A Match Made in Montana

“I’m a great driver.” Jordan put her hand on Ian’s leg to get his attention. “You trust me when I drive, don’t you?”

“Absolutely not,” Ian replied with a deadpan expression. “I am grateful every day that I can afford a driver.”

“That’s a horrible thing to say, GQ!” Jordan punched her fiancé lightly on the arm. “Now do you see what I have to put up with, Logan?”

“I do see,” Logan nodded thoughtfully, playing along.

“That is why you are officially my hero for the day.” Jordan pointed at Logan.

“But let’s be clear,” Josephine said. “He’s not a hero for putting on a uniform every day and risking his life. You’re saying he’s a hero for giving me a ticket so I can’t harass you about your terrible driving anymore. Right?”

“What’s your point?” Jordan asked with a shrug.

Josephine looked at Logan. “Do you see what I have to put up with?”

“You’re in a no-win situation, buddy,” Ian warned his longtime friend.

“I see that, too,” Logan laughed good-naturedly, then lifted the duffel bag off the seat. “Hey, before we take off, I’d like to change out of this monkey suit into some street clothes.”

“Straight back to the bedroom.” Ian pointed in the direction of the back of the jet. “You can change in there.”

“If you’ll excuse me, then. I came here straight from work and I’d really like to feel like I’ve started my vacation.” Logan’s arm brushed Josephine’s when he walked past her to get to the back of the jet.

It wasn’t long before Logan returned carrying the duffel bag in one hand and a garment bag in his other.

“Is there some place I can hang up my uniform?” he asked.

“Closet’s right there.” Jordan pointed. “You can put your bag in there, too, if you want. While you were in the back, the pilot said that we’re about ready to taxi out to the runway, so grab a seat and make yourself comfortable.”

Logan did just that. After he hung up his uniform and stowed his bag, he took the seat across from Josephine’s recliner. Logan Wolf had been noticeably handsome in his uniform, and he was just as attractive in his crisp jeans, tucked-in short-sleeved green polo and San Diego Padres baseball cap. She was in a long-term relationship, yes, but she still had eyes and could see if a man was good-looking or not. Logan was a good-looking man. But then again, so was her Brice.

Thinking of Brice, Josephine checked her phone to see if he had called her. When she left for the airport, things were still messy between them. Normally, he would have called her by now; he would have tried to smooth things over before her flight. But this time, he hadn’t. What did that mean?

Not wanting to spend the beginning of her sister’s wedding trip dwelling on her problems with Brice, Josephine turned off her phone and prompted Jordan to tell her all about the latest wedding plans. Ever since she was a young girl, she had loved all things wedding, and hearing about all of the latest details of her twin’s upcoming nuptials would be the exact distraction she needed.

While Jordan excitedly shared the latest details of her wedding with her, the pilot taxied the jet out to the runway and they took off for Helena, Montana, soon after. Jordan, who had always been a nervous flier, had stopped talking and held on tightly to Ian’s arm while the jet quickly ascended to the level of the clouds. Once the jet leveled off, Jordan opened her eyes again.

“You’re much better than you used to be, that’s for sure,” Josephine complimented her sister.

Jordan hugged her fiancé’s arm more tightly and smiled at him. “Being with Ian has really helped me.”

“Not as much as being with you has helped me.” Ian brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it.

Josephine was so happy for her sister. But she felt a twinge of jealousy whenever she saw Jordan with Ian. He loved her so much; it was plain to see in the way he spoke to her, the way he spoke about her and in the way he touched her. She knew that Brice loved her, but he wasn’t, by nature, a demonstrative person. And even though she had accepted that part of Brice’s personality, she couldn’t stop herself from craving what her sister had found.

Ian tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle a yawn. “I’m sorry, guys...I promise it’s not the company.”

“You do look tired, Ian.” Josephine had noticed that earlier.

“He didn’t sleep well last night,” Jordan explained, holding his hand. “Why don’t you go lie down, baby?”

“I’m not just going to leave all of you out here while I sleep.” Ian shook his head.

But both Logan and Josephine assured him that it would be okay with them, and Ian appeared to be so tired that it didn’t take much convincing. He kissed Jordan and stood up.

“Bedroom, Shadow.” He gave the black Lab the command, which Shadow immediately followed.

When Ian disappeared into the bedroom, out of earshot, Jordan confided in them.

“Ian’s been having a really hard time sleeping. The specialist says that it’s not uncommon for people with Stargardt to have a sleep disorder. He’s been on melatonin, but it’s not really helping all the much. Honestly, we were both up all night last night.”

“Then you need to go back and get some rest, too,” Josephine told her.

“What about you guys?” Jordan rubbed her eyes tiredly.

“I’ve got plenty of reading to do,” Josephine assured her.

Logan nodded his agreement and held up his earbuds. “And I’m going to kick back and listen to music. Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine. Go get some rest.”

Like Ian, Jordan didn’t take much convincing. When they were alone together, Logan said jokingly, “And then there were two...”

Josephine smiled faintly; she hoped that he really was going to listen to music and didn’t expect her to entertain him now that they were the only two left in the main cabin. She had so much summer reading to do that until she got started with it and finished it, it felt like a giant albatross around her neck.

“I really do have a lot of reading to do.” She tried to remind him politely that she needed to concentrate.

“And I really am going to listen to music,” he countered easily; he put his earbuds in his ears, fiddled with his phone, leaned back his head, and closed his eyes.

Josephine couldn’t hear any sound coming from his earbuds over the noise of the jet. There wasn’t one excuse left not to open the first textbook and get to work. She took in a deep breath, let it out and relaxed her shoulders at the same time, and then took the book off the stand and set it down on the table directly in front of her. The spine of the thick book was stiff as she cracked it open for the first time. Josephine took the cap off a fresh, yellow highlighter pen, grabbed a black ballpoint pen, and held them together in her right hand. When she studied, she had her own system of highlighting, underlining information, and tabbing pages. Armed with her study utensils, she began the daunting task of wading through the first few pages of her textbook.

After trudging valiantly through the first, tedious chapter, Josephine leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and tried to rub the soreness out of her neck. She wished she could just throw all of her textbooks out the window so she could enjoy her first trip home in years, but there was just too much to do. There was still way too much information that she didn’t know or understand. And unfortunately, at the moment, her brain was repelling all new information. Josephine breathed in deeply through her nose and then let it out on a long, tired sigh. She gathered up her cache of studying devices and neatly put them back into their proper places. The one thing that had led to her success above all else was her determination to stay organized. That was her lifeline to sanity, as well as success.

Lounging across from her, Logan had been impatiently waiting for Josephine to stop studying. He didn’t really want to listen to music alone at the very beginning of his first real vacation in years. He wanted to celebrate, but he also respected that Josephine was dedicated to her studies. Periodically, he would open his eyes to see if she was done reading. He checked five times throughout the hour, but it wasn’t until the sixth time that he caught Josephine rubbing her eyes. The minute he saw Josephine start to pack up her books and computer, Logan switched off his music and pulled the earbuds out of his ears.

“Taking a break?” he asked hopefully.

Josephine nodded, yawned, and carefully wound the cord of her computer neatly and secured it properly with the provided Velcro.

“I’m trying to get ready for my last year, but I’m afraid that my brain has hit its saturation level.” Josephine slipped the computer into its designated spot and then zipped the bag shut.

Logan stood up and stretched. “I was thinking about raiding the liquor cabinet. Care to join me?”

“You know what? I think I would.” Josephine’s first thought was “no,” but her verbal answer switched to a “yes.” “You’ll find the liquor right across from the closet.”

“Jackpot!” Logan opened the cabinet with a smile. “What’s your poison?”

“You don’t happen to see any gin in there, do you?”

Logan pulled out a black bottle and held it up for her to see. “Hendricks okay?”

Josephine gave a slight nod, a small smile. “Have you ever made a martini?”

“Before I was a cop? Bartender...” Logan found two martini glasses, vermouth, and olives.

“Um, I usually like just a hint of vermouth and two olives.” Josephine leaned forward a bit. “Please.”

“Why don’t you let me make you a martini my way? I don’t want to brag, but I was pretty well-known for my martini.”

Josephine wasn’t really adventurous with her food or her drinks. She knew what she liked, she liked what she liked, and she stuck to what she liked. If she didn’t like Logan’s martini, she wouldn’t be able to grin and bear it quietly.

“Okay, give this a try. I hope you don’t mind your martinis dirty.” Logan carefully handed her the martini glass and then sat down across from her.

“To Ian and Jordan.” Logan held his glass out to her.

“Jordan and Ian.” Josephine touched her glass to his with a tired smile.

Josephine knew Logan was watching her as she took a small sip of the martini. She never drank her martinis dirty and she typically preferred the taste of Tanqueray. Logan’s martini was different, the tangy taste unusual, but it was surprisingly...

“Mmm.” Josephine’s eyes widened with pleasure. “This is really good...”

“I have a 100 percent satisfaction-guaranteed record with my martini...” Logan slid the two olives off the toothpick into his mouth.

“But, you don’t want to brag,” Josephine teased him before she took a slightly bigger sip. “I have to be honest. I wasn’t expecting to like it. Normally, I only like the way my boyfriend makes a martini.”

Logan stopped chewing the olives for a second when he heard the word “boyfriend.” Up until now, Josephine hadn’t mentioned a significant other, so Logan was starting to believe that he might have a shot of taking her out on a date while they were in Montana together. From the moment he looked into Josephine’s eyes, he’d wanted to ask her out. He was really attracted to Jordan’s beautiful sister, more so than he had been to any woman for a really long time, and it was just his rotten luck that she was taken. Of course, she was taken...why wouldn’t she be?

Disappointed, Logan raised his glass up in the air a little. “I respect any man who can make a decent martini.”

Josephine laughed. “I think Brice was probably weaned on martinis.”

“Is that right?” he asked out of politeness, but he really didn’t want to hear about the guy who was currently seeing the woman he wanted to date.

“I’m going to have another.” Logan finished his drink, stood up. “Are you still good with that one?”

Josephine nodded and showed him that she still had some left in her glass. She wasn’t much of a drinker and the last thing she wanted to do was arrive home for the first time in years tipsy.

“Come to think of it,” she added, half thinking aloud, “I never drank martinis until I met Brice. We met in college and then we ended up deciding to go to law school together. He’s a couple of years ahead of me, so he’s already graduated, passed the California Bar, and taken a job with a firm in Van Nuys.” She paused to take another small sip of her drink. “He practices environmental law, which is why he can’t come join me in Montana until right before the wedding... He was just given a really big case.”

Wanting to bring the conversation back to his point of interest, which was her, he asked, “What kind of law do you want to practice?”

“Oh!” Josephine’s face lit up. “Well, my dream ever since I was in high school has been to work for the Southern Poverty Law Center. Have you ever heard of them?”

Logan shook his head “no.”

“They’ve been fighting for the civil rights of marginalized and poor communities for years. And I know I would love to do that work.”

“But?” He heard a definite but at the end of her sentence.

Josephine sighed and shrugged, thought for a second or two before she answered him. “But I don’t think that it’s practical to think that I’ll work for them one day.”

“Why not?”

“Because, for one thing, they need experienced litigators for the types of cases that they handle, so I’d have to get that experience first.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem for someone like you, and we have plenty of people in our state who need defending.” He smiled at her. “I arrest ’em, you defend ’em.”

That made her laugh, before she said, “But they really only operate out of the South, so...”

“That’s what moving vans are for.”

Josephine finished off her drink, and placed the empty glass carefully on the table. “Brice will never move down South. He grew up in California. He’s never wanted to live anywhere else.”

Logan wanted to ask her the question: Not even for you? But he drank from his glass instead.

“And...” Josephine felt bad for making Brice seem like her dream-killer. “I can certainly practice civil rights law in California...immigration law.”

Josephine looked out the window at the clouds for a minute and then nodded as if she had just convinced herself.

“Why don’t you talk for a while?” She smiled at Logan. “I’ve been just babbling away over here.”

“Well, I think you know by now that I’m a cop,” Logan said with a deadpan expression.

“Yes.” She frowned playfully at him. “That much I do know.”

“Hey.” Logan leaned his forearms on the table between them. “All kidding aside, you aren’t going to hold a grudge against me for giving you those tickets, are you?”

“No, I’ve never been much of a grudge holder.”

“That’s good...because as maid of honor and best man, I think we’re going to be spending a lot of time together.”

“I’m sure we will,” she agreed. The thought of spending time with Logan made her want to turn on her phone and check to see if Brice had called.

No messages, no missed calls.

She couldn’t believe it. He still hadn’t called or so much as sent a text. But she kept her phone turned on this time, just in case he tried.

Logan didn’t want Josephine’s attention to be distracted from him or their conversation. After she checked her phone, the expression on her pretty face changed. The muscles along her jawline tightened; her lips became tense. Perhaps a less casual observer wouldn’t notice these almost imperceptible changes, but he did. He noticed.

“Well, I’m glad you’re a forgiving woman, or this trip could’ve been a real bust.”

Josephine looked up from her phone. “I could really say the same about you.”

“I’m not sure I follow.”

“I was kind of rude to you after you gave me the tickets. You were trying to tell me who you were and probably that you were heading to the same place I was, but I cut you off.”

“Trust me, I’m used to it. Nobody’s happy when I hand them a ticket.”

“I’m still sorry. I was just...”

“Mad at me.”

“Mad at you...mad at me...mad at...” Brice. “...the stupid clock that said I was late!” She laughed at herself, and then asked him, “But did you really have to give me three tickets? I mean, come on! I really think that someone with my driving record deserved a warning.”

“Your driving record is the reason I dropped the charge down from reckless driving.”

Josephine frowned. “Would you have still given me all of those tickets if you knew I was Jordan’s sister right away?”

“Of course.”

“Seriously?”

“Enforcing the law isn’t personal for me. It’s my job. Most people just don’t get that.”

Josephine’s phone rang and interrupted their conversation. “It’s Brice!”

“Hi, honey. Hold on, okay?” Josephine stood up, moved out of Logan’s earshot, and sat down in the last seat at the very back of the jet.

“Okay, are you there?” she asked in a lowered voice. “I’m so glad that you called...”

Head down, Josephine listened carefully to what her boyfriend called to say. After a couple of minutes, she asked in a harsh whisper, “What do you mean you aren’t coming to the wedding?”

Chapter Three

Josephine didn’t really think that Brice had deliberately tried to spoil her first homecoming in years. But that’s what it felt like on her end. He had called specifically to tell her that he thought it was best if they took a break from their relationship. He had basically broken up with her, and left her dateless for her own twin’s wedding in the span of five minutes. Brice had said what he called to say and then got off the phone. He had been between appointments when he called.

After they’d hung up, she had stared at the phone for a while, wondering what to do next. Pretty quickly, she decided it would be best if she pretended, for a while at least, that the phone call had never happened. What if this whole thing blew over in the next couple of days and she had been bemoaning their breakup to her family the entire time? Her family didn’t need one extra piece of ammo against Brice. So, pretend she did...

She smiled all the way through their mini family reunion at the Helena airport. She smiled her way through the long ride home to Bent Tree, the family ranch. And she smiled and laughed her way to the end of dinner and clearing the table and loading the dishwasher. And she didn’t stop smiling and pretending until she could retreat to her third-floor bedroom. This was the bedroom of her adolescence, the bedroom that she had shared with Jordan. She switched on the antique Tiffany lamp next to the door and gently pushed the door shut. The room smelled of cedar and cinnamon, and the nostalgia for her uncomplicated youth made her start to tear up.

She wiped the tears out of her eyes and said sternly to herself, “Stop that!”

Josephine worked very hard not to cry while she unpacked her suitcase and carefully hung up her clothing in the small closet. Undergarments and jeans were neatly folded into a dresser drawer, a nice variety of shoe options was neatly lined up in the closet, and toiletries were put away in the small en-suite bathroom. Josephine had stowed her empty suitcase beneath the bed and began to unpack her books.

A quick, loud knock on the door startled her. Before she could react, the door swung open, and Jordan barreled into the bedroom with the family cat, Ranger, flung over her shoulder.

“Okay if we come in?” Jordan asked.

“I think you’re already in, aren’t you?”

“Good point.” Barefoot, her sister sat cross-legged on the bed and gently put Ranger down on the mattress. Ranger, a big coal-black cat with bright golden eyes, immediately flopped onto his side and began to wash his long, black whiskers.

“So...what’s wrong, Jo?”

Josephine looked over at her sister, gave her a weak smile. She knew she had to tell her twin about Brice now; lying to Jordan was a waste of time. They had never been able to keep secrets from each other.

“Brice and I are...going through a rough patch.”

Jordan moved over to one side of the bed and patted the spot next to her. “That’s what I figured.”

Josephine kicked off her shoes and joined her sister and Ranger on the bed. She sat cross-legged, facing her sister with Ranger sprawled out between them, belly up.

“This is just like old times, isn’t it?” she asked Jordan. “Except we had two single beds in here instead of this queen-size bed.”

“I had a picture of Ian from his modeling days hanging up right there.” Jordan pointed to the spot just above the rolltop desk.

“And now you’re marrying him, Jordy...the man of your dreams.” Josephine smiled right before she felt new rash of tears starting to form.

Jordan saw the tears swimming in her eyes. “Tell me what’s going on, Jo.”

Josephine pressed her lips together tightly, looked away for a moment to gather her emotions before she said, “Brice called and told me that he isn’t coming to the wedding. He thinks we should use our time apart this summer to reflect on our relationship in order to make a prudent decision about our future”

“Wait a minute...he dumped you?” Jordan’s eyebrows collapsed together. “The knuckle dragger dumped you?”

“He didn’t dump me exactly. He just wants us to reflect...”

“Oh, my God, Jo! Don’t defend him!” Jordan nearly yelled those words.

Josephine jumped off the bed and shut the door. “Could you keep your voice down, please? I don’t want anyone else to know! This whole thing could just blow over tomorrow.”

“Why would you even want it to blow over?”

Josephine sat back down on the bed. “Because I love him, that’s why. We’ve been together for over five years. I’m not just going to throw that all away just because there’s a little bump in the road.”

“This isn’t a tiny little bump, Jo, this is a ginormous frickin’ crater!”

Josephine scratched Ranger beneath his chin and on the top of his silky head. “I know you’ve never liked Brice, Jordy.”

“I never once said that I didn’t like him.”

Josephine looked up at her sister. “You call him ‘the knuckle dragger’ more than you call him Brice.”

“Fine, so I don’t like him. But that’s just because he thinks he’s better than us, Jo. He thinks he’s better than you, with his family money and country club and connections to Beverly Hills, like any of us could give a rat’s behind.”

“I know that’s how he seems to you, to all of you, but do you really think that I’d be with him for five years if he wasn’t a good guy?” Josephine said pointedly. “There’s a lot more to Brice than any of you really know because none of you have given him an honest chance. Dad’s always so stiff around him and Mom has refused to warm up to him just because I decided...” She put her hand on her heart. “I decided to spend the Christmas after Daniel died with his family instead of coming home.”

“Well, Brice knew your brother had just died. It was stupid of him to even invite you to his parents’ La Jolla beach house in the first place.”

Josephine sighed from frustration. “Just promise you won’t tell anyone. Okay? If they need to know, I’ll tell everyone myself.”

Jordan pretended to lock her lips and toss the key over her shoulder. Her sister stood up, wrapped her arms around her shoulders, and gave her a tight squeeze.

“Now, come on, let’s go downstairs. There’s no sense in you sitting up here by yourself moping, especially if you don’t want anyone to pick up on the fact that something’s wrong,” Jordan said. “Besides, nothing’s better for heartbreak than family.”

* * *

As it turned out, Jordan was right. Spending time with her family had helped get her mind off Brice’s sudden, and unexpected, desire to end their relationship. And the plans for Jordan’s wedding were the best kind of distraction for her. Her mom had turned the family library into “Wedding Central,” and once she went back downstairs, she spent hours in the library with Jordan and her mom looking through all of the wedding regalia. She was blissfully surrounded by cake toppers and invitations, seating charts and stacks of RSVPs that needed to be answered. There were scrapbooks filled with all of the selections that had been made for the wedding and Josephine immersed herself in looking through each and every one. She spent hours, laughing and talking with her sister and her mother, and she was stunned when she realized that Brice had barely crossed her mind.