Finding Love In Big Sky, Montana (Resort to Love--Finding Love line Book 2)
Angela Ruth Strong
Table of Contents
Praise
Resort to Love Series
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
And Now . . . for the REST of the story . . .
A Sneak Peek at Book Three—Finding Love in Park City, Utah
A Note from the Author
Angela Ruth Strong’s Books
Praise for Finding Love in Big Sky, Montana
With Finding Love in Big Sky, Angela Strong once again displays a real talent for storytelling. I have a soft spot for down-on-your-luck romances, and this one doesn't disappoint. A great, well-written book!
–Amy Matayo, award-winning author of The End of the World and Sway
Soul-satisfying romance, laugh-aloud humor, and characters so real they visited me in my dreams. Finding Love in Big Sky is my favorite book of the year.
–Heather Woodhaven, author of The Secret Life of Book Club
Finding Love in Big Sky feels like my favorite holiday movies: Perfect casting, delightful witty banter, and a story deep enough to leave me emotional in the end. Purely delightful!
–Christina Coryell, author of The Camdyn Series
Praise for Finding Love in Sun Valley, Idaho
Once I started reading, I didn’t want to stop. I thoroughly enjoyed each page of this book and am excited to find a new author to follow!
–Tracey Bateman, Christy award-winning author
Finding Love in Sun Valley, Idaho swept me off my feet! I fell in love with Tracen and Emily in this unique romance.
–Christina Berry Tarabochia, Carol award-winning author
Resort to Love Series
Finding Love in Sun Valley, Idaho
Finding Love in Big Sky, Montana
Finding Love in Park City, Utah
Finding Love in Big Sky, Montana
Book two in the Resort to Love Series
By
Angela Ruth Strong
Finding Love in Big Sky, Montana
Published by Mountain Brook Ink
White Salmon, WA U.S.A.
All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form without written permission from the publisher.
The website addresses shown in this book are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of Mountain Brook Ink, nor do we vouch for their content.
This story is a work of fiction. All characters and events are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is coincidental.
Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Public domain.
© 2016 Angela Ruth Strong
The Team: Miralee Ferrell, Nikki Wright, Cindy Jackson, Kristen Ventress
Cover Design: Indie Cover Design, Lynnette Bonner Designer
Mountain Brook Ink is an inspirational publisher offering fiction you can believe in.
Printed in the United States of America
First Edition 2016
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
To Charla, a gift from heaven
When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. --Matthew 2:10
Acknowledgements
God—I had worse writer’s block with this story than with any other story, but now it could very well be my favorite. God gets all the glory for that.
Jim—Writers probably don’t make the best housewives. But I’m enough for him anyway. Now that’s a love story.
My Kiddos—The month I finished this novel, I actually warned them I wouldn’t be making sense when I spoke because I was in fiction land. My daughter responded, “Fun!” And it was, thanks to them.
My mom—It’s a joke among writers that you should never think your book is good just because your mom likes it. But most writers don’t have my mom. She was my first editor and my biggest cheerleader.
My dad—In my next book, I’ll finally give the main character a good dad. He’ll call to check on her all the time and brag about her everywhere he goes just like my dad does for me.
Miralee—I never would have written this story if she hadn’t offered a three-book contract. I’ve learned a lot, and now I have a new mentor/friend.
Kristin—Her gracious editing and words of wisdom made this story better and encouraged me not to give up on getting that last line perfect.
Heather—I always love sharing my stories with my critique partner because she is so understanding and encouraging.
Corinne—All I know about horses I learned from a day at her farm. This book would have been an embarrassment if not for my trip to Willows Edge.
Leslie and Rosie—These women inspired the characters of Dot and Annabel. I should bring them along to book-signings so you can all get their autographs, as well. Such joy is contagious.
Safe Place Ministries—A safe place for Christian women healing from abuse. And where I go for godly counsel when God allows trials in my life to grow me the same way I do to my characters.
Chapter One
Paisley Sheridan pinned her last help wanted flyer to the bulletin board between an advertisement for Breakfast with Santa and free ski passes to Military Appreciation Day. Maybe next year she’d have time for holiday fun, but this year she had work to do, and she needed to hire someone to help her do it.
She stepped back and took a deep breath. Was she really ready for this? Did she have what it took to reopen Grandpa’s old ranch? Only one way to find out.
Hopefully she’d get a response to the flyers she’d hung all over town. For now she’d reward her efforts with a sugar-free cream cheese croissant and warm up with a cappuccino. She’d purposefully made The Coffee Cottage her final stop, as Dot and Annabel were sure to want to play “twenty questions.”
“Let’s see it.” Dot clapped her hands and stepped from behind the counter to get a better look at the advertisement. Though the woman was close to Grandpa Johan’s age when he died, she had more energy than Paisley.
Her best friend Annabel followed, pink cowboy boots clacking. “It’s very lovely. How many people are you hiring?”
Paisley scrunched her nose. She only had the money for a single employee until the bank loan came through. If that wasn’t enough, maybe she could recruit an intern. “One person at the moment. I need someone to help me host birthday parties and guide sleigh rides while I get ready for the building expansion in the spring.”
Dot squealed. “That sounds like so much fun. Hire me.”
Paisley couldn’t help smiling at the memory of Dot trying to put a saddle on backwards the one time she’d visited the ranch. “You already have a job.”
“Oh, yeah.”
Annabel s
macked her business partner’s shoulder before turning to face Paisley. “So what are you building?”
Talking about her plans made them much more real. This was really happening. “Four cabins and a chapel-slash-cafeteria. And I’ll be opening up the pond for ice skating in December to draw tourists and get publicity. Grandpa had it all planned but never got around to it.”
Annabel’s fake red hair brushed her shoulders as she nodded seriously. “I love skating rinks. Did you know I used to figure skate?”
Paisley laughed. Enthusiasm for life was contagious. “I had no idea, Annabel, but I can picture it.” The woman would have been a beauty when she was younger. And out of the pair of store owners, she was the one with the tenacity to compete seriously. Dot was more the performer.
“Oh, you don’t have to picture it. I’ve got photographs.” Annabel trotted out through the back door, presumably to the upstairs apartment she shared with Dot.
Paisley glanced at her watch. “Can I get a cream cheese croissant while I wait to see Annabel’s pictures?” She enjoyed the socializing as much as she enjoyed the fresh pastries filling the air with their sweet scent, but her day demanded she enjoy them at the same time.
“Yes, yes, in a moment.” Dot reached up to grab the brim of the knit newsboy hat she wore over spiky silver hair. “But first . . . I have a picture of my own to show you.” She whipped off the cap and spun to reveal where she’d shaved the back part of her head to have a cross tattooed on her skull.
Paisley blinked in shock, thanking God that Dot was facing the other direction and couldn’t see her reaction.
Dot pivoted around.
Paisley forced the corners of her lips to turn up in a smile. She had to say something. But what?
“I got a tattoo!”
That much was obvious, though the reason behind such an act was not. “Why did you put it on your head?”
Dot shrugged. “I figured if I didn’t like it, I could grow my hair over it and nobody would ever have to look at it again.”
“Of course.”
“Earl used to make fun of me because I was afraid to get tattoos. Well, he has no room to talk now.”
Paisley’s toes curled in her boots at the thought of the pain that surely came with needles to the scalp. Dot really went to extremes to get over an ex. Paisley wasn’t that bad, was she? Moving to a different state and reopening the ranch as a retreat center and kids’ camp was something she’d have loved to do anyway. And it wasn’t going to bring her pain. Only healing. “Didn’t that hurt?” she asked.
“Sweetie, I wanted to kick the tattoo artist in his face.”
Paisley choked on her spit at the image. “You didn’t, did you?”
“I couldn’t. He was behind me.”
“That’s a relief.” Paisley pulled a scarred, wooden chair out from a nearby table to take a seat. She didn’t want to be standing for any more outrageous news.
The skin around Dot’s eyes crinkled into a familiar pattern as she grinned. “Snake is a marvelous man actually. I can’t believe he doesn’t own a Harley. Anyway, he’s going to let me be his apprentice.”
Sitting wasn’t enough. Paisley also needed to clean out her ears. Because she couldn’t have heard that correctly. “You’re going to . . . you’re going to become a tattoo artist?”
“Yessiree. It will have to be a side job. Good thing I didn’t take your horse ranch position.”
Paisley stared. “Good thing.”
“But before I start at the tattoo parlor, Snake has me taking art classes first.”
Saved by the clack of Annabel’s boots. “We are both taking art classes. Invite her to the Christmas art show this weekend, Dot.”
“You have to come see our art sometime this weekend.”
That was better than having Dot want to practice tattoo design on her body. “Sure. I’d love to.”
Dot clapped again before scampering behind the counter to retrieve Paisley’s order. Then both women leaned over her shoulders as Annabel shared the newspaper clippings. According to photo captions, the woman had been an Olympic hopeful in the 60s. Who’d have thought?
The bell tinkled above the front door, and cold air rushed in to announce the entry of a group of skiers. Dot and Annabel scurried back to work, leaving Paisley to eat her croissant and read the articles in peace. Except she didn’t. She watched the older women laugh and joke and charm their customers. They were single like her, but they weren’t alone. They had each other.
Paisley might have a purpose, but she didn’t have anybody to share it with. Not even family, as Mom had died years ago, and she’d been glad to leave her dad in Sun Valley.
That’s what she wanted for Christmas. A friend who not only cared about her big ideas, but pursued them alongside her. A friend who made her a better person. A friend who took her mind off the ache of emptiness that came with her cancelled wedding.
Joshua Lake’s whole body ached with exhaustion. He blinked awake and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. How long had he been driving now? The sun had recently come up to reflect off the snow and blind him, proving he’d successfully pulled his first all-nighter since college. Though he doubted anyone would call him a success.
He glanced at the dashboard clock. Ten in the morning. That meant he’d been behind the wheel for almost twenty-four hours. Practically a whole day. Worst day of his life.
Josh shifted his weight from one numb butt cheek to the other then arched his back to stretch his sore spine. He pressed the window lever in hopes of reviving himself with crisp mountain air. He was used to the icy wind, but the sweet earthy scent of pine trees stung his nostrils. He definitely wasn’t in Chicago anymore.
According to the GPS screen on his dashboard, he had another five hours until he reached Tracen’s house in Sun Valley, Idaho. Which was worse? Driving five more hours or facing his brothers with their questions of why he’d had to drive in the first place?
He’d always been the prosperous brother. First the cocky bull-rider. Then the big city businessman. Yet now he didn’t have enough money to spend the night in a cheap hotel—not that there were going to be any cheap hotels in the next town of Big Sky. Most gorgeous ski resort he’d ever visited. Back when he could afford it.
Dare he pull his brand new Mercedes to the side of the road and recline the seat for a little shut-eye, huddled underneath his goose down parka? Or should he muscle through with the radio blaring and caffeine pumping in his veins?
He cranked up the volume to yet another station playing holiday music, to inspire himself to sing along. But all the cheerful songs started sounding the same after a while. Where was Elvis’s rendition of Blue Christmas when he needed it?
He squared his jaw as he rounded a bend. The Coffee Cottage. As close to an oasis as he could get in this frozen landscape.
The small brown coffee shop looked more like a house than a business with its bright red trim and steep, blue metal roof peeking out from a blanket of snow. White twinkle lights and a wicker reindeer on the steps gave it a girly feel, but surely the owners could sell him a manly cup of black coffee. He glanced at the coins in his center console. That’s all he’d be able to afford anyway.
He slowed to pull off the road and park then scooped the change into his pocket and unfolded his limbs from the front seat. Too bad he’d traded in his Lexus for this new lease. Now he couldn’t even sell the car to get a little cash. He was that pathetic.
Snow crunched under his feet. He’d forgotten what silence sounded like. It made him itch with apprehension.
The bell over the bright red door jingled as he entered, slicing through the quiet like an alarm clock. If only it could wake him from this nightmare.
“Joshua Lake.”
Someone recognized him? His nightmare was getting worse.
That voice. That tone. Where had he heard it before? And why was he hearing it in Big Sky?
He scanned the room. Two grandmothers dressed like high schoolers twittered an
d gabbed from behind the counter. One glanced his way for a moment before focusing back on the group of men laughing at their antics. There. With her elbows propped on a nearby table, her ambereyes focused on him. Where had he seen those freckles before?
Sheridan Ranch. Paisley Sheridan. She’d been a little behind him in school—in Sam’s class, if he remembered correctly—and seemed to avoid him when he’d worked with her dad. He’d gotten the impression it was because she was disgusted with all the girls he dated as a teenager, but he was a changed man now.
Not that Paisley’s opinion mattered. Or it shouldn’t matter. So why did he cringe at the idea of admitting to her he was broke and alone at Christmas?
He didn’t actually have to admit he was broke, did he? He’d turn on his charm and keep the conversation focused on her. He’d make her like him. Then maybe he’d like himself a little better.
“Paisley Sheridan. What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be on the top of a Christmas tree this time of year?”
Paisley fought the urge to roll her eyes. He was calling her an angel? Figured. Most girls from high school would have blushed and giggled at such a line, but that had never been their relationship. And ten years later, Josh should know not to expect anything else from her. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be giving Mary a ride to Bethlehem?”
One corner of his mouth curved up as he sauntered her way. His eyes narrowed in scrutiny. “Are you calling me a—”
“Yes.”
“Same old Paisley.”
“Same old Josh.”
A warm current zipped through her body. Like that day when she was eight and she’d touched an electric fence even though Dad told her not to. This was worse.
Of all the times for Josh to show up in her life, it had to be right after she swore off men. She’d wanted a friend, but not one whose kiss made her feel as if her blood sugar dipped too low.
