Page 41 of Falling for the Maverick

“I mean it, Michelle. Even after all the crap you went through with your ex, you’re still upbeat.”

“That’s because nobody wants to be around a Debbie Downer.”

Lucas wanted to tell Michelle that she was a survivor. She endured four months of humiliation without breaking down and ultimately emerged a winner. Then she’d put on a brave face for another two months before finally telling Aaron what she’d gone through. In all it was six months of holding back her emotions before she was able to let them out.

Driving through Bronco, he was struck by the absence of nostalgia for a town where he had spent almost his entire life. Now whenever he returned it was as a visitor, despite having family members who still lived there.

“Have you ever been to Bronco?” he asked Michelle.

“Only once during my last year in college. Some kids wanted to see what the hype was all about, so we piled into a minivan and took off.”

“Were you impressed?”

“I was, with some of the high-end shops in Bronco Heights. But what really shocked me was Sadie’s Holiday House. It’s Christmas twelve months a year in there.”

“Yeah. That’s quite a novelty.”

“Where did you live in Bronco?”

“I rented an apartment in BH247. It’s a complex in Bronco Heights that’s home to many single professionals.”

“So, the Heights is different from the Valley?”

“Somewhat. The Heights is where the prosperous ranchers live, and the Valley is more modest and middle class.”

“Can you answer one question for me, Lucas?”

“What is it?”

“Why are so many folks from Bronco moving to Tenacity?”

“I can’t speak for the others, but I bought land in Tenacity because it’s less expensive than in Bronco. If I’d purchased land here, my ranch would be about the half the size of what I have in Tenacity.”

“Is that the only reason you moved to Tenacity?”

“No. Tenacity just has a different vibe than Bronco. It has a small-town character that grows on you the longer you live there.”

“Some of the more prominent families in Bronco are putting down roots in Tenacity.”

“It’s because there are multiple generations who live in Bronco. The younger ones want to establish themselves apart from their families to begin their own legacy.”

“That’s understandable. But it’s different with the Coreys. We’ve been in Tenacity for over one hundred sixty years.”

Lucas whistled. “That’s a helluva long time.”

“Yup. We were here even before Montana became a state.”

“The Brandts are newcomers compared to the Coreys,” Lucas stated as he pulled into a parking spot near DJ’s Deluxe. If it had been a Saturday, he wouldn’t have been able to get a reservation, which was why he’d decided to bring Michelle on a weeknight.

Michelle looked through the windshield. “This place looks really nice.”

“Wait until you try the food. They serve some of the finest cuts of meat in the state.”

“Well, we do happen to be in cattle country,” she said, laughing.

* * *

Michelle was glad Lucas had decided to bring her to Bronco. It gave her the opportunity to see where he’d grown up into the man he was today. She’d noticed his clothes were slightly more stylish than what he wore in Tenacity. Even his sports car with close to a six-­figure sticker price would look out of place in Tenacity where pickups and farm vehicles were the norm. He was wealthy but not showy.