my ranch in Montana.”
Montana. One summer she and her mother had taken a trip across the border through Glacier Park and spent a few days in Kalispell. It had been beautiful. They’d driven past this resort-type place that was huge, and she’d wondered what it would be like to stay there, order room service and look out at the mountains. Instead they’d gotten a room at a nationwide discount chain. It had still been fun, but even then, Amy had wanted more.
“I suppose you have a huge place there,” she said, blowing on her fingers as he drove out of the lot.
“It’s a working ranch. I bought it a few years ago with the idea of turning it into a corporate retreat. I spent some time in the area on vacation and really enjoyed the physical challenges, so I flew in my whole management team and we did this week-long team-building thing. It was so much fun I decided to have a go at it myself.” He smiled. “Now I consider it home. I still keep an apartment in Vancouver, but I’m not there much. Turns out I’m not much of a city guy when all is said and done.”
Jack was different when he talked about his ranch, more relaxed, animated. She got the feeling that this was closer to the real Jack than the man who had ridden to her rescue in the ladies’ bathroom.
“Do you wear the boots and hat and the whole nine yards?”
He laughed. “Of course. All our cattle work is done on horseback. We do a few drives during the year, not to mention the trail rides.”
She sighed. Just when she thought how different he was from the men she knew, it turned out he was the same, after all. After living her whole life in Cadence Creek, she was a little tired of the whole cowboy scene.
It took hardly any time to reach the town, and with a few quick turns Jack pulled up in front of the B and B. He grabbed the champagne and came around and opened her door, offering her his free hand.
The owners had gone to bed but Jack’s parents, Susan and Harry, sat up in the parlor, quietly talking and enjoying a glass of wine. Amy felt her face twist into a guilty expression the moment they stepped into the room.
“Jack, dear.” Susan suddenly noticed Amy behind him. “Oh, hello.”
“Hello, Mrs. Shepard.”
Parents were not part of the plan. This was the worst idea ever. She should never have gone along with it.
Jack put the champagne bottle down onto a side table and began unbuttoning his overcoat. “It’s a cold one. I invited Amy back for a drink. I hope that’s okay. Both of us were getting a little tired of the festivities.”
“Of course. We were just heading to bed....”
Harry’s brows were slightly raised, inquisitive. Jack grinned. “Why don’t you stay up and have a glass of champagne with us? It would give us all some time to just hang out and chill. It’s been a crazy few days.”
Harry nodded, as if satisfied. “Yes, it has. Your mother and I had quite a job getting Nell down for the night.” He nodded at a baby monitor beside him. “I wouldn’t say no to champagne. You open it while I grab some glasses, Jack. Kathleen showed me where she keeps them.”
While the men got the drinks, Amy took off her coat and hung it up on the antique coatrack in the corner, nerves tumbling around in her stomach. She’d met the Shepard children during the wedding planning, but she’d only really seen Mr. and Mrs. Shepard from a distance. Now she knew where Jack got his aura of success and Taylor got her class. It was intimidating as hell. “It was a lovely wedding,” she said to Susan, scrambling for something to say.
“Yes, it was. If I remember right, you work at the flower shop, yes?”
“I do, yes.”
“The flowers were beautiful. You did a great job.”
If nothing else, Mrs. Shepard was trying to be nice. “Melissa does all the designing. Though she has shown me how to do some simple arrangements.”
“Do you like it there?”
Amy shrugged. “It’s okay.” She smiled. “I actually like the business side of it better, but it’s a small shop. Know what I mean?”
Susan smiled. “Actually, I do. Not enough challenge to keep you going.”
“That’s it exactly.” Amy smiled. Jack’s parents weren’t anywhere near as intimidating as she expected. At least his mother wasn’t. Harry Shepard carried a distinct air of authority.
There was a loud pop and then glasses were filled. To Amy’s surprise, she and Jack sat on the sofa together and everyone simply chatted—about the wedding, about Cadence Creek, about Callum and Avery’s daughter, Nell. Clearly the elder Shepards were enjoying being grandparents. Finally Susan stifled a yawn. “Oh, my goodness. I think it’s time I went to bed. We’ve got to be up with the baby in the morning, and to see Callum and Avery off on their honeymoon.”
She stood and came to Jack, who also stood for a hug. “It was good spending some extra time with you, sweetheart. We don’t see you enough.”
“I know.” He grinned at her crookedly. “You should come down to the ranch for a week. I’ll take you zip-lining.”
Harry chuckled. “Maybe we will. I’d like to see your mother on one of those contraptions. Good night, son. And you, too, Amy. It was nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” she said, and meant it.
They hadn’t spent an hour sipping bubbly in Jack’s room, but in some ways this had been better. She’d felt welcomed and relaxed. It was, to her surprise, the perfect ending to the day.
They said their good-nights and Jack turned to her. “I suppose this is where I say I should walk you home,” he said.
“I suppose it is.” She stood and put her glass down onto a coffee table. “I’ll get my coat.”
“Not so fast,” he murmured, catching her hand when she would have turned away. He pulled her back so that she was in front of him. He put his hand at her waist, his fingers sliding along the soft material of the curve-hugging dress. “I was on my best behavior,” he murmured, his voice low and intimate. “I kept my promise, too. The least you can do is give me a kiss good-night.”
“I suppose it is only fair.” She smiled up at him. If nothing else, in the past few hours Jack had given her something that she hadn’t had in a very long time: acceptance. She hadn’t felt the need to be anyone other than who she was. Hadn’t felt pressed to meet any sort of expectation. Perhaps that was because the Shepards hadn’t been in Cadence Creek very long. Or perhaps it was because they were a genuinely nice, normal family.
And after tonight it was unlikely she’d ever even see Jack again. The least she could do was take a kiss to remember him by.
She tilted her face up and kissed him, and with far less reserve than she’d shown on the dance floor. His arms came around her and pulled her close; she twined hers around his neck and slid her fingers through his hair. They were as close as two people could be with their clothes on, pressed together at several contact points. Jack’s hands roved over her back and came to tangle in her long curls as he tilted her head back and took command of her mouth. He tasted
