MONTANA HOMECOMING (Montana Book 2) (15 page)

SCOTT settled into his seat and refused to glare at the
flight attendant as she passed him the scotch he'd ordered the moment he'd
walked onto the plane. It wasn't her fault that Amanda hadn't shown up, or that
he'd been reclining up front with an empty seat beside him, but he wanted
someone to be pissed at.

He'd come all this god damn way, and he hoped he hadn’t put
his heart on the line for nothing. Maybe he'd pushed too hard, maybe leaving
the ticket had been stupid and he should have just hung around and enjoyed the
day with her, but…
fuck
. He'd fucked
up big time and now he had to get the hell over it and deal with going home
alone.
Without the girl.
Thank god he hadn't told
anyone where he was going. He shouldn’t have tried to be all romantic, should
have just talked it through with her.
 
Although maybe,
maybe,
she’d
just needed to change the ticket.

Scott reached for the in-flight magazine, flipping through,
not giving a shit what he was looking at but needing something to do. He
knocked back the rest of his scotch and thought about another one, and then he
swallowed, hard.
There she was, staring
at him.
Amanda's beautiful face, blonde hair looking wild
and untamed as she walked through Central Park, beneath the headline that raved
about the up and coming artist's exhibition.

He definitely
needed another drink, and fast.

"Am I too late?"

Scott closed the magazine and slowly raised his head, his
anger disappearing faster than it had arrived.
Amanda
. She was standing in the aisle, holding an oversized
carry-on bag, the expression on her face so fragile he wanted to wrap her in
his arms and never let go.

"No," he managed, shaking his head and trying not
to laugh it was so unbelievable. "No, it's not too late."

The smile she gave him made him jump up and reach for her
bag, tucking it safely above them in the overhead compartment. Then he touched
her arm, not knowing what to think, not believing that she was actually here.
That after all that time standing near the check-in counter thinking she was a
no-show, then in the waiting lounge, that Amanda was actually here beside him,
about to fly home.

"I'm sorry if you thought I wasn't coming, but…"

Scott didn't give a damn what she was about to say - all he
cared about was that she was here right now. He took her face in both of his
hands,
palms pressed to her soft skin, and kissed her, more
tenderly than he'd ever kissed a woman before. Scott touched her like she was
breakable, brushed his lips over hers so slowly that it almost pained him. But
it was the only way he knew how to tell her how he felt, how much he cared,
because he sure as hell wasn't capable of expressing it with words.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to take your seat.
Would you like another scotch?"

Scott took his time, kissed Amanda again before pulling
back and staring into her eyes, knowing from the way she was looking at him
that everything was going to work out.

"We'll be needing champagne. Two glasses," he
said, taking Amanda's hand and backing into his seat. She kept a tight grip on
his hand and sat down beside him, never taking her eyes from his. "We're
celebrating."

He
didn't know how they were going to make it work, and he didn't care. All he
cared about was that Amanda wanted to be with him.

Amanda fought the urge to drain her entire glass, and took
a delicate sip instead.

"I honestly didn't mean to keep you waiting," she
told Scott, looking down at their hands and smiling at their intertwined
fingers.

"You sure had me thinking you weren't going to
show," he said with a grimace.

"I had so much to do for work today, then I had to
clear my schedule for the rest of the week, then packing what I needed to
bring…" she laughed at the expression on his face. "Okay, so you
don't care about the details, huh?"

He shook his head and shrugged. "Honestly? No. What I
care about is not pressuring you into a decision, which is why I wanted to give
you time to think, but I’m starting to wonder if I ended up doing the exact
opposite of what I meant to.”

"Just promise me that I've done the right thing,"
she muttered. “You didn’t pressure me, because I’ve
been
wanting
to come home ever since I arrived here. But today was kind of
crazy.”

"You know there’s still time to get off the
plane," he said. “Not that I want you to, but you can still change your
mind.”

She laughed.
"Or not.
I gave
up my studio space and arranged for everything to be delivered to my mom’s
place," she admitted. "You're the one who inspired me last time, so I
thought,
what the hell? If we're going to try this, I
need to see if I can work from your place or home, right?"

Scott put down his glass and cupped her face, pressing a
kiss to her forehead. "I love you, Mandy. You know that, right? Even if we
have to commute back and forth together, we can make this work."

"I love you, too," she whispered. "I just
hope I've done the right thing."

She was scared shitless of what she'd just done, how her
life had just changed, but… it was time to put on her big girl panties and
trust her gut. Because deep down, she knew she'd made the only decision she was
capable of making. That it was the right time to listen to her gut, to stop
doing what was right on paper when she made one of her silly lists.

"When we get home, I'm going to show you why you've
done the right thing, sweetheart. I promise. It’s one of the reasons I had to
leave today, because I’m finally coming to the end of all my building
projects.”

She dropped her head onto Scott's shoulder as they started
their ascent, her eyes shut as they lifted into the sky. Amanda was exhausted
from the last week, from everything she'd had to do today, but there was also a
nervous flutter of excitement building in her belly that was making her feel…
incredible.
Because maybe she could have it all.
The career, her family,
the
guy.

Amanda snuggled closer to Scott, inhaling his cologne,
trying not to laugh when she realized he was still wearing a suit. She bet he
couldn't wait to get back into his jeans and boots, even if he did look amazing
wearing Hugo Boss.

"What's everyone going to say when we turn up
tonight?" she asked, not lifting her head.

"Considering I didn't even tell Jack where I was
going?" Scott chuckled and knocked back the rest of his champagne.

"Are you serious?" She'd presumed everyone back
home would know that he'd come looking for her, that he'd gone with the
intention of trying to bring her home.

"I think it's time we were honest with everyone about
how we feel about each other."

"Yeah," she agreed, squeezing his hand.
"Except I have a feeling that everyone else already knew.
It was you and me who were struggling to figure the truth out."

"You think?" he asked.

Amanda laughed. "Oh, I know so. Besides, at least I’ll
be there for the final reading of dad’s will. We can always just pretend the
fact that I’m with you was an accident.”

"So let me get this straight," Jack said, his arm
slung around
Maddie's
shoulders as they sat on the
opposite sofa. "You just left with the clothes on your back and took the
next flight to New York?"

"If it makes me sound less crazy, I actually booked
the ticket
before
I left the
house," Scott told his brother, grinning at the look he was getting in
return. "I just wasn't planning on the flight leaving so soon, so I
grabbed my wallet and my keys and just left."

Scott looked down at Amanda when she reached for his hand,
and he lifted his arm up so she could tuck closer to him. It was only the day
after they’d arrived back and they were sitting in her home, surrounded by her
family… except for Blake. He was expected to arrive within minutes, and Scott
had been carefully rehearsing exactly what he was going to say to him since
he'd gotten out of bed too early that morning.

"And you're actually going to move back for
good?"
Maddie
asked.

He watched as Amanda nodded, but he could see she was still
second guessing herself. "That's the plan. I mean, it worked out pretty
well for you, right?"

They all laughed and then
Maddie
made a face like she was in pain. Amanda was by her side in less than a second.

"It's the baby, isn't it? What happened?" Amanda
asked.

Scott exchanged a look with his brother. The baby wasn't
due for another couple of weeks, and he had no idea about this type of thing at
all.

"I'm fine, it's probably just a false
contraction,"
Maddie
said. "Keep talking,
it'll take my mind off the pain."

Amanda looked back at Scott and he motioned for her to come
join him on the sofa again. If
Maddison
wanted
distracting, then that's exactly what they'd do.

"Tomorrow I plan on showing Amanda exactly why she'll
never want to move back to New York again," Scott said, rubbing his hand
down her back.

"Just tell me, would you?" Amanda moaned.
"Enough with the teasing!"

He dropped a kiss into Amanda's hair, but his smile faded
the moment her brother walked into the room.

"Hey," Blake said, hands pushed into his pockets
as he stood near the door.

Scott knew Blake wouldn’t have been expecting him to be
sitting there, but he wanted to make sure they got off on the right foot.
Amanda was too special to him for him to screw this up.
 

Charlotte and her mom appeared behind Blake, and Scott took
his chance to say something while he could, before their lawyer arrived. He
squeezed Amanda's hand and jumped to his feet as everyone said their hellos.

"Hey, you got a minute?" Scott asked him.

Blake nodded and turned around and they both walked into
the kitchen, leaving the others to comfort
Maddie
.
The reading of the will was only a formality, they knew exactly how the
property had been divided because their dad had always told them, but Scott
knew they all wanted to be together
as they heard Gus's
wishes read out by their family attorney.

Blake leaned back on the counter, hands braced and
supporting his weight, as Scott fought the urge to pace and instead stood in
front of him.

"I don't really know how to say this, but…" Scott
somehow forgot everything he'd practiced, his mind empty of all the clever
words he'd rehearsed. "I'm in love with your sister, Blake. I tried to
walk away, I tried to let her go, but I couldn't, and I wanted you to hear it
from me."

Blake's face was impossible to read, his mouth drawn in a
tight line, so unlike his usual easygoing smile.

"All the women in the world and you had to have my
sister?"

Scott swallowed, not wanting to argue with Blake, refusing
to say or do anything stupid. "I love her, man. You know I wouldn't say
that if I didn't mean it, if I hadn't tried everything to fight it."

"And Amanda?"
Blake asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"If Amanda didn't want this, I wouldn't be standing
here," Scott told him. "I'm not asking for your approval, because
nothing you or anyone else says to me could make me walk away now, but I know
how much your blessing would mean to your sister."

Blake laughed, shaking his head. "So now you're
telling me you want my blessing? I thought you didn’t give a shit about what I
thought?”

Scott was baffled. He'd expected yelling, hell, maybe even
a fist fight, but not Blake laughing.
 

“I’ve always cared about what you thought, I just didn’t
agree with you.”

Blake gave him a cool smile and walked toward him, stopping
less than a foot from him.

"You hurt my sister? I will kill you," he
muttered, staring straight into Scott's eyes.

They were almost the same height, standing facing one
another, and Scott had no intention of backing down.

"I'm not going to hurt her, Blake. Hand on my
heart,
I'm not the same guy that I used to be."

"Just don't fuck up," Blake muttered.
"Because I told Jack the same thing, and I mean it. You hurt one of my
sisters, I hurt you. End of story."

"Fair enough," Scott accepted, holding out his
hand. "So are we good?"

"Yeah, you're good," Amanda said, surprising them
both when she called out from across the room.

"Mandy, we're trying to…"

"Discuss me like I'm a piece of property?" she
interrupted her brother. "Scott, what he didn't tell you is that I already
threatened
his
life if he even
thought of trying to come between us this time."

Scott looked at Blake and fought the urge to laugh. So much
for the men thinking they were in charge and working their issues out.

"That true?"

Blake shrugged. "I have three sisters. I'm used to
being bossed around. But when it comes to protecting them? That's the thing
they don't get a say over."

"I came to tell you two buffoons that the lawyer is
here," Amanda told them. "So if the whole macho, sorting out who I
belong to thing is over, how about you join us?"

Scott held his hand out again to Blake, knowing that for
all Mandy's bravado she was anxious for things to settle between him and her
brother.

"That guy who used to sleep with everyone woman in
town is long gone,” he told Blake in a low voice. "I love your sister, and
there's nothing I'd do to jeopardize that.”

"I believe you," Blake said, clasping his hand.
"Just don't fuck up, okay? Make her happy, keep the smile on her face, and
look after her."

"Promise," Scott said, slapping Blake on the
back.

"Then let's grab a beer and go listen to what the old
man left his family. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry I was such a dickhead
to you in the beginning. You were right when you said it wasn't me. I should
have taken some time to cool off."

Scott
just smiled, his heart no longer racing.
Thank
god for that.

Amanda lay with her head on Scott's shoulder, snuggled
under the covers. They'd hardly said a word since they'd come upstairs to bed,
even though her mind was full of everything they'd learned during the reading
of her father's will. It was already at least 2 a.m. and she doubted she'd ever
manage to fall asleep.

"You okay?" Scott asked, turning slightly so he
could look at her, his lips touching hers before she had time to answer.

"It's just weird to think that we all own this place
now. That it's
ours
instead of
belonging to mom and dad."

Scott thrummed his fingers gently up and down her arm and
she tried to push the thoughts of her dad from her mind - and failed.

"You know, it was like he was in the room with us
tonight. I could hear his voice when everything was being read out, could see
him discussing it all with his attorney and working out what was fair."

"You're lucky, you know," Scott said. "You
were all left equal ownership of everything, which means no animosity, and
Charlotte and Blake receive the income they deserve from running the
ranches."

Amanda nodded. She knew he was right, but still. "I have
this feeling like I don't deserve to have the same ownership as them. I mean,
what have I done to help?
To contribute to our family?"

She blinked as Scott wiped the tears from the corners of
her eyes.

"You've been the daughter living her own dreams, you
and
Maddie
both. Your dad must have been so proud of
you, of everything you accomplished, I know it," Scott murmured. "And
you're here now. Maybe there's a reason you're back home."

She forced the tears down and wriggled so she could face
Scott, propped on one elbow. "Can't we just go see my surprise now?"

He laughed.
"In the dark?
No."

She sighed, needing something to take her mind off
everything. "I'm never going to fall asleep."

Scott waggled his eyebrows and had
her
pinned beneath him in seconds, his breath hot against hers, big body a welcome
weight over her.

"It just so happens that I can think of a hundred ways
to take your mind off just about anything," Scott whispered, kissing the
spot on her neck that always made her squirm in pleasure.

"We can't," she protested, wishing with every
bone in her body that they
could
.

"Why not?"
Scott asked, teasing her with his tongue now, his lips
slowly moving against hers.

Amanda gave in, kissed him,
ran
her hands down the bare skin of his back.

"No!" she managed, pushing him back, one palm to
his chest.
No.
"We can't, not in
this house, with my mom and my brother…" Amanda took a deep, shuddering
breath, wishing she wasn't being so sensible. But that part of what they were
doing just didn't seem right.

"You're sure?" Scott asked, looking down at her
in the soft light cast from the moon shining in her window.

"There's something about this room that makes me feel
like a naughty school girl all over again," she told him, "so yeah,
I'm sure."

Scott groaned and rolled off her. "We're staying at my
place tomorrow night, even without furniture," he grumbled.

"Is that the surprise?" she asked.

"No more questions," he told her, pulling her
close and shutting his eyes. "You'll see in the morning, but yeah, this is
the last night we're spending having chaste cuddles in your family home."

"Hey, what's wrong with cuddling?" she protested.

Scott
chuckled, his eyes still closed.
"The fact that you're
not naked."

When he'd run through it in his own head, it had sounded great,
but Scott was starting to think he'd made too much of a big deal over the
surprise. Especially now that everyone knew he was showing her something, and
she was just about bouncing off her seat with excitement.

"I still can't believe you got me out of bed so
early," he grumbled, pretending to be annoyed but loving the fact she was
so enthusiastic.

"I'm thinking you have that gorgeous bath finished and
you're dying for us to have the first romantic…"

"In broad daylight?"
Scott asked, grinning over at her. "I mean, I'm up
for it, but I didn't think you'd be game."

Amanda laughed. "Yeah, I was thinking you could just
show it to me today and we'd come back in the dark for a dip."

Scott chuckled and took one hand off the wheel to place it
on Mandy's thigh instead. He was about to tell her that the bath was definitely
ready to be christened, but…

"Oh my god!"
Her words all meshed into one she said them so fast.
"It's actually finished?"

Her eyes locked on his when he stopped the car outside his
new place, pleased that there were guys there finishing it off.

"Yep, it's almost done."

"So this was the surprise?" she asked, her eyes
lighting up with her smile.

Scott leaned across and kissed her. "No, but I'm glad
you like it."

She touched his cheek, gazing into his eyes. "I don't
just like it, I love it," she told him. "And I'm guessing that, um,
well that this is where we'll
both
be
living?”

Damn it, he'd asked her to come home with him and he hadn't
even made it clear that he wanted her to move in.

"So you probably shouldn't have had to ask me that,
huh?" He reached for her hand and lifted it, kissing it but never taking
his eyes from hers. "Amanda Jones, I would very much like you to move into
my house with me."

She batted her eyelashes at him. "Why Scotty, I'd be
delighted to move in."

They both laughed and Scott touched his forehead to hers.
"I do want you to live here with me, you know that, right? I'm just not
the best at remembering to actually say what I think sometimes."