Page 9 of Hiding in Montana

He cleared his throat. “Are you okay?”

Bobbing her head, she said, “Yes, I’m fine.” Her laugh came out as a nervous giggle. “It seems I’ve said that a lot tonight.” She eased back from his arms. “Care to help me make our sundaes and we can kick our boots off on the porch?”

The moment of kissing her had passed for now. After holding Polly in his arms, he knew there would be other moments of moonlight or sunlight. It didn’t matter. “Lead the way, ma’am.”

Her hand slid over his shirtsleeve, and she interlaced her fingers with his. “I’m not sure if you’re the real deal, but I kinda hope you are.”

5

Polly kept her fingers laced with Clint’s as they strolled up the wide wooden steps into her cabin. She flicked on the lights as they went, and if he was surprised by how bright the interior of her home became, he never commented. It was one way she chased away the ghosts. Everyone knew they didn’t like light. They couldn’t wrap around you and take your breath away where there were no shadows.

She pointed to a cupboard. “The bowls are in there and the spoons in the drawer right under it.” Soon ice cream containers, sauces, nuts, and the bananas were on the kitchen tabletop. With a snap of her fingers, she said, “Whipped cream.”

Clint opened the refrigerator and handed her the red and white can. They fell into an easy conversation about the merits of toppings. Laughing like old friends, it was comfortable and the cloak of worry that had been draped over her shoulders slipped away. She held her bowl, heaping with everything from the table and a generous sprinkle of nuts.

“In case you couldn’t guess, I adore banana splits. When you combine the gooey goodness with the banana, it’s a balanced treat.” With a playful poke in his arm, she said, “How did you know?”

His eyes grew wide. “I did not know, but who doesn’t love ice cream?”

They walked through the house, and she toed off her boots by the front door, wiggling her toes in bright-pink ankle socks. “You’re welcome to let your toes breathe if you want.”

His eyebrow arched. “I’ll keep them on tonight, but I appreciate the offer.”

Maybe his philosophy was like that line from one of her favorite movies, Smokey and the Bandit, when the bandit says he only takes his hat off for one thing. How the heck did her mind swerve to that topic which was so far off the table it wasn’t even in the state?

“Polly, are you okay? Your face is flushed.”

“Yeah. I’m going in to get a match for the candle. I mean, I have candles, and I’ll need to light them so we can see each other.” She needed to stop blathering about a match and the candle lest he think she was trying to set a romantic mood. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but, oh jeez, she needed to stop overthinking everything tonight.

He took her bowl and said, “I’ll wait for you here.”

Thank heavens he seemed to catch on that she needed a minute and maybe he did too. She hurried back to the kitchen and pulled open the junk drawer where she found a book of matches and then, after a few deep calming breaths, she returned to the porch.

Holding them up triumphantly, she announced, “Found them!” She picked up the tall clear glass globe from the fat candle in the middle of the table that sat in front of two cane-backed rocking chairs. Within moments, the candle was glowing softly, and she replaced the globe.

Clint glanced at the house and the candles. “Not a fan of the dark?”

Her heart thudded in her chest. “Why, candles are romantic and we’re on a date.”

He passed her bowl over, and they settled in the chairs. Polly had lost her taste for the sweet treat, but spooned up a small amount. He had guessed one of her secrets.

From the corner of her eye, she saw him looking straight ahead. Earlier she had promised him to always be truthful and at the first hiccup, she retreated behind a glib comment.

“Actually, I’m not a fan of the dark. It’s a long story and I’m not ready to talk about it. Suffice it to say I happily pay my electric bill.”

“Good to know. And for the record, I’m a really good chase the bogeyman away kind of guy.”

His crooked smile and silly comment cut the tension, and she relaxed back into her chair and ate her sundae with gusto.

“What’s the best thing about being a working cowboy other than riding horses every day?”

Clint stopped his spoon midway to his mouth and set it back in the bowl. “That is definitely a plus. I guess I like the rhythm of the job and being outside, even in rain or snow. I’ve been at the ranch since I graduated from community college. Books weren’t for me and there’s something about working the land that I find satisfying.”

“Do you think Annie’s idea of the resort is going to help or hurt the ranch?”

He seemed to weigh his answer. “She’s a very smart woman and if she thinks it’s the right direction for us, then I have no reason to believe otherwise. Before coming back to the ranch, she had worked evaluating businesses to help them grow.”

“I didn’t know that.” She scraped the bottom of her bowl, slightly embarrassed that she had inhaled her dessert. “Her plans for the gardens and greenhouse are very ambitious, and it’s something more ranches should embrace.”

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