Forever Dreams

  Trent sent a sizzling look toward her.

  Gracie glared back. If the man thought one look would bring her to her knees, he was sadly mistaken. Parading his piece of hanky-panky on his arm in front of his soon-to-be-ex-wife didn't add to his charm. He only needed one wife at a time, for cripes' sake, not a whole herd of them. Gracie smiled at the thought of Jo-Jo wrapped in cow skin. That thought alone gave her an extra spark of encouragement in the grim reality of Trent's two-timing tendencies.

  "It looks as though you've got your hands full, Trent. I'd hate to keep you from your friend." Gracie grabbed Jordan's hand, pulling with all her might. "Come on cowboy, you promised me the next dance." After a couple more tugs, Jordan got the message and started gravitating toward the far side of the room.

  Gracie pushed him around the dance floor, doing her best to lead him in time to the music playing on the jukebox. "I thought I'd have to get the cattle prod out to get you moving."

  Jordan sent the meanest look Gracie had ever seen in the general vicinity of where Trent had been standing. "Of all the no-good, low-life, idiotic things to do. Jo-Jo Allen's at the bottom of the feeding chain. Trent knows she'll lick anyone's leftovers quicker than you can blink. What's the man thinking?"

  Gracie didn't like the sound of Jo-Jo's tongue getting the chance to lick any part of Trent McKenzie's anatomy. She twisted around to see where Jo-Jo's tongue currently resided. "I can't see what they're up to. Give me a commentary, big man."

  As they shuffled around the dance floor, Jordan kept his eyes plastered on his brother, and Gracie kept her ears plastered on Jordan.

  "She's leaning forward and fluttering her eyelashes at him, like she's got an allergy or something."

  Gracie grimaced at Jordan's description of Jo-Jo doing what she did best. It would have been almost funny if it hadn't been her man on the receiving end of those lashes.

  "What's he doing?"

  "Standing there like a man caught in the glare of headlights. Hang on a minute."

  "What?" Gracie tugged on his arm to remind him he was supposed to be her eyes. "Spit it out. What's happening?"

  "Trent's turning toward the door. It looks as though he's leaving."

  Gracie almost didn't want to ask, but knew she had to. Too bad if it made her look desperate. A woman had to protect what was hers, well almost hers, if you discounted running out on your husband and telling him you wanted a divorce. In her books that still counted as proprietary rights. "Where's Jo-Jo?"

  Jordan's shoulders relaxed as he moved to the right. "She's sidled over to Frank McCall. He'll keep her occupied for the rest of the night."

  Gracie heaved a sigh of relief. Disaster averted. There'd be no licking on the Triple L tonight.

  ***

  Trent jammed his hands in his pockets and walked across to his truck. Of all the dumb-ass things to do on a Saturday night, he had to pick the one bar Jordan had brought Gracie to. The ranch had seemed too lonely since she'd left. He'd been wandering around the house picturing Gracie in every room. Even his first wife hadn't managed to confuse him as much as Gracie did. In six weeks he'd turned into a messed-up fool, needing a female to make him feel good about himself. And damn his brother for taking Gracie out on the town. Whose side was he on, anyway?

  Trent looked over his shoulder as he reversed out of the parking lot. Gracie's pink suitcase sat on the backseat. He'd been going to drop it off at his mom's place, but didn't want to run the risk of bumping into Gracie. So much for good intentions. He'd not only managed to find her in a downtown bar, but he'd nearly ended up on Jo-Jo Allen's menu.

  Gracie hadn't seemed the least bit interested in the fact that Jo-Jo had designs on him. That really showed how much she'd gotten over their two-week marriage.

  How much she'd gotten over him.

  What she didn't know was that half of Bozeman happened to be on Jo-Jo's list of appetizers. Only the chosen few got to be main courses and Jo-Jo had been after him since she'd first started wearing lipstick. He hadn't been interested then, and he wasn't interested now.

  He turned right into Jackson Drive and stopped at the red traffic lights. It was Saturday night in downtown Bozeman and here he was, a thirty-nine-year-old man, heading over to his mom's place for a cup of coffee and some company. How sad could life get?

  ***

  "Trent McKenzie. You get your sorry ass down here this minute before I kick it into the next galaxy!" Jordan stood at the bottom of the stairs, bellowing through the house.

  Grabbing his watch off the bedside table, Trent nearly fell out of bed. One o'clock. What the heck was Jordan doing screaming at him at this time of the morning? Even the damn roosters were still asleep.

  Trent thumped down the stairs two at a time. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be out cavorting with my wife?" If Jordan wanted to pick a fight, then he'd better be prepared for the argument of the century. He'd had enough of people meddling in his life. First his mother had started parading every single woman who still had her own set of teeth in his direction. And now his brother had been working overtime, trying to get on the good side of his wife. Even Mrs. Davies had been dropping not so subtle hints about missing Gracie. Trent needed to get rid of some of the testosterone building in his bloodstream and Jordan had put himself right in the firing line.

  His brother stared at him like he'd turned into an insane fool. Maybe he had, but that was no reason to yell his house down at one o'clock in the morning.

  "I didn't cavort with anyone," Jordan growled. "Gracie needed a bit of company, that's all. I've been trying to protect what should be yours before someone else gets in on the action. But you're obviously too thick-witted to realize just how special she is. And what were you doing with Jo-Jo? If you were hoping to convince Gracie you miss her, then you're living on another planet. All that stunt did was make her appreciate what a lucky escape she's had from you."

  Trent pushed past his brother and headed toward the kitchen. He needed a cup of coffee. "Jo-Jo wasn't planned. She practically landed on top of me when I walked in the door." Grabbing a mug out of the pantry, he glared at his brother. "Gracie didn't seem the least bit upset that Jo-Jo was there, so why should you care?"

  Jordan crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I care because you're my brother and you're making the biggest mistake of your life. What were you doing at Charlie's anyway? You never go out on a Saturday night."

  Trent poured hot water into the coffee maker, nearly burning his hand in the process. "I thought I'd catch up with some friends. Is that all right with you, or can't I have a social life?"

  "You don't have a social life when you're married," Jordan roared. "You look after what's yours and keep your wife happy. Gracie is not a happy woman."

  "She's not going to be my wife for much longer, you idiot," Trent slammed the fridge door closed. "Gracie's never been my happy-ever-after wife. She can do whatever she wants. No one, including me, has the right to stop her heading back to New Zealand and making a love nest with some other poor sucker." He threw some milk in his cup, waited for the coffeepot, then took an almighty gulp of hot liquid. "Damn."

  He rushed to the sink and grabbed an empty cup, filling it with cold water. He drunk it faster than it spilled out of the faucet.

  Jordan burst out laughing. "You've got it real bad, brother dearest. The woman's got her claws into you big time only you're too thick to see it."

  "What are you talking about? Gracie's claws are nowhere near me. If it weren't for the fact that she's staying with mom, I wouldn't even know where she's living."

  Jordan headed over to the fridge, disappearing behind the doors for all of two seconds. "Thank goodness for Mrs. Davies. At least you've got decent leftovers." A plate of cold meat and a bag of bread ended up on the counter. "This is what we need. I'll make some sandwiches and you can tell your little brother all your troubles."

  Jordan started stacking slices of bread with meat. Trent walked over to the fridge and grabbed the salad and mayonna
ise. If he had to talk about his non-existent love-life, he might as well eat in style. They could be here for a long time.

  ***

  "How did your first day at school go?" Karen stood at the kitchen counter, putting the finishing touches on a meat pie for dinner.

  "I had a great time. The children were really pleased to see me and Gerald has a nice teaching style. The next two weeks should be fun. Do you want me to make a salad?"

  Karen nodded at the fridge, "Everything you'll need is in there." She put the pie in the oven and then moved across to put the kettle on for a drink.

  Gracie chopped some peppers and started deseeding a handful of grapes. "There's a new exhibition opening up at the Crazy Horse Gallery next week. One of the teachers is exhibiting and gave me two tickets to opening night. What do you say we put on our bling and go hobnob with the glitterati for the evening?"

  "Sounds exciting." Karen took a sip of coffee and watched Gracie as she shredded the lettuce. "I know this is none of my business, but I need to say it anyway. Trent seemed downright miserable when he dropped your suitcase off the other night. You haven't been looking all that happy yourself. In fact, looking at those dark rings under your eyes, I'd guess you haven't had much sleep over the last few days."

  Gracie tucked her chin down, hoping Karen didn't spot the heat flaming across her face. She knew Karen meant well, but she didn't know the truth about her marriage. It wasn't sitting too well in Gracie's heart knowing she'd deceived Trent's family. She considered them good friends and they only wanted the best for her and Trent. She started to slice some tomatoes and stopped. Maybe if Karen knew the truth about their marriage, she wouldn't feel so heartbroken that they'd parted company. "There's something I need to tell you."

  Karen sat down at the kitchen table, waiting for Gracie to continue.

  This would be harder than she thought. "The thing is?Trent and I didn't get married because we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. I got a little bit tipsy and it just sort of?happened. We couldn't get a divorce right away, so we agreed to stay married until I found my father." Gracie waited for the shock to hit Karen's face. It didn't look as though she was shocked at all. Maybe she hadn't understood. "We don't love each other."

  "Ah. Now that I can disagree with." Karen sat forward in her chair. "I'd have to have half a brain not to know something wasn't right when you got back from Las Vegas. But until you came along, Trent wasn't interested in courting any of the women I introduced him too. He was too busy managing the ranch." Karen patted the seat beside her. "Come and sit down."

  Gracie reluctantly sat in the chair.

  "The last few years have been hard on all of us. When his first marriage ended, Trent lost all interest in everything except the ranch. And when his daddy died, something inside of him broke, and he didn't know how to fix it. Trent and his father were like two peas in a pod. Sometimes when he laughs I'd swear Wayne was here, filling the room with happiness."

  Karen rested her arms on the table. "Last year I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My two boys kept me going. It scared us all, but Trent took it the hardest. He got it into his head that he wanted a family. Anyone would think that I hadn't been trying for the last ten years to get him interested in the opposite sex. But he couldn't find the right woman. Until you, Gracie. I know my son, and that man loves you. Give him time to figure things out before you leave."

  Tears welled in Gracie's eyes. Catching her bottom lip between her teeth, she tried to stop the quiver sweeping through her body. "It's no use. Trent doesn't love me." Gracie took a deep breath. "I'm not going to spend my last two weeks in Bozeman mooning over a man who wants me in his life for all the wrong reasons."

  Karen rubbed the top of Gracie's hand. "Apart from my wayward son, how's the rest of your visit been?"

  A small smile tugged at her mouth. "Amazing. I hoped that I'd find my father, but I've found so much more."

  "Life sometimes has a habit of working out just fine if you let it take its course." Karen held her gaze. "Don't give up on Trent. He just needs a bit of time as well."

  Gracie rose from the chair, kissing the side of Karen's cheek. "Thanks for caring. Now I'd better finish the salad before I get fired by the boss."

  ***

  Trent happened to need a few supplies from a store in Bozeman at around two thirty on Wednesday afternoon. Just to be considerate, he had a shower and threw on some clean clothes before making the trip into town.

  Jake Stanley, the owner of Jake's Hardware, sniffed the air as he walked past. "I smell me a man on the path of true love."

  Trent scowled. Jake had a sick sense of humor. "What's wrong with taking a bit of pride in my appearance?"

  Jake hooted with laughter, "Pride? Who needs pride when they're mucking out the barn or driving cattle across miles of land? It's not pride that makes a man reach for the deodorant. It's love, that's what it is. A woman can tie a man up so bad he forgets he needs a certain amount of sweat to be manly." Jake puffed his chest out and thumped his hand on the counter. "Mark my words, Trent McKenzie. A good woman changes a man's life forever."

  Trent took in the precision creases in Jake's shirt and the carefully trimmed hair sitting just above his collar. "Looks to me like you should know a thing or two about being tied up. That shirt sits perfectly on those shoulders of yours."

  Jake beamed. "Got me a fine woman. Sometimes a man has to put up with the more genteel ways of the fairer sex in order to get the fringe benefits." Jake winked. "If you get my meaning."

  Trent choked back a laugh. "Thanks. I got it loud and clear." Grabbing a coil of twine he dumped it on the counter. "Put this on my account and I'll see you next week."

  Trent glanced at his watch as Jake zipped the barcode through the till. Quarter to three. Plenty of time to reach the school before the final bell rang. He figured if he was in Bozeman, he might as well take a quick detour and make sure Gracie was okay.

  As he threw the twine on the back of his truck, he hoped they didn't have stalker patrol outside the school. He could get himself into serious trouble sitting in the street waiting for a glimpse of one of their teachers. A pretty little teacher with fiery red hair and a temper to match.

  He sighed as he drove toward the school. He missed Gracie more than he could ever remember missing anybody. Even Daisy had withdrawal symptoms, for cripes' sake.

  ***

  Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, Trent watched the front entrance to the school. He'd spotted his Nissan sitting in the staff parking area fifteen minutes ago, so he knew Gracie must still be in the building.

  Children in all shapes and sizes had disappeared out the main doors ten minutes ago. And still no Gracie. Just when he'd almost given up, she walked out into the sunshine beside a man who stood far too close. Before Trent knew what his legs intended, he'd jumped out of the truck and headed straight toward them.

  Gracie's head tilted up, laughing at something the guy said. A rope of muscle tightened in Trent's throat. The thought of his wife taking more than a casual interest in another man wasn't altogether pleasant.

  Her blue gaze flicked across the grass, catching him mid-stride. "Trent? What are you doing here?"

  He cleared his throat. Gracie looked so good he wanted to take her home, then and there. He soaked in every last inch of her five-foot-one body, including the scowl plastered across her face. "You'll get permanent wrinkles with that bulldog look, honey."

  Gracie spluttered, turning her back on him.

  Oh, man. This wasn't working out how he'd imagined it.

  "Richard, this rude man is Trent McKenzie. Trent, Richard."

  He shook Richard's hand in a firm grip. Keeping his eyes locked on Gracie's face, he waited for her to make the first move. She frowned at him, not looking too happy at his unexpected visit.

  "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Richard. Thanks for lending me the books."

  "No problem." Richard looked across at Trent. "Will you be all
right, Gracie?"

  Trent felt his hackles rise. Of course she'd be okay. He'd been her husband for over three weeks. What did the guy think he'd do? Kidnap her?

  "I'll be fine, Richard. Have a nice afternoon."

  Trent watched Richard the Lionheart exit stage right. "Who's the human bodyguard?"

  Gracie's eyes narrowed, her red hair practically frizzing on the spot. "He was looking out for me, Trent McKenzie." She unlocked the four-wheel-drive, dropping her books on the back seat. "You conveniently forgot to answer my question. What are you doing here?"

  He should have gotten down on the ground and groveled at her feet, begging for her forgiveness. Even pledging his undying love would have helped smooth turbulent waters. But all that came out of his stunted brain was, "I had to come into town, so I thought I'd come and see how the Nissan's going."

  Gracie slammed the door.

  He cringed.

  "Your vehicle's running fine, cowboy. Now if you'll excuse me, your mom and I have a date to get ready for."

  "A date? Why are you going on a date?" Trent's roar upset a flock of birds sitting in a tree nearby. They screeched indignantly and flew into the air, a ripple of black feathers against the blue sky. He tried to take a deep breath to calm himself down, but that only gave his brain time to catch up with his mouth.

  "You've only been gone from the ranch for six days and you're going on a date? Who is he? Not that Richard guy I hope?" Gracie planted her hands on her hips, glaring a bit more at him. At this rate she'd be lining up for Botox by the time she turned forty.

  "And what's wrong with me going on a date? I'm an almost single, no strings attached woman. I can do whatever I like."

  His body felt like exploding. "No strings? What am I? A pasta noodle?"

  Gracie gave him a sugar sweet smile that hid a heart of stone. "If only life were that simple. Goodbye."

  Storming around to the driver's door, she revved the engine and nearly reversed over his foot. Damn fool woman would get one of them killed at the rate she was going.

  He couldn't do anything else but follow her back to his mom's house. Saving other drivers from his whacky wife was the noble thing to do.