Wildest Dreams: A Small Town, Single Dad Romance (The Wilds of Montana Book 3)

One of the CC TV screens on the wall wakes up, catching my attention. Motion has to have triggered it, and I narrow my eyes, watching closely, but I don’t see anything. My property is locked down tight, and I have a security team that discreetly and fiercely protects my home twenty-four seven, so if there is anything out there, they’ll find it. Most of the time, it’s an animal that triggers the cameras, so I’m not particularly worried about it. But once in a while, it’s a situation.

It would be nice to be in a position to not need the guards all the time, but this is the downside of what I do and who I am.

I take my glasses off and set them on my desk, then rub my hands over my face and reach for my coffee, scowling when I find the mug empty.

It’s two in the morning. I should be asleep, but I spent the day helping Polly at her shop with Mac and Jake. What I told her is true: I am the boss, and I can make my own hours, but doing so sets me behind, so I’m catching up tonight.

But I have no regrets.

I had a great time today, and Jake had fun, too. I caught him and Polly laughing and joking around several times, and it made me smile. When Jake first came to live with me last year, he never smiled much. He was too bruised, physically and emotionally, but he’s healing, and it fills me with satisfaction to know that this ranch, and maybe being here with me, is what has made a difference for the young man.

I cross to the coffeemaker in the wet bar area of my office, pour myself another cup, and then return to my desk. I have another hour of work before I have to take a shower and dress for meetings all day, via Zoom. I’ll start at six a.m. with a meeting with my Zurich office, then London and Paris, New York, and finally, San Francisco. I try to schedule these weekly meetings all in one day, but that isn’t always possible.

My assistant and right-hand man, Arthur, sends me a message via our inter-office system, and it pops up in the corner of my screen.

Good morning, sir! We have a packed day today. Why are you up so early?

I smirk. Arthur’s been with me for eight years, back when I had only three companies to juggle and decided I needed help. He’s helped me grow this company into the massive business that it is. The man keeps me organized and schedules and handles pretty much anything I throw at him.

He also hovers like a worried mother hen.

Working, of course. It’s early in New York, too. Why are YOU up?

Within seconds, he replies.

Because I’m your loyal and trusted sidekick, who stays three steps ahead of you so I can anticipate your every need, of course.

It makes me laugh, just as he intended, but I also know that it’s partly true. Arthur has things to me before I even know that I need them. He’s excellent at what he does, and I pay him very well for his loyalty and hard work.

Call me in two hours, before the first meeting. I’ll speak with you then.

Yes, sir.

Two hours later, just before my call with Arthur, Jake comes shuffling into my office, his eyes droopy, a crease down his left cheek from his pillow, and his brown hair standing straight up in the back.

“Good morning,” I say to him as I adjust my tie.

“Mornin’,” he mumbles and rubs his face. Jake isn’t a morning person. “Want a bagel and cream cheese? I’m gonna make some.”

I grin at him. He always asks if he can do stuff for me. I haven’t quite figured out if it’s because he feels obligated because of all I do for him, or if it’s just who he is as a human.

I suspect it’s a bit of both.

“Sure, I’ll take one.”

He nods, and rather than make his way down to the kitchen, he crosses to my wet bar where I have everything he needs stocked.

I like that Jake wants to hang out in here with me, particularly in the mornings. While he makes us breakfast, I move into the connected bathroom to style my hair and make sure my tie is straight before putting on my suit jacket. When I return, there’s a bagel with cream cheese and a side of banana waiting for me on my desk.

“Thanks, buddy.” I take a bite and eye him. “What do you have on tap for today?”

“Chores this morning,” he says around a bite of his own bagel. “I want to spend some extra time with Firefly today. I thought I saw a limp in her back right leg a couple of days ago. I haven’t seen it since, but I want to make sure.”

My brother, Chase, wasn’t kidding when he told me that Jake was excellent with horses. It’s why I hired him last summer, and it is one of the best decisions that I’ve made. It’s as though Jake speaks their language.

“Thank you. If anything is going on, you have Dr. Randolph’s number.”

He nods thoughtfully. “Yeah, I’ll call her if there’s anything wrong. Then Chase invited me to go fishing over at his place this afternoon, so I thought I’d do that. I figured I could also help them out if they need it. The house is almost done, you know. I can’t believe how fast it went up.”

I grin at him. My brother decided to go ahead and hire a company—one I helped him choose—to build his new house out on the ranch, where we grew up. Chase’s property sits right by a small lake, with excellent views of the mountains, and Jake loves to go out there, sit at the end of the dock, and cast a line out into the water. I love that he enjoys spending time there with my family.

With our family now.

“That sounds fun,” I reply, finishing my bagel. “Maybe I’ll pop over there after my meetings and see how things are coming along.”

“It’s really nice,” Jake informs me. “I mean, it’s a lot smaller than this house, but it seems to fit in there, you know?”

“Yeah.” I nod and peel the banana. “I get it. I think the design is great, and Summer and Chase will be happy there for a long, long time.”

“Why didn’t you build on the family ranch?” he asks and drops onto my couch, one leg flung over the arm, as if he plans to stay awhile.

I eye the clock. I have about ten minutes until Arthur calls.

“Well, all five of us siblings have a stake in it,” I reply. “And technically, we’re all supposed to have acreage there. As you know, Remington runs the ranch and owns the biggest share. And he should; he works his ass off out there.”

“That’s why he and Erin and the kids live in the old farmhouse,” Jake says, and I nod.

“Yep. My parents built a small house not too far away from there several years ago when they decided to retire, so Rem moved him and his family into the farmhouse that we grew up in.” I take a bite of the banana. “Chase claimed his property there at the lake, and he chose well. It’s pretty out there. I’m sure with time, Millie and Brady will pick out a place that suits them, if they want to live at the ranch.”

“Brady lives in that really old cabin,” Jake reminds me. “Does he want to stay there?”

I snort. “It’s fine for now, but it’s tiny. If he ever has a family, he’ll want something bigger.”

“So, what about you?” Jake repeats.

I blow out a breath, thinking it over. “I’ve always been a stubborn ass.”

That makes Jake snicker.

“I guess I wanted to do things on my own, in my own way. It wasn’t intentional, actually. I knew the old man who owned this property before me, and when he died, his family didn’t want to keep it. A fancy hotel guy wanted to scoop it up and turn it into a resort.”

Jake scowls. “Gross.”

“Yeah, I didn’t like the idea either. So, I put in a higher offer and scooped it up. Then, when I saw the original house, well…it was in pretty bad shape. It was going to cost as much to renovate it as it did to just tear it down and start from scratch. Of course, this house is bigger. And maybe a little fancier.”

“A little?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Okay, a lot fancier. I like it out here, and I also like knowing that I’m only about ten minutes down the road from Wild River Ranch. I can get over there quickly if anyone needs me.”

“And they can get here if you need them.”

I blink at him and nod. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Is the river that runs through the south pasture the Wild River?” he asks. “The same one that runs through the other ranch?”

“Yep.”

“So, we’re still connected to it.”

I grin at him. Since losing his own family to a horrible accident almost two years ago, I know that Jake has craved feeling connected and grounded, and I love that he feels that with my family and the deep roots we’ve planted here.

“Yeah, I guess we are. That’s pretty cool.”

“Yeah. Why doesn’t this ranch have a name?”

My computer lights up with the incoming video call from Arthur, but I ignore it.

“I haven’t decided what to call it yet. Maybe you and I can hammer that out.”

Jake’s eyes widen, and then he nods with excitement. “Yeah, I can totally help with that. I’ll think about it. Well, I’ll go do my thing,” he says. “Have a good day at work.”

“Thanks.” I grin at him and push out of my chair, still ignoring Arthur. Ruffling his hair, I pull Jake in for a quick hug, clap him on the back, and then pull away. He offers me his fist for a tap the way he always does after our breakfasts together, and I bump it with my own. “Have fun today. Call me if you need anything at all. I can pull out of a meeting in a heartbeat.”

He flashes that grin of his. “I know. I will. See you later.”

After his footsteps fade down the hall, I accept the video call from Arthur.

“Good morning,” I say to him. Arthur is about five years older than me, stick thin with the whitest teeth I’ve ever seen, and perfectly coifed salt-and-pepper hair. The man could probably have been a model if he’d wanted to go that route.

“Good morning, sir,” he replies. In all the years he’s worked for me, he’s never called me Ryan. It’s always sir or Mr. Wild. “First on the docket this morning is Zurich.”

My brain is buzzing but in the best way. I’m always energized after speaking with the individual branches and companies, listening to challenges and successes, and brainstorming the best moves for what comes next.

And I absolutely love it when they report that we’ve found new ways to not only make money but to reinvest that money into the communities of each branch.

With a day of successful check-ins behind me, I change out of the suit and into jeans and a T-shirt and drive over to the ranch to see the progress on Chase and Summer’s house, and maybe cast a line with Jake.

It’s a beautiful summer day, and I’m looking forward to hanging out with my family for a few hours. Maybe I’ll take Jake into town for dinner tonight. We can grab burgers or pizza or something.

My mind shifts to Polly, and I wonder if she’s remembered to eat today. Maybe I should invite her to join us for dinner. I’d love to see her and talk with her more.

If I’d known that she’d have been open to me calling her all those months ago, I would have that first morning after I found her gone.

I didn’t think she wanted to hear from me. So, hearing her say, with frustration heavy in her sweet voice, that I didn’t call her, irritated the hell out of me. We need to clear the air there for sure.

Jake sees me come around the corner, and he waves from his place on the dock where he has a line cast, and Summer’s sitting next to him, drinking a Coke.

I park in front of Chase’s finished shop and climb out of the truck, walking toward the job site that is a hive of activity. I can see that Jake’s right. It’s almost done. The outside of the single-story house is getting a paint job—white with black trim—and people bustle in and out of the house. I hear someone using a saw inside, so I skirt around the outside to the dock and walk out to join Jake and Summer.

“Hey there,” she says with a grin. “I’ve been kicked out of the house.”

“She’s a pain in their ass,” Jake adds with a shrug. “Those are Chase’s words. So, she came out to sit with me.”

“I just want to help,” she stresses. “I’m not allowed to help in my new shop either, because they’re finishing things up there, and I’m in the way. I’m in the way here. I can’t unpack or decorate or do any of the things I’m dying to do in either place. I did, however, help Polly out today, and that kept my mind occupied for a while.”

“How did that go?” I ask casually as I reach into the small cooler at Jake’s feet and pull out a Coke of my own.

This kid drinks too much sugar.

“It’s awesome in there,” Summer replies. “We unpacked all the new clothes, got them hung and pressed, and she was fussing with how she wanted things organized, so I left to come out here to help, but then I was kicked out.”

“The fact that you were kicked out is really bugging you.” I sit next to her and sip my Coke, enjoying the way the cold, bubbly liquid feels on my throat in the sunshine. “Let the professionals do their thing so you can do your part. Otherwise, you’ll just slow them down.”

“That’s what they all said,” she replies with a sigh. “Chase isn’t in the way.”

“He knows how to use the power tools and stuff,” Jake reminds her as he casts a new line. “Did you see the mirrors in the dressing rooms at Polly’s? Mac and I hung those.”

“Polly said that you and Ryan helped out yesterday,” Summer replies, smiling up at Jake. “You did great. And the furniture looks nice, too. It’ll be really bright and pretty for summer and easy to decorate for the holidays. It’s the facelift that the place needed.”

“And how are things going with your shop?” I ask, not wanting to bombard her with questions about Polly. “It looks great from the outside.”

“It’s so great,” she replies with a grin. “And I’m just relieved that I’ll be ready to go for the heart of wedding season. I’m missing the beginning of it, but that couldn’t be helped. We should be in full swing by mid-July, and I’m grateful. I was sure I wouldn’t be able to open until fall, and that would have been catastrophic. At least the nursery in town was able to make room for me to do weddings and supply the resort until I’m functional again. I’ve been able to make bouquets and such out of there.”

I nod, understanding exactly what she means. Summer probably makes most of her money over the summer, through big events, and that keeps the business afloat through the rest of the year.

“I’m glad it wasn’t catastrophic,” I reply and turn when I hear footsteps coming down the dock toward us. “Hey, Chase.”

“Can I go in?” Summer demands, springing up from her seat. “Please?”

“Yeah, the crew is packing it in for the day. You can go in and daydream all you want.”

“Yes.” She wraps her arms around Chase’s neck, plants a big kiss on him, and then runs off, headed for her new house.

“She’s excited,” Chase says and sets Lily, the French bulldog he’s holding, on the dock. “I don’t want to get her hopes up too high, but it looks like it’ll be finished by the end of next week.”

“That’s great.” I stand and grin at my younger brother. I’m fucking proud of him. He’s built exactly the life he wants here in our little town and out here at the ranch.

“There will be a party.” He grins and looks back at the house where Summer disappeared. “Because, of course, there will be.”

“It’ll be fun,” I reply and follow his gaze. “It’s a hell of a house. I love the wrap-around porch. The view of the sunsets will be fucking amazing.”

“We’ve already sat on it and watched the sunset,” he confirms with a nod. “Life is really fucking good, man.”

I glance at Jake, whose grin has to be a mile wide as he listens to us. “Yeah, it is great. Hey, when this is all done, I have a project for you.”

That grabs Chase’s attention. “What kind of project?”

“I want a new table, about three feet by three feet, that I can set up in the corner of my office so Jake and I can have breakfast in there, since we usually eat in there anyway.”

Jake’s gaze whips around to mine, his eyes wide. “We can sit on the couch or whatever.”

“A table would be nicer,” I reply with a shrug. “And Chase makes one hell of a nice one. What do you think?”

“I can do that,” Chase replies with a nod. “Give me a couple of weeks, and it’ll be done.”

“No hurry,” I assure him.

Yeah, life is fucking great.