“Will carried Eve out of the fire up on the ridgeline about a month back, wasn’t it?” Jude cut in.
Will rolled his shoulders. “Maybe six weeks or so,” he acknowledged. Before the snow set in. I took Cassie back to college.”
I raised both eyebrows. “Shit. you got yourself a girl and you grew up? I’m fucking old then.”
Jude snorted. “Are you driving this lot up, then?” He nodded toward the truckload of rowdy men ready to fill Red Hart's big house with noise to drown out Eve’s borrowed workers.
I couldn’t wait to ship Black Hill Boy’s smell off my girl’s land.
“We’re all ready to work, for you Jude.” Will nodded once.
A year ago, I would have expected the kid to bounce on his toes. Today he stood still, waiting for orders.
Jude cracked a rare smile. “Shit, no. These men are yours. You bring ‘em in, you train ‘em to work your way. That means how they behave at the house and on the land also reflects on you, kid. Got it?”
Will looked disconcerted for a fraction of a second before his shoulder straightened. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. Follow us back in ten.” Jude looked sideways at me. “You know Eve will want her coffee beans even if she didn’t ask for any.”
“I’m on it.” I headed into Beanies, searching for Suzy.
The cafe owner was nowhere in sight. I inhaled a lungful of cinnamon and gingerbread. My nose itched as I weaved my way between patrons and came up with a pair of flavored lattes.
“Those aren’t mine,” I said politely.
“Sure they are!” Suzy popped up out of nowhere, I swore. Or at least, out of the crowd. “Eve’ll love you forever if you take her one of these.”
I collected the steaming gingerbread spiced lattes in careful hands. “I’m sure Jude will appreciate the effort.”
Suzy’s face fell. “She didn’t come with you, Ranger?” Her tone came out accusatory.
I held her aquamarine gaze that sliced through me, but it was nothing that I hadn't already asked myself.
“No.”
The coffee shop owner huffed out a breath as the conversational level insider Beanies swelled to a whole new level. “Alright, then. It looks like I might get to make a trip up to the ranch for Christmas morning, then, whaddya say?”
I grinned. “I say she’ll appreciate the surprise. Especially if you top her coffee habit up.”
“Done and done.” Blue eyes twinkled back at me, almost hiding the older woman’s concern. Then she was gone again, disappearing into the flurry of customers. Her voice called out, though I didn't see her again as I waded through clamoring coffee fiends to find the door.
A moment later I burst back into pale Montana sunshine.
“You survived.” Jude liberated one of the spiced lattes with more enthusiasm than I expected.
“I wouldn’t have taken you as a coffee snob.”
He shrugged. “I married a girl with decent taste. What can I say?”
“It changes you, huh?” I gave Will Kirk a wave, and he organized his truck full of boys to follow us as we headed out of White cap and back up the range.
Jude was silent for a few minutes, concentrating on the road. “It does. In the best ways.”
I hoped to hell that Eve would give me the chance to find out what that looked like for us, but as we headed back toward Red Hart, the doubts that had remained at low level for so long began to clamor.
And I could no longer keep their volume turned down.
Chapter 7
