Six Months in Montana (Montana Sweet Western Romance Series, Book 1) (6 page)

"I'm sorry," Molly apologized, then added, "so maybe today you get to go home early?"

Mrs. O'Brien just grunted at that, then stomped off and, moments later, they heard the front door slam behind her.

"I really don't think she likes me." Molly said again.

"She just doesn't know you. She'll come around." Christian looked exhausted. Molly knew she would be too, if she'd started as early as he did.

"Are you hungry?"

"Not yet. I'm sure I will be by the time I change out of these clothes and finish up some paperwork in my den. Say, fifteen minutes or so? It smells great." 

Christian was back as predicted in about fifteen minutes, and looked much more comfortable in a pair of old sweats and a long-sleeved tee-shirt. Molly found a couple of shallow bowls and put some pasta and a few meatballs in each, and then they sat at the island bar. 

Christian inhaled his food and went back for more, before Molly was even half-done with hers. He hadn't mentioned if he liked the meatballs, but since he'd gone back for more they must have been okay. People usually raved about them. After they finished, Molly went to clear the dishes but Christian stopped her.

"I'll do it. You don't have to wait on me," he snapped, and Molly sat back in surprise. She hadn't yet seen this grouchy, moody side of him. Molly had already put the rest of the meatballs and pasta in the refrigerator and cleaned the serving dishes, so all Christian had to do was to rinse their plates and put them in the dishwasher. She wondered if the stress of their arrangement was catching up to him.

"Do you want to watch some TV?" he asked in a more friendly tone, and she nodded. She was starting to feel a bit awkward again—that sense of being displaced when you're a guest in someone else's house and you'd so much rather be home in your own bed, your own apartment. She sighed. There was still a good six months to go, she'd better settle in and make the best of it.

She followed Christian into the family room and settled into one corner of the oversized leather sofa. Christian sat on the opposite far side and clicked on the TV. It automatically landed on a sports channel and a basketball game, and Christian watched for a minute before turning to Molly. "You probably don't really want to watch this though, do you?"

Molly hesitated for a second; watching basketball on TV would probably be at the bottom of her list, but she wanted to be polite. "This is fine."

Christian waited a second and then flicked the channel to see what else was on, before finally settling on Showtime and a new episode of Homeland. Molly smiled to herself. Christian must have remembered that she'd told him it was one of her favorite shows.

A half-hour later, totally lost in the show, she happened to glance Christian's way and saw that he was sound asleep.

A
fter about a week
, they settled into a routine of sorts. Molly had always been an early riser, but Christian gave that word new meaning. He was up before five most mornings and out the door a half hour later, off to meet his men on the ranch. He'd pop back by around seven or so, would grab a bite to eat, then head out again, stopping first at the Ford Builders office on Main Street, just a block down the road from Travis' law firm. Tricia, his office manager, would arrive by eight and they'd meet briefly to go over his schedule and any pending business from the day before. By eight-thirty, Christian was back on the road again and heading to one of their many development sites.

Molly usually rose around six-thirty and joined Christian for coffee and breakfast around seven. After that, she often sat in the study for a bit, curled up in one of the soft club chairs and read the paper, while Toby slept at her feet. It was her favorite time of day, when the house was quiet and she had the whole day ahead of her to dream and plan for what Rose Cottage could become. She also tried to stay out of the way of Mrs. O'Brien, though after that first awkward day, they had settled into a truce of sorts. Molly let her do all the cooking and raved about it each time. Molly could sense that Mrs. O’Brien was starting to thaw a bit; she'd even cracked a smile the day before. That was something.

Sometimes Christian came home for lunch, but more often than not, she was on her own and just grabbed a quick sandwich or light salad, before heading to Rose Cottage for the afternoon

In the past week, Christian's team of men had already started on the remodeling. They were tackling the upstairs rooms first, then would be converting the room over the garage and the family room on the first floor, turning each area into a small suite, everyone with its own bathroom.

Molly was excited for today, because she was meeting with Travis's twin sister, Traci, to go over ideas for redecorating. Traci had stopped by Rose Cottage earlier in the week to see the space, and taken a bunch of pictures and measurements of all the rooms and windows. She'd suggested that they meet at the Morning Muffin around ten today to review what she'd come up with.

Molly arrived a few minutes early and even though she'd already eaten breakfast with Christian, it was almost four hours ago so she didn't feel too guilty about having a snack. The lemon poppy seed scones looked amazing, so she ordered one along with a half decaf-half hazelnut coffee, and then settled at a roomy round table near the door.

Traci walked in a few minutes later, carrying an oversized sketch book and a pretty Vera Bradley quilted briefcase. Molly waved her over and Traci quickly set her stuff down, then went off to the counter to place her order. She returned a few minutes later with a latte and a toasted sesame bagel with cream cheese.

"I'm so glad we missed the breakfast rush, I'm starving!" Traci took a quick bite of her bagel, then opened her sketchbook and pulled a skinny Mac Air laptop out of her briefcase. Molly was entranced as Traci walked her through her designs and ideas for Rose Cottage. She alternated between showing her delicate drawings of each room, with the overall shape and feel that she had in mind, and actual pictures on the laptop of the colors, fabrics and tiles that she envisioned.

"So, what do you think?" Traci asked nervously, as she closed the sketchbook. Molly hadn't yet said a word, and even realized she'd held her breath once or twice, paying close attention as Traci flipped the pages.

"I'm in love! I'm just so impressed and in awe of what you do. I know what I like when I see it, but I couldn't begin to put it together like this. It's almost as if you read my mind, it's just perfect." The words poured out in a rush, as Molly was just so excited by what Traci had come up with. The colors were soft and welcoming and a bit luxurious. Exactly the feeling you'd want to have when you stayed in an upscale inn.

"I'm so glad," Traci said, and then they discussed prices and timelines, and agreed to get started right away. They chatted a bit longer, had just made arrangements to meet the following Monday to head to the fabric shop Traci favored, when suddenly Traci stopped talking mid-sentence, then leaned in and spoke softly, "Christian's ex just walked in, and it looks like she's heading this way. Have you met her?"

Molly nodded yes, and glanced up as Isabella approached the table. She smiled and spoke first, "Hello Isabella, so nice to see you again." Isabella stopped for a moment, perhaps a bit surprised that Molly had spoken first, but she quickly recovered.

"I understand congratulations are in order," she said smoothly. "It seems like you've made yourself right at home here. Married life must agree with you?" The words were friendly enough, but there was an undercurrent of something else. Molly sympathized though. It couldn't have been easy having your boyfriend ending things so abruptly, and then marrying someone else in a matter of weeks. Molly suspected that although Christian had said it was never serious between them, Isabella might have had a different idea about that.

"So far so good," Molly said, with a polite smile.

"Glad to hear it, and we'll be seeing both of you soon at Daddy's annual barbeque next weekend? I'm sure Christian told you what a big deal it is?" That threw Molly, because it was actually the first she'd heard of it.

"Of course he did," she lied smoothly. "We're both looking forward to it." Traci kicked her under the table, and Molly couldn't look at her until Isabella had safely walked out the door.

"Christian hasn't even mentioned it yet, has he?" Traci commented.

"Was it that obvious?" Molly asked, wondering if Isabella had picked up on her hesitation, as well.

"No, I don't think so. You covered well."

"So what is this barbeque all about? Is it really that big a deal?" And why hadn't Christian mentioned it?

"It is kind of a big deal. Just about everyone in town will be there."

"Are you going?"

"I wouldn't miss it. There's always some kind of drama going on there and it's great for networking."

"Well, at least if you're going, I'll know one person there."

"I'm sure your mother and aunt will be there too."

"Really? Funny that they haven't mentioned it, either."

"I wouldn't be concerned about it. They probably just assume you know about it and are planning to go."

"Right, that must be it." Molly agreed, acting like it was no big deal that her family and husband had failed to mention a huge party thrown by his ex-girlfriend.

M
olly drove
straight to her mother and aunt's house after she left the Muffin. She was going to wait to talk to Christian at dinner later. But, until then, she had nothing else pressing to do and the empty hours ahead made her feel antsy and restless. Even if she didn't get answers, at least she could kill time catching up with her mother and aunt.

They were just sitting down to lunch when Molly walked through the door. Her mother looked startled. "Well this is a nice surprise!"

"Perfect timing! We were just about to eat,” Aunt Betty chimed in. “Your mother made a big batch of clam chowder; your favorite, if I remember?"

Molly was about to say she wasn't hungry, but then as her stomach rumbled realized she was a bit. Though she'd nibbled on a scone, she and Traci had spent the better part of two hours going over designs. The time had flown.

"I was just in the area, at the Muffin, meeting with Traci about the Rose Cottage decoration," she explained, as her aunt filled a soup bowl generously with creamy chowder, put a dollop of softened butter on top, a shake of paprika and pinch of chopped fresh parsley. Her mother's gift was cooking, and her aunt was all about the show, how the dish was presented. They were quite a team.

Between bites of chowder, she filled them in on the plans for Rose Cottage. After they’d finished and had moved on to tea and slices of Aunt Betty's famous coffee cake, Molly waited until they were happily full and chatting comfortably about what all their friends were up to. Aunt Betty knew everything about everyone it seemed, so it was really all the more curious why neither of them had mentioned Isabella's party.

"So, I hear you're both likely to be going to Isabella's big bash next weekend? Is that true?"

Her mother shot her aunt a look that Molly knew well. Though she didn't say a word, her accusatory glance was crystal clear.

"I didn't say a thing," her aunt protested.

"But why keep it a secret?" Molly asked her mother.

"It's not a secret, as you've probably heard by now; just about everyone we know in town will be likely be there."

"My point exactly," Aunt Betty interjected. "Your mother made me promise not to say anything to you about it, and as you can imagine that hasn't been easy," she said with a chuckle.

"I just didn't want her to say anything until you mentioned it to us. Christian hasn't told you about it yet, has he?"

"No," Molly admitted.

"I figured as much. Honey, he probably just hasn't decided whether or not it's worth the aggravation of going, and wants to spare you any possible awkwardness. Isabella can be a bit unpredictable."

"Not to mention dramatic," Aunt Betty agreed.

"You're probably right," Molly said.

"So, now that she knows, let's discuss what we're going to wear." Aunt Betty and her mother debated their options, while Molly let her mind drift, wondering if her mother was right about Christian's reason for not mentioning the party.

Mrs. O'Brien had the day off, so Molly spent the late afternoon puttering around the kitchen, making a meat sauce and putting a lasagna together. She had just pulled it out of the oven when Christian walked through the door.

His usual routine was to head straight upstairs to change when he was done working for the day, and then join her for dinner in the kitchen. Today, however, he didn't even step into the kitchen, just poked his head in the door and asked, "Want to see something amazing? Mandy's in hard labor. The foal will be here soon, so we need to go quickly."

Molly grabbed a light jacket and followed Christian out the door. The barn where the ranch horses were kept was about a half mile down the road, so they hopped into his Jeep.

"Have you ever seen a live birth before?" Christian asked. His excitement was contagious.

"No, never." Years ago, Molly’s family had a cat that gave birth to a litter of kittens, but she'd taken care of it herself, clearing a space in the closet and only making a sound after all six babies were born.

"Mandy's been with us for three years now. She's one of our best work horses. Dr. Jones is on his way, just in case we run into any issues."

They parked and went into the stable, where Mandy was surrounded by several of Christian's men who were keeping her calm, as she seemed agitated.

"How's she doing?" Molly picked up a note of nervousness in Christian's voice.

"About the same," his foreman, Kevin Anderson answered. "Doc coming?"

"He's on his way." Christian walked up to the pretty golden-colored horse, who nuzzled his arm when she saw him and let out a sad whimper.

"I know, baby. It'll be better soon, I promise," he murmured to the horse, as he gently stroked her back and rubbed her neck.

"Something doesn't look right." Henry, one of Christian's most senior men was at Mandy's other end. "You ever deliver a breech before?"

"No, not yet." Christian answered.

"First time for everything. For me too. I've seen quite a few of them, though, over the years. I could probably walk you through it, if need be."

"Hopefully, Doc will be here before then. Should be any time now."

"Okay, but you might want to tell her that. She's starting to push, and that's not good."

Molly watched the scene before her with alarm. The normally sweet tempered horse now looked petrified and in severe pain. She let out a blood-curdling scream that gave Molly goose-bumps and made Christian take a step back.

"You need to get right in there," Henry instructed. "Reach in and shift that baby down, so she can come out smoothly. Kevin and I will hold either side of her."

Christian only hesitated for a second before he stepped forward, rolled his sleeves up as far as they could go and then plunged his hand deep into Mandy.

"It's not working, nothing is moving."

"You gotta keep pulling and pushing until it does," Henry said.

"Okay, I think I'm almost there." It seemed like an eternity, but was only a few minutes before Christian slowly pulled his arm out and, a moment later, with a burst of energy, Mandy dropped her foal. The baby horse lay there motionless until its mother licked its forehead, and then it let out a small sound and slowly moved its legs. Henry explained that the foal would actually be able to stand by itself within an hour or two.

"So, what did you think?" Christian asked proudly.

Molly realized she had tears running down her face. "Amazing."

At that moment, Dr. Jones walked into the stable, sized up the situation, then said, "Looks like you don't need me here." Congratulations were given all around and the doctor checked both animals, pronouncing them healthy and doing well.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to get here sooner, we ran into some delays at the Ferguson ranch; another breech birth actually. Good to see you've handled that before."

"I have now," Christian said with a grin, "thanks to Henry."

"You did all the work," Henry said gruffly. "I just told you what to do, that's the easy part."

"What happens now?" Molly asked.

"They rest, and we eat."

A
n hour later
, a freshly showered Christian joined Molly in the kitchen and they sat down to eat. Over lasagna, salad and garlic bread, Molly filled him in on her meeting with Traci and their plans for Rose Cottage.

"That sounds great! When did she say she could have it done by?"

"The guys said that the physical remodeling should be finished end of this week, and then she'll only need two weeks to do everything. We could be up and running after that."

They discussed plans to get the inn opened. Molly thought her mother and aunt might want to help with the food. Aunt Betty's coffee cake and her mother's chowder would be perfect for a bed and breakfast. They didn't want to run a full restaurant, but Molly thought that being able to offer a light lunch of soup or salad could set them apart from other B-and-Bs, and of course there would be freshly baked cookies and lemonade in the afternoon, and wine and cheese before dinner. Her guests would be on their own for dinner, but she would have menus from the local restaurants available to help them decide.

"You know you may want to talk to Isabella. She could be a good source of referrals for you." Christian's suggestion took her by surprise.

"You think?" Molly wasn't enthused by that idea.

"Sure. Think about it. She regularly meets with people who are thinking about moving to Beauville, and some are going to be from out of town looking for a place to stay while they're here. I bet she gets asked all the time for recommendations."

"I suppose you're right," Molly admitted grudgingly. She hated the thought of asking Isabella for help. That reminded her to ask about the party. It had slipped her mind, with the drama of Mandy giving birth.

"Speaking of Isabella, I actually ran into her this morning and she asked if we were planning to go to her big barbeque next weekend. I told her, of course we'd be there. But I don't remember you mentioning it?"

"Oh that." Christian looked annoyed for a moment. "Honestly, the invitation came a few weeks ago, just after we returned from our honeymoon and, at the time, I just didn't want to deal with seeing Isabella. I know that's not fair, but I thought it might be easier for both of us to skip it."

"Well, too late now. I told her we're going."

Christian took another bite of lasagna and thought for a moment.

"You know, it might actually be a good thing. I can talk to her for you, feel her out about referring people."

"I don't know." Molly hesitated. "Why should she help us? Especially me? I'm not sure how I'd feel about that if I were in her shoes."

"I'm sure she's over it all by now," Christian said confidently. "Isabella's a good person, she'll do the right thing."