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“We’ve met,” Bruiser says with a nod. “Hello, ma’am.”
“Hi,” Summer says with a smile.
“How was your niece’s recital?” I ask the big man, whose eyes go gooey at the mention of his niece.
“She was the star of the show,” he says proudly. “I’ll show you pictures tomorrow.”
“Can’t wait.”
“How far out are you goin’?” Lucky asks. “There’s a grizzly in the north pasture.”
“Holy shit,” Summer breathes next to me.
“I wasn’t planning on going that far. I’ll show her where the new event venue will be, and then we’re headed back over by the lake.”
“Good idea,” Lucky says with a nod. “Have fun, you two.”
I nod and pull away from them and feel Summer watching me.
“What’s up, Blondie?”
“I have so many questions. First of all, how old is Lucky? He looks really old.”
“He is.” I smile and then shrug. “I have no idea how old he is. He was old when my dad was a kid. But that might be all the time he’s spent in the sun showing. What other questions do you have?”
“You know about Bruiser’s niece’s recital?”
“Sure. They might be employees, but they’re family, too. We have to trust them with the most important thing in our lives: our home.”
“I like that,” Summer says slowly. “That’s actually really sweet. And finally, grizzly bears?”
“You’re not new to this area. Bears are a fact of life.”
“I can honestly say that in my almost thirty years of living in Montana, I’ve never seen a griz in the wild.”
“Wow.” I blink at that. “Well, maybe someday, you will.”
“I’m fine. I don’t need to see them.”
“They’re not scary if you aren’t being an idiot. Just don’t try to pet them.”
“Still don’t need to see them.” She shakes her head adamantly, making us both laugh. “No way. I’m good. Oh, is that where it’s going to be?”
I nod when she points straight ahead. “Yeah, the old barn has been dismantled piece by piece. The concrete slab is down, but I think they’re going to hold off on construction until after the wedding so the ceremony’s not in the middle of a construction zone.”
“Oh, I like that idea,” Summer says with a nod. “This is absolutely…I can’t catch my breath.”
She covers her chest with her hand, and I slam the truck into park, all of my attention immediately focused on her.
“What’s wrong? Shit, are you allergic to something?”
“No, it’s not that.” She takes a long, deep breath and then turns to me. “It’s just so pretty.”
She pushes out of the truck, and I take my own breath, calming my racing heart. Jesus, she scared the shit out of me.
“That view in the background,” she says, turning a circle to take it all in. “That’s priceless, Chase. Erin’s photos are going to be spectacular.”
“I hope so because they’ll be splashed in every magazine and gossip site on the planet,” I reply. “Her father is an uber-famous football hero, and don’t even get me started on the celebrity roster of the rest of her family. It’s mind-blowing.”
