Holt Men of Clifton, Montana Book 12 Read online

  She had entered the door to the reception area to see no one at the desk. Usually, Candy was sitting there. Shrugging, Sloane then headed for the door to Doug’s office but when she tried the doorknob, it was only to find it locked. She removed her keys from her purse, inserted the key for his office, and pushed the door open.

  “Surprise,” she yelled then gasped when she saw his bare ass with a pair of long legs wrapped around his waist.

  “Shit! Damn it, Sloane. What the hell?”

  She slammed the door closed behind her. “What the hell? You’re asking me, what the hell?”

  Doug quickly pulled his pants up, zipped them, and turned around, blocking her view of the woman on the desk.

  “It was a one-time thing—” He stopped when the woman behind him snorted.

  “Apparently, she doesn’t think so,” Sloane said between clenched teeth. When the woman got to her feet, her mouth dropped open, then she laughed. “Oh, this is priceless. You’re fucking the woman you called a bimbo not two nights ago.” She pulled her wedding rings off her finger and put them on an end table beside a wingback chair. “You two deserve each other. My lawyer will call yours. Goodbye, Doug.”

  She turned, opened the door, walked out, and quietly closed it behind her then she ran to her car, climbed in, and sobbed with her head against the steering wheel.

  Doug had called her repeatedly to ask her to take him back. She wasn’t stupid. She hung up every time until she finally changed her home phone number and her cellphone. The thing was, she couldn’t change the bakery’s number, and so he would call there all day. Until the day he finally showed another side of his despicable self at the lawyer’s office. His attorney asked that her bakery be divided in the settlement. The one thing she’d built herself. Since it had happened during the marriage, Doug was entitled to a part of it. If she didn’t agree then they’d have to go to court to have the judge decide, and she wasn’t taking that chance or having the divorce draw out. It didn’t matter that he’d cheated on her for over two years, it was mutually theirs. Her bakery, The Baker’s Rack, was owned by them both.

  When they walked out of the office, Doug followed her into the elevator and told her he wanted to buy it outright and if she’d sell it to him, he’d give her seventy-five percent of the house when it sold. She’d been so upset and mad that she agreed. She lost everything that mattered to her. She was glad they’d never had kids. Doug had kept his word, and she had received a lot of money from the sale of the house, but she didn’t have her creation—the bakery she had worked so hard to get started. The place that kept her sane most days. Her place. She loved her customers, but she hated the thought of sharing it with him. Rissa had called her asking her to visit her in Montana. Sloane jumped at the chance, but she couldn’t get there until after the first of the year. She had made out rather well in the divorce, and it was because Doug had wanted out of the marriage so he could shack up with Candy. The calls to get Sloane to take him back had just been a ruse to make him look better in her eyes. That would never happen.

  “Dickhead,” she muttered, thinking back on the dissolution of her marriage.

  Picking up the remote, Sloane aimed it at the TV and decided to watch a movie. Lanie had been up earlier to check on her and brought along her fiancé, Trent Donovan. Damn, that man was fine. She grinned as she remembered meeting Preston, Deidra’s fiancé, and Reece, Rissa’s fiancé too, and knew that when Rissa had said there were a lot of good-looking men in the area, she hadn’t been lying. Preston and Reece were yummy too, but it was easy to see they loved their fiancées. But a man was the last thing she needed. She wouldn’t mind sex though. It had been so long since she’d had any, she wasn’t sure she remembered how to do it. No wonder Doug was always too tired. He’d been banging Candy on his desk every day. She can have him. He never satisfied her anyway.

  She frowned as she tried to remember the man who had helped her at the accident. Good Lord, that man had been drop-dead gorgeous. His thick black hair had touched the collar of his sheepskin coat, and he had beautiful sapphire blue eyes. The scar on his chin did nothing to take away from those good looks. If anything, it added to them. She had noticed that there was a good bit of gray in his sideburns, so she figured him to be in his late thirties, early forties. She was thirty-three. She knew she didn’t want to be alone for the rest of her life but right now, she just wasn’t ready for a serious relationship.

  What had his name been? Colt? Holt! It was Holt. Holt James. Oh, yes, he was definitely gorgeous. Could be married though. Still, she was curious. She reached for her phone and called Deidra.

  “Hey, Sloane. Are you all right?” Deidra said when she answered.

  “I’m fine. His name was Holt James.”

  “Holt! Oh goodness, yeah, he’s gorgeous. He’s a good friend of Preston’s. Lucky you to be rescued by him.”

  “Rescued? Uh, no. I think you’ve got that backward. It was his fault I ended up in the ditch. He blew the horn on his truck and scared me, so I jerked the steering wheel and ended up in the ditch,” she said with a laugh.

  Her cousin chuckled. “Yes, true, but he did make sure you were all right. He’s single, you know.”

  “The last thing I need right now is another man messing up my life. I don’t need a man.”

  “Maybe just good sex then?”

  “Good sex? What’s that? I think that would make me feel better if I ever had it. I’ve never had good sex.”

  Deidra burst out laughing. “Good sex will make you feel better. It’s good for whatever ails you.”

  Sloane heard Preston say something in the background, making Deidra laugh.

  “What did he say?”

  “That he doesn’t feel very well, and he’s sure good sex would help,” Deidra said with a laugh.

  “Then go make him feel better. He is gorgeous. You’re so lucky because I can see how much he loves you.”

  “I love him too. I’ll talk to you soon. Call me if you need me. I love you.”

  “Love you too,” Sloane said then hit End on her phone and placed it on the coffee table.

  She relaxed back against the sofa and looked around her. She loved that the little apartment was furnished. The floor to ceiling front windows gave her plenty of sunlight. The living room was an open space with a small bar separating it from the kitchen, and a hallway led to the two bedrooms with one bath between them. Rissa had decorated the place in deep reds and cream with a matching sofa and overstuffed chair.

  All Sloane had to buy was a bed because the one that had been here Rissa had bought, and she took it with her when she moved in with Reece to replace a bed he had in a spare bedroom. Deidra had Preston pick up the new bed and set it up for her the day after she left the hospital. She had stayed with them that night. The greatest thing about the apartment was the big clawfoot tub.

  “Holt James. Yeah, I have to admit I wouldn’t mind seeing you again. Especially since you’re not married.” She frowned. “Why aren’t you married? Hmm…a man his age should be by now, right? What’s wrong with him? Then again, he could be divorced. Of course, that doesn’t bode well either. Oh, good heavens, the man has me talking to myself.”

  With a grin, she gingerly got to her feet to head for the bathroom. Her headaches weren’t severe, but they were a bother. A good soak in the tub always made her feel better. She couldn’t believe she told Deidra she’d never had good sex. Maybe it was because she could talk about it now, but Doug never floated her boat. She snorted. That was certainly one way to put it. Candy could have the cold fish. Why she had put up with it for ten years was beyond her. She had met Doug when she was twenty-one, and he was twenty-three. They dated for two years before getting married. She thought he was the one, but it looked like he decided Candy was. Her mother had called her and told her Doug and Candy recently moved in together. The divorce was final eight months ago. He was already living with the future ex-Mrs. Carpenter. Since she no longer wanted his name, she legally changed hers back t
o her maiden name.

  Standing beside the tub, she turned the faucet on, added bubble bath, stripped off her clothes, stepped in, and sunk into the hot water. The bubbles soon reached her chin, so she sat forward and turned the water off then leaned back and rested her head against the back of the tub. Closing her eyes, she still found it hard to believe she was in Montana. It was the last week of March, and snow was falling. And just like her three cousins, she loved the snow. As long as she didn’t have to drive in it, she’d be fine. She’d be fine without Doug too. He killed any love she ever had for him.

  Sitting up, she reached for the sponge, scrubbed herself clean, pulled the plug, and stood then reached for a towel. After drying off, she dressed in her pajamas, entered the bedroom, crawled into the bed, and fell asleep.

  The following week, she sat in the kitchen of the diner, on a stool, eating an apple when Connie walked by and winked at her.

  “Are you doing all right, hon?”

  “I am, thank you, Connie.”

  “Hey,” Lanie said as she entered the kitchen.

  “Hi, cuz,” Sloane said.

  “How’re the headaches?”

  “About gone. I’m so ready to do…something,” she said with a laugh.

  “If you’re going to stay, why don’t you see about opening a bakery here?” Connie asked her.

  “I never thought about it. Do you think I should?”

  “We don’t have one anymore. The Smiths closed theirs a year ago and moved to Florida. The store probably has all the equipment you’d need. I’m sure they’d sell it to you for a good price. It was always busy, but now people have to either bake their own pastries or pick something up at the grocery store,” Connie told her.

  “Oh, my God! That’s a great idea. I’ll look into it. Is it for sale?”

  “I don’t think so, but I still have Celeste’s number so I can call her and ask.” Connie shrugged. “It’s just sitting there, empty. I really don’t know why Celeste hasn’t tried to sell it. Her daughter didn’t want to run it. Maybe Celeste hates selling something she worked so hard for. I’ll call her though. Worth asking about.”

  “Thank you,” Sloane said as she jumped down from the stool and hugged Connie.

  “Can I work there?” Lanie asked her.

  “Of course, but don’t you think you do enough, working here and training horses?”

  “I suppose I do. I guess I don’t want to be away from Trent all the time,” Lanie said with a smile.

  “I’m sure you don’t. I think I’d close early on Saturdays and be closed on Sundays so I could take a break,” Sloane said.

  “You could sell my pies there.” Connie smiled.

  “Don’t you sell them here?” Sloane got back on the stool.

  “I sell slices, not the entire pie. I make one hell of a cherry pie too,” Connie said with a wink.

  “And she makes great apple pies too. She might not sell an entire pie, but she doesn’t mind giving them away,” Lanie said with a grin, making Connie laugh.

  “Hey, it worked. You and Trent got together because I sent you to the cabin with an apple pie for him.” Connie smiled.

  “It did work, and I’m so happy you did that.” Lanie hugged Connie.

  “I’m sure anything you make is fantastic, Connie. Yes, I could sell your pies too. I’m kind of anxious about it now. I have the money to buy it outright, and if it still has the ovens and other stuff, I’d be set.” Sloane grinned.

  “As soon as I get a break, I’ll call Celeste.”

  “Thank you, Connie. I appreciate it.”

  Connie winked then left the kitchen to take orders out to some of the patrons. Sloane was suddenly excited about the possibility of starting a new bakery. She really missed making those sweet confections. It was a wonder she didn’t weigh a lot more than she did because she loved not only making them, but she also loved eating them.

  She smiled at Rissa, who came rushing into the kitchen, out of breath with Connie behind her.

  “I need some help, do you mind taking orders at the counter, Sloane?” Rissa asked her.

  “I’m not sure I know how to take orders for a diner.”

  “Nothing to it, hon. Just write down what they want and put it on the wheel. We could use an extra body. It’s busy out there.” Connie smiled.

  “It’s very busy,” Lanie said as she left the kitchen to take orders.

  Sloane hopped down from the stool and pulled on an apron.

  “Sure, why not.”

  After picking up a pad and pen, she headed out to the counter. She almost stopped in her tracks when she saw it was lined with patrons. Taking a deep breath, she headed for the end closest to the door since she had no idea who had been there first. She stopped in front of the first person then moved on down the line. Each time, she would peel the order off the pad, hang it on the wheel, spin it, and move on. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face. These people were great.

  “What can I get you?” she asked an older gentleman.

  “What’s your name, honey?”

  “Sloane Gates, and you are?” She leaned her hip against the counter, smiling at him.

  “Jim Barton. I can tell you’re related to the Gates girls, but how?”

  “Cousins. Our fathers are brothers.”

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you. I’ll just have a coffee, please. It’s cold out there today.”

  “Yes, sir, it sure is.” She stuck the pad in her apron pocket, turned to get the coffee carafe, then poured him a cup. After setting it in front of him, she moved down the line.

  Each time the bell jingled over the door, she inwardly groaned, but she was having fun with the customers. They were all very nice. The bell rang and she looked over to see Holt James enter. He stopped to shake hands with several people before looking around for a place to sit. When his eyes landed on her, they widened then he grinned, and she swore her knees buckled slightly. The man was incredibly sexy. She watched him turn from her and take a seat at the counter that had just been vacated, so she made her way to him with the carafe.

  “Hi. Coffee?”

  “Hello. Coffee would be great. How’s the head?”

  “Still sore, but at least the goose egg is gone.” She filled his cup with the hot brew.

  “I’m so sorry that I scared you,” he said as he looked up at her.

  Those sapphire blue eyes were killers. She stared into them then cleared her throat.

  “It wasn’t all your fault. I was driving too close to the centerline because I didn’t want to end up in the ditch and because I was being too cautious, I did end up in the ditch.” She laughed.

  When he chuckled, butterflies took flight in her belly. Damn, the last thing she needed was a new man in her life but then again, she wouldn’t mind spending some time with this incredible one. The bonus might be some much-needed sex. Oh, my. Just thinking about being alone with this man was setting her on fire.

  “I kind of helped with that though.”

  “Well, maybe a little. Don’t worry about it. I’m fine, and I appreciate you sticking around.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Their eyes met and held. She absolutely wanted to have her way with him. The heat poured into her cheeks as she looked at him. She shifted her eyes away from his, and she looked at the scar on his chin. It was about an inch long, and she wondered how he got it. She cleared her throat again.

  “Uh, what would you like to order?”

  “Just the coffee. I had to come into town to pick up some reins and wanted to warm up.”

  “All right. You let me know if you want anything else.”

  A slow grin lifted his sexy lips. “I definitely will.”

  Smiling, Sloane turned, walked into the kitchen, took a seat, and blew out a breath.

  “Good news! Celeste said she’d sell the bakery to you,” Connie said with a smile.

  “That’s wonderful. Do you have any idea when I could take a look inside?”

  “Her
daughter still lives here and has the key. Celeste said she’d call her and have her show you the inside.”

  “Great! I’m so excited.”

  “I’m happy for you,” Lanie said as she hugged her.

  “Hey, everyone,” Deidra said as she entered the kitchen and stopped when she saw Sloane. “Do they have you working?”

  “The apron gave it away, huh?”

  Deidra laughed. “Yep. Oh, I saw Holt out there.”

  “Yeah, I spoke with him.” She waved her hand in front of her face. “That man is fine.”

  “Holt James?” Connie asked her.

  “Yes.”

  “Such a nice man. He’s a widower, you know.”

  “No, I didn’t know.” Sloane shook her head and explained to Connie about Holt on the day of her accident.

  “He’s a wonderful man. His wife died about five years ago, I think. Brain cancer. Very sad.” Connie shook her head.

  “That’s a shame. She couldn’t have been very old,” Deidra said.

  “She was thirty-five. Holt’s forty, I think.”

  “Well, he’s hot at any age,” Lanie said with a grin.

  “I don’t need a man,” Sloane said emphatically.

  “Of course, you don’t. None of us need a man. We just like having one around,” Connie said then laughed when Owen turned to look at her.

  “Excuse me, but you need me to work this grill,” Owen said.

  Connie shrugged. “I can cook.”

  When Owen shook the spatula at her, everyone laughed. He just shook his head and got back to cooking.

  “Had they been married long?” Lanie asked her aunt.

  “About six years, I believe. He was a confirmed bachelor until he met Carolyn. I think he fell in love the minute he saw her. She was a sweetheart and such a beauty. Tall with long platinum blonde hair, and such an angelic face. She never met a stranger. The entire town went to her funeral. It was a sad day for sure.”