Page 1 of Cozy Cabin for Two
ONE
Unexpected
ASH RHODES
When the ownerof the Off-Duty Rescue Ranch said jump, I jumped.
“You’ll head into Forest Grove and pick up the new guy from the bus station. Colt Calhoun. Ex-Navy. Rough go of it lately,” Chris stated over the phone. Not a question. Just another order to follow. Old habits from our military days died hard.
Only in my rearview mirror, I eyed the load of freshly chopped larch and fir in the truck bed. For my first night in the cabin I built with my own two hands, I’d planned a nice fire, hoping to relax and finally find the peace I had been chasing ever since I landed on this mountain.
“I was about to move into my new cabin. I’ll sendone of the ranch hands to collect him.” My attempted deflection of the order didn’t stick.
“I’d prefer you do it. He should bond with you before he meets the rest of the wild crew,” Chris clipped.
I sighed but kept it quiet. He was a former military doc who’d turned his family inheritance into a damn empire—two ranches, one mission to give rescued horses and veterans a second chance. He ran the original ranch in Virginia. About a year ago, he sent me to run the new one here in Montana.
“What is Colt good at?” I asked. “We need a guy who can clear woods. Build more cabins.” I flexed my rough hands around the steering wheel, aching from swinging the axe all day.
“Hate to deflate your hopes. He grew up around horses a little, but not much. Said he helped his mother run her diner back home in Holly Creek, New York before he enlisted. He was a missile tech in the Navy.”
“So he’s green.”
“Just like you when you first started at my ranch,” he chuckled.
I couldn’t argue when he was right. The ranch ran on discipline and second chances, and I owed him forpulling me out of a tailspin when I left the Army without a clue what to do with my life.
“Fine. I’ll take him under my wing,” I resigned.
In the background, I heard a small voice chirp, “A-poo, Dada! A-poo!”
I grinned. “Don’t tell me that’s little Everly talking already.”
“Yeah, she’s a chatterbox. Loves apples—or she needs to poop—it’s a toss-up. Nicoletta’s got a concert in Georgia, so Daddy Duty calls. Let me know how Colt settles in.”
He hung up.
I stared out the windshield for a long beat. I didn’t envy Chris’s money or his wife’s fame. But raising a family with someone he loved? That hit me like a bullseye.
He gave me this shot in Montana. A chance to step up and prove my worth. I was finally ready for more. My new cabin was only the start of finding my way home.
With blood, sweat, and maybe a tear, I’d built it mostly myself, with some help from my crew. Cozy enough for two. Not that I had any particular female in mind to join me yet. But I’d keep looking until I found her.
As I drove out of the ranch, Anson came into view in the garden, hunched over the dirt as he pulled weeds. I gave him a wave. Every man here had his niche. Some fished, others hunted or tended to the horses and livestock. Anson grew enough produce to supplement our grocery bill. My specialty? Keeping the crew in line.
Boot on the gas, I rumbled out onto the main road toward town, window down, enjoying the autumn breeze. Aspens and larches blazed gold in the sun. The crisp fall air carried the scent of pine and wood smoke. All of it in harmony with the mountain scenery.
Montana turned out to be perfect. Exactly the change I needed in my life.
I turned up an old country song and belted out the chorus until it cut off with a jolt.
“We interrupt this broadcast—” An announcer’s voice crackled in. “One fugitive remains at large after escaping from the state prison earlier this week. Authorities urge residents to stay vigilant.”
I rolled my eyes and switched it off. The state prison was a couple hundred miles away. Nothing for me to worry about on this gorgeous day.
Forest Grove finally came into view, just a pin dot in the middle of the Montana map. One stoplight, a few diners, a couple of dive bars, a grocery and hardware store, a church, and a handful of shops weresituated not far from the banks of the Gruff Bear River.
The bus hissed to a stop, and the doors swung open by the time I parked and stepped out of the truck. Passengers filed out one by one.
