The Reluctant Bride (Montana Born Brides) (12 page)

Going out to dinner with Monty on a proper date felt…well, weird. Risa had asked for space and he’d given her two days. It was Friday night and everyone in Marietta seemed to have plans and, for once, so did she.

She smoothed her hands down the sides of the dress she
’d picked for the occasion. Her nod to the Little Black Dress. It had a light tulle and lace design at the top over her neck and shoulders, which was attached to a fitted bodice that accentuated her waist and bust without making her feel too over the top.

The skirt flared out and ended just above the knee.
She put on a pair of dress boots since it was still April and freaking cold. She hoped that Monty would like the way she looked, and was honest enough with herself to admit she’d picked out the dress in Bozeman on Wednesday night when she’d gone shopping with Annie and Sienna especially with him in mind.

She shook her head.
She’d even bought some new lingerie from an exclusive online boutique which offered overnight delivery. It wasn’t that she planned on sleeping with Monty again, it was simply that she knew when he was around he made her forget about everything except him.

Not smart, girl.

There was a knock on the loft door and she checked her make-up one last time before opening the door.

“
Hello, sweetheart.”

It was the first time since Vegas that he
’d called her that. Her heart beat just a little bit faster as she took in his dark denim jeans that fit in all the right places, the tucked- in button-down shirt and the cowboy hat held loosely in his left hand.

His grey-green gaze skimmed her body and when their eyes met he arched one at her.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve been out on a date.”

“
I know,” she said. “Feels like we might be a normal couple.”

“
What else would we be?” he asked.

Estranged.
But that was by her own doing, not his. He obviously viewed them differently. “Two people taking it slow.”

“
Slow. God, woman, how long has it been since I first proposed? Doesn’t get much slower than that,” he said.

She nodded.
She didn’t want to fight with him. Had the feeling that he wasn’t listening to her and would simply keep pushing until she acquiesced to his wishes. Something that she couldn’t do. She needed to keep firm. Remember that she still needed more time to figure everything out.

“
Should we get going? I’ve heard the Long River Cookhouse gets busy on Friday nights,” she said.

“
It does, which is why I made a reservation.”

He stepped into the hallway and she closed and locked her door, before following him down the stairs to the back alley where his truck was parked next to her Audi.

He opened the passenger door to his truck for her and helped her in. Then walked around to climb behind the wheel. He looked over at her before he started the truck.

“
I want us to be okay. To be normal. Is that even possible?”

“
Yes. You know how I suggested we sort of act like everything in our engagement and our story was real? That’s how we get to normal.”

“
By faking it?” he asked.

She started to nod.
But she saw skepticism in his eyes. “Listen, we aren’t all born with your confidence, Monty. Some of us—me—have had to work our way to it, pretending every step of the way that it’s real.”

“
Why pretending? You’re one of the strongest women I know. It’s part of what turns me on about you.”

“
Really? How am I strong?” She ignored the part about him being turned on by her because their relationship had to be about more than sex. The sex was great, but she hoped there was more between them.

“
You moved from Vegas and set up a new florist shop in four months and have made it successful. You said you’re not sure you can stand on your own, but from what I’ve seen you definitely can. You forged a new life for yourself here in Marietta. All I’m asking is to let me in. Let me be a part of it.”

She leaned over and touched his face.
He was so dear to her and she wanted to throw open her arms and pull him to her. But those things he’d just said about her had been forged out of desperation; a need to keep herself so busy that she wouldn’t have time to think about her parents, or doubt her decision to leave Monty.

“
Thank you for seeing me that way,” she said. “But all of that was faking it.”

“
Damn, woman, you are good at it,” he said. “How do you see me?”

“
I told you: a fixer. Someone who rides to the rescue, be it for a stranded woman or your country. You always go where called. I don’t want to be a duty to you.”

“
You’re not.”

She hoped he was right.
Scooting back to her side of the truck she put her seatbelt on. “We just need time to figure it out.”

He turned on the engine and didn
’t say another word. He drove along the Marietta River which was beautiful during and scenic in the evening light. She couldn’t fault Montana for the views. Tonight she almost stared gushing about it, just so they’d have something to talk about. Something to distract them so she wouldn’t feel the pressure of disappointing him again.

She could just give in, ignore her doubts and say what the hell.
But she couldn’t. The whirlwind romance that had fed her romantic fantasies and made it easy to accept his proposal had been dulled by reality.

After he parked the truck, he came around to her side to help her out but held her with his hands on her waist so she couldn
’t move. “I’m trying to let you set the pace here. But my gut says that life is short and I need to take it all in while I can.”

“
I’m trying.”

“
That’s all I ask.”

Monty wondered if he was crazy for chasing her.
This girl, who seemed to always be dancing just out of his reach. She hadn’t been in Vegas, but he knew now that had simply been a chimera. A pretty illusion that they’d both taken for reality until it had intruded for real. Risa thought that meant the illusion wasn’t genuine, but to him it felt different. That they were the only thing each other could count on.

The menu at the Long River Cookhouse was all locally sourced food and that appealed to him.
Risa took a long time studying the menu. He looked around the restaurant. They were seated next to plate glass windows which afforded diners a view of the Marietta River. In the middle of the restaurant was a piano with an old guy, who took requests, playing.

“
Hello, Risa. Who’s this handsome fella?”

“
Maude, meet my fiancé, Monty Davison. Monty, this is Maude Cummings. She’s a realtor.”

“
To be honest,” Maude said, putting her hand on Monty’s shoulder, “I thought she was making you up.”

Monty looked over at Risa, who was turning a little pink.
“I’m real. No making me up is there, love muffin?”

“
Certainly not, honey bunny. He’s a Marine, Maude. And he was serving in Afghanistan, so I wasn’t sure when he’d be joining me. But I’m real happy he’s here now.”

“
Thank you, Monty—can I call you that?”

“
Yes, ma’am. No need to thank me, just doing my job.”

Maude looked over at Risa.
“A true hero. Have you two set a date, now that he’s back?”

“
Yes,” Monty said.

“
No,” Risa said at the same time.

“
Which is it?” Maude asked.

“
Yes,” Monty said, reaching over to take Risa’s hand. “We’re going to get married in June, isn’t that right, love muffin?”

She gave him a hard glare, but as Maude turned to face her, it faded into a fake smile.
Faking it
, he mouthed to her.

She sighed.
“We are indeed. I just didn’t want to steal any of the focus from the couples in the Giveaway.”

“
I’m sure you won’t. Where are you going to marry?” Maude asked.

“
At the red barn. Do you know it? I bought it from the Scott brothers and we fancy pledging our life together at the place where we are going to make our home,” Monty said. Hoping he wasn’t laying it on too thick or pushing Risa too hard but, as he said it, he realized those words were the truth. He did want to claim her as his in front of God and man, in the place where they’d spend the rest of their days as man and wife.

He met Risa
’s gaze and saw she had tears in her eyes. “That’s so sweet.”

She reached for his hand and twined their fingers together.

“You two are so cute. I’ll leave you to your dinner.”

Maude walked away, and Monty couldn
’t help but feel he’d finally found a way to catch Risa for real this time.

They had a nice dinner, talking about current events, books and movies.
He felt like they were finding their own natural level together.

Monty had done what she
’d asked. To fake being a happy couple, but of course he’d pushed it to the next level and pushed her. She came back from the ladies’ room to find him chatting with the piano player. She watched him a second.

Any woman would be lucky to have him as her own.
To call him her man. She knew that. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that she was messed up and Monty’s way of dealing with it was to simply act as if she were fine.

Was she?
Could she be for him and for them?

She didn
’t know. A June wedding that was barely two months away to figure everything out and she wasn’t sure she could do it. She knew it wasn’t fear motivating her this time but stubbornness. She’d asked him to give her space and he’d ignored her wishes.

True, setting a date made sense, but what if he did that every time she asked him for patience?
She didn’t want to be pushed. She couldn’t let him set that as the tone for their future.

She went back to the table and Monty joined her a few moments later.
“I asked the piano player for a request.”

“
I figured that’s what you were doing.”

“
You’re mad at me,” he said.

“
I am. I don’t like the way you keep making statements.”

“
What statements? You asked me to pretend and I did. Maude wasn’t going to buy that everything was okay if we haven’t set a date.”

“
This one is for Risa and Monty. Congratulations on setting the date and being reunited.”

Monty stood up and offered her his hand.
She wanted to refuse to take it but couldn’t, not when all eyes in the restaurant were on them. He drew her into his arms as “The Way You Look Tonight” was played and sung beautifully.

She felt her anger and her will slipping away as she stared into Monty
’s grey-green eyes. Saw his determination to keep chasing after her, no matter how hard she ran or what obstacles she put up. Must be the military training and that never-say-die attitude of his coming to the fore.