Free Forever Dreams (Montana Brides) by Leeanna Morgan

wasn’t on your list.”
    He leaned against the door frame. “But Katie and Jo-Jo are.”  
    Gracie frowned. “If you know so many single women, why haven’t you made a move on one of them?”
    “I don’t make moves.” Truth was, he’d forgotten how. Jordan had tried to give him some tips but every time Trent got within spitting distance of a woman who looked interested he got tongue tied and bolted for the nearest exit. “What kind of rental did you get?”  
    Gracie headed toward the fridge, a smile stuck to her perfect mouth as if she knew he’d deliberately changed the subject. “A ford pickup. Your mom thought it would be safer than a smaller car. I visited the library while I was in town. They’ve digitized most of the local newspapers so I had a good look through those. I met Erin, the librarian who runs the computer class your mom went to.”
    Trent shook his head, obviously not impressed with Erin’s technology skills. “Did you find any information about your dad?”
    “Maybe. I found an article about a group of men who left on a world rodeo tour about eighteen months before I was born. I ran out of time to find out who they were, but Erin offered to do another search for me. If it’s okay with you, I thought I’d head into the library at about three o’clock tomorrow to see Erin and do a few more things.”
      “It’s fine by me. Did you get everything you need for the dance?”
    “We’ve ordered most of the furniture and I brought back some of the smaller decorations with me. I’ve left them in the barn so we don’t have to lug them across next week.” She took a long cold swallow of orange juice. “You’ll be pleased to know that we barely spent half our limit.”
    His eyebrows rose. “I take it mom stayed clear of the jewelry stores?”
    Gracie hid behind the glass of juice, taking another hasty gulp.  
    Trent waited while she rinsed the glass and composed her features. The makings of a grin skimmed across her face, curling a sliver of muscle tight in his gut.
    “Umm. We had good intentions, but there was one little store on Main Street we had to visit. They had a half price sale.” Flicking him a quick glance, she said, “What could we do?”
    “Not Dominique’s? Please tell me mom stayed clear of that store.”
    Gracie’s eyes took a sudden interest in the view out the kitchen window.  
    He groaned, dropping his head into his hands. “How much, Gracie?”
    “A woman never discloses another woman’s purchases. All I’ll say is that I was incredibly surprised by her restraint.”
    “Is that supposed to comfort me?”
    “You’re a cowboy, Trent. You’re used to living on the edge. Comfort isn’t supposed to be your middle name.”
    “Sometimes a man needs to know his mom’s still on the straight and narrow and not filling her drawers with must have diamond pieces.”
    “You’ve got nothing to worry about. Your mom got one small item. It was half price and lovely. That’s not to say that I didn’t over-indulge, though.” A saucy smile hovered on her lips. “My credit card didn’t see the light of day in Dominique’s, but I did find a store called Aladdin’s Cave. Do you want to see what I bought?”
    Without waiting for his answer, she dug through her stack of shopping. Out popped a shiny gold bag with a picture of a lamp printed on the side. Trent really didn’t know if he should look. One bling girl was enough for him. With Gracie staying on the ranch he felt as though he was supporting a chapter of addicts’ anonymous right in his very own home.
    Looking extremely pleased with herself, Gracie whispered, “Look at these.”
    He gazed at the assortment of bracelets, earrings, and necklaces laid out in front of him. Sunlight danced off the sparkly loot, sending a rainbow of color across the far wall. His mom was a goner with Gracie on the loose. The two of them would never be safe shopping together again.  
    “Very pretty. But there’s not much need