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He raised a knowing eyebrow. “Like discovering the Bartlett Blend?”
“Yes,” she said, loving that they had an inside joke. “That, and seeing the Northern Lights, and how it felt to be at a live concert, and…oh, just so many things.” She let out a happy sigh. “Listen, why don’t you let me get the groceries? I plan to start packing this morning, then I wanted to run in and get a couple of things from the store anyway because I wanted to make lunch for you today.”
“For me?”
“Yes you. You’ve been feeding me all week. I’d like to return the favor before I leave. I’m not much of a cook, so I can’t promise anything too fancy, but I canalmostassure you that it will be edible.”
He frowned. “I don’t know. I set a pretty high bar with those beanies and weenies the first night you were here.”
She sighed again. “I can’t believe that was almost a week ago. The time has gone so fast. I’m not sure I’m ready to leave.”
His easy smile fell, and he took a step back. His voice took on a more formal tone. “I better get to going. See you at lunch.” He whistled for the dog as he strode down the hallway.
Yeah, she wasn’t super excited about the prospect of leaving, either.
Kaylee’s morning flew by in a flurry of writing, packing, and running into town. She’d called Faye around ten to check in and had nonchalantly asked her about Luke’s favorite meal.
“That guy will eat anything,” her editor told her. “But you can’t go wrong with a big pan of homemade macaroni and cheese. That’s always been his favorite. If you look in the little wooden recipe box on the shelf above the sink, you’ll find our Grammy’s recipe. It’s the one with crushed crackers on top.”
“Perfect.” She’d seen the box earlier and knew just where it was.
“How’s the writing coming? Have you made it back on a horse yet?” Faye had said, sending Kaylee’s good mood into a dive bomb.
“Not exactly,” she waffled.
“Why not? Sassy is a barrel-racer. She grew up with horses and riding is a huge part of her character. To portray that, you’ve got to get out there and have the same experiences. I want you to know how sore your butt can feel after spending a few hours in the saddle, what the horse’s tail sounds like as it swishes a fly off its backside, the feel of the reins in your hands, and what the mix of dust and horse sweat smells like.”
“Um, yuck.”
“Yes, some of it is yuck, but that’s what makes it real. Kaylee, you’ve got to push yourself. And that means getting on that horse and experiencing the wind in your hair and that feeling of freedom when you’re galloping across the pasture.”
“Did you get a chance to read those last few chapters I sent?” she asked, trying to change the subject. She didn’t want to have to admit that she’d barely walked around the corral on the horse and had come nowhere near a gallop. She’d clutched the reins and thought her heart would hammer out of her chest when the horse had just gone into a trot when it headed back to the barn.
She tried to add more excitement to her voice to move her editor toward the new topic. “The writing itself is going great. I wrote two thousand words this morning, and I swear the words just flew from my fingertips. I think being on the ranch has been so good for me. I’ve really felt the creative juices flow. Which totally surprises me, because I don’t know if you knew that I was pretty hesitant about this idea at first.”
“No. Really?” Faye said, sarcasm dripping from her words.
“Yeah, yeah. I know. You were right. Everything about my time here has been an amazing experience. I love it all—the people, the town, the animals, being on the ranch. This place is so gorgeous and quaint. I went for a walk around the pond this morning and I saw ducks, and some deer and I’m pretty sure I saw an eagle. Plus, Luke has been so great.”
“Sounds like you’re in love.”
Kaylee had almost choked on the sip of coffee she’d just taken. “What?” she managed to croak as she set her cup down.
“I said, it sounds like you’re in love. And I knew this would happen.”
“You did?”
“Oh yeah. It’s easy to fall in love with Montana. There something special about the Big Sky state. And I wanted you to love it, so you’ll want to go back and keep experiencing it. Ididread those chapters you sent in a couple of days ago, and I can already tell a difference in your writing. Your descriptions are richer and have more depth. And not just in the setting, but in the emotion between Sassy and Duke as well. I think the Montana air has worked magic for you.”
The Montana air had been great, but it was a certain Montana cowboy who had inspired the new emotion and passion in the Duke and Sassy scenes.
“I’m anxious for you to get home, though. I’ve already set up a lunch with the publisher for early in the week to talk about your next contract. And I’m hoping to get this completed manuscript from you sooner rather than later.”
Kaylee had hung up, feeling happy that Faye was pleased with her new work, but also sad at the thoughts of leaving the next day. She’d found something here in Montana. Even though she was a writer, she didn’t know how to describe it. It was more of a feeling. A sense of…. belonging. Like maybe she’d finally found a place to call home.
Kaylee was pulling the pan of macaroni and cheese from the oven as Luke walked in the door for lunch.
“It smells amazing in here,” Luke said, crossing to the sink to wash his hands. “I love mac and cheese. And that looks just like how my grandma used to make it.”
