Page 17 of All in with the Maverick Montana

“It’s okay.” The corner of his mouth quirked in that half smile. “It’s cute.”

Amy chased away her blush with a huge gulp of sweet tea. Josh either didn’t seem to notice, or politely chose to ignore her, carrying on the conversation. They kept talking and before Amy knew it, over an hour had passed and Josh showed no sign of leaving.

Amy basked in the perfection of the weather and his company. In the back of her mind, though, a small, annoying thought couldn’t help drawing her attention to Tru. He had seemed sweet too, once upon a time, and she’d foolishly trusted that sweetness.

When she’d met Tru last October at the Golden Buckle Rodeo held at the Bronco Convention Center, Amy had thought he was something special. He was the kind of person who gave you his full attention when you talked, making you feel like you were the only person in the room. And when he’d singled her out for conversation, Amy was not only flattered but shocked, falling for those false charms so fast she was surprised she didn’t land flat on her face.

Josh seemed different in so many ways. In all the ways that mattered, perhaps. But her heart skipped for him the way it had once raced for Tru, and that made her nervous. Still, she tried to imagine Tru dropping everything, putting his entire day on hold, just to take care of her the way Josh had today, and she couldn’t—so that had to mean something. Didn’t it?

Amy pushed the thoughts from her mind, determined to enjoy what was left of their afternoon together. Only when Josh left, did Amy realize how refreshed she felt. It was almost as if Josh had lifted some sort of darkness off her, and that was certainly more than she could ever say about Tru McCoy.

Chapter Five

“It’s not weird,” Josh said to Bella as he removed her tack, tossing the heavy saddle over the gate. He picked up a brush and swept it across her broad back, her roan coat gleaming in the early morning sun that spilled in through the barn door. “I’m just gonna swing by and see how she’s feeling after yesterday.”

Bella snorted, the sound muffled with her face in her feed bucket.

Josh had a habit of talking to his horses. He hadn’t noticed until one of his hired hands pointed it out one day, and they’d all had a good laugh about it. Josh supposed he talked to most of his animals. He spent a lot of solitary time out here, with nothing but the cattle and the horses as company, so some one-sided conversation was expected. Besides, the horses never complained. As long as he bribed them with a bucket of oats and a thorough brushing, they were content to listen as long as he needed.

“It’s the neighborly thing to do,” he continued. “I know we’re not technically neighbors, but it’d be rude of me not to inquire. Wouldn’t it? I mean, I use the feed store every month. Don’t you think it would be weird not to say something?”

Bella’s ear twitched.

“That’s not particularly helpful,” Josh said, giving Bella a firm pat.

He’d been thinking about Amy since the moment he’d gotten up this morning, wondering how she was faring, if she was feeling any better, if she’d be back at work today. He tried to tell himself it was just genuine concern, but a small part of him knew it was more than that.

He’d spent the better part of yesterday afternoon with her, sitting out on the porch, and Josh honestly couldn’t remember when he’d enjoyed himself more. It had been a perfect spring day, but the truth was that it was the company that had been so pleasant. It could have been blowin’ up a storm and he’d still have enjoyed himself just the same. Frankly, Amy was the only thing occupying his thoughts, and he’d come to the conclusion that the only way to stop said thoughts was to see her again. When he’d left her yesterday, the color had come back to her cheeks and she laughed freely at the stories he told her about wayward cattle on the ranch.

But he couldn’t shake the desire to see her again. To make sure she really was feeling better.

“It’s not weird,” he said again as he locked Bella’s stall and hung up the tack.

It was perfectly normal to be concerned about a neighbor. A charming, sweet, interesting neighbor. Not to mention beautiful. Because he’d be lying to himself if he didn’t acknowledge the way Amy’s pretty smile, directed right at him, made his pulse skip like a frog into a creek bed.

He thought again about what Ryder and Noah had said the day they’d visited. Go for it.

And why the hell not? Josh asked himself. They’d had a good time yesterday—him and Amy—after she was feeling a little better. Perhaps they’d have an even better time if he worked up the nerve to ask her to lunch.

Because it’s going to hurt, a voice whispered inside his head. It’s going to get messy and she’ll stomp all over your heart.

Hush, he wanted to tell the voice. He glanced at his watch. If he was going to check up on Amy and maybe catch her before lunch, he had to go now. Josh darted inside to change out of his dusty riding clothes. He wetted his hands and ran them through his hair, making sure everything lay flat before he hurried back out to his truck. The quicker he went, the less time there was for him to talk himself out of this idea.

Josh followed the long gravel drive out to the main road, passing the sign for Split Valley that sat carved in thick, polished wood next to the entrance of the property. Growing up on Juniper Road, Josh had watched ranches come and go, most falling on hard times. There were few that had endured the economic hardship Tenacity had been plagued with. But there were acres of land to the west of the Split Valley that belonged to the Coreys. Josh had always been close to them, having practically grown up with their grandson, Shane. And to the east was the property that had once belonged to the Woodsons. Fences lined the road, wood and wire and steel, keeping the animals contained and marking out property lines. At this time of year, the first wildflower blooms were stretching out of the ditches in thick clumps.

Josh had always appreciated growing up out here, just beyond town. Out where the world quietly shifted from one season to the next. And though he’d come to appreciate that reliable change from winter to spring, he sometimes thought it might be nice to have someone in the passenger seat to enjoy it with him.

He reached town after another minute, his truck trundling along Central Avenue. He passed The Grizzly Bar with its weather-beaten benches and large orange door. Next door was the Silver Spur Café where Josh had spent a good many mornings enjoying coffee and eggs. Town Hall rose up right in the middle of everything, that old busted clock tower looking out over the town. Then there was Tenacity Drugs & Sundries, and the Tenacity Social Club, built in the basement of the same building that housed their post office and barbershop. The businesses that survived in this hardscrabble town did so out of pure grit and determination. He drove past the Feed and Seed and a while later pulled into the parking lot of Strom and Son.

Josh hopped out of his truck and quickly checked his hair in the reflection of the window, then walked into the store.

He nodded to Nathan as he passed by with a box of nutritional supplements and spotted Faith at the front counter. She glanced up, and her eyes narrowed slightly, the corners of her mouth quirking.

“You again?” She placed a hand on her hip. “Here for more sheep shears?”

Josh clicked his tongue. Faith was far too astute for her own good. No point in lying. He leaned against the counter. “I actually just wanted to see how Amy was getting on after yesterday.”

“Huh,” Faith said. “Did you?”