Award-winning author Brenda Harlen returns to Rust Creek Falls for a holiday homecoming to remember in the newest installment of Montana Mavericks: Rust Creek Cowboys!

RUST CREEK RAMBLINGS

Readers, can you believe it? Sutter Traub is back in town! It’s been five years since that handsome wrangler took off for Seattle, but no one ’round here has forgotten. Especially not Paige Dalton, the devoted schoolteacher everyone thought he was going to marry….

Rumors abound. No one is quite sure what has brought Sutter home after all this time—or whether he is deserving of a second chance. But we are betting there’s a certain brown-eyed beauty with a special request on her Christmas list. Maybe the power of her forgiveness will bring the mighty maverick home for the holidays—and for good!

Kissing Paige Dalton was not the smartest thing he’d ever done.

On the other hand, he knew it had been inevitable, that they had been moving inexorably toward this moment since he’d walked her home from the town hall debate earlier in the week.

One kiss—just to prove to himself that she didn’t have the same hold on him that she used to. Except that one kiss had proven him wrong. She tasted just like he remembered—right down to the cherry lip balm she’d favored when she was sixteen. Just one kiss, and he knew that he wanted her as much now as he’d always wanted her.

Maybe even more…

MONTANA MAVERICKS: RUST CREEK COWBOYS: Better saddle up. It’s going to be a bumpy ride!

Dear Reader,

I love reunion stories and I’ve loved the Montana Mavericks series since the beginning, so I was thrilled by the invitation to be part of this latest expansion of the continuity—Rust Creek Cowboys.

I grew up in a small town, where a five-minute trip to the corner store inevitably led to crossing paths with a friend or family member or acquaintance and resulted in a thirty-minute conversation. Rust Creek Falls is that kind of town, where everyone knows everyone else—and everyone knows at least something of the history between Sutter Traub and Paige Dalton.

But it is history—or so Paige has tried to convince herself. After all, Sutter left town five years earlier and she’s moved on with her life without him. But when he comes back to Rust Creek Falls, there is no denying the sparks that fly between the stable owner and the schoolteacher. Add in some holiday season ambience and Paige starts to wonder what might happen if she manages to get this Maverick under the Mistletoe!

I hope you enjoy their story.

Happy Reading!

Brenda Harlen

A Maverick under the Mistletoe

Brenda Harlen

www.millsandboon.co.uk

BRENDA HARLEN is a former family law attorney turned work-at-home mum and national bestselling author who has written more than twenty books for Mills & Boon. Her work has been validated by industry awards (including an RWA Golden Heart® Award and the RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award) and by the fact that her kids think it’s cool that she’s “a real author.”

Brenda lives in southern Ontario with her husband and two sons. When she isn’t at the computer working on her next book, she can probably be found at the arena, watching a hockey game. Keep up-to-date with Brenda on Facebook or send her an email at brendaharlen@yahoo.com.

To Chris R., Christyne, Leanne, Karen and Vikki—

brainstormers, researchers and community planners

extraordinaire. Thanks for making the writing of this

book not just easier but a lot more fun.

To Susan Litman—for keeping us on track while still

letting us color outside of the lines. (And yes, I know

that’s a mixed metaphor :) )

With thanks also to my good friend Anna Perrin,

who always has the solutions to my last-minute plot

problems (even if I can’t always use them).

Contents

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

Epilogue

Chapter One

In Sutter Traub’s opinion, Rust Creek Falls was as irresistible—and fickle—as a woman. Once upon a time his heart had belonged to this town and he couldn’t have imagined ever living anywhere else. Then she’d turned him out and turned her back on him.

Just like the only woman he’d ever loved.

Of course, he’d come back when she’d needed him—the town, that was, not the woman. Because Paige Dalton had never needed him, and she wouldn’t ever ask for his help if she did, and thinking about her now was only going to stir up memories and feelings he didn’t want stirred up.

So he focused his attention on the reason that he was standing in the back corner of town hall now: the imminent election. When his brother Collin had recently announced his intention to run for mayor of Rust Creek Falls, Sutter had impulsively volunteered to be his campaign manager. Which had resulted in him spending a lot more time in town over the past few months than he’d ever intended when news of the floods had first brought him home, which meant that he wasn’t going back to Seattle before the last ballot was counted.

But for now he just wanted this debate to be over.

It was the last public face-off between the two mayoral candidates—Collin Traub and Nathan Crawford—before the citizens of Rust Creek Falls went to the polls on Thursday, and though it had just gotten underway, Sutter wished it was already done.

He couldn’t have said why, but he had an uneasy feeling about the event. It might have had something to do with Nate’s smug expression when they’d been setting up. It was as if he had something up his sleeve and, knowing the Crawfords, Sutter didn’t doubt it for a minute.

As the debate progressed, he gradually began to relax. Collin was comfortable in front of the crowd, answering questions easily and confidently. He had a clearly defined plan to return Rust Creek Falls to its former glory and he made sure the residents knew it. Nate focused more on the history of the town than its future, and more on why he was the better candidate to fix the problems than how he was going to do so. But both candidates were—at least to all outward appearances—respectful of one another, and the spectators seemed to be listening to each side.

But when Thelma McGee—the former mayor’s mother and moderator of the event—stood up to announce that the debate was finished, a member of the audience loudly pushed back his chair and rose to his feet.

A Crawford supporter, Sutter immediately suspected, and the gleam in Nate’s eyes made him think that there was nothing spontaneous about the man’s actions.

He was a military man in a dress uniform with his medals proudly displayed on his chest, and Sutter’s heart immediately began to pound. One sleeve of the man’s uniform hung loose because he had no arm to put through it. Not just a decorated veteran but a wounded war hero.

Perspiration beaded on Sutter’s brow and trickled down his spine.

Thelma, bless her, never wavered. “I’m sorry, sir—”

“Master Sergeant Dean Riddell.” He barked out the name as if it was a military order.

“Yes, well, we’ve run out of time tonight and—”

“Time is irrelevant when our boys are fighting to protect our freedoms. And I want to remind the good people of Rust Creek Falls that they need to know if these candidates support our armed forces.”

“While your concern is acknowledged and appreciated, the eventual mayor of Rust Creek Falls has no voice with respect to military activity or spending. This is strictly about local politics.”

While Sutter heard and silently applauded her point, no one else did, because they’d all started talking and debating among themselves.

“Ladies and gentlemen—” Collin tried to settle the crowd while Nate just sat back with his arms folded across his chest and a smug smile on his face. “Do I need to remind you that my brother, Major Forrest Traub, is a decorated war hero, too? He fought valiantly and tirelessly for his country—for all of us—and I have never been anything but supportive of his efforts and his sacrifices.”

“Can you say the same thing about your campaign manager?” the master sergeant demanded.

And Sutter knew the damage had been done. It didn’t matter that everything Collin said was true; what mattered to these people was that there was mud to be slung—and it was Sutter’s fault that Collin was the one wearing it.

He’d been young and impetuous and probably a little too outspoken in his efforts to convince his brother that he’d already gone above and beyond in the service of his country. He’d vehemently objected when Forrest had announced his intention to reenlist for another tour, because he’d just wanted his brother to stay home and be safe.

But Forrest had chosen to go back, and when he returned to Rust Creek Falls again after his medical discharge, Sutter had known the scars on his brother’s leg were insignificant compared to the damage to his soul. Thankfully, months of physical therapy and falling in love with Angie Anderson had started healing his body and his heart—but his relationship with his brother was going to need something more.

Obviously no one in Rust Creek Falls had forgotten Sutter’s objections. And while he acknowledged and accepted that he would always be haunted by the mistakes of his past, he hadn’t expected that anyone else would have to pay for his outspokenness. Listening to the crowd, now thoroughly stirred up by Master Sergeant Riddell, he finally realized that his presence could hinder Collin’s campaign rather than help—exactly as Nate Crawford had intended.

They were still murmuring and bickering when another spectator stood up on the other side of the room. And Sutter’s heart began to pound even harder inside his chest when he recognized Paige Dalton.

He hadn’t seen her enter the hall, hadn’t known she was there. That in and of itself was a surprise, because Sutter had always had a sixth sense where Paige was concerned. A sixth sense that had been honed by self-preservation since his return to Rust Creek Falls a few months earlier.

Looking at her now, she took his breath away. It wasn’t just that she was beautiful, but the way she stood—with her spine stiff and her chin up—she looked like a warrior ready to take on the entire population of Rust Creek Falls, or at least those who were assembled in town hall tonight. She was wearing a soft pink peasant-style blouse over a raspberry-colored skirt. Her long, dark brown hair hung straight down to the middle of her back, and her dark chocolate-colored eyes were focused and intense.

He braced himself for her attack. He didn’t care what Master Sergeant Riddell or anyone else in Rust Creek Falls thought about him—except insofar as it might impact Collin’s hopes of winning the election—but he’d never stopped caring about Paige and he hated knowing that she was disappointed in him.

“Can we focus on what’s relevant here?” she said to the crowd. She didn’t yell—in fact, she raised her voice just enough to be heard. And as she continued to speak, her volume dropped further, forcing others to stop talking in order to hear what she was saying. “First, and most important, is the fact that it is Collin Traub who is running for office, not Sutter.

“Second, regardless of whether any of us agree with statements that Sutter made with respect to his brother’s decision to reenlist five years ago, those statements were his opinion, it was five years ago, and we need to focus on the issues that are relevant to Rust Creek Falls in the present and the candidates who are actually running in this election.”

She paused a moment to take a breath and to give everyone a minute to think about what she’d said before she continued. “But even if it was Sutter instead of Collin who was running for mayor, he would get my vote because he’s the type of man who’s willing to stand up for what he believes, regardless of popular opinion or what anyone else might think. That is a man of conviction, and that is the kind of man who gets things done, and what Rust Creek Falls needs right now is someone who can get things done.

“Thankfully, that is a trait he shares with his brother Collin. And that is why Collin Traub is the type of man we need in charge of our town during this difficult time.

“With all due respect, Master Sergeant Riddell, the army isn’t coming here to rebuild our town. And I think you would agree that our servicemen and women have more important things to do. That leaves it up to us, the citizens of Rust Creek Falls, to figure out the best way to get things done—and the best person to help us do so. I think that person is Collin Traub.”

Then she picked up her jacket and calmly turned to walk down the aisle between the folding chairs and out the door.

“Thank you again for your time tonight—”

Thelma McGee was speaking again, but Sutter didn’t hang around to listen to what the moderator said. He needed to see Paige. He wasn’t entirely sure why, he just knew that he did.

He slipped out through a side door and raced around to the front of the building. Paige couldn’t have had more than a two-minute head start on him, but she seemed to have vanished into thin air. He scanned the dimly lit street and finally spotted her when she neared a lamppost at the end of the block.

“Paige—wait!”

She paused at the corner of North Main Street and as he drew nearer, he saw the reluctance on her face. She looked as if she’d rather bolt than wait, but she held her ground until he reached her side. Then she turned east up Cedar Street, obviously wanting to be out of sight of town hall when the crowd dispersed.

He didn’t blame her for not wanting to be seen with him. They’d both grown up in this town where almost everyone knew everyone else, and it was safe to assume that most of the residents knew at least some of Sutter and Paige’s history together.

“I just wanted to thank you,” he said when he fell into step beside her.

“I didn’t do it for you,” she told him.

“Why did you do it?”

“Because Nate’s been running an underhanded campaign since Collin threw his hat into the ring, but dragging a war veteran into this debate solely to discredit your brother...” She trailed off, shaking her head. “That’s a new low, even for Nate.”

“Are you sure he set it up?”

“I saw him talking to the master sergeant before the debate,” she confided. “I have absolutely no doubt that he planted him in the audience to stir up trouble.”

“Well, I don’t think the tactic was nearly as successful as he’d hoped, not after your little speech.”

She shrugged. “I was there because I want to be an informed voter. My personal bias aside, I wanted to hear what the candidates had to say, how they responded to questions. Everything I saw and heard tonight confirmed my belief that Collin is the best mayoral candidate, and I wanted to make sure that people left the hall talking about him—not you.”

“Well, I appreciate what you said, anyway,” he told her. “I know it couldn’t have been easy to speak up in my defense—even if it was for my brother—after...everything.”

* * *

After...everything.

Sutter’s words echoed in Paige’s mind, making her wonder if that was really how he thought about the fact that he’d broken her heart and shattered her hopes and dreams. Had their relationship been so meaningless, and their breakup so inconsequential to him, that he could just categorize those events as “everything”?

She looked up at him, amazed and annoyed that even after five years a simple glance was enough to make her heart pound. Of course, he probably had that effect on a lot of women. At six feet two inches, with the solid, muscular build of a real cowboy, he turned heads no matter where he went. The thick, light brown hair, deep blue eyes and quick smile kept those heads turned in his direction. She deliberately tore her gaze away.

It infuriated her that after five years, her heart was still aching from his callous dismissal, while he seemed completely unaffected. But there was no way she was going to ask for clarification. Instead she only said, “It was a long time ago.”

“Was it?” he challenged, his voice quieter now and tinged with a hint of sadness.

Or maybe she was only hearing what she wanted to hear.

“I’ll admit, there are days when it seems like our relationship was in a different lifetime,” he told her. “And there are other days when I would swear it was only yesterday. When I can close my eyes and see you right in front of me, reach out as if to touch the softness of your skin, breathe in and catch the scent of your perfume.”

She wouldn’t let the soft seduction of his words or his voice sway her. “I think you’ve been breathing in something that’s not legal in this state without a prescription.”

“Ouch—that was harsh.”

“What kind of response did you expect?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “Maybe I just wanted to know that you think about me sometimes, too.”

“I don’t. Because it wasn’t yesterday—it was five years ago, and I have too much going on in my life right now to think about what used to be or might have been.”

But her words were a lie. The truth was, she didn’t just think about Sutter sometimes. She thought about him far too often. It didn’t seem to matter that he’d been gone for five years, because her heart had never quite healed. And even after all that time, whenever she saw him—which, thankfully, hadn’t been very often before the horrible flood had brought him back to Rust Creek Falls—it felt like ripping the scab off of the wound.

And yet when a stranger who didn’t even know him started attacking his character, Paige couldn’t seem to help herself from flying to his defense. Because regardless of what had happened between them, she knew that deep inside Sutter was a good man. The man she’d once loved more than anything.

“So tell me what’s going on in your life,” he said now.

She turned to look at him. “Why?”

“Because I want to know.”

“Well, I’ve been teaching my fifth-grade class in my living room because we don’t have a school anymore—which is one of the reasons I’m so invested in the outcome of this election. We need to get the new school built because our kids deserve better than what we’ve been able to do for them so far.”

“Fifth grade?” Sutter frowned. “I think Dallas’s eldest is in fifth grade.”

She nodded. “Ryder’s in my class.”

“He’s had a rough go of it...since his mother walked out.”

“It hasn’t been easy on any of the boys.” She felt herself softening in response to his obvious concern about his nephew, just a little, and steeled herself against it. “But when one person walks out of a relationship, it’s inevitable that someone else is going to be hurt.”

His gaze narrowed. “Are we still talking about Ryder?”

“Of course,” she agreed, the picture of innocence. “Who else would we be talking about?”

“Us,” he said bluntly. “I thought you might have been referring to the end of our relationship—when you dumped me.”

She hated that he could still see through her so easily. “I wasn’t talking about us, and I didn’t dump you,” she denied. “I simply refused to run away with you. Because that’s what you did—you ran.”

“I’m back now,” he told her.

And standing close to him, it was all too easy for Paige to remember the way she used to feel about him. Far too easy to want to feel that way again. Thankfully she wasn’t a naive teenager anymore, and she wouldn’t let it happen. Because sooner or later Sutter would leave Rust Creek Falls again. He always did.

“Yes, you’re back now,” she acknowledged. “But for how long?”

Sutter’s gaze slid away. “Well, as Collin’s campaign manager, I’ll be hanging around until the election.”

His response was hardly unexpected, and yet Paige couldn’t deny that she felt a pang of disappointment in response to his words. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“It’s not easy being here,” he reminded her. “No one has ever welcomed me back with open arms.”

She would have. If he’d come home at any time during those first six months that he’d been gone, she would have welcomed him with open arms and a heart so full of love for him that it was near to bursting.

But he hadn’t come home, not at all in the first year or for a very long time after. And the longer he was gone, the more she realized that the overwhelming love she felt for him wasn’t reciprocated—at least not in the way she needed it to be if they were going to build a life together.

Instead, they’d each moved on without the other. By all accounts Sutter was doing very well in Seattle. Apparently he’d opened his own stables in the city and had established quite the reputation for himself. Paige had been sincerely happy to hear the news and genuinely pleased for him, because she was more than content with her own life in Rust Creek Falls.

She loved her job, she lived close enough to her family that she saw them regularly—although she sometimes wondered if maybe a little too frequently—she had good friends and she even went out on occasion. She didn’t want or need anything more—and she certainly didn’t want Sutter Traub turning her life upside down again.

“You saw that tonight,” he pointed out to her. “No one has forgotten what happened, why I left, and no one will miss me when I’m gone again.”

She could tell that he believed it, and her heart ached for him. “This is your home,” she told him. “Whether you choose to live here or not, this is where you belong—with your family and your friends and everyone else who cares about you.”

He managed a wry smile, but his tone when he responded was more wistful than skeptical. “Would you be included in that list?”

Chapter Two

“Of course,” Paige agreed. “Despite everything that’s happened between us, we’ve always been friends.”

Even as the words tumbled out of her mouth, she wished she could haul them back. Because as much as she believed coming home and making peace with his family was the right thing for Sutter, she knew it wouldn’t work out so well for her. Not when even this brief conversation had her churned up inside.

“Well, speaking in confidence to a friend,” Sutter said, “I’m afraid Collin’s fighting an uphill battle in this election.”

She was surprised, and grateful, for the change of topic. “What makes you say that?”

“The fact that every time I go into town, I hear rumblings—and none of them are very subtle.”

“What kind of rumblings?”

“Just the other day I was at the general store and I heard Ginny Nigh comment to Lilah Goodwin that it’s a sorry state when people nowadays don’t understand the importance of family values. It used to be that when a man got a woman pregnant, he did the right thing and married the mother of his child.”

“You think she was talking about Clayton?”

“I know she was. Of course, she didn’t mention the fact that Clay didn’t even know Delia was pregnant until she showed up on his doorstep with the baby—or the fact that Delia turned around and hightailed it out of town only a few days later.”

“Leaving your brother with the son he never knew he had—which, to me, proves that he does understand family values. He stepped right up to be a daddy to Bennett and never tried to pawn him off on anybody else.”

He smiled, just a little. “I wish you’d been at the store with me.”

But of course they both knew that such an occurrence would have generated gossip of a different kind.

“Anyway, you shouldn’t worry about Ginny—everyone knows she’s just an old busybody.”

“Unfortunately, she isn’t the only one who’s been talking. Even the minister in church the other day was talking about wedding vows and that ‘till death do us part’ needs to mean till death and not until one of the spouses decides he or she has had enough.”

“Pastor Alderson has never made any secret of the fact that he’s opposed to divorce.”

“And Dallas is divorced—but he only took the step to end his marriage after his wife walked out on him and the kids.”

“I think most people around here know that the divorce was instigated by Laurel’s abandonment.”

“Do they?” he challenged. “Or do they see it as proof that the Traubs don’t reflect the traditional family values that are a cornerstone of Rust Creek Falls?”

“Collin has to pick his battles,” Paige said reasonably. “He can’t expect to win every argument on every issue, so he should focus on what he’s doing and not worry about rumors.”

“That’s what we’ve been trying to do,” Sutter admitted. “The purpose of his national online initiative to help rebuild Rust Creek Falls was designed to give people a reason to look past the devastation and focus on the positive.”

“‘A vote for Collin Traub is a vote for success and prosperity for the future of Rust Creek Falls,’” she quoted.

He grinned. “You’ve been reading our press.”

“I’ve been reading everything in the press,” she clarified. “I like to make an informed decision.”

“Are you seeing anyone?”

She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, stunned by the abrupt change of topic. “How is that any of your business?”

“Maybe it’s not,” he admitted. “But I heard that you’ve been keeping company with a foreman at the lumber mill, and I want to know if it’s true.”

“It’s true.” She started walking again. “I’ve been dating Alex Monroe for a few months now.”

“Is it serious?”

“Again—none of your business,” she said, because she wasn’t going to admit to Sutter that her relationship with the other man wasn’t anywhere close to being serious.

Alex was a great guy. He was attractive and well mannered and she enjoyed spending time with him. Unfortunately there was no real spark or sizzle between them, nothing to make her think that their relationship would ever progress to the next level.

Her sisters, Lani and Lindsay, claimed that Paige wouldn’t ever be able to have a serious relationship with Alex—or any other man—so long as she was still carrying a torch for Sutter. She, of course, denied that was true, because she’d given up hope that Sutter would come back to her a long time ago.

But standing beside him now, she was suddenly overwhelmed by the memories of what they’d once shared, and she realized that maybe she had been comparing other men to “the one who got away.” But she didn’t think that was so unusual. After all, Sutter had been her first love and her first lover, and she couldn’t imagine any subsequent relationship having that same depth and intensity.

And she wasn’t going to waste even another minute of her time worrying about it tonight. She started walking again, and he fell into step beside her.

A few minutes later, she paused outside a two-story saltbox-style house with steel-blue clapboard siding and wide white trim around the front door and windows.

“This is mine,” she said, and felt a familiar thrill when she spoke those words. Two years earlier, when she’d put in her offer for the house, she’d been excited—and then absolutely terrified when it was accepted. Gradually the terror had subsided, beaten back by endless weeks and months of intense manual labor to scrub and shine and prep and paint until she felt as if it was well and truly her own.

He gave the house a quick once-over. “Nice,” he said approvingly.

She didn’t want or need his approval, but she found herself smiling anyway. Because it was nice. More important, it was hers.

“Are you going to invite me in for coffee?” he asked.

“No.”

His brows lifted. “Just no? You’re not even going to make up some kind of lame excuse as to why you can’t invite me in?”

“I don’t need to make up an excuse,” she told him. “The fact is, tomorrow is a school day and I have lesson plans to review.”

The smile that flashed across his face actually made her knees weak.

“For a minute it was almost like we were back in high school,” he said.

She’d thought the same thing as soon as the words were out of her mouth. There had been a lot of times when Sutter had tried to convince her to stay out with him instead of going home to finish her homework or study for an upcoming test. And a lot of times when she’d let herself be convinced. And when he’d finally walked her home, they’d still been reluctant to part, so they’d stood in the shadows of the back porch of her parents’ house and kissed good-night. He’d spent a lot of time kissing her good-night.

Obviously he was remembering the same thing, because he took a step closer and said, “Are you going to let me kiss you good-night?”

“No.” Though she knew she should hold her ground, she took an instinctive step back.

Sutter smiled knowingly. “Are you busy Thursday night?”

This second abrupt change in topic made her almost as wary as his previous request. “Why?”

“It’s election night,” he reminded her. “And the candidates and their supporters will be gathered at town hall for the results. Since you’ve declared your support for Collin, I thought you might want to be there.”

She did believe Collin was the best candidate and he was definitely going to get her vote, but hanging out with his family and friends at town hall meant being around Sutter, and she wasn’t sure if that was something she could handle.

“I’ll think about it,” she finally agreed, because once he’d made the offer, she knew that she wouldn’t be able to not think about it. But she also knew that there was no way she could go.

The only hope she had of protecting her heart was to stay as far away from Sutter Traub as possible.

* * *

Since it wasn’t an outright refusal, Sutter decided not to press Paige for a firm commitment. He simply waited until she’d unlocked her door, then he wished her a good night and headed back to town hall. He hadn’t realized how far they’d walked until he had to make the trek back again without the pleasure of her company.

He’d enjoyed walking and talking with her like they’d done so many times before. But that was the past. He retraced his steps as he’d lived the past five years of his life—without her. And he tried not to think about everything they’d once meant to one another, and everything they’d lost.

Paige Dalton had been his soul mate and best friend. His heart had belonged to her, wholly and completely. She was the one woman he’d imagined spending the rest of his life with. He’d even proposed marriage before he’d left town, but she’d turned him down and turned her back on him, and he’d gone to Washington alone.

The transition from Rust Creek Falls to Seattle hadn’t been an easy one, and for the first several months Sutter had doubted it would be a successful one. He’d tried working at various office jobs in the city, but he never found one that seemed to fit. Or maybe he was just too restless to sit behind a desk all day. It was only when he heard about a job opening for a horse trainer at a local stable that things began to turn around for him.

He’d always been good with animals and he’d quickly established a reputation for himself with the local horse set. After a couple of years working for someone else, he had both the money and the confidence he needed to venture out on his own.

Three years earlier, he’d opened Traub Stables, and he was gratified by its success. He was also pleased that his business had created a second market for CT Saddles—Collin’s custom-made saddles and leather-goods business. That was all Sutter wanted—all he needed. Or so he’d believed until he’d come back to Rust Creek Falls again.

When he’d left town five years earlier, he’d vowed that he would never return. Of course, he’d been younger and more impulsive then, and the simple fact that his family was in Rust Creek Falls guaranteed that he wouldn’t be able to stay away forever. Despite the harsh words that had been thrown around in the Traub household, he could never really turn his back on his family—even if he felt they’d turned their backs on him first.

So when he’d heard the news about the flood, he had to come home to make sure everything was okay at the ranch. Of course, it had taken him some time to get everything in order with his business so that he could feel comfortable leaving for a couple of weeks. And even then, his apprehension had increased with every mile that drew him closer to the Triple T. There was still tension in his family—most notably between Sutter and Forrest—and it had occurred to him that he might not be welcome. Especially if his war-hero brother had also decided to return.

Both Forrest and Clayton were living in Thunder Canyon these days with their new wives and, in Clayton’s case, children. But Sutter was certain they would also be drawn back to Rust Creek Falls, eager to do anything they could to help out not just the Traub family but the larger community.

Another reason that Sutter had questioned his impulse to return was the possibility that he might run into Paige Dalton. A possibility that had turned into a certainty when he found out that Collin was marrying Willa Christensen—a friend and colleague of Paige’s.

Of his five brothers, Collin was the only one who got Sutter and who hadn’t judged him for his less-than-enthusiastic support of Forrest’s decision to return to Iraq. So when Collin had asked Sutter to be his best man, he hadn’t even considered refusing. He hadn’t found out until later that Paige would be Willa’s maid of honor.

The wedding had been simple but beautiful. And Sutter and Paige had both focused on their respective duties and pretended to be oblivious to one another. At least, Sutter was pretending. And he’d tried to focus on his duties, but Paige had always been a distraction.

She was the most beautiful girl he’d ever known. Now that girl was a woman and even more of a distraction. Willa had been a gorgeous bride, and Sutter had been thrilled to see his brother so obviously in love and more contented than he’d ever been, but it was the bride’s maid of honor who had caught—and held—Sutter’s attention.

Her long dark hair had been fashioned into some kind of loose knot on top of her head, but a few strands had escaped to frame her delicate heart-shaped face. Her dark eyes had been enhanced with makeup, her sharp cheekbones highlighted and her sweetly curved lips had been painted a glossy pink color.

Her dress was a long, strapless column of pale lilac silk that hugged her curves. She’d been more skinny than thin as a girl, but there was no doubt she was a woman now. A woman with silky-smooth skin and beautiful shoulders that had seemed rather chilly whenever she’d turned them in his direction.

Unfortunately, her obvious disinterest had done nothing to cool the blood running through his veins. But he’d managed to get through the wedding without giving in to the desire to touch her, and he’d breathed a sigh of relief when the event was over.

He’d done a pretty good job of avoiding Paige in the months that had passed since then—until tonight, when his need just to see her and talk to her had overridden his common sense and sent him chasing after her.

When he’d offered to manage Collin’s campaign, he’d claimed it was simply because he believed that his brother truly was the best person for the job—especially considering that the only other candidate was Nathan Crawford. He hadn’t been willing to admit, even to himself, that Paige Dalton had been a factor in his decision to stay in Rust Creek Falls a little longer. Maybe he’d been an idiot where she was concerned, but he wasn’t a masochist. Once bitten, twice shy and all that.

But now, three months later, he was still in Rust Creek Falls and still hoping to catch a glimpse of her around every corner. And that, he knew, was a definite sign that it was long past time to go back to Seattle.

He’d been making occasional trips back and forth, not so much to keep an eye on his business, because he trusted his stable manager absolutely, but to ensure that he was able to give the personal touch to his major clients. But he’d never stayed in Seattle more than a few days before he’d found a reason to return to Rust Creek Falls again. He decided now that he needed to get back to his real life before he let himself start believing that he could ever come home to stay. Because the more time he spent here, the more he remembered how it had felt to be part of the close-knit community, and the more he craved that sense of belonging again.

The town had come together and had made impressive headway with respect to the repairs that were needed. It never ceased to amaze him how people managed to overcome their differences and work together in times of crisis. In fact, Collin and Nate had worked side by side on the Recovery Committee with Sheriff Gage Christensen—Willa’s brother—and Thelma McGee.

Sutter had pitched in wherever help was needed and, as a result, had occasionally crossed paths with Paige. Each time he saw her, he was reminded of what they’d once had—and what he’d lost. And almost every night since his return, he dreamed of her when he went to sleep.

That was just one more reason that he was looking forward to going back to Seattle—so he could sleep through the night without dreams of a sexy, dark-eyed brunette disturbing his slumber. Not that the distance had helped him forget about Paige completely, but it had forced him to accept that she’d chosen a life without him. And he knew the best thing for him now was to get back to that life without her. Except that he’d made his brother a promise, and that meant that Sutter was going to be in Rust Creek Falls until the last ballot was counted.

His faith in his brother had not wavered once since Collin had announced his candidacy. If anything, the more he learned about his brother’s plans and ideas for the town, the more convinced he was that Collin was the right man to lead Rust Creek Falls through this crisis and toward a better, stronger future. Unfortunately, instead of promoting his own ideas, Nathan Crawford was more interested in slinging mud at the Traubs.

For some reason that Sutter couldn’t even pretend to understand, the Traubs and the Crawfords had been at odds for generations. According to the widely circulated rumors around town, the feud had originated with a business partnership gone wrong. Of course, that was only one version of the story and, depending on the telling, even it had several variations and discrepancies as to which party had done the wrong.

In any event, the animosity that existed between the families since before Sutter could remember had come to a head a few years earlier when Collin and Nate had gotten into a fight over accusations that Nate’s girlfriend was stepping out with his nemesis. Collin’s announcement that he would run against Nate in the election had further exacerbated the tensions.

“Where did you disappear to?” Collin demanded when Sutter finally got back to town hall.

The majority of the crowd had dispersed, leaving only a handful of people in the building: volunteers stacking up chairs and sweeping the floors, Willa in conversation with a young couple who were just as likely to be talking to her about their daughter who was in her kindergarten class as an issue regarding Collin’s campaign.

“I needed some air,” Sutter told his brother.

“You didn’t follow Paige?”

He scowled. “I’m not a stalker, but yes, I did talk to her. I wanted to thank her for the things she said.”

“Her words did interject rationale and reason into an uncomfortable situation—at least for the moment.”

“She promised that you have her vote,” Sutter told him.

“I’m grateful for that,” Collin said. “But I’m more concerned about you.”

“You’ve got my vote, too.”

His brother cuffed the side of Sutter’s head. “I meant that I’m concerned about you and Paige.”

“There is no me and Paige—there hasn’t been for a long time.” Of course, knowing that fact didn’t stop him from thinking about her—or wanting her. “Besides, she’s seeing Alex Monroe.”

“I know that she’s gone out with him a few times,” Collin admitted. “I don’t know that it’s exclusive, though.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Sutter insisted. “My life is in Seattle now, and she made it clear a long time ago that she has no intention of ever leaving Rust Creek Falls.”

“Your business is in Seattle,” his brother agreed. “But your family is here.”

“Now you sound like Paige,” he grumbled.

“Really?” Collin seemed intrigued by the idea. “Well, where you choose to live is your decision. I just want to be sure that you’re not planning to go anywhere before the election.”

“I’m not, unless you want me to.”

“I don’t.”

“That whole scene tonight—it happened because of me.”

“It happened because Nate Crawford doesn’t know how to play by the rules.”

Sutter couldn’t deny that was true, but he still hated to think that his brother could lose the election because of him. Certainly the tide of popular opinion had turned against him in a heartbeat tonight, until Paige’s timely interjection.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Willa said, coming over to join in their conversation. “And I think Nate is feeling more than a little desperate.”

Collin slid his arm around her. “Why do you say that?”

“Because he knows he’s going to lose this election, and the defeat is going to be that much harder to take for a Crawford beaten by a Traub.”

“While I appreciate your confidence, you might want to hold off on the victory speech until the votes are actually counted,” Collin told her.

Secretly, Sutter couldn’t help but agree with his brother. As much as he appreciated Willa’s optimism about her new husband’s chances in the election, he didn’t share her faith. He truly believed Collin was the best candidate for the job, but Nate Crawford had run a clever campaign. Instead of focusing on his plans to return the town to its former glory—no doubt because he knew that Collin was leaps and bounds ahead of him in that regard—he’d chosen to focus on his family’s place in the town’s history, and on digging up dirt on his opponent.

Not that there was much dirt to be found on Collin, which was surely why Nate had expanded his smear campaign to encompass the whole of the Traub family. And in doing so, he’d had more success.

Sutter could only hope that Nate’s efforts would be in vain.

Chapter Three

Sutter said goodbye to Collin and Willa and headed back to the Triple T. He bypassed the main house and went directly to Clayton’s residence on the property. Since Clay had moved to Thunder Canyon, his place had become a guest house for visitors, and although Sutter wasn’t technically a guest, he felt more comfortable there than in the main house.

Mostly he appreciated the privacy and the solitude, and he was grateful for both tonight. He didn’t feel like making idle conversation with anyone, especially not his well-meaning but undeniably interfering mother, and especially not if she’d somehow gotten wind of the fact that Paige had been present at the town hall debate.

Ellie had always liked Paige, and despite the breakup with Sutter she hadn’t yet given up hope that they might somehow find their way back to one another. So she made a point of keeping him apprised of what was going on in Paige’s life—including the fact that she was dating the mill foreman.

Sutter knew that the information hadn’t been intended to hurt him but to spur him into action, his mother expecting that he would charge into town and sweep Paige off her feet and into his arms again. Even if he’d thought such a grand gesture might be successful, Sutter knew that he had no right to interfere in her life now. Five years earlier, they’d made their own choices and gone their separate ways.

And now she was dating Alex Monroe.

That fact was more difficult to accept than he wanted to acknowledge. He didn’t know Alex well, but he knew who he was and he had nothing against the guy. He just didn’t like the idea of Paige with anyone else.

Which was admittedly hypocritical considering that he’d hardly lived like a monk in the five years since he’d left Rust Creek Falls. But the truth was, he hadn’t been with anyone since Paige who had made him forget about her.

He’d fallen in love with her when he was barely seventeen, and with the innocence and conviction of youth, he’d been absolutely certain that he would love her forever. They’d talked about their future together, when they would get married, where they would live, how many children they wanted. And he’d believed that she loved him, too—right up until the moment she’d told him she couldn’t marry him.

Even five years later, the memory of that impulsive and rejected proposal stung. Because even now he knew he wasn’t completely over his feelings for Paige, while she seemed to have moved on without so much as a backward glance in his direction.

The fact that she’d bought a house proved to him that she still wanted most of the same things they’d talked about. That she hadn’t let him get past the front door proved that he wasn’t a factor in any of her plans.

Which, of course, made him wonder if Alex Monroe was. Had she invited him in for coffee? Had he been given a tour of Paige’s house? Had he seen her bedroom? Spent the night in her bed?

Sutter scowled, acknowledging that those were questions he probably didn’t want to know the answers to—even the speculation was making him crazy.

He deliberately turned his thoughts to why she’d moved out of her parents’ house. Maybe she’d wanted to be closer to her job, although a couple of blocks hardly made a difference. In a town like Rust Creek Falls, commuting times were never a concern.

More likely she’d wanted her own space, more independence. Paige had always been close to her family, but she’d often chafed at their rules and restrictions. It was a common complaint of many teenagers, but she was a grown woman now, an incredibly beautiful woman living alone in a house that was probably just waiting for the children she’d always wanted.

He poured himself a glass of whiskey and swallowed it in a single gulp. The liquor burned a path down his throat and into his belly, but it didn’t touch the aching emptiness in his heart. So he poured himself a second drink and was considering a third when he realized what he was doing. He pushed the bottle aside and headed to bed.

It had been a lot of years since he’d drunk himself into a stupor over a woman, and even that hadn’t helped him forget either the pain or the loneliness. Of course, it had been Paige then, too, and he wasn’t going to go down that path again.

It was a decision he found himself questioning later. If he’d consumed enough alcohol to pass out drunk, maybe he wouldn’t have been able to dream. Because when he finally did fall asleep, his dreams were filled with images of Paige, past and present. Memories mingled with fantasy in an enticing montage that teased and tormented him through the night.

When he finally woke the next morning with his heart pounding and the sheets twisted around his body, he actually ached for her.

* * *

Teaching wasn’t an easy job at the best of times, and these were definitely not the best of times. There was so much going on in the town, so many families who had been displaced and so many demands on Paige’s time and attention that she sometimes didn’t know which direction to turn. As if all of that wasn’t enough, Sutter Traub had planted himself in the middle of everything by getting involved with his brother’s mayoral campaign and churning up a lot of feelings she’d thought were long dead—or at least deeply buried.

She walked around the long table that had been set up in her living-room-turned-classroom to check on the mock campaign posters her students were creating. Early on in her teaching career, she’d realized that kids learned more easily and maintained information more readily when they could relate the lessons to real life, so she’d talked about the recent flood during a unit on environmental studies and had worked the upcoming election into their discussion about governments.

The latter had certainly given her some insights into the political leanings of many local families, and though the class seemed fairly evenly divided between “Team Crawford” and “Team Traub,” she was optimistic that Collin would emerge victorious. But right now she tried to focus her thoughts not on the upcoming election but on the current lesson.

She really did love her job and looked forward to the start of every day, approaching each subject with equal enthusiasm. She had her own personal favorites, of course, but she tried not to let that bias show. She wanted her students to experience and enjoy everything. She loved being able to open their minds, to encourage their curiosity and nurture their creativity, and gloried in each and every one of their successes. And because she was so completely engaged with her students, she hurt when they were hurting.

And she knew that Ryder Traub was hurting. Sutter had been right about the fact that Dallas’s eldest son was having a hard time adjusting to his mother’s abandonment. He wasn’t acting out, as was often the case with children going through difficult transitions. Instead, it was as if he’d drawn into himself, disengaging from the other students and the activities in the classroom. He wasn’t uncooperative—he always did the work that was required of him—but Paige could tell that he was just going through the motions.

She tried to draw him out, but that wasn’t an easy task when she had sixteen other students to attend to. Not that they all came to class every day, which was another reason teaching in her home was a challenge. It was as if the parents figured it wasn’t an actual school, therefore, she couldn’t actually be teaching. And that only made it harder to impress the importance of every lesson upon her students.

When the day was over and the last student had gone, she realized she needed more markers and stickers to replenish her cupboard. Sometimes she would go to the specialty classroom resource store in Kalispell, but for everyday supplies she could usually find what she needed at Crawford’s General Store.

Unfortunately, she sometimes found more than she wanted, as was the situation when she realized it was Nate Crawford behind the counter instead of his sister.

She forced a smile as she emptied her basket. “Where’s Nina?” She wasn’t just making conversation but was genuinely concerned about the woman, who was nearing the end of her pregnancy.

“She had an appointment—” he automatically began to scan Paige’s purchases “—so I said I would cover the store. It gives me a chance to connect with the people of our town on a more personal basis.”

Which Paige interpreted to mean that any poor soul who wandered in for essential grocery items was likely getting a healthy dose of Nate’s campaign propaganda along with every loaf of bread and quart of milk. “It always helps the voters to know their candidates,” she agreed.

He totaled her order and she gave him her money.

He made change, but didn’t immediately pass it across the counter. “I feel as if I should warn you about something.”

“I’m sure that’s not necessary.”

“I know you have...a history...with Sutter Traub,” he continued anyway. “But your public declaration of allegiance could make you unpopular in this town.”

“I don’t need to be popular—I’m not running for office.” She picked up her bag and held out her hand for her change.

“No,” he agreed, finally giving her the money. “But maybe your new boyfriend needs to know that you’re running around with your ex.”

* * *

Paige knew that she’d done nothing wrong, that there was absolutely no reason for her to feel as if she had, but that knowledge didn’t succeed in alleviating her guilt. Because the truth was, the whole time she’d been with Sutter the night before, she hadn’t once thought about Alex—not until Sutter had specifically asked her about the other man.

She didn’t know if that said something about her relationship with the mill foreman or if it was simply a side effect of being near Sutter. She’d been dating Alex for a couple of months now and, after fifteen minutes in Sutter’s company, she’d barely remembered his name. It was embarrassing to admit, even if only to herself, and Alex certainly deserved better than to be an afterthought.

So when she got home, she surveyed the contents of her refrigerator to ensure that she had the groceries she needed to put together a decent meal—because she was not going back to Crawford’s for another dose of Nate’s self-righteousness—then called Alex to invite him to come over for dinner. Though he seemed surprised by the impromptu invitation, he immediately accepted.

She set the table, even putting out candles and a bottle of wine, then set about preparing the meal. She was going to spend some time with Alex tonight and forget about Sutter Traub once and for all.

* * *

Sutter figured he must be a glutton for punishment. Why else would he have decided to drive down Cedar Street before he headed home the following night? It wasn’t as if it was on his way. It wasn’t really out of his way, but the most direct route would have been to continue along Main to Sawmill, since he had to cross the river at the Sawmill Street Bridge. Instead, he turned onto Cedar, then North Pine, so that he passed by Paige’s house.

And in passing by Paige’s house, he couldn’t possibly miss the battered truck parked outside of it. He knew that the Cruze parked in front of it belonged to Paige, and he suspected that the truck belonged to Alex Monroe, because he’d seen the same vehicle in the parking lot at the mill every day. His mother had warned him that Paige was dating the foreman, and Paige herself had confirmed it, but he still hadn’t wanted to believe it. But the truth was hard to deny when it was right in front of him.

She hadn’t invited Sutter in for a cup of coffee the night before because it was a school night. Well, it was a school night tonight, too, and she didn’t seem to have any qualms about having company. Or maybe she didn’t consider Alex company. Maybe—

Don’t go there.

He sharply reined in his wandering thoughts and continued on his way.

He’d honestly thought he’d let her go. When he’d driven away from Rust Creek Falls five years earlier and Paige had decided to stay, he’d known that was the end for them. And yet every time he was near her he felt the chemistry that had always sizzled between them. That sizzle warned Sutter that they weren’t as over as he wanted to believe.

Except the fact that she was at home tonight with her new boyfriend suggested that he might be the only one who felt they weren’t over. And that really sucked.

His mother had said that she was making pot roast for dinner, one of his favorites, but he’d declined her invitation to join the family—as he’d declined most of her invitations since returning to Rust Creek Falls. Too much had been said and done for Sutter to pretend otherwise, so aside from working with his father and brothers on the ranch, he usually kept to himself and prepared his own meals at Clay’s house. Tonight, he pulled into the parking lot of the Ace in the Hole instead.

He climbed the rough-hewn wooden steps and opened the screen door beneath the oversize playing card—an ace of hearts—that blinked in red neon. The bar was dimly lit and buzzing with conversations that mostly drowned out the Johnny Cash song emanating from the ancient Wurlitzer jukebox that still played three songs for a quarter. A long wooden bar ran the length of one wall and the dozen bar stools that faced the mirrored wall reflecting rows of glass bottles were already occupied, with several other patrons crowded in between the stools and leaned against the bar.

The booths that lined the outer walls were also filled, as were most of the wooden tables that surrounded the small dance floor in the middle of the room. Discarded peanut shells crunched under his boots as he made his way to one of those tables near the mostly unused stage in the far back corner. He pulled out the ladder-back chair and settled onto the creaky seat. The round wooden table was battered and scarred but appeared to be clean.

“What are you doing here?”

Sutter looked up, startled to see Paige’s sister Lani standing at his table. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt, so it was only when he saw the apron around her waist and the order pad in her hand that he realized she was his waitress.

And not a very happy one, judging by her tone, so he kept his deliberately light and said, “I was hoping to look at a menu.”

She tossed a single laminated page on the table. “That’s the menu—look all you want.”

“You probably don’t get very many tips with an attitude like that,” he mused.

“I’ll give you a tip—stay away from my sister.”

He looked around. “Is Lindsay here, too?”

Lani’s eyes narrowed. “You know very well that I’m talking about Paige.”

Ellie’s roast beef with a side of gentle prying suddenly seemed infinitely more palatable than substandard pub fare with prickly attitude, but no way was he going to let Paige’s little sister run him off.

“And I’ve barely seen her in the three months that I’ve been back in Rust Creek Falls,” he pointed out to her.

“You saw her last night,” Lani noted.

“Yeah, and here’s a news flash for you—it was a public meeting at town hall.”

“You walked her home.”

He didn’t bother to ask how she knew. This was Rust Creek Falls, where anyone might have seen them and no one could ever keep a secret for very long. “Actually, she would probably say that she was walking alone and I just happened to be beside her.”

“Good.”

“How about a beer while I try to decide between the cheeseburger and the bacon burger?”

“We’re out of bacon.”

“In that case, I’ll have the cheeseburger and a draft beer.”

She nodded and took the menu back, but she didn’t move away from his table. “Alex Monroe is a good guy—and he’s good to Paige.”

“Have I said anything to the contrary?”

“The fact that you’re still in Rust Creek Falls says plenty.”

“I’m here because I’m helping Collin with his campaign.”

“Then you’re going back to Seattle after the election?”

“Not that it’s any of your business,” he felt compelled to point out. “But yes, I’m going back to Seattle after the election.”

“And that’s why she’s better off with Alex,” she said triumphantly. “Because he won’t leave her.”

“But does he love her? And does she love him?”

“She’s with him,” Lani said firmly. “That’s all that should matter to you.”

He didn’t want to admit she was right, so he only shrugged, as if he was bored by the whole conversation. “Are you going to get my drink now?”

“Maybe.” She turned away and went to another table, where a young couple had just sat down. She took their order, immediately returned with their drinks, then went back to the bar again and finally brought Sutter his beer.

The election was in two more days, and then his job here would be over. He should probably hang around a little while longer to tie up any loose ends, but he figured it was safe to assume that he’d be back in Seattle within a week. Back to the freedom and contentment of being anonymous, back to the big city where there weren’t memories of Paige Dalton in every direction he turned.

He should forget the burger and get back to the ranch to start packing so he didn’t have to spend any more time in Rust Creek Falls than was absolutely necessary. Except that leaving this town meant leaving Paige again, a prospect that was just as unappealing now as it had been five years earlier.

She’s better off with Alex.

Sutter suspected that Lani was right, but he wasn’t going to believe it was what Paige wanted until he’d heard it directly from her lips.

* * *

Paige really liked Alex, but she wasn’t in love with him. And while she’d hoped that her feelings for him might grow and deepen with time, as she dished up the peach cobbler she’d made for dessert—using canned fruit in the recipe because there were no fresh peaches to be found in Montana at this time of year—she realized that wasn’t likely to happen. At least not so long as Sutter was in Rust Creek Falls.

Not going to think about him, she reminded herself sternly.

The admonishment snapped her attention back to the present but failed to banish all thoughts of the other man from her mind. Which probably wasn’t so surprising, considering her extensive history with Sutter. But that was what it was—history. He was her past, and Alex was her future.

Except that she was starting to question whether that was really true. She might want to think she and Alex could have a future, but the more time they spent together, the more difficult it was to imagine they would ever be anything more than friends.

He was an attractive man—objectively she knew this was true—but she wasn’t attracted to him. Her heart didn’t start to pound as soon as she saw him, her blood didn’t hum when he was close and her knees didn’t go weak when he kissed her. She guessed that Alex probably felt the same way, because he’d never tried to push her for more than the few kisses that they’d shared.

So why had she invited him to dinner tonight? Had she been hoping that he would say or do something to somehow change her mind about their relationship? That he would take her in his arms and kiss her until she was breathless and panting and wanted nothing more than to haul him upstairs to her bed?

As she poked at her dessert, she acknowledged that was what she’d been hoping. And when he’d walked through the door, Alex had kissed her. The kiss had been warm and pleasant...and over almost before it began.

“That was a fabulous meal,” Alex said, pushing his empty plate aside.

She forced a smile. “I’m glad you were able to make it on such short notice.”

“It wasn’t a hard decision, considering all that I had waiting at home was a frozen dinner.”

“So it was the home cooking and not my company that compelled you to accept my invitation?”

He reached across the table and linked their fingers together. “I always enjoy spending time with you, Paige.”

“Why do I feel as if there’s a but coming?”

His lips curved, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “But lately I’ve found myself wondering if there’s any hope for a future between us so long as you’re still hung up on Sutter Traub.”

“I’m not hung up on Sutter,” she immediately denied. “In fact, I’ve barely even seen him since he came back to Rust Creek Falls.”

“Because you’ve been avoiding him,” Alex guessed.

She pulled her hand away and stood up to clear the dishes from the table. “Because I don’t want to see him.”

He followed her into the kitchen. “Why would it matter if you didn’t still have feelings for him?”

She hated that he could so easily see a truth that she’d only recently acknowledged to herself. “Our relationship didn’t end amicably,” she admitted. “So there are probably some unresolved issues.”

“Then you need to resolve them,” Alex said gently.

“I need to move on with my life.”

“You’re an incredible woman, Paige. And I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve spent with you, but you’re never going to move on with your life until you put your history with Sutter behind you.”

“It’s five years behind me,” she protested.

“I stopped by town hall on my way home from work to catch the last part of the debate last night,” he told her. “And when you stood up to defend Sutter Traub, there was more passion in your words than in any of the kisses we’ve ever shared.”

She didn’t know how to respond to that except to say, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he said. “And don’t ever settle for less than everything you want.”

“You’re dumping me, aren’t you?”

He shook his head. “I’m letting you go so that you can figure out what you want. If you decide that’s me, you know where to find me.”

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then lowered his head and touched his lips to hers. It was a nice kiss. Light and friendly, and completely uninspiring. She wanted to feel heat or tingles—anything—in response to his touch, but there was nothing.

As she watched Alex drive away, she silently cursed Sutter Traub and the possibility that his kisses had ruined her for any other man.

Chapter Four

Sutter was one of the first voters lined up when the polling station opened on Thursday morning, right behind Collin and Willa, who followed Nathan Crawford. Sutter wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that Nate had camped outside of town hall to ensure that he was able to cast the first ballot.

There was a steady stream of voters throughout the day. Some of them wore their allegiance proudly on their lapels in the form of buttons that proclaimed Crawford or Traub, and by Sutter’s estimation, they were fairly equal in number—and far outnumbered by the voters who came in grim faced and solemn with no indication as to how they were voting or why.

Nate had several factors in his favor. Aside from his campaign being widely supported and well funded—although no one in town really seemed to know where his money was coming from—he’d lived and worked in Rust Creek Falls his entire life. He was friendly and generally well liked, and he always knew what was going on with everyone in town. Of course, that probably had something to do with the fact that Crawford’s General Store was the shopping mecca of Rust Creek Falls and people tended to chat while they browsed, making it the central point of information dissemination, too.

Collin, on the other hand, tended to keep to himself and mind his own business. He lived on Falls Mountain and operated independently out of a renovated workshop on the property. He’d inherited CT Saddles from their great-uncle, Casper Traub, but it was Collin’s artistic craftsmanship that had really put the business on the map. He made custom saddles and tack and pretty much anything of leather, and he’d used the same focus and attention to detail that had made the company a success to develop a solid plan to rebuild the town and revitalize the economy.

The polling station closed at 6:00 p.m., at which time Thelma McGee taped up the tops of the boxes and took them into the back room to be counted by the independent vote counters. The first step was to divide the ballots into separate piles: Crawford, Traub and spoiled ballots. Then each pile was counted once, then counted again to double-check the results.

The candidates were entitled to be present during the counting of the ballots, along with an authorized representative. Nate Crawford was there with his campaign manager, Bill Fergus. His parents, his sister, Nina, several close friends and a handful of campaign workers were waiting outside for the results.

Of course, everyone was there in anticipation of a celebration, but only one candidate could win. And Sutter couldn’t help but think that if his brother lost, it would be his fault, that he’d tainted Collin’s campaign by being part of it. Because he was afraid his family would share that belief, he decided it was somehow less stressful to hide out with Thelma and watch the votes being counted than to wait with his family for the results. So Sutter stayed in the room while Collin opted to remain outside with Willa and the rest of the family, claiming he was too nervous to watch.

It was nearly nine o’clock before the final results were tallied, and although the numbers were close, when Thelma McGee emerged from the back room it was to announce that Collin Traub was the victor. Of course, Nate Crawford was furious, and although Sutter heard him grumbling and predicting dire consequences for the town, he couldn’t dispute the results. For the benefit of the local reporter who was hanging around, he offered Collin a terse congratulations and a brief handshake, then walked out of town hall with his family and supporters trailing after him.

While Collin and Willa and the rest of “Team Traub” were laughing and hugging, Sutter found himself looking around the small gathering of supporters for Paige, but she wasn’t there. He knew he had no right to be disappointed. She hadn’t made him any promises, but he’d hoped that she would show up anyway. He’d wanted her to share in the victory he was sure wouldn’t have happened if not for her words at the town hall meeting earlier in the week.

Her absence was proof to Sutter that she wanted to maintain a certain distance between them, that the brief conversation they’d shared after that meeting hadn’t bridged the gap of five years. And maybe that was for the best.

He forgot about Paige—at least for a minute—when he got back to the ranch and discovered that the rest of the family had already gathered there. Bob and Ellie, of course, along with Braden and Dallas and Dallas’s three boys—Ryder, Jake and Robbie. Clayton and Antonia had made the trip from Thunder Canyon with their two children, Bennett and Lucy, in tow, as had Forrest and his new wife, Angie.

Ellie had the champagne in the fridge—and sparkling grape juice for the kids and the nursing mother—so that as soon as everyone was gathered, the drinks were ready to be poured. As hugs and kisses were exchanged all around, Bob popped the corks and started the bubbles flowing. It was a joyous celebration—thankfully with enough people around that Sutter could avoid having any direct communication with Forrest.

When the glasses had been distributed, Sutter raised his and called for attention to toast Mayor Collin Traub. Everyone joined in, clinking crystal and adding congratulations and advice, and Forrest leaned over to tap his glass to Sutter’s.

It wasn’t a big deal—or it shouldn’t have been. But to Sutter it was huge. Because in that moment, Forrest had looked him directly in the eye. Not a word had passed between the two of them, but somehow Sutter felt as if the vise that had been squeezing his chest eased, just a little. For the first time in a long time, he actually felt as if he was part of the family, as if he was home.

* * *

This is probably a bad idea.

As Paige turned her vehicle into the long drive that led toward the Triple T Ranch, she was seriously questioning the wisdom of her impetuous decision to come here, and yet she couldn’t stay away. She’d been pleased to hear about Collin’s victory, but her thoughts weren’t focused so much on the new mayor as his campaign manager. Which was why she knew this was a bad idea.

And yet she didn’t turn her car around; she didn’t drive away. Instead, she parked at the end of the long line of vehicles and tried to ignore the pounding of her heart.

She could hear talking and laughing from inside even as she made her way to the door, and she wondered if anyone would be able to hear the ring of the bell over the cacophony of sounds. But her finger had barely lifted from the buzzer when the door was opened and she was face-to-face with Sutter.

“You didn’t come to town hall.”

She was taken aback by his greeting. Not the accusation of the words so much as the hurt beneath them. She hadn’t intended to hurt him. Truthfully, she wouldn’t have thought that she could. They were supposed to be beyond that.

But somehow, only two days after vowing to put him out of her mind, she was at his door. And no matter how many times she told herself that she hadn’t come to see him, she knew it was a lie.

“I figured I’d already made enough of a public statement at town hall on Monday night.”

“Well, you’re here now, so you can join the party,” he said. Then he pulled her into his embrace and swung her around.

Unable to do anything else, Paige held on as the world spun around her. Even when he released her and her feet were back on solid ground, her head continued to spin. And Paige knew it wasn’t a consequence of the physical motion as much as the euphoria of being in Sutter’s arms again.

This was definitely a bad idea.

“I’m glad you came.”

His smile was so real, his joy so evident, she couldn’t help but want to share in the emotion of the moment with him. But that was a dangerous wish, so she said, “I can’t stay—I just wanted to congratulate Collin.”

The brightness of his smile faded just a little. “Of course,” he agreed, and led her to the living room. “Look who decided to join the party.”

In response to Sutter’s announcement, everyone turned. And Paige realized that every member of the Traub family was there, including the two brothers who now lived in Thunder Canyon, more than three hundred miles away.

“I apologize for crashing the party,” she said, suddenly self-conscious.

“It’s not crashing when you were invited,” Sutter pointed out to her.

Ellie pressed a glass of champagne into her hand. “It’s wonderful to see you, Paige.”

The greeting was so warm and sincere that Paige actually felt her throat start to tighten, but she somehow managed to smile. “It’s wonderful to see you, too.”

Everyone greeted her warmly, if not quite as enthusiastically as Sutter had done. Of course, she’d always gotten on well with his parents and all of his brothers. And when she and Sutter had broken up, she’d missed his family almost as much as she’d missed him.

“Congratulations, Mayor Traub,” she said when she’d finally managed to make her way through the crowd to Collin and Willa.

“Thank you,” Collin said to her. “And thank you for speaking up at the town hall meeting—you really were the voice of reason in the midst of a lot of emotional chaos.”

“I’m not sure that my opinion carried any weight, but I wanted people to focus on the relevant issues.”

“It carried a lot of weight,” Willa told her. “And swayed a lot of on-the-fence voters.”

“Well, now that those votes have been counted, your life is going to get even busier,” Paige pointed out.

“We’re looking forward to it,” Collin said, drawing his new wife closer to his side. “We’ve got a lot of plans for this town.”

“And we’re going to need a lot of help to implement those plans,” Willa said, her gaze shifting from Paige to the man standing behind her. “Which is why we’re hoping to convince Sutter to stay.”

Paige looked up at him, surprised by Willa’s admission and wary about his response.

“Plans are for tomorrow,” he said lightly. “Tonight is for celebrating.”

His response suggested to Paige that his plans hadn’t changed. He’d told her that he would be going back to Seattle after the election, and she was counting on that promise. Because contrary to Alex Monroe’s parting advice, she didn’t want to resolve anything with Sutter—she just wanted him to be gone before he could do any more damage to her fragile heart.

But as she visited with his family, she realized how much she’d missed all of them. She’d always enjoyed spending time with them, and she’d loved his parents as if they were her own. And if anyone was surprised that she’d shown up to take part in the celebration, no one said anything to her. They welcomed her into the fold as easily as they’d always done, almost making her feel as if the past five years had never happened. As if Sutter hadn’t broken her heart into a million jagged little pieces.

He reached for her hand, linking their fingers as easily as he’d done a thousand times before. Those thousand times before had been more than five years earlier, but still her pulse skipped and her heart pounded. She wanted to tug her hand away, but she worried that doing so would draw too much attention to the fact that he was holding it.

“I could use some air,” he said to her. “Will you take a walk with me?”

She could use some air, too, but going outside with Sutter meant being alone with Sutter, and she wasn’t sure that was a good idea. In fact, she was sure it was another bad idea in a day that had already been full of them.

He didn’t wait for her response but immediately started tugging her back toward the kitchen. She went with him because it seemed less awkward than refusing. But she was all too conscious of his mother’s eyes following as they left the room, and she knew that Ellie was probably speculating as to what it meant.

But it didn’t mean anything. Paige wouldn’t let it mean anything.

The night was chilly, and she was grateful for the sheepskin-lined denim jacket that she’d worn.

As they walked, Sutter talked excitedly about his brother’s plans for the town. She could hear the pride in his voice, and she knew that he was sincerely pleased by Collin’s victory.

“It’s not going to be an easy job, but I don’t doubt he’s up to it—especially with Willa by his side.”

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