Читать книгу Montana Wrangler - Charlotte Carter - Страница 11

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.