Jake (Men of Clifton Montana Book 1) (2 page)

Shaking his head,
he stood, pulled out his cellphone, and put a call in to Walter Gray, Hattie’s
attorney. Minutes later, when he hung up, Jake sighed. The granddaughter would
arrive within the week.

 
“Well it’s sure gonna take her long
enough,” Jake said to the quiet empty room.
   

Walter had
explained that according to the will, Becca Daniels would have to relocate to
the ranch within a week of Hattie’s death but it would be too late for her to
make the funeral. Jake found it all hard to believe.

He walked through
the living room to the kitchen. He glanced around, taking in the white
appliances, dark cherry cabinets and matching floor, remembering all the meals
his friend had cooked for him. After opening the door to leave, he looked back
once more with a sigh. Stepping into the yard, snowflakes hovered around him.
Jake didn’t notice. He’d be back in a few days to get the house warm for Hattie’s
granddaughter.
                                                          

* * * *

Becca Daniels
slapped her hand against the glass door to the coffee shop she co-owned with
her best friend, bumping it into the wall behind it. The thought that she could’ve
broken the glass didn’t even register. Most of the patrons turned to look in
her direction, startled by the noisy distraction, while others were too busy on
their iPhones to notice. The enticing aromas of the coffee being ground and
served didn’t give her the usual pride she felt every day when she came to
work, and neither did the amount of customers, either sitting at the little
café tables or standing in line.

She huffed out a
breath, ruffling her bangs and headed straight for her office in the back,
slamming the door behind her when she reached it. Knowing she should be helping
Olivia out front, Becca also knew she needed to calm down first. She took a
deep breath and blew it out.

Taking her coat
off, she hung it up and tossed the envelope she’d picked up from the post office
onto her desk. Closing her eyes, she tried counting to ten and made it to two
before she felt, rather than saw, her best friend standing in the doorway
behind her.

“Are you all right?”
Olivia Roberts asked softly.

Becca sighed deeply
and shook her head. “Let’s get the morning rush over with and then I’ll tell
you. You will not believe it,” she muttered as she walked by Olivia.

An hour later, they
sat in the back office. If anyone came in the front door, it would chime, alerting
them to a customer. Becca handed the letter to her and watched as Olivia’s eyes
scanned it.
      

Wait for it. Wait for it.

“Are you fucking kidding
me?” Olivia practically yelled.

Becca could feel a
smile lifting her lips. Leave it to Olivia not to hold back. Becca shook her
head. “I didn’t even know she existed. My parents never mentioned a grandmother
and especially one in…” She glanced at the letter. “Clifton, Montana.”

“But to make you go
there for six months? The hell with it, Becs, just sell it.”

“I thought about it
but then I called the attorney, Mr. Gray, and he said the will explained it
all. It states that I’m to live on the ranch for six months after which time I
can sell it or keep it. Otherwise, it will go straight to auction. He told me
it was a very lucrative horse ranch. Going to auction would be a mistake
because it would sell for a lot less than what it’s worth. Apparently, my grandmother
sold and bred
Paints
that—”

Olivia took the
letter from her again. “Sold what?”

“Paints are a breed
of horse.” Becca smiled.

Olivia shuddered. “I
have no idea why anyone would want to get up on one of those huge beasts.”

Becca sighed. “I’m
going to go out there and do what I have to do to sell it. I’m sure Dad would
have wanted me to do that much, even though he never told me about his mother.”
She chewed on her bottom lip and shook her head. “I don’t get it, Liv. Why wasn’t
I told about my grandmother?”

Olivia shrugged,
looking at the letter, again. “Who’s this Jacob Stone and why does he have the
first option to buy the place when you decide to sell?”

Becca shrugged. “I
have no idea.
Maybe a rancher who helped her out or
something.”
Sighing deeply, she took the letter from Olivia’s hands. “I
suppose I’ll find out soon enough.” She reached for the phone. “I’m going to
call Mr. Gray now and find out exactly when I have to be there. I forgot to ask
and he never mentioned it but the will says I’m supposed to take possession of
the ranch within seven days. My grandmother died two days ago. He called me
earlier to inform me of her death and told me he’d sent a copy of the will to
me, but he didn’t explain about taking possession. I’m going to need more time.
He sent the will certified but it still took time to get to me,” she complained,
holding up the envelope marked
certified
.

“I just hate for
you to be gone for six months. I mean, nothing much goes on here, but what will
I do without you?”

Becca gasped.
“Oh, my God!
I forgot about Steve.”

“Damn time,” Olivia
muttered, but shrugged when Becca narrowed her eyes at her. “What? You know I
can’t stand him, Becs. I trust him about as far as I can throw him.”

“Liv, I know you
don’t like him, but we’re not serious.”

Olivia snorted. “Maybe
you’re not but I promise you, he is.”

Becca was about to
argue when the bell chimed at the front of the shop. Olivia stood up and
motioned for Becca to make her call, she’d take care of the customer. After a
short phone conversation, Becca walked out front and found Olivia and Steve
glaring at each other. Biting back a groan, she smiled at Steve and gave Olivia
a dirty look.

Olivia’s eyebrows
lifted but instead of leaving, she took a seat on a stool and moved her eyes
back and forth between Becca and Steve Harris.

Becca thought Steve
was a good-looking man. Tall at six feet, he had blonde hair and blue eyes but otherwise,
he just didn’t float her boat. She knew Olivia hadn’t liked him on sight. Now,
here he was. He smiled at Becca and ignored Olivia.
 

“How’s your day
going so far, Becca?”

Her eyes shifted to
Olivia who grinned, then back to Steve.

“I have to go to
Montana for a while. It has to do with my grandmother’s ranch,” Becca said in a
rush.

Steve’s eyes
widened. “Montana?”

“Yes, Steve. You
know it’s a state out west,” Olivia said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Steve spun around
and glared at her. “I know where Montana is. Don’t you have something to do?”

Olivia’s smile
grew.
“Nope.”

Becca glared at her
friend, and then took Steve’s arm, pulling him over to a table. They both sat
down. Becca explained to him about going to Montana. To say he wasn’t happy
would be an understatement.

“But … but you can’t
just leave. You have a coffee shop to run. The Daily Grind needs you. I need
you. Can’t you just sell this ranch you inherited?”

When Olivia
snorted, both Becca and Steve glared at her. She feigned a cough to cover it.

“Liv can run the
shop while I’m gone. It is half hers, you know. I’ll be back before you know
it. Maybe it’s time we took a break anyway.”

“A
break?
Well, seeing as you’re going out to some godforsaken place, I
guess a break is going to happen whether I like it or not.” Steve stood, and
after shooting a look of disdain toward Olivia, stormed out.

Becca rose and
walked back to the counter. “That went well, don’t you think?”

Olivia burst out
laughing and Becca joined her. “Oh, and the lawyer said that I absolutely have
to be in Montana within the week.”

Both women stopped
laughing. “Great,” Olivia let out a long breath. “I’ll miss you.” Then she got
a mischievous look in her eye. “Who knows, you might meet a handsome cowboy
who’ll make the trip worthwhile.”

Becca frowned.
“Don’t even say those words out loud. I have no intention of staying in Montana
one moment longer than I have to.”

* * * *

Becca peered
through the windshield in yet another attempt to see beyond the hood of the
rented SUV. Except for the occasional flare of brake lights, the vehicles she
knew were in front of her were almost invisible in the snow. It continued to
pile onto the hood of the SUV, grating on her nerves as she inched forward
little by little. With a sigh of frustration, she turned up the radio to
give herself a distraction. She needed something, anything to drown out her fear
of driving in this weather. Being raised in western Maryland, she was used to
snow…but this, this was just ridiculous.

She recognized the
voice of Blake Shelton on the radio right away, and sang along but ended it
with a yawn. Exhaustion clawed at her, and the depressing storm around her only
served to enhance her sleepiness. Becca had hoped to make it to the ranch
tonight but between her heavy eyelids and the snow surrounding her, which was
now turning into little pellets of sleet, she feared staying on the single lane
road too much longer. Just as she was considering finding a motel, the GPS
reported that she had a left turn ahead and had reached her destination.
Sitting up straighter, Becca peered through the snow to make the turn. She
pulled into a driveway, following it up to a large white farmhouse.

The headlights
spilled over a front porch that stretched along the entire front of the house.
It was huge. Alone, the big house sat in the middle of powdery white snow. The
windows, surrounded with black shutters, stared eerily at her as if watching
her arrival. Several chimneys jutted up from the roof. As she peered through
the windshield, she could see tire tracks leading to the side of the house. She
followed them around to a side porch where a light beckoned from inside.

Pushing the car
door open, Becca got out and gasped as icy pellets hit her in the face. She
noticed the walk, although shoveled recently, was quickly collecting more fresh
snow. She shivered against the frigid cold.

“I thought Maryland
was cold in the winter but this is freaking incredible,” she muttered as she
carried her suitcases up the steps.

The attorney had
told her the house would be unlocked. Becca shook her head. Who in their right
mind would leave a place like this unlocked? Of course, it sat back in the damn
boonies. No one in his right mind would come out here looking to rob a place.
Before going inside, she gazed up at the security light by the barn. The snow now
floated through the glow in large fat flakes.

Becca shivered again,
and stepped inside. The heat welcomed her. Someone had been there to ensure it
was warm. Closing the door behind her, she looked around. It was a beautiful
kitchen. More modern than what she expected. A mudroom sat off the back and a
small housekeeper’s quarters was located next to it. She took off her coat and
hung it over the top of a ladder back chair nestled against a long, worn table.
Becca checked out the small housekeeper’s room but since there was only a
shower, she decided to look upstairs.

Becca walked
through a hallway and entered a large foyer. Glancing to her right, she saw
stairs leading to the second floor. Hearing the snap of flames on wood, she
peered into what must be the living room aglow with shimmering light. Tilting
her head, she wondered who had made a fire for her. She jumped when she suddenly
heard the back door open.

Opening her purse,
she pulled out the can of mace she carried, and slowly walked back to the
kitchen. Becca came to a dead stop when she saw the man who’d entered her
kitchen. He’d halted his forward motion when he saw her with the defense spray
in her hands. He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Who the hell are
you and what are you doing in my house?” Becca gasped, holding her chest.

The man took his
time taking off his coat, then his cowboy hat. He shook the snow off his hat
and set it on the kitchen table.
 

Becca bit back a
groan. This man was simply gorgeous. He had broad shoulders, slim hips, a
straight narrow nose, and high cheekbones. His thick, straight black hair hung
to the collar of his flannel shirt. Her eyes skimmed down his tall frame, and
she could feel her cheeks burning. He certainly knew how to fill out a pair of
jeans. They were tight across his muscular thighs and cupped his sex in a snug
fashion. Stubble covered a square jaw. His mouth had a bowed upper lip and a
full bottom lip that she suddenly had the absurd desire to suck into her mouth.
This man was definitely trouble with a capital T, a bad boy and sexy as sin.

Becca suppressed a
shiver. Did all the men in Montana look like this? Her mouth felt as dry as the
Mojave Desert.

“Jake Stone, ma’am,”
he told her in a deep voice.

When it registered
what he’d said, she felt her temperature rising.

“Jacob Stone?”

His mouth twitched.
“My mother was the only one to call me that, but yes, I’m Jacob Stone.”

“What are you doing
here?”

“I forgot to leave
you a note telling you that if you needed anything, to call me,” he grinned,
displaying perfect white teeth. “So, do you need anything? Can I do anything
for you, Red?”

Could he do
anything for her? Sure … whatever he wanted.
Stop it!

“You’re the man who
thinks he’s going to buy my land?
My ranch.
The ranch that my grandmother left me.”

She watched his jaw
clench as he walked toward her. A muscle twitched in his cheek.

“So, you’re Hattie’s
granddaughter, huh?
The same granddaughter who never visited
her.
Not once.
The granddaughter who all of a sudden
shows up because Hattie left her something.
The
granddaughter who couldn’t even show up for her grandmother’s funeral.”
Not
once did he raise his voice. He didn’t need to. The anger poured off him in
waves. With each word, he had stepped closer until she could actually feel the
heat coming off him.