Page 7 of All in with the Maverick Montana

He turned his gaze to the property line. Split Valley stretched out before him in rolling pastures and meadows caught in a sea of sunlight. The cattle barn loomed like a dappled gray mountain, and the roof of his homestead rose up in two small peaks. Beyond that he could just make out the bulk of the herd, a mass of dark shadow, grazing in the farthest pasture. Maybe this was too simple of an existence for some people, but Josh never failed to be struck by its beauty.

“Give me a hand here,” Ryder barked, breaking Josh from his thoughts.

He gathered up one side of the wooden post and helped Ryder carry it over to the fence, replacing the beam that had likely come down during a late winter storm. Noah brought over the toolbox and had a wheel of wire under his arm.

“Watch that there,” Josh said, pointing out the rusty nails sticking out of the old beam. Ryder slipped on a pair of work gloves and dragged the old beam off to the bed of the truck.

As Josh set the new beam in place, his thoughts drifted back to his past. He worried now that a romantic partner was always going to expect more than he could provide. More adventure. More money. More thrilling things than what Tenacity had to offer. And as far as Josh went… He knew he was usually too quiet and too much of a homebody. He preferred the outdoors, getting mud on his boots in the pastures, to being cooped up in some stuffy building or surrounded by crowds of people. His social circle was small, and he liked it like that. Sure, maybe that all made him a bit boring, but was the idea of settling down with him that unfathomable?

“I think this’ll hold,” Noah said, packing earth around the base of the post. “Not going anywhere barring another wild storm.”

“Hopefully we won’t have to worry about one of those until the summer,” Ryder said.

“Looks good,” Josh agreed, giving the beam a shake. It held steady, so he released it, collecting supplies as Ryder and Noah strung new wire to keep the cattle contained. When they were finished and everything was packed back into the truck, they all climbed into the cab. Josh took the long way back to the ranch, doing a quick perimeter check, making sure no other posts had come down while he had Ryder and Noah with him.

“So… Amy,” Noah said after a beat.

Josh laughed and shook his head. “There really is nothing to tell.”

“Well,” Ryder said, “maybe you should make a move and change that.”

Josh hummed thoughtfully. Should he? Should he have asked her for coffee? Or maybe to lunch? Would she have said yes?

“Look,” Ryder said. “I know you love living in Lonely Valley, but it’s okay to venture out of it every now and then. It’s good for you even.”

Josh snorted. Split Valley Ranch had earned its name from the small creek that crossed through the property, but in recent years Ryder had taken to calling it Lonely Valley or even Bachelor Island on occasion.

“I’m not the only one living in Lonely Valley right now,” Josh said pointedly.

Ryder smirked. “I’m not lonely. Trust me. And Noah already has too many obligations to attend to. But you… You need this.”

Josh reached the long gravel drive and drove them toward the house. Once they’d unloaded the truck, they relaxed in the chairs on the porch. Josh went inside to retrieve a couple of beers as a thank-you. When he returned to the porch, Noah looked up at him and said, “We think you should go for it.”

“For what?”

“Amy.”

“I barely know her,” he said. He actually needed to get her off his mind.

Ryder reached for his beer. “That’s the fun of it. Getting to know someone.”

“Besides, what’s the harm in asking her out?”

Josh could think of a lot of things. Maybe she’d flat out refuse. Maybe she’d agree and then realize he wasn’t all that interesting. Would she though? She’d been surprisingly easy to talk to. He opened his beer and took a long sip.

“Remember what you said at the Fur-Ball?” Noah said.

He recalled the fundraiser for Loyal Companions, a local animal rescue organization, but nothing else. “Not particularly. No.”

“You said you weren’t looking for Mrs. Right, just Ms. Right Now. Ring any bells?”

Josh shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Exactly,” Ryder cut in. “This doesn’t have to be anything serious. Everyone deserves to have a little fun now and then. Even the president of Lonely Valley.”

Josh snorted.

Noah shifted in his chair to face Josh. “Look, all I’m saying is if you feel like you hit it off with this woman, why not ask her out?”