Rolling Like Thunder

All her attention was on Finn, who remained engrossed in his spreadsheets. “You’re Mr. April, aren’t you?”

His head snapped up and he flushed as he stared at her in dismay. “Uh, yeah.”

“Gorgeous.”

He swallowed. “It was...we needed...”

“What’s the deal with Thunder Mountain Academy?”

“It’s this...this—”

“A residential equine program for sixteen-to-eighteen-year-olds,” Chelsea said. “It’ll be a fabulous opportunity for kids who think they might want to build a career around horses. They’ll learn horse training and equine health care along with the daily maintenance required. In addition, we have a master saddle maker who’ll teach them the basics of that art.”

The flight attendant blinked. “Sounds great, but I don’t have any kids. Can I just buy the calendar?”

“It’s offered as a premium if you pledge a certain amount to the academy’s Kickstarter fund.” Chelsea pulled out a card with website information on it. “Here’s where you can do that. It’s all spelled out on the site.”

“Thanks.” She took the card and reluctantly handed back the calendar. “Maybe some of my girlfriends will want to go together on it.” She glanced down at Finn. “I’m a beer drinker, too.”

He cleared his throat. “Good.”

“Don’t forget your hat when you leave the plane.”

“I won’t.”

“’Bye, now.” She fluttered her fingers at him and headed back to the front of the plane.

“Good Lord.” Finn sank back against the seat and took several deep breaths. “Thanks for telling her about TMA. My mind went blank.”

“I noticed.”

“Obviously, I’m not prepared for the effect that calendar is liable to have.”

“It’s not just the calendar.” Chelsea gazed at him. “So how long since you’ve dressed like a cowboy?”

“About five years. Basically since I moved to Seattle. Why?”

“Oh, it’s just that some guys get more appealing as the years go by and some get less. You might be in the first category.”

He laughed and shook his head. “No. It’s the calendar. I just have to brace myself for the reaction to it from now on.”

“If you say so.” She tucked the calendar back in her laptop case. Then she dug around for her earbuds because she wanted to hear the background music she’d chosen to accompany her PowerPoint, as well as the sound for the accompanying videos. At last she cued it up on the screen and put in the earbuds. “Back to work.”

Finn tapped her on the shoulder and she pulled out an earbud. “What?”

“Can I listen, too?”

“Okay.” Sharing the earbuds meant leaning close to each other, but she wouldn’t mind getting his input even if it meant putting up with the warmth of his body, the delicious scent of his aftershave and the sound of his breathing.

Once they were huddled together, she started the PowerPoint. Focusing on it with him so close wasn’t easy, but it was a good test of whether the presentation was any good. She’d opened with stirring music and the TMA logo: a horseshoe with the letters at the top created to resemble snowy mountain peaks. Next was a slide of the snowcapped Big Horn Mountain range with her shout line: Thunder Mountain Academy—Built on a Foundation of Caring.

Rosie had sent her some old photos of the ranch during its years as a foster-care facility and Chelsea had created a montage along with some explanatory text. Finn as a teenager appeared in several of the pictures. She heard his breath catch as he watched.

She’d introduced the next segment with the title “A New Era Dawns” and a brief explanation of the program. Then she’d included videos of Lexi, Cade’s girlfriend, giving riding lessons, plus one of Cade schooling a horse. Herb, a retired veterinarian, was shown delivering a foal. Ben Radcliffe would teach saddle making, and he’d sent some beautiful photos of his work. The academic benefits of the program were outlined, and then Rosie appeared in shots of an outdoor feast around a large campfire.

A brief video tour of the ranch house, the barn and the four log cabins where the students would live rounded out the presentation. It ended with a picture of Rosie, Herb, Cade, Lexi and Ben all wearing T-shirts bearing the TMA logo as they stood smiling in front of the ranch house. The last slide was once again set against the Big Horn range and carried the slogan “Thunder Mountain Academy. Fostering respectful stewardship of our equine friends through experience and education.”

The music swelled to a crescendo and faded as the image on the screen slowly disappeared. Chelsea thought it was pretty good. Not perfect, but then she was never completely satisfied with her work.

Beside her, Finn took a deep breath as he removed his earbud. “That was spectacular.”

“Oh, I’m not so sure it’s spectacular, but—”

“No, Chels, it’s spectacular.” He settled his intense blue gaze on her. “And you’re not charging us a dime, either. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank you.”

As she looked into his eyes she could think of several ways, but he wouldn’t want to hear them. “Aren’t we supposed to meet the Chance family at a saloon called the Spirits and Spurs tonight?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Then once we get there, you can buy me a drink.” It wasn’t what she really wanted from him, but for now it would have to do.

2

FINN WOULD HAVE liked to watch the presentation again, but Chelsea wanted to polish it some more. She spent the rest of the trip, including the layover in Salt Lake City, tweaking it. And she accused him of being anal.

After they landed in Jackson, they picked up the gray SUV she’d reserved and he drove to the little town of Shoshone while she continued to play with the PowerPoint file.

“You’re missing the scenery.”

“That’s okay.” She didn’t look up from the screen. “I’ll see it on the way back.”

“Surely it’s done by now.”

“Mostly, but every time I look at it I see one more thing I want to fix. The presentation tomorrow is super important.”

“I’m well aware of that, but the version I saw on the plane should do the trick.”

“It’s way better now.” Her fingers flew over the keyboard of her laptop. “There. That font pops more than the other one.”

“There’s such a thing as working a project to death, you know.”

She glanced up. “Did you really say that? You, a card-carrying member of Perfectionists Anonymous?”

“I’m beginning to think you founded the club. I don’t remember you fiddling this much with the O’Roarke’s Brewhouse PowerPoint.”

“That’s because I worked on it in the middle of the night and you weren’t there. How would you feel if something this important was riding on your expertise?”

He contemplated that. “I see what you mean.”

“Thank you.” There was triumph in her voice. “If you’d been the one responsible for this very important PowerPoint, you would have made me drive while you worked on it.”

“Well, you’re going to have to stop because there’s the Bunk and Grub up ahead. We don’t have much time to check in before we head over to meet the Chance family at the saloon.”

She turned off her laptop and tucked it into her carrying case. “Looks just like the picture on the website, a cute little Victorian. With a name like the Bunk and Grub, you’d think it would be more rustic.”

“The Spirits and Spurs is rustic. We passed it on the way here.”

“Is it close?”

“A couple of blocks. We could walk it.” Then he thought of her high-heeled sandals. “Or not. I forgot about your shoes.”

“If I can take the hills of Seattle in these I can certainly walk a couple of blocks on flat ground.” She glanced down at her outfit. “But are you sure I’ll be okay wearing this? Not that I have anything more Western and rustic to change into.”

“Chels, you’d look great in a feed sack.” He wondered if he should have said that. But it was true. She had an instinctive sense of style.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t bring a feed sack. I don’t even know what they look like, but I’m sure they’re rustic. Being a cowboy and all, you probably know all about them.”

He laughed. “I do. Listen, whatever you brought will be fine, unless you decide to go riding while we’re at Thunder Mountain. Then maybe we should pick up a couple of things in Sheridan. Or you might be able to borrow a pair of boots from Rosie or Lexi, depending on sizes.”

“Could we do that? Go riding?”

“That’s up to you. Ever been on a horse?”

“I have, but it’s been...jeez, fifteen years. I took some lessons. And I rode English.”

“Huh. I didn’t know that.” He pulled into the parking lot beside the Bunk and Grub and shut off the engine.

“I’ll bet there’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

“Probably so.” He met her gaze. He’d deliberately avoided finding out too much for fear it would only create more connection between them. Like the riding thing. Although she hadn’t kept it up, at one time experiencing the world on horseback had appealed to her.

“If it isn’t too much trouble, I’d love to go riding when we get to Thunder Mountain. I’ll be rusty, but I think it would be fun to get on a horse again. If the horse is gentle, I should be fine wearing my gym shoes.”

“Then I’ll take you.” He broke eye contact and reached for the door handle. “There’s a Forest Service road through the trees. You’ll like it.” And damned if it didn’t sound like a romantic thing to do.

“I’m sure I will.” She opened her door and climbed out.

The walkway around to the front door of the B and B was a series of stepping stones set in gravel, so Finn offered to carry both suitcases and Chelsea took their laptop shoulder bags. As he followed her up the steps to a front porch decorated with white wicker furniture and floral cushions, his mind was still on that ride along the Forest Service road.

He hadn’t thought much about the second part of this trip, but now that he knew she had some riding experience, he wanted to show her everything—the little clearing where he, Cade and Damon had performed their blood-brother ceremony, the stream where the three of them used to camp when they were older, and the slope they’d cleared of trees so they could use it as a toboggan run in the winter.

She’d like Cade and Damon. Finn was looking forward to seeing them again. So much had changed since he’d been there in June. Cade and Lexi had gotten back together, although still no word on a wedding. Damon had moved back to Sheridan to be with Philomena, the carpenter who’d worked with him on a fourth cabin for TMA last month.

Finn had been back to the ranch a few times since moving to Seattle, but he’d always traveled alone. This would be the first time he’d ever taken someone there. Maybe it was fitting that Chelsea should be the one. She’d helped him make the transition to Seattle and now she’d be able to see where he’d come from. For her, at least, the picture would be complete.

But he had huge gaps in his knowledge of her. He didn’t feel good about that. When it came to Chelsea, he’d been a coward. He should be able to get to know the woman’s background without forming an inseparable bond. As he walked through the front door of the Bunk and Grub, he decided to use this weekend to learn more about her.

The reception area and an adjacent parlor matched the exterior. Antique furniture and gilt-framed mirrors reminded Finn of the pictures his grandfather had showed him of his great-grandparents’ house. Vases of fresh flowers were everywhere.

A middle-aged woman with blond hair rose from behind an antique desk and came forward when they walked in. “You must be Finn and Chelsea.”

“We are.” Chelsea held out her hand. “And you must be Pam Mulholland. I recognize you from your picture on the website.”

“I’m Pam.” She took Chelsea’s hand in both of hers. “And I’m so excited about Thunder Mountain Academy. I’ve been talking to everyone I know. You should have a good crowd at the Last Chance tomorrow afternoon.”

“My goodness, thank you!”

“The project sounds amazing.” She squeezed Chelsea’s hand and released it. “And, Finn, I’m delighted to meet you.”

“Same here, ma’am.” He touched the brim of his hat. “I also want to thank you for getting the word out about tomorrow. Thunder Mountain means a great deal to a lot of people, me included.”

“I’m sure it does. When Cade visited last month he kept us all entertained with stories about the days when you boys lived there.”

He smiled. “Don’t believe everything you hear.”

“So you weren’t the one who glued the toilet seats shut and put salt in the sugar bowl?”

“Uh, well...” He made a mental note to have a talk with his old buddy Cade.

Pam laughed. “You wouldn’t be normal kids if you hadn’t pulled a few pranks. According to Sarah, the Chance boys—”

A grandfather clock in the parlor chimed, interrupting her. “Whoops. Time to get moving.” She hurried behind the desk and grabbed two sets of keys from a board on the wall. “The bigger one opens the front door when I’m not here and the smaller one’s a room key. You can both sign the register later. You two are my only guests this weekend, so we can be more informal.”

“That sounds nice,” Chelsea said.

“I won’t abandon all the protocol, but I’ve dispensed with our usual happy hour for obvious reasons. You’ll be at Spirits and Spurs tonight and at the ranch for dinner tomorrow. We can see about Sunday night’s happy hour if you end up hanging around here.”

“We might,” Finn said. “It’s a great house.”

“Thank you.” Pam looked pleased. “I love it. Oh, and if you should need anything while you’re here, dial zero from the phone in your room. It’ll connect to me, or if I’m not here, it goes to the housekeeper’s room. Yvonne will take care of you. Are you walking over to Spirits and Spurs or driving?”

“Walking,” Chelsea said without hesitation.

“Then I’ll walk with you. Come on down whenever you’re ready and we’ll head over. Everyone’s so eager to meet you.” Pam glanced at Finn. “Josie has the beer you shipped chilling even as we speak. Nice touch.”

Chelsea swung around to gaze at him. “You sent beer? What a great idea.”

“Testing the market.”

“Smart.” She glanced at the number attached to her set of keys. “Which way is Room Three?”

“Up the stairs and to your left.” She handed Finn the other key. “You’re in Four, right next to her. They’re my two favorites.”

Finn took the key with a smile. “Much obliged, ma’am.” From the corner of his eye he caught Chelsea’s smirk. But he was in cowboy country now. He’d felt it the minute they’d landed in Jackson, and the Western atmosphere brought back all his cowboy manners. He hefted both suitcases and started toward the stairs.

“Oh, and in case I get caught up in the dancing and forget to mention it,” Pam said, “breakfast is at eight. Just follow your nose to the coffee and you’ll find the breakfast room.”

“Dancing?” Finn paused to glance back at her.

“At the Spirits and Spurs. There’s a live band and a dance floor. You and Chelsea will have to try it out.”

“Definitely,” Chelsea called over her shoulder as she started up the stairs. “Right, Finn?”

“Right.” Good Lord, would he really have to do that? He followed her up the stairs and down the carpeted hallway. “I’m not much of a dancer,” he said quietly as he set her suitcase by her door.

“Me, either.”

“Really? Or are you just saying that to make me feel better?”

“No, really.” She unlocked the door and turned to face him. “I hung out with the brainy kids. We considered ourselves too cool to go to dances, so I never really learned how. I sort of regret it now.”

“That’s surprising. I pictured you being into the whole social thing, maybe even the homecoming queen.”

She burst out laughing. “Oh, Finn, you have a lot to learn about me. You can start tonight as you steer me awkwardly around the dance floor.”

“We’re not actually going to do it, are we?” He stared at her in horror.

“Of course we are. Pam’s remark tells me that these folks love their dancing. It’s like when you’re in a country where you don’t speak the language. The locals appreciate it if you at least give it a try. Sitting there like bumps on a log would be a mistake. We should dance, even if we’re bad at it. It’ll be excellent PR.”

“It’ll be a disaster.”

“No, it won’t.” She gazed up at him. “It’ll do us both good. We’ve established that we’re both perfectionists and we probably carry that to an extreme.”

“Speak for yourself.”

“I’m speaking for both of us. Let’s see if we can tolerate dancing badly.”

He groaned.

“Man up, O’Roarke. Have a few beers. Cut loose. I know you have it in you after hearing about the toilet seats and the sugar-to-salt routine.”

“Okay, but you’ll be sorry. You’re wearing sandals, don’t forget, and I’m wearing boots. Don’t blame me if you’re limping by the end of the night.”

“I won’t blame you, but I might ask you to give me a foot rub.”

His breath caught.

“See you in five minutes, cowboy.” Grabbing her suitcase, she handed him his laptop, ducked inside her door and closed it in his face.

He stared at the closed door for several seconds. A foot rub. She was taunting him, which wasn’t very nice of her, all things considered. But, God, how he loved it.

* * *

TWENTY MINUTES LATER when Chelsea walked into the Spirits and Spurs, she recognized immediately that this was the real deal. She’d seen places that gave the appearance of being historic frontier watering holes, but this saloon had earned its ambience the old-fashioned way through years of serving drinks to thirsty cowhands.

The tables were scarred but sturdy, while the polished wooden bar, complete with beveled mirror behind it and plenty of shelves and brass fittings, was a thing to behold. Finn must be wild with envy—it was the kind of bar he’d lusted after but hadn’t been able to afford. These beauties, most of them shipped from back East more than a century ago, didn’t come cheap.

Chelsea could easily imagine miners, cattlemen and gamblers bellying up to that bar in days gone by. Obviously this saloon had seen it all and then some. The band was tuning up, so the party was about to get started.

A woman wearing jeans and a Western shirt walked toward them. A long blond braid hung down her back and she moved with assurance, as if she owned the place. Chelsea was willing to bet that she did.

She confirmed it immediately. “I’m Josie Chance, and you must be Chelsea and Finn,” she said as she shook hands with both of them. “Welcome to Spirits and Spurs. Thanks for escorting them over here, Pam.”

“Fortunately they came peacefully.” Pam grinned at them. “But if you’ll excuse me, I see my darling husband over at the bar and we haven’t checked in with each other in a couple of days.”

Josie waved her away. “Go for it.”

Chelsea noticed Pam heading toward a distinguished-looking cowboy with a gray mustache. “Has her husband been out of town?”

“No, Emmett lives at the Last Chance Ranch. He’s the foreman there. They were married Christmas before last, but they maintain separate residences and get together when they can.”

“That’s fascinating. Don’t you think so, Finn?”

“I’m sorry. What?” Apparently he hadn’t heard a word because he’d been too absorbed in his surroundings.

“Never mind. Cool bar, huh?”

“It’s amazing. I love this whole place, Josie. It has the kind of atmosphere I’m going for at O’Roarke’s Brewhouse, but I haven’t quite achieved it yet.”

Josie smiled. “Give yourself another hundred years.”

“That’s how old it is?” Finn glanced up into the rafters. “No wonder it feels so authentic.”

“And it has ghosts.”

Finn’s eyes narrowed. “You’re kidding.”

“I hope she’s not.” Chelsea shivered with excitement. “I’ve always wanted to see one.”

“Well, I have seen one, right in this room after closing. I knew the saloon was supposed to be haunted by the ghosts of past patrons, so I renamed it Spirits and Spurs, thinking I was being clever. Then I saw my first ghost and realized I was being accurate.”

Chelsea sucked in a breath. “That is so cool.”

“That is so creepy.” Finn didn’t seem as happy about the ghost situation.

“Not everyone believes it.” Josie shrugged. “Their choice. I know what I saw and I stand by the name. By the way, I’ve tasted your beer, Finn, and it’s excellent. If you can guarantee me a steady supply, I’ll put it on the menu.”

“I’d be honored, ma’am.”

“Aha! Spoken like a Wyoming boy. Nice hat, too.”

“We were in coach,” Chelsea said, “but the hat rode in first class. Both legs. The flight attendants were very accommodating.”

“I understand how that could happen.” Josie gave Finn a speculative glance. “Women appreciate a nice hat. Anyway, I’ve monopolized you two long enough. The rest of the gang is sitting in the far corner where those two tables are pushed together. Let’s get your drinks ordered before we go over. What’ll you have?”

“O’Roarke’s Pale Ale,” Chelsea said, knowing it would please Finn. Besides, she liked it.

“Make that two, please.” Finn said.

“Why am I not surprised?” Josie beckoned to a waitress and gave her the order before turning back to them. “Hand-crafted beers are a fun idea. I’ve always thought owning the saloon was good enough, but lately I’ve been thinking that a microbrewery would be an interesting challenge.”

Finn clutched his chest. “A competitor? Right when I’ve snagged your business?”

“Relax.” She patted him on the arm. “It’ll take me ages to get up to speed. By then you’ll have the entire West Coast sewed up.”

“Just kidding, ma’am. I’d be glad to help any way I can. There’s room for both of us.”

Chelsea’s heart swelled. Finn was turning into a savvy businessman, as evidenced by his decision to expand his territory. But he wasn’t cutthroat about it and he was more than willing to lend a hand to a competitor. She’d admired that strength of character from the day they’d met.

Josie ushered them over to the table where the rest of the family sat, and immediately the men all pushed back their chairs and stood. Impressive. Cowboy manners were beginning to grow on her.

As Josie made the introductions, the calendar helped Chelsea identify people. She recognized Jack, Nick and Gabe instantly, and Dominique had to be the short-haired brunette sitting next to Nick. That meant Gabe’s wife, Morgan, was the curvy redhead.

“Sarah and Pete will be here any minute,” Josie said. “But they told us to go ahead and order food instead of waiting for them, so have a seat and grab a menu.” She laughed. “I refuse to be modest. Everything’s good here.”

“Well, I’m starving.” Chelsea sat next to Jack. That was when she noticed that everyone had a bottle of O’Roarke’s Pale Ale in front of them.

Obviously, Finn had noticed it, too. He gestured toward the bottles. “That’s right nice of you,” he said. “I really didn’t expect everyone to be obliged to drink it.”

“Why not?” Nick smiled at him. “It was free!”

“Exactly. I love me a free beer.” Jack raised his bottle in a subtle salute. “And it’s not half-bad. If Josie goes ahead with her microbrewery plan, she’ll have to step it up in order to top this. We’ll have you beat on the label, though.”

“I don’t know about that.” Finn settled into his chair with a grin. Apparently he was comfortable with this kind of teasing. “You have to admit that an Irish name on a beer bottle just looks natural.”

“Maybe so, but you don’t have historic information to slap on the back side.” Jack turned the bottle around. “In this space here, where you can only brag about the quality of your hops and such, we get to talk about a beer inspired by the friendly spirits of Shoshone, namely, ‘Ghost Drinkers in the Bar.’”

Chelsea laughed. “That’s good.”

“We’ve worked up a little ditty for the commercial.” Gabe smoothed his mustache. “You oughta hear it.”