Forever Dreams (Montana Brides, Book 1)

Chapter Six

Gracie thought she'd be awake for ages after being kissed senseless. But she'd fallen into a deep and dreamless sleep until the first rays of sunshine streamed through her window. Like a bucket of ice-cold water hitting her in the face, she realized she'd had a lucky escape last night. Trent might have sent her hormones to heaven, but locking lips with him wasn't going to solve either of their problems.

She groaned as she checked the time. If she didn't make a move soon, Karen would be here to start the monster clean-up.

Pulling herself out of bed, she threw on the first clothes she found and headed for the stairs. Halfway across the living room she smelled fresh coffee with a hint of toast thrown in. Either Karen had arrived early or Trent was already awake. She hoped like crazy she'd find Karen in the kitchen and not her kissing buddy from last night.

"Morning, Gracie."

She stopped in the doorway, her breath catching in her throat. Trent. "Morning," she mumbled. Her brain went into shut-down mode as she stared at the morning stubble shadowing his jaw. And nothing could have prepared her for the lips that were smiling in her direction. Remembering just how skilled that mouth had been sent a rush of heat to her face.

"Do you want me to put some toast down for you?"

"Hmm?" She wasn't paying attention. Her mind had wandered away from the kitchen and into the hallway.

"Toast. Do you want some?"

Nodding her head, she headed for the fridge. A glass of orange juice would unfuzz her brain quicker than a cold shower. And she needed both, real bad.

Trent dropped some bread into the toaster. "We need to talk. I've made up my mind about which woman I want to marry."

The bottle of juice thumped against the counter. She needed to sit down. Going from lustful images about an available male, to lustful images about a man intended for another woman's arms made her feel woozy.

She took a few deep breaths. Wondering which of the four women had caught Trent's eye was giving her a headache. It had to be Jo-Jo. She'd circled him all night, like a shark sensing fresh blood. Gracie had crossed her off the list as soon as she'd seen her long legs and other defining assets. She was far too shallow for her liking, but maybe Trent liked shallow?

The only other woman she'd considered had been Mary-Beth. Although she also had long legs and a full chest, Mary-Beth seemed like a really nice person. Maybe too nice for a rat-bag on the prowl for a wife.

The more she thought about Trent's problem, the angrier she became. It was beyond her how he could even contemplate marrying someone he didn't love. Plenty of people never got married, never had children. He wanted a wife for all the wrong reasons and keeping his land away from Jordan had to be the dumbest one of the lot.

The man didn't deserve a nice girl like Mary-Beth or locking lips with someone like Gracie. He deserved to spend the rest of his days with a vulture like Jo-Jo. They could live the rest of their days auditing their bank accounts and breeding more prize-winning cattle.

If she was angry with Trent, she was even angrier with herself. Helping him find the answer to his dreams had seemed like fun at the time, but now it seemed plain silly.

Grabbing a glass from the pantry, she tipped juice into it, managing to slosh orange all over the counter. Glaring at Trent, she grabbed a dishcloth from the sink and waited for his final verdict.

She didn't really care who he chose to marry. It was his decision and he had to live with it. "Let me know when you want me to move into Bozeman. I'll stay in a hotel until Gerald gets back."