Free Two Spirit Ranch by Jaime Stryker Page B

Terri the next day. World travels fast in a small town. There were no secrets.
    “Well, I did ask her to go to MontanaFair with me tomorrow.”
    “Hot damn!” Sally said, clapping her hands.  She then playfully slapped Jake on the back.  “It's about time you got your motor running again.  You are just a too damn good looking man not to!”
    Jake just shook his head, too embarrassed by the compliment to respond.  Trying to change the subject, he said, “You know something?  Bud never mentioned a niece when I worked for him.  Only a nephew.”
    “Hmmm...” Sally said, thinking about it for a moment.  “He only mentioned his niece to me.  Never a nephew.”
    “Just seemed a little odd to me. Maybe he fell out of contact with the nephew,” Jake wondered.
    “Maybe,” Sally said.  “I'm just glad to hear you're dating again.”
    “Let’s not start booking the wedding chapel, Sally.”
    “I can't help it.  I worry about you, son.  You're a good man, Jake.  You would make any woman happy.  And she would be lucky to have you. What happened with Sherilynn...it just wasn't your fault, honey.  It was an accident.”
    Jake nodded, but his facial expression betrayed him.  He still wasn't convinced that he didn't play a part in what happened to Sherilynn.  If only he had been more insistent. If only…He truly loved her, but he knew instinctively he had to start moving on.  Life is for the living, as his grandmother always told him. Maybe, just maybe, Terri, the beautiful stranger from the big city, would remind him what life was all about.

Chapter 8

    As Jake and Terri headed down the winding Montana highway in his Jeep, Terri, wearing a sleeveless pink blouse and jeans, took a deep breath of the crisp, clear mountain air and let the warm sun kiss her shoulders. She looked over at Jake and thought how handsome he looked in his cowboy belt and tight in all the right places dark blue jeans.
    To while away the time during the drive, he asked about her life in the city and her work.  She spoke a little of all the corporate litigations she'd been involved in over the years.
    “Work for the big guns then?” Jake said.  “Impressive.”
    “Not always.  I do some pro bono work for a local nonprofit,” she said.
    “What kind?”
    “Human rights organizations. But let’s leave work at work and just have fun today, okay?” she said trying to nip discussion of the details of her work in the bud. The time and place was not yet appropriate for the talk.
    “Roger that,” Jake said, looking at her curiously before his eyes went back to the road.
    “Thanks.”
    Terri took another deep breath of air and decided that today she would just focus on having some innocent fun with a dreamy guy.

    MontanaFair, Terri came to learn, was a big deal around those parts. The fair is the region’s largest event with attendance of nearly a quarter of a million each year. The fairgrounds were spread out just out the outskirts of Billings and included an arena, an expo center and a racetrack.
    “This place is huge,” Terri marveled, after they finally found a parking space after driving around for twenty minutes.  “I'm pleasantly surprised. Who says there isn't anything to do outside of New York?”
     “You just wait, city girl.  Montana is full of more surprises,” Jake said, opening the passenger door for her.  “Let's go get our tickets.”
    After they entered the fairground, the smell of corn dogs and BBQ, corn on the cob, ‘Vikings On a Stick’, fresh lemonade, and beer gardens. Also, the sounds of hi-speed rides and competitive games filled the air. As they walked through the grounds, occasionally someone would yell out a “Hey, Jake” from the crowd. Jake would wave hello or tip his hat and give the person a big smile.  It seemed to Terri that he knew half the people around.
    One older gentleman, wearing overalls and a huge grin, greeted Jake and said, “Hi, Jake. Why your lady friend here, she's