“It’s not a fire,” Matthew said. “It’s to let everyone know that the fireworks will start in fifteen minutes.”
The high-pitched wail did its job. Everyone in the café grabbed their hats and jackets, wanting to make a quick exit to Bogert Park.
Ashley moved toward the counter. “I really need to help Tess.”
“I could wait for you.”
Her eyes widened. “I…that would be great.” Ashley’s body felt as though it was on autopilot. While Tess stayed at the cash register, she cleared the empty tables and loaded the dishwasher.
Matthew’s family left the café, but not before Amy, Catherine, and Toby gave her a hug.
She didn’t deserve their kindness. It had taken her a long time to work out what was important. While she’d been chasing the story of her career, they’d let her stay on their ranch, protected her from a private investigator, and shielded her from the worst of what could have happened with Jasmine and Congressman Welsh.
Through it all, Matthew had stood beside her, helping to make her dreams come true, even if it meant losing his.
The kitchen door swung open. “Do you have a dishcloth?” Matthew asked. “I could wipe down the tables.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to help. We’ll have to hurry if you want to see the fireworks.”
She grabbed a dishcloth off the stainless steel counter. “This one’s clean. I’ll rinse it with hot water.”
He waited, then left the kitchen.
The breath that Ashley had been holding whooshed out of her lungs. She pushed a strand of hair off her face and tightened her ponytail. If she was going to tell Matthew how she felt about him, she needed to be strong and courageous.
With one last glance at the kitchen, she headed into the café with another dishcloth. By the end of the night, she’d either be the happiest person in Bozeman or buying a dozen boxes of tissues.
***
The first time Matthew remembered seeing fireworks was when he was about Toby’s age. His dad had driven their family to a festival on the outskirts of town. They’d parked in an open field and waited for the first big bang.
He’d been amazed at the way each burst of color appeared and disappeared. For months afterward, he’d drawn pictures of the fireworks. His mom had kept some of the crayon drawings, storing them in her special box of family treasures.
Tonight’s fireworks were just as incredible as the first ones he’d seen. But what made them different was the woman standing beside him.
“Oh, wow. Look at that one.” Ashley pointed to a huge starburst of pink and blue lights. “Whoever chose the fireworks did an incredible job.”
“The fire department hired a company from Great Falls. There was a story about them in theBozeman Chronicle.”
Ashley stood silently beside him. He could see her thinking carefully about her next words. “How do you feel about me working for the Chronicle?”
Knowing she was going to be living in Bozeman wasn’t the problem. It was what would happen between them that was worrying him. “I’m happy you’re here, but are you sure it’s what you want?”
A wobbly smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “It’s better than being surrounded by smog and waiting in rush hour traffic.”
“It won’t be as busy as the job in Washington, D.C.”
Ashley shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I’d lost who I was in New York and it would have been worse in Washington, D.C. My work had become my life, and that’s not the way I want to live.”
“What do you want?”
“Horses, weekend sleep-ins, and to work on stories that won’t keep me awake at night.”
“Is that all?”
Ashley shook her head. “No.”
