Chapter Two
T here was something special about a Montana spring.
Josh knew that the mountains would still be covered in snow, but every day the valleys grew more lush and green, filled with the buds of new wildflowers. The snowfall had been heavy this year, forcing Josh to start the herd on hay to supplement the leftover forage the cattle nosed at from the previous growing season. But even the acres of land around his property had started to flourish, allowing him to finally move the cattle on from winter feeding activities.
Now the ranch was in the thick of calving season which usually began at the end of February and wrapped up in early May. As a boy Josh had learned not to get attached to the new little additions to the herd, and though he still heard his father’s words echo in his head— these aren’t pets, son, they’re our livelihood —Josh maintained that all these calves running around the property as the world blossomed made his heart light.
Or maybe he was particularly thoughtful today.
Perhaps that was it.
Spring made him think of new life and new life made him think of family, and he imagined what it would be like to have what his father had: a woman he could adore and a kid (or a couple) that he could dote on. When Josh’s dad had finally retired and handed the ranch over to him, it came with a piece of advice. He’d said that at the end of the day, all that really mattered was not what Josh did with the land, but that he had good people to call home. Not a place , he’d said. People . At twenty-four, when Josh had been given the ranch, he hadn’t thought much of that. He’d been determined to carry on his father’s legacy, to make Split Valley Ranch something he could be proud of, and he’d jumped into the sweaty, backbreaking work with all the vigor of a young man. But now he was thirty-six, and Josh was thinking about his father’s words a lot lately.
Mostly he was thinking about the way his last relationship had crashed and burned. Josh didn’t think he was asking for too much, but so far life hadn’t been kind to him as far as romance was concerned. In fact, he’d had his heart kicked around a cow pasture a couple of times. Frankly, he’d prefer to be the night-calver for a whole season, stuck waiting up all night for heifers that might have trouble birthing, more than he would like a repeat of that dating experience. Josh had sort of come to terms with the fact that this was his lot in life: his land and his cattle.
So why couldn’t he get Amy out of his head?
“What’s your deal?” his friend Noah said from the other side of Josh’s truck as they loaded the bed with supplies. Josh had noticed some downed portions of the fence when he was driving into town the other day and Noah was here to help with the repair. The cattle weren’t currently using that pasture, but it was best to repair these things when he found them. If not, he’d forget about it in the chaos of the ranch until he drove out to find the cattle on the road one day.
“What are you talking about?”
Noah shrugged. “You’re quieter than usual. That’s all.”
“And that’s saying something!” Noah’s brother Ryder laughed. He crossed the porch, a toolbox in his hand, clunking down the steps in his work boots. “What he actually means is you’re brooding worse than a hen.”
Noah inclined his head toward Josh as if to say he’s not wrong .
Josh sighed, leaning against the bed of the truck. Noah and Ryder Trent were some of his best friends. Their family owned and operated Stargazer Ranch, and though Josh had been a couple years ahead of them at school, once he took over Split Valley, he’d become better acquainted with the brothers, frequently bumping into them at the feed store and at the Tenacity Social Club on his nights off.
“Is something wrong?” Noah asked. He crossed his arms, his flannel shirt bunching at his elbows. He looked tired, dark circles lingering beneath his eyes, though as a single dad to triplet toddlers, he always had that look about him. Between working the ranch and looking after his boys, Noah didn’t have a lot of time for socializing, so Josh appreciated these visits even more. He also appreciated that they were willing to help out with a quick repair. It would save him from having to pull the ranch hands away from their work—he always employed a couple during calving season.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Josh assured him. “I’m just…thinking. That’s all.”
Ryder scoffed. “Thinking? In my experience,” he said as he placed the toolbox in the bed of the truck, “only two things make a man sigh like that. Women and money. And I doubt the ranch is about to go under, so that only leaves one thing.”
“Maybe those are the only two things you’re thinking about,” Noah said. Ryder was known for his roving eye. Josh was pretty sure he’d already dated every eligible woman in town.
“No,” Ryder said, clapping Noah on the shoulder. “I also think about how I can rile up my nephews right before bedtime.”
“You’re horrible.”
“I keep things interesting.” He climbed into the back seat of the truck.
Noah caught Josh’s eye, shaking his head briefly. Josh closed the tailgate, then they both loaded up. Josh drove them down the long gravel drive toward the road, heading for the western border of his property.
“Okay,” Ryder said. “Start talking. Who is she?”
Josh glanced in the rearview mirror. Ryder wore that cocky smile of his. The same one he used to woo the ladies in town. Luckily, they’d started getting wise to his tactics.
“It’s no one.”
“Sure,” Ryder said.
Josh felt a flush creep up his neck. He might be the strong silent type, but he was usually pretty open with his friends. He just didn’t know where to start. He’d spent all of fifteen minutes with Amy at the feed store yesterday, yet he couldn’t seem to shake the thought of her.
Josh wasn’t usually one to brood over women. He’d learned a long time ago that no good came from it. But there’d been a moment yesterday, while Amy was cashing him out, when he’d considered asking her out for coffee. He’d panicked, obviously, and turned tail, rushing out of the store as fast as he could. The problem was, he liked Amy, quite a bit. She’d been interesting and sweet, laughing at his pathetic jokes, and the words cattle rancher hadn’t sent her running from him, unlike his past relationships. He just wasn’t sure what to do about these feelings now. Despite wanting someone to share his life with, he’d come to the conclusion that looking for love only ended up with his heart stomped on. And he wasn’t interested in living through that again.
“You know I’ve got a nose for these things,” Ryder said. “I knew Renee and Miles had a thing before they even realized it. Trust me, I’ll figure out who you’ve been talking to.”
Noah and Ryder’s sister, Renee, had recently found love with Miles Parker. But that’s not what was going on here. “I haven’t been talking to anyone,” Josh said. “I talked. Singular. One time. To someone.”
Ryder whooped from the back of the cab. “About time. You’re getting as bad as Noah.”
“I don’t have time for dating drama,” Noah said.
Josh glanced out the window, the fields rushing past. He thought he’d made his peace with his land and his cattle. But as much as he loved his work and the land, it was still a lonely existence, even for a man who had learned to enjoy the solitude.
“Okay, but who is she?” Ryder said.
“She’s new in town.” Josh’s eyes lifted to the rearview again. “You don’t know her.”
Ryder’s brow arched. “You sure?”
“Don’t go getting any ideas.” Josh slowed and drove onto the shoulder of the road, nearing the portion of downed fence. “Her name’s Amy. She’s working down at the Strom feed store.”
“Aww, Amy ,” Noah and Ryder chorused together.
“I hate you both.” The truck bounced through some deep potholes, the supplies rattling around the bed of the truck, and the brothers broke into fits of laughter.
“Sorry,” Noah said, trying to keep a straight face. “It was just the way you said it, all doe-eyed.”
“Shut up.”
“Tell us about Amy,” Ryder interrupted.
“Nothing much to tell.”
“Must be something to tell if she’s got you this infatuated already,” Noah pointed out.
Josh pulled up next to the fence. “I’m gonna make you both walk back to the ranch.”
He got out of the truck. Noah and Ryder followed him to the back of the truck, unloading new fence posts and wire. “Can you blame us?” Noah asked, grabbing the tools. “How long’s it been since you were last interested in someone?”
“A while,” he muttered.
Honestly, it had been longer than Josh would care to admit. He wasn’t a very exciting or adventurous man, and he liked his life the way it was. And that was maybe his downfall. When the woman he’d last seriously dated finally admitted she hated the idea of being trapped in this small town, in this world of ranchers and cattle, Josh had let her go without a fight. How could he possibly hold on to someone who wanted more out of life than what he could offer?
Now she was probably chasing rich cowboys across Montana. Which was for the best.
He turned his gaze to the property line. Split Valley stretched out before him in rolling pastures and meadows caught in a sea of sunlight. The cattle barn loomed like a dappled gray mountain, and the roof of his homestead rose up in two small peaks. Beyond that he could just make out the bulk of the herd, a mass of dark shadow, grazing in the farthest pasture. Maybe this was too simple of an existence for some people, but Josh never failed to be struck by its beauty.
“Give me a hand here,” Ryder barked, breaking Josh from his thoughts.
He gathered up one side of the wooden post and helped Ryder carry it over to the fence, replacing the beam that had likely come down during a late winter storm. Noah brought over the toolbox and had a wheel of wire under his arm.
“Watch that there,” Josh said, pointing out the rusty nails sticking out of the old beam. Ryder slipped on a pair of work gloves and dragged the old beam off to the bed of the truck.
As Josh set the new beam in place, his thoughts drifted back to his past. He worried now that a romantic partner was always going to expect more than he could provide. More adventure. More money. More thrilling things than what Tenacity had to offer. And as far as Josh went… He knew he was usually too quiet and too much of a homebody. He preferred the outdoors, getting mud on his boots in the pastures, to being cooped up in some stuffy building or surrounded by crowds of people. His social circle was small, and he liked it like that. Sure, maybe that all made him a bit boring, but was the idea of settling down with him that unfathomable?
“I think this’ll hold,” Noah said, packing earth around the base of the post. “Not going anywhere barring another wild storm.”
“Hopefully we won’t have to worry about one of those until the summer,” Ryder said.
“Looks good,” Josh agreed, giving the beam a shake. It held steady, so he released it, collecting supplies as Ryder and Noah strung new wire to keep the cattle contained. When they were finished and everything was packed back into the truck, they all climbed into the cab. Josh took the long way back to the ranch, doing a quick perimeter check, making sure no other posts had come down while he had Ryder and Noah with him.
“So… Amy,” Noah said after a beat.
Josh laughed and shook his head. “There really is nothing to tell.”
“Well,” Ryder said, “maybe you should make a move and change that.”
Josh hummed thoughtfully. Should he? Should he have asked her for coffee? Or maybe to lunch? Would she have said yes?
“Look,” Ryder said. “I know you love living in Lonely Valley, but it’s okay to venture out of it every now and then. It’s good for you even.”
Josh snorted. Split Valley Ranch had earned its name from the small creek that crossed through the property, but in recent years Ryder had taken to calling it Lonely Valley or even Bachelor Island on occasion.
“I’m not the only one living in Lonely Valley right now,” Josh said pointedly.
Ryder smirked. “I’m not lonely. Trust me. And Noah already has too many obligations to attend to. But you… You need this.”
Josh reached the long gravel drive and drove them toward the house. Once they’d unloaded the truck, they relaxed in the chairs on the porch. Josh went inside to retrieve a couple of beers as a thank-you. When he returned to the porch, Noah looked up at him and said, “We think you should go for it.”
“For what?”
“Amy.”
“I barely know her,” he said. He actually needed to get her off his mind.
Ryder reached for his beer. “That’s the fun of it. Getting to know someone.”
“Besides, what’s the harm in asking her out?”
Josh could think of a lot of things. Maybe she’d flat out refuse. Maybe she’d agree and then realize he wasn’t all that interesting. Would she though? She’d been surprisingly easy to talk to. He opened his beer and took a long sip.
“Remember what you said at the Fur-Ball?” Noah said.
He recalled the fundraiser for Loyal Companions, a local animal rescue organization, but nothing else. “Not particularly. No.”
“You said you weren’t looking for Mrs. Right, just Ms. Right Now . Ring any bells?”
Josh shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Exactly,” Ryder cut in. “This doesn’t have to be anything serious. Everyone deserves to have a little fun now and then. Even the president of Lonely Valley.”
Josh snorted.
Noah shifted in his chair to face Josh. “Look, all I’m saying is if you feel like you hit it off with this woman, why not ask her out?”
“Because it’ll probably end badly. So avoiding the whole thing seems wiser.”
“Sure, if you never put yourself out there, you’ll maybe save yourself the heartache, but you also might miss out on something really great.”
Ryder laughed, almost choking on his beer. “Listen to the two of you, carrying on like the Quilting Club. Josh, you know what your problem is? You need to get laid and stop thinking so much.”
“We can’t all be a Lothario,” Josh muttered.
Ryder grinned and nudged Josh’s shoulder. “I’m serious. Every lady likes a grand gesture. Do something spontaneous, get her attention, and I’m telling you, she’s yours.”
“I don’t know.” The idea of doing anything particularly bold made him uncomfortable, especially without knowing if Amy was in any way interested.
“Better than you sitting around here moping with the cattle about it.”
“I’m not moping.”
“What would you call it then?”
“Look at it this way,” Noah cut in. “If you don’t ask her out, Ryder will probably try. So just think of it like that. You’re saving the girl from a far worse fate than you.”
Josh burst into laughter as Ryder scowled at his brother. Noah spilled his beer down his shirt from snickering so hard.
***
In Josh’s experience, telling himself not to think about something only made him want to dwell on it more. And he was beginning to think that he wasn’t ever going to be able to shake Amy from his thoughts. He’d tried in a lot of ways since his conversation with Noah and Ryder a couple days ago. Really, he had. He’d thrown himself into his work. He’d gotten up earlier and went to bed later. He’d started projects he’d been putting off, and even made an effort to pop into the Tenacity Social Club to catch up with his neighbors.
The problem with ranching was it left him with a lot of time to think. Cattle weren’t the best conversationalists, so his mind wandered. And no matter how often he redirected them, his thoughts inevitably returned to Amy.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and Josh yanked it out, eager for the distraction. An image of his mother filled the screen. Josh answered it. “Hey, Mom. Thought you and Dad would already be on your way.”
“Hi, honey. We just boarded the ship, but we don’t depart for another couple of hours. They need time to get all the passengers and luggage on board. Can you believe your father almost misplaced his passport this morning?”
Josh checked his watch. Seattle was only an hour behind Tenacity. His parents would be destined for Alaska before lunch.
“Your father’s disappeared in this breakfast buffet somewhere. I’ve never seen so much food. Harry!” she shouted suddenly. “Harry, get over here. Josh is on the phone!”
Josh laughed. He could just imagine his father heading straight for an all-you-can-eat platter of bacon. His mother would be spending the entire trip hounding him about his cholesterol.
“Anyway,” his mother continued. “We just wanted to check in before we left. I don’t know when our next chance will be. I’m sure reception will be spotty once we’re out at sea.”
“Right.”
“How are things going?”
“Good. The ranch is good. Calving season is on track.”
“Mmm hmm,” his mother said. “And is that all?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t pester the boy, Margaret,” he heard his father say in the background.
“Quiet, Harry,” his mother said. “I’m talking about this young lady that you’ve met.”
Josh’s jaw dropped. How the heck did she know about Amy all the way in Seattle? “I don’t… I don’t know—”
“Don’t play that game with me, son.”
“What game?”
“I spoke to Iris Strom. She mentioned that Faith said you’d been in the store, talking to some girl named Amy.”
“Yes, because she works there.” Josh sighed. Sometimes small towns were just too dang small. “She was helping me find the feed.”
“Well, is she—” His mother cut off. “Oh, Josh, I have to go. Your father’s found the bacon. Harry! Harold, that’s enough.”
He laughed. “Okay, Mom. You two have a good trip.”
“I’ll send you pictures. And don’t think I’ve forgotten about this Amy person. I want to hear—”
“Think that reception’s getting a little spotty, Mom.”
“Nice try.”
“I’ve gotta go. Love you.” Josh hung up before his mother could finish her sentence about Amy. There was nothing to tell, because they’d only had one conversation. And after the way things went with his last girlfriend, he didn’t need to get his mother’s hopes up.
Despite all that, Amy was still there, hanging out at the edge of his thoughts. Josh figured there was only one thing to do. He rushed through the rest of his chores and got into his truck, then drove down to Strom and Son Feed and Farm Supply.
He pulled into the parking lot, glancing at the front of the building.
What the hell was he doing?
Josh cut the ignition.
He hadn’t driven all the way out here just because his mother had asked about Amy. Okay, not just because his mother had asked. It was because he didn’t know how else to get her off his mind. That was the only reason. He needed to be able to focus on the ranch, and he couldn’t do that if she kept popping into his thoughts.
Maybe Noah and Ryder were right. He should ask her out. What did he have to lose? His heart thumped in his chest. Putting himself out there again felt like a big step, one he didn’t know if he was ready to take. But he’d already come this far. It would be ridiculous to turn back now without even trying.