Vivian Arend - Rocky Mountain Desire

With all attention turned her way, Marion waved a hand like the matriarch she was. “Don’t worry, we have more food coming later, but I thought I’d remind you boys to get a move on with the dishes. And this time? Take the little ones with you. I think they’re all big enough to help.”

The oldest of her grandsons, Lance, grimaced, but the littlest cheered and Matt laughed as he joined the rest of the men headed for the kitchen.

Everywhere he looked he saw family. Blake and Daniel had Robbie up on a stool, rinsing dishes before passing them to his brothers to fit into the dishwasher. His dad and Travis were transferring leftovers, sneaking final tidbits off the nearly empty platters. The twins were already into the hand washing in the second sink, a loud conversation-slash-argument about something inconsequential flapping between them.

It felt good to belong, to be a part of the whole. But the real reason he was a happy man was the woman sitting out in the living room with the other ladies of the clan. The woman who’d come to mean more to him than he thought possible.

Joel was right. They were sailing into the busiest season on the ranch, and he still had a few commitments to meet. A bit of advance planning was in order and what better time than now, when he had a captive audience. Matt pushed himself into the middle of the room where they could all see him and cleared his throat.

“Guys, you can rag on me all you want later, but I need your help.”

Hope held Rebecca from falling as she teetered on unsteady toddler legs. “Things are good.”

Jaxi and Beth exchanged looks.

Hope frowned. “What’s that for?”

Beth shook her head. “I know I’m newer to the area but even I’ve figured this one out. Things aren’t good when you’re involved with a Coleman. They’re either pissing you off or making you crazily content. So spill. You and Matt?”

“Pissed or crazy? Definitely crazy.”

Jaxi laughed. “And…that’s all I could get out of her as well. Hope, you’re the most closed-mouth person I know when it comes to some stuff.”

“You tell me. You really want me to describe our sex lives?”

The little one on the floor, Rachel, clapped her hands and laughed as she shook a rattle enthusiastically. Jaxi snorted. “Oh no, baby girl. You’re gonna stay sweet and innocent for a long, long time. No cheering for Auntie Hope to spill details about the luscious sex games her and Uncle Matt are playing.”

Something twisted inside at being called auntie. Hope turned her attention fully on Rebecca to hide the mix of pain and pleasure the word brought.

Jaxi squeezed her arm quickly, as if she understood. “Now since you won’t talk about the juicy stuff, what’s the word on Helen? How’s she behaving these days?”

“Better since Matt’s cousin had a word with her.”

“You talking about Anna Coleman? You did call the police, then? I’d heard bits and pieces, but Daniel and I didn’t get the full story.” Beth put her tea down on the side table and pulled Rebecca into her arms. The little girl tucked her head against Beth’s chest and sighed heavily, wiggling in and closing her eyes. “Jaxi, I swear you’ve got these girls bewitched. She’s going to sleep with no fussing?”

Jaxi grimaced. “No, not bewitched. They save all the wild antics for when they’ve got Blake and me alone. In public? They’re the sweetest things, just so I can’t complain about them being cranky without people thinking I’m out of my mind.”

Beth laughed then turned the question back to Hope. “Did you have to bring charges against Helen?”

Hope shook her head. “Matt had Anna come talk to me—she suggested a friendly conversation was the best first step. Something witnessed by an official-type person, but not in an official capacity, if you understand what I mean. I didn’t want to have to get Helen arrested—and Anna agreed, she didn’t think Helen had done anything but cause mischief. So Anna and I set up a meeting with her.”

“Did she explain herself?”

That was the most confusing part. “She didn’t seem to know what we were talking about at first. I thought she was lying, but Anna suggested to me later that Helen might have been drunk and simply not remembered what she’d done. Matt said she’d sounded funny when she’d called him.”

Jaxi shook her head. “I still think there was too much forward planning for it to all be some drunken binge. Calling both Clay and Matt, knowing it was your day off? Doesn’t make sense if she was so drunk she was out of it.”

It did seem organized, but Hope was ready to put that behind her.

After all, the results had turned out rather spectacular. She tried not to think too hard about the afternoon she and Matt had spent in bed after the misunderstanding.

Yeah, things had moved forward the right way that day, and she was so thankful.

Beth adjusted the sleeping baby in her arms. “And the situation is better now?”

Hope sighed. “I’ve heard nothing from Helen lately, which…well, it’s not what I want in the long run, but it’s great for temporary. I don’t have time to deal with her and whatever it was she was trying to accomplish.”

“Maybe someday she’ll come around.” Jaxi shrugged. “I understand that part. The wanting things to turn out the way you want, but really, the ball is in her court. Helen’s got to make the first move, and one that’s positive and not an attack.”

Hope could acknowledge that in her head, but her heart was still hesitating. “I’ll just give it time, I guess.”

Beth nodded. “Sometimes that’s all you can do—wait and see. But in the meantime, enjoy the good things you’ve got.”

Hope grinned.

Marion chose that moment to return, and the conversation turned to other topics. Hope listened with contentment, her pleasure increasing when the guys rambled back into the room. Matt made a beeline for her side and wrapped himself around her. Taking her into his arms, his family.

His heart? If she was lucky—

No, if they worked at it right.

The noises of the Spring Fair rose and fell around her as Hope hurried through the freestanding booths toward the main hall. There were too many things on her to-do list and not enough hours in the day right now. Which was wonderful, because it meant the shop was in full swing and doing well, and terrible because she hadn’t seen Matt in nearly three weeks.

They’d talked on the phone, briefly. When his phone didn’t die, or he didn’t get called away for the arrival of another calf, or he wasn’t crashing from exhaustion. The ranch was small enough they dealt with calving season with just the Coleman boys, but big enough they were run ragged keeping up. And when the April calving was completed, they’d be busy in the fields.

She’d been tempted to go over and crawl into his bed. To be there when he did stumble in, but figured that wouldn’t be fair when he was burnt out. Last thing he needed was her keeping him from his well-deserved sleep.

Even though she ached to be back in his arms.

Ahead was the wall where the quilts up for auction were displayed, large banners at their sides announcing the sponsors’ names.

The Thompsons had completed a simple four-patch, and she had to say she was impressed. The dark colours the guys had picked went together well, as did the bright reds and whites of the fire hall’s contribution. In all, there were eight offerings, ranging from a baby quilt to a slightly lopsided queen-sized. She’d hung them the previous night with the fire chief’s assistance, pleased to be able to give back to the place she’d chosen as her home community.

The only quilt missing when they’d set things up had been the Colemans’. Matt had called earlier in the week and promised it would be delivered by that morning. Hope had to wiggle through the crowds waiting and pointing upward, shuffling slowly along the line as they dropped their raffle tickets into the bags for the fundraiser. A whisper went ahead of her and the faces turning toward her were smile-filled—as if they all knew a secret she didn’t.

“She’s here…”

A path opened, and Hope wondered what was going on. “Don’t let me get in your way. I don’t need to do anything else for the raffle.”

Gramma Martin stood to the side and ushered her ahead. “Oh, there’s one more thing you need to take care of this morning.”

Shoot. Had one of the quilts fallen off? She hurried forward, gaze darting over the wall, but she couldn’t see anything wrong with the display. There was an extra quilt tacked up on the right edge—the space she’d left for the Colemans’ contribution. She looked eagerly to see what they’d managed to come up with.

They’d made a wall hanging. Smaller in size, maybe two feet along each side, a little rough in the finishing, but still a quilt by any definition of the word. A border filled with flying geese surrounded four different squares. A log-cabin patch on the bottom left, a lopsided star in the upper right, the brand for the SP Coleman ranch burnt straight onto a piece of fabric, and a…

Hope moved closer to examine the final square. Half triangles of icy blue contrasted against a buttery yellow. The occasional solid square strategically placed—it wasn’t the prettiest pattern she knew of, but she was swallowing hard as she reached to touch it.

Single wedding ring.

Did Matt know the symbolism of what he’d picked?

A long piece of thin twine was tacked directly in the middle of the patch, and something shiny flashed where it was nestled against the knot. Oh my God, maybe he did know.