LITMIR.BIZ

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the wedding planner.”

      Jackson quickly removed his hat, wondering where he’d left his manners. His mother had raised him better than this. But even as he started to shake her hand, he felt himself hesitate as if he were afraid to touch her.

      Ridiculous, he thought as he grasped her small, ice-cold hand in his larger, much warmer one. “Jackson Cardwell. I saw your van outside. But I thought the name on the side—”

      “Taylor is my married name.” When his gaze went to her empty ring finger, she quickly added, “I’m a widow.” She pulled back her hand to rub the spot where her wedding band had resided not that long ago. There was a thin, white line indicating that she hadn’t been widowed long. Or she hadn’t taken the band off until recently.

      “I believe I met your daughter as my son and I were coming in. Natalie?”

      “Yes, my baby girl.” Her dimpled smile told him everything he needed to know about her relationship with her daughter. He knew that smile and suspected he had one much like it when he talked about Ford.

      He felt himself relax a little. There was nothing dangerous about this woman. She was a single parent, just like him. Only she’d lost her husband and he wished he could get rid of his ex indefinitely.

      “Your daughter took my son to see the horses. I should probably check on him.”

      “Don’t worry. Nat has a healthy respect for the horses and knows the rules. Also Warren Fitzpatrick, their hired man, is never far away. He’s Dana’s semi-retired ranch manager. She says he’s a fixture around here and loves the kids. That seems to be his job now, to make sure the kids are safe. Not that there aren’t others on the ranch watching out for them, as well. Sorry, I talk too much when I’m...nervous.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I want this wedding to be perfect.”

      He could tell she was still shaken by the black cat episode. “My brother Tag mentioned that Dana and the kids had almost been killed by some crazy woman. It’s good she has someone she trusts keeping an eye on the children, even with everyone else on the ranch watching out for them. Don’t worry,” he said, looking around the barn. “I’m sure the wedding will be perfect.”

      The barn was huge and yet this felt almost too intimate standing here talking to her. “I was just about to get Ford and go down to the house. Dana told me she was baking a huge batch of chocolate chip cookies and to help ourselves. I believe she said there would also be homemade lemonade when we got here.”

      Allie smiled and he realized she’d thought it was an invitation. “I really need to get these decorations—”

      “Sorry. I’m keeping you from your work.” He took a step back. “Those decorations aren’t going to put themselves up.”

      She looked as if she wasn’t so sure of that. The cat had definitely put a scare into her, he thought. She didn’t seem sure of anything right now. Allie looked again at the box of decorations, no doubt imagining the cat flying out of it at her.

      Glancing at her watch, she said, “Oh, I didn’t realize it was so late. Nat and I are meeting a friend for lunch. We need to get going.”

      Jackson was suddenly aware that he’d been holding his hat since shaking Allie’s hand. He quickly put it back on as they walked out of the barn door into the bright sunshine. “My son is quite taken with your daughter,” he said, again feeling an unusual need to fill the silence.

      “How old is he?”

      “Ford’s five.”

      “Same age as Nat.”

      As they emerged into the beautiful late-June day, Jackson saw the two children and waved. As they came running, Nat was chattering away and Ford was hanging on her every word.

      “They do seem to have hit it off.” Allie sounded surprised and pleased. “Nat’s had a hard time lately. I’m glad to see her making a new friend.”

      Jackson could see that Allie Taylor had been having a hard time, as well. He realized she must have loved her husband very much. He knew he should say something, but for the life of him he couldn’t think of what. He couldn’t even imagine a happy marriage. As a vehicle came roaring up the road, they both turned, the moment lost.

      “Hey, bro,” Tanner “Tag” Cardwell called from the rolled down window of his pickup as he swung into the ranch yard. “I see you made it,” he said, getting out to come over and shake his brother’s hand before he pulled Jackson into a hug. Tag glanced over at Ford and Natalie and added with a laugh, “Like father like son. If there’s a pretty female around, you two will find them.”

      Jackson shook his head. That had been true when he’d met Ford’s mother. But since the divorce and the custody battle, he’d been too busy single-handedly raising his son to even think about women. That’s why red flags had gone up when he’d met Allie. There was something about her that had pulled at him, something more than her obvious beauty.

      “Dana’s right behind me with the kids,” Tag said. “Why don’t I show you and Ford to your cabin, then you can meet everyone.” He pointed up in the pines that covered the mountainside. “Let’s grab your bags. It’s just a short walk.”

      Jackson turned to say goodbye to Allie, but she and her daughter had already headed for the old van.

      * * *

      “COME ON, NAT, we’re meeting Belinda for lunch,” Allie said as the Cardwell men headed for the cabins on the mountain behind the barn. Working here had been a godsend. Nat was having a wonderful time. She loved Dana’s children. Hank was a year older than Nat, with Mary being the same age. Dana’s twin boys, Angus and Brick, were just over a year and her sister Stacy’s daughter, Ella, was a year and a half. Dana had her hands full but Stacy helped out with the younger ones. All of them loved the animals, especially the horses.

      True to her word, Dana had made sure Nat had begun her horseback riding lessons. Nat was a natural, Dana had said, and Allie could see it was true.

      Their few days here so far had been perfect.

      Until the cat, there hadn’t been any other incidents.

      Her friend Belinda Andrews was waiting for them at a little Mexican food place near Meadow Village at Big Sky. While other friends had gone by the wayside since she’d married Nick six years ago, Belinda hadn’t let Nick run her off. Allie suspected that, like her, she didn’t have a lot of friends and Nick, while he’d made it clear he didn’t like Belinda, had grudgingly put up with her the times they’d crossed paths.

      “I hope we didn’t keep you waiting,” Allie said as she and Nat met Belinda on the patio. “You didn’t have any trouble getting off work for the wedding shoot?” Belinda worked for a local photographer, but freelanced weddings. It was how they’d met back when Allie had her own wedding planning business.

      Belinda grinned. “All set for the Tag Cardwell and Lily McCabe wedding. I took Dana up on her offer. I’m moving into one of the guest cabins later today!”

      Allie wasn’t all that surprised. Dana had offered her a cabin, as well, while she was preparing everything for the wedding. But since she lived just down the highway a few miles, Allie thought it best to remain at home for Nat’s sake. Her daughter had had enough changes in her life recently.

      “You really are excited about this,” Allie said, noticing how nice Belinda looked. Her friend was dressed in a crop top and cut-off jeans, her skin tanned. Her dark hair was piled haphazardly up on her head, silver dangly earrings tinkled from her earlobes and, while she looked makeup free, Allie could tell she wasn’t.

      Belinda looked enchanting, a trick Allie wished she could pull off, she thought. On the way here, she’d pulled her hair up in a ponytail and even though she’d showered this morning, she’d forgone makeup. Nick was always suspicious when she wore it when he wasn’t around so she’d gotten out of the habit.

      Inside the café, Nat asked if

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