From City Girl to Rancher's Wife

Behind them, Luke already had a plate, which he was heaping with food. Cade winked at her and said, “Looking forward to getting to know you better. Rosa’s said a lot about you.”

Ignoring the flirtatious first part of his comment, a little shiver of worry ran down her spine. Rosa didn’t gossip, but what had she said? Josie hadn’t talked a lot about her relationship with Russ, or the financial woes that had dogged them, but with his outsize personality and popular cooking show, he often made the gossip pages.

Rosa was beside her then, her hand light on Josie’s arm. “I talked up your cooking skills,” she said cheerfully. “As you’ve worked hard for them.”

Josie relaxed slightly. “Ah. Well, I’m not sure you guys want the kind of food I’ve been cooking for the past year or so. More for show than sustenance.” There may have been the slightest tinge of bitterness in her tone, so she smiled at both men to soften it. “So I’m looking forward to cooking real meals again.”

They exchanged a bit more good-natured chatter as Cade and Jake loaded up their plates and then left for the dining room, where she could hear the clink of silverware and the low rumble of voices.

“I didn’t say anything about your personal life,” Rosa said quietly as she carried a platter to the sink. “I just said you were between jobs at the moment and could fill in for me temporarily. I don’t know all that happened with you, honey, but I know it must have been bad to put those shadows in your eyes and to bring you all the way up here.”

The concern in her aunt’s voice made Josie want to cry. She blinked away the moisture. “I won’t lie. It’s been rough. But it’ll all work out.” She took a deep breath. “What can you tell me about those two?”

There was a slight pause, then apparently her aunt accepted the change in subject. “Cade is a flirt,” she said. “Harmless, but a flirt nonetheless. But he won’t push you or take it too far. He just loves women of all ages. Luke is the opposite. He won’t flirt at all. Jake is in the middle. They’re all good boys. Any one of them would be a wonderful catch.”

Josie bit back a sigh. While that was good to know, she wasn’t looking for any kind of relationship—long-term or temporary. Of all she’d been through personally, the worst had been realizing that engaged hadn’t meant the same thing to Russ as it did to her. Thank God she’d figured it all out well before the wedding.

She kept her tone noncommittal. “I think it’s wonderful that you think so highly of them, but that’s not why I’m here.” Then she added, “I’m famished. I haven’t eaten a breakfast like this in ages.” Sad but true. Yogurt and a piece of fruit usually made up her first meal of the day. Eaten in her car on the way to the restaurant. And that was because Russ had made so many comments about her tasting the food. Be careful. Too many bites will make you fat. She’d laughed it off at the time, but in retrospect, it made her slightly ill.

Rosa handed her a plate. “Of course, that’s not why you’re here. But you never know what might develop. If you close yourself off to possibilities, you might miss something special.”

Josie didn’t fully agree. She wasn’t concerned about missing something special. She intended to keep her heart under wraps for the foreseeable future.

* * *

Luke hadn’t bargained on the new cook.

Sure, Rosa had asked if her niece could take over while she spent some of her vacation time with her daughter, who was expecting a baby soon. Trusting the older woman completely, he’d said sure. He’d listened to Rosa explain with pride that Josie was a trained chef, and had owned her own restaurant in Los Angeles that people flocked to.

He hadn’t thought about her being a woman.

It had been so long since he’d looked—really looked—at a woman, that when she’d glared at him from her car with her blue eyes narrowed, the pepper spray can in her hand, he’d been shocked to feel the unwelcome rush of attraction. And she was a self-confessed city girl to boot, which was a huge no-no in his book. He’d married a city girl.

He was no longer married.

So to feel something for someone who wore three-inch spike heels to stomp across a muddy, wet road in the wilds of Montana wasn’t a good sign.

But damn, they’d looked good on her, even in the mud and rain.

“Don’t you think so, Luke?” Cade’s question broke into his thoughts.

Luke looked up from the sausage and gravy he’d been demolishing on his plate. “What was that?”

Cade stabbed the egg on his plate. “Josie. She’s a looker.”

Since she’d just been occupying his thoughts he shook his head, the denial as much for him as his brothers. “I wouldn’t know.”

Cade looked at Jake incredulously. “He’s blind.”

“Or stupid,” Jake suggested, but there was a glint of humor in his eyes.

“Or both.” Cade looked at him hard. “Luke. It’s okay to, you know, think a woman is hot.”

He shrugged. “She’s not my type.”

“Maybe she’s mine,” Cade said thoughtfully, and took a bite of toast.

Luke leveled a glare at him. “Don’t even. She’s our employee, not a plaything for you.”

A slow smile spread across Cade’s face and he pointed what was left of the toast in Luke’s direction. “You did notice.” He turned to Jake, who nodded as he chewed. “He sure as hell did. Well, well. That’s a first, isn’t it?”

He’d have to be dead not to notice Josie, but he wasn’t going to say that to either of his brothers. Ever. Before he could say anything, Jake held up his coffee.

“Leave him alone, Cade. He wants to ignore her, that’s his business and his loss. He’s hiding, remember?”

Luke bit back a groan. He’d stepped away from performing, from that life to avoid all sorts of entanglements. His brothers might accuse him of hiding, but he’d wanted to just focus on the ranch, to get it into the black and after years of his father running it on the edge of total ruin. To prove he was more than the kid who couldn’t wait to bust out of here with big dreams.

He kept his voice steady. “I’m not hiding. I’m retired. Big difference. We’ve got a lot to do today. I’ve got to get that car out of the ditch, so I can’t go all the way up to the ridge.”

The talk changed direction then, and Luke was more than happy to let it go. His brothers meant well, and they’d tease him, but they didn’t know just how destructive his marriage had been—and with the benefit of hindsight, how unprepared he’d been, not only for the spotlight but all it entailed.

He’d learned the hard way he was better off on his own, not caught in the bright lights of Nashville’s glare.

Finished with his meal, Luke brought his dishes into the kitchen along with his brothers, who then headed out the door. Josie was on the other side of the kitchen, spooning something into a container. Outside, he could see the peaks of the mountains turning pink with the sunrise.

“Josie,” he said, and she turned, spoon in hand, polite expression on her face. “I’m going to get your car. Do you have the keys?”

“I do. In my room. Hang on.” She set the spoon down and hurried out of the kitchen. His gaze tracked the sway of her hips as she disappeared from sight.

“Thanks for helping her,” Rosa said from her perch at the end of the island, and when he snapped his gaze to her, he realized from the bemused expression on her face that not only had he been staring after Josie’s slender figure, her aunt had caught him.

Damn.

He cleared his throat. “You’re welcome. Least I can do, after all you’ve done for us.”

Rosa waved his words away. “Nonsense. But, Luke? Be careful. She’s fragile. Even if she won’t admit it.”

Before he could either ask what she meant or deny any interest in her niece, Josie came back and handed him the keys. “Thanks for doing this.” Her tone was formal and polite, not the easy one she’d used with Cade and Jake. Just as well.

“You’re welcome.” A tendril of her short blond hair had escaped from her headband, and he curled his fingers around the keys so he didn’t tuck it back in. He added, “That car won’t do you much good in a few weeks, though. It can snow here as early as October.” It wasn’t likely, but she needed to understand where she was. He rubbed Hank’s ears when the old dog leaned on his leg.

She frowned, whether at his words or the dog, he wasn’t sure. “I know that. It was the only one they had.”

He gave Hank a last pat. “We’ll take it back. You can use one of the ranch trucks. It’ll save you money and be safer for you on these roads.”

Josie’s first instinct was to snap at him and say she was completely capable of making that choice on her own, thank you very much, but then she realized he was right. He knew this area and she, of course, didn’t, as she’d proved last night. She most definitely didn’t want to get herself in a situation where she needed him to fish her out of the ditch again. Or worse. She sighed. “All right. Thank you.”

“You sore or anything from yesterday?”

Surprised at his concern, she lifted her brows. Her shoulder was, in fact, a little sore from the seat belt. She touched the sore spot. “A little. It could have been much worse.”

His gaze sharpened as it landed on her hand. “Do you need a doctor? There’s a clinic in town, or a hospital in Kalispell.”

Josie dropped her hand and shook her head. “Oh, no. It’s fine. I took a couple ibuprofen.” She’d taken a hot shower last night and that had helped, too. It had been such a low-speed accident, it was a wonder anything had hurt at all.

“If that changes, let us know. I’ll let you know when I’m back.” He left her standing in the kitchen as he went out, and didn’t look back.

Well.

She huffed out an annoyed breath and propped her hands on her hips. She could not read him. At all. She’d apologized for last night. She had to work here and live here with him for the next several weeks. It would be uncomfortable if he didn’t like her.

Rosa came back in the kitchen with Alice, who dropped a bagel in the toaster, despite Rosa’s fussing that she sit and let Rosa do it. Their cheerful interaction told Josie that this was a regular morning occurrence.

“Every day, we go through this,” Alice told her with a laugh. “And every day, same result. Don’t we, old friend?”

Rose pulled a jar of preserves out of the fridge. “Yes, we do.” To Josie she said, “Don’t be put off by Luke’s grumpiness. He’s a good man.”

She gave both women a wry smile. “I’m sure he is. He doesn’t seem to like me much, though.” Not that they’d gotten off to the best start.

Alice sighed. “Give him time. You might remind him of his ex-wife.”

Josie gaped at her. “What? How can you say that?” She pictured Mandy Fairchild, the petite platinum-blonde country singer, with her huge brown eyes and bombshell figure. Josie was tall and thin. No curves. They couldn’t be more different. “Um. No.”

Rosa laughed. “I don’t think she meant physically, honey.” She looked at Alice for confirmation.

Alice nodded as she spread the rich red preserves on her bagel. “That’s right. I meant your background. From a big city, in a new environment. Mandy lasted about a month out here. He doesn’t know you and he probably thinks you’ll bolt as soon as things get tough.”

Josie raised a brow. “I’m not staying for long,” she pointed out.

“No,” Alice agreed. “Of course not. But you know how things can trigger the memories even when you’re not expecting it. It doesn’t have to make sense.”

“True,” Josie said. But she didn’t think there was anything up here that would trigger anything for her. It couldn’t be more different from home. She looked out the huge window over the sink. There was no glitz and glam, but the pink-kissed mountains scraped the sky and took her breath away. “Wow. Oh, my gosh. Look at that.”

Her aunt came and stood beside her and looked out. “Yes. I see that every morning and it never fails to make me catch my breath. I love it up here.”

Alice smiled as she came up beside them. “I’ve lived my whole life in Montana. And I’ve never failed to be humbled by the natural beauty up here.”

Rosa carried Alice’s plate and coffee out of the kitchen. A few minutes later, she was back. “She likes the living room, where she can see the views and watch the news, too. That reminds me. It’s satellite TV out here and it can be a little hit-or-miss in bad weather. Now, I’m heading out in a couple of hours. Let’s get you up to speed. I’ll show you what I do and you can take it from there.”

They spent a good hour at the little table in the breakfast room off the kitchen, where Josie could see not only the mountains but the barns and people moving around. It was hard to believe just a couple days ago she’d been in one of the biggest cities in the world. “Feel free to put your own spin on anything. This isn’t a sacred document,” Rosa said with a chuckle. “It’s just things that work well for me and hopefully for you, too. Not haute cuisine, I’m afraid.”

Josie ran her hand over the torn and faded cover. “I wouldn’t expect that out here. There’s no reason for it. It’s comfort food, and hearty meals.” And she could work with all of it, make little changes and tweaks that wouldn’t take away at all from her aunt’s meals. “It’ll be fun.”

She’d work around the awkwardness with Luke and remember it was only for six weeks. She was tough. She could do pretty much anything for six weeks. Even learn how to live in the wilderness of Montana.

Chapter Three

Josie called the rental company while her aunt went to finish packing for her trip and made sure she could drop the car off earlier than planned. The problem was, she’d need a ride back from Kalispell. Would a taxi come out this far? It didn’t seem likely.

Luke came in the kitchen. He tipped his head in her direction as he headed to the sink to wash his hands and then over to the fridge, where he started pulling out the fixings for a sandwich. “Got the car. It’s fine. Some grass and dirt stuck up under the front bumper, and it’s muddy, but no actual damage.”

Josie expelled a long breath and relief slid through her. She wouldn’t have to worry about the money, then. “Oh, good. Thank you.”

“Did you talk to the car company?”

Josie turned back to the potato casserole she was preparing for dinner. She’d pop it in the fridge until it was time to put it in the oven. “I did. I can return it anytime.”

“Do you want to go tomorrow? May as well get it taken care of.” When she hesitated, not wanting to put him out any more than she already had, he added, “I’ve got to pick up a part for the tractor over there anyway. May as well take care of both things at once.”

She nodded. “Okay. As long as you’re sure. I can probably make other arrangements.”

He chuckled as she covered the pan in tin foil. “No, you couldn’t. It’d cost you a fortune.”

She sighed. “That’s what I was afraid of.” And money was at a premium right now. She’d sunk most of it in the restaurant, only to lose it to Russ.

He touched her shoulder as she picked up the heavy casserole pan. She almost fumbled it in surprise. He’d been so cool toward her she’d never expected him to actually touch her. Even if he pulled his hand back awfully fast. “You’ll have to get used to it. It’s nothing like where you’re from.”

Before she could say anything, Rosa came in the kitchen, and Luke gave her a hug. They exchanged goodbyes, and before Luke left, he asked Josie, “Is eight okay tomorrow? I’d like to get the part before eleven.”

“Eight’s fine,” she said and tried not to notice Rosa looking between them curiously. Luke left and Josie smiled at her. “Are you ready? You have everything?”

Rosa patted her shoulder bag. “I think so. And the boys gave me a tablet for the trip, so I can watch movies and read. Wasn’t that nice of them?”

“It was,” she agreed. “I’m sure Kelly can’t wait to see you.”

Rosa gave her a big hug. “I can’t wait to see her and meet my new grandbaby. But I do wish I had more time here with you. Enjoy your time here. Relax.”

Josie hugged her back. “I wish we did, too. But Kelly’s waiting for you.” She didn’t touch the “relax” portion of the comment, since it’d been so long since she’d really relaxed that she wasn’t sure she knew how to anymore.

“Give Luke time,” Rosa said as Josie walked with her through the house. “He’ll come around.”

Josie laughed. Aunt Rosa was determined to make her point about Luke. “Oh, no. Not going to happen.”

Rosa gave her a little smile, then sighed. “I know. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to keep bringing it up. I just want to see you happy. Him, too.”

Josie stopped in her tracks and looked around for Alice. The last thing she needed was Luke’s mother hearing any of this. “Oh, Aunt Rosa. That’s nice of you to say, but there’s no way I’m staying here. My life is in LA.” What was left of it, of course. But she had every intention of salvaging what—if anything—she could and starting over. She didn’t need a celebrity chef to give her credibility.

* * *

The next morning she had breakfast done and cleaned up in time to leave. She made sure there was sandwich stuff in the fridge from the leftover roast the night before, since she wouldn’t be back in time for lunch, but the men had taken box lunches with them when they went out that morning. She heard Luke asking his mother if she’d be okay while they were gone. Patty, the wife of one of the ranch hands, would be in the house, watching TV with her, but Josie understood his hesitation. He didn’t want anything else to happen to her.

She waved him off. “Luke. I’ll be fine. We are just going to watch True Blood and knit. It’s not as if you’re leaving me for a week to fend for myself. I’m healing well and this place is crawling with people.”

Josie shrugged into her sweatshirt with a smile. Luke might be grumpy toward her, but he clearly had a protective streak a mile wide when it came to his mother.

She stepped out on the porch to wait. It was a lovely morning, but not what she was used to. When was the last time she’d stood outside and appreciated the morning? It wasn’t really quiet—the birds were chattering up a storm and she could hear some of the hands down by the barns, their laughter carrying on the still morning air. The grass was damp with dew and the air smelled—fresh. No exhaust, food scents, the general smell of a city in a hot climate. Nothing like what she was used to. It wasn’t eighty degrees already—in fact, it was cold—and there was no smog or traffic noise.

It was a little unsettling. As was the fact she’d nearly overslept. Again.

The door opened and closed behind her and she turned to see Luke standing there. “Sorry about that. I just had to make sure Mom was okay.”

She smiled at him. “No problem. I understand.” She wondered what her own mother was doing right now. Of course, her own mother was much younger than Luke’s. She must have had the boys at a much older age.

“Let’s go, then. You’ll need to follow me. It’ll be easier for you.”

Josie got in the little rental car and followed the big truck down the lane to the road. He was absolutely right that this kind of car wasn’t suited to this area. But the SUV she’d reserved at her aunt’s suggestion had been given away when she hadn’t made it to the rental place before the cutoff time. This was what they’d had left.

The trip in the daylight was eye-opening. The views were killer and she could see, after they’d gone a half hour before seeing another vehicle as they neared the small town of Powder Keg, just how remote the Silver River was. The roads near the ranch were rough, too. She wondered if that was by design, to help discourage people from tracking Luke down. Or if it was simply that the county had other things to do than maintain roads that were hardly driven.

They drove through the little town with its general store that, from the signs on its front, advertised it sold everything, including animal feed, groceries and clothing. There were two bars, a diner, a bakery, a drug store. A couple churches. One stoplight. The streets were wide and the little town seemed to crouch down in the shadow of the mountains. It was a working town, not a tourist town, but Josie thought it had an Old West appeal all its own.

Having left Powder Keg behind, it was another fifteen minutes before they reached the highway that took them to Kalispell. Josie spotted a couple huge elk grazing off the road and figured a collision with one of them would end badly for all involved. Especially in this car, which probably weighed less than one of those elk.

Kalispell was much busier. A tiny fraction of the size of Los Angeles, but traffic was one thing she knew how to navigate without problems, and there was plenty of it here. The town was charming, something she hadn’t appreciated when she’d first arrived, thanks to all the drama she’d endured. Luke pulled in the rental car place at the airport and she parked the car beside him. He opened the door to get out but she shook her head at him. “This will just take a minute.”

She ran in and went through the process. The guy came out and gave the car no more than a cursory glance over, even though she’d told them on the phone it had slid in a ditch. When she had her paperwork, she hurried back out to the rumbling truck and hauled herself in rather awkwardly.

“Thanks,” she said. “Where to now?”

He put the truck in Reverse. “The equipment dealership.”

She hesitated a second, then said, “Would it be all right if we stopped at the grocery store, too? I know you’re in a hurry, but it won’t take me long. There are a few things I’d like to stock up on while we’re here.”

“Sure. Actually, why don’t I drop you off there. There’s a grocery store just down the road from the dealer. I’ll just come back and wait in the parking lot.”

She agreed, and he left her at the store and she went in, pulling her list out. There were a few things she didn’t know if she could get that she might have to order. She’d have to ask how that worked—did the delivery couriers come all the way out to the ranch? She wasn’t even sure how mail got there. Maybe she could arrange for delivery in town somewhere and then pick it up. She made a mental note to ask Luke when he came back.

She grabbed a cart and wheeled it down the spice aisle. This store was bright, with wide, well-stocked aisles. They had a surprisingly good collection of spices and fresh items. She loaded up and checked out. When she came out, she spotted the big red truck, Luke at the wheel, his hat tipped back on his head. He pulled forward, stopping in front of her.

“You find what you needed?” he asked as he opened the back door of the truck, and she settled her bags on the floor.

“I did. They’ve got a lot in there. Just out of curiosity, if I need to order anything, where is it delivered?”

They got in and shut the doors. He put the truck in gear. “Schaffer’s—the general store—is where all Silver River deliveries go. Couple times a week someone goes in and gets the mail from the post office and anything that gets delivered. Hungry?”

She hadn’t realized it until right that moment, but yes, she was. “Yes.”

“There’s a good little diner up here. That okay with you or would you rather do a drive-through?”

She laughed. “I can’t think of the last time I ate at a drive-through.”

He arched a brow in her direction. “Food snob much?”

She shook her head. “Not so much. Just too busy to bother.” It was true. It was also true she’d never left the restaurant hungry.

That thought gave her a little twinge.

“Well, this place has great burgers,” he said. “And it won’t take long. I know you need to get back.”

He pulled in the parking lot of a dingy-looking building. The flowers had clearly not been watered in weeks and the blacktop was cracked and weeds grew through them. Luke gave her a full-on grin, and it stole her breath how it transformed his face. Even with the dour expression he usually wore he was handsome. But the smile was something else. “Don’t worry. Trust me, okay?”