Her Montana Cowboy

“You can sleep in Thad’s room. Give me a sec and I’ll get you some sheets.”

“Where will Thad sleep?” she asked, horrified at the idea of rousting the old man out of bed and sending him to sleep who knew where.

“Where he’s probably sleeping right now. In the apartment over the bar.”

“What bar?”

“The Shamrock Pub. His bar. Our bar.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Thad doesn’t live on the ranch. He hasn’t lived here for years. He only stays here when he needs to pitch in around the place.”

Lillie Jean’s mouth fell open. “You’re saying...”

“It’s just you and me here tonight.” He folded his arms over his chest and his expression wasn’t at all amused as he said, “Do you want to go back to the truck for your weapon?”

CHAPTER TWO

TWENTY MINUTES LATER, Lillie Jean was lying in a twin bed, staring at the ceiling, too keyed up to go to sleep even though it was almost 3:00 a.m. Gus had handed her sheets for the stripped bed, pointed her in the direction of the bathroom, then disappeared down the hall to a room at the end.

None of this is going according to plan.

Not one thing. Thaddeus had been in the town she’d driven through on her way to the ranch, and, as things stood now, she was dependent on a guy who was probably going to be none too happy when he discovered the reason she was at the ranch in the first place.

A guy who didn’t know her last name, because she hadn’t wanted to tip her hand.

A guy with lip prints on his forehead.

That had been startling. It had taken a moment for her to realize that the prints weren’t lipstick. She didn’t want to think about what the prints were made of or how they got there. None of her business, but seeing them had been enough to make her flip the lock on the bedroom door. She knew nothing about this guy, except that he was extremely good-looking and walked with just a hint of a limp.

Lillie Jean rolled over, pulling the sheet with her. Her insurance covered towing, so tomorrow she’d call her company and have them get her car out of the mud—if they would travel out this far to rescue her. She truly was isolated out here in the middle of Nowhere, Montana. There were other ranches in the vicinity—she’d seen lights in the distance as she’d followed Gus into the house—but for all intents and purposes, she was stranded in a place with no close neighbors, no easy access.

Again...nothing going according to plan.

Kind of the theme in her life over the past months.

Suck it up. The one thing she would not succumb to was self-pity. Her mom would have her hide for that...or rather, she would have had it. Lillie Jean had grown up knowing that even if she was a touch shy, and even if she wasn’t confrontational, she was expected to be strong and roll with the punches. She’d done a crazy thing coming here to Montana on impulse, and now she was suffering consequences. A natural part of life.

She squeezed her eyes shut, felt a touch of moisture at the corners at the thought of her mother. Drew in a deep breath and did her best to come to terms with the situation at hand.

I’m rolling, Mom.

I’m rolling so hard that I get dizzy sometimes.

* * *

GUS SCRUBBED AWAY at the lip print on his forehead, then gave up in disgust. If he didn’t stop scrubbing, he’d have no skin left. No wonder the woman had looked at him so strangely the night before when he’d come back with the sheets. She’d stared at his forehead, then looked down with a few mumbled words of thanks before disappearing into the bedroom. As expected, he’d heard the lock click shut.

Thank you, Mimi, for the “temporary” tattoo and the strategic placement.

The door to Thad’s room was closed as he went by on his way to the kitchen. He started the coffee, then went to the mudroom, slid his feet into his chore boots and shrugged into his heavy canvas coat before heading out to start the tractor. After feeding, he’d roust the woman and before they took the tractor down to pull her car out of the mud, he was going to get some answers. Like who was she and what did she want with his uncle? He wasn’t a big fan of mysteries and secrets. He’d let her hedge the night before, but now that they’d gotten a few hours of sleep, he wanted to know what was what before dragging Thad into it.

There was just enough frozen moisture in the air to feel sharp as he drew it into his lungs, and to coat the gravel with a thin skiff of frost. He unplugged the tractor’s block heater, started the big machine and left it to idle while he fed the barn cats and then tossed hay over the fence to the horses.

He crossed the driveway with a scoop of food for Clancy, the cat who lived under the front porch of the empty manager’s house. Clancy popped his head out, then disappeared back under the porch when Gus set down the bowl, pushing it far enough under the floorboards to allow the cat to feel safe while eating. He then snagged the empty bowl from yesterday and carried it back to the barn with him. The cat had never warmed up to anyone other than Sal, but was too wild for the old guy to take him with him when he retired to Dillon.

When Gus returned to the barn forty-five minutes later, after feeding two pastures of hungry cows, he left the tractor running. If his guest was out of bed, he was ready to yank her car out of the mud—after she answered a few questions.

He heard water running in the bathroom when he walked into the kitchen, so he poured a cup of coffee from the full carafe and sipped it while leaning against the counter. The house felt different with someone else in it. Strange how vibes or energy levels or something like that changed. And the house didn’t feel the same way it did when his uncle spent the night.

Finally footsteps went to the bedroom, then a few seconds later he heard Lillie Jean coming down the hall to the kitchen. Last night he’d come to the conclusion that his guest reminded him of the Disney princesses on the T-shirt Callie, his fill-in bartender, regularly wore. She was small with a lot of dark hair falling down her back and framing her face. Nice mouth, wide eyes. Suspicious wide eyes. She wet her lips as their gazes met and her back went just a little straighter.

“Good morning.”

It was almost but not quite a question. She moved past him to check to see if the yard gate was closed, then opened the back door and let her dog outside.

“Good morning. Coffee?”

“Please.”

She hovered near the doorway as he poured her coffee, and then he set the cup on the table and took the chair at the other end. A few seconds later she opened the door and the little dog raced in, his nails clacking on the mudroom floor.

“Nice sweater,” Gus said drily.

“Henry doesn’t have a lot of hair. Can’t have him freezing to death.”

“No. I guess not.”

“This was the only sweater I could find in a gas station when I realized how cold it was up here.”

Lillie Jean pulled out the chair and sat, taking hold of the coffee cup with both hands, but making no move to drink.

“Things look different in the light of day?”

She gave him a startled look. “What does that mean?”

Gus regarded the table between them, a frown pulling his eyebrows together. Play the game or cut to the chase?

He looked up, met those blue-green eyes and made his decision. Cut to the chase. How many people had this woman twisted around her finger with that innocent expression and those startling eyes? However many, he wasn’t going to be one of them.

“Who are you and why are you here?”

Her eyes went wide at the blunt question, then narrowed as she pressed her lips together, her gaze never leaving his face. At least she didn’t play coy. Gus had no patience with eye batting and mock shyness, having dealt with that particular come-on about a zillion times during his shifts at the pub.

“I told you my name and I’ll discuss the rest with Thaddeus when I get back to town.”

“Why do you want to see him?”

“Are you his keeper?” she responded coolly.

Lillie Jean looked like a waif in the storm, but she had some backbone. “No. I’m his nephew and I watch his back.”

“I will not come at him from behind.”

Was she messing with him? Three years of tending bar at the pub had given him a pretty good feel for people, but now he suspected his first read on Ms. Jean was off base. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to intimidate her into telling him her mission. But he was going to give it another shot.

“Why are you here?” he asked softly.

“I need to talk to Thaddeus. It’s...personal.”

Her continued use of his proper name threw him. “How do you know him?”

“I don’t. But we have mutual acquaintances.”

“Who sent you here?”

She put her palms on the table on either side of her coffee cup. “I don’t know you, so pardon me if I don’t unburden myself to you upon request.”

Now Gus’s eyes narrowed as he regarded the woman across the table. He’d definitely read her wrong. Her delicate appearance and the fact that she’d been rattled the night before had thrown him off track. This woman was a straight-talker. Now it was up to him to discover if that was good or bad.

“Tell you what... I’ll call Thad, tell him you’re here, and he can decide whether he wants to see you.”

It took her less than a second to say, “Very well.”

He pushed his chair back and went to the old-fashioned wall phone hanging near the fridge. He hoped Thad wasn’t going to kill him for getting him out of bed early, but this matter needed to be dealt with. His uncle’s voice was thick with sleep when he answered on the fifth ring, and then he cleared his throat and said hello once again.

“It’s me,” Gus said. He glanced over at Lillie Jean who sat watching him, an impassive look on her face. “There’s a person here at the ranch who wants to talk to you.”

“Who?”

“Her name is Lillie Jean.”

“I don’t know a Lillie Jean.” Thad sounded bemused. Gus knew the feeling. From behind him Lillie cleared her throat.

“Hardaway,” she said. He gave her a confused look. “Lillie Jean Hardaway.”

Gus gave his head a shake and repeated what she’d said. “Hardaway. Lillie Jean Hardaway.”

There was a silence on the other end of the phone, and then Thad said, “I’ll be right out.”

Gus frowned at the change in Thad’s voice. “Wait. Explain what’s going on.”

“I will.” He exhaled loudly. “When I get there. Just...make sure she doesn’t leave.”

“I don’t think that will be an issue,” Gus said. “Her car is axle-deep in the mud on the blind corner. Watch yourself coming around it.”

“I will.” Was it his imagination, or did his uncle suddenly sound older? “I’ll be there in forty minutes.”

Which meant he was pretty much going to put on his clothes and walk out the door. Which in turn meant that he was in some way familiar with Lillie Jean Hardaway and that seeing her was important enough that he wasn’t going to burn any daylight before doing so.

“I’m curious,” Gus said, folding his arms over his chest. “Why you didn’t give me your last name? Why did you let me assume that Jean was your last name?”

“I’m cautious,” she said matter-of-factly.

“That’s not an explanation.”

“I told you...”

“I know. You don’t know me. You don’t know Thad, either.”

“That doesn’t really matter.”

He was about to ask why when she frowned at him.

“I have to ask,” she said in a way that made him think she was purposely changing the subject, “what happened to your forehead?”

“I’m not overly cautious,” he said darkly. Which was a lie. He was always careful in his dealings, which was why Lillie Jean’s appearance on the ranch was sending up so many red flags.

“Is that a tattoo?”

Gus ran his hand over his forehead. The skin was still tender from the scrubbing, but the mark was just as dark as when Mimi had put it on him the night before. That was the last time he let a roll of the bar dice decide his future.

“It’s supposed to be temporary.”

“Not the result of a drunken trip to the ink parlor?”

He didn’t have to ask why she assumed it would be a drunken trip. What kind of sober person would do this to themselves? “It was part of a going-away party gag gift.”

“Are you going somewhere?” she asked politely, although he also read a hopeful note in her voice.

“I worked my last shift at the bar last night. Now I’m full-time manager here.”

An odd expression flickered across her face, there, then gone. “On the ranch.”

“Yes.”

She finally lifted her cup to take a drink. Seconds ticked by and Gus found himself gripping the edge of the counter.

“Where are you from?”

“A smallish town not far from Austin, Texas.”

“That’s quite a distance. How long did it take you to get here?”

“Several days. I took it slow.” She looked out the window at the bare branched trees edging the yard. “Do you mind if I step outside?”

“Not at all.” At least he couldn’t think of a reason to object. He didn’t trust her, though. Not even a little bit. This whole “air of mystery” thing was getting old, but Thad would be there in less than half an hour and maybe then he’d have some answers. In the meanwhile, he’d shut off the tractor, have another cup of coffee and wonder what the hell Lillie Jean Hardaway was up to.

* * *

MONTANA SMELLED GOOD. Lillie Jean would give it that. There was a cold snap to the air that made her feel like shivering as she drew in the scent of evergreens and moist earth. Wrapping her coat more tightly around herself, she walked down the concrete steps leading from the back door to the broken sidewalk. The front entrance was slightly grander, sporting an actual porch and wooden stairs, but the newels were leaning a little and as she walked further into the yard, she could see that the porch roof needed replacing.

Fine. She wasn’t there for the house.

She made her way to the driveway and walked toward the big green tractor parked there. When she was midway between the house and barn, she turned back toward the house, fairly certain she’d catch Gus Hawkins watching her through the window. Sure enough, there he was. He made no effort to step back or to appear as if he wasn’t keeping an eye on her. He didn’t trust her, and, truly, she couldn’t blame him. If positions were reversed, she wouldn’t trust her, either, but she wasn’t going to let anything slip until she met Thaddeus Hawkins. If there was bad blood between Thaddeus and her grandfather, why hadn’t one of them sold his part of the ranch to the other and walked away? Or sold it to someone else? There had to be a reason for that.

There also had to be a reason that her grandfather never once mentioned the ranch to her. Considering the fact that she was his lone surviving relative, that was borderline amazing. And hurtful.

Her nerves jumped when she saw a truck come over the hill in the distance. The problem with her current situation, as opposed to yesterday when she’d tried to drive to the ranch, was that she had no means of escape. Right now, escape sounded good.

Sucking in a breath of crisp air, she turned and walked back to the house, pushing her hands deep into her pockets as she walked and trying very hard to remember just why she thought this might be a good idea.

Answers. She wanted to know why she hadn’t known about this place. Who Thaddeus Hawkins was and why she’d never heard about him. And she wanted to know if Thaddeus would buy her half of the ranch. She needed the money to start a new life, a new business, a new everything. It’d be a lot easier and faster to unload it to the man who already owned the other half.

CHAPTER THREE

GUS HAD HAD no idea what to expect after Thad parked his pride and joy—a ’72 Ford F250 that guzzled gas as if it had a hole in the tank—next to the tractor and made his way to the house. He came in the back door as usual, then stopped dead when he caught sight of the woman sitting at the table, still wearing her coat.

“Lillie Jean Hardaway?” he asked, as if there might be another woman in the house he didn’t know.

“Yes.” She got to her feet, squared her shoulders, then crossed the room to hold out a small hand. Thad swallowed, looking as if he was half-afraid to have Lillie Jean touch him. They shook hands, and then Lillie Jean clasped her hands in front of her and Thad stuck his deep in his pockets. For a long moment he stared at her, as if trying to convince himself that she was real.

“I wouldn’t mind some coffee,” he finally said in a low voice.

Thad looked like he needed more than coffee, but without waiting for Gus to acknowledge his coffee request, he pulled out a chair and sat, motioning Lillie Jean to sit opposite him. Once she was seated, he said, “How is your grandfather?”

“He passed away three weeks ago.”

Thad’s forehead crumpled. “Sorry to hear that.” The comment was perfunctory, but Gus could see that the news impacted his uncle deeply. He set a cup of coffee in front of Thad, then moved back to his vantage point on the other side of the kitchen. He’d give them some space, but he wasn’t leaving his uncle alone with this woman. Not unless he received a direct order.

“Yes. It was peaceful. He’d been having health issues, but we didn’t expect him to go so soon.” Lillie Jean glanced down, pursed her lips as if gearing herself up for some big announcement. “There was some trouble finding the will. Lawyers’ offices moving.” She waved a hand. “When it did surface...he left me his half of the ranch. I found out about it last week.”

“I hadn’t heard anything,” Thad said in a low voice. “No one’s been in contact.”

“They will be.”

Gus’s back jerked straight as the meaning of the conversation became clear. “Wait a minute. Half of this ranch?”

“Yeah.” Thad met his gaze, his expression solemn. “Lyle and I started this ranch as partners.”

Thad had a partner? With the exception of the time he’d spent bull riding, Gus had lived on the ranch since he was fifteen, and he and his uncle had always been close—so why the hell was this the first he’d ever heard about the ranch having dual ownership. “So he’s like what? A silent partner?”

“I guess you could call it that.” Thad turned back to Lillie Jean, leaving Gus to stare at him. “I have a little money in the ranch account that will be yours, too.” Thad smiled grimly. “The accountant sent Lyle a yearly check. It was never that much, but we only went in the red a couple of times over the past few decades.”

“Decades.” Gus realized that his mouth had fallen open and quickly shut it. Funny how you could get out of bed one morning and everything was fine and a little more than twenty-four hours later, you find out that the truth as you know it, isn’t the truth at all.

“How do we know that Lyle Hardaway is really your grandfather?”

Both Thad and Lillie Jean looked his way, but before either could speak, he said to Thad, “Doesn’t it seem kind of unusual for you to get no word of your partner’s death and then she shows up out of the blue, saying that she’s your new partner?”

“I have identification.” Lillie Jean spoke coldly.

“In this day and age, that doesn’t mean a lot.” Maybe he was being rude, but from the moment he’d set eyes on this woman, she’d been secretive. Maybe he’d tended bar for too long, but her story just didn’t smell right. “Why hasn’t Thad heard from the executor?”

“I told you they just found the will.” She glanced over at Thad. “You’ll get your copy soon. Everything except his car was designated transfer-at-death.”

“Did you bring a copy?” he asked.

“I did.”

“Tell you what,” Thad said to Lillie Jean. “Why don’t you let my nephew and me have a few minutes and then I can take a look at the document?”

“Sure.” Lillie Jean pushed her chair back and stood, leaving her barely touched coffee sitting on the table. “I’ll take a walk.”

“It’s cold out there.”

“I don’t mind.”

The little dog looked like he minded. When Lillie Jean pulled her coat off the chair, he gave her a startled “Again?” look, but trotted after her when she headed for the mudroom. Gus waited until she stepped outside and pulled the door shut behind her before turning to Thad and saying, “I had no idea you had a partner.” He sounded harsh, but then he was feeling harsh. All the times they’d talked about Gus taking over the operation of the ranch and never a mention of a partner. And now that partner was dead and who knew what his heir was about to do?

“Not something I talk about.”

“Obviously, but if I’m the manager of the place, don’t you think it would have been good for me to know there’s someone else involved?”

“It’s only been on paper.”

“Kind of more than paper now.” He turned to the window, watched Lillie Jean pace near the trucks, giving them the privacy he needed to process this gut-wrenching turn of events. “What kind of agreement did you and Lyle make?”

“A thorough one.”

“Can she sell?”

“Yeah.” The answer came out on a short definitive note. “If her claim is legitimate, she can sell.”

Gus let out a breath, pushed his hands over his forehead. Cursed under his breath. So much for the business plan he’d drawn up. And the comfortable feeling of knowing his future.

“I don’t blame you for being mad,” Thad said.

“I’m not mad.” He had no right to be mad. He didn’t own any part of the ranch. He’d lived there, worked the land, managed the animals since he was a teen. It felt like his place...but it wasn’t.

“Yeah. You are.”

Yeah, he was. But more than that he was stunned that Thad had never told him any of this—and hurt. Mad felt a whole lot better than hurt.

Thad was studying him with a tight look on his face, waiting for a response of some kind. Gus did his best to focus on the main issue in front of them.

“This woman showing up out of nowhere concerns me. She could be anyone.”

“I’m pretty sure she’s Lyle’s granddaughter.”

“Why?”

“Well, for one thing, his name was Lyle Gene. Her name is Lillie Jean.”

Gus stared at his uncle. “I hope you have more than that.”

“There’s a resemblance,” Thad said in a low voice.

“How long’s it been since you’ve seen this guy?” When Thad gave him a questioning look, he added, “Memories fade.”

“Some don’t.” There was a tone in his uncle’s voice that brought a frown to his face. “She doesn’t look like Lyle...she looks like her grandmother.”

“You know her well?”

Thad gave a small snort. “You could say that...we were married for three years.”

That was the point where Gus felt the need to sit down. “You were married to Lillie Jean’s grandmother?” It was no secret that Thad had divorced long ago, before Gus had been born.

“Yeah. Married Nita and started the ranch the same year. Three years later, Lyle and Nita left for Texas, and I had the ranch all to myself.”

“Son of a...” Gus blew out a breath. Shook his head as if to clear it. “But you guys remained partners.”

“We communicated through accountants and lawyers. I couldn’t afford to buy Lyle out.”

“In all these years.”

Thad turned his coffee cup in his hands. “It was something I’d always meant to address...but never did. I let the days slip by. Sent him a check every year.” He raised his gaze in a quick jerk. “I never had enough to buy him out, okay?”

But he’d managed to buy the pub they now owed together. That was telling.

Gus tilted his head toward the window where Lillie Jean was walking near the barn. “Even if she is a carbon copy of your ex-wife, you still don’t know she’s who she says she is. Maybe she’s a niece or something. Someone who doesn’t have claim.”

“You’re right.”

The words didn’t ring true. Thad was already convinced of Lillie Jean’s identity.