Chapter Seven—Montgomery

She was definitely hiding something. She’d zoned out talking to him with the worst look on her face. Her breathing had even turned ragged like she was struggling to catch her breath standing still. He wanted to know who made her so guarded, who hurt her so deeply that she was afraid to talk about it.

Mont clutched his palm around the steering wheel as he dropped her off at her house. With the intention of asking her out again at the start of the day, he decided against it. She wouldn’t go easily, so he’d make her trust him. Show her how serious he was about getting to know her.

Most of the time a challenge was something Mont loved to conquer. That rowdy bull that no one could hang on to, or the home that no one thought he could build. It didn’t matter because he’d always conquer it. It’d been in his blood since he was small, always defying gravity and taking the extra step.

This time he had more to lose. Swayze wasn’t an average girl; she’d been through too much for it. He didn’t know what, but it was written all over her pretty face. He’d be that person for her if she wanted, that person she needed to be able to take a breath and breathe.

To be able to let loose and love. Be normal.

He’d be her safe haven until she didn’t want him anymore.

***

She’d been quiet the next morning when he picked her up for work, her eyes drifting out the window to the blur of trees and greenery, never meeting his.

Pulling to a stop at the ranch, Abigail stood on the porch with an excited Kathryn, waiting for Ryker, who still had on Mont’s cowboy hat from the day before. He greeted Abigail with a squeal, running to jump in her arms while she laughed, spinning him around. They’d become fast friends.

Mont noticed Kaden had made it onto the porch, pulling off his work gloves and watching Abigail as she played with the kids.

“I guess I’ll get to work,” Swayze said. “Come get me if he starts showin’ his tail.”

“We’ll be fine, promise. I’m gonna put on some Paw Patrol while I do some laundry. They’ll have a ball.”

Mont noticed how nicely shaped Swayze was underneath her loose jeans and plain white T-shirt. Those shoes she had on had seen better days.

“Hey,” he said. “I never talked to you about pay or anything. I was thinking twelve an hour, and I’ll pay you as often as you like.”

Swayze stopped with her hand on the doorknob. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Yeah, it does,” Mont said, taking a step up onto the stairs to the porch. “Tell me what would be the best for you.”

She lost eye contact, staring at the hole at the top of her shoe. “Weekly would be great, actually.”

He nodded. “I’ll get you a check Friday, then.”

She looked uncomfortable, which was a daily thing between them, but the mention of money or help seemed to make her worry. He hated that worried look on her face, and the wrinkle between her brows. He’d much rather smooth them out with the pad of his thumb, than try to sneak in ways to lessen her worry.

“Thank you,” she said.

He nodded, staring at her until she finally looked back up at him, and he could swim in those sky-blue eyes all day, every day. “No worries.”

She made her way inside the house when Kaden cleared his throat from the other end of the porch. “Are you gonna watch her walk away all day, or can I rely on you to come help me feed these horses? I have a buyer coming Friday to get the new calf, so we need to make sure everything is ready to go.”

Mont nodded. “Sure thing.”

Kaden pulled at the plaid button-down shirt he wore. “No smart ass comment?”

“Nah, I’m planning for lunch today.”

Kaden started walking with Mont toward the back field.

“You know Abigail is cooking for lunch…”

“Yeah, I know. I talked to her this morning about taking Swayze to the barn to eat.”

Kaden stopped, which caused Mont to look back at him. “What?”

“When did you turn into a Casanova? You’ve always been good with the ladies…but a picnic? She’s got you crawling and doesn’t even like you.”

Mont grunted, slipping his hands into a pair of riding gloves from his back pocket. “So you say.”

“I’m pretty sure you have selective hearing. She is not interested in you.”

Mont shrugged. “I’m not having this conversation with you again. She does like me; she just doesn’t know it.”

Kaden took off into a trot toward the barn. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Mont slept fine at night, and he’d sleep even better if Swayze was with him, but that was a different day, different problem.

Today he’d start showing her how much she was worth because someone had stripped it from her, and that would keep him up at night.

***

Swayze was bent over the desk, writing vigorously at something in front of her when he walked toward the doorframe. She hadn’t noticed him watching at first, so he took the time to watch her with hair fallen on her neck, biting her lip in concentration.

He cursed underneath his breath because she was beautiful and didn’t know it. Those were the best kinds of girls, if you asked him.

“Hey,” he finally said.

Swayze looked up, finishing her work before putting the pen down. “Hey, it’s lunch time already?” She glanced at the clock on the computer screen.

“Yeah,” Mont said, pushing his fingers through his hair. He’d taken off his hat in an attempt for her to see his face while they ate, hoping she’d look at him. “I was hoping you’d join me for lunch.”

Swayze stood up from her desk, stretching as she checked her phone in her jeans’ pocket. “Haven’t I been eating with you?”

“Alone,” Montgomery corrected.

She cringed at the word, which wasn’t what any sane man wanted as a reaction. “Why?”

Sighing, he leaned against the doorframe, knowingly making her uncomfortable with his stare. “Because I had to bribe you to go to Megan’s, and you won’t go out with me. This is the best I can do. One time?”

Nervously, she tugged at the shirt she was wearing, most likely praying someone would come to her rescue. He just wished she could see that he wanted to be her hero.

“One time,” she finally said.

Mont grinned. “Come on then, Hoss. I got us set up.”

“What if I would have said no?”

“I would have asked Ryker and Kathryn to lunch.”

The corner of her mouth pulled up into a small smirk.

She followed him out of the back door toward the barn, her fingers tapping nervously against her thighs as they entered the opened doors. The smell of hay set heavy around them, but he assumed she didn’t hate the smell, living in Louisiana because it was everywhere.

The smell he was used to. It was the woman taking a seat across from him that had his heart hammering.

“Her chicken spaghetti seems to be good, Kaden says. I don’t really know; I’ve never had it. So far she’s never fixed anything bad.”

Swayze sat crisscross across from him on the red and white checkered blanket. Her eyes roamed around the big barn, the upper loft that Mont had played in as a child, and the tire swing his daddy had put in the middle so he could swing and not bug the horses.

The palomino beside them snorted, kicking hay with her foot, but Swayze didn’t seem scared. “I always liked horses growing up.”

Mont started making her plate first, piling on the food because a few extra pounds wouldn’t hurt her. Due to the fact that her jeans hung off of her hips, he assumed she’d lost weight recently.

“Oh, yeah? I can take you out sometime.”

She didn’t answer, but Mont, being the optimist, would take it as a maybe. “So, where would you growing up be?”

Swayze took a drink of the sweet tea out of her mason jar, meeting his gaze over the rim of her glass. “A lot of places.”

It didn’t seem like asking her about her life was working, so he decided to tell her about himself. “I grew up here my entire life,” he said. “Ripping and roaming all around the town, getting into trouble when I was younger. Kaden was the responsible one.”

Swayze snorted as she took a bite of baked beans. “Oh, yeah? I’d never have guessed that.”

“That’s what little brothers are for, I hear.”

“I was the little one,” she said. “I had an older brother.”

Had? He wanted to ask her more, but if she wanted him to know, she’d tell him.

Mont nodded, giving her a few minutes to reply, but continued when she didn’t. “I graduated with my associate’s degree in forestry, to keep Momma happy, and then got a bullcrap job until they passed away. That was my time to bull-ride.”

“She didn’t want you to do it?”

“Nah, my uncle—her brother—died by a bull when he was fifteen, and she was scared to death of ‘em, even tried to get my daddy to stop selling and breeding ‘em, but that was his lifestyle.”

“You can’t blame her for wanting to keep you safe.”

Mont looked across his plate at her. “Only a mother would know, I guess.”

They fell into a comfortable silence and finished their plates, only stealing glances at each other. Mont knew an hour approached, but frankly, he didn’t care if she went back to work or not. Hell, he’d give her forever off for a date. Was he always this desperate?

He cleared his throat after a while, stretching his legs out to the side, resting his palms behind him against the hay, letting the sunrays from the windows on the loft hit his skin. “You like working here? Living here?”

Swayze chuckled. “Yes and no. I’m grateful for the job and thankful for what I do have, but this town doesn’t like me.”

“They don’t know ya,” he said.

“They can’t,” she whispered.

“Why?” Mont asked.

Swayze shook her head. “It’s a long story that I can’t talk about.”

“Can’t or won’t?” he asked.

“Both,” she sighed. “My life hasn’t been picture-perfect and probably won’t ever be. I’ve been through things that most people don’t. Let’s leave it at that.”

“Is Swayze your real name?” he asked.

She searched his eyes, and just like that, the worry was back, and she abruptly stood up to gather their things.

“What are you doin’? We still have ten—”

“Thank you for lunch, Mont, but this was a bad idea. I need to go check on Ryker.”

“Hey,” Mont said, standing to catch her. “Hold your horses now, I didn’t mean to scare you off again.”

She moved from his path, shaking her head, their basket of plates and leftovers hanging from her tightened fists. Tears had built in the corners of those pretty eyes, and some of her hair had fallen into her face. “Just don’t. I can’t. The sooner you realize it, the better.”

“Damn,” Mont hissed beneath his breath as she stormed out of the barn. He loved to watch her leave but wished just for once that she just…wouldn’t.

***

He needed to regroup, so he took a step back from her for a few days. He’d written out her check, placed it on her desk, and went outside to break in one of the new horses.

He’d stripped out of his shirt an hour before riding her for the first time. Even in the early morning hours, June in Louisiana was an inferno.

Their new horse was a gentle baby, beautiful but timid. It reminded him of Swayze, but calling a girl a horse wasn’t really romantic. He must have lost track of time because Kaden came out of the barn from helping a cow feed its calf and waved him over.

“Lunch is ready. Abigail texted me.”

Mont looked down at Kaden, pulling off his gloves and wiping his hands. “Okay.”

Mont noticed a glare from the back porch sliding glass doors. Swayze stood at the doorway, leaned to the side like always, but her hands were wringing together nervously, and she stared out at them.

He wanted to believe she stared because he was shirtless, but he’d never be sure because getting her to talk was like pulling teeth. “Lunch is ready,” she hollered finally before walking back into the house.

“Hmph,” Kaden said.

“What?” Mont asked.

“Girl is weird,” Kaden finally said.

Mont hopped off the horse, shoving Kaden’s shoulder as he led her toward the field. “She’s not weird; she’s guarded.”

“Don’t get ya panties in a wad about it.”

“Well, stop talking about her, and I won’t have to whoop your ass.”

Kaden mumbled something underneath his breath but not loud enough for Mont to hear. Abigail had the table set with fried fish, hush puppies, and everything good for a fish fry. Mont’s stomach rumbled as he sat down in his usual chair. “Where are the kids?”

Abigail tucked her hair behind her ear. “They’ve been fed and are down for a nap. Kathryn loves Ryker. He is sweet and smart. Too bad his dad isn’t around.”

“Yeah,” he said. He couldn’t imagine any sane man leaving Swayze with a toddler, but he didn’t know the story because she wouldn’t talk about it. Mont glanced around the room, looking for Swayze with no luck.

“She’s in the bathroom and checking in on Ryker,” Abigail said, setting down the corn.

“What are you talking about?”

Abigail turned and put her hands on her hips. “You like her.”

Mont leaned back, lacing his fingers behind his head. “I do. It’s no secret, but she’s not interested in me.”

Abigail rolled her eyes.

“What?”

Abigail shrugged her small shoulder. “It’s obvious that she’s attracted to you. She was all hot and bothered when she came inside from telling y’all lunch was ready.”

Mont grinned. “Being physically attracted to someone doesn’t mean you like ‘em though. I’m trying, but she’s tough. What about you and my brother? How did y’all meet?”

Abigail smiled, a thoughtful look on her face. “Church.”

The back door opened as Kaden walked in for lunch, kicking his boots off at the back door.

“I’m starving, and this smells delicious,” Kaden said, walking to the kitchen sink to wash his hands.

“I’m gonna go check on Swayze,” Mont said.

She wasn’t in Kathryn’s room when he opened the door, only Ryker and Kathryn slept on the bed, so he figured she was in the bathroom. The light was on, but the door wasn’t shut all the way, so he pushed it opened to a small slit.

Swayze had both palms braced on the sink counter, her head hanging low. At first, he thought she may be crying, but he heard her whisper to herself, “Get it together, Swayze.”

“Get what together?” Montgomery asked.

Swayze jerked upward, her eyes going to his chest that was covered in his T-shirt he’d stripped out of earlier. Was that disappointment on her face? “Nothing—I’m just having an off day.”

Mont didn’t buy it for a second. “Bullshit.”

Swayze popped her hip to the side, her shock replaced with frustration. “You don’t have to believe me.”

He shrugged. “I don’t. So, are we gonna talk about you storming out of our lunch the other day? Or are we gonna continue to tiptoe around each other?”

“Tiptoe?” she suggested.

“I don’t play that. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, Swayze,” Mont said, stepping further inside the bathroom with her. “But I want you to know that I want to know. I’d love to know more about you—get to know you. Though none of this is a surprise to you. I haven’t hidden my feelings since the first time I laid my eyes on you.” He leaned in a bit. “I’m not here to steal your covers, darlin’. Or your heart. I don’t have to meet your mother—but I’d love to take some of your time. Get to know you.”

Swayze pressed her back against the bathroom wall, refusing eye contact, which made Mont want to lift her chin, force her to look at him, but he didn’t. He stopped in front of her, not close enough for their feet to touch, but close enough to really look at her.

How could someone so beautiful be so guarded and closed off?

“If you need me—holler.”

Forcing himself out of the small space with her, after almost drowning in the scent of her skin, he swallowed the lump in his throat, clutching his hands into fists because the urge to be close to her still drew him backward toward that bathroom door.

He’d wait though. Because that flushed look on her face and skin wasn’t due to the summer sun. Abigail had been right. She had been staring at him on that horse, and whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was attracted to him.

And he’d do anything for her to act on it.