Page 43 of Choosing the Montana Cowboy

Natalie couldn’t help but feel envious about how close Sam and his sister were. But who knew? Maybe once she got this promotion and was home more, she and Julianna could take turns making the trek to and from Indy to visit.

Or maybe I could sell my house and move out west, and then Julianna would have a real excuse not to visit more often.

Move out west? Where on earth had that thought come from?

A smile settled on her lips as Natalie nestled deeper into her pillow, allowing her thoughts to drift into what-if land with a certain cowboy. Because of course, that wasn’t going to happen in real life. They both had careers, responsibilities. Houses. But what if they didn’t have all those obstacles? Would things progress between them?

She closed her eyes, memories of the day intermingling with her current line of thinking. Could she ever get used to living in a part of the country with bears and mountain lions and bull elk and black-footed ferrets? And cozy, quaint little towns?

And sexy, stubborn, caring cowboys who seemed capable of both rocking her world, both mentally and physically?

Hey, a girl could dream.

Chapter Fourteen

Thankfully, Sam foundold Stubby along the fencerow that separated the Miles ranch from the one where Miss Petunia lived, standing with his head resting against a mountain hemlock, his good horn stuck in its trunk. He must have worn himself out trying to get unstuck, because he didn’t fight Sam and Carlos when they worked to pull him free. The other escapees were grazing nearby, six cows and their eight calves. With a little prodding, the cattle got turned in the right direction and began the slow trek back to the feed lot.

It was dark by the time the animals were all secured and horses fed and watered, and Sam’s stomach was a’growlin’. He went into the lodge to see if there were any leftovers to be had and found a container of stew with his name on it in Gran’s handwriting. His grandmother might be tough, but she had a heart the size of Montana.

Sam reheated the stew and dropped into a seat at the family table to devour his belated meal. In between bites, he read through the text messages he’d missed. His parents checking in—they must have caught wind of Stubby’s latest path of destruction. Madison let him know she was back and that they’d all had so much fun with Norah up north today. He loved seeing that; his sister was an amazing aunt. And then a message from Natalie, letting him know she’d stuck around to help Sunnie get the fish put away before heading into town. She couldn’t wait to come back and go ferret hunting with him and Madison, and thanked him for an amazing day.

His smile widened. He couldn’t wait for her to return to the ranch, either. Plus, it would be interesting to see how she and Madison got along out on the range. Sure, they seemed to play nice at the dinner table, but what would happen when they were all outdoors, away from the others?

“Everything go okay?”

He looked up to find Norah walking in. “Yep, found them all. That damned bull. He either needs to be castrated or allowed to scratch his never-ending itch with Miss Petunia.”

“Everyone’s got an itch to scratch now and then.” She eased into a seat across from him. “But not all itches are such a good idea to scratch.”

It took him another bite or two before he realized his sister’s comment might not have been about old Stubby. He looked up and found her with her hands clasped on the table, eyes fixed on her dueling thumbs. That was the Norah look of consternation—he’d seen it a hundred times.

“What’s on your mind, sis?”

Where Jaxon was sweet like their mama, Norah had always been a little tougher around the edges like Gran. Heart just as big, but her tongue had a reputation for being sharp. Helping run the lodge had mellowed her some, but Norah would always be Norah. Frankly, Sam wouldn’t want her any other way.

“I just don’t want to sit back and watch you get hurt again, Sam,” she said, her voice lower than when she first sat down.

He didn’t want to get hurt again, either. That was why he’d spent half the ride back from rescuing Stubby thinking of ways to convince Natalie to give Montana a try. Sam didn’t have the perfect solution just yet, but he’d keep at it. “Appreciate that.”

“Gran said she’s coming back for dinner again tomorrow. Said you guys caught a lot of fish while you were out together today. You see that big beaver dam about a quarter mile past Snake’s Bend?”

Sam grinned at the nickname they’d given that spot as kids after seeing an aerial photograph of their ranch for the first time. “Saw it? We about capsized trying to avoid it. Crept up on us out of nowhere.”

Norah laughed as he elaborated on the story of those damned beavers slapping their tails trying to scare them away.

“I was more worried about the logs—I just bought that boat not too long ago. But Natalie admitted she was worried the beavers were going to swim out and bite us.”

Norah’s gaze went back to her thumbs. “She admit she’s got a meeting with Chuck Banyard Monday morning, too?”

Sam’s spoon paused halfway between his bowl and lips. “No. Where’d you hear that from?”

“Gran.”

That explained why their grandmother wasn’t overly friendly when they’d returned from fishing. He’d assumed it was just her being angry with him over not answering his phone. Now, he wasn’t so sure.

Norah met his gaze. “I want to like her, Sam. Really, I do. Natalie’s fun and easy to get along with. And you like her, so I’m trying to keep an open mind. But…”

“But?”

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