Flynn(9)

“Does your wife work on the ranch too?” asked Natalie.

“She passed away quite some time ago,” said Flynn.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

Either he’d married for a second time or her private eye had gotten something wrong.

Natalie noticed her car almost completely buried under the snow as Flynn pulled onto the main road.

“Will the car be okay there for the night?” she asked.

“Sure. It’s not a busy stretch of road, and crime’s almost non-existent around Timber Creek.”

Emily turned on the radio. “I like music a lot.”

“I do, in fact I play the piano and…”

She almost said and your dad played the guitar but stopped herself just in time.

“Not a music teacher are you?” asked Flynn.

“No, an attorney.”

“What’s that?” asked Emily.

“Someone who gets you out of trouble if Uncle Shane arrests you,” said Flynn. He glanced at Natalie. “Shane’s my brother, and he’s the county sheriff.”

She felt his breath close to her ears and then smelled his aftershave now that the heat was warming up the truck. She wanted to close her eyes and take in the scent.

“But that means you help bad people,” said Emily.

Yeah, that’s what she often did, helped people who’d hurt other people. It had taken Emily to point that out to her. Law wasn’t something she really wanted to practice, but once again, like giving up her baby, she’d caved into her mother’s demands and followed family tradition of becoming an attorney. Being a judge would be the next career move if her mother had any say in the matter.

Flynn pulled into the motel parking lot. “I can come by and pick you up about eight. I mean if that’s not too early for you.”

“Eight’s fine. Are you sure I’m not inconveniencing you in any way?”

“I wish you’d stop saying that. If I didn’t want to help, I wouldn’t be offering.”

Natalie nodded and then Flynn opened the door and got out.

She turned to Emily before she exited the truck. “It was wonderful meeting you Emily.”

“Remember, you’re going to look at my new calf tomorrow, okay.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

She smiled and slid out of the seat and was suddenly standing mere inches from Flynn. She wasn’t that short but he towered over her. She’d always loved tall men.

“Nice to have met you too, and thanks for the ride back and offer of help,” she said.

“You’re welcome. Hope you sleep well.”

Natalie stood and watched as Flynn backed the truck out of the parking space. He sounded the horn and Emily waved to her. Natalie waved back.

Her baby girl was beautiful. And the man who’d adopted her was drop dead gorgeous.





Chapter Five



“Natalie’s pretty,” said Emily when they got back home.

Flynn wanted to correct his daughter. Natalie wasn’t pretty, she was beautiful. When he’d first set eyes on her, he thought he’d met her before but now he guessed she looked familiar because since he was a boy he’d had visions of what his perfect looking woman would be like, and she was the spitting image of Natalie.

“Ask her out daddy,” said Emily.

Wow, where had that come from? Up till now Emily had hated her father going out on dates.

“Honey, she might not be sticking around town for long. You heard her, she’s from Florida and just looking at vacation homes.”

“She’s nice.”

Wow, she’d not only won him over, but Emily too.

“I know that but she might have a husband back home.”

“She didn’t have a ring. I looked.”

He almost wanted to laugh. His daughter didn’t miss a thing. And the truth was he’d always looked at the third finger on her left hand too. He smiled when he saw it devoid of anything round and sparkling.

“I didn’t like that last lady you took out,” said Emily.

“Neither did I,” said Flynn unpacking their groceries. She hadn’t been that nice to him, and he knew she didn’t have much patience with Emily. In fact, when he’d overheard her correcting something she’d said and criticizing her for not acting her age, he’d told her as nicely as he could that he wouldn’t be calling her again. Finding the right woman for both them was next to impossible. Having sex had become a thing of the past. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept with a woman. Finding true love, well, that would take something short of a miracle.

****

Natalie stood at the window of her motel room, the drapes pushed back just a tad to give her some privacy, but at the same time, a chance to look out at the sky. Big Sky Country they called this state, and now she could understand why. Even in the darkness, the sky looked vast like it went on forever. She could even see stars twinkling. It was this very same image that her little girl had looked up and seen every night for the last thirteen years.