Chapter Eleven—Montgomery

Mrs. Eileen stood at the meat counter with a box full of food for Montgomery. Her grin widened as he walked inside Tuesday morning to get everything for the cookout that night.

“Montgomery King. I’ve got you ready. I was so excited to get that call for all the produce. You’re gonna keep us up and running.”

He knew that was a lie. She was co-owner with a gentleman that moved to Florida years ago, and regardless of the ancient car she drove, everyone in their town knew she was loaded.

“You know you’re rolling in money, Mrs. Eileen. Who you trying to kid?”

She waved him off and handed him the box of meat. “So, what’s going on with this new girl?”

God, cut right to the chase.

“Who?” Mont asked.

Mrs. Eileen swatted him. “The only new girl, Swayze—whatever her name is. You liking her?”

Mont studied her face, knowing she’d be the first person to tell every single person that came into the store, but what did he have to hide? “Yeah, I like her. What’s wrong with that?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Nothing, but something ain’t right about her, now. She shows up out of nowhere—to here, of all places—with a kid, and won’t talk to anyone. It’s suspicious.”

How many times would he have to hear this?

“Well, not everything is what it seems, and plus, I’m still trying to get her attention.”

“That’s another sign,” she said. “Who wouldn’t love to go out with you? She’s turning you down for a reason. I bet she’s a lesbian.”

Mont couldn’t help but laugh. “Mrs. Eileen, she is not a lesbian, I know enough to tell. Not everything is plain and simple; I would think you’d know that by now.”

She gestured toward the food. “I hope you enjoy it. Y’all having your annual cookout? Fireworks in the field?”

“Yes, ma’am. I appreciate the business. You have a good Fourth, ya hear?”

She said something as Mont walked toward the front of the store, passing a few ladies, who waved, but looked like they were up to no good. Probably eavesdropping on his conversation, but he didn’t care. He had nothing to hide from anyone, and an entire evening planned for Swayze and Ryker.

He wanted to spend most of the day with them, so he decided to go pick them up around three o’clock to bring them over to the cookout. When his parents were still alive, most of the town would come out to the ranch with their families, and they had food, fireworks, and a good time.

After their death, everything kind of drifted away slowly, but Mont remembered every long summer night with fireworks brightening up the sky. Not everyone would be there today, but they’d be able to see them from town.

According to Abigail, Kaden still hired the two brothers that had always put the firework show on for their parents.

Mont parked his truck in the small driveway, jumping out because he couldn’t contain his excitement anymore. He felt like that eleven-year-old kid that would race his brother to the property line where they’d lay on blankets and wait for the fireworks with popcorn and a burnt hot dog.

Swayze answered the door on the second knock, like she’d been waiting on the other side, but Mont wouldn’t get his hopes up too high.

Her dark hair was down against her lean shoulders that day, a white summer dress hugged her waist, stopping just above her knee in a gentle skirt. She was a sight to see in that dress, a pair of white sandals curved around her feet, but Mont had to drag his eyes from her shapely legs to speak.

“Well, Swayze Sways, you dress up really nice.”

A blush curled around her cheeks, and her blue eyes dropped to the welcome mat he stood on. “It’s all I had.”

He believed it because she didn’t have much, but he didn’t give a damn what she wore. A two-cent thrift store dress would have looked beautiful on her.

“Mont!” Ryker called from the other side.

Mont dragged his eyes away from Swayze and her soft pink lipstick to see Ryker standing beside her, his cowboy hat on, and what looked like a new outfit.

He didn’t miss that she’d gotten him a new outfit after her paycheck but didn’t buy one for her. Part of him wanted to spoil both of them, but Swayze had made it clear she didn’t want his money.

Which made him want her to have it all the more.

“Who is ready to eat and go for a four-wheeler ride?”

Ryker jumped in the air, landing with wide legs. “Me!”

“Let me grab his bag. I’ll be right back.”

Montgomery grabbed Ryker, tossing him onto his back, while watching Swayze walk from the room. The devilish side of him had five different scenarios on ways for him to brush his fingers underneath her dress, but his momma’s voice stopped him before concocting his sixth.

She walked back, stopping in the doorframe to the hallway. “Do I look okay?” she whispered.

Mont couldn’t stop his grin. If only she knew what he’d been thinking about. “You look beautiful.”

She seemed to take the compliment better than he had imagined, nodded, and walked out of the front door with him, turning to lock it behind her.

They settled into his truck easily. Mont noticed their neighbor staring out her window blinds as they pulled off, so he waved at her.

Swayze snorted.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

She crossed her legs, drawing his attention for a moment until she started vigorously shaking her head. “Lady tried to lecture me the other day.”

He turned down the radio, loving the look of annoyance on her face. “Oh, yeah? On what?”

“Not being married and having a kid. Lady doesn’t know what she’s talking about, because I was mar—”

Swayze’s mouth clamped closed. There had been something in her that let that slip, but she wasn’t okay with it by a long shot. She looked pale, losing eye contact, and clasping her fingers together in her lap.

She’d been married? Had her ex-husband been the one she wanted to get away from? Mont remembered the first time he saw Swayze at the diner, and he noticed she didn’t have a wedding ring on, but when he asked, she reached for it with her finger.

It wasn’t really that huge of a shock to him.

“You’ve been married?” he finally asked.

Swayze sighed, holding a palm over her mouth for a brief moment before turning to face him. “I wasn’t supposed to say that.”

“Why?”

“It’s just better if no one knows. I was married for a while, had Ryker, and he died.”

Now that was a slap in the face.

A dead husband never crossed his mind. With her secretive demeanor, he figured someone was after her, to be honest.

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too.”

Sticking his foot in his mouth was a normality most of the time, but she had just said it.

Mont turned the music up a few notches and continued toward his house. He wouldn’t let anything stop him from enjoying the afternoon, but he couldn’t stop thinking about her husband.

What kind of a guy was he? Did Ryker look like him? Did he treat her right?

***

She was sweaty in her thin, white dress, and God forbid it, but he couldn’t stop thinking about her husband. Talk about a cock-block from the grave. He needed to ask her about it before he exploded.

But she was tipsy, dancing around the back porch with Abigail in a way he’d never seen her do. She seemed free, which it was a perfect day for her to be, but through the swirls and twirls, he noticed her stare at him.

Granted, she danced with Abigail, some slow turning country song blasted from Kaden’s grand speakers. Ryker and Kathryn were both sound asleep in her bed.

They’d all eaten dinner, which the boys grilled for, while Swayze helped Abigail inside. Kaden tried to start a conversation about some game that was playing, but Mont couldn’t focus.

Hours after the fireworks, he sat with his back against the railing of the porch, a beer in his right hand and the other laced behind his neck.

Kaden stood up from the other side of the table, stretching his arms above his head. “I’m heading to bed.”

“No, what about the four-wheeler ride?” Abigail slurred.

Kaden grinned. “You’re drunk, Abigail. You don’t need to drive a four-wheeler.”

She pouted, which reminded him a lot of the looks he got from Kathryn. Kathryn hadn’t warmed up to Montgomery yet, but she would.

“Tomorrow?” she asked.

“Sure,” Kaden said. “Y’all heading out now or later? You want the light on?”

“Leave it on,” Mont said.

Kaden tossed Mont a pair of keys to the four-wheeler. “Be careful if you take ‘em out.”

Montgomery waited until the back door was shut before he let his attention fall on her. She sat on the swing on the other side of the porch, one leg tucked nicely beneath her and the other swung to an opposite rhythm. “Feeling like a four-wheeler ride?” he asked.

She gave him an easy smile, a small laugh slipped from her throat, and he knew she was still a little tipsy. He didn’t worry because a nighttime four-wheeler ride would wake her up.

“Yeah, I think so. I need to go get my shoes.”

Montgomery eyed the closed back door, and the short distance to the four-wheeler. “I’ll carry you, come on.”

Swayze stood up, her bare feet soft on the porch as she walked to him. He reached down to pick her up like a baby. Her laugh made him smile as he jogged them to the parked four-wheeler.

Mont put her on the back so he could climb up and let her scoot in behind him. Her soft body curled into his, making him warm. The way her fingers tightened around his stomach, her scream coming to a laugh as he started the engine and jolted off toward the moonlit field felt like home.

The trails were mostly the same. The front lights showed them enough to see Kaden had taken care of the overgrowth for the most part. There were a few places where the brush touched the top of their heads, but nothing to worry about.

When they got to the opening where Mont had spent most of the evenings growing up, he stopped, looking up at the canopy of trees above him, stars peeking through the growing leaves.

This was one thing he missed after he left.

“It’s pretty,” she whispered out of nowhere.

Montgomery turned to look over his shoulder. “It is. I could spend every day out here.”

Swayze nodded her head into his back. He debated turning and kissing her like he wanted but didn’t. They sat there for a while, listening to the crickets and watching the still sky and the beauties of the night.

Finally, he cleared his throat and said, “Let’s get you home.”

Mont started back to the field, letting the night air rush him. He hadn’t asked Swayze what he wanted about her husband. She’d let loose tonight, and bringing up painful memories wouldn’t let her enjoy it.

He’d wait a few days before he asked.

Mont carried her from the four-wheeler once they arrived and to the back porch. Swinging her down, she skipped toward the door with her head raised and her arms outward, spinning an occasional circle, not caring about anything, and it looked amazing on her.

“I’m getting my shoes, and then I need to go home,” she said.

“You want me to wake Ryker up?” he asked.

Swayze pressed her lips together. “It’ll be hell getting him back to sleep.”

Mont stroked his jaw. “How about we leave them a note and get here early enough for him to wake up to us in the morning? I’m sure they wouldn’t care.”

Swayze nodded.

“Wait right here, and I’ll write ‘em a note.”

Mont walked toward the kitchen, digging through the junk drawer to bring out a pad and pen. He scribbled down the plan and left it on the kitchen table where they could see it.

Swayze stood on the porch when he got back to the door, staring up at the sky. It felt unreal knowing that she’d been another man’s wife before because he couldn’t imagine her being right for any man but him.

It felt selfish and insane, but he knew from the moment he saw Swayze that she was marriage material. He just hadn’t realized someone else had known that first.

“Ready, Sways?” he asked.

She turned back to look at him over her shoulder, a dreamy look in her blue eyes, her dress twirling as she swayed back and forth.

“Ready.”

Mont drove her back home, the windows down, and the humid night air blowing back her hair. Those feet had sandals on, but she braced them against the dashboard of his truck.

There was something about the way she hummed along to the old country song in the background, and the carelessness she wore on her sleeve that night, but regardless of the alcohol, he knew in his heart this was a part of the girl she once was, before the heartache.

Mont pulled into her driveway, killing the engine and getting out with her. Swayze walked toward her front door, digging out a key from the depth of her purse. Swayze’s neighbor had most likely been in bed for hours, and the loneliness that surrounded them was evident as they walked into her apartment.

Cool air greeted them and the smell of leftover coffee. “Quiet in here,” she said with a laugh. “Ryker has been with me every day for over two years. This is intense.”

Swayze laughed, slipping her shoes off before leaning against the wall of the living room.

“I could tell you needed tonight,” he said.

Swayze sighed, nodding her head before pushing off the wall. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom really quick. You can make yourself at home unless you have somewhere to be.”

He gestured for her to go. She walked toward the back, and the bathroom door closed lightly behind her. Mont walked toward the couch, sitting in the silence of the room.

Stretching his arms back, his fingers brushed a piece of paper that sat on the side table, causing it to flutter to the floor.

It wasn’t intentional, but he noticed the distinctive writing at the top that said disconnect notice.

The date was for tomorrow. How could he live with himself if Ryker and Swayze were in a hot house? Slipping the paper into his pocket, he leaned back against the couch. The door to the bathroom squeaked opened, and Swayze’s soft footsteps followed.

Swayze’s makeup-free face looked happy regardless of the bills that he knew she hid. “Thank you for tonight,” she whispered.

Mont stood up, hovering dangerously close to her as she swayed in the middle of the living room. Her eyes weren’t meeting his, and that perfect mouth of hers was quiet. “My pleasure.”

Mont wanted to walk over to her, grasp the delicate nape of her neck, and force her mouth open, but Swayze was fragile.

He stared at her until she finally looked up, her breath heavy and eyes wild. Was it the aftereffects of those two wine coolers, or was the connection from his kitchen there?

“I wanted to tell you something,” she whispered.

“Shoot.”

She cleared her throat, tucking her dark hair behind her ear. “I was married, but Dylan, he—he died years ago. I love him, but he’s gone.”

Mont studied her face closely; the steady gaze in her eyes, no tears—was she giving him a go ahead?

He wasn’t sure, but he wanted to find out—so bad.

“What was he like?”

Swayze smiled. “Perfect. He was a good guy, loveable, and brave. He loved us. But God—I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, good or bad. I’ve come to terms with what God has dealt me. If another man comes along and wants us, good, if not, so be it, right?”

She had to be mad to think another man wouldn’t want them.

That I wouldn’t want them.

Mont took a step closer to Swayze. “From the first second I saw you, I wanted you,” he said. “You’ve pushed me away. Why? There is something else, right?”

Swayze’s lies were easy to see through. What else was she hiding?

She didn’t move as Montgomery zeroed in on her. One large palm circled her neck, causing a moan to leave her throat. The other one trailed down her arm to rest on the curve of her hip. “I know there is something else you’re hiding, but I won’t force you to tell me. What I want you to know is that I won’t hurt you. You’re safe with me. Can you believe that?”

Slowly, she let her eyes drift closed, her mouth parting slightly, and she nodded. Mont couldn’t maintain his distance anymore, and he dipped his head to meet her waiting lips.

Swayze’s arms wrapped around his shoulders, and he easily helped her onto his hips, and braced her against the wall behind them.

Every soft place that met his felt like fire leaking underneath his veins, driving him to get deeper than she went.

Soft moans filtered through the air, her hands grasping at him as he swam in her mouth, her kiss everything he’d wanted it to be and more.

“My God,” she whimpered.

She’d taken the words right out of his mouth. What was she doing to his brain? It felt like a game of Scrabble gone awry.

Mont deepened their kiss, and Swayze tangled her fingers into his hair. Would she moan if he moved his mouth to her neck? Bite? Did she feel out of control on the inside like him? One intentional move, and he’d have her clothes off, and he’d move to the sound of her heavy breaths and tightened muscles.

Unable to help himself, he grasped her bottom with his palm and felt her breath become more rugged and her teeth skim his bottom lip. She tasted like mint and the fruity drinks from the night, and it proved to make it harder for him not to yank her dress up to her waist and press into her.

He broke free from their kiss, his free hand lifting to touch her quivering bottom lip. “You’re good at that,” he whispered against her mouth.

Swayze let a soft sigh escape, and she rested her head against his. “Ditto.”

The caveman part of him wanted to take her back to her bed and spend the rest of the night on top of her, but that momma voice whispered in the back of his mind.

Not after your first kiss, jackass.

Laughing to himself, he pressed another sweet kiss against her mouth. “I need to go.”

Swayze nodded, letting him put her back down on the floor. “Good idea.”

Was it?

She stood there, twisting the hem of her dress, tugging at the ends of her hair like she would combust at any minute.

See, Mrs. Eileen. Definitely not a lesbian.

“I see that look on your face,” he whispered. “I want it too, but my momma taught me better than that.”

Swayze gave him a shit-eating grin he’d never seen before. “Maybe next time you can leave momma at home?”

Montgomery felt a rush of adrenaline hit him below the belt. “I think I can do that.”

“You can sleep here, if you want,” she said. “It’ll be easier to get Ryker in the morning if you’re already here.”

Mont nodded. “If you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” she said. “Let me get you some blankets and a pillow.” She disappeared into the hallway, and Mont forced himself to stay put. Following her to that lonely bedroom would bring up too many emotions too quick. She was worth every day that he had to wait.

She walked back with a pile of covers and a pillow. “If you get cold, let me know.”

Montgomery winked at her and watched her walk back to her room, giving him a small smile over her shoulder.

The things he would do to her once the time was right.

As he lay down on her couch, staring up at the ceiling, he wondered if he was part of God’s plan for Swayze.

Something deep down told him yes.