Cowboy Creed (Cooper's Hawke Landing Book 1) Page 2

  Jane frowned. “In all seriousness, how are you since the divorce? It’s been what…two months?”

  “Six months.”

  “Sheesh.”

  “Honey, the divorce decree was just a piece of paper stating what I already knew. The marriage was over years ago. I’m okay. Really I am. Thank you for your concern but you don’t have to worry.”

  “I think I do. You’re running away.” She reached for the bottle of sunscreen, flipped open the lid and poured the thick cream into her palm.

  “I’m not running away!”

  “That’s what you would say to me.” She applied the sunscreen to her legs.

  “I haven’t been to Cooper’s Hawk in years. I grew up there. That’s not running away.”

  “Mom?” Jane gave Mindy the I-know-you-better eye. “Is this because of the house?”

  “You’re heading to college and I would be here alone anyway. This house is way too big for one person.” Mindy and Branch had agreed that she would stay in the house for one year and then she’d choose to put the home up for sale, and split the profit, or buy Branch out of his share. “Some Montana fresh air will help me decide what I need to do with my life.” Mindy plucked at the frayed hem of her denim shorts. Since he’d asked for a divorce, she’d been asking herself the grueling question, “Where will I go from here?”

  “I want you to be happy,” Jane said.

  “I know you do, and I will be. This is a hurdle I need to get over and it takes time, but it can happen.”

  “Does that mean you’ve decided to sell?”

  “I haven’t decided anything yet, but more than likely I will.”

  The sadness on her daughter’s face only lasted a second. “I’m getting a text.” She read the screen on her phone and smiled. “I’ve got to go. My squad is waiting.” She jumped up, gave Mindy a tight hug, then pulled on the cover up over her bikini. “Love you.” She started for the French doors.

  “Wait. What time will you be home?”

  “Don’t wait up!”

  “Jane Elizabeth!”

  “Sorry. I’ll be home around midnight. We’re grabbing a pizza and watching a movie.”

  Mindy responded with, “I love you too,” but the door was already shut.

  Getting up from the lounger, she took the stone steps down to the wooden dock and sat at the edge. She dipped her feet into the warm water, swirling her toes in the murky blue depths, wishing she had all the answers to her problems.

  What would she do with her life?

  She married Branch when Jane was a baby and they’d been happy, but the honeymoon stage had lasted less than a year. While Mindy had been up to her ears in dirty diapers, midnight feedings and keeping the house—then a two-bedroom apartment—running, Branch’s focus had been on building his reputation and clientele in the photography world. When he’d landed a shoot for a popular fashion lingerie company his business had taken off like a rocket. What should have been a lucky break turned out to be less time at home.

  Mindy had maintained loyalty to her family through the years, running Jane to school and sports and supporting Branch in all his endeavors. All the while the gap grew wider and deeper until they couldn’t find their way out of the man-made hole. It happened to a lot of couples. Over the years she’d lost count of friends who’d divorced because they no longer loved one another.

  At times, she’d tried to stick a match to the flame by surprising Branch with new lingerie and buckets of chilled champagne, but at some point, she felt he had lost interest. She faulted herself for not realizing that when she’d suggested they have a child together five years ago and he gave her a hard “no” that he would never be the family man. By then he’d completely segregated himself from her and the dream of building a larger family had fizzled.

  A year ago he’d taken her to her favorite restaurant for dinner and proceeded to tell her that he wanted a divorce. It was, but wasn’t, a shock. She’d suspected for some time that he was seeing someone else, and it was almost a relief to finally hear the truth—to finally have him stop denying what she’d accused him of a handful of times. Jane, although sad that her parents would be divorcing, had almost seemed relieved too.

  A house built on lies was no home.

  If Mindy could have peered into a crystal ball to see what her future held, she would have taken a different path. Prepared better. Would have put away more money—got the college degree she so dearly wanted but had quit her junior year because being a mom, wife and college student had spread her too thin.

  The day Jane started kindergarten, Mindy applied for a position as a figure skating coach and landed the job. She’d enjoyed coaching skaters at the nearby rink.

  When the nights became lonely because Branch wasn’t home, she started writing in a journal. The stories had exploded and a writer friend suggested she submit them to a local newspaper. The editor loved her articles about the trials and tribulations of motherhood so much that she gave Mindy a small spot on the front page of the daily paper. She wrote the column until sales started to decline and the newspaper closed.

  From where she sat on the dock, with the soothing sounds of the water splashing the rocks and swirling around her ankles, she closed her eyes and imagined she was back in Cooper’s Hawk. An image filled her mind. Pale blue eyes and a dimple-bracketed grin. Dark hair and silky waves she would tangle her fingers in. Large, callused hands caressing her sensitive skin. The intoxicating scent of leather and sandalwood, and the husky words whispered in her ear as she gave herself to the cowboy she’d never forgotten.

  Cool water sprayed her face and she opened her eyes, watching as a speed boat passed. The couple waved at her and she waved back.

  Standing, she looked at the house that appeared so regal with the white columns and stone siding. The architecture was beautiful indeed, but the house never seemed like home, not like the two story, white-sided farmhouse back at Sage Ranch. She missed the horses. The pygmy goats she’d raised for 4H. The sunrises and sunsets that never quite seemed the same outside of Montana.

  What divorced woman needed a four-bedroom, three-bathroom, home with a lake for a backyard? The days of social gatherings, boat rides, swimming, and grill outs were over.

  Selling was the best option.

  Why wasn’t she overcome with emotion? Wouldn’t it be normal for her to shed a few tears? Feel an overwhelming sorrow? But she didn’t. She felt numb.

  She’d call the real estate agent in the morning.

  She’d thought about her next journey most of the day, debating if going back to Cooper’s Hawk for a while was the best option. What she wouldn’t give to have the slow pace and comfort of the small town. More so, she’d love to meet that girl again, the wild and carefree Mindy who loved challenges, dirty boots, Daisy Dukes, and a simpler life.

  There was a chance she could find herself. She needed to go back to the place where she’d been more herself than she ever had been. Call it running away or not, Cooper’s Hawk could be described as an elixir.

  There was only one obstacle to this profound decision.

  Creed Hawke.

  Meeting on the kindergarten playground when they’d both grabbed the last available swing, he’d offered for her to go first and from that point on they’d been best friends…until the summer after graduation when he’d kissed her. They’d kissed before, a brushing on the cheek or on the forehead, but this time his lips had lingered, exploring and passionate. Before she knew it, they were in the back of his truck taking things to a new level. She’d been a naïve eighteen-year old, but in his arms, she’d become wild and fervent.

  But things had changed after that night. Turned awkward. They’d been too young to understand how to handle the leap they’d taken together.

  Two weeks later she left for California.

  Creed and Branch were polar opposites. He’d been everything she needed at the time to get over the heartbreak she’d left in Cooper’s Hawk. He had been charming and loved to tell st
ories, not all were true, and he didn’t seem to mind that she had a baby.

  Her love for Creed had been mind-consuming, like fireworks and freshly baked brownies, so the easy, uncomplicated love she felt for Branch had been a welcome difference. His smooth appeal, charming good looks and his ability to make her forget her past life in a small town all made her say “yes” when he asked her to marry him two months into their whirlwind relationship.

  Yet, over the years she’d thought about Creed, wondered what he was doing. Was he happy? Did he think of her too? Were there any regrets remaining between them from that one night so long ago?

  Where was he now? In Cooper’s Hawk? She doubted he’d gone back.

  Though he wasn’t the reason why she needed to go back home.

  That country girl with smears of dirt on her cheeks, goat fur on her jacket, wearing short shorts and dusty cowgirl boots remained inside of her. The ambitious girl who’d started figure skating as a hobby at five and by eight was competing and winning awards existed. Thankfully she had Creed, Sage Ranch, and skating that got her through the pain and grief of losing her mom when she was ten. A lot had happened that year. Creed had asked her to marry him during a tornado. Her dad, Rusty Sage, had started drinking. And Creed’s mom, Abby, had become more like a second mom to Mindy.

  Retracing her way up the steps, she grabbed the pop cans and her cell from the patio and stepped through the French doors into the kitchen where she spent a lot of her time creating culinary masterpieces. The space with grey stained-glass cabinets, matching Italian stone backsplash, stainless steel professional appliances, and large butcher’s block island surrounded by special order barstools seemed extravagant in the wake of a divorce and no income coming in.

  A row of large glass canisters filled with Jane and Branch’s favorite candy lined the granite counter, alongside a bowl of fresh fruit and a stack of photography magazines that Branch forgot to change the address for.

  Grabbing a piece of licorice from the candy jar, she popped it into her mouth then picked up the magazines and dropped them into the trash on her way to grab the crystal vase filled with dried flowers sitting on the table—the round pedestal table had once been filled with their family, laughing and sharing stories over breakfast. The polished wood was marked with Jane’s stick figure family and math equations. Everything in the house had been touched with love.

  This chapter of their lives had come to an end.

  Dumping the flowers she’d received from a friend two weeks ago, she washed the vase with extra vigor and set it in the drainer to dry.

  Asking Alexa to play her favorite station, she turned up the volume louder than usual and shimmied her hips to the upbeat tune of an ACDC song right into the wine closet where she picked out a bottle of Moscato. Opening it, she poured herself a tall glass and sipped while she took out the makings for a salad from the refrigerator. Like most evenings these days, she planned a quiet one alone with her wine and a chick flick on the flat screen…

  Until she heard a harmonious knock on the door.

  Her friend and neighbor, Linsey, stood on the other side of the glass door, holding up a bottle of wine and smiling from one fringed earring to the other.

  “Great minds think alike,” Mindy said after she let her friend in. “I just popped open a Poli Grappa di Moscato. Come in and help me finish off the bottle.”

  “Oh, the good stuff.” Linsey breezed in like a breath of fresh air. Her sheer purple ankle length dress billowed around her legs. The stacks of bangles clanked from both wrists as she placed the unopened bottle of red on the counter.

  “It’s the last of the stash Branch and I brought back from our trip to that vineyard two years ago.”

  “The one you enjoyed alone because he stayed on his phone most of the time?”

  “Exactly.” Moaning, Mindy poured her friend a glass. “Hungry?”

  “Always.”

  “I’m making a salad and I saw that the movie Under the Tuscan Sun is playing. It seems rather fitting.” Mindy reached for a knife from the magnetic strip and chopped lettuce and tomato.

  “Honey, what did we say about watching movies that justify your hurt?”

  “Why do you think I’m still hurt?” She whacked a cucumber with the knife.

  “Oh, just a silly thought…” Linsey smiled and peaked over Mindy’s shoulder as she added olives, mushrooms and parmesan crisps to the bowl. “What am I going to do about eating when you leave?”

  “I suggest you take a cooking class. That’s how I learned. I got tired of burning water.” She tossed the salad, poured in a drizzle of vinaigrette and set the bowl between two plates at the bar.

  “I don’t think there’s any help for this woman, Mindy. Can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

  “You’re only sixty. Far from old.” Taking a seat on the stool, Mindy sipped her wine. “I’m glad you came over.”

  “I saw Jane leave with her friends so I thought you might like some company. This could very well be the last time you and I get to hang out.”

  “I’m only visiting Montana, not another planet. Come and visit.”

  “Forgive me for being a little emotional.” Linsey grabbed a napkin from the crystal holder and blotted her eyes dramatically. “You were there for me when I had the cancer scare and Pete died. I’ve known Jane since she had pig tails and now she’s going to college and you’re leaving.” She sniffed loudly. “I can’t handle the changes.”

  Mindy patted her friend’s hand. “More reason for you to come visit. Any time.”

  Stabbing a piece of lettuce with her fork, Linsey popped it into her mouth. “Homemade dressing?”

  “Of course.”

  “Branch was a dimwit. He’s going to regret that he ever let you go.”

  “There’s more to keeping a marriage alive than good food.”

  “Yes, sex too.”

  “Now remind me. What is sex again?”

  Linsey blinked. “What? Exactly how long, my friend?”

  “Long enough that I no longer worry about wearing the sexy silk and lace.”

  “I’m sorry, sweetie.” Linsey laughed.

  “What’s funny?”

  “I think you should have a warning label because when you finally do end the dry spell you’re going to explode like a geyser.”

  “Cheers to that.” Mindy lifted her glass and Linsey tapped it with her own.

  “How are you doing with Jane leaving?”

  “It’s bittersweet to watch her go off alone into the big world, but I have to be brave.” Feeling an attack of tears coming on, Mindy managed to control the urge. She busied herself spooning salad onto her plate.

  “Have you decided what you’ll do with the house?” Linsey forked a piece of tomato.

  “I think it’s best I sell. This place is too big for me.”

  “Oh boy.”

  “What?” Mindy poured herself more wine.

  “You’ll be staying in Cooper’s Hawk.”

  “No…maybe. I don’t know yet. I don’t think so though. I just know I need a break from here.”

  “Understandable.” Linsey nodded. “Have you and Branch had a chance to speak since the divorce was final?”

  Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Mindy pushed an olive around her plate. “Yes, we spoke a few days ago about Jane and if she needed anything for school. He’s moved in with Sian.”

  “That asshole,” Linsey ground out through clenched teeth.

  “Although I’ve used that very sentiment a few times, I’ve come to realize that he wasn’t the only one who destroyed our marriage. I saw the train wreck coming and instead of reacting I ignored the signs.”

  “Lord knows Pete and I had our fair share of problems before he passed, but at least we had great make up sex. I hope whatever you’re looking for you’ll find a man who has a big—”

  “Linsey!”

  “Heart. That’s what I was going to say. Get your head out of the gutter.”

  Chapte
r Two

  “WHOA, GIRL. EASY does it.” Creed patted the mare’s neck as they carefully maneuvered the slippery rocks along the ridge of Trip Ease Mountain. The topography could be hazardous enough in pleasant weather but add the rain, and lack of light, the area became treacherous. This only made search and rescue efforts much more difficult.

  Before he and his brother, Boone, took the horses out of the trailer and saddled them at the base of the mountain, they got all pertinent information from Sheriff Conley about the missing person. The thirty-year-old man’s car had been left on the pull off and there was no sign of foul play, so they assumed he was still somewhere on Trip Ease. Creed and Boone were called in when geography was too difficult for locals to handle.

  The Hawke brothers started a helicopter tour company, Cooper’s Hawke Landing, and soon after they were asked to partner with local law to aid in search and rescue efforts. Since then their team had grown by seven more members, each skilled and trained in trailing and tracking, avalanche recovery, swift water and wildlands rescue, rappelling, and helping during wildfires. Each member had extensive training in medical and search and rescue operation, on top of the combined years spent in the military. They were a group made up of business owners, retired military, firefighters, and pilots. They were strong and powerful with one thing in common, to help others. Each came with their own skill—and each with their own personality as diverse as their professions.

  They could cover the area of Trip Ease faster with horses than searchers could on foot.

  “What did Conley say the missing man’s name is?” Boone trailed a few feet behind on his mare.

  “Terrance,” Creed raised his voice over the rushing water below. “He’s thirty, athletic and an accomplished hiker. He’s also an emergency room nurse at the hospital. His wife is the one who called the Sheriff. Terrence had left a note saying that he was going on a hike up here and would be back early for an appointment. She’d worked night shift so she laid down and when she woke up a few hours later he still wasn’t back. He’d missed his appointment. She called his cell, but the service out here is shitty, to say the least, so there hasn’t been any contact with him.”