Six Months in Montana (Montana Sweet Western Romance Series, Book 1) by Pamela M. Kelley
Authors: Pamela M. Kelley
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and Travis settled into the leather chairs by the fireplace. Christian had lit the fire earlier and though it was dying down now, it still threw a little heat and cast a warm glow on the room. Toby approved and flopped down between the two of them, close enough that he could feel the warmth of the fire on his back.
"We should be keeping you busy over the next month or so as the Harrison Boulevard houses sell," Christian said. Travis handled all of their real estate closings.
"No kidding, that's good to hear." They chatted a bit about the real estate market and upcoming projects, and then Travis changed the subject. "So, how is it going with Molly? You guys look good together. If I didn't know differently, I'd think it was the real deal."
"It's going well enough, better than expected really, considering the circumstances. We've always been good friends. Molly is easy to be around."
"You were friends when you were kids. Maybe you could be more? Just saying. You seem good together." Travis was quiet for a moment, then added, "Unless you're not attracted to her?"
"Molly's a beautiful girl," Christian said. He took another sip of scotch and stared at the fire. "It's not that I'm not attracted to her, of course I am. This just isn't a normal situation. Molly's not just any girl. I like her."
"You like her, she's beautiful, so what's the problem?" Travis said reasonably.
"The problem is, I like her too much. We get along great. But you know my history." Christian could only envision things ending badly, and he liked Molly and her family too much to risk that. But still, he had to admit he was surprised by how much he liked having her around, and by how attracted he really was to her. It scared him a little. He hadn't felt this level of interest since Heather Olander, the fiancée who'd dumped him out of the blue. He frowned and took a sip of his scotch. Definitely best not to even go there; easier for everyone in the long run.
"So you got burned once, and now have it in your mind that you'll never be serious with anyone, never commit or get married. How's that working out for you?" Travis challenged him.
"It's fine; everything was fine until Gramps lost his mind and changed his will."
"Really? You honestly think everything was fine? You think Isabella was happy with how things were? That she didn't want more? Most people want more."
"She seemed happy."
"Maybe she was, but maybe she also thought you'd come around eventually."
"I was always honest with her."
"Yes, but are you being honest with yourself? How do you really feel about Molly?" Travis paused to take a sip of scotch, was quiet for a moment then said, "Maybe your grandfather was smarter than you realize. Why not use this time to see if she might be the one?"
"It's not that simple. She has a life across the country to return to: a career she loves, and the promotion she's been working towards is almost there. It could never work." They sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping their scotch and enjoying the warmth of the fire.
"It might not work." Travis finally agreed, "But how will you know, if you never try? Things change, people change."
Christian said nothing to that, just took another sip of scotch, and then reached over to scratch Toby behind his ears.
"Speaking of Isabella," Travis went on, changing the subject again. "I picked up a message from her on the way over here. She is going to stop by the office tomorrow morning. She has something she needs help with.
"Probably another closing," Christian said. Isabella also often used Travis for her many real estate transactions.
"I was thinking about asking her out to dinner. You sure you're still cool with that?" There was a hint of nervousness in Travis’s voice, and Christian realized his friend had it bad. Normally neither of them would ever consider dating an ex-girlfriend, but this was different. Christian thought the world of both of them and now understood why Travis was being so insistent about
"We should be keeping you busy over the next month or so as the Harrison Boulevard houses sell," Christian said. Travis handled all of their real estate closings.
"No kidding, that's good to hear." They chatted a bit about the real estate market and upcoming projects, and then Travis changed the subject. "So, how is it going with Molly? You guys look good together. If I didn't know differently, I'd think it was the real deal."
"It's going well enough, better than expected really, considering the circumstances. We've always been good friends. Molly is easy to be around."
"You were friends when you were kids. Maybe you could be more? Just saying. You seem good together." Travis was quiet for a moment, then added, "Unless you're not attracted to her?"
"Molly's a beautiful girl," Christian said. He took another sip of scotch and stared at the fire. "It's not that I'm not attracted to her, of course I am. This just isn't a normal situation. Molly's not just any girl. I like her."
"You like her, she's beautiful, so what's the problem?" Travis said reasonably.
"The problem is, I like her too much. We get along great. But you know my history." Christian could only envision things ending badly, and he liked Molly and her family too much to risk that. But still, he had to admit he was surprised by how much he liked having her around, and by how attracted he really was to her. It scared him a little. He hadn't felt this level of interest since Heather Olander, the fiancée who'd dumped him out of the blue. He frowned and took a sip of his scotch. Definitely best not to even go there; easier for everyone in the long run.
"So you got burned once, and now have it in your mind that you'll never be serious with anyone, never commit or get married. How's that working out for you?" Travis challenged him.
"It's fine; everything was fine until Gramps lost his mind and changed his will."
"Really? You honestly think everything was fine? You think Isabella was happy with how things were? That she didn't want more? Most people want more."
"She seemed happy."
"Maybe she was, but maybe she also thought you'd come around eventually."
"I was always honest with her."
"Yes, but are you being honest with yourself? How do you really feel about Molly?" Travis paused to take a sip of scotch, was quiet for a moment then said, "Maybe your grandfather was smarter than you realize. Why not use this time to see if she might be the one?"
"It's not that simple. She has a life across the country to return to: a career she loves, and the promotion she's been working towards is almost there. It could never work." They sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping their scotch and enjoying the warmth of the fire.
"It might not work." Travis finally agreed, "But how will you know, if you never try? Things change, people change."
Christian said nothing to that, just took another sip of scotch, and then reached over to scratch Toby behind his ears.
"Speaking of Isabella," Travis went on, changing the subject again. "I picked up a message from her on the way over here. She is going to stop by the office tomorrow morning. She has something she needs help with.
"Probably another closing," Christian said. Isabella also often used Travis for her many real estate transactions.
"I was thinking about asking her out to dinner. You sure you're still cool with that?" There was a hint of nervousness in Travis’s voice, and Christian realized his friend had it bad. Normally neither of them would ever consider dating an ex-girlfriend, but this was different. Christian thought the world of both of them and now understood why Travis was being so insistent about
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