Chapter Three
Everyone was already around the breakfast table when Dylan walked in on Saturday morning.
As he’d predicted, he hadn’t slept well last night.
Between steamy dreams of the long-legged brunette in black underwear, he’d woken up out of breath and in desperate need of a cold shower.
He’d probably had three before he’d finally dozed off early this morning.
“Morning,” Carson said. “So what happened to you last night? You said you’d join us at Grey’s.”
Dylan pulled out a chair. “Morning, everyone. I gave a friend of Ellie’s a lift into town. Her car broke down a few miles out of town.”
Ellie’s eyes widened. “Are you talking about June?”
He shrugged. “She didn’t give her name but said she’s a friend of yours.”
Ellie grinned. “Sounds like June. Thank you for giving her a lift into town. What about her car? I’ll—”
“I phoned someone last night,” Dylan said. “They’ve already picked it up, I just checked.”
“Thanks, Dylan,” Ellie said. “That is so sweet of you. I’m going into town this morning, so I’ll check if June has everything she needs. Where was she when you found her? Still in her car?”
Dylan kept his eyes on his plate. He’d quickly discovered how members of this family could read minds. And seriously? No one should even get a glimpse of his thoughts this morning. “She left her car at the side of the road and was walking into town with her baggage.”
“A red suitcase,” Luke, Hayden’s nine-year-old son, said. Like his aunt Willow and uncle Cooper, he had the uncanny ability to read minds.
“And you like her.” Willow, Hayden, Becket, and Cooper’s sister grinned. “So if you got home early, why do you look like someone who hasn’t slept at all last night?”
He ignored Willow’s questions. She was the worst. Cooper had the grace to not always say what he could see or read or whatever you called it, but Willow didn’t have any such qualms or filters when it came to her family members, which now, apparently, also included him.
“Who is June?” Carson asked, saving Dylan from having to ask the burning question.
“June Kincaid,” Becket said. “She’s the editor who came to see me last year—”
“And then Ellie thought he was dating another woman,” Willow interrupted him.
Laughing, Ellie leaned against Becket’s shoulder.
“That was of course before I knew how Becket feels about me. While June was signing Becket with the publishing company she works for, she fell in love with our town. When she phoned to say she had some leave and wanted to spend time here, I offered her our house in town. I mentioned it at the table, but you guys were probably talking about work. She’ll be working online but hopes she’ll have time to work on the children’s story she’s been thinking about. ”
“She’s such a beauty.” Laura, Hayden’s wife, smiled. “She created quite a stir in town during her last visit.”
“Well, Marietta has more than enough single men who’ll be very happy to show her around town,” Willow said.
Dylan quickly looked up.
“Ha,” Willow laughed, pointing at him. “Thought so. You’re smitten with the editor.”
Hunter Grant, Willow’s husband, pulled her close for a kiss. “Stop reading people’s minds!”
Dylan swallowed the last of his coffee, his appetite gone.
There was work to be done, even on a Saturday.
Breeding season was later, but they were already planning ahead.
They had to schedule a Breeding Soundness Exam on all the bulls in time, something that had to be done every year before the breeding season to make sure the bulls were fertile and that they were physically capable of mounting and breeding the cows.
“Before you leave, Dylan, we’re all going to the farmer’s market next Saturday,” Rose, Cooper’s wife said. “Isabella has a food stall this year, and we’re all going to support her.”
“I also have a booth for my photographs,” Carson said.
“That’s great.” Rose smiled. “The food stalls will be at the courthouse gardens where we’ll have a picnic around lunch.”
“I hope you guys will join us,” Hayden added.
“Ooh and there’s a dance at the Graff on Saturday night,” Laura said looking at her sisters-in-law. “What about a shopping trip to Bozeman?”
“I’m in,” Ellie said as she got up. “Hopefully we can persuade June to join us. And I hope she’ll come to our book club meetings while she’s here.” Hugging Becket around his neck, she kissed him. “Do you need anything from town?”
“So Dylan, Carson, what do you say?” Willow asked. “Will you join us? That is, of course, if you don’t already have hot dates.”
“You can leave Daisy with our dogs on Saturday night if you want to,” Cooper said.
Shrugging, Dylan got up. “Thanks, maybe.”
Carson was also already on his way out and with a nod, Dylan followed his brother outside.
June. The word conjured up images of ripe fruit, long, warm days, and cool mountain lakes. Suits her.
*
Whether it had been the strange bed or the handsome stranger she’d met the night before, June didn’t know, but her overactive mind kept her awake all night long.
She’d finally woken up around ten and gone for a run. After a shower, she was feeling more like a human being. Someone, probably Ellie, had filled the fridge with enough food to last her a whole month. It was a relief not to have to go shopping for food. She wouldn’t even know where to go anyway.
Late morning, she was in the kitchen having coffee when the sound of a vehicle pulling up penetrated her thoughts.
Heart racing, she looked out of the kitchen window. But it wasn’t Dylan’s truck as she’d thought for a moment. She recognized the five women who got out of the car immediately. Ellie and her sisters-in-law, if she wasn’t mistaken. The older woman was Becket’s mom.
Before they could knock, she was opening the door. It was lovely to see familiar faces. “I’m so glad to see you!” she called out.
Before she knew what was happening, she was enveloped in a group hug.
For a brief moment, soft, feminine arms held her close in a shelter of flowery scents and laughter.
Something warm opened up inside of her. She’d never been much of a hugger, but this group of women embraced her so warmly, so easily, she felt like crying.
“Hello!” Ellie smiled looking at her. “Mmmm, did you also struggle to fall sleep last night?”
June nodded. “Probably the strange bed.”
“Or maybe the handsome cowboy who gave you a lift into town?” Willow chuckled.
June’s eyes widened. “How …?”
Everyone laughed.
“Let me put you in the picture before you hear all the other wild versions out there.” Willow grinned.
“Dylan, the cowboy you met last night and his brother Carson are our cousins. Apparently, our dad and their dad had a big fight ages ago and the ranch was split up. Growing up, we never visited them, but of course, we saw each other in school and in town. Now that the older generation have mostly passed away, Hayden had the idea to consolidate the two ranches again. Both Dylan and Carson liked the idea and have since moved to The Weston Ranch. They’re experts on seedstock production and know everything there is to know about breeding. ”
“Initially they both stayed in Walker’s house,” Laura added, “but Carson recently moved into the house he built for himself. They both have their meals with us. Isabella’s cooking, as you will discover, is to die for. Carson’s also a great photographer, by the way. You should look at what he does.”
June struggled to process everything she was hearing. So Dylan was a Weston? No wonder his smile looked familiar.
Becket’s mother took June’s arm. “Let’s make tea, and I’ll tell you all about our family. If you’re going to be staying here for a while, you’re going to hear about the weird Westons, mark my words.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Weston.”
Momma Weston was already moving toward the kitchen. “Arlene, please.”
Minutes later they were all settled around the kitchen table, each with a cup of tea Ellie had made.
“You see, June”—Willow grinned—“some of us Westons have inherited more than just money from our Irish grandmother.”
“My mother was fey, you see,” Arlene said as if she was talking about something completely ordinary.
“She knew when something was wrong and read our minds. Everything, and I mean everything we were thinking, she would know about. You can imagine how we hated that. I haven’t inherited it but Willow, like her grandma, can sense when something is wrong. ”
Rose grinned. “And be warned—if you have thoughts you prefer to hide, don’t even look at her. She sees everything. Seriously, duck or walk away.”
“Luke,” Laura said, “also seems to have it. I’m married to Hayden, the oldest Weston brother and Luke is technically Hayden’s son but since I’ve married his dad, he’s mine too. Just this morning while Dylan was talking about you, Luke said you have a red suitcase.”
Startled, June looked up.
Willow smiled. “Well, look at you, all bright-eyed about our Dylan.”
“I’m not … I don’t understand … how does Luke know I have a red suitcase?”
But the time she’d stopped stuttering, everyone was grinning.
Rose patted her hand. “Nothing to be ashamed of, June. All the Weston men have a tendency to make one stutter. We’ve all been there.”
“It’s not … I’m not stuttering …” Giving up, June pressed her fingers against her eyes. “Okay, okay, I’m stuttering, but it’s not … I’m not …” She couldn’t even talk. What had happened to her clear, analytical mind?
Laura, who was sitting next to June, gave her a hug.
“We’re just teasing. You’ll unfortunately have to get used to it.
If Aurelia Hill hears that you’ve been in Dylan’s truck—and she will, mark my words—the whole town will know about it by nightfall.
The fact that everyone knows everything about you around here gets a bit much, but remember we all also care very deeply for one another.
Enough teasing for the day. We’re actually here to tell you about all the exciting things happening in and around our town next weekend. ”
June’s brain was finally working again. “Just back up a bit. I’ve heard about Cooper and Becket but who is Walker?”
The smiles dropped.
“One of my sons,” Arlene said softly. “There was an accident a few years back. He didn’t make it. I like to think that he’s keeping an eye on all of us.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” June said, her throat tight.
“Before we all burst into tears,” Willow sniffed, “let’s get back to next weekend. On Saturday morning there will be a farmer’s market on Main Street and afterward, we’ll have a picnic in the gardens of the courthouse.”
“And Saturday night there will be a dance at the Graff Hotel,” Rose added.
June’s mind was spinning. “Thanks, but I don’t want to intrude …”
“Of course you’re not intruding,” Willow said. “We’re inviting you to go with us. Everyone goes. Even the dance is not like a couples’ thing, you’ll see. Old and young attend.”
“We’ll pick you up, of course. And we’re going shopping in Bozeman on Wednesday morning to get dresses for the dance,” Ellie said. “Please say you’ll join us?”
Rose laughed. “Shopping with these women is a whole different experience, I have to warn you.”
Everyone was talking so fast, June struggled to process all the information.
Dance. Shopping. Bozeman. That was where the nearest airport was.
“I don’t really need anything and I don’t know if I’ll go to the dance, but I’d love to see more of Bozeman.
The previous time I was there, I only saw the airport. ”
Everyone had a story to tell about shopping in Bozeman, and by the time they were leaving it was a few hours later.
“We have to go,” Ellie said as she got up. “Why don’t you come with me to the ranch for the afternoon?”
“Thanks, not today,” June said quickly. The Westons were so nice, but she needed time alone to process.
“Lunch on Sundays is at my house,” Arlene said. “Please say you’ll join us?”
Ellie took Arlene’s arm. “I think we’ve overwhelmed June; let’s give her time to settle in. I’ll call you. If you decide to go, we can pick you up.”
“Thank you, Ellie,” June said. “And thank you for letting me stay in your beautiful home and for the fully stocked fridge and freezer. Please let me know what I owe you?”
“It’s my pleasure,” Ellie grinned. “You’ve done so much for Becket. This is our way of saying thank you. We want you to enjoy your stay so much, you’ll decide to stay!”
“Oh, no, I’m just here for a while,” June said.
Both Rose and Ellie burst out laughing. “That’s what we said!”
Still talking and laughing they finally left, leaving a waft of flowery scent and a sense of joy in their wake.
As June closed the door, she shook her head. She was reeling from the information overload she’d just been given. A farmer’s market, a picnic, a dance?
And she’d thought she was going to have a quiet life in Marietta.