Merry & Wild (The Wilds of Montana #0.5)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

JOHN

“ I ’m only going to this thing because I feel sorry for you.” I glance over at my baby sister and watch as she twists her hands together in her lap as Prince sings about a red Corvette over the radio in my truck. “And because I don’t want you driving on these roads.”

“I was born and raised in freaking Montana,” Melissa says, rolling her eyes. “I can drive in a little snow.”

“I look after the women in my family,” I remind her, and she stares over at me.

“Dude, it’s 1986, not the fifties. I don’t need you to look after me.” But then she softens and pats my arm. “But I appreciate the moral support. I don’t know why I’m wigging out over this. It’s just a Christmas party at the fire hall. It’s not like this is the first time I’ve gone to one.”

“Because he will probably be there, and you don’t want to see him. You just broke up with him last week.”

Melissa is still in high school and has been dating a guy named Pete for about a year. It was serious enough that he spent last Christmas with the family at the ranch. But after what he pulled, it’s safe to say he won’t be invited again this year.

Or any year.

“I don’t care if he’s there,” she insists, firming her chin. “He can just kiss my little white butt. He’s totally grody.”

“Right. Well, Kendra will be there, right?”

“She’s my best friend. Of course, she’ll be there.”

“Then you’re safe. And if he pulls anything, I’ll shoot him, and they’ll never find the body.”

That makes her laugh as we enter town. Our ranch is about fifteen minutes from the city limits of Bitterroot Valley, Montana, a tiny little ski town nestled in the Rocky Mountains of the western part of the state. Our family has owned the Wild River Ranch for a hundred years, and we intend to own it for a hundred more.

At least.

My father is about to retire since Melissa is about to graduate from high school. She’s the youngest of the family, and he’s ready to hand the operation over to me.

The eldest and only Wild son.

I’m excited as hell and scared out of my mind.

“There’s not much parking left,” Melissa mutters as I turn into the parking lot. “All the snow makes parking hard.”

“People definitely don’t park well in it,” I agree and find a spot at the end of a row. “Hold on. I’ll help you out. You should have worn boots.”

“I’m not wearing boots with a holiday dress,” she says for the fifth time tonight as I climb out of my truck and walk around to hold her hand as she slides out to the snow-covered ground below. “There, see? I’m fine.”

“You’re going to bust your ass.”

“I am not,” she says with a laugh and almost slips with the first step. “Whoa!”

“Hold on to me, damn it.” She grips my sleeve and holds on as I lead her to the covered entrance to the hall, where she lets go and stomps the wet snow off of her shoes. “Okay, we’re here. Now stop babying me. Sometimes it sucks being ten years younger than you.”

“Stop whining,” I suggest, and open the door for her. She’s off like a shot, looking for her friends so she can dance and mingle with other teenagers.

And now, I get to wait for her to decide that she’s ready to go home. It’s not a big deal, since I know pretty much everyone here, and I can do some mingling of my own. But there’s a storm blowing in, and I’d like to get back to the ranch so I can check on the animals and make sure they’re ready to hunker down through the worst of it.

“John Wild?”

I turn at the voice and smile down at a face I remember from high school, but I can’t place her name. “Judy?”

“Joy,” she corrects me. “It’s been a long time.”

“A long time,” I confirm with a nod, and take the offered punch in her hand. “Thanks. I thought you moved away after high school?”

“I did.” She shrugs and taps her foot as Madonna starts to sing about dressing up. “But I’m back. It’s funny because I thought I wanted to be a city girl, but it turns out the city isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It was fun for a while, and I like to visit, but Montana has my heart.”

I nod and can’t help but notice that Joy looks amazing in a simple green dress, her feet in heels, and her dark hair pinned back on one side with a clip. Her green eyes are happy and flirty, and it’s all starting to come back to me.

Yeah, Joy was always pretty as a teenager. But now, she’s absolutely beautiful.

“I’m glad you’re home,” I reply, and clink my glass to hers.

“Are you still out at the ranch?” she asks casually.

“Oh, yeah. I was born there, and I’ll probably die there. But that’s not a bad thing. What are you doing these days?”

“I’m a bookkeeper,” she says. “For Bitterroot Pediatrics. It’s not a bad thing, either, really. I like the doctors.”

“Is Doc Simpson still there?”

“He is, and he’s about a hundred years old.”

I laugh with her and notice that Joy isn’t wearing a ring on an important finger. “No husband?”

“Nah, I’m single. What about you? Are you still with Sandy?”

“No.” I shake my head, thinking about my high school girlfriend. “We broke up not long after graduation, actually.”

“So, you’re single, too, then.”

I nod, and Joy’s smile spreads. “That’s pretty convenient, because I have a confession to make.”

“I can’t wait to hear what it is.” I wave back at a friend from across the room and then give Joy my undivided attention. “Spill it.”

“I’ve had a massive crush on you since the sixth grade.”