Trent Men of Clifton, Montana Book 9 Read online

  TRENT

  Susan Fisher-Davis

  Men of Clifton, Montana

  Book 9

  Erotic Romance

  Trent: Men of Clifton, Montana Book 9

  Copyright © 2020 Susan Fisher-Davis

  First E-book Publication: May 2020

  Cover Photo: Kelly Thompson

  Photographer: Briana Malmquist

  Cover design by Amy Valentini

  All cover art copyright © 2020 by Susan Davis

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER: Blue Whiskey Publishing

  www.susanfisherdavisauthor.com

  Acknowledgments

  To my betas, Toby, Renee, Stacy, Ginny, Amy, and Rhonda—

  you ladies are the best and I love all of you.

  To my husband, Rob—you are my rock.

  To the ladies in my Facebook group: Susan’s Hot Cowboys—

  you make it fun.

  To Kelly Thompson for the front cover.

  To the photographer, Briana Malmquist for the amazing shot.

  As always to you, my readers. I wouldn’t be able to do this without you. I love each and every one of you and I appreciate your support. Thank you.

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Snow swirled around him as Trent walked along the sidewalk in Clifton, Montana. There weren’t too many people out and about, and it was damn cold he thought as he tugged his black cowboy hat down and pulled the collar up on his coat. He came to a stop and stood outside a small diner. The smells coming out the door anytime someone opened it had his stomach growling. He wasn’t sure when he’d eaten last. It had apparently been a while because he was starving and maybe he could get some information inside. Taking a deep breath, he reached for the handle to open the door then stepped inside. A bell above the door jingled, announcing his arrival and people stopped eating and talking to look at him.

  Clearing his throat, he slowly moved to a stool. The little diner was a throwback to the fifties with its red covered stools lining the counter. Booths with black lacquer tables and red cushioned seats had him wondering if he’d somehow stepped back in time. Large black and white tiles covered the floor and tables sat in the center. Taking a seat, he reached for a menu beside the napkin holder, opened it, and scanned the food selections.

  “Hi, hon. Would you like something to drink while you’re looking at the menu?”

  Trent looked up to see a woman in her mid to late fifties with a friendly smile on her face as she looked at him.

  “Sure. Coffee would be great.” He looked at the menu. “What do you recommend?”

  “We have the best burgers you’ll ever eat.” She smiled at him.

  Trent smirked. “Is that so?”

  “I wouldn’t lie about that. Ask anyone in here. I’m Connie by the way. I own the place, along with my husband. He’s the cook.” She frowned at him. “You look familiar. Have you been in here before?”

  “Nice to meet you, Connie. I’m Trent Donovan and no, ma’am. I’ve never been here before.” He smiled up at her. The bell over the door announced another patron.

  “Trent Donovan? Oh, uh, okay. Tell him about the burgers, Sam,” Connie quickly said as she looked over Trent’s shoulder.

  “They’re the best.” The man Connie referred to as Sam took a seat on the stool beside him.

  Trent frowned at Connie, then glanced over to see a man with a black cowboy on his head. He wore a sheepskin coat like his, but Trent could also see a khaki shirt with a badge pinned to it. Trent nodded at him.

  “Sheriff. I guess I’ll have one of those burgers with lettuce, onion, and tomato then, Connie. With fries, please.”

  “Sam Garrett,” Sam said as he stuck his hand out.

  “Trent Donovan. Nice to meet you.”

  “Just passing through?”

  “I’m here on some business, Sheriff. Seems like a nice town.”

  Sam grinned. “It’s the best.” Then he frowned. “You look familiar. Do I know you?”

  “No, sir. First time here. Maybe you can help me though. I’m looking for Josiah Stone.”

  “Josiah? He passed away years ago. His sons live in Clifton though.”

  Trent felt his stomach churn. He was dead. Hell. Now what? And did the sheriff say, sons? As in more than one?

  “His sons?” Trent tried to sound casual, but he had to clear his throat.

  “Yep. Three of them. Jake, Gabe, and Wyatt. If you want information on Josiah for some reason, I’d talk to one of them. Jake would probably be happy to answer any questions you have about his father.”

  Trent could see the sheriff staring at him. Meeting his gaze, Trent nodded.

  “I’d like that. Could you tell me where Jake lives?”

  “Why do you want information on Josiah?”

  “My mother…talked about him.” Trent shrugged and hoped the sheriff didn’t catch the hesitation in his voice, but by the way, the man turned toward him, Trent knew he had.

  “Really? And who might your mother be?”

  “Look, Sheriff, I’m not here to cause trouble. I’m not from here, and neither was my mother. She passed away two weeks ago, and she mentioned him. I’m just curious about him.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss but what do you mean, she mentioned him? In what way?”

  Trent clenched his jaw. “That she knew him. Is that a problem?”

  “Not unless you make it one.”

  Trent blew out a breath and looked at the sheriff.

  “I told you I’m not here to cause problems. I’d just like to talk to someone about him.”

  The two men stared at each other until the sheriff gave him a nod. Connie sat a bag down on the counter and looked at them.

  “Sam? Here’s your lunch and please stop interrogating my customers.”

  “Thanks, Connie, and it’s a habit.” Sam stood and paid for his meal then looked at Trent. “I’m not telling you where Jake lives because it’s an invasion of his privacy, but since he trains horses, you’ll find him in the phone book. Welcome to Clifton. Don’t make me have to run your ass out of my town.” With that, he picked up the bag, waved away the change, and strode out.

  Trent blew out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He flinched when Connie set his lunch in front of him. He looked up at her to see her smiling.

  “I’m not here to cause trouble,” he repeated.

  “I know you’re not, hon. Enjoy your burger.” She patted his hand, placed a phone book down on the counter, then walked away to wait on another customer.

  Trent grinned as he looked at the book then sobered when he thought about Josiah Stone no longer alive. Damn it. Should he even bother talking to Jake? What good would come of it? Sighing, he lifted the burger and took a bite then groaned. He looked up to see Connie in front of him again but to refill his coffee.

  “You w
eren’t lying. It's the best burger I’ve ever tasted.”

  “Told ya,” she said then winked and walked off.

  Picking up a fry, he took a bite and almost groaned again. The diner may be a small hole in the wall, but it had fantastic food, and the service wasn’t bad either. Connie seemed like a genuinely lovely person, except he wondered why she’d stammered when he told her his name. Mentally shrugging, he continued to eat his fantastic burger and fries.

  A few minutes later, Connie laid the bill down in front of him. He picked it up then pulled his wallet from his back pocket and left her a tip then moved to the cash register. Even it was an older model. He handed Connie his debit card and waited while she rang him up.

  “Do you need a receipt, hon?” Connie asked him as she handed his card back to him.

  “Yes, please. I want to write Jake Stone’s address down,” he said as he put his card away and tucked his wallet back into his pocket then opened the phone book and found Jake’s ad. He trained reining horses. He also sold and bred American Quarter horses. After writing Jake’s address on the receipt, Trent stuffed it into the inside pocket of his coat.

  “You come back and see us, okay?”

  Trent smiled. “I’ll try. I’d hate to leave town without having another one of these burgers. If you weren’t married, I’d have to take you away from here.”

  Connie laughed. “You’re not the first to say that, but I love my husband and the diner and the people I meet here.” She reached out and touched his hand. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

  Trent frowned as he looked at her and nodded. “I do too. See ya around.”

  Connie smiled at him and then he turned and walked out of the diner into the cold. The snow was coming down heavier now. Making his way along the sidewalk, he kept his head down to keep the snow from hitting him in the face. It was quickly covering the sidewalk and street. The wind picked up, and Trent had to hold his hat on his head. Chasing it was not something he wanted to do right now.

  Trent finally arrived at his truck, unlocked it, climbed in, and started it. The vehicle may be old, but she was dependable. He pressed the button on the stereo system for the GPS and entered Jake Stone’s address. Should he do this? Maybe he should just go back home to Billings and say the hell with it but damn it he needed to know some things. Taking a deep breath, he checked traffic then pulled out and followed the directions.

  ****

  Lanie Gates road the horse full out and around the barrels. Misty was a champion racer, but there were times she had a mind of her own and didn’t want to do anything asked of her. Like now. Misty planted her hooves in the sawdust floor and came to a halt. Lanie did all she could to stay upright, but she slipped from the saddle and landed on her butt.

  “You okay, Lanie?” Jake asked as he squatted down beside her.

  “Yes. Not the first time she’s done it to me, and it won’t be the last,” Lanie said as she took Jake’s hand so that he could help her up. She dusted off her jeans then reached for the reins again.

  “Done for the day?” Jake asked her, smiling.

  “I think so. Misty is not on her best behavior today.” Lanie led the horse to the barn to cool her down.

  “Becca wants to know if you’d like to stay for dinner.” Jake walked beside her.

  “I appreciate that but no thanks. I just want to go home and relax. With the snow coming down the way it is, I doubt if I’ll be in tomorrow.”

  “No problem. You know you can do this whenever you feel like it. No pressure, Lanie.” Jake grinned at her.

  Jake and his wife Becca were such nice people. Lanie envied them their love and wondered if she’d ever have that. She was twenty-six and had one serious relationship, but Brett had fallen out of love with her and in love with her best friend. She wished them the best. Yeah, right.

  “I’ll be back in a day or two. Maybe Misty will be on better behavior.”

  Jake shook his head. “She’s stubborn, she’s thrown Emma a few times too when she used to train for me, and besides, Misty is female after all.”

  Lanie laughed. “You’d better not let Becca hear you say that.”

  “No one is more stubborn than my wife, but I wouldn’t have her any other way. If you want to get going before the snow gets too bad, I’ll cool Misty down.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I offered, didn’t I?”

  “Yes, you did. I appreciate it. I know how to drive in snow, but that doesn’t mean I like it. I’ll be back once it clears up. It looks like it will be a good evening to have a fire and do a little reading. Thanks so much, Jake.” She gave him a wave when he touched the brim of his hat then led the horse down the aisle of the barn.

  After pulling her coat and gloves on, she tugged a knit cap over her head and walked out of the barn to head for her SUV. She climbed in, started it, and then drove out of the driveway to go home. Luckily, she only lived a few miles from Jake’s place in a small house at the edge of Clifton. Snow covered the two-lane blacktop, but she drove slow and took her time. The house would be there when she got there. No reason to hurry. Not in this stuff. She tried to slow down a little more when a truck came toward her, but she hit the brakes too hard, and her vehicle slid across the centerline. She gasped as her SUV continued to slide closer to the oncoming truck but let out a relieved breath when she stopped within inches of it. She leaned her head against the steering wheel trying to calm her nerves then about jumped out of her skin when someone tapped on the window. She raised her head and looked over to see a gorgeous man. He had a black cowboy hat on, down low on his forehead and she could see black hair touching the collar of his sheepskin coat, and she had an absurd desire to rake her fingers through it. Then she looked into the darkest eyes she’d ever seen surrounded by thick lashes. So dark that she couldn’t see where the iris ended, and the pupil began. A straight nose sat over a sexy pair of lips and stubble covered his lower face, strong, chiseled jaw, and neck. She frowned when she thought she knew him from somewhere. When his eyebrow rose, she realized she’d been staring, and heat poured into her cheeks. She lowered the window just enough to speak to him.

  “Are you all right?” he asked her.

  “Yes, are you?”

  “Yes, no thanks to you. You could have had us both in the ditch,” he snapped.

  Lanie gasped. “I was driving slow. Maybe you were going too fast.”

  He looked over his shoulder then back to her. “You’re the one over the line, not me. You should have let off the brake when you started to slide.”

  “Well, aren’t you pleasant? As long as we’re both fine, then I’ll be going.” She started to put the window up.

  “Just watch what you’re doing.” He walked away, climbed into his truck, and once she backed up, he drove off.

  “Yeah, have a nice day. Jerk. A gorgeous jerk but a jerk nonetheless,” she muttered.

  His truck wasn’t familiar to her, but she didn’t know everyone here. Taking a deep breath, she continued on her way. She’d only moved here six months ago after Brett told her he was in love with Melody. Coming from Albuquerque, New Mexico, she wasn’t used to this much snow, but she loved it. Lanie was smart enough to know not to drive fast and never slam on the brakes so what does she do, slams on the brakes. She’d visited her aunt quite a bit. Connie owned the Clifton diner, and Lanie would visit with her mother once a year. It was because of Aunt Connie that Lanie came here. Brett had broken her heart, and Connie told her to visit. She did and ended up staying when she started a conversation with Jake Stone, at the diner. He’d been talking to Connie about needing a new barrel racer trainer since Emma no longer did it and another woman he knew had her own horses to train. Lanie jumped at the offer. She and her sister, Darissa used to compete in rodeos but she quit when she met Brett, and the man Rissa was involved with told her he wanted her to stop. Lanie shook her head, no man would ever tell her to do anything, and she couldn’t believe Rissa had. Their oldest sister, Deidra knew
how to ride, but she’d never competed. Lanie missed them both so much, along with their cousin, Sloane. Since Sloane was an only child, she’d grown up with the three sisters. The Gates girls loved Sloane like a sister. Their father and Sloane’s were brothers. Sloane had recently gone through a divorce, and Lanie would love for Sloane, and her sisters to visit Montana.

  Her parents weren’t thrilled with her moving so far away, but she’d always wanted to live in Montana since the first time she’d visited her aunt. Lanie missed her parents, but after Brett had hurt her, she needed to get away. Lanie had been a barrel racing champion several times and knew this was the job she wanted. She’d been riding since she was five years old. When she first met Jake Stone, she was sure her mouth dropped open. The man was drop dead gorgeous with his black hair and eyes the color of dark chocolate, and if that wasn’t enough, she then met his two brothers, Gabe, and Wyatt. Both were gorgeous too. Gabe had the same eye color as Jake and a mustache that suited him, but Wyatt’s eyes were so dark, they appeared black. All three men were gorgeous but married and in love with their wives. Wyatt’s wife, Olivia, was so beautiful and had one hell of a potty mouth. Liv didn’t care what she said. Becca treated Lanie as if she’d known her all her life and Gabe’s wife, Emma was terrific too.

  Blowing out a breath, Lanie knew she wanted what they had. Even though Brett had hurt her, he hadn’t killed her desire to find a good man who loved her, get married, and have kids together. Was she asking for too much? She shook her head. Becca, Liv, and Emma had it, so why couldn’t she? The stranger’s face rose in her mind. He was undoubtedly good-looking but had the personality of a fence post. She sure wouldn’t want anyone like him.

  Slowing down, she turned into her driveway and then pulled into the garage. The little house was more than enough for her, and since Aunt Connie and her husband Owen owned it, they refused money for rent. She helped at the diner occasionally to pay them back in some way. Jake paid her a good salary, so she had plenty of money to be happy. For now, anyway.