Page 25 of Choosing the Montana Cowboy

Or maybe I’m just tired as hell and need to go to sleep.

The next morning, he headed to the horse barn after breakfast, planning to spend the day with Carlos going where his truck couldn’t. Carlos was a transplant from Texas, and both a worker and a talker—the best of both worlds when it came to keeping Sam’s mind busy. Because ever since Natalie had agreed to come out to the Flying J, she was darned near all he could think of.

“So, I hear y’all had company for dinner last night,” Carlos said as they leveled off from climbing the first small crest at the foot of Copper Mountain.

So much for best of both worlds.

“Yep.” He kept his gaze ahead, on the lookout for snakes. The terrain was rockier here than the main pasture, with plenty of hiding places for rattlesnakes and their prey. Whiskey, his bay gelding, wasn’t easily spooked, but navigating this stretch was always a team effort between horse and man. Also, it kept him from having to make eye contact with Carlos. Sam hoped his clipped answer would clue Carlos in that this wasn’t a topic Sam wanted to discuss.

“Eli said—”

“Not going there.”

Carlos arched a brow. “Since when is talking about your granny’s new recipe off-limits?”

“Sorry, man. Not where I thought you were going.”

He chuckled. “Hey, you know me and food. Once Eli mentioned Sunnie’s new bison stew recipe, I’ve been craving it ever since.”

Sam nodded, relieved that food had remained the topic of conversation. The ranch hands could be as bad as schoolgirls, the rumor mill flowing freely from the Flying J to Marietta and back again. The last thing Sam needed was Carlos to get him talking about Natalie and that conversation get skewed as it made its way into town. He tried thinking of a safer topic as they slowed before a narrow, rocky stream.

“Besides, I know better than to poke the bear this early in the morning about his first crush in years.” Carlos offered him an unrepentant grin as he guided his black mare forward. “Gotta let you get through your coffee first.”

Thanks, Gramps.

Damn that man and his sappy, romantic heart. Sam needed to nip this rumor in the bud before it got back into town and directly to Natalie herself. Especially since Sam wasn’t entirely sure yet how he felt on the matter. Attraction was one thing, but a full crush? He didn’t think so.

Sam gave his horse a nudge. “And there is no crush!”

Despite that claim, Natalie haunted his thoughts throughout the day. The way she’d smiled at him from across the table last night. The way she’d gotten along so well with Madison and Norah. The way her laughter had lit up the room. If it weren’t for her being employed by the company sent to build some ridiculous resort next door, he would struggle to find a reason not to pursue her. And then there was the whole her living out of state thing. Did he really want to risk his heart on an outsider again?

By the time he got home and showered that night, Sam had decided to stop overthinking and just let things play out as they would. If Natalie wasn’t interested in him, no big deal. If shewas, she’d let him know. And if that happened, well, he’d be a damned fool to push a woman like her away.

Besides, no one said every relationship had to be for life. They were both grown-ass adults—if they wanted to mess around, that was their business. But she’d have to make the first move. That way, he wasn’t setting himself up for a broken heart. If it happened, that would be on her head, not his.

For some reason, that logic left him feeling better. Sam made dinner for him and Madison at their place, and when she headed off to her room to do homework, he pulled out a beer and went to his favorite rocker on the front porch. The million-dollar view of Copper Mountain was from the back of their home, but the front view allowed him to appreciate both the rolling meadow that served as their front lawn and the foothills to Yellowstone in the distance. This time of day during the summer, on cloudless days, the setting sun painted their meadow in yellows and golds. He savored each sunset, blessed to live with the people he loved most.

Would the view change if Natalie’s resort did ultimately go in? Would its parking lot lights pollute his night sky? Its guests bring extra noise to Meridian Road?

He drew a long pull from his beer, trying to picture it while hoping none of those things came true. There had to be a way to stop the development from happening. Was Gran right? Could Natalie be the ally they needed?

Beside him, his cell phone buzzed. He answered without looking, assuming the call was his parents. They’d been calling from whatever port they were at around this time each night. Not that he was jealous. Much.

“Calling to rub it in again, eh?”

Silence greeted him on the other end. Sam pulled the phone from his ear to see if the connection had been lost, and spied an unfamiliar number. On a grimace, he tried again.

“Hello?”

“Sam?”

“Hey, Natalie.” He hung his head, feeling like the world’s biggest idiot. They’d exchanged business cards yesterday, but he’d yet to put her number in his phone. At the time, he’d hoped not to have a reason to. “Sorry, I thought you were my folks calling to tell me about their vacation.”

Laughter greeted him. “Nope, it’s just me.”

Just me.And didn’t that have him smiling like a damned fool.

“I hate to bother you,” she continued, “but I was wondering if you had some time to talk. Maybe yet tonight?”

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