Cheyenne (Cross Creek Wyoming Ranch #5)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

C heyenne Cross was finally doing it. She was taking a week away from her final year of working toward a bachelor’s degree and going on a spring break trip to South Port, North Carolina.

She was so excited. Not only was she taking her first-ever “official” spring break trip, but she was also meeting her best friend Samantha at the beach condo they’d rented for a full week of surf lessons, relaxing, enjoying the sights, and man-hunting.

Okay, fine, they wouldn’t man-hunt. Even thinking about the phrase made her smile. But they would check out the good-looking beach guys.

Her older brother, Porter, had surprisingly agreed to this trip. Probably because the Stone family was right down the beach. Though Cheyenne had just turned twenty-one the previous week and didn’t need his blessing, she was grateful for it. If she had Porter’s blessing, then she had all of her brothers’ blessings, which was good, because they could give her a lot of grief if they chose to.

Her phone buzzed with a call from Samantha, probably letting her know she’d be at the beach condo shortly. She answered the call. “Hey! You here?”

“Cheyenne, you’re going to kill me, but I can’t come.”

“What?” It took a few seconds for the words to sink in.

Her friend let out a long sigh. “I was about to leave to catch my flight this morning, and my grandmother fell as we were coming out of the eye doctor’s office.”

Cheyenne remembered how Samantha’s cute grandmother would often have Samantha invite her over for Sunday dinner. “Oh no. Is she okay?”

“I tried to get her seen by a doctor and passed off as okay before my flight, but she has to go in for hip surgery now since she fell, so I can’t come to South Port.”

Cheyenne’s heart dropped. “No.”

“I know, I know.” Samantha let out a light groan. “I so don’t want to miss it, but I can’t leave her. My parents are in California helping my brother and sister-in-law with their new baby.”

“It’s okay,” Cheyenne said, feeling bad for her friend.

Samantha sighed. “But you should know I still want you to enjoy your week.”

“I can reimburse you for your half of the condo,” Cheyenne said, though she really couldn’t. “At least, after I work a few more shifts at the restaurant when I get back.”

“No, you don’t have to reimburse me. Just … find some cute guy,” she said, sounding wistful. “For the both of us.”

Cheyenne smiled. They’d joked that they were going to find some suntanned guy in South Port. “I love your grandma and I’m really glad you’re helping her out, but I will miss you.” Tears suddenly came to her eyes. She pushed them down, grateful that she wasn’t on a FaceTime call with her friend.

“I’ll miss you too,” Samantha said. “Sorry, I have to go. They are prepping my grandma for surgery.”

“Okay. Tell her good luck. Bye.”

“Cheyenne, wait.”

She paused. “Yeah?”

“Remember … seize the day!”

She laughed. It was their favorite line to quote from the old movie Dead Poets Society. “Yes, seize the day!”

“I’ll call you tomorrow. Bye.”

Cheyenne hung up and stared at her phone, feeling a pity party coming on. They’d been looking forward to this week of sunshine and adventure. Immediately, she dropped her head and said a little prayer. “Lord, please bless Samantha’s grandmother to be okay and do well through this surgery, and please bless Samantha. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

Right away, she felt better. She texted Samantha. I’ll miss you. I love you.

She sucked in a long breath and then blew it out. “I will have fun this week,” she said, trying to convince herself it would happen. She didn’t love the idea of being alone, but she had no intention of going home to the ranch and being bossed around by her brothers.

Her brothers! If they knew she was at this beach house by herself, they would not like it. She wouldn’t tell them. She couldn’t. Porter would probably end up sending one of the brothers to be with her. She didn’t want to be babysat and treated like a child. Sure, she loved her brothers and had the best time with them, but they still saw her as a little girl.

Last time she was home, she’d told Porter’s wife, Sadie, about her feelings. Sadie told her that they would always look at her like a little girl. That was just the Cross brother way: to protect and defend the little sister.

While Cheyenne knew that was true, part of her resented it. She could take care of herself. Not only that, but she could have fun to boot.

Determination burned inside her. She would be fine, she decided.

Cheyenne dropped her bag on the floor and headed through the little kitchen to open the sliding glass door, giving her a clear view of the beach. The warm breeze was inviting. Unable to stop herself, she took off her tennis shoes and socks and moved out onto the little deck that had a cute swing. Then she ran out onto the beach and laughed. She rushed to the ocean and dipped her feet into the chilly tide.

She laughed again, relishing the knowledge that she wasn’t back in Montana or Wyoming. Her brothers would freak if they knew she was alone. How could she get out of telling them?

Her phone buzzed. It was Porter. Think of the devil, and he shall call. It was impossible to avoid talking with him, so she pressed accept. “Hello.”

“Hey, so did you get there?”

“Yep.”

“And Samantha got there?”

Ugh. She wanted to lie to him, even though that felt childish and petty. But she couldn’t. “Uh, no. Unfortunately, her grandmother is having problems, so she couldn’t come.”

“What?”

She spoke faster as she walked out onto the beach, noticing a handful of families and couples lounging on the sand. “I’m fine. One of the reasons you felt good about me coming to South Port was because it’s safe.”

“It is safe, but you need someone there with you.”

“I’m fine.” It was almost six in the evening. She thought about Samantha and again felt a little sad. They had picked out this condo so they wouldn’t be in the main area of spring breakers. They could enjoy the quiet and fun of the beach without all the crowds. They had wanted to explore, hit the main beaches and enjoy a volleyball game or try to crash some barbecue, but they also wanted time to read and maybe meet a cute guy. “I’ll still do some things I want to do, even if I do them by myself.”

Porter sighed. “Just come to the ranch. Play with all the kids. All of us are concerned about you. I’ll get you a ticket home and pick you up in Cody when your plane gets here.” She could imagine him sitting at the big desk in what used to be her father’s old office, shifting uncomfortably in the chair.

“Porter, no.”

He said something else, but she didn’t hear it. She’d spotted someone walking toward her—a barefoot guy in jeans and a white shirt. Adrenaline spiked through her, and she realized it was Eli, the guy she’d almost married. Her heart raced as she remembered turning down his proposal over a year ago.

“Chey … I’m looking at tickets now.”

She turned slightly away from him and focused on her brother. “Porter, I’m staying here for the week. Deal with it. I’m almost twenty-two and graduating this year, remember?”

“That doesn’t matter to me.”

Her heart thumped. “Do. Not. Book. That. Ticket.”

He sighed.

“I’m getting off the phone.”

“I’m sending someone to check on you. The Stones are out of town this week, and I’m nervous.”

“Do not send anyone to check on me.”

“Can’t make that promise.”

Cheyenne turned back to her almost fiancé, who looked dang good in this moment. He was standing about ten feet away from her, giving her some space.

“Cheyenne,” Porter said.

“What?”

“You wouldn’t be down there to look into the gold, right? Because you know Nash’s lead in Florida went cold and it’s been almost a year and a half since we’ve found anything.”

She knew her face was turning red, and she was thankful Porter wasn’t here to see it. “No. I told you Samantha and I just wanted a good place to go for spring break, and it seems like everyone in our family and their dog has been to South Port except me. It’s my turn to check out this beach town.”

“Hmm.”

“I have to run.”

He sighed. “I love you. Have a good trip.”

Praise the Lord, he was backing down. “Bye. I love you too.” She hung up the phone before he could change his mind.

“Chey …” Eli looked a little unsure, carefully making his way closer. “Is that you?”

She gave him an awkward wave. “Hi.”

A dazzling smile appeared on his face. “I just wanted to say hi.” He pointed back at her place. “I noticed you walked out of the condo adjacent to mine. Well, strike that,” he said, his face flushing. He was clearly nervous. “At least, I hoped it was you. What are you doing here?”

It was like she had been thrown into some romance movie, and she didn’t know what to say. “I, uh …” Her mouth was dry, her palms clammy. “Just came down to enjoy spring break.”

Their chance meeting felt a lot more than serendipitous. After she’d broken up with him last year, he’d stalked her for a bit, ‘accidentally’ running into her in random places … but then he’d gone to law school at Duke and she hadn’t seen ‘hide nor hair of him,’ as her father would say.

“By yourself?” He put his hands up in surprise and let out a laugh. “Wow. This is …” He glanced away before pinning her with his gaze again. “This is crazy.”

Her heart was finally calming down. “Yeah, it is crazy.”

For a long time, they stared at each other. The past year had been hard emotionally for her, not that she’d told a lot of people about it. She missed Eli, even though she’d been the one to break things off.

She coughed. “So … what are you doing here?”

“I’m on spring break, too. But my friends don’t show up until tomorrow.”

She wanted to believe him. He looked really good. They’d met in debate class and he’d smoked her. She’d been interested in debate and wanted to learn; he’d been a seasoned debater at the university, and the way he could convince people of almost anything when he wanted to … well, that had been attractive to her.

He hadn’t been able to convince her to get married, though.

His eyes swept her up and down, and he opened his arms. “Can I have a hug? I mean, for heaven’s sake, this is crazy.”

It was impossible, but her heart was beating faster. He was tall, dark, and handsome with his black hair and stunning blue eyes. Manners were drilled into her, and she let out a light laugh that seemed to get caught in her throat. “Of course.”

She walked into his arms. He smelled just like she remembered—like sandalwood and cedar. She had always loved that about him.

He pulled back and searched her face. “So … how have you been?” After the breakup, they’d both agreed to break off contact on social media.

“Good. And how’s your senior year?” She faltered a bit. “How’s Duke?”

A smile flashed across his face. “Everything I dreamed it would be.”

She nodded. He’d wanted a high-profile school, something to get the taste of Montana washed out of his mouth, and he’d gotten it. “That’s good.”

He nodded, seeming to drink her in with his eyes. “Do you have dinner plans?”

She hesitated. “Uh …”

He waved a hand. “Never mind. It’s all good. You can’t fault a guy for trying, right?” He started moving toward his condo, then shrugged and turned back. “It would just be dinner, Chey. I have friends from law school flying in tomorrow, so I’ll be busy. We could just catch up.”

She hedged. Then she thought of being alone all week, and she caved. How much harm could it do? “Okay.”

He squinted his eyes. She’d always loved that beautiful shade of blue. “If you want—I did a little research—there’s a really good Italian place just down the street. I was going to walk. It’s about a mile. If you’d rather, we could drive.”

Even though Cheyenne felt a tad skittish, she pushed those feelings away and decided to be the determined, strong person her brothers never treated her as. “I’d love to. What time do you want to go?”