Gabriela did her best to get up gracefully. She kept her gaze down as she hoisted the purse strap onto her shoulder. “You okay?”
Her head jerked up. She’d forgotten all about hunky man, who now stood in front of her, with a crooked grin. “Seems you’re having a hard time there.”
“Ah…no…I mean yeah. Thanks.” So much for giving a good first impression. Her words kept coming out as if she’d reverted to eighth grade. “I got it…them…my bags.”
“Okay.” He turned to the older woman. “Ready Aunt Rita?”
The woman gave Gabriela a warm smile before looking to her nephew. “Ready as ever.”
Arms at her sides and shoulders rounded, Gabriela watched the handsome man walk away.
She’d certainly made a grand fool of herself. Good thing she’d never see him again.
Across the carousel, she caught sight of the man she’d tripped earlier. He gave her a wide-eyed look and then turned on his heel and hurried away.
“I hate Montana,” Gabriela muttered lugging the suitcase and carry-on behind her, she made her way to the rental car desk. Hopefully she’d make it to the ranch without any additional incidents.
The drive to the ranch would be easy. It was situated just outside the larger city of Missoula. The owners had given her precise directions, telling her it was about half an hour from the airport.
Once outside the airport, the cold air and snow-covered ground made Gabriela hesitate and look back toward the airport. It had been a long time since she’d driven in snow. As she made her way to stall number eighteen, she kept an eye on the surroundings. Seemed like the streets were kept clear of ice and snow.
Gabriela could take her time deciding where to stop and eat prior to heading out to the ranch. After all, she wasn’t expected until that evening. She’d caught an earlier flight but had not told the couple who owned the ranch about an earlier arrival. This way she could take her time and do a bit of driving around to get a feel for the area before settling in for the evening.
She drove down a side street following her phone’s directions to a chain restaurant when a naked man darted out from behind a dumpster and waved at her. He smiled broadly, acknowledging her with a nod.
It was definitely too cold to be naked. In her rearview mirror, his scrawny body kept her attention since he continued standing in the road.
“Damn it.” Gabriela turned around and pulled to the side. She dialed 9-1-1 and waited for someone to answer.
“There’s a naked man in the street.”
“Skinny and ugly?” The dispatcher sounded bored.
“Ummm, I suppose.” Gabriela gave them the street name and the name of a nearby business she could see.”
It sounded as if someone asked where Detective Hawkins was. The dispatcher told her someone would be there soon to collect the man, who she pronounced to probably be Henry.
Hawkins was the name of the family she was staying with.
She remained for a few moments until a patrol car arrived. The police officers got out and held up a blanket to the naked man. He crossed his arms and shook his head.
Obviously, the man was impervious to the cold.
When her stomach grumbled, Gabriela decided to leave. There wasn’t much she could do, and the sight of the naked skinny man was not exactly something she wanted etched on her brain.
Just then, the police officer looked over and signaled for her to drive closer.
Gabriela groaned. Nothing like a closer look at a naked man to keep her appetite in check.
After moving forward only a few feet, she stuck her head out the window. “Hello Officer.”
The police officer grinned. “Are you the lady who called?”
Gabriela nodded. “Can I leave now?”
The officer came closer. Thankfully, the naked man had finally accepted the blanket from the other cop and was now pointing at the dumpster.
Williams, the name displayed on his uniform, was a man who looked to be in his mid-thirties. He was attractive with sandy brown hair and a mischievous look about him. He gave her a crooked grin. “Sorry you had to see that. Henry hasn’t been right since… well ever. He means no harm.”
“I was worried since it’s so cold,” Gabriela offered, unable to keep from looking at his ring finger. There was a ring. She let out a sigh. “It is definitely an unforgettable welcome to Montana.”
Officer Williams shook his head. “I assure you we don’t all run around butt naked in the snow.”
“That’s a relief,” Gabriela replied with a chuckle. “I’ll be on my way then. Do you need anything from me?”
“Nope, have a great day Gabriela.”
She froze. “How did you know my name?”
“You gave it to dispatch.”
“Oh, that’s right. Okay…goodbye Officer Williams.” She made a show of pointing to his nametag.
His smile widened. “You can call me Greg.”
“See ya.” She drove forward slowly refusing to look at the naked man as she passed. Unfortunately, he called out to her, “Merry Christmas!”
Gabriela let out a long breath and waved without looking.
She pulled into a nondescript strip mall and smiled at seeing Paul’s Pancake Parlor.
After a hearty meal of buckwheat pancakes and sausage accompanied by freshly brewed coffee, Gabriela was more than ready to find the ranch where she’d spend the next few weeks, get as much as possible for the magazine and hopefully also get some rest from her stalker ex.
It had been a heck of a day. Thankfully, the drive to the restaurant and then heading on the road out of Missoula was uneventful.
Lucky Break Ranch came into view. There was log fencing for what seemed like miles and an iron archway with “Lucky Break” over it, also made of black iron.
Through the arch, a huge log cabin stood front and center amidst tall trees with mountains for a backdrop. It was beautiful. She brought the car to a stop to study the
