have missed it if she’d been on her own. They bumped along a rutted road for a quarter mile or so before passing through an open gate under an arch. They wound a little farther, and over a rise the house came into view.
Josie couldn’t contain her gasp. Even in the dark, she could see the house was a huge log home. Not a cabin—her aunt had referred to it as a cabin! A cabin was smallish. This place was closer to a mansion. Lights were on in many of the windows, and the front porch was illuminated as well, showing a row of Adirondack chairs. Luke pulled the truck off onto a short gravel drive that opened to a parking area. He stopped next to a low stone wall with soft lights set into it.
“We’ll have to make a run for it,” he said. “I can’t get any closer than this.” He cast a doubtful eye in the direction of her feet. “Don’t break an ankle, please.”
She snapped out of her awe and grabbed her laptop bag and purse. “Oh, I won’t. I can run in these. I’m a city girl, born and raised.” This was not a plus out here in the wilds of Montana, but she’d make it work for the next couple of months.
“That’s what I was afraid of,” he said, low enough she almost didn’t catch it, and got out, opened the back door and grabbed a suitcase. She got the other one, and it bumped along behind her as she half walked, half ran to the porch behind Luke, whose long stride made it impossible for her to keep up without trotting.
The heavy front door swung open. Aunt Rosa was framed in the light from the house, anxiety and relief etched on her face. “Josie! Oh, thank God you’re okay.”
Josie walked into her aunt’s embrace, even though it was awkward with all the bags she was juggling and she was soaking wet. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Aunt Rosa gave her a fierce hug. “Just like your daddy. Stubborn.” Her tone was affectionate, not scolding, but Josie still felt bad. “Let me go grab you a towel. Wait right here.” She hurried off, and Josie and Luke came all the way in, the suitcases trundling awkwardly over the threshold. Luke came to a stop right behind her, and she felt the heat of his body. It was an odd sort of awareness, one that made her uncomfortable.
“I’ll put this in your room,” Luke said quietly, and she turned partway around and nodded, making brief eye contact with him.
“All right. Thank you. For all your help.”
He tipped his head at her. “You’re welcome.” He strode off, and Josie pulled her gaze away when it snagged on his broad shoulders and looked around the room instead.
The place was clearly even bigger than it looked, with huge vaulted ceilings and a fire crackling in a massive fireplace with floor-to-ceiling stone on the hearth and up the chimney, all the way to the ceiling. There were two full-size leather sofas and a couple deep chairs covered in what looked like chenille. Magazines were stacked on the end tables. A rug in deep colors anchored the space, in an intricate woven pattern. The walls had been left natural, so the logs seemed to fade away, and she guessed the focus was on an incredible view of the ranch and mountains out the floor-to-ceiling windows that covered the back wall. It was a room that could have been intimidating, but somehow felt homey and lived in, and Josie wanted in that moment to curl up on one of the couches in front of the fire and go to sleep.
Aunt Rosa hurried back down the hall with a towel, which Josie took gratefully.
“Thank you,” she said, then gestured at the room. “This is—amazing.”
“Yes. Actually, this part is the original house his father built. Luke and his brothers added on to it. Tomorrow you’ll be able to see the view. I don’t know if Luke told you, but this kind of rain isn’t typical for this time of year.”
She managed a smile. “So I just got lucky?”
Aunt Rosa smiled and patted her arm. “Something like that. Now, let’s get these bags to your room so you can get into something dry, then I’ll feed you.”
Josie pulled the handle on her suitcase and looped the other two bags over her shoulders, waving off Aunt Rosa’s extended hand. “I’ve got them. But thank you.”
She followed her aunt’s trim figure down the hall past that wonderful fireplace and was surprised to meet an older woman coming out of a room right at the beginning of the hall. She moved slower than her age would indicate, with a walker, and a bag of what appeared to be knitting supplies. Her smile was friendly as she saw them. “Well, hello. You must be Josie. I’m Alice Ryder, Luke’s mother.”
Josie extended her hand. “I am. Nice to meet you, Alice. Thanks for sharing your home with me.”
Alice chuckled. “This is Luke’s home. I’ve got my own a little farther down the lane. I’m a temporary guest.”
“Alice had her hips replaced,” Aunt Rosa explained.
“The boys insisted I stay here so they can keep an eye on me,” Alice said cheerfully, and then her smile faded. “I’m glad you got here safe. This place is hard to find in the daylight, much less the rain and dark.”
“Yes. I learned that the hard way,” Josie admitted. Luke had been clear on her folly, and he’d been right to call her on it. Sheer stubbornness mixed with exhaustion had colored her judgment, and look where that had gotten her. “It’s a mistake I won’t make again.”
Alice smiled at her. “I’m sure you won’t. Now you get settled in and relax.”
“This is a gorgeous house,” Josie said as they continued on.
Rosa nodded “It is lovely. I love it here. But it’s time for me to go spend some time with Kelly.”
Rosa’s first grandchild was due next week. “I know she’ll be thrilled to have you around.”
Rosa laughed. “Considering how long she waited to have children, she’s not surprised that I want to be there.” She paused to open a door a few steps down. “This is your room.”
Josie followed her in. The bedside lamps were already on, which gave the room a lovely glow. She set her bags down on the floor, next to the one Luke had already dropped off. She thought she could catch a whiff of his scent lingering in the air. Crazy.
“You’ve got a view of the mountains,” Rosa said. “In the morning you’ll be able to see it.”
“It’s a lovely room. So—serene,” Josie said. And it was. The walls here weren’t log. They were painted a very pale lilac gray, a color that felt a little like twilight. The carpet was cream and very thick underfoot. The queen-size bed had a light blue quilt and a white coverlet folded over the end. There were a few framed photos on the wall, shots of what she assumed was the ranch. A small sitting area rounded out the space, with a television.
And a cattle skull over what turned out to be the bathroom.
“Yes,” Rosa said, following her gaze with a good-natured sigh, “the senses of humor around here tend toward warped. I can take it down if you’d rather not look at it every day.”
“Ah, no, it’s fine,” Josie said, eyeing it warily. She was in the West after all. “It lends character.”
Rosa gave her another hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me, too.”
