open it.”
He met her eye. “A terrible kisser and bad at opening gifts. Why are you still with me?” He grinned and chuckled, especially when she shook her head.
“That wasn’t a real kiss,” she said, which was what she said every time he teased her that she’d called him a terrible kisser.
He finished taking the paper off the box to find a box without any markings on it. “Intriguing,” he said.
“Aurora said you get boys what they like,” Montana said.
“Are you seriously trying to justify your gift?” he asked. “And did you just call me a boy?”
“Stop it,” she said, laughing. “I’m nervous about this.”
“Why?” He opened the box before she could answer, and after peering inside, he pulled in a breath. “Montana Louise Martin.” He looked up, his eyes wide. “Did you get me the new smartMeasure?”
“Yes, sir.” She looked at him with apprehension in every particle of her being.
“You’re going to get me in trouble with Bear,” he murmured, taking her into his arms. “Thank you so much. I love this.” He wanted to say he loved her, but he didn’t. It was far too soon for that, and he wasn’t in love with her anyway.
He liked her very, very much, though, and in soft, wonderful, private moments like this one, that could feel a lot like love.
“Remind me to tell you about Bowman’s Breeds,” he said, and she pulled back to look at him again.
“Tell me now.”
“No,” he said with a grin. “Now, I’m going to kiss you.” He did just that, and the way Montana melted into his arms meant a great deal to him.
She only kissed him for a few seconds before she pulled away and said, “Oh, and my middle name isn’t Louise.”
He laughed lightly. “I know. I just made that up. What is it?” He traced the tip of his nose down the side of her face and placed a kiss below her ear.
“Jewel,” she said.
“Mm.” He kissed her again, thinking she was exactly the jewel his life had needed, and his gratitude that a loving Lord knew exactly what he needed, and when, grew.
Bishop found Bear sitting at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes closed as he leaned against the bannister. “You ready?” he asked.
Bear’s eyes opened, and he looked tired. “Yeah,” he said.
“Are you okay?” Bishop asked. “I’m worried about you.”
“I’m okay,” he said, standing. “I’m going to take tomorrow off, though. Ranger has everything I need to do.”
Bishop knew then that Bear wasn’t okay. “What aren’t you telling me?” He paused with his hand on the doorknob so he didn’t miss a moment of Bear’s reaction.
“Being married is full of challenges,” Bear said with a smile. “How’s that for a start?”
Bishop wasn’t sure if he was kidding or not, though he suspected not. Bishop had never been married, but he’d seen his parents go through hard times.
“Come on,” Bear said. “If we don’t do this today, it’ll just get put off again.”
Bishop opened the door and Bear walked outside. Bishop’s letter suddenly felt so heavy in his pocket, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to show it to Bear. They walked in silence down the steps and sidewalk to the graveled area where everyone parked. From there, it was a straight shot across the street to the family cemetery, and once they’d stepped onto the grass there, Bear sighed.
“What did Cactus have to say this afternoon?”
“He’s havin’ a hard time,” Bishop said. That was all of a report Bear ever got. Bishop didn’t want to betray Cactus’s confidence, so he delivered everything in terms of how he was doing. “I’m taking some cake out there after this.”
“Good idea,” Bear said. “He hasn’t been staying for much at the homestead.”
“He doesn’t go to town anymore either.”
“I wish there was something I could do to help him.”
“I used to feel like that too,” Bishop said. “But after a while, I learned that Cactus is the only one who can help Cactus.”
Bear looked at him. “You sounded just like Daddy right there.”
“Great,” Bishop said. “Barely thirty-four, and already sounding like an old man.” He tried to laugh, but Bear didn’t even crack a smile.
He took out his letter and held it toward Bishop. “I don’t want you to read the whole thing. I just want you to read the last little bit.”
Bishop’s heart started to pound. “Okay.” He reached for the paper and Bear let him take it.
“It’s the last five paragraphs. Starts with the word ‘please’.” Bear walked all the way