That was why she said yes to the loan, even though she didn’t have the money to spare. “I’ll send you an e-transfer. You can pay me back when you can afford it.” She turned away, knowing she’d likely never see it again.
“Hannah?”
She already had her hand on the café’s glass patio door when he stopped her. “Yes?”
“Who is he?”
She wasn’t giving him Dallas’s name. Much like the brewery, he was a part of her life that Tim had no right to touch. “It doesn’t matter.”
“I suppose not.” Tim hesitated, as if reconsidering what he’d intended to say, then plunged ahead with it, anyway. “I love you, Hans. I always have and I always will. And I know I don’t deserve you anymore, but I don’t want to see you get hurt. Again, I mean. I’m so sorry. It’s just… Don’t make the same mistake I did. Don’t rush into a new relationship, okay?”
She couldn’t allow that comment to pass. She had no reason to feel guilty about Dallas. Not now, and not for what happened at the wedding, either. “I’m not the one rushing into anything,” she said. “You had an affair.You.Two of them, in fact—because yes, one-night stands do count. Obviously, you were looking for something different from what we had. Now, so am I.”
She jerked the patio door open. Inside the café, she saw a familiar face at the counter when she walked past it on her way to the main door off Yellowstone Drive. Ryan O’Connell. Dallas’s friend. The Endeavour owner who’d ordered her beer for their open house. She’d only met him the once.
“Hi, Hannah,” Ryan said as she squeezed between him and the cluster of café tables facing the counter. He carried three large coffees tucked in a biodegradable foam tray and a greasy brown bag.
“Hi.” She flashed him an absentminded smile, but didn’t slow down. Her head was already back on her business and the fresh batch of beer she’d begun—but it was mostly on Dallas, who she’d see that evening. She kicked herself for allowing Tim to get inside her head and manipulate her by planting doubts. She and Dallas were having fun together. Enjoying each other. They weren’t rushing into anything. Not the way Tim had.
Were they?
*
Dallas
“Thanks.” Dallas acceptedthe hot coffee and warm cinnamon bun Ryan offered.
The three friends had met up in the hospital’s staff lounge for a quick coffee break together. They occupied a table at the far end of the room so they could carry on what passed for a private conversation in Grand, meaning the two young, giggling nurses seated next to the door pretended they weren’t trying to listen in. Everyone learned that Dan had to work that evening, while Ryan planned to take the ranch’s new Bell LongRanger helicopter out to help some of the hired hands round up and move beef cattle to fresh grazing ground closer to the main ranch. They could expect snow in another month and pastures would need to be fenced.
All of which left Dallas free to spend tonight with Hannah, too. In his head, he began making plans. He’d be on call, but unless the county’s idiot sheriff got himself shot again, that usually meant nothing more than a few phone consultations. He’d run home for a change of clothes, then grab focaccia and roasted vegetable sandwiches from the Wayside for their dinner, and he’d help Hannah wait tables until closing. His shift changed tomorrow—twelve noon to midnight—so in the morning, they could sleep in. Next week, he and the guys were off on their “corporate retreat” and he wanted to spend as much time with her as he could before then.
“And then I said Dallas would be perfect for the bull riding exhibition. Danger is his middle name,” Ryan was saying.
“What are we talking about?” Dallas asked, abruptly dragged back to the conversation when he heard his name. By the sounds of it, nothing good.
“I’d forgotten how focused he can get when there’s a woman in his life,” Dan said to Ryan, one blond eyebrow drawn aloft to express his amusement. “It’s been so long.”
He’d zoned out for a moment. It wasn’t as if Dan didn’t have the same problem after an evening with Jazz. “What did I miss?”
“Ryan wants us to organize and operate a rodeo,” Dan said.
Ryan’s fascination with rodeos was legend. He’d worked as an operations manager for an auction and rodeo house in Texas after college. It was the longest he’d stuck with a career choice. “Not just any rodeo,” he clarified. “I want Grand to host a PRCA-sanctioned event. I want us to position ourselves to take over as host of the Montana Circuit Finals in a few years.” The PRCA was the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. The Montana Circuit Finals were held in January each year, which meant the Endeavour would have to build an indoor arena.
Dallas tallied up the ranch’s current investments in his head. They funded smoke jumping services for the state of Montana and a general aviation airport for Custer County. They were in the process of building a free clinic for the town and surrounding areas, which should be operational by the new year. Ryan was taking on a group home for at-risk youth as soon as he could get the paperwork in order. They’d built bunkhouses for the kids already, as well as new bunkhouses for the local hired hands. They’d invested in Tennessee Walkers, which was no moneymaker either. Now they were talking about adding a rodeo to the mix. That was a lot of cash to lay out—not to mention the hours they’d be required to expend.
As much work as the Endeavour’s ventures might make for Dallas and Dan, however, for Ryan, it was about twenty times more. Dallas and Dan often felt more like permanent residents at a high-end dude ranch. The annual cattle roundup was scheduled to happen mid-October and they’d already booked vacation time off so they could ride along, mostly for fun. Ryan, on the other hand, treated the roundup as if his next meal depended on it.
He managed all of their finances. He oversaw the ranch’s daily operations, although they did have managers to help him. Now he wanted to take on a rodeo, too. And not just any rodeo—he wanted it to be on the circuit, with an eye on the finals. That was a serious investment of time and money. Dallas wasn’t sure what to say.
Dan, always the voice of reason, didn’t have the same problem. “I say we put it to a vote. Everyone who thinks Ryan should be allowed to have his rodeo, but only if he hires the right people to manage and promote it, and lets them do their jobs without any micromanagement on his part, raise your right hand.” Dallas and Dan’s hands shot up. “Two out of three. Motion carried.”
“That didn’t go the way I expected,” Ryan said.
“That’s because Dallie and I aren’t crazy,” Dan replied. His rubber-tipped chair legs squealed against the tile floor as he stood and picked up his empty cup. “I’ve got to get back to work. See you guys later.”
The two nurses had also finished their coffee by now and couldn’t seem to find any other good reason to linger. They rinsed their cups at the sink and stowed them in the dishwasher, then waved at Dallas on their way out behind Dan. Dallas waved back, tossing in a friendly grin for good measure. He liked the nurses here, and they seemed to like him, although he suspected their friendliness had more to do with upcoming positions at the free clinic than his sparkling wit. Regular clinic hours were a lot better than hospital shiftwork.
“I have no idea how someone so smart can be such a dumbass,” Ryan said.