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“Pete. I’m flying out to Montana in two days.” I stood inside Conscious Coffee and ordered a peach with vanilla smoothie. Pete raised his brows and then walked away from the counter.
“You’re flying where?” He looked confused. I smiled and then twirled my hair.
“Montana. Remember the ad?” I couldn’t control my massive grin, and Pete knew immediately what I was referring to.
“Get out of here! Are you serious?” He chuckled and then shook his head. “That is so cool, Leila.” I could tell that he meant what he said. Pete was a genuine person, and his approval meant a lot to me. “You have to tell me all about it. What’s the game plan?” Pete leaned across the counter, a glimmer in his eye.
“Well. I’m flying out there to meet him. I don’t know much, to be honest. I know that he lives on a ranch in Billings, and that he has a six-month old son. Part of the arrangement involves me taking care of the little one, which I feel more than prepared to do.” I nodded my head, and realized that by explaining the plan to Pete, I was hashing out the relevant details in my own mind, as well. Pete smiled.
“Okay, girl. You sound like you’ve got a game-plan. This is good.” He walked away to wait on a few customers and I sat down with a smile on my face. I was ready to do whatever it took, but I was anxious about what my duties would involve. I already knew that Dusty wanted me to take care of his son, but what else did he have in mind? Would I be working on the ranch, as well? I figured whatever he wanted, I would simply have to be prepared for it. I was excited, but also nervous.
Conscious Coffee got busy soon after I presented Pete with the news. I sat down and enjoyed my drink for a while, then decided to get home and pack for my flight. I waved goodbye and Pete gave me a huge smile in return. “Make sure you stay in touch, Leila.” He called out from behind the counter and I walked out the door, ready as ever for what faced me in Montana.
As soon as I got home, I rushed upstairs to take care of my packing. Then I made arrangements for someone to watch over the house while I was gone. The flight was open-ended, so there was no telling how long I’d be away. A part of me secretly wished that I didn’t have to come back to Arizona, even though I was sure I’d miss it.
After deciding on my favorite outfits, and making sure to pack the warmest clothes that I could find, I closed my eyes and tried to imagine what Dusty looked like. I pictured him tall, with dark hair and slate blue eyes. I wondered how he dressed, what his interests were, and how he ever came to want a mail-order bride in the first place. I was sure that he had an interesting story to tell.
When the next morning rolled around, I was anxious as ever. It took a few cups of hot tea to settle my nerves, and even on the plane I had to do some deep breathing to get myself prepared for this meeting. I looked out the window from my tiny seat and watched the clouds roll by in the sky. It was an exciting feeling to be taking off on this adventure, but I couldn’t fight back the wave of anxiety that settled in my bones. When we finally landed in Montana, I told myself that this would be an experience of a lifetime, and that if it didn’t work out, I could always come back to Arizona.
I stepped off the plane and walked toward the baggage carousel. I reached out for my red suitcase and as soon as I looked up, I could see him. I knew without even asking that it was him. He wore a fitted white t-shirt with a black cowboy hat and jeans. I guessed that he was at least six feet tall. His shoulders were broad, but he was lean. I was immediately attracted to him.
“Leila?” He leaned forward and then smiled. That’s when I noted the color of his eyes. They were close to what my original imagination had produced: a mixture of blue and gray, soft and welcoming, yet mysterious and somewhat distant, as well. I smiled and nodded my head.
“Yes. Hi, Dusty.” I smiled and then looked away. I felt shy and awkward. I wanted to just grab my suitcase and fad into the background somehow, but that was impossible. Dusty smiled.
“How was your flight? Are you hungry?” He looked genuinely interested, and I nodded my head.
“The flight was good, and yes: I’m very hungry.” I looked around the airport and watched as travelers scurried here and there. Dusty reached down for my suitcase. “Let me get that for you.” He gripped the handle and wheeled it through the concourse until we reached the exit doors. I was relieved to get outside, and as soon as the automatic doors opened, I breathed a sigh of relief.
“I take it that you’ve never been to Montana. Is that true?” Dusty looked at me with a curious expression and I shook my head. We crossed the street to the parking are and walked quietly toward the outer row of parked cars.
“I lived in New York as a kid, and then moved to Arizona. I’ve never been to any other states in the country.” I looked at Dusty and then clutched my hands together. I was so nervous that it felt like none of my words were coming out right. I just wanted to relax, but it felt so strange to be standing in the middle of Montana, ready to drive off to a ranch where I’d be alone with a man I barely knew.
“Listen. Leila.” Dusty paused as soon as we reached his red pick-up truck. “I just want you to know that while I really hope this works out between us, I’m not going to have any hard feelings if it doesn’t. Okay?” Dusty cocked his head and I nodded. “I know it probably all feels kind of strange to you, but trust me. I’m not a bad guy. In fact, I think I’m a pretty good catch. I just opted for this route because I knew exactly what I wanted, and placing an ad like the one I placed was a sure-fire way for me to cut to the chase. Does that make sense?” Dusty studied my face and I nodded.
“Thanks. I guess it’s pretty obvious that I’m kind of nervous. Understandable. Right?” I let out a nervous laugh and then straightened my posture while Dusty un-locked the pick-up truck.
“It’s completely understandable, and I give you a lot of credit for coming all this way. I think you’re really going to enjoy Montana. I moved here ten years ago from Iowa, and it’s always felt like my true home.” Dusty nodded, then placed his key in the ignition. I carefully stepped up into the passenger seat and fastened my seat-belt.
“Where exactly do you live?” I could hardly wait to see where it was that he called home. Dusty smiled and then backed out of the parking space. I watched as he concentrated and noticed the same glimmer in his eye.
“I live abut twenty miles from the airport, way up in the mountains. Springer Ranch is situated on about fifty acres, and a beautiful stream cuts right through the back of the property. I have a private road that leads to the house, and there’s horse, sheep and chickens, too.” Dusty nodded and then steered us onto the highway. I felt a little more comfortable now. Neither of us spoke for a few minutes, and I gazed out the window, taking in the scenery, noting how much different the Montana landscape was from the Arizona landscape.
“I like being here.” I smiled and then took a deep breath. I couldn’t think of much else to say. I was taken in by the vast, open landscape, and by Dusty’s rugged good looks. He appeared to have a cool, collected demeanor, and he also seemed to have a solid handle on the expectations of this arrangement. I wondered what Ella would think of me sitting in the front seat with this good looking stranger. I smiled to myself, then continued to stare out the window.
Chapter 6
“Welcome to Springer Ranch.” Dusty gave me a self-assured smile as soon as we pulled up to the long, wining, gravel driveway. I looked on with awe. There was so much open space that I had to squint to see where it all ended. “The river sits way back there, beyond the tree-line.” Dusty leaned forward and I could smell the faint aroma of his cedar wood cologne. It was a fresh, slightly intoxicating scent.
We both piled out of the truck and Dusty walked around the back to get my suitcase. I stood motionless for a few minutes, scanning the horizon and admiring the expanse of mountains that stretched out before me. Then I walked slowly toward Dusty and followed him up the cobblestone path that led to his front door. “Excuse any of the messes. My regular babysitter is in Wyoming for the month, and I had to get someone else to watch the little one. Now that you’re here…” Dusty paused and then smiled. “Well. We’ll see what happens.” He opened the door for me to enter.
As soon as I walked in I saw the baby. He was swaddled in a light blue blanket and a young woman who appeared to be around twenty years old rocked him to and fro. “He just fell asleep a few minutes ago.” The young woman smiled and then walked up a set of wooden steps, leading, I assumed, to the upstairs bedrooms. I looked around and started to absorb my surroundings. The place was tastefully decorated, with sturdy, wooden furniture, and several western landscape paintings. Dusty had a huge bookcase situated in the corner, and several photographs of the baby framed on the coffee table.
“This place is really nice. It’s huge, too.” I was a little intimidated by the size. It reminded me of a massive, mountain retreat that would house a family of ten. The rooms were large and the windows were wide. I took in the view from the living room, then walked toward the kitchen. Baby bottles lined the counter, along with several tiny feeding spoons, some bibs and a bottle scrubber. I could tell that whoever was taking care of this baby had been doing a sound job. I hoped that I would be able to do the same.
“Carter goes to bed around eight every night.” Dusty followed behind me and started to put some of the bottles away. “He’s a pretty good baby. I guess he gets a little fussy here and there like all of them.” Dusty laughed and I could feel the pride in his tone. I was looking forward to taking care of Carter, making him like my own child. I knew that it would be challenging, but so far it all seemed to be flowing rather seamlessly. “He’ll be a year-old next month.” Dusty smiled and then continued walking.
“Why don’t we head upstairs. I’ll show you the bathroom, and of course, the bedrooms.” Dusty smiled and that’s when it hit me. I was really here to be his wife, his partner. Would we sleep in the same bed together? Or would we wait a few weeks until we felt more connected? I bit my lower lip out of nervousness, then followed Dusty up the long flight of stairs. The walls were decked out with various old-time Western photographs.
