Cardwell Ranch Trespasser - By B. J. Daniels Page 0,3

under his breath, and took a sip of his coffee. When he looked again she and Dana had driven away.

“I figured I’d find you here,” Marshal Hud Savage said, as he joined him. Colt saw Hud glance across the street and then try to hide a grin as he pulled up a chair and sat down.

He realized it was no secret that he’d asked Hilde out—and that she’d turned him down. Of course Hilde told her best friend, Dana, and Dana told her husband. Great—by now everyone in the canyon probably knew.

The “canyon,” as it was known, ran from the mouth just south of Gallatin Gateway almost to West Yellowstone, miles of winding road along the Gallatin River that cut deep through the mountains.

Forty miles from Bozeman was the relatively new town of Big Sky. It had sprung up when Chet Huntley and a group of men started Big Sky Ski Resort up on Lone Mountain.

Hud ordered coffee, then seemed to study him. Colt bristled at the thought of his boss feeling sorry for him, even though he was definitely pitiful. He just hoped the marshal didn’t bring up Hilde. Or mention the word crush.

Hilde had laughed when he’d asked her out as if she thought he was joking. Realizing that he wasn’t, she’d said, “Colt, I’m flattered, but I’m not your type.”

“What type is that?” he’d asked, even though he had a feeling he knew.

She’d studied him for a moment as if again trying to decide if he was serious. “Let’s just say I’m a little too old, too serious, too...not fun for you.”

He knew he had a reputation around the canyon because when he’d taken the job, he’d found there were a lot of young women who were definitely looking for a good time. He’d been blessed with his Native American father’s black hair and his Irish mother’s blue eyes. Also, he’d sowed more than a few oats after his divorce. But he was tired of that lifestyle. More than that, he was tired of the kind of women he’d been dating.

Not to mention the fact that he’d become fascinated with Hilde.

Hilde was different, no doubt about it. He’d run into her a few times at gatherings at Hud and Dana’s house. She was serious. Serious about her business, serious about the life she’d made for herself. He’d heard that she had been in corporate America for a while, then her father had died and she’d realized she wasn’t happy. That was when she’d opened her small sewing shop in Big Sky, Montana.

Other than that, he knew little about her. She was Dana’s best friend, and they had started out as partners in the shop. Now Dana was a silent investor. Hilde also had her own house. Not one of the ostentatious ones dotting the mountainsides, but a small two-bedroom with a view of Lone Mountain. She’d dated some in the area, but had never been serious about anyone. At least that’s what he’d heard.

Some people talked behind her back, saying that she thought she was too good for most of the men around the area. Colt would agree she probably was too good for most of them.

“Maybe I’ve changed,” he’d suggested the day he’d asked her out.

Hilde had smiled at that.

It had been three weeks since she’d turned him down. He’d had numerous opportunities to date other women, but he hadn’t. He was starting to worry about himself. He figured Hud probably was, too, since the canyon was such a small community, everyone knew everyone else’s business.

“I thought I’d let you know I might be taking off some more time,” Hud said after the waitress brought him a cup of coffee. Neither of them had gotten into the fancy coffees that so many places served now in Big Sky. Hud had taken off some time when the twins were born and a few days now and then to help Dana.

“Things are still plenty slow,” Colt said, glad his boss wanted to talk about work. He and Hud had gotten close since he took the job last fall, but they weren’t so close that they could talk about anything as personal as women.

“Dana discovered she has a cousin she’s never met. She and Hilde have gone to pick her up. Stacy’s babysitting all the kids right now, so I have to get back. I’ll be in and out of the office, but available if needed. Dana wants me to teach her cousin to ride a horse. She’s going