Page 37 of Moonlight Over Montana

Later that day when Susie came down to the barn, Jed was in the office going over the feed order. He knew it was her by the way she hummed softly to herself. It was something Maggie did too and he found it sweet that she took after her mom. He waited to see if she’d pop her head in his office like she had done the last couple of days, but he could hear her talking to Nahla. Her voice was low so he couldn’t hear the words, but the soothing tone was enough for him to know those two had bonded. It was a shame Nahla wouldn’t make a good barrel racing horse; she had no training. Besides, they needed a gentle mount in the stables for the dude ranch guests.

Since Susie didn’t come to him, Jed decided to search her out. He adjusted his cowboy hat on his head and walked out of the office. Maggie was coming into the barn. She must have wanted to talk with her daughter. But when she saw Jed, her eyes locked on his and he felt his heart beat faster in his chest. At some point he was going to need to cowboy up and ask the woman out on a proper date.

“Mags, how’re things going in town?”

She did a little jig in the middle of the wide aisle and grinned. “It’s pretty darn exciting. Containers have been delivered along with the supplies to fill them up; the office trailer is on-site, and temporary electric and water are hooked up. The foundation is ready for them to start framing, so all in all we’re moving at the speed of light.”

“Any news from the sheriff?”

She shook her head and stood next to him. Sticking her hands in her coat pockets, she withdrew a pair of gloves and put them on. “Not yet, but I put up security cameras everywhere and if anyone goes onto the jobsite after three when the crew is done, I’ll get an alert. All I need to do is call the sheriff’s office and they’ll get someone right over there. So I’m not worried about a repeat performance.”

“That’s great news.” He gave her a one-armed hug and breathed in what smelled like cinnamon and sugar. “What have you been up to today?”

“Baking. Thanksgiving is only two weeks away, so I’ve been making coffee cakes and muffins and freezing them for delivery the week of the holiday.”

“That explains the spices.”

“I’m glad I found you here. I wanted to talk to you about something.” She glanced at Nahla’s stall. “Can you spare a few minutes for a quick walk?”

He wanted to say anything for her, but instead, he said, “Sure. I’ll tell Susie we’ll be outside in case she needs—oh, she doesn’t need me.”

He shortened his stride as Maggie fell in step beside him and he held the door for her as they exited the building. He pointed to a bench that was in the afternoon sun, but up against the building, shielded from the breeze. Since this was Maggie’s request, he waited for her to speak after they got settled.

“I wanted to talk about Susie and barrel racing. Do you think she’s ready for something like that? I mean she’s never had much interest in riding until we moved out here.”

Jed let his thoughts settle, trying to determine how to answer without causing her to get upset by his honest opinion. But they were friends and he wanted to be up front with her.

“Mags, she’s a natural. It’s like she was born in a saddle.”

Slumping her shoulders, she said, “That’s not exactly what I wanted to hear. She has more of him in her than I thought. This is a case of nature, not nurture.”

He didn’t hesitate and took her gloved hand in his, applying gentle pressure in a half-hearted attempt to reassure her, of what he didn’t know for sure. That someday she wouldn’t announce she was leaving town to ride the circuit? That she didn’t have something from Cash in her DNA?

“This has come out of the blue. Susie never mentioned anything about barrel racing. Riding, sure. She was always talking about a horse.”

Jed continued to hold her hand, savoring the warmth he felt under his calloused fingertips through the wool glove. “I talked with Ford Shepard today.”

She lifted her face, her eyes meeting his. He could see the wary look in hers. “About?”

She must know of Ford’s reputation so there was no sense dancing around the watering trough. “I wanted to see if he could find an experienced barrel racer for Susie. He knows she’s new to all of it, but he’s the best, Maggie, and if she’s determined to do this, Tate has agreed to work with her. He’ll give her the best chance to succeed.”

“What if I don’t want her to be good?” She slapped her hand over her mouth and her eyes widened. “I didn’t mean that.”

“I know you didn’t. You’re scared the past will repeat itself and she’ll leave here, and your dreams for her to experience college will be like tumbleweed. But you have to let Susie find her own path. She needs to live life with your support and no regrets. And by working with, and not against her, you won’t alienate her. People need to follow their dreams, and they’ll either fall flat on their face or find happiness and maybe even success. Isn’t that what you want for your daughter?”

Maggie gave him an assessing look. “Is that what happened to you? Your family didn’t support your dream?”

His gut twisted. “We’re not talking about me right now. That’s a story that is best forgotten, but yes, in a nutshell, my parents disowned me because I didn’t do what they wanted and I haven’t seen them in years. I don’t want that to happen to you and Susie.”

She leaned closer and placed a lingering kiss on his cheek. “I’m glad you followed your heart and you’re sitting next to me right now, helping me avoid making a terrible mistake.”

Jed’s heart was like a jackhammer in his chest. He wanted to fold Maggie in his arms and never let go. If for no other reason than she made him feel like the choices he had made in his life were worthwhile and brought him to be in this space and time with her. “That’s what friends are for, Maggie.”

Her brows knitted together, and she pulled away from him. What had he said that was wrong?

“Let me know when Ford calls and if you don’t mind, would you go with us to look at the horse? Since I’ve never bought one before, I want to make sure I’m doing this correctly.”

She didn’t try to hide the sadness in her eyes. He was sure it was because she had agreed to let Susie do the one thing that scared her the most.

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