Chapter Three

It had been years since Gus drove up the dirt road leading to the Rocking H ranch. When Colton still lived here, they had hung out at the tiny bunkhouse every time she needed to escape her reality that included a dying mother and a father sinking into depression. Colton had been her emotional rock during a trying time. Her anchor.

Until he wasn’t.

But fresh off a burn ceremony that Steph had declared a success, Gus found herself basking in the warm sun and cool air that came in from the open window as she slowly headed to the ranch. Even the day felt like a fresh start.

She had come by a few times since. When Beau no longer had ranch hands and needed help repairing something—the leak in the old barn roof, the fence the cows tore through, other odds and ends. Despite Beau being ornerier than a mule on a bad day, she would go and help.

“When a neighbor asks for help, you help them,” her father always said. Even when his depression was at an all-time high and he could barely see past the dark edges of his own self-imposed tunnel, he would ask Gus to go out and help. She always respected that Beau would let her work without looking over her shoulder or telling her she was doing it wrong. He trusted her abilities, even if she was a woman working in a male-dominated field.

Over the years, she had watched the old ranch slowly become a wisp of its original grand self as Beau sold off first the cows, then the horses, and then went down to the bare bones of the operation, declaring that he was tired of ranching and wanted to retire.

She drove past a small herd of cows on one side of the road, followed by a tiny herd of horses. Pulling into the driveway, an old blue Australian shepherd rushed out to greet her, its tongue lolling out the side of its mouth.

Two men stood outside the house, arms crossed, staring at the bunkhouse.

Her heart slammed into her ribs.

Two men.

She was too far away to see their faces, but judging by their posture, they did not look comfortable with each other.

Carefully she thought over her conversation with Ty. There was no mention of Colton still in Montana. Then again, she had only assumed he had left. She hadn’t actually confirmed.

Well, she couldn’t hang out in her truck forever. And for that matter, what did it matter? She was moving on, whether Colton was here or not.

Putting her game face on, she smoothed a hand over her long, low ponytail and swiped on a color lip balm. Never hurt to look a little good, right? Trying to be professional and all. A certain dark-haired man had nothing to do with it.

“Yeah, right,” she muttered to herself.

Colton’s grim face somehow looked even stormier than the last time she saw him stuck on the side of the road. He had a black earpiece in his ear and was talking rapidly.

His eyes met hers, and he quickly ended the call.

She took a deep, fortifying breath and then pasted on her happy-to-be-here smile.

“I see you’re still in Montana,” she said by way of greeting. She didn’t wait for a response before turning to Ty. She stopped short. Not Ty. The other man was taller, his hair a touch darker, and his eyes were hazel rather than blue. And Ty would never wear jeans like that. Ty favored Wranglers and Levi’s.

She kept her smile firmly in place and extended her hand. “I’m August Jones. If you’re related to Colton, I’m sorry.”

The scowl on Colton’s face deepened, but the grim look on the other man cracked, and a small grin broke out. “Jace Hartman. Nice to meet you. Apology accepted.”

“You out here for long?” She shaded her eyes with her hands against the glare of the sun.

“Same as Ty and Colton. One year,” Jace responded.

“One year?” she croaked back. Suddenly the schedule Ty had told her made sense. She turned back to Colton, wanting to confirm, but he cut her short.

“Alright, enough small talk,” Colton drawled and motioned toward the bunkhouse.

“I’m not sure that talk could have gotten any smaller,” she quipped back at him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jace suppress a laugh.

“I’ve got to drive my wife to the airport in a few minutes.” Jace smiled at her. “Not sure if Ty told you, but we’d like the place complete in a year, and while we have a decent budget, I could see the repairs stretching it quite a bit.”

“Understood,” she said. “Is Ty going to be here?”

“He’s at his office today,” Colton said. “He said he had a full day of animal patients.”

“Ah.” Meaning that she would be here. Stuck with Colton, in a place packed with memories when she was trying to move on from her past.

Great.

Then Jace left, leaving her alone with the ex-cowboy who actually looked…good.

“That’s the other brother? I like him.”

Colton grunted and shoved his hands into his worn jeans.

Wait a minute. She stepped back and took him in. The man was wearing Wranglers. Worn, beaten jeans that hugged the muscles of his thighs, and emphasized the length of his legs.

Her mouth went dry.

“You’re wearing Wranglers,” she blurted.

“Had to set up a wheel line,” he said, referring to the lines of sprinklers that irrigated farmland. He turned back to her. “Ready?”

His eyes met hers, and he gave her a long look. A look that spoke volumes without a single word passing between them. She opened her mouth, but all the words seem to disappear from her tongue.

So she gave a single nod.

The lawn that used to be lush and green years ago was now dry and scraggly. She struggled to keep up with Colton’s long stride, the heels of her boots sinking in the gravel as they headed to the bunkhouse.

Just outside, Colton jerked to a halt so fast, she nearly ran into him.

Colton turned to face her. An early morning breeze brushed over her face, and she pushed the little wisps of her hair that always escaped her ponytail out of her face.

“Before we go in, I just want to say that this place doesn’t need anything fancy. Just whatever it takes to restore it to something that will sell.” Colton’s face was hard, emotionless—as though he were reciting facts about a history book rather than speaking about selling his family’s heritage.

“Is this place really that bad? Bad enough to give it up?”

“My father’s land will never be home to me,” he said before opening the door and stepping back to let her in.

“Home is what you make of it. Your roots are your roots, and someday you may regret burying it all without a second thought.” She was just about to cross over the threshold when Colton stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

Her breath caught as she gazed up at him, the question on her lips dying.

Colton’s blue eyes matched the big sky overhead. A flicker of emotion washed over his face.

He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath, as though drawing in his willpower, then released her.

“This way,” he said softly, jerking his head into the bunkhouse before heading inside. She stood, rooted to the spot.

Then shaking her head and collecting herself, she followed him inside.

Together they walked through all the buildings. Colton pointed out multiple areas of deterioration. She checked exposed wood for damage, watermarks, and any areas that were sagging. A couple hours later, they had gone through the bunkhouses, the barn, and were finishing up with the house. No structure was spared from Colton’s sharp comments. Like each word was a jab at his father.

She considered offering landscaping services. However, with Colton’s eagle-sharp focus on the schedule and his mood over being stuck on the ranch, she bit her tongue. Maybe in a couple months she’d bring it up.

“Have you gone through any of your dad’s stuff yet?” she asked as they walked into the threadbare master bedroom. Beau had been a man of lean needs. Even his most personal space held a simple bedframe with a worn comforter, a dresser against one wall and a trunk against the other. A pair of boots still sat in a corner. “That was the hardest part with my mom.”

“No. We haven’t discussed it yet. Probably something Ty will end up doing. I’m just focused on getting this place off my hands,” Colton muttered as they walked out of the room. He closed the door with a hard thud. “What’s the timeline?”

“I’ll be honest, a year will be tight. We found numerous areas that need to be fixed, and as we get going, more will be found. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but the more we find, the more likely the timeline will extend.” She headed down the hall and outside so she could survey all the buildings at once. “A year and a half is preferred.”

Colton’s lips tightened followed by a harsh intake of breath. “I want this wrapped up as quickly as possible.”

She dug her heels into the gravel. “I can’t promise you a year, but I can give you a range. Look, I’m doing this project as a favor to your brother and possibly sacrificing another project to help you three out. The least you can do is trust my judgment.”

There was something akin to panic on his face. “That’s not acceptable. Ty said you agreed to a year. I can’t stick around Montana longer than necessary.”

“What do a few extra months matter? Ty will still be in Montana even when you leave.” She rolled her eyes, making sure that Colton saw. “My original estimate was based on the last time I saw this place a couple years ago. It looks like your dad didn’t have enough help to repair everything. And to be honest, with five buildings, we’ll need more labor.”

“My brothers and I can help.” He crossed his arms, his forearms flexing.

No way. Colton helping meant more time with him. It was one thing to be working on the ranch with him around. Another to have him working by her side.

“Are you sure your hands can still manage manual labor? I’m sure sitting around an office doesn’t build up calluses or endurance.”

Colton straightened to his full six-foot-two height that made her feel petite, even at five foot eight. His arms squeezed tighter across his chest, causing his biceps to flex and his forearms to tighten into sinewy bands.

The man may not be doing manual labor, but he was certainly working out. Whatever he was doing, it was working. And she should not be checking him out.

“Enjoying the view?”

Gus pried her eyes away from Colton’s impressive arms and back up to his face.

For some reason, that seemed to relax him. The corners of his blue eyes crinkled as he smiled. Her heart pulsed in response.

“Seriously? You think I’m checking you out?” she demanded, trying to cover her butt. “Cowboy, you are the last person on this planet I would even glance at.” Heat spread from her cheeks to her ears as she blurted out the very blatant lie.

“Oh, I think you did indeed spare me a glance.” Colton arched a brow, that smug smile firmly in place. “A very long, lingering glance.”

How it was possible for her face to grow even hotter, she didn’t know. If she did not spontaneously combust at this very moment, it would be a damn miracle.

Unfortunately, she was witnessing a miracle because here she was, still whole, no flames erupting, and Colton gazed at her with a look she would love to slap off his face.

Why couldn’t Ty be here? He was much easier to get along with.

Unable to hold the intensity in his eyes, she looked down and found herself staring at the denim of his jeans stretched over his thighs, a tantalizing tease of what lay beneath.

Shoot, that wasn’t helping.

She pushed her long ponytail back over her shoulder and gave him the hardest look she could manage. “You had your chance, and you blew it years ago. Let’s get back to the schedule. You need your place renovated, and I can fit it into our schedule. I will try for twelve months; however, I will likely need to hire more men. If you tell me no, I can promise you will pay twice as much at every other construction firm.”

That knocked the smile off his face. Colton kicked at the ground with worn cowboy boots that gave her heart an extra little beat.

She needed to get herself together around this man.

“Ok,” he said, this response slow and thoughtful. “I believe you. We will stick with a small team, but if the timeline lags, we get to step in and hire more people.”

She pulled her ponytail over her shoulder. Colton hiring someone else wasn’t ideal, but they could address the issue down the road. More importantly, it sounded like she had the project. “So it’s a deal?”

Gus held her breath as she waited for the answer.

“Sounds like it. Can you send a proposal over?”

She blinked up at him, surprised. Her father would be thrilled to hear about the win. Now she just needed to juggle this and the park project.

“Great. I’ll get a proposal to you tomorrow.” She turned and started for her truck. There was reason to celebrate. She was likely to get this project, and the burn ceremony worked.

“Gus?”

“Hmm?” She stopped and turned back to him.

Colton looked at her, his hands shoved in the front pockets of his jeans, his thumbs sticking out. “Look, I’m sorry for being so rude the other day. I was wondering if you wanted to go grab a beer this weekend…”

She blinked at him. And for some crazy, stupid reason, her heart started to pound. That sounded like a date.

No, no, no. She was taking the reins in her dating life. She wasn’t going down this path again.

“Drinks? Why?” she asked, a little more bluntly than she had intended. She started for her truck again, and Colton fell in stride with her.

“I’m here for a year. I may as well make the most of it. It’s a long time to hang out with just Ty and Jace.”

He was right. A year was a long time, and Garnet Valley was a small town.

“Maybe you should catch up with some old friends.”

Colton’s brows lowered as she stopped at her truck.

“I guess I also saw this as a peace offering. Drinks between friends to catch up. Before we start working together. You can celebrate your contract. I can mourn that I’m in Montana.”

Drinks before he became her client. “I’m not sure if that is the best idea.”

She reached for the truck’s door handle, but Colton beat her to it. She brushed her hand against his fingers, and the fine hairs at his wrist tickled the palm of her hand. Yanking her hand back, she pressed her hand against her chest.

“August.” Even the way he said her name felt like a caress over her ears.

“Hmm?” She had to look like a fish fresh out of the Gallatin River. All she could do was stand there gaping at him, mouth wide open as she tried to come up with words.

“I won’t press it. I just thought it would be nice to clear the air. Get some time off the ranch.”

He was looking for an excuse to get out without having to spend every minute with his brothers. She could understand that. Sometimes it was good to escape a little bit. After her mother’s death, Colton was the one who often helped her escape reality with long drives, hikes, floating in the river.

But he didn’t want her, just escape, and she needed to remember that.

“For old times’ sake,” he added.

She finally found her voice. “I’ll draw up the contract.”

“Okay. Think about drinks. I’m free Saturday night if that works, and you can give me the contract then.” The confidence that she used to find so sexy filled every word he spoke.

A small, very irrational part of her wanted to say yes. She wanted to hear what the past years had been like for him, but she knew it was going to be nothing but torture for her.

“I can’t,” she deadpanned. “I have a date Saturday night.”

Colton froze, the confident expression morphed into one of surprise. The expression was fleeting before he covered it with a smooth, controlled mask.

“Is it serious?” he asked, his voice so controlled, it was almost robotic.

She shrugged. “It’s a first date. Guess we shall see, huh?”

Taking advantage of Colton’s surprise, she got into her truck, and drove away, a cloud of dust kicking up behind her. And as she drove away, she couldn’t help but feel a small pinch of glee that she could finally show Colton she had moved on.

The next morning, Gus crawled out of bed, pulled out her laptop, and settled on the couch with a cup of coffee.

Beautiful Saturday mornings deserved a little peace and quiet. There had been too many tense mornings in her life where she was worried about her mom, if she’d make it another day, and then, afterward, when she worried about her dad, and if he would even get out of bed. It was nice to just have peace and nothing more.

Even if her mind was still chewing on the fact that Colton had asked her for drinks.

No, she had a date—someone she had met in Bozeman as they finished up their last classes for their degree. He had stayed in touch and then finally asked her out. This was the new direction of her life.

Gus started a Google search for potential volunteer opportunities to put her landscaping skills to use and to put on her resume for consideration for the park project. Her mom had loved gardening, plants, creating landscapes. Her parents’ backyard had been a paradise when she was a kid. She could still feel the prickle of grass against her back as she lay on the lawn, staring up at the fairy lights her mom had strung around her playhouse. After her mom had died, landscaping took on a whole new meaning for her. It was a way for her to feel close to the memory of her mom.

Unfortunately, there were not a lot of volunteer opportunities in Garnet Valley outside of a community garden downtown, and only a handful more in Bozeman.

There was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Gus yelled from the couch. She closed the web browser and shut her laptop before her dad could come in and see what she was doing. He was so worried about her taking over, she didn’t want him to think she couldn’t handle this one project.

“Morning, Gussy Girl.” Her dad, Sam Jones, walked in with two large paper cups of coffee, a Sunday morning ritual that she had started after her mother had passed and her dad could barely get out of bed. “You won’t believe the rumor I heard.”

“Morning, Dad.” She kissed him on the cheek. “How do I get my hands on one of those coffees?”

“I’ll settle for breakfast in exchange,” he said, handing her a cup.

“Done deal.” Gus set about grabbing eggs and bread. This was the weekly tradition. Her dad brought coffee and gossip; she made breakfast. Afterward, they talked shop.

“Don’t you want to hear the latest gossip?”

Gus rolled her eyes at the small-town rumor mill. Her dad got along with pretty much everyone, and as a contractor, he was frequently around people. The result was he was always in the know.

“What did you hear?” Gus cracked an egg and eased it into a heated pan, where it instantly started to sizzle.

“The Hartmans are all in town,” her dad started. “And it turns out the old man had a previous marriage and another son. There’s a third brother. God forbid, right?”

Her dad chuckled at the thought and took a sip of coffee. “Those boys were hellions back in the day. Apparently, Colton ended up being quite successful.”

A rush of warmth fluttered through her. Her dad hadn’t been fond of Colton after he left her heartbroken and miserable.

“Dad, that’s old news, and I’ve already met Jace Hartman. I’ve got better news than that,” she said, keeping her voice light.

“Oh, really?” Her dad was in a good mood today.

“Colton has asked us to work on the Rocking H ranch. I was out there yesterday and worked on the proposal last night.” She didn’t dare mention that he asked her for drinks. It wasn’t that her dad disliked Colton; he just always felt the guy was going nowhere.

“Colton wants us to work on the Rocking H?” His graying eyebrows scrunched together as he pulled on his goatee. “Doing what?”

She quickly ran through the project, the fee, and the schedule as her dad got up to set the table.

“Who’s going to work on it? I have over half my guys working on our city hall restoration project.”

“I’m going to work on it.” She calmly scooped two eggs out of the frying pan and put them on a plate. “It will give me a chance to hire and train a new project manager as well.”

Her dad looked skeptical.

“Don’t let your opinion of Colton sway you. It’s been ten years. The man has grown, and we have gone in two different directions.” She placed one hand on her hip and held the plate with the other, trying to appear more confident than she felt about that statement. Those fluttery feelings she felt when he asked her to drinks would disappear eventually.

Her dad grumped but didn’t press as she added toast to his plate. “What about this park project you are all excited about? You can’t do both.”

“Let’s worry about winning the project first,” she said, crossing her fingers. Landscaping projects this large didn’t pop up in Garnet Valley too often, and if Jones was successful, then it would pave the way to launch a landscaping arm of the company. “Besides, if we take on restoring the ranch, and it’s successful, other people in the area may want to restore their ranches as well. This is to help out Ty and to help out us. This isn’t about Colton at all.”

“You’re right,” her dad relented. “Congrats on the big project. I know the company will be in good hands when I retire.”

“Better hands,” she teased her father.

“I know, Gus. You’ve always been so savvy. And understanding. It’s hard to pass on something you’ve spent the majority of your life building and growing from scratch.” The smile was back on her father’s face, and his eyes crinkled in the corners. A real grin.

It felt so good to see him happy. Especially after two years of wondering if she would ever see him smile again.

“How did the meeting for the park go?”

Gus froze, midbite. “It went fine.” Her voice was a note higher, but her father didn’t seem to notice. She didn’t want to tell her father that, A. she was late, and B. it was because she stopped for Colton. This project was supposed to prove to him she was capable of handling the company and branching out into something she loved.

“I’ve managed to get contact information for a number of landscape architects,” she added.

“Go with the one with the most experience,” her dad advised. “It’ll make us look better if we have someone with actual experience during the interview.”

“I’ve got it handled.” She just needed to find time to make some calls and emails. “Adam recommends that we do some community service or volunteer work. The deciding board would like to show that the company has given back.”

“Hmm.” Sam bit into his eggs and rested the end of his fork against the table as he chewed. “We’ll need to think about that. Thanks for going to the meeting.”

“Of course, Dad. Anything for you.” And it was true. She had spent so long taking care of him after her mom passed away, that she never wanted him to hurt like that again, to worry again, or to suffer through a depression again. Even if that meant her taking on more work so that he could see that everything was going smoothly.

“I love you, Dad.” Gus sat down next to him and squeezed his arm before digging into her own plate.

“Love you too. Nice work on the project. I don’t doubt you’ve got this handled. I’m trusting you will pull this off.”

Fingers crossed she could. It was daunting trying to go down a direction the company hadn’t gone before.

After her dad left, Gus got in her truck and started toward the Rocking H. The sooner they got the contract sign, the better. They needed to fix the roof and walls before winter set in, and while winter seemed far away at this point, it would be here before they knew it. They couldn’t have the roof open if a snowstorm came through.

A cloud of dust picked up behind her truck as she headed down the dirt road leading to the ranch, ending in a graveled driveway on the side of the barn.

Her jittery pulse leapt up to her throat as she grabbed the contract from the passenger seat and walked to the front door.

This would be a quick trip. In, out. Hand him the contract, get him to sign, offer to start Monday, and get out.

Professional. She took a breath. This was all professional.

The door opened, and Colton stood on the other side.

“August,” he drawled. He crossed his arms and leaned his long-limbed body against the frame, checking his watch. “It’s not even eight thirty.”

Once again, he was wearing worn Wranglers and brown leather boots. The denim hugged his thighs in a way that was almost erotic.

It was time to pull her mind out of the gutter.

She waved the manila envelope containing two contracts in the air, as though reminding herself just why she was there.

“I thought I would drop this off and let you know I could get started on Monday.”

He nodded, his gaze intense as she handed the envelope over. “You’re wearing a dress,” he noted.

Her hands went to the sides of the black maxi dress that she had thrown on this morning. Well, thrown on after careful deliberation. “It’s supposed to be warm today.”

“I’ve never seen you in a dress.” He cocked his head to the side. He seemed to be taking in every inch of her, memorizing her.

“Well, things change in ten years. You’re an urbanite, and I wear dresses.”

“Not all things change. I’m wearing Wranglers right now.”

“Where did the jeans come from, cowboy?” she asked, hoping to deflect. Unfortunately, the teasing nickname she had given him didn’t come out sounding teasing. It sounded like flirting.

Not what she was going for.

A smile cracked on his face. “Shocked?”

“No,” she lied. “You just look…” Like the cowboy she had fallen in love with years ago. A warning bell sounded in her head. “Like you belong here is all.”

Colton nodded, his face sobering. He shifted his weight on both feet, and she had the wild urge to run her palm over the worn fabric. To see if it was as soft as it looked molded against his thighs.

“Well, I should go. I can pick up the signed contract on Monday when we start work.” She started back peddling down the porch. Part of her wanted to lean into the fluttery soft feelings that made her heart pulse. She could remember what it felt like to have Colton wrap his arms around her and hold her.

Which was exactly why she should be running. She had a date tonight. Step one in moving on.

“Gus?”

She stopped.

“There’s some horses around the back of the barn I need to feed. Want to join?” He jerked his chin in the direction of the horse herd she had driven past.

That sounded fun. Like something she would have agreed to once upon a time under different circumstances.

“I shouldn’t—” If she kept backing up, she was going to eventually hit the stairs, and she did not want to land on her butt in front of Colton.

“Shouldn’t?” Colton cocked his head to the side.

“It’s a bad idea,” she added. “I’ve got stuff I need to wrap up before tonight.” Like starting to pull together the proposal for the landscape project.

“Ah.” Colton’s face went carefully blank. “The date. That’s tonight.”

“Yes. My date.”

“Well, let me at least walk you to your truck.” Before she could decline, Colton made a low whistle sound, and the old cow dog shot outside with him. “Where are you guys going?”

She shrugged. “Still figuring that out. Dinner? Drinks? I don’t know.” While there were not very many places in Garnet Valley to go on a date, she wanted to keep the plans to herself. After all, this wasn’t any of Colton’s business.

His blue-gray eyes were stormier than the rain clouds as she stopped at her truck and turned toward him.

Her heart hammered as she gazed up at his handsome face. He bit his lower lip as he looked down at her, and the crazy urge to lean up on her toes and kiss that lip shot through her.

“I just want to put this out there. This thing between us, is nothing more than a professional situation. There will be no drinks, no friendship, no relationship. You were my anchor all those years ago, my safety net in a chaotic world, and when you left…” She let out a shaky breath. “It sent my already upside-down world into a tailspin. I can’t—I can’t do that again. So whatever is between us is strictly professional. Understood?”

Colton looked like he wanted to argue, to tell her she was wrong. And a part of her wanted to hear what he had to say.

But he only nodded, opened her truck door, and helped her in. He grabbed her elbow as she lifted herself up into the truck, and a warm spark sped from where he touched her bare skin, settling low in her belly.

“Enjoy your date,” he growled. And then he was heading back to the house.

She stared at his retreating back.

This was the right thing to do. Colton was her past. She needed to look to her future.