Page 52 of A Match Made in Montana

“There’s no point. He doesn’t want to get married.”

“What about you?”

“After Ted, I was so hurt. I’d thought if I protect my heart, I’ll never feel that pain again.” Grimacing, she picked up her mug. “Turns out, if the right person walks into your life, there isn’t much you can do about it. The heart wants what the heart wants. To answer your question—I’ll marry Craig in a heartbeat if he asks me, but it’s not going to happen.”

Mitch got up. “I, for one, am glad someone punched him. Saves me the trouble.”

Touching his arm, Annie smiled. “I love you, too.”

Still muttering, Mitch left the kitchen.

Annie picked up her phone. Seconds later, she put it down again. Vivian had said Craig was okay, but she wanted to make sure. Everything in her was urging her to phone him or send him a message to find out whether he was, in fact, okay. But… They’d agreed they wouldn’t be seeing one another before he left, except for the wedding.

She could check with Janice, though. Surely that wouldn’t count as contacting Craig?

*

By the timeCraig walked into his aunt’s kitchen, it was time for dinner. He’d finally fallen asleep around lunch.

Having Vivian, Annie’s sister, stitch him up at the ER was not something he’d want to experience again. She’d been smiling way too widely for his peace of mind and seemed to thoroughly enjoy hurting him.

The only thing that had made the whole thing tolerable was seeing Ted Harris looking worse than he did. At least the fight had made sure Harris left town. When last he saw the guy, he was getting into a shuttle going to the airport from the hospital.

Grimacing, he tried to prepare himself for all the questions from his aunt and sister. He felt like an idiot. Damn it, he was an idiot. As he gingerly touched his chin, he again noticed his swollen fingers.

All he could think of was Annie. Damn, he missed her. He’d wanted to call her so many times since this morning, but he’d agreed with her they wouldn’t see each other again before the wedding.

“Look what the cat dragged in, Aunt Janice,” Riley drawled without a trace of sympathy.

Dylan was playing with his cars. When the little boy saw him, he jumped up. His eyes widened as he pointed at Craig’s chin. “Ouchie?”

Riley chuckled. “Yes, sweetheart, that’s an ouchie. It happens when you go looking for trouble.”

Rushing forward, Dylan threw his arms around Craig’s legs. “Is it better?”

Feeling like a fool, Craig patted Dylan’s head. “I’m okay, but thanks for the sympathy. Not much of that going around, it seems.”

Riley was still grinning. “He doesn’t look too bad, Aunt Janice, what do you say?”

Aunt Janice crossed her arms, her mouth pressed tightly together. Oh, man—he wasn’t looking forward to this.

“I supposed you all know what happened?” he said as he pulled out the nearest chair.

His aunt pulled herself upright. “That my godson walked into the Wolf Den, of all places, at some ungodly hour and picked a fight with a stranger? Yes, I’ve heard that. Betty, the police dispatcher phoned Carol Bingley as soon as she heard the news and then, of course, Carol felt duty bound to tell as many people as possible in as short a time as possible.”

“I didn’t start it. Ted Harris, Annie’s ex, was saying nasty things about her.”

“So, you punched him?” Riley whispered. “What good will that do?”

“I shouldn’t have done that, I’m sorry. But I couldn’t sit by and let him talk about Annie like that.”

“What time was this?” Riley asked.

“Early this morning.”

“So, you got out of bed at that time and went to the Wolf Den to look for a fight?” his aunt asked.

“No, I didn’t sleep here. I… I was with Annie last night. And then… well, long story short, we’ve decided not to see each other again before I leave. We’ll both be at the wedding, of course. But just as friends.”

---