Montana Gift Read online

  He offered his arm.

  She hesitated before accepting the gesture. "Are you sure you're hungry? I could have waited. I'm trying to cut back on my pain pills. I think sitting without moving my foot was harder on my ankle than I expected. My therapist warned me but I..."

  "You did it Bailey's way."

  He expected to see her get her back up, but she surprised him and laughed.

  "More a case of being blocked in by a human obelisk. I lost my powers to levitate a few years back."

  His laugh seemed to surprise her. It sure as heck did him.

  Her expression softened. Her smile one he remembered far too well. Crap. This maintaining his distance was going to be harder than he thought.

  "You have to eat something, OC. The doctor won't let you come home until you have a bowel movement."

  Oscar Jenkins double-fisted the thin, scratchy sheets at his side. He hated everything about this so-called hospital. The thin plastic mattress, the crappy sheets and pilled, nappy cotton blanket. But worst of all, he detested the crappy slop they tried to pass off as food.

  "Honey, please. Bailey's coming. She'll be at the house when I bring you home...if you eat and...eliminate."

  "Shit. Say it, Luly. For once in your life, call it like it is."

  Louise Billingham Jenkins. His wife of nearly forty years blushed like the young woman she’d been when they first met. Sweet. Innocent. Still was. Even after all this time in constant contact with him--the lowest piece of scat that ever rolled off Copper Mountain.

  "Don't be coarse." She advanced on him with a spoon and a palm-sized cup of something beige. "Try the pudding. You said you liked it."

  He snarled and pressed his head and shoulders into the skinny foam pillow. "Must have been the drugs."

  She held the shimmery, flesh-tone glob a few inches from his lips. The tiny quake of her hand compromised his resolve. He opened his mouth, clamped down on the spoon and wouldn't let go. Louise frowned sternly, but he could tell she was fighting back a smile.

  "Baby."

  He covered her hand with his tenderly, before prying the handle free. The banana-flavored slop lodged in the back of his throat and nearly gagged him, but he forced it down.

  "I can feed myself."

  She turned away--probably so he couldn't see her smile of triumph. Louise wasn't one to gloat. Not that he'd given her many opportunities for jubilation during their years together. When he looked back at his life--and he'd had plenty of time for retrospection since his body started falling apart, he couldn't say for sure why she'd put up with all his crap for so damn long. He sure as hell wouldn't have stuck around if the shoe had been on the other foot.

  I'd have lit out just like Bailey did.

  His gaze fell to the flat stretch of covers where his left foot should have rested. His appetite disappeared. His mouth turned dry.

  Life as he knew it was gone. And despite his pissing and moaning about the skyrocketing costs of fishing licenses and gas and idiot clients and the government's nose in his business, OC loved hunting and fishing and teaching even the dumbest flatlander how to catch a trout or two.

  And, now, thanks to his cussed orneriness--and some poorly timed budget cuts at the library, he and Louise were looking at serious financial problems.

  Louise had tried to keep the worst of it from him. But yesterday, she'd tearfully admitted her fears.

  "We're in bad shape, Oscar. Crawford County changed insurance companies last year and our co-pay went up. Plus, they're trying to disallow one of your surgeries. If I miss any more work, I might not even qualify for the library's policy. And with you not being able to work, our savings is pretty much gone."

  "The company can't be bankrupt," he said. "Jack told me we lost a few bookings, but he's been out with clients every day--even on Sunday."

  Jack Sawyer had worked for Jenkins' Fish and Game off and on for sixteen years. His wife, Marla, handled the company's bookings and website.

  "Jack's good, but he's not you, Oscar. And even if he were as good as you, people don't pay big bucks to go fishing with Jack Sawyer. They want the Fish Whisperer."

  OC took another bite of puke pudding to keep from sneering. The name was a joke, of course. Tossed out in Wolf's Den one night when he'd started howling for some dumb reason. To his chagrin, the name stuck. And bookings picked up.

  Apparently, the Fish Whisperer even had a blog--whatever that was.

  Now, thanks to OC's ridiculous so-called fame, Jenkins' Fish and Game, was on the verge of declaring bankruptcy. And, to make matters worse, his daughter was coming home.

  As badly as he'd screwed up his health and finances, both were small potatoes compared to the mess he'd made with Bailey. "Who'd you say is picking her up at the airport?"

  "I didn't."

  Louise glanced at her watch surreptitiously. Bailey's plane had landed thirty minutes earlier. Paul would have been there to meet her. A shock her daughter never would have seen coming, but not the worst she had in store.

  "She hasn't been cleared to drive, has she?"

  "I don't know."

  She took a calming breath--to prepare for the explosion to follow. He'd find out eventually, and certain news was better coming from her. "I asked Paul Zabrinski to pick her up. He had to take Chloe and Mark to their mother's. He said it was no problem."

  "No problem? Woman, are you out of your mind? Bailey's probably back on the airplane by now."

  Louise pulled her smart phone out of her pocket. "The next flight to Fresno isn't until tomorrow morning. She isn't going anywhere."

  Oscar shook his head from side to side, slowly, as if the effort took every last ounce of his energy. No surprise since he ate barely enough to keep a fly alive. Just one of the many reasons Louise needed Bailey here.

  Louise had tried everything to reignite the spark in her husband's eyes, but nothing helped. And from their phone conversations, Louise knew Bailey was skating perilously close to the edge of her own demon-filled pit of depression. The two people she loved most were giving up, and Louise would use every resource available to spark a fire. Even asking Bailey's oldest "frenemy," as the kids at the library might say, to meet her plane.

  "That took balls, Luly."

  She nibbled on her thumbnail...until she caught herself and shoved her hand into the pocket of her lightweight sweater. As tempting as it was to savor the small rush of pleasure Oscar's praise brought her, she needed to be frank while she had his full attention.

  "Bailey won't stay in Marietta as long as she thinks Paul hates her and the whole town is judging her."

  Oscar sniffed--a pale imitation of the sort of reaction he normally would have shown. "What makes you think Paul doesn't hate her? He barely makes eye contact with me when I go into the hardware store. His dad's civil enough, but I don't think young Paul and I have exchanged more than a 'hello' in fifteen years."

  Louise dragged the hard plastic visitor chair closer to his bed and sat gingerly, her side tingling slightly. "Well, what do you expect? In his mind, you talked his girlfriend into having an abortion. Who's he supposed to blame?"

  Her husband's big, calloused hands curled into a fist. His shoulders bunched--a sad mockery of the power that once emanated from what was reputed to be a killer left hook. "It was the right thing to do, Luly. I don't want to hear anymore about it. You should have asked someone else to give her a ride."

  A ride. As if that was the sole purpose of asking Paul to pick up Bailey.

  Louise rocked back, gaze on her hands folded in her lap. Her world was a nanosecond away from imploding. Diffusing a few of the land mines she and Oscar had laid so carelessly during their years of childrearing was her only chance to save them all.

  She'd come to that conclusion at two a.m. two nights before. Sleeplessness--her new reality. Desperation and fear could overcome any reluctance to open a proverbial can of worms, she now realized. And this particular can was well past its expiration date.

  Luckily, when Paul came to
finish the new ramp she'd hired Big Z Hardware to install, he arrived alone. He and his crew had knocked out the majority of the work in a single day, but he'd run out of material for the handrail and had promised to return this morning.

  A man of his word who didn't let old grievances keep him from making money off people he hated. Although Louise knew some of the credit for mitigating the weight of the grudge he no doubt still carried was due to her efforts to help his daughter with her reading skills.

  Chloe Zabrinski was a sweet kid with a diagnosed learning disability. Chloe's mom picked Louise as her daughter's tutor without asking Paul, Louise was certain. Luckily, the two had clicked. In part, because Chloe reminded Louise so much of Bailey when she was the same age.

  "Paul," she'd said, approaching the tall handsome man with a confidence she didn't feel. "I was hoping to catch you before you left."

  The boy had grown into a more commanding personality and presence than she would have predicted all those years back. Smart. College-educated. Innovative. He saved the family business from Big Box intrusion and turned it into a thriving, competitive business.

  As strange as it sounded, Louise was proud of him. Like a mother. Or the mother-in-law she could have--should have--been to him.

  He picked up a big, bulky power saw and started wrapping the cord. "I still have about half an hour of cleanup. How does the ramp look?"

  She barely glanced at the new switchback tacked to the steps of her modest wood and rock home. "It's wonderful. I was sure surprised yesterday to see the owner doing the grunt labor."

  "Our regular crew is a little backed up. I knew this one was on deadline. When does OC get to come home?"

  "Tomorrow...if he starts eating."

  Paul's lips pressed together and he gave a nod. He'd grown into such a handsome man. Every bit as strong, forceful and confident as Oscar had been at the same age. But unlike her husband, Paul didn't wear his demons on his face, in his actions and attitudes. "Heard about the leg. That's tough. Marietta's lost a colorful character."

  Her back stiffened. "He's not dead yet."

  "Sorry. I just meant...from what they're saying he won't be doing a lot of fishing anytime soon."

  The sickness in her belly percolated. "He's been counted out before."

  Stay away from that one, several friends had warned when they learned she was dating Oscar Jenkins. He'll bring you nothing' but grief.

  "Things will be different when Bailey gets home."

  Paul dropped the heavy saw so abruptly its leading edge half-buried in the soft grass. He turned to unbuckle his tool belt. "You talked her into coming back, huh?"

  A little too disinterested? A good try, but Louise didn't buy it. Never had. She'd known he wasn't over her daughter when she met his wife, Jennifer. College girl. Pretty brown hair and green eyes. A Bailey clone. Close but...no cigar.

  And eventually she divorced him and returned to Bozeman to marry a man who loved her for who she was, not who she wasn't.

  "I asked." She didn't know how extensive the town's gossip tree was these days. "You knew she lost her husband in a car accident, right?"

  He nodded. "Tough deal. Got hurt, too, I heard."

  "Broken ankle. Opposite leg as her dad. Strange coincidence, isn't it? Luckily, she's younger and healthier. She's walking now."

  His eyes showed more interest than his measured, "Oh."

  "Actually, Paul, I have a problem, and I was hoping you might be able to help me out." She took a deep breath.

  All he can say is no.

  "Chloe told me she and Mark are going to their mother's tomorrow. I don't know what time you usually go, but I thought, if it wasn't a huge imposition, you might pick up Bailey at the airport then drop her here on your way past?" She rushed to add, "If I'm not with Oscar, he won't eat or drink. And he torments the poor nurses so. Partly the medicine, but partly...well..."

  "He's a snarly wolverine."

  She bit her lip. Why contradict the person she was soliciting help from?

  "Text me her arrival information. I'll let you know if the time works." He'd picked up his tools and walked to his truck before she could thank him.

  She checked her phone again. Even allowing for slow baggage claim, Paul should have dropped Bailey off at the house by now. Her finger hovered over the text app a moment before she changed her mind and shoved the phone in her pocket.

  What she and her daughter needed to say to each other had to be done in person. Louise's moment of reckoning was coming...in more ways than one...

  Keep reading here: MONTANA COWGIRL - "Cowgirl, you can go home--and love--again."

  About the Author

  Former award-winning newspaper journalist Debra Salonen is a national bestselling author with 40+ published novels. Debra was named Romantic Times Reviewer’s Career Achievement “Series Storyteller of the Year” in 2006. Debra has three connected series with Tule Publishing: Big Sky Mavericks -- Love, Montana -- and Love at the Chocolate Shop. Her 10-book Black Hills Rendezvous series takes place in South Dakota. Debra lives in the foothills near Yosemite National Park in California with her high school sweetheart.

  Please keep in touch:

  @debsalonen

  DebraSalonenAuthor

  www.debrasalonen.com

  [email protected]

  Also by Debra Salonen

  The Big Sky Mavericks series from Tule Publishing:

  MONTANA COWGIRL - "Cowgirl, you can go home--and love--again."

  MONTANA COWBOY - "He's nobody's cowboy until his new neighbor rocks his world."

  MONTANA DARLING - "Her land. His tent. And this is Montana, where property disputes can lead to a range war...or love."

  MONTANA MAVERICK - "A lone wolf PhD rescues a rancher--and gains a life."

  MONTANA GIFT - "The system failed him, but she never would."

  MONTANA MIRACLE - It takes a Montana village to create a Christmas miracle.

  The Love, Montana series: They came for adventure, and found...love.

  MONTANA HERO - He may be her hero, but who's going to save him?

  MONTANA ROGUE - He's more than meets the eye--eye candy, that is.

  MONTANA REBEL - Defying death is all part of the game...until you have something to lose.

  I’m so pleased to be part of the 6-author, 12-book Love at the Chocolate Shop series from Tule Publishing. These connected books can be read independent of the other, but where’s the fun in that, right? #whatlovetasteslike

  Book 1: MELT MY HEART, COWBOY by C.J. Carmichael

  Book 2: A THANKFUL HEART by Melissa McClone

  Book 3: MONTANA SECRET SANTA by Debra Salonen

  Book 4: THE CHOCOLATE CURE by Roxanne Snopek

  Book 5: THE VALENTINE QUEST by Melissa McClone

  Book 6: CHARMED BY CHOCOLATE by Steena Holmes

  Book 7: THE CHOCOLATE COMEBACK by Roxanne Snopek

  Book 8: THE CHOCOLATE TOUCH by Melissa McClone

  Book 9: SWEET HOME COWBOY by Marin Thomas (coming June 2017)

  Book 10: SWEET MONTANA KISSES (working title) by Debra Salonen (coming July 2017)

  Book 11: untitled, by Steena Holmes (coming August 2017)

  Book 12: SWEET DREAMS BABY by C.J. Carmichael (coming Sept 2017)

  THE BLACK HILLS RENDEZVOUS series:

  BOOK #1: BLACK HILLS BABY - His sperm for a share in her gold mine? What could possibly go wrong?

  When Hollywood heart-throb Cooper Lindstrom needs money to get his late mother's homicidal bookie off his back, he jumps at the lifeline Black Hills postmaster Libby McGannon tosses his way. In Cooper's mind, their arrangement is simple: his sperm in trade for a share in her family's gold mine. But the real pay off is her story--the one he plans to turn into a hit sitcom that will push him back on top.

  The hit show Coop saw coming. Love? Completely blindsided him.

  And the baby? Who could have guessed Cooper wanted to be a father? Too bad Libby--the woman he's fallen hard for--might never forgive him for turning her life
into a joke for worldwide consumption.

  BOOK 2: BLACK HILLS BILLIONAIRE - What if his $$ isn’t enough to save his first--his only--love?

  Success can hide a multitude of secrets, but when Hollywood's "wunderkind" producer/director Shane Reynard agrees to set Cooper Lindstrom's new TV sitcom in the Black Hills he knows he’s risking more than a boatload of money. Sentinel Pass is where Jenna Murphy, the only girl he's ever loved, lives. Jenna may question the motivation behind the chance-of-a-lifetime job Shane's offering, but she doesn't know her dream job is based on guilt. The closer they get, the more Shane's got to lose when the truth comes out.

  Jenna Murphy doesn't trust men easily. With valid reason. But Shane Reynard is different. The writer in her sees a tortured soul searching for redemption. His job offer is tempting because co-writing a Sentinel Passtime script would let her shine a flattering light on her beloved home town. She doesn't learn the reason behind Shane's generosity...until it's too late to keep from falling in love with him.

  BOOK 3: BLACK HILLS BAD BOY - Bad to the bone...in his dreams.

  Jack Treadwell's plan is simple: hop on his Harley and experience life. The grit. The heat. The passion of the biggest motorcycle rally in the Black Hills. For two life-changing weeks, he plans to escape from his boring routine as a Denver dentist. Look out, Sturgis, South Dakota, Jack's got a Harley and he's not afraid to ride it. Life can't get any better...until he meets single mom Katherine Robinson.

  Kat has fallen victim to that love-at-first-sight feeling she calls "swoo" twice before. Two sons and two divorces later she's convinced only an idiot would fall for a RUB--rich urban biker. And the sexy one in her bar is can't even hold his liquor. But something about this guy gets to her.

  Could the third time be her happily-ever-after charm? Or is this Black Hills bad boy here today, gone tomorrow?