Beneath Montana Skies

The latter slowly raised its head, chewing its cud in a back and forth motion that gave its shaggy face a pensive appearance. When it levered its head back and brayed, it made Ty think of a tractor transmission grinding to a halt in the middle of a field. That he still remembered the death-knell sound from his days as a farmhand was actually amusing, and he couldn’t help chuckling. Some things stayed with you, he supposed, no matter how far away you’ve drifted from your roots.

Pulling into the circular turnaround near the house, he parked next to Morgan’s car and winced as he slid to the ground. The back that had once been his strongest asset wasn’t what it used to be, but bearing in mind what it had gone through, his doctors had told him that he was fortunate to be upright. Injuries like his weren’t just career enders—they often turned out to be fatal. For some reason, he’d been spared that horrific fate, and whatever the future held for him, he was determined to meet it standing on his own two feet.

Like him, the Whittaker farmhouse had seen better days. Built of sturdy Montana pine, the framework looked as solid as ever, but the clapboards and roof were in need of some TLC. When the dog sprawled out near the front door caught sight of Ty, she jumped to her feet and trotted down to greet him much the way Sadie had.

“Hey there, Skye,” he said, ignoring the protest in his back as he hunkered down to pet the speckled Aussie. “How’ve you been?”

She answered him with a short yip, turning her head to lick his palm in an obvious bid for more attention. When Morgan paused beside them, he looked up to find her staring down at him, arms folded in a gesture he couldn’t quite read. When she didn’t say anything, he figured it was up to him.

“It’s nice to see some friendly faces,” he commented, carefully unwinding to stand up. She didn’t respond, and he decided to try some humor. “Even if they are furry and standing on four feet.”

A hint of the wry grin he recalled teased the corner of her mouth, and when she removed her sunglasses, he saw a glimmer of appreciation in those incredible blue eyes. Her waterfall of blond hair was tamed back into a ponytail that fell down her back beneath her straw cowgirl hat, but a few of the curls he’d always admired had escaped to frame her tanned face in a cloud of gold.

On the day he met her in first grade, he’d believed Morgan Jo Whittaker was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen. In all the years he’d been on the rodeo tour, he’d met dozens of women, but he’d never come across one who even came close to changing that opinion.

Morgan was one of a kind, he thought for the millionth time. Beautiful, smart as a whip, with a sassy personality that both frustrated and fascinated him. And he’d walked away from her. What an idiot.

Now she was looking up at him, wearing a curious expression that made him feel like a bug squirming on a slide under a microscope. Trying to appear calm, he endured the scrutiny in silence, hoping it wouldn’t last too much longer.

It didn’t. “What are you really doing here, Ty?”

“I told you in town. It was time for a visit.”

She took one step closer and stopped, those intelligent eyes boring into his with an intensity he’d rather not experience again. “You used to be a better liar.”

That was true enough, and he couldn’t keep back a chuckle. “Not enough reason to do it anymore, I guess. You want the truth?”

“It’d be a nice change of pace.”

Stepping onto the porch, he motioned her to one of the handmade rocking chairs. When they were both seated, Skye plopped down on a braided rug between them, and for a single insane moment, Ty got a picture of how their life might have been if he hadn’t messed everything up.

Behind them, a burly shadow appeared in the screen door, and Ty pushed himself to his feet. “Afternoon, JD.”

With a “hmpf” that gave nothing away, the owner of Whittaker Ranch came through the door, letting it fall closed behind him with a sharp crack. His battered boots thumped ominously on the old floorboards, and Ty got the feeling of standing in front of an old-time sheriff, waiting for some kind of judgment on his character.

Sliding a quick glance at his daughter, JD leveled a cool glare at Ty. “I oughta run you offa this place at the end of a Smith & Wesson for what you did to my girl.”

“I’m very sorry for everything that happened,” Ty began, trying to keep his voice steady. He respected JD for many reasons, feared him for others. Right now, he was just trying to hold his ground and remember that he was nearly thirty years old and not the dumb kid he’d once been.

“Did you apologize to my Morgan?”

Ty loved the way he said it, as if she was a little girl still in need of her daddy’s protection. Someday, if he was ever fortunate enough to have a family of his own, he’d be as fiercely protective of them as JD was of his.

“Yes, sir, I did.” Looking over at her, he added, “I’m hoping she’ll find a way to forgive me someday.”

The lady in question didn’t say anything, but she wasn’t glaring at him anymore, either. He took that as a positive sign.

Apparently, JD had noticed the same thing, because the old wrangler chortled. “I don’t see any fresh holes in your hide, so you must’ve done all right. Are ya thirsty?”

“Parched. I left Denver around six this morning and didn’t stop till I got here.”

“Long drive.” After a quick trip inside, JD came back with three glasses of lemonade. He handed them out, then settled onto the porch swing and crossed his boots on the porch floor in front of him. “So, what’ve you been up to?”

Ty nutshelled the past couple of years for his host, skimming over the worst of it to avoid a lot of questions he’d rather not answer just yet. Throughout the conversation, Morgan was unusually quiet, and he kept casually glancing her way to gauge her reaction to what he and JD were saying. Mostly, her face was maddeningly unreadable, and he found himself back in high school, wondering what was running through that quick mind of hers.

She’d always had a great poker face, and it seemed that she’d improved it over the years. Why she’d felt the need to do that, he couldn’t imagine. While it wasn’t any of his business, he couldn’t help wondering what had caused her to cultivate such a close-to-the-vest attitude.

Suddenly, Skye bounced to her feet and darted off the porch to begin an easy herding lope up the long driveway toward the road. When a yellow school bus appeared in the distance, Ty chuckled. “Her hearing’s better than mine. I never heard it till just now.”

“I’m convinced that dog can tell time,” JD announced confidently. “No matter what the school schedule is, she always seems to know when the girls are coming home.”

“Girls?”

“My girls,” Morgan explained, emphasizing the word my for some reason.

“I didn’t know you were a mom, too. Is there anything around here you can’t do?” Ty said, hoping to soothe her ruffled feathers with a little well-placed admiration. It wasn’t all that hard, he mused. She was still the same remarkable woman she’d always been. There wasn’t a day that went by when he didn’t kick himself for leaving her behind.

“Not so far,” she replied, arching an eyebrow in the haughty expression he recalled vividly. He’d been the target of that look far too many times to count, and it was burned into his memory forever.

The girls in question took their time walking up the driveway, with Skye flitting from one to the other in typical Aussie excitement. Ty got the impression that she was herding them toward the house, and he smiled at the picture. Country girls under a big, beautiful sky. Life didn’t get much better than that.

As they drew closer to the house, he noticed something about them that made him stare over at their mother in surprise. “They’re twins.”

Morgan didn’t respond, but JD proudly chimed in, “Allie and Hannah. Every bit their mama’s girls, that’s for sure. Hannah’s sharp as a tack, and Allie’s got a real way with critters, big and small. That’s how we ended up with Teddy.”

“Teddy?”

“The alpaca,” JD clarified, nodding toward the odd animal Ty had noticed on his way in. “A friend of hers had to move away, and the family couldn’t take livestock to their new neighborhood. Allie begged us to take him in, and—”

He ended with a shrug, and Ty laughed. “You couldn’t tell her no. Why does that sound familiar?”

“Hey, now, that’s not fair. He told me no plenty of times,” Morgan protested.

“I was talking about your little sister, Jessie,” Ty clarified, taking a drink of his lemonade to sell the comment to her. That got him the raised eyebrow again, and he couldn’t keep back a grin. To his relief, the look mellowed slightly, and while she didn’t exactly smile back, at least she wasn’t glaring at him anymore.

When they saw who was sitting on the porch, the girls broke into a run, although one of them lagged behind by a few steps. As she got closer, Ty could see that she was doing her best to keep up with her faster twin but couldn’t quite manage it. In response, Skye slowed her pace and circled around the girl, as if encouraging her to keep going. Something about that twanged his heart deep inside, in a way he’d never felt before.

Shoving away the baffling reaction to someone else’s child, he waited for JD to make the introductions.

“Girls, this is Ty Wilkins, an old friend of ours who’s back for a visit. Ty, this is Hannah—” he pulled one of them close “—and Allie.” With her, JD paused a moment to let the comment sink in before smiling at her. After a couple of seconds, she answered with a faint smile before moving past him to where Morgan was sitting.

Ty didn’t have much experience with kids, but he knew a shy girl when he saw one. Standing, he took off his hat the way he’d been taught and smiled at each of them in turn. “Ladies, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Hannah thrust a hand at him, shaking his with a firm confidence that reminded him of her bold mother. “Nice to meet you, sir.”

Wow, that was a kick in the teeth, he mused. Made him sound ancient. Then again, to her he probably was. Allie didn’t venture out to follow her sister’s lead, and he settled for another smile in her direction. “Your grandpa’s been telling me about how you ended up with an alpaca named Teddy. It was real generous of you to give him such a good home.”

“He’s a good boy,” she allowed in a voice so quiet, he had to strain to hear it. After that, she patted Morgan’s cheek and drifted into the house without another word.

Obviously, there was something different about her, but he’d never dream of asking what it might be. Fortunately, her twin filled in the blank for him. “Allie has a-tism, so she’s shy around people. It was nice of you to talk about Teddy, ’cause she really likes him.”

Following that very straightforward explanation, she skipped inside, Skye right on her heels.

The revelation hung in the air, creating an awkward silence that Ty had no clue how to fill. Morgan looked especially uncomfortable, and JD reached over to grasp her hand in a reassuring gesture. “Both our girls are special. That’s what we focus on, right, honey?”

“Right.” She made a valiant attempt at a smile that fell woefully short. Standing, she said, “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to check on things inside, then unload that feed I bought in town. Hope you enjoy your visit, Ty.”

He suspected that she didn’t come close to meaning that, but as she disappeared inside, he couldn’t really blame her for not welcoming him with open arms. She’d told him she’d never forgive him, and he believed her.

“Well, I’d best get over to my place and see how bad that old cabin looks,” he said, putting his hat back on before extending his hand to his neighbor. “Thanks for the talk and the lemonade. I enjoyed ’em both, just like always.”

That leathery hand held on to his for an extra pump before letting go. Then JD gave him a sage look, as if he knew what Ty was keeping from them all. “You’re welcome here anytime, son. Starting over ain’t easy, but it might go better if you get a little help once in a while.”

“What makes you think I’m starting over?”

“I was born during the day,” the old rancher told him with a chuckle, “but not yesterday.”

Grinning, Ty strolled out to his truck feeling a lot more chipper than he had just a couple of hours ago. As he drove out and headed for his place on the other side of the Whittakers’ east pasture, something about Morgan’s twins was nagging at him. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there was something about them that felt familiar to him.

They were both the spitting image of their mother, he reasoned. That must be it. But even as he tried out that explanation in his head, it didn’t sit right with him. Then, because he couldn’t think of anything else, he put it out of his mind. As JD had noted, starting over wouldn’t be easy, but he had a lot of years left, and he had to come up with a productive way to spend them. What that might be, he couldn’t say, because the only skills he’d ever had any interest in learning were useless outside the rodeo arena.

Beyond that, the modest Cape-Cod-style cabin he’d referred to hadn’t been lived in since his parents had moved away five years ago. No doubt, there was enough work to do there to keep him well occupied and prevent him from thinking too much about the still amazing—and still maddening—Morgan Whittaker.

Chapter Two

“What on earth is Ty Wilkins doing here?” Morgan’s little sister, Jessie, demanded in an outraged whisper.

“Visiting with Dad,” Morgan replied evenly, keeping her voice down to avoid alerting her daughters that there was something amiss. She focused on the apple juice she was pouring, then reached into the cookie jar for some fresh molasses crinkles.

“And?”

Morgan ignored the question and set the snack on the scarred oak table that dominated the large country kitchen. “Girls, why don’t you take your snack into Grandpa’s den and watch TV? When you’re done eating, take a whack at your homework. I’ve got some chores to finish up, but if you get stuck, I’ll help you after dinner.”

“I got my work done at school, Mommy,” Hannah replied as she picked up the plate and one of the glasses. Turning to her sister, she added, “I can help you with yours, if you want.”

Morgan’s heart swelled with pride at the selfless offer. Hannah was so patient with her twin, helping but never coddling, always asking permission rather than shoving in to do things for her. It wasn’t easy parenting a child with such a profound challenge, but Hannah’s fabulous attitude made it easier for Morgan.

“That’s very sweet of you, honey,” she approved, giving her a quick hug.

“Sweet,” Allie echoed, lightly patting her sister’s cheek, a faint, absent smile passing over her features as she turned away. Their interactions were often like that, but it was more than Allie could manage with most people. The doctors told Morgan the passing touches were a good sign that she was starting to overcome her inherent timidity and making progress into a more normal mode of interacting with others. Every day, usually more than once, Morgan prayed that they were right.

Once the girls were gone, Jessie dropped on her like a hawk. “How can Dad sit out there, chatting with Ty like nothing’s ever gone wrong between you two?”

Truth be told, Morgan was just as baffled by his reaction to their old neighbor as her sister was. “It was a long time ago, and Dad always liked Ty. I guess he figures it’s best to let bygones be bygones.”

She didn’t add the detail that Ty had apologized to her in town earlier. She wasn’t sure why, but she wasn’t quite ready to share that information just yet. Maybe she didn’t believe him, or maybe it was the stubborn cowgirl in her, she mused, wanting to prolong his suffering awhile longer. Yeah, that was it.

“Well, I can hardly stand to look at him,” Jessie announced, angling her head for a peek out the front window that looked onto the corner of the porch where Ty was sitting. Her gaze lingered there for several moments, and Morgan laughed.

“Right. There’s not a woman alive who can resist that arrogant piece of work.” She was living proof of that, she added silently.

“Handsome on the outside doesn’t mean much when you’ve got a mean heart.”

It was so simple for her, Morgan thought while she opened the closet in the back hall and pulled her leather barn gloves from the organizer. When you were twenty-four like Jessie, the world was still painted in black and white, and things were either right or wrong. When you got older, those extra years taught you that there was a lot of gray out there.

“Anyway, I’ve got work to do outside. If you’re leaving before I get back, have a good night.”

“I’m doing laundry, so I’ll be here awhile. Dinner will be in the oven keeping warm, just like always,” Jessie said, as if she hadn’t heard a word Morgan had said. “If you’re out past seven, Dad and I will get the girls ready for bed and you can tuck them in when you come back.”

Stopping by the back door, Morgan looked back and smiled. “Thanks, Jess. I don’t know how I’d manage all this without you.”

“Like Wonder Woman, of course.” Her delighted expression made it clear that she appreciated the praise, and she blew Morgan a kiss before picking up one of her overstuffed laundry bags and heading down into the basement.

On the back porch, Morgan heard the sound of a truck’s engine starting and glanced over to see Ty driving toward the road. Encountering him again had been more of a shock than she’d like to admit, but she forced her mind away from that prickly topic as she climbed into her 4x4 and went in the other direction. The front stock barn was her destination, and once she got there, a solid hour of unloading supplies and mucking stalls gave her a chance to settle her nerves and forget she’d seen the wayward rodeo star.

Almost.

Good-looking as ever, he still had the same quick smile that had gotten her attention when he was the new kid in class. A simple trick of the alphabet seated him behind her, and she’d endured chair kicking, braid pulling and outright aggravation for two weeks until she’d finally had enough and slugged him on the playground.

The incident had landed her in the principal’s office, but it had earned her Ty’s respect. From then on, she and their neighbor’s youngest son had been thick as thieves. Sweethearts from high school to the rodeo circuit, they’d seemed on the road to a lifetime of good-natured arguments and the kind of love she’d always longed for.

And then, something happened. She still wasn’t sure what had driven him to run away, and after many sleepless nights, she’d accepted the fact that she might never know. Well, mostly.

That thought had just floated through her mind when she heard the sound of spitting gravel outside, followed by the slamming of a vehicle’s door. Glancing out, she saw the object of her musings stalking toward her, looking fit to be tied.

“Something you wanna tell me, MJ?”

She hadn’t heard the shorthand version of her full name in so long, it caught her by surprise. Recovering a bit, she narrowed her eyes and glared back at him. “I thought goodbye pretty much covered it.”

“They’re mine, aren’t they?”

Morgan’s heart stopped.

Realizing that the pitchfork she held was shaking in her hands, she carefully set it aside to give herself time to think. After drawing in a deep breath to settle her runaway blood pressure, she turned to him and summoned her best blank expression. “What are yours?”

“Allie and Hannah,” he clarified, in a tone that told her in no uncertain terms that he knew she was stalling. “They’re my daughters, aren’t they?”

How could he possibly have figured that out? she wondered in a panic. They looked just like her, so she’d never confessed their father’s identity to anyone. Not even her family.

“No, Ty, they’re my daughters.” Tapping her chest for emphasis, she went on. “They’re Whittakers, end of story.”

Folding his arms, he scowled down at her but didn’t say anything more. Then, in a matter of a few seconds, his demeanor shifted, and he grimaced as if she’d sucker punched him.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked in a quiet voice laced with regret. “I know we weren’t in touch after I left, but you knew enough people who could’ve told you where I was.”

“I didn’t think you’d be interested,” she shot back, clinging to her anger like a shield. “And while we’re on it, you walked out on me with no explanation, no forwarding address. Once you pulled that stunt, I didn’t think you were exactly father material.”

He absorbed that in silence, a woeful look settling into an expression she’d never noticed on him in all the years they’d known each other. They’d been through hard stuff together, but he’d always been the lighthearted one, shrugging off things that would have caused a lesser man to stumble. Until the day he took off, she’d always believed that he could handle anything life threw at him without even breaking stride.

Gazing out the door toward the house, he came back to her with the firm jaw she recalled so well. “I would’ve found a way to make it work for us, you know that. You never even gave me a chance.”

She had to acknowledge that he was right, and the twinge of guilt she felt grew more insistent even as she tried to reason it away. “I made the best choice I could at the time.”

“I know you did.” Compassion softened his features, and she braced herself for the question she’d known he’d ask her at some point. “I don’t understand how Hannah’s so bright and Allie has autism. How does that kinda thing happen?”

“It’s not anything I did while I was pregnant,” Morgan informed him sternly, her back going up instantly. She’d told herself that over and over. But the nagging fear that she’d somehow caused her daughter’s condition still haunted her, although she insisted otherwise. “As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I quit riding and came home. I was on bed rest for the last four months, doing absolutely nothing except making sure my babies had the best chance of being born healthy.”

“Of course you did,” he said gently, regret flooding his eyes. “I didn’t mean to suggest you did anything wrong. I’m just wondering how one twin is totally normal and the other is left fighting such a huge challenge.”

Morgan noticed that he didn’t refer to Allie by her disability. It was something they’d all learned to do, because autism was a condition, not an identity. It was a subtle distinction to make, but an important one for the family. That he’d done it instinctively made her feel more inclined to cut him some slack. At least where the girls were concerned, she amended.

“Normal for Allie is different, that’s all. Her abilities are different, too, but she makes the most of them. She’s at the top of all her special classes, and like Dad told you, she has a great touch with animals. Socializing is tough for her, but she has a couple of classmates who she really likes hanging out with. Hannah and her friends are great with all of them, so they have a nice circle of girls together.”

“How have you managed all this?” he asked, motioning around them at their surroundings, “and raising two kids by yourself?”

Admiration softened his eyes, giving her jangling nerves a much-needed boost. “Plenty of help, and a large helping of faith. I accept that God sent Allie to us for a reason, and I just keep doing my best.”

The spark she’d noticed dimmed considerably, and he frowned. “You always had more faith than I did.”

“It’s a good thing, because I’ve needed every ounce of it.”

He took that in with a pensive look. “Does it make things easier?”

“It makes them possible,” she replied, opening up to him in a way she never could have imagined earlier. But part of him was reaching out to her, begging for understanding. Of what, she couldn’t say, but it was tough to resist that plea from someone she’d loved for most of her life.