Broken Heart Mended by Jenna Hendricks

Chapter 3

Nelly’s thoughts weren’t exactly the same when she woke to her dogs barking the next morning. While she had trained them to sleep until seven in the morning, she had never bothered to train them to stay quiet once they woke. If only…

Her head ached as she got up and realized she should have eaten something more substantial than a cinnamon roll and cup of coffee for dinner. “Of all the nights to be bad and not eat something healthy,” she grumbled.

Nelly sat on the edge of the bed and ran a hand down her face. She’d need to find a place to shower and a way to get a fridge and stove put in the barn, but until then she’d have to make do with what she had.

When she stood up, she stretched her achy muscles and yawned. “A new day, a new dawn.” Her older brother used to say that every morning in high school. The sweet memory left a smile on her lips as she changed into work clothes and headed downstairs to release the hounds, so to speak.

“Guten Morgen.” Nelly looked at the dogs sitting on the other side of the door of one stall. Usually she separated them for the night, but with everything going on she’d decided to let them all sleep together in one horse stall.

Today she’d get their kennels inside and set them up so the dogs could continue their ritual. It was important for their training that they had a sense of normalcy, even when moving. So as they went about their morning business in the fenced-in paddock next to the barn, she went to work getting a cup of morning tea. Once they were ready, she brought them in and set them up in their own stalls with some fresh water in their bowls as well as kibble in their food bowls.

Once the dogs were finished, she took them all with her back into town. First up was breakfast for her. Then off to see the no-good, swindling Realtor.

The moment she parked her truck outside the Frenchtown Roasting Company, the tension dripped from her shoulders and she took in the wonderful aroma of coffee brewing mixed with sugary goodness. “Hmm, cinnamon rolls.” Even though it wasn’t good to have cinnamon rolls for dinner, she was probably going to have them for breakfast today. She just needed to get going, that was all.

Nelly promised herself she’d have a good lunch and dinner.

Not expecting lines, or even a lot of people, she walked into the coffee shop with a smile on her face and expectations of sipping the hot goodness in only a few moments.

She stopped short just inside the door and her mouth gaped. The place was jam-packed with people of all races and ages talking and eating. There were two lines—one at the register to place to-go orders and one for getting a seat at the small grouping of tables in the center of the room. Nelly had thought she’d sit and eat, but now she changed her mind and headed straight to the takeout line.

While she waited, she eavesdropped on other conversations, which wasn’t difficult to do considering how tightly packed they were in the room, and how loud everyone was.

A couple behind her was gushing over the tulips they had just seen as they drove from their hotel to the coffee shop. “Do you think the flowers at Big Sky Christmas Tree Farm will be as nice?”

The man with the woman grinned and put an arm around her shoulders. “Tina, I bet we’ll see so much more than just a small amount of tulips. I expect we’ll see the crocus flowers. And if we’re lucky, we’ll get the snakeskin one. What was that called again?”

They spoke about other flowers they hoped to see, but Nelly tuned them out. She liked flowers and would probably check out the flower displays, but it wasn’t the foremost thought on her brain. At this point she needed coffee and sugar in that order, and lots and lots of it. Maybe she’d see if she could dive into a vat of coffee followed by a rinse in a pool of cinnamon-swirl icing.

Two cowboys standing in front of her caught her attention when they mentioned the wedding later that day.

“Say, why didn’t Sam get a date for tonight?” the cowboy in the black hat asked the man in a red baseball cap.

Red-baseball-cap guy laughed. “Mike, get real. You know Sam’s never gonna ask a woman out. And if he did, she’d probably die from shock.”

Nelly furrowed her brow and prayed they weren’t making fun of a man who had difficulty asking women out. Some men just needed a little nudge to feel confident. Not all of them felt confident enough to ask out a pretty girl. She cleared her throat when she felt herself getting ready to interrupt.

The sound caught their attention and both men turned.

The man in the red cowboy had looked at her face and grinned. “Why, howdy.” He put his hand out. “I’m Skeeter. This here”—he pointed to his friend—“is Mike. Are you new to town?”

She shook his hand and appreciated that he held hers firmly, instead of like a limp noodle. So many men thought women couldn’t give a proper shake.

Nelly grinned and introduced herself. “Yes, I just moved in last night.”

Skeeter’s eyes sparkled and he took a half step closer. “Really? Are you living in town?”

She shook her head. “Nope, I just bought the old Brown ranch. Or what’s left of it.” The Realtor had told her that most of the land had been split and sold to neighbors who wanted to expand their ranches, or fields. Nelly didn’t want that much land, so she was happy to have the ten acres and no more.

Mike’s eyes popped open and he gaped at her. “You’re brave. Did you sleep inside the house?”

Skeeter grinned and looked her up and down. “Looks like you survived quite nicely.”

The last thing Nelly needed was a man flirting with her. And from the looks of the guy, he was a few years her junior. She wasn’t interested in playing the cougar to his cub. Instead of rolling her eyes like she wanted to, she pointed to the open space in front of the guys. “Looks like the line is moving forward.”

Mike turned his head to look and his cheeks turned pink. “Sorry.” He moved forward, leaving his buddy behind.

Skeeter only moved forward when she did. “So, is the house really as bad as everyone says?”

“Uh.” Nelly rubbed the back of her neck. If the entire town knew how bad the place was, then they must have known what a scoundrel the Realtor was, right? “What do you know about Lank Rosenthal?”

Mike chuckled but didn’t turn around. Instead, he stepped forward again as the line moved closer to the register.

“Lank?” Skeeter guffawed and slapped his hand on his thigh. “That scoundrel. I bet he didn’t tell you how bad the place was, did he?”

“You got that right. At least the barn was in pristine shape. That’s where I’ll be bunking up until I can get the house in order.” Nelly was starting to like these guys. Skeeter was a flirt, no doubt, but they seemed harmless. Or at least, her inner warning bells weren’t ringing.

Mike turned around. “If you need help, reach out to Jerod at the Crooked Arrow Ranch. He can find some men who have the skills to help.”

Skeeter shook his head. “Nah, not this week. He’s getting hitched tonight and will be on his honeymoon all week.”

“Oh, yeah.” Mike turned his head down and looked forward again.

“But, if you want some muscle”—Skeeter flexed his arm to show off his bicep and grinned—“I’m your man.”

“Stop bugging the poor woman and let her order her coffee,” a gruff voice called out behind them.

Skeeter leaned back and looked around Nelly. “Ah, Sam. Not all humans disdain a morning conversation.” He arched a brow and stood tall again, ignoring the glare he received from Sam.

Instead of agreeing with Skeeter, even though she did usually need coffee to get going, Nelly turned around to greet the man behind her. “Hi, I’m Nelly.” She gave him a little wave.

Sam nodded and grunted, “I’m Sam. And if you need help his week, I can get a crew together on Monday. Like Skeeter said, Jerod will be out on his honeymoon all week.”

Unsure who these men were, Nelly furrowed her brow. She would have asked what was going on, but Sam seemed to sense her confusion.

“I take it you don’t know who we are?” She was struck by how stoic Sam seemed.

Nelly shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I just got in last night and am confused.”

Sam scowled at Skeeter, then turned soft eyes to Nelly. “I’m sorry, my ranch hands can get ahead of themselves.”

“Your ranch hands? Since when did you buy a stake in the Crooked Arrow?” For the first time since Nelly had met him, Skeeter frowned.

When Sam grinned, his face lit up. Nelly noticed his dark, curly hair that matched his soft brown eyes. The skin around his eyes crinkled when he smiled, giving her the only real sense of his age. The full beard he wore covered most of his face and hid any signs of age. She guessed he was in his mid- to late-thirties, but couldn’t be sure. The sparkle in his eyes caught her breath, and she had to look away.

“If you recall, Jerod put me in charge of assignments while he’s away.” Sam crossed his arms over his chest. His biceps were thick and impressive, but one of his arms seemed thinner than the other.

Nelly looked a bit too long at his arms, and she noticed storm clouds had covered his face. He also put his left arm behind his back. Not sure what she had done to upset him, Nelly looked over his shoulder and noted the long line of patrons that now went out the door.

“Can I buy you a cup of coffee so we can discuss what it is your ranch does to help fix broken houses?” It was the least she could do since she had obviously upset him. Maybe he was the type who didn’t like it when women checked him out? It was possible he was married. She didn’t have time to check for a wedding band.

“I can buy my own coffee.” Sam’s gruff voice sent her stumbling back into Skeeter.

Hands went up to stop her from moving farther into a hard chest. “Don’t pay him no mind, he’s just a curmudgeonly ol’ coot. I’d be happy to discuss your housing needs and I’ll buy you a coffee.”

Nelly turned to see Skeeter, a nice-looking man with a huge smile. His open and friendly nature pulled her in. “Thanks, but I also need breakfast. I would, however, be interested in learning more about the Crooked Arrow Ranch. I take it you guys have a construction business?”

Before Skeeter could answer, he was up at the counter and ordering a large Americano with room for milk, and a cinnamon roll.

When it was her turn to order, Nelly placed the same order as the night before, but added two hard-boiled eggs. She’d need the protein for the day she had ahead of her.

“I’ll save you a seat with us,” Skeeter offered when he picked up his drink and walked to a table where Mike already sat.

Nelly watched the man walk away and noticed his limp. It didn’t bother her that he had some sort of injury, but she wondered if he’d fallen off a horse or a ladder.

After she sat down with her order, Sam also joined them.

Everyone sat there eating and drinking quietly for a few minutes. As the wonderful caffeine from the hot coffee entered her bloodstream, she sighed and her brain began to clear up. Then she realized she knew the names Jerod and Crooked Arrow Ranch.

“You weren’t talking about Jerod Stevens, were you?” Nelly wiped her mouth and waited for one of the men to respond before she took another bite of the ooey gooey, delicious, and hot cinnamon roll. It was cooked to perfection, not overdone, and not undercooked, either. The cinnamon and vanilla icing dripped from eat bite she took, making a mess of her mouth and fingers, even though she used a knife and fork.

Sam glared at Skeeter before answering. “Yes, do you know Jerod?”

Nelly shook her head. “Not really. We’ve messaged each other a few times and had numerous phone calls. I wasn’t supposed to arrive until next weekend. Now I know why.” Her original plans had been to leave a week later, but she found herself too anxious to get started on setting up her house and kennels so she’d left as soon as the house closed escrow.

Mike tilted his head and stared, but said nothing.

It was Skeeter who spoke first. “How do you know Jerod? Are you coming to work at the ranch, too?”

“Not exactly.” Nelly was being intentionally cryptic. Until she spoke with Jerod, she didn’t want to say what her relationship with the ranch was going to be. “But you guys—excuse me, cowboys—do construction on old, dank, and disgusting houses?” While she wasn’t ready to laugh over her situation yet, a corner of her lips turned up just enough to make it look like a smile.

“We help where we can.” Sam didn’t look at her; instead, he stuffed the burrito into his mouth and ate.

Speaking of cryptic, Nelly took another bite of her cinnamon roll and followed it up with a sip of her black coffee. Then she asked what he meant by his comment.

“What he means,” Skeeter interjected, “is that our ranch isn’t the typical one in these here parts. We take on odd jobs where we can while we learn how to run a ranch.”

Nelly knew exactly what the Crooked Arrow Ranch did. However, Jerod hadn’t said much about working odd jobs. He had told her they would help around the county where they could, but that was about it.

“Well, I have a meeting with Jerod a week from Monday. But until then, I do have a lot of work to do on the house. As it stands it’s a health hazard, and probably a health violation as well. I’m surprised escrow closed on it with the house in such bad shape.” She was also still upset with the Realtor for not disclosing the dangerous shape it was in.

“I’ve heard about the house,” Sam said. “I’m glad you aren’t living in it. But where are you staying?”

“The barn.”

All three heads turned to her in shock.

Skeeter looked dumbfounded and his fork clanked to the table. “Surely that’s even worse then the house, right?”

Nelly giggled. Never had she seen three men all give her the same exact look of fear mixed with confusion. “The barn is in fantastic shape, almost as though someone knew I was coming and would need a safe place to stay, so they fixed it up.”

“Huh, sounds like you might have a guardian angel.” Skeeter picked his fork up and began eating again.

“That’s what I thought, too.” Nelly looked up and sent a silent thanks to God.

“So, what are ya gonna do?” Sam asked between bites of his burrito.

What Nelly wanted to say was that she was going to head over to the Realtor’s office and tear into him for keeping this from her. She wasn’t familiar with Montana real estate law, but surely they had laws against fraud like this, right? But what she said was, “I’m going to have a nice conversation with the pig who sold me the ranch and see what he’s going to do to help fix the situation.”

Sam shook his head. “Good luck. And when you’re done, come see us. We can help at a very reasonable rate.”

After getting Sam’s contact information, Nelly got up and headed to Missoula, where her rat of a Realtor worked.