Page 1 of A Match Made in Montana

Chapter One

“Damn you’re killingme,” he groaned. His gaze dropped to where her beautiful breasts strained against the top, the hard beads of her nipples tantalizingly visible…

Laughing softly and fanning herself, Annie looked down at her own breasts. “No visible beads, tantalizing or otherwise,” she said out loud touching her one breast.

Still grinning, she picked up the book again. This was why she loved reading romance novels. It was pure fantasy. Dashing heroes, strong heroines, beautiful settings—what was not to like? And of course, she enjoyed the steamy sex scenes, especially since her arrival in Marietta.

Moving across state lines from Sacramento to Montana, and then living for months amidst the chaos of the renovation of her B and B, didn’t leave time for much else, let alone steamy encounters with dashing heroes. The only steamy scenes she encountered nowadays were in the kitchen.

Besides, her one experience with love had left her a little bruised and skeptical about the existence of soul mates and the kind of love portrayed in stories. In a romance novel, no hero worth his salt would text his heroine weeks before the wedding saying he’d met someone else, telling her men no longer want to marry women who only wanted to stay at home and cook.

That did, apparently, happen in real life though. Had happened to her. Dropping the book on her chest she looked up at Copper Mountain rising high above the small town of Marietta she now had the privilege to call home.

If she were honest, not getting to marry Ted Harris was probably one of the best things that could’ve happened to her.

It took her a while but after the initial shock and hurt of Ted’s rejection had subsided, she’d realized she’d loved the idea of getting married much more that she’d ever loved Ted. He certainly hadn’t been the second half that would made her whole as Plato had explained the idea of soul mates centuries ago.

Not everybody was as lucky as her sister Vivian who’d found someone like Aiden who understood her and loved her, warts and all. Annie sighed. Maybe not everybody was destined to find a soul mate.

Looking down at her breasts again, a giggle slipped out. Ted’s quick and uninspiring pecks certainly never had the power to get her nipples to bead.

Laughing softly again, she checked her watch. She had a dinner to start, not lay around reading about kissing and unattainable sexy heroes and letting loose the busy beetles that seemed to occupy her mind.

Janice had also said she’d be stopping by for a quick cup. Janice O’Sullivan, music teacher and also godmother to Annie’s soon to be brother-in-law Aiden, was one of the first people who’d welcomed Annie and her siblings, Mitch and Vivian, in Marietta. Janice was also helping with the arrangements for Vivian and Aiden’s wedding; she probably wanted to talk about that.

Inhaling deeply, Annie closed her eyes. Surely, a few more lazy minutes wouldn’t make such a difference.

It was the end of April, the bitter cold of February had, thank goodness, been replaced with milder temperatures. Moving here from warm temperatures of California, the harsher weather conditions in winter came as quite a shock to all of them.

Fortunately, spring was on its way and, while it was still cold at night, the days were milder. This part of the porch, she’d discovered, got direct sunlight throughout the day, the ideal place to put up a hammock for her guests. Unfortunately, the many guests she’d envisaged visiting her B and B and writing swooning reviews about her food, had yet to arrive.

She’d really hoped by now, two months after the renovation of the house had been completed, her phone would be ringing off the hook and her email box would be brimming with requests from potential guests, but apart from a few visitors over the Valentine’s weekend, it had been quiet. She’d have to find other ways to advertise than just using her website and one online marketplace—that was becoming crystal clear. The truth was, if she wanted to stay in business, she’d need more visitors.

The Spring Arts and Crafts Festival was in ten days’ time and she hadn’t had a single booking so far.

The reason she’d studied to be a chef was mainly so, somewhere along the way, she’d run her own B and B and she could cook for people. She loved doing that, especially for those close to her.

Now her dream had come true, but how to get guests to come and stay here—that was the big question. For the moment, she was still doing okay. Vivian and Aiden were staying here and paying rent while the house they’d bought close by was being renovated. It should be finished by the time they got married in two weeks’ time. Mitch, her brother, was also still living with her and paying rent, but he’d probably also find a place of his own soon.

When Aiden and Vivian moved out, she’d have a problem if she didn’t get more paying guests soon. She’d used her part of their inheritance from their parents to renovate the house. At the moment she still had money in the bank, but it wouldn’t last forever.

There had to be a solution to her problem. Maybe she could ask Craig, Aiden’s cousin, to help her? As soon as the thought popped up though, she repressed it. Ludicrous idea. He was in marketing and a big shot at some or other well-known firm in Portland. Janice liked to brag. Helping a struggling B and B owner would so not be something he’d be interested in doing. Besides, she’d seen him only once when he and Riley, his cousin and Aiden’s sister had been visiting.

Truth be told, the big redheaded Irishman had left her a bit unsettled. Hugging her goodbye when they’d just met—she still wasn’t sure how she felt about those few milliseconds up close and personal with him.

Rolling her eyes, she spoke out loud again. “Focus, Annie, focus. Thinking about sexy Irishmen is not going to help.”

Marketing, that was what she should be concentrating on. On Vivian’s suggestion, she’d listed Annie’s on a well-known marketing place, hoping to attract visitors who would write reviews. However, up until now, there hadn’t been any queries, let alone reviews.

Social media? She groaned out loud. As a last resort. Maybe. She’d never seen the point of sharing every aspect of her life with strangers, seriously. Selling Annie’s though, was also not an option, not after all the renovations and time she’d spent turning it into a friendly, welcoming place. Maybe she should give social media a try. Or another marketing website. Looking around her, she sighed. She loved this place, she had to try and hold on to it.

After their parents’ untimely demise her brother, Mitch had the idea they should relocate to another state. She’d remembered this beautiful town they’d visited with their parents when they were all still at school and when she’d found this house for sale, she knew this was where she wanted to have the B and B she’d always dreamed of.

This place was her happy ending, a place where she could remember Mom and Dad. For a moment, she was reminded of the horrible way they’d died, but she inhaled deeply, willing the sad thoughts away.

She and Mitch and Vivian had all seen a psychologist in Bozeman over the last few months and, although getting over the pain of losing their parents was not a quick fix, she was grateful all three of them were on the journey. She’d also found peace in her daily routine, in the beautiful town they now called home and in the many friends she’d made since moving here.

Happy endings, she’d come to realize after her encounter with that elusive thing called love, didn’t always mean a husband and kids. It could also mean having a B and B filled with guests enjoying her food.

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