Valentines for the Rancher
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Kathy Douglass
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16,4K
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14
HarlequinChapter One
Jillian Adams lowered her car window, letting in the fresh mountain air. Although it was quite cold, she took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scents before pressing the button and raising the window. After three years of living in Kansas City, Kansas, it felt good to be back in Aspen Creek, Colorado. Just seeing the soaring pine trees and snow-covered Rockies confirmed that she’d done the right thing by returning home.
“It won’t be long now, Lilliana,” she said. There was no reply from the backseat but she wasn’t expecting one. At two years old, her daughter still fell asleep within minutes of getting in the car and generally didn’t awaken until the ride ended. Back when Lilliana was a fussy newborn and Jillian had been an exhausted new mom, she’d started taking her daughter out on drives to get her to fall asleep. Even in those early days of parenthood, Evan couldn’t be bothered to help care for his own child. Saying he needed his rest, he’d roll over in bed and go back to sleep. As if Jillian hadn’t been run ragged from long hours at work, often feeling like she was on the verge of collapse. But Jillian would put Lilliana in her car seat and drive around until she nodded off.
Evan’s attitude had been a clear sign that he didn’t care a whit about Jillian or their child, but Jillian hadn’t picked up on it. She’d been too busy caring for the baby and the house and working a full-time job to notice much of anything. As a result, she’d been blindsided five months ago when he’d told her that he wanted out of the marriage, dropped divorce papers on the kitchen table, grabbed his duffle and left.
Last month, she’d informed her landlord that she wouldn’t be renewing her lease. She’d given notice at work, packed up her belongings, rented a trailer, gotten behind the wheel of her Ford Escape and hit the road. Her father and brothers had volunteered to help her move, but she’d turned them down. She needed to do this on her own, without inconveniencing anyone. Besides, she relished the time alone to think.
She’d learned several hard lessons over the past years, the main one being to listen to her brain and ignore her heart. Her heart had led her down the wrong road twice: first to her longtime boyfriend, Miles Montgomery, and then to Evan. Either her heart didn’t have her best interest in mind, or it couldn’t tell the right man from the wrong one. Either way, Jillian wasn’t going to follow it again.
She wasn’t interested in romance, anyway. She didn’t have the time or energy to spend on love. All of her focus had to be on getting her life back on track and caring for her little girl. Although her parents had said she and Lilliana could stay with them as long as she’d like, Jillian intended for it to be a temporary arrangement.
The first thing she needed to do was get a job. That should be easy enough. She could return to her old job at her family’s resort. Although Aspen Creek was known mostly for its skiing, snowmobiling and other outdoor winter activities, it was a destination twelve months of the year. In the off-season, vacationers came to enjoy the hiking, horseback riding, fishing and hot springs. As a result, the summer months were nearly as busy as the winter, so there would be plenty of work.
Jillian saw the exit sign for Aspen Creek and turned off the highway. Driving down the familiar roads brought back happy memories of times she’d spent with her friends. She passed the diner and smiled as she recalled the times she and her friends had spent there, eating burgers and milkshakes and talking about boys.
Her smile faded when she passed the Eating Is Believing seafood restaurant, the site of her last date with Miles Montgomery. The dinner that had ended it all. Despite the passage of time, her stomach seized, and she stepped on the gas, speeding past the restaurant. But it was too late. Despite telling herself the past was dead, the memory of her first romantic misadventure was there in living color.
Their mothers were best friends, so she and Miles had been close since childhood. They’d been high school sweethearts and they’d dated throughout college. Jillian had believed they were on their way to making a lifetime commitment, but he’d had plans that hadn’t included her.
When Miles had told her he wanted to have a serious discussion, she’d bought a new dress and shoes and gotten her hair and nails done in anticipation of great things. She’d stepped into the restaurant believing that he was going to propose and that she would be going home engaged to the man she’d loved all her life. Instead he’d told her they needed to evaluate their relationship. They’d dated exclusively since they were fourteen—a total of nine years—and in his opinion they’d gotten serious too soon. She’d accused him of dating someone behind her back, something he’d denied. But he hadn’t denied wanting to see other women, which in her mind was just as bad.
“And that’s how I ended up with your daddy,” Jillian said to her sleeping daughter. In retrospect, Evan had been her rebound guy. She’d just been too hurt to see it back then. Too determined to show Miles that she’d moved on, too. She’d tried to make the relationship into something it could never be. Even so, she couldn’t regret their marriage because Lilliana, her greatest joy, had been the result.
Jillian drove the rest of the way to her parents’ house, telling herself to stop brooding and to think positive thoughts. Her parents were thrilled she and Lilliana were moving home and she wasn’t going to be a downer, moping around and showing everyone how hurt and confused she was. The last thing she wanted to do was be a Gloomy Gina and depress everyone. She was going to be Suzie Sunshine if it killed her. It shouldn’t be hard to do given how often she’d pretended that everything in her marriage was fine. She couldn’t count the number of times she’d pretended that Evan was a good husband, lying to her friends and coworkers. Lying to herself. She’d pasted on a smile, hoping that if she acted as if he was a devoted husband and father, he would magically morph into one. It hadn’t worked.
She pulled onto the road leading past the resort and to her parents’ house. Her paternal grandparents had built the resort over forty years ago. At the time, there had been only five small cabins and three slopes. Now there were over two hundred deluxe hotel rooms and suites. People came from far and near to enjoy the many amenities the Aspen Creek Resort provided.
Located in the mountains twenty-five minutes outside of town, the resort now occupied two hundred prime acres. Her family’s house was on the land, as well, but far enough away from the resort for them to have privacy. Her parents had run the resort all of her life, although they’d begun stepping back, allowing Jillian’s eldest brother, Grant, to take more control of the day-to-day operations.
Jillian took in the spectacular views before parking near the house. She’d barely gotten out of the car when the front door opened and her mother stepped onto the front porch. Her mother called over her shoulder for Jillian’s father and then darted down the stairs. Valerie pulled Jillian into a strong embrace, rocking her back and forth, silently communicating that everything would be okay. Mom was here. Jillian closed her eyes and leaned into her mother’s arms, basking in the warmth and comfort she found there.
After a few seconds, Jillian eased away and wiped a stray tear from her cheek. She wasn’t a little girl any longer. Not only was she an adult, but she was a mother. She was the one who had to make everything okay for her own daughter. Lilliana was going to be counting on her for...well, everything. Although Evan deposited regular child support payments into Jillian’s bank account, she hadn’t heard a word from him since he’d left and didn’t expect to. Three weeks ago, she’d had a lawyer review the divorce papers. Everything had been straightforward, so she’d signed where indicated and he’d filed the papers on her behalf. She’d received the final divorce decree two days ago, putting an end to her marriage.
“It’s good to have you home,” Valerie said. “Your room is all set for you. We moved a couple of pieces of furniture out to make room for Lilliana’s crib. We figured with her being in a strange place, she’d feel more comfortable sharing a room with you for a while.”
“That’s fine. Thanks.”
At that moment, Lilliana let out a loud cry. Jillian had been expecting it. Lilliana liked the motion of the car, but the minute it stopped she wanted out. Any delay would turn Jillian’s ordinarily sunny child into a cranky toddler.
“Let me have a look at my grandbaby,” Valerie said, opening the back door. She had Lilliana out of the car seat and in her arms before the child could get a good cry going. Valerie was an expert when it came to fussy children. She’d raised four kids all while helping to manage a successful business. She chucked Lilliana under her chin and then kissed her on her chubby cheek. Lilliana laughed gustily, clearly pleased to be in her grandmother’s arms.
“Well, well, who do we have here?” Jillian’s father said, jogging down the stairs.
“Daddy,” Jillian said, rushing into her father’s outstretched arms. She’d always been a daddy’s girl, following her father around and getting dirtier than her three older brothers put together. Her brothers had teased her, calling her Pigpen after the Peanuts character who traveled with a cloud of dust wherever he went, but Henry had protected her.
“How’s my little Jilly Bean?” Her father had been the first to call her that and it had stuck, becoming the family’s nickname for her.
“Not so little anymore.”
“Maybe not, but you’re still my little girl. Now, let’s get all this stuff unpacked and get you out of the cold. You’ll need a few minutes to change before everyone gets here.”
“Who’s everyone and why are they coming here today?” It had been a long drive and she was looking forward to soaking in the tub and then enjoying a quiet night with her family.
“It’s nothing big, so wipe that frown off your face before it freezes that way,” her mother said as she climbed the stairs, Lilliana in one arm and the diaper bag thrown over the other. “It’s just your brothers and some friends who want to stop by and say hello. So we’re having a little gathering.”
“Marty’s manning the grill and Grant had a meeting he couldn’t reschedule. Victor’s shift at the fire department won’t end for a while, so it’s just the two of us moving in your stuff,” her father added. Jillian inhaled and got a whiff of smoky charcoal and grilling meat that she hadn’t noticed before.
Henry and Jillian began unloading the trailer, then followed Jillian’s mother into the house. Valerie was in the process of putting a clean diaper on Lilliana when they stepped into the living room. Jillian preferred cloth diapers, using disposable ones only in emergencies. Her mother was holding a soaked cloth diaper in one hand while trying to hold a squirming Lilliana in place long enough to put a diaper on her bare bottom.
“I’ll take that,” Jillian said, putting down the boxes she was carrying and grabbing the wet diaper from her mother.
“Thanks. I never could get the hang of those things. Plastic tabs were so much easier.”
Jillian dropped the soiled diaper into a bag she kept for just that purpose. “The plastic cover has Velcro so it’s just as easy. All you do is put the diaper in and go.”
Jillian exchanged places with her mother and in a few seconds, Lilliana was in a clean diaper. Jillian snapped the buttons on the pink corduroy pants with yellow butterflies and set her daughter on her feet again. Lilliana laughed and ran straight for her grandmother, who swooped her up. Seeing Lilliana bond with Valerie warmed Jillian’s heart. Although she loved her parents, the distance between them and their busy schedules kept them from getting together as often as they would have liked. Jillian was thrilled that Lilliana would be close to her grandparents and uncles now.
Valerie kissed the baby’s cheek. “Grandma made cookies.”
“Mom,” Jillian said.
“Don’t start. She’s in a new place. We want her to feel at home.”
Jillian sighed. There was no sense in arguing over a treat. “Just one.”
“Of course,” Valerie said with a smile. “I don’t want to spoil her dinner.”
“No, you’re just going to spoil the baby,” Henry said.
Jillian laughed at the put-out expression on her mother’s face. Jillian wasn’t one for giving Lilliana too many treats, but she knew that food was her mother’s favorite way of showing love. Valerie baked gorgeous birthday cakes from scratch for her family, made elaborate Sunday dinners and often sent baked goods to her friends when they were sick, or just because they were on her mind. Food was her love language and she spoke it fluently.
Truth be told, Lilliana could use all of the love she could get. They both could. These past months had been rough. Although Jillian realized she needed to stand on her own two feet, it was nice knowing that there were loving arms willing to uphold her—or even carry her—when she needed it.
Henry insisted on toting the heavy boxes, so Jillian grabbed a couple lighter ones and followed him to her room. It was sad to see just how little she owned. All her worldly possessions had fit in a rented trailer. But starting fresh would be easier without a bunch of reminders from the past, so she’d donated or given away quite a bit.
“I’ll just leave the boxes here inside the door. You can put things wherever you want,” her father said, going back downstairs to grab more of her belongings.
After two trips, everything was inside. He’d put the playpen and the boxes of Lilliana’s toys in the family room and set the highchair in the kitchen. Jillian wasn’t in the mood to unpack, so she headed outside to talk to her brother.
“Hey,” she said, stepping onto the covered patio. “If it’s not Party Marty.”
“And Jilly Bean, together again,” Marty said, reaching out to give her a big hug.
After embracing him, she stood back and gave her brother a close look. At twenty-nine, Marty was nearest to her in age and always up for anything. They’d once been partners in crime, getting into more than a little bit of trouble. Now he smiled broadly, a twinkle in his eyes. He might be on the verge of kissing the twenties goodbye, but there was still plenty of mischief in Marty.
“Need help?”
He shook his head. “Nah.”
“Don’t say I didn’t offer.” She draped a blanket over her shoulders and dropped into a comfortable chair in front of the firepit. She watched as her brother opened the enormous grill and turned the meat. There were several slabs of ribs cooking in indirect heat.
“This is the easy part. You should have been here when I was seasoning the chicken and steaks and doing the other prep work.” He gestured at a pile of foil-wrapped potatoes on a tray near a smaller grill to be cooked later. A few dozen ears of corn were soaking in a huge pot of water. There was easily enough food for thirty people.
Jillian looked at the tent that had been set up at the edge of the lawn. It was enormous. A few workers were wheeling in round tables while others carried in chairs. “Just how big is this shindig? Mom said it was just family and a couple of close friends.”
“You know Mom. She’s never been good at math. Especially when it comes to counting friends.”
“Yeah.” Valerie had never met a stranger. To her, everyone was a potential friend. And good friends were soon counted as family.
“What time is this little party supposed to start?”
“Around five. So that leaves you plenty of time to shower and get into something nice. Maybe do something with your hair.”
“What’s wrong with the way I look?”
“Nothing if you’re going for the bedraggled traveler look.”
Jillian glanced at her clothes. She hated to admit it, especially to Marty, who as usual was impeccably dressed, but she was a mess. She’d packed the trailer last night so she wouldn’t have a lot to do today. She’d tossed and turned in an uncomfortable sleeping bag while Lilliana had slept in her playpen. It was still dark when she’d gotten up and thrown on yesterday’s jeans and a long-sleeve flannel shirt that had seen better days. She’d yanked her hair into a messy ponytail that no doubt resembled a bird’s nest by now. And somehow she’d gotten some of Lilliana’s snack on her clothes. She scraped at the orange goo that had dried on her jeans. “You try traveling with a toddler.”
“So you’re blaming the ketchup and mustard stains on your shirt on Lilliana?”
“No. Those are mine,” she admitted, grimacing. She’d eaten one-handed in a fast-food restaurant while trying to keep Lilliana entertained.
“Where is my niece, by the way?”
“She’s in the kitchen with Mom, getting her sugar high on.”
“It’s funny how becoming a grandmother has made Mom much more easygoing. Remember when we were kids? She didn’t let us have cookies before dinner. We had to sneak them and hope she didn’t notice.”
Jillian laughed as she recalled the many times she’d acted as lookout while Marty, Victor and Grant had raided the cookie jar. “I know. I was scared of getting caught but it was worth the risk.”
Marty sprayed the meat with his secret ingredient, closed the grill and then picked up his beer. He gave her a searching look. “So how are you? Really.”
She let her smile fall away. She didn’t have to pretend to be Happy Hannah with her brother. “Taking it day by day.”
Marty nodded, but that gesture held a lot of meaning. In that one movement, he’d let her know that he understood how she felt. And that he was there whenever she needed him. It was good to be back home among people who loved her. People she could depend on. A lump formed in her throat, and it took effort to swallow.
She stood and tugged at her stained shirt. “I guess I’d better go shower and find something decent to wear.”
“It wouldn’t hurt.” He flashed her a smile. “I’ll go inside with you. I want to get my chance to spoil my niece.”
They stepped inside together. While Marty went into the kitchen, Jillian climbed the back stairs and headed to her room. She dug out outfits for herself and Lilliana She didn’t know what the future held, but it would be easier to face wearing clean clothes. She gave Lilliana a quick bath, dressed her in a cute dress and styled her hair with matching bows before handing her off to Valerie who wanted to show her grandchild off to her friends.
Then it was her turn. After her shower, Jillian dressed in a green cable-knit sweater, black jeans and boots, feeling much better now that she was out of her grungy clothes. Inhaling deeply, she went downstairs and followed the sound of laughter across the backyard.
The party was already in full swing by the time she entered the tent. Heaters had been set up and the space was toasty. Welcoming. Several long tables were set up with a buffet at one end while round tables filled another side, leaving a dance floor in the middle. There was even a DJ. This was a celebration fit for a conquering hero, not a woman coming home to lick her wounds.
She looked around at the people and immediately spotted Erica, her best friend since high school. They hadn’t talked much after Jillian had moved away, but when they hugged, the years fell away and they took up where they’d left off.
“I just saw your daughter. Lilliana is gorgeous. And so friendly,” Erica said as they dragged chairs from a table to a quiet corner. Jillian knew she would have to make the rounds at some point, but that would have to wait until after she’d caught up with her old friend.
“Thanks. It’s so good to see you. I can’t believe I let so much time pass without talking to you.”
Erica shrugged in her familiar, laid-back way. “I let the same amount of time pass. But we’re together now and I’m ready to fill you in on all the Aspen Creek gossip.”
Jillian laughed. She knew there would be plenty of funny anecdotes and newsy tidbits, but none of it would be mean-spirited. Erica was too sweet for that. Hopefully none of the stories would involve Miles. She didn’t think she could bear to hear about him. She forced him from her mind. What difference would it make if Erica refrained from talking about Miles if Jillian constantly thought of him?
Erica was launching into a story when three of their high school friends joined them.
“So this is where the party people are hanging out,” Lauren, a slender woman with a friendly smile, said. Jillian hugged her and then embraced Courtney, Lauren’s, fraternal twin. The sisters were part of the close-knit group of friends.
“Erica was just about to get me caught up on all the news.”
“You mean the sanitized version. We’ll give you the real dirt later,” Courtney said with a mischievous grin.
They laughed. “Did you hear that Theresa retired and moved to Arizona?” Lauren asked.
“No way,” Jillian said.
Theresa had been their favorite waitress at the diner. She’d smiled when as preteens they’d plotted ways to get certain boys to notice them, put extra whipped cream on their milkshakes when they hadn’t gotten the leads in school plays, and cheered alongside them when they’d achieved a goal.
“Yep. The end of an era,” Erica said.
“I hope they gave her a party.”
“They did. The whole town showed up. There’s a new waitress now, but nobody will ever replace Theresa.
“I’m sorry I missed it.”
“Us, too. But you’re back now. And you’ll be here for everything in the future.”
“That’s true.” She was home now and had no intention of leaving any time soon.
As her friends continued to catch her up on the latest goings on, it began to feel like old times. She’d missed this. Missed them. After a while, Jillian stood. “I guess I need to do the good mother thing and go and find my daughter. And then I need to circulate.”
“Speaking of your daughter, there’s a playgroup in town that you might want to bring her to. It meets twice a week at the library. I take my nephew there every once in a while,” Lauren said.
“That sounds good. I want Lilliana to get into the swing of things as soon as possible.”
“I’ll text you the information.”
Jillian nodded, then headed off to mingle, greeting neighbors and family friends. After making a circuit of the tent, she found Lilliana in the company of Jillian’s brothers. Marty was holding her in his arms. Her daughter was frowning and Grant and Victor were trying to get her to smile. Jillian watched in amusement as her brothers played with dolls in an attempt to coax a smile from Lilliana.
“Hey guys,” Jillian said. She hugged each of her brothers, taking a moment to savor their strong embraces.
“It’s about time you found your way over here,” Grant said, holding her at arms’ length. “I was beginning to get a complex.”
“No way. You know you’re my favorite oldest brother.” Jillian turned to Victor, “And you’re my favorite middle brother.”
“And you’re our favorite sister.”
They all laughed at the old family joke.
Hearing Jillian’s voice, Lilliana reached out.
“I guess you’re feeling a bit neglected,” Jillian said.
“Not hardly,” Marty replied. “Lilliana is the star of the show. She’s just angry that I won’t let her have any of my beer. I might have given her a sip, but I had a feeling you wouldn’t like it.”
Jillian shook her head as she took Lilliana from Marty. Lilliana reached for the beer and Marty held it away from her, making the baby pout again. “Let’s get you some juice of your own.”
“Juice?” Lilliana said, clapping her chubby hands.
“Why didn’t you say you were thirsty?” Victor asked, grinning. He held out the doll and Lilliana grabbed it and tucked it under her arm. “I would have given you juice.”
“Do you want me to get it for you?” Grant asked.
“That’s all right. It won’t take but a minute.” Jillian went into the kitchen where she quickly filled a sippy cup with apple juice and then returned to the party. Dinner was being served and Jillian joined her friends at a table. Valerie took Lilliana, saying she wanted to borrow her for a bit. Jillian knew that was code for give Lilliana whatever she wanted to eat, but it was a party, after all.
“This had to be the best steak I’ve ever eaten,” Courtney said as they finished eating. “I think I might be falling in love with Marty.”
“Not again,” Lauren said, setting her cutlery on her empty plate and dabbing at her mouth.
Marty had been just the right age for Jillian’s friends to have crushes on. When they’d come over, her friends had made a point of running into Marty, dissolving into giggles when he’d speak to them. He was always friendly to them, somewhat amused by the attention. Jillian had never seen the attraction, but then he was her brother. Even so, she’d been glad when her friends had turned their attention to other boys.
“If you weren’t a vegetarian, you’d understand,” Courtney said.
“I’m not to the point of giving him my heart,” Erica added, “but these ribs are the best. A one-or-two-night stand might be in order.”
“Please stop,” Jillian said, covering her eyes with her hands. “I don’t need that image in my head.”
Her friends looked at each other and they all laughed. “Only because the DJ is setting up to play,” Courtney said.
“Whatever it takes.”
The first few bars of music played and they jumped to their feet and headed for the dance floor. The DJ played an endless stream of line dances, so partners weren’t necessary. After about twenty minutes or so, Jillian and many of the other women present, had kicked off their heels, a sign that they intended to do some serious partying.
When the DJ announced that he was about to play his last song, there was a chorus of good-natured groaning.
The end of dancing marked the end of the party, and Jillian found herself once more enveloped in hugs. Although she had been happy to see her friends and neighbors, she was also happy when the last guest left. It had been a long day and her bed was calling.
“I’ll help with cleanup,” she said to her mother as she stepped into the kitchen.
“You’ll do no such thing. I know you’re tired. Your father put Lilliana in her crib a while ago and she’s sleeping soundly, so you don’t have to worry about her. Go to bed or put your feet up and read.”
“If you’re sure,” Jillian said, right before she yawned.
“I am.” Her mother pulled her into a warm hug. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to have you home.”
Jillian returned her mother’s embrace. “I’m glad to be back. I missed you.”
Although she’d had a full day, Jillian was too wired to sleep so she put a coat over her pajamas and sat on the balcony outside her bedroom. Her parents had insisted that their home be as luxurious as the rooms they provided guests at the resort. Of course, there was no room service or housekeeping, but the house was spacious, and Jillian appreciated being able to enjoy the view of the Rockies, something she’d missed while living in Kansas.
As she stared at the mountains in the dark night, she couldn’t help but think of Miles and the many nights he’d stood beneath the balcony and called out to her. He could have marched up the front steps and rung the doorbell or called her on the phone. Her parents and his were good friends and Valerie and Henry had adored him. When she’d pointed that out to him, he’d only laughed and said it was more romantic this way. And he’d been right. Her heart had always skipped a beat whenever she heard pebbles click against her sliding doors seconds before he called her name.
Perhaps he’d also been right about ending things. Maybe they had been swept up in the romance of it all and needed a reality check before they took the next step in their relationship. Who knew? Did it matter now? They were over and had been for years. It was water under the bridge.
She hadn’t thought of Miles in years so why was he suddenly on her mind? Maybe it was being back home where they’d made so many memories. Whatever the cause, she wasn’t going to let it become a habit. Miles Montgomery was out of her life, and she was determined to keep it that way.
