Forever in Love (Montana Brides) (9 page)

 
“That’s not what happened. I...” His voice faltered. How the hell did he tell her he was scared witless? That he couldn’t deal with her reaction to his scars because he hadn’t learned to live with them himself?
 

“It doesn’t matter, Nathan.”
 

“Yes it does. It matters a lot.” He sat on the opposite side of the table, wiping his hands on his jeans, wondering where to start. “The skin on my back is a mess. The scars...they’re worse than my face. Apart from the doctors and my family, no one else has seen them.”

“You think I’d run a mile if I saw your back?”

Nathan let go of the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “I think you’d run a mile if you saw any part of me naked.”

The front door banged open and Matthew walked into the kitchen, disappearing behind the fridge door. “Man, I’m hungry. Anyone want the last slice of cheesecake?”

Amy dropped her head in her hands, hiding the blush that rushed to her cheeks. “No thanks.”
 

Matthew took a spoon out of the cutlery drawer. “If you want some, Nathan you’d better tell me now, otherwise I’m eating the lot.”

“Not for me.”
 

The slice of chocolate cheesecake lasted about thirty seconds. “Who owns the yellow bumblebee sitting outside?”

 
Nathan stared at Amy’s bent head, still resting in the palm of her hands. “It’s Amy’s truck. She bought it today.”
 

“Can I take it for a spin?”

Amy lifted her head, a dazed look clouding her eyes. Nathan tried to keep a smile off his face. The thought of him buck naked must have rattled her more than he thought it would. His grin got a whole lot wider when he caught the glare she aimed at him.

Matthew stared at Amy from across the room. “Are you okay? You look a bit flushed.”

“I’m fine. I didn’t get much sleep last night,” she muttered.
 

Matthew looked at her expectantly.
 

“Umm. What did you want?” she asked.

“Your truck. Can I take it for a ride?” He glanced between Amy and Nathan, a frown settling on his face.

“Of course you can. The keys are on the hall table. Help yourself.”

A grin lit Matthew’s face. “Do you want to tag along?”
 

 
“I can’t. Catherine’s asleep upstairs.”

“You go,” Nathan said. “I’ve got some paperwork to do in the office. I’ll look after her.”

“Are you sure?”
 

Nathan nodded, his gaze lingering on the blush still warming her face.
 

Matthew held the kitchen door open. “We can take some fencing supplies over to Sean. I’ll have you back here in under an hour.”

Amy stood up, grabbing her bag off the kitchen counter. “I’ve got my cell phone, Nathan, and my number’s in the back of your mom’s phone book.”

“Let’s go and see if that big old bumblebee has a sting in his tail.” Matthew grinned, shooing her out the kitchen door.
 

Nathan followed them as far as the hallway, watching Amy grab her jacket off the coat hook and zip it up to her chin. It was a pity she hadn’t put it on when she got out of her truck. It might have kept him away from her body. Or her hands away from him.

Amy pulled a wooly hat out of a pocket and jammed it on her head. “If Catherine wakes up she might be a bit grizzly. Just give her a bottle of warm milk. It takes twenty seconds in the microwave. With the lid off. And shake it. And if that doesn’t work, she likes honey sandwiches. But not too many otherwise she won’t eat her dinner.”

Nathan stared at the orange pom-pom dangling off the end of Amy’s hat. “Any other instructions?”
 

Her lips twitched and her face almost broke into a grin.

Matthew looked over his shoulder and winked at Amy. “Catherine will be fine. Nathan thinks he needs to keep watch over all of us so another little person won’t make a difference.”

She looked back at Nathan. “Call me straight away if you need me.”

“I promise. Now get moving otherwise it’ll be dinner before you get out the door.”
 

Matthew picked the keys up off the hall table. “Come on, Doc. Your chariot awaits.”

 
“Just get me back here in one piece.”

“Your wish is my command,” Matthew said as he closed the door behind them.

Nathan stared down the empty hallway, wondering if there was a limit on how many wishes one person could make.

CHAPTER FOUR

“Mom and dad are home!” Sally tore down the hallway, a piece of toast clutched in her hand.

Catherine waved her hands in the air, knocking a bowl of cereal off the highchair and straight onto the wooden floor. Two pairs of legs thumped down the stairs, heading for the front door. Sally’s excited squeal brought a smile to Amy’s lips.
 

Another chaotic day had begun. She quickly wiped the mess of the floor and unbuckled her sister. “Let’s go and meet the rest of the Gray family.”

She stood on the porch watching Jenny and Paul being swamped by three of their adult children. Nathan stood to one side, watching his family with a smile on his face. Everyone spoke at once, catching up on five weeks of life in half-finished sentences and lots of hugs.

Amy hadn’t seen Nathan’s parents since the barn fire. They’d kept in contact with emails and phone calls, but it wasn’t the same. She watched Jenny’s smile dart between her children, making sense of three conversations happening at once.
 

Paul’s lined face followed the talk around him, weighing up what was being said against what had been left unsaid. He glanced at Amy and smiled with the same kind-hearted tilt to his lips that had restored her faith in human nature.

“Amy,” he said softly, holding his arms wide. “Come and welcome an old couple home.”

Jenny laughed at her husband. “Not so much of that old business, Mr. Gray. I’m feeling twenty years younger after all that sunshine. Welcome home, Amy.”

Amy moved down the stairs, balancing Catherine on her hip. Her sister buried her head in her neck, snuggling down quietly in her arms.
 

Paul wrapped his arms around them. “It’s good to see you.”

Jenny linked her arm around Amy’s waist. “Come inside out of the cold. We don’t want your sister getting a cold.”

Everyone moved forward at once. Only Nathan hung back. “Not so fast Sean and Matthew. There’s a stack of suitcases in the truck that need to be taken inside.”

Sean frowned at his father. “Did we tell you how pleased we are that you’re home? Nathan’s run the ranch like a military operation.”

“And he’s been grumpier than a bear coming out of hibernation,” Matthew moaned.
 

“I heard that you two.” Nathan grabbed a suitcase and hauled it toward the stairs. “If you put as much effort into working as you do talking, we’d get our jobs done a whole lot faster.”

“See.” Matthew waved his arm in the air. “Grumpy.”

“You’d better get used to it, son. Your mom and I have plans.”

Sean walked past with a bulging suitcase in each hand. “As long as those plans include family holidays in Florida, I’m in.”

“Come on girls,” Jenny laughed, “let’s get inside and leave these men to sort out our luggage.”

Amy put the kettle on. Catherine jammed her fist in her mouth, sucking slowly as her gaze darted around the room.
 

Sally reached across and gave her mom another hug. “Did you have a good time?”

Jenny smiled. “We had a great time. Aunty Kath and Uncle Mike love the retirement village they’re living in and the weather is amazing. Now let me see this beautiful little girl.”

A dimpled grin spread across Catherine’s face as Jenny walked toward her.

“She’s a sweetie,” Jenny laughed. “Do you think she’d like a cuddle?”

Amy smiled at the wistful note in Jenny’s voice. “You can have as many cuddles as you like.” As soon as Catherine landed in Jenny’s arms she wrapped her fingers in the soft blue sweater under her hands and pulled it straight into her mouth. “You might want to rescue your top. Catherine’s covering it in dribble.”

“That doesn’t matter. What’s a little saliva between family?”

Amy reached across and hugged Jenny’s shoulders. “I’ve missed you.”

“We’ve missed you too. Let’s sit down and you and Sally can tell me what’s been happening. And I don’t want to hear the words cattle or ranch in our conversation.”

Sally laughed as she carried a tray over to the table. “Three mugs of hot tea and a plate of chocolate chip cookies. You go first, Amy. I haven’t got much to report.”

Sean stuck his head around the corner of the kitchen door. “Ask Sally about Steve Jennings.” He disappeared before he saw the scowl on his sister’s face.

Jenny raised her eyebrows and gave her daughter a level stare.
 

A blush washed across Sally’s face. “Nothing’s sacred in this house,” she muttered.

“Except the cattle.” Paul smiled as he walked into the kitchen. He reached across the table and grabbed a biscuit. “The boys will be back soon, so what hot gossip have I missed?” He looked at the three faces staring at him. “What? Isn’t a man entitled to know what’s going on in his hometown?”

Sally groaned. “You’ve been gone five weeks, dad. Anyone would think we haven’t been sending you emails every other day.”

“That sounds like there’s something you don’t want me to know.” He pulled out a chair, sitting at the table with an expectant look on his face. “So, what’s this boyfriend business I heard Sean talking about?”

“He’s not my boyfriend. He’s a…friend.”

Paul chomped on his biscuit. “He’s a man isn’t he?”

Sally nodded.

“Well there you go. No man wants to be a woman’s friend.” He jumped in his seat, looking across at his wife. He cleared his throat. “Unless of course that woman is my daughter, then he can be her friend for life.”

“Dad,” Sally hissed. “Anyone would think I’m sixteen. I’m an adult. I can look after myself.”

“That’s what everyone says,” Nathan said from the doorway.
 

Amy looked over her shoulder. Nathan smiled, grinning even more when she raised her chin a notch, daring him to look away. He didn’t.
 

“I’m heading into town to get some groceries for my place. I’ll buy some fresh bread and milk for here. Do you need anything special mom?”

“No, I’m just pleased to be home. Why don’t you stay for a few extra days, Nathan? There’s no rush to head back to your house is there?”

His gaze trapped Amy to her seat. “It’s best if I go. If you think of anything you need just text me. I’ll be back soon.”

Paul and Jenny stared at her.

“Well,” Sally said brightly from the other side of the table. “Who wants another cup of tea?”

Nathan still hadn’t made it back to the ranch by two o’clock. Amy looked at her watch again, trying to work out what could be taking him so long.
 

The day that had started out so promising had turned into a miserable afternoon. And it wasn’t only the dark clouds and heavy rain making her wish Nathan was home. It was the feeling that she’d misjudged him. Misjudged how much the barn fire had affected his life.
 

She took her sister’s jacket out of her suitcase and headed downstairs. Jenny and Paul were in the front lounge with Catherine. Flames from the open fire danced behind the childproof gate sitting on the hearth. The room smelt minty, like the tall pine trees growing on the mountains surrounding the ranch. Catherine sat on the floor, dribbling over a toyshop full of building blocks, tractors and soft animals.
 

Paul looked up from the book he was reading. “Are you heading outside?”

Amy nodded. “I’m taking Catherine into Bozeman to see Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. They’re leaving for an eight-week vacation with their daughter and they want someone to housesit. We should be back before five o’clock.”

Jenny turned her head, looking outside at the clouds getting darker by the minute. “Do you need to go in today? A storm’s brewing and it doesn’t look as though it’s going to pass over quickly.”

“They’re leaving tomorrow for New York. I wish I could postpone the meeting, but I can’t.” Amy knelt beside Catherine. “I’ll be careful on the road.”

Paul looked at her over the top of his glasses. “Why don’t you leave Catherine with us? If you get held up it doesn’t matter. We can give her some dinner and pop her into bed when she gets tired.”

Amy glanced out the window, then down at her sister. By five o’clock Catherine would be tired and hungry. If she was lucky, her sister would fall asleep in her car seat on the way back to the ranch. If she wasn’t, she’d scream all the way home. It didn’t take much to convince Amy that Catherine would be better off with Jenny and Paul. “That would be great. I’ll be home soon.”

“Don’t rush,” Jenny said. “Call us if the weather gets too bad. If you’re not sure about driving in the storm I’ll get one of the boys to pick you up.”

Amy kissed Catherine on the top of her head. “I’ll be fine. I’ve got my cell phone, so if you need anything just give me a call.”
 

Jenny and Paul were still looking worried as Amy left the house. She pulled open the front door and ran across the yard, holding her jacket close to her body. A cold wind whipped across the ranch, chilling her to the bone.
 

She started her truck, proud of the quiet purr the engine made. With one last glance at the homestead she began her drive into town. If the Andersons were happy to leave their three cats in her care then she’d have a home for a couple of months. It would give her some breathing space between starting her new job and finding something half-decent to rent. And give Nathan one less thing to moan about.

Nathan pulled the curtains back, searching the driveway for Amy’s headlights. “Where the hell is she? She should have been back over an hour ago.”

Sally fiddled with the handle of her coffee mug. “She’ll be home soon. She probably left the Andersons later than they think. You know how much they like to talk.”