Forever in Love (Montana Brides) (7 page)

“Is that why you’re living with your parents?”

“It’d take more than Sean’s cooking to keep me there. As soon as mom and dad arrive home I’m heading to my place.”

“Sally told me you’d built a home not far from your parents. I didn’t expect to see you when we arrived.”

“You’re not the only one that got a surprise.”

Amy cleared her throat. “So why are you staying in your old room?”

 
“Dad wanted me to keep an eye on Sean and Matthew. Sally moved in a couple of days before mom and dad left for Florida. She’s supposed to be helping around the ranch, but I’ve got a feeling mom wanted us to keep her on the straight and narrow.”

A brief smile crossed Amy’s face. “I don’t think it’s possible to keep your sister out of trouble. When do your parents get home?”

“In two days. Sally’s already got her bags packed, ready to head back to her apartment.” He looked in the rearview mirror. “Catherine’s sound asleep. Did you look at the daycare center?”

She nodded. “Stan took me downstairs and introduced me to the staff. They seem really nice and the facilities are lovely. I’ve booked her to start on Monday, so we’ll see how it goes.”

“Do you need to do any night shifts?”

“Not at the moment. There’s a team of local doctors that split the evenings between them. I don’t know what I’ll do if I ever need to start working through the night.”

Nathan thought he had it rough. Becoming a single mom to her half sister had turned Amy’s life around in a complete circle. And she’d only just begun. God knew what would be thrown her way over the next few months. Or years.
 

He passed another truck heading out of town, then glanced across at Amy. They’d both been dealt a new deck of cards and he wondered if either of them knew what they were doing.

Amy carried her sleeping sister upstairs. She unzipped Catherine’s snowsuit and slowly peeled it off her body. It had been a big day for both of them and there’d be even more busy days ahead. At least she had a job. For six months she could pretend they had a normal life. That the shadow of their mother wasn’t hanging over them, ready to smother the life they were making for themselves.
 

She took her jacket off and stood silently beside the cot, watching the gentle rise and fall of her sister’s chest. Life had to be more simple than the twisted path they’d found themselves on. Half the time she didn’t know where she was heading. All the plans she’d made didn’t mean a thing if her mom took Catherine back.
 

She had no control over the process she’d started as soon as she’d called Child Protective Services. No control over the wreck of a mother that had abandoned both her daughters. Her hands gripped the wooden rail. It felt solid and real and that’s what she needed more than anything else at the moment.
 

With a tired sigh she turned from their bedroom and headed downstairs.
 

Sally looked up from the kitchen table. “How did you get on?”

“I’m working at the hospital for the next six months and Catherine’s enrolled in daycare. You’re home early.”

“I had a half day at school. Congratulations on your new job. Did you manage to get in touch with the property manager?”

“Yep,” Nathan came in from the hallway, dropping two flat boxes on the table, “and all of the apartments were health hazards.”

“They were not. They were reasonably clean and had all the basics.”

“Basics my ass,” he scoffed. “One of the apartments would have squeezed inside mom’s kitchen, it was so small.”

Amy gazed at the four walls surrounding them. He wasn’t far wrong but she wouldn’t admit that to him. She moved across the kitchen and grabbed a couple of mugs from the pantry. “One of them may be a possibility. Do you want a cup of coffee, Nathan?”

He frowned. “Are you being nice because you want something or because Adele thought we were married?”

Sally choked on the biscuit she was eating.
 

Nathan grabbed the boxes off the table when Sally’s arm almost connected with her mug of coffee. Between a coughing fit, she squeaked, “Married?”

Amy glared at Nathan. The man had absolutely no sense of timing and a weird sense of humor. “The property manager thought we wanted a family home.”
 

Sally stared at her. She didn’t get it. Neither had Amy until Adele asked Nathan how close to town he wanted to live. Grabbing a napkin off the counter, she passed it to Sally. “She thought we were looking for an apartment for the three of us. Nathan, Catherine and me.”
 

Sally’s gaze moved between Amy and her brother. Her lips twitched and she started laughing. “What did she say when you told her you weren’t together?”
 

Amy stared at Nathan’s grinning face. He was enjoying every single minute of their almost marriage.

 
“It wasn’t so much what she said, but what she did.” Nathan dropped the boxes back on the table. “Adele gave me her business card.”

“She gave us both a business card.”

“But did yours have her home number on it?”

Amy reached into her back pocket. Pulling the card out of her jeans, she turned it over. No home number. “I don’t believe you.”

Nathan opened his wallet and held a little blue card in the air. “Exhibit one for the disbelieving doctor.”

Amy peered at the card waving in the air. “It’s the same as mine.”
 

“Nope. Come closer and I’ll show you.”

She knew all about getting close to Nathan and it wasn’t a good place to be. She stared at the card, then at the grin beaming across the room at her. She shouldn’t be tempted, but she was.
 

A loud bang made her jump. Coffee. She needed to make herself a mug of hot, black coffee to take the edge off Nathan’s bad-boy smile.
 

Sean limped into the kitchen, waving an electric drill in his hand. “Who the hell left this in the middle of the doorway?”

“That would have been me,” Nathan said. “And unless you want to put a crack in mom’s lightshade I’d suggest you put it on the table.”

Sean’s gaze shot to the red light dangling above his head. He dropped the drill, staring at the boxes covering the table. “What are you making?”

Nathan walked across to the kitchen and opened a drawer. “No way, you’re not helping me. Last time I let you loose with a drill I ended up having to re-screw all of my drywall.” He moved back to the table and ran a knife along the edge of a box, flicking the lid open.

“Nothing that a little plaster didn’t fix.” Sean nudged one of the boxes closer. “Baby gates? Where are you putting these?”

Amy sloshed boiling water over the edge of her mug. She turned in time to see a dull blush creeping up the side of Nathan’s face.

“After Amy nearly threw herself down the stairs this morning I thought it might be a good idea to put these up.”

Sally burst out laughing. “I can really see how that’s going to help her.”

Nathan glared at his sister. “You know what I mean. I’m sure Catherine will appreciate my efforts, even if you don’t.”

Sally reached across and patted Nathan’s hand. “You did good, big brother. Just don’t put too many holes in dad’s banister otherwise he’ll rant and rave about it for weeks.”

Nathan pulled one of the wooden gates from the box. “Do you recognize this?”

Sally frowned. “Should I?”

“You used them as a climbing frame.” He opened a bag of screws that had been tied to the edge of the gates. “Dad swore that out of all of us, you were the monkey of the family. As soon as you could open your eyes you were climbing where you weren’t supposed to go.”

“What’s changed?” Sean grinned, ducking behind Nathan when he saw the scowl on his sister’s face.

Nathan ignored his brother. “I helped dad sort out the attic last winter. They might come in handy with Catherine crawling around the house.”
 

Amy poured boiling water into another mug. Nathan’s arm was buried in one of the boxes, hunting for something flicking around the bottom. “Here’s your coffee.” She left the hot drink on the table.
 

His hand stopped rummaging. His gaze shifted to the coffee then back to her.

“I haven’t laced it with poison. But I still don’t believe you got the property manager’s home number.”

A smile lit his face from the inside out. “How much do you want to bet?”

She blinked. The mischief in his eyes pulled her somewhere she didn’t want to go. Somewhere that involved a barn, lots of body heat and not much common sense.
 

Nathan looked back at the box, a dull blush streaking over his cheeks. “I bought some paint this morning. I’ll put a coat on the gates once I’ve got them sitting in the right place.”
 

Sally sat back in her chair, grinning at Amy. “Do you want a ride into Bozeman tomorrow? I’m heading into work at eight o’clock.”

Amy thought about what she needed to do. “That’d be great. I want to buy a used vehicle and look at a few more apartments.”

Nathan frowned. “On your own?”

“Yes, on my own. I’m quite capable of sorting out my life.”
 

He tipped the box up on its end, picking up a stray screw as it rolled across the table. “What kind of vehicle?”
 

“A red pickup, but if I find a yellow one at a good price I might be tempted to buy that instead. And fluffy seat covers. Preferably black.”

“I hope you’re kidding. Do you know anything about engines and bodywork?”

“No, but I’m a quick learner.” Oh Lord, she hadn’t meant to say that. Heat rushed to her face. Nathan grinned and the heat got a whole lot hotter.
 

“I can’t help tomorrow, but I’ll make a list after dinner of all the things you need to check. You can call me on my cell phone if you have any questions while you’re looking around.”

“Apart from the monster list I know you’ll make, do you have any other instructions?” Amy asked.

“No need to get prickly. I’m only helping.”

She’d already had his help today and he hadn’t helped at all. Instead of finding somewhere to live she’d found feelings for Nathan she thought she’d buried years ago. And new ones that curled her stomach into tight knots, unraveling all the plans she’d carefully pieced together.

“Go see Richard Adams on Durston Street. He knows what he’s talking about when it comes to trucks.”

Amy saluted, enjoying the narrowing of Nathan’s eyes.
 

 
Sean opened the fridge. “If we’re going to eat soon, I’ve got to get the spaghetti sauce cooking. If you’re hanging around the kitchen in the next few minutes you’ll get a job to do.”

Sally frowned at the clock on the wall. “Goodness, is that the time? I’ve got to go and call Jodi. Yell when dinner’s ready.” She winked at Amy, disappearing fast out the kitchen door. Nathan slid the wooden gates back into their boxes. He didn’t look as though he’d be sticking around for long either.

“What’s so bad about helping with dinner?” Amy asked.

“Helping cook the food is fine.” Nathan stood the packed boxes on their ends and grabbed the drill. “It’s Sean that’s the problem. The man has a major tantrum if the onions aren’t cut into even little pieces. And you’re really in trouble if you mess with his secret ingredient.”

“Which isn’t so secret anymore,” Sean grumbled. “Sally stole my recipe and added it to her school’s fundraising cookbook. Now all of Bozeman knows how to make the best buffalo spaghetti this side of the Rockies.”

Nathan moved toward the kitchen door. “My heart bleeds for you little brother. I’ll be on the stairs if you need me.”

Amy watched Sean stack half the contents of the fridge onto the counter. “I’m pretty good with a knife if you can be a bit flexible about your onions?”

“Slice away. And I’m not as bad as Nathan said.”

“Of course you aren’t.” Amy grinned and Sean laughed back.
 

“Okay, I admit I do like little cubes of onion. But the thickness of the mushrooms is entirely up to you.”

Reaching across the counter, Amy started to peel the brittle paper-thin shell off an onion. “Cubes it is.” She smiled, listening to the sound of the drill in the hallway and the hiss of the buffalo meat as it hit the hot fry pan.
 

Seam hummed a tuneless masterpiece as he added tinned tomatoes, garlic and a ton of herbs and spices to another pan. Next came a good dollop of brown sugar and the onions she’d already diced.
 

“Now that’s what I call family cooking at its finest,” he said.

The knife froze in Amy’s hands. She stared at the last onion. In less than two weeks she’d be on her own again with her sister. Alone in a new house and a new job. Family wasn’t something she was used to, but she’d managed to slip back into feeling like she belonged on the ranch without a thought. She couldn’t afford to let herself enjoy life with the Gray family. She’d done that once before and her heart had broken in two when she had to leave.
 

She blinked onion juice out of her eyes and kept slicing. Catherine was her family now. The only family she needed.

Nathan stood in the front yard, watching the truck get closer. He took off his hat, using his arm to wipe away the sweat running down his face. If he wasn’t mistaken, Amy had found a vehicle. And not just any vehicle. The yellow paintwork glowed brighter than the afternoon sun. It looked like an overfed canary lumbering down his parent’s driveway. He’d never seen a truck like it and doubted anyone in Bozeman would forget it in a hurry either. He just hoped to God she’d taken the time to read his checklist before handing her money over.

Amy had left six hours ago with Catherine and Sally, and he’d spent all day catching up on the work he hadn’t done yesterday. And trying to get Amy out of his head.
 

She’d become a splinter under his skin. No matter how much he poked and prodded he couldn’t get her brown eyes and blonde hair out of his mind. It irritated the hell out of him and he planned on doing something about it. As soon as his mom and dad arrived home he’d head back to his own place. He needed Amy in his life about as much as he needed a dose of the bubonic plague.