haste the last of the pins scattered onto the floor. Dani rescued the gown and the pins while her friend rummaged in her purse for her cell phone. “Ferguson,” she said. Then, a heartbeat later, she squealed, “Joseph!” and her face lit up so bright that even if she hadn’t cried out his name, Dani would have known it was Molly’s beloved older brother.

“Joseph, saints be praised. Mom told me this morning you were doing much better! When are they letting you out of the hospital?” She paced across the room, then stopped abruptly. “You mean, you’re here? In Helena? At the airport? Here? Right now? Jesus, Mary and... Oh, Joseph, you should have let me know you were coming!” Another pause. “Well, you’re just lucky I’m in town because I don’t even live in Helena anymore.” After a brief pause, she continued. “Yeah, I’m only here because I’m visiting Dani. She took Friday off from work to alter my wedding gown.” Molly caught her eye and made a face. “I live outside Bozeman now, with Steven, about two hours away. But don’t tell Mom! She’ll have a fit. You’ll love Steven’s place—it’s really pretty and you’ll have your own bedroom and private bath and you’ll get to meet Steven and, oh, Joseph, it’s so good to hear your voice! Are you sure you’re really all right?” Another pause. “Well, you did the right thing, coming here. There’s no place like Montana. We’ll take good care of you. You’ll love it, you’ll see. You won’t want to leave. Dani and I will pick you up and then take you to lunch before heading south. Sit tight, we’ll be there in two shakes of a lamb’s tail!”

She hung up and spun around with an incredulous laugh, beaming. “Joseph’s here! His flight just got in. He was released from the hospital this morning and decided to come here for a visit! Can you believe it? Big-city cop from back east finally meets the Wild West!”

Dani held the discarded wedding dress in her arms and watched while Molly shimmied into her skirt and pulled on her blouse, fingers flying down the buttons. She made another face as she zipped the skirt. “I won’t be able to wear this much longer, either.” She slipped her feet into her leather pumps and reached for her handbag. “Come on, Dani, you have to meet my big brother. He’s the coolest, handsomest and nicest guy in the whole world.”

“You told me Steven was the coolest, handsomest and nicest guy in the whole world.”

Molly laughed. “They’re the two coolest, handsomest, nicest guys in the whole world.”

“He must have made a miraculous recovery. Just last week he was in critical condition and you were ready to hop a plane back east and hold his hand while he died.”

“He’s a Ferguson, tough as they come. It’ll take more than a few bullets to keep Joseph down. Come on, he’s waiting!”

Dani shook her head. “You two have a lot of catching up to do, and I should stay here and get to work on this gown.”

Molly took the gown from her and tossed it over the nearest chair. “You’ve got a whole month to figure out how you’re going to alter the dress. I want you to meet my brother. Now that Jack’s out of the picture, I think Joseph would be perfect for you. You’ll get along great. And so you know, he’s unbranded, just like those wild horses you dote on. Doesn’t belong to anyone. Footloose and fancy-free. Let’s take him to our favorite deli for lunch. Like you said, I’m eating for two now.”

* * *

TEN MINUTES LATER Molly was circling her bright red Mercedes sedan past the terminal looking for a place to pull over and park. She huddled over the wheel, scowling with impatience. “I’ve never seen so much traffic at this airport. I can’t double-park—I’ll get a ticket for sure. Dani, jump out here, run inside the terminal and bring him out, would you? He’ll be at the Delta gate and he already knows you look just like Julia Ormond in Legends of the Fall—I’ve told him a dozen times.”

“What does Joseph look like?”

“He’s tall, dark and handsome, a rugged Tom Cruise type, you can’t miss him, and he always wears a dark leather jacket and looks a little dangerous.”

“Does he have red hair like yours?”

“No, I’m the only one in the family who was cursed with that. Quick, get out, I’m holding up traffic. I’ll drive around again and pick you up.”

Dani obeyed reluctantly. She entered the terminal and headed toward the Delta gate, where she spotted Joseph easily, seated in a corner chair just outside the gate, back to the wall, forearms resting on denim-clad knees, hands holding a paperback. Head down, reading. Dark glossy hair. Dark leather jacket. Had to be him.

“Joseph?” He glanced up from the paperback and she felt a jolt clear to her soul. Dark eyes, sharp and wary, measured her in a split second and deemed her safe. “I’m Dani Jardine, Molly’s friend. She sent me in to find you because she had to stay with the car—there’s no place to park.”

He stood and shoved the book into his jacket pocket. “The name’s Joe,” he said, extending his hand. “Molly’s the only one in the family who calls me Joseph.” His handshake was warm and firm.

“Do you have any luggage?”

He shook his head. “Spur of the moment trip.”

They exited the terminal together and stood at the curb. Dani was relieved when the red Mercedes appeared almost instantly. Molly slowed as she drew abreast of them and then stopped abruptly with a chirp of brakes. She jumped out, leaving her door ajar and ignoring the driver behind who laid on his horn. She raced toward her brother. “Joseph! Sweet Mary, Mother of... What have they done to you? Oh, Joseph, you look like death warmed over.” She plastered herself against him and burst into tears.

“I’ll move the car,” Dani offered, and beat a hasty retreat to the driver’s side, slamming the door and pulling ahead of the stopped traffic. She drove around the circuit, and by the time she drew near the terminal again, Molly and her brother were ready and waiting. She double-parked, brother and sister climbed aboard and she drove off.

Molly sat in the back and made Joseph sit in the front. “There’s more leg room,” she explained, and she blew her nose as Dani pulled back into traffic. “I can’t believe they let you out of the hospital, Joseph. Mom said you were much better. She lied!”

Joe hitched himself carefully sideways to look at his sister. “I’m just tired, that’s all. It’s a long flight to the Wild West. Where’s this deli you were talking about?”

“I bought a rotisserie chicken for dinner last night. How about we go to my place and I’ll fix us chicken sandwiches,” Dani said, wondering just how much more activity Joe was up for, considering the injury he was still recovering from and the journey he’d just made.

Molly dabbed at her eyes and blew her nose again. “I think that’s a much better idea, if you’re sure it’s no trouble, Dani.”

But of course it turned out to be big trouble, because Dani hadn’t considered the fact that she’d not done any real grocery shopping since Jack moved out. She had no bread, no lettuce, no mayonnaise and nothing to drink except tea, but Molly was too distraught to notice and her brother was too polite to do anything but thank her for the cup of hot tea she handed him, along with half the cold chicken sliced and arranged as artfully on the plate as she could manage, with a garnish of two dill pickles, one on each side of the plate. “Do you take sugar in your tea?” she asked.

“No, thanks, this is fine,” he said. He sat at her kitchen table and deftly kept her two golden retrievers at bay while he ate. “Thank you, that was great, way better than hospital food,” he said after finishing off all of the chicken, both pickles and his second cup of Earl Grey. “Eat up, Molly.”

“I am eating.” Molly’s eyes were red-rimmed from crying.

“No, you’re not. You haven’t touched a thing,” he chided. “What’re your dog’s names?” This he asked of Dani, who was nibbling on a chicken wing with about as much appetite as Molly.

“Winchester and Remington.” She smiled at his expression. “Jack liked to duck hunt.”

“Jack?”

“My ex. He left me his dogs when he moved out, but I’m not complaining. They’re great company, better than Jack ever was.”

He grinned at her words, and all at once Dani saw what Molly had been talking about. Take away the hospital pallor and the shadows beneath those wary eyes, add about ten pounds and Joseph Ferguson became the handsome brother Molly had bragged about. Not handsome the way Jack had been handsome. Not smooth, well-groomed, airline-captain handsome. More of a tough, streetwise and dangerous handsome. “I’ve heard dogs tend to be better company than most people,” he said.

“They go everywhere with me, except to work. Jack got them as eight-week-old pups, siblings, after we moved in together, but he’s an airline pilot and was gone most of the time. I think that’s the only reason he hung around so long, because he loved the dogs.”

“I find that a little hard to believe,” he said, and Dani felt her cheeks warm.

“Molly tells me you live in Providence,” she said, changing the subject. “That’s a big city compared to here.”

“It’s bigger, all right, but not nearly as good-looking.” He grinned that crooked grin again and Dani was completely disarmed.

“You’ll love it here, Joseph. You won’t want to go back to that smelly old city,” Molly said. “Besides, you can’t, at least not for a while. My wedding’s in less than a month, and from the looks of you, you’ll need at least a month of Montana living to get you back on your feet. Maybe little Fergie can come out early and stay with you. I haven’t seen him since last year and I bet he’s growing like a weed. It would do the two of you good to spend some time together out here.”

“I’ve never taken a month of vacation time all at once, but right about now that sounds pretty good.” He pushed out of his chair. “Thanks for the lunch, Dani.”

“You’re welcome. It’s nice to finally meet you, Joseph.”

“Joe,” he said, wandering into the living room, flanked by both dogs. “Did you take these photos?”

He was studying the gallery of prints she’d hung on her living room wall. “Yes,” she replied.

“They’re really good. You obviously like horses.”

“These shots are of the wild horse band in the Arrow Root Mountains. I’m documenting them for the Wild Horse Foundation, so I camp there a lot. I’m actually going up this weekend for the first time this year. I think the snow’s melted enough to hike to the forest service cabin I stay at.”

“Molly tells me you’ve climbed every mountain west of the Missouri.”

“Not quite, but I like to hike and mountain climb. How about you?”

“We don’t have many mountains in Providence, but I wouldn’t mind climbing a few of yours,” he said, casting that grin in her direction. Dani wondered if he always flirted so blatantly, and she also wondered why she was blushing like a schoolgirl.

“Joseph,” Molly scolded. “You’re in no condition for that sort of thing. The mountains out here are tall.”

“I’m sure we could find a short one,” Dani said.

“Just as long as it’s not Braveheart,” Molly said.

Dani shook her head. “We’ll leave that one for you and Steven, but you’d better climb it soon or Luther Makes Elk might not officiate at your wedding.”

“Luther Makes Elk?” Joe said.

“He’s a Crow holy man,” Dani said. “You’ll meet him at Molly’s wedding, if not before. Luther Makes Elk saved Steven’s life.”

“This Montana story just gets better and better. My baby sister’s been holding out some key information from her big brother.”

Molly jumped up and grabbed her purse. “Come on, Joseph, we better hit the road. I told Steven I’d be home for supper.”

Joe cast his sister a questioning look, and Molly sighed. “I promise to tell you all about Luther Makes Elk on the way to Bozeman. Thanks again for everything, Dani. I’ll call you tonight.”

“You’d better,” Dani said. “In the meantime, don’t worry about your wedding gown. It’s going to be beautiful.”

“It’s not the gown I’m worried about,” Molly confided as they hugged goodbye.

“Everything will be fine,” Dani said.

Joe shook her hand once more upon leaving, and Dani watched them descend the porch steps and walk out to Molly’s red Mercedes.

She waved them out of sight, then closed the door and leaned against it with a sigh. Her hand was still tingling.

So that was Molly’s big brother, Joseph.

Wow.

* * *

JOE WATCHED THE scenic vistas roll past his window as Molly pulled onto the highway heading south toward Bozeman. Mountains loomed in every direction, walling off the horizons. He’d never been west of New York before and, as exhausted as he was, he found himself captivated. He also found himself wondering about Dani Jardine. Attorney, great photographer, down-to-earth and drop-dead gorgeous. What sort of man would walk out on a woman like that?

“You’re being mighty quiet for a Ferguson, Joseph,” Molly prodded after a while.

“Just thinking.”

After ten more minutes of silence his sister cast another sidelong glance and nodded sagely. “You’re thinking about Dani. It’s written all over your face.”