His Montana Sweetheart

“My pleasure.” And it was, he realized. As he followed her into the crowded ringside seats, he developed a hearty appreciation for her well-fitted jeans and sassy boots. Her tan Stetson, the same hat she’d worn years ago, still bore a tiny grease stain from a barbecue they’d attended together as college sophomores, a great night of planning for the future. A future he’d thrown away in a fit of anger. How stupid and childish that seemed now.

Yes, he loved baseball. The game, the sport, the teamwork. But he should have been more mature and accepting. Wasn’t that what Ethan had talked about last Monday? Accepting what is and making the best of your situation to help others?

He’d done nothing like that eight years ago. In truth, he’d done nothing like that since, either, other than helping his mother through her illness, but a thin surge of energy seemed to be building inside him, making him think he could do anything again.

“These seats okay?” Liv turned about halfway up the steps, and her look of amusement said she’d caught him out. “Business, Jack. Not monkey business.”

He laughed, settled into the seat next to her, leaned back and folded his arms behind his head. “Just thinking how fun it will be to have you back on the ranch, helping with things. It’s been too long, Livvie. Way too long.”

* * *

Too long?

His words spiked her pulse and his gaze said he’d take things slow, but sitting there with him, sorting horseflesh for the future of the Double M, the familiar sounds and scents of the stockyard drew her in. She couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. And yet she would be somewhere else soon. Her position in Helena had folded and they’d given her a decent severance package, but she’d need a job and a place to live before too long.