Montana Wrangler

Montana Wrangler by Charlotte Carter Page B

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Authors: Charlotte Carter
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fine, child. How’d your trip to Kalispell go?”
    â€œAll right, I guess.”
    â€œKalispell is too citified for me.” Grandpa went back to rubbing the leather saddle. “All those people and cars make me nervous.”
    She laughed. “I guess you won’t be coming to visit me and Bryan in Seattle then.”
    â€œNope. Don’t imagine so.”
    She suppressed a sudden pang of dismay. Driving to Seattle on his own would be too far, too hard, for Grandpa.
    He nodded. “It’ll be quiet around here with both him and Krissy gone, that’s for sure.”
    She swallowed hard. She hadn’t given any thought to how much Grandpa would miss Krissy and Bryan. He’d seemed so supportive of her becoming Bryan’s guardian. She’d wanted to please him. Maybe the reality had finally sunk in.
    â€œDid you have any lunch, Grandpa?”
    â€œYep. Jay made us a couple sandwiches.”
    Grateful that Jay had looked out for Grandpa, she said, “I didn’t take time to eat on the way home, so I’m going to find something for myself.”
    â€œI could use a glass of iced tea, if you’ve got the time,” Grandpa said.
    â€œSure. I’ll be back in a minute with a pitcherful. Nathan might want some, too.”
    She walked out of the barn. Momentarily blinded by the bright sun, she bumped smack into the solid wall of Jay’s chest.
    â€œHey, nice shoes,” he said, steadying her.
    Heat rushed to her cheeks. Why in the world did he always show up out of nowhere? And why did she react with a strange quivering sensation deep inside?
    She regained her footing and her mental equilibrium, and took a step away from him. “The shoes were Krissy’s. They’re a half size too big, but I had to do something.”
    â€œSmart girl! Better than breaking your neck.” He thumbed his hat back. “So what happened in Kalispell?”
    â€œThey gave me a court date for the hearing about Bryan.”
    His eyes narrowed. “When?”
    She bristled at his sharp-edged tone. “Unfortunately, the soonest date they could give me is the end of next week. I think I’ll go back to Seattle this Thursday. I’ll be there for the medical conference at the hotel over the weekend, which will please my boss. I’ll also be able to start setting things up for Bryan.”
    â€œSo you’ll have what, four days this week to get to know him? Then you’ll duck out and reappear just in time to drag him back to Seattle with you?”
    â€œYou were the one who said he shouldn’t miss the last two weeks of school.” She pointed her chin at him. “Now you get your way and you’re angry about it. Why’s that?”
    His blue-green eyes darkened to almost black. His jaw muscle jumped and his Adam’s apple bounced.
    â€œIf you’re going to have any kind of a relationship with that boy, you’d better spend every minute you can with him before you go off to Seattle.”
    â€œFine. I’d be happy to. But just how am I going to do that when he spends all of his time in the barn or stables or off somewhere on his horse?”
    â€œThen I guess you’re going to have to get up close and personal with his horse.” He squared his hat, gave her another hard look and strode past her into the barn.
    She fumed. Had he forgotten her fear of horses? Or had he said that to point out what a terrible guardian she’d be for Bryan?
    Well, forget that, Mr. High-and-Mighty. It might take some time and effort, but she and Bryan would be fine.
    * * *
    Jay snatched up a bridle that needed to be cleaned, grabbed a sponge and dipped it in the ammonia-laced water. That fool woman had no right to take Bryan away. He belonged here at Bear Lake Outfitters, not in some dinky condo in Seattle.
    â€œYou act like a man with a problem,” Grandpa Henry said.
    Jay scrubbed the bridle to get rid of accumulated dirt and grime, a

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