When Dreams Collide (8 page)

“I’ve learned from the best teacher in the world, Arthur Branigan. Stood right alongside his sons during every lesson and absorbed all that knowledge like a dry creek bed soaks up rain after a dry spell. I know what I’m doing as far as the horses go. And I intend to hire good workers to help me with any areas of expertise that I don’t possess myself.”

“That’s wise.” Susan nodded in agreement. “I’ll admit your enthusiasm is contagious. Taking a leap forward and pursuing your dream is admirable.”

“Although it’s a little scary, thinking about all the responsibility, doing it on my own, it’s time I pursue my dream. Now or never. Until I won the lottery, I thought the world didn’t give a damn about me and I’d have to struggle for everything I got. Winning that money changed my thinking big time. I decided if Fate blessed me with these funds, then it was up to me to make the most of the situation and pay forward my good luck. I’d overcome the childhood abuse I’d endured from my father. So, surely I could wrestle up the strength and bravery to tackle my dream. I also knew that once I set out to achieve that dream, I had to succeed. Failure wasn’t an option.” Dusty met Susan’s eyes. His life had taken a positive turn since he’d decided to pursue his dream. But after meeting Susan, he was torn between the strong attraction he felt for her, and the realization she’d make a terrible rancher’s wife. Fate wasn’t doing a particularly wonderful job at placing a potential spouse in his path. Perhaps having good fortune shine on him in the form of financial advantage had used up his entire ration. Now, he couldn’t expect the perfect woman for him to fall at his feet, as well.

Susan smiled. “I think I’d be terribly jealous of you, if I didn’t have a few dreams of my own.”

“What are your dreams, Susan?” blurted Dusty, before he could stop himself. He grimaced. “I’m sorry. That question just popped out. Maybe they’re none of my business.”

“You’re probably thinking she dreams of a happy marriage and a couple of kids and a nice home, maybe even a dog. And you’d be right.” Susan laughed and then leaned back in the comfy leather seat. “Actually, I’m working on my dream every day that I step into my office. I intend to be named a member of the Board of Directors for the Ellis Bank one day. I imagine that day is a long way off, but it’s my ultimate goal. And like you said, failure is not an option.”

“From everything people have told me about you—your reputation and work ethic—you will attain your goal someday.” Dusty returned his eyes to the road. “And some lucky guy will pull you off the marriage market and give you that home and family, too.”

“You believe a woman can have it all? Career, marriage and family?”

“I suppose if that’s what she wants, and her husband is okay with it. Personally, I would prefer a wife who loves horses as much as I do. A woman interested in raising a family but also works on the ranch with me every day and shares my bed every night.”

“That doesn’t sound at all like me—a woman who loves the city and loves her career.” Susan sighed.

The sun beat in through the windows, and Dusty turned up the air-conditioning.

Susan grabbed a plush blanket off the back seat and curled up under it with her head resting in the little curved airplane pillow she also carried back there. “That’s better. People always crank up the AC while I shiver. But leave it on. I’m fine.”

“It’s fortunate we took your car. The only things I carry in my truck are booster cables and a spare tire.”

“Will you want me to take a turn driving? If I’m not driving, I’ll probably nod off.”

“No, I’ll drive,” he replied. No woman was driving him anywhere. Well, technically, that wasn’t correct—she was driving him crazy. Her white denim jeans clung in all the right places, and the rose and white plaid cotton shirt with the top three buttons open revealed a silky white camisole underneath.

Susan kicked off her well-worn pink cowboy boots, and he’d caught a glimpse of the cutest striped toe socks before she tucked her feet under the blanket with the rest of her. It didn’t matter if he saw her in a bridesmaid’s dress up around her waist, a business pantsuit at the bank, or a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt, his body reacted instantly.

A few minutes later, Dusty glanced over at the beautiful woman already asleep in the passenger seat, and his heart melted. She looked absolutely adorable, snoozing so contentedly like she hadn’t a care in the world. He’d considered pursuing a relationship with Susan, but after hearing her corporate dream, he realized it would never work out between them. They lived and worked in two totally different worlds. While exchanging their personal stories and life goals, he realized that if they attempted a relationship their individual dreams would collide like a couple of fighter jets and then crash and burn around them.

Dusty shifted in his seat. Hopefully, she wouldn’t wake up for awhile, giving him time to wrangle his libido back under control so the bulge in his jeans would disappear. Yeah, right, like that was likely to happen. He’d just concentrate on the road, keep his eyes off her. Hopefully, that would work.

Suddenly, his cell phone rang and the shrill noise in the quiet vehicle brought Susan instantly awake.

“Sorry, I should have turned it off while you were sleeping.”

“It’s okay. It might be important.” Susan straightened in her seat and blinked repeatedly.

The cell continued to ring.

“Here. I’ll answer it. You’re driving.” Susan reached over and plucked his cell phone out of the cup holder. “Hello?”

“Is Dusty there?” inquired a female voice.

“Um, yes, but he’s driving right now.” Susan glanced at her traveling companion. “Who is this, please?”

“Penny Snyder. I’m calling for David Branigan. Here he is now.”

There was a short pause.

“Dusty, is that you?”

“No, David, it’s Susan. Dusty’s driving. What’s up?”

“I just called to let Dusty know...Jeremy and Amanda were in an accident.”

Chapter 6

“What?” Susan glanced toward Dusty. “How do I put this phone on conference call?”

Dusty explained which buttons to push and waited for her nod. “David, what the hell’s going on?” he asked.

“Jeremy and Amanda were in a car accident up in Canada about an hour ago.”

“Holy, crap. Are they okay?”

“Jeremy assured me they’re fine. The police transported Amanda to the local hospital to be on the safe side since she’s pregnant. Jeremy says she seemed okay at the accident scene though.”

“I hope the asshole who hit them is in jail.”

“Actually, she was airlifted to Calgary.”

“Drunk driver?” asked Susan.

“Nope. Heart attack.” David filled them in on the details. “The father picked the kid up at the hospital. Jeremy talked to the local police and now he’s cooling his heels in the waiting room, hoping for a positive report from the doctor. You know how well he handles waiting, right?”

“About as well as I do.” Dusty glanced over at Susan. “We’re on our way to Bozeman to look at a ranch. Should we head back to Helena? Do you need us for anything?”

“No. I already offered to fly the Lazy B chopper up there, but Jeremy says it’s under control. I’ll learn more when he calls again.”

“Okay, keep us posted. Susan’s going to worry every second until we hear from you again.”

“And you aren’t?” she swatted his arm.

“I’ll keep you posted, buddy.” There was a short pause. “I hope you find the ideal ranch for your horse operation.”

“Thanks, David. That means a lot.” Dusty smiled.

“Dad gave Scooter the foreman’s job by the way. So don’t worry about the ranch being left high and dry. Of course, if you want to come back, Scooter would be okay with that, too.”

“Tell Scooter congratulations for me. He’s a good choice.” Dusty laughed and shook his head. “I’ve never worked with such a by-the-book, get-it-done ranch hand in my life. Old Scooter will give Penny and the rest of them a run for their money. Keep in touch.”

“Will do.” David chuckled and ended the call.

Susan set the cell phone back in the cup holder. Her hand shook slightly, and she hoped her traveling companion hadn’t noticed. She didn’t want him worrying about her while she was worrying about her friend. She refused to ruin his day after he’d been so excited about viewing this property. She glanced at the time on the radio. Ten to eleven.

Dusty reached for her hand. “I know you’re worried. David will call when he has news. Jeremy seemed certain Amanda was fine. Think positive, okay?”

“Okay,” she whispered, amazed at how easily he’d zeroed in on her anxiety, realized how worried she felt like an old friend not someone she’d only known a couple of days. “Where are we?”

“We’re about twenty minutes away from Bozeman.” Dusty returned his eyes to the road.

She tossed the blanket and pillow into the backseat. He heard the leather groan when she stretched in her seat, arms reaching toward the windshield. She bent down and tugged her cowboy boots on again.

“Even stopping for breakfast and being held up for almost an hour by a serious multi-vehicle traffic accident on I-90 while you were sleeping, we’re making good time. While I watched you sleep and waited for the state troopers to clear the highway, I never dreamed Jeremy and Amanda were involved in an accident of their own. Scary stuff.”

“Oh God, I hope she and the baby are okay. If she loses that baby after all she’s been through with the cancer and being told she’d probably never conceive...”

“Where are those positive thoughts hiding?” Dusty wagged his finger at her. She’d looked so cute when she first woke up with her hair slightly mussed, face flushed from snuggling under the blanket, and sleepy-eyed before she totally roused from her nap.

“You’re right. I’ll just wait to hear from David again or Jeremy,” conceded Amanda.

“That’s better. Graham warned me that we wouldn’t be able to see the property until sometime in the afternoon, so even if we stop for an early lunch we’ll get to the realtor’s office in plenty of time.”

“Afternoon? That could mean three or four o’clock. Why did we have to leave so early?”

“I didn’t want to risk being late. And you never know how long you’ll get held up by road construction crews or traffic accidents. If the realtor appointment isn’t until four or five, I wanted to tour Bozeman while we’re passing time. Check out the feed stores, tack stores, employment agencies, and any other suppliers I’ll require. Get a feel for the city before I make a commitment to settle here.” Dusty glanced over at his passenger. Big mistake. She finished applying lip gloss to those kissable lips, turned and smiled at him.

“Do I look presentable again?” she asked, fluffing her hair.

He glued his eyes to the road before his brain got any ideas, sent any messages to his lower anatomy. “You’ll do,” he teased, grinning.

“Thank you for the ringing endorsement. You’ve made my day,” she countered.

Damn, he liked this woman. Liked her a lot. Too bad she didn’t have it bad for cowboys, like Penny.

“Tell me more about growing up in Texas,” requested Susan, out of the blue.

Dusty glanced over at his traveling companion and sighed. “It was okay, but like I told you I lit out of there the day I graduated high school when I punched out my old man’s lights. After suffering years of verbal abuse from the old bast...fellow, I’d had enough.”

“Where did you go?”

“Ma wanted to send me to university. I’d made the grades, but I had other plans.”

“Oh, Dusty, you should have gone. My time at Montana State in Bozeman was the happiest time in my life. I earned my degree in finance, and I met Amanda there. We shared so many fun times together.” Susan smiled.

“Sorry, I just couldn’t do it. Decided I’d get my education at the ‘open-prairie college’. So I headed north, worked on a couple of ranches for guys my father didn’t know. Eventually, I tried my hand at the rodeo. Spent more time in the dust than on the back of anything that bucked.”

He watched the little smile creep across her face. Was she imagining him flying off some bucking bronco’s back, sailing through the air, landing in the dirt?

“My rodeo buddies started calling me Dusty. The name stuck. I know you’re wondering, so I’ll tell you. My name is Patrick Allan MacFarland. But if you dare call me anything but Dusty, I’ll pull this car over and oust you.”

“Patrick who?” Susan laughed, grinning mischievously. “Continue your story, Dusty.”

Man, he loved the sound of her laugh. “I got tossed in the dirt once too often and decided to end my less-than-illustrious rodeo career.  A week later, I met up with the Branigan men in Miles City during the annual horse sale. That must have been about eighteen years ago. Anyway, Arthur hired me on and I worked my way up to foreman. Been saving a fair portion of my paychecks since I don’t smoke and I don’t gamble. Enjoy a cold beer once in awhile. However, I’m totally addicted to my morning coffee.”

Susan smiled. “That’s one addiction we share.”

He hated talking about himself, but she deserved to know it all. “My adopted father died about eight years ago. His old pickup truck was hit by a drunk driver.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” whispered Susan.

“Don’t be. Rather ironic since he was driving drunk himself at the time. I didn’t return to Texas for his funeral. I never had a problem with Ma, just the old man. I’d kept in touch with Ma over the years, loved her dearly, and she understood.”

“I’m sorry you had such a rough childhood. My parents were great. What happened to your mother or was it just her time?”

“Ma wasn’t even seventy yet, but she’d had a problem ticker all her life, and she had asthma, as well. Still, her death came as a shock. But with a bad heart, she knew she wouldn’t live to be really old. Said she had to fit in all her living now. When she sold the ranch, she took up bridge and yoga and scrapbooking and the darn craziest stuff. But she loved her life, loved her friends, and she left this world a happy person. What more can you ask for?”

Dusty caught Susan swiping at a tear, and the gesture warmed his heart. She was truly a lovely woman, just like everyone had told him.