“I don’t understand.”
She grinned. “You don’t have to.”
“I guess not.” He brushed his fingers across her lips. “It occurs to me that you might not have the same feelings about the fundraiser as I do.”
“That’s true.”
“So you might like to go with me.”
“I might.”
“Will you?”
She would, she realized, go with him anywhere. But that wasn’t the question he’d asked and this wasn’t the time to tell him that.
“I would be delighted to come with you. I’ll do my best to protect you from the worst of it.”
“Even you are not that good.”
She laughed. “We’ll see.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“EXPLAIN THAT TO ME,” Max said as he walked Cupcake, one of the newer service dog candidates, on the sidewalk by the park.
Montana looked where he pointed and saw several of the Fool’s Gold cheerleaders practicing.
“What’s to explain? I know you watch football. You’ve seen cheerleaders before.”
“There’s a lot of them.”
“We encourage participation here in town. You should see them at Christmas.”
Max glanced at her. “Christmas?”
“They do holiday cheers as a fundraiser so they can go to cheerleader camp in the summer. You hire them to go cheer at someone’s house. They appear at business events, as well. The tourists love them.”
“Fool’s Gold has gotten weirder in the past few years.”
“It’s wonderful. Don’t be such a cynic.”
They walked next to each other, each with a service dog. Buddy walked next to Montana. This time his primary function was to show Cupcake how it was done. Along with her unfortunate name, Cupcake had a bit of Border collie in her. She was one of the smartest dogs they had, but a bit prone to getting into trouble. Max wasn’t sure if she would make it through the program.
“You’re happier today,” he said. “Win the fight?”
“There wasn’t a fight and there wasn’t a win. You were right—he didn’t ask me to the fundraiser for reasons that had nothing to do with me. He was being nice. In a weird, twisted guy way.”
“Gotta take the good with the bad. But you still won.”
She groaned. “No. If you want to win, then someone inevitably loses. That’s not the way to have a good relationship. Both parties have to feel good at the end of the day, or what’s the point?”
“Very wise, little grasshopper.”
She laughed. “Not yet, but I’m getting there.”
For once the streets were quiet. Hardly any tourists and only a few residents were out. They’d passed the cheerleaders, and stillness filled the air.
“Max, did you used to know my mom?”
He kept his attention on Cupcake. “Why do you ask?”
“She has the name Max tattooed on her hip and I wondered if that was you.”
He was quiet for a long time, then came to a stop and faced her. “You should ask your mother.”
She felt her mouth drop open. “That means yes.”
Montana knew what Nevada had told her, what her sister believed, but she’d dismissed the possibility. There was no way her mother had ever dated Max Thurman. But it looked like Montana was wrong.
“You guys went out. You were involved! What happened? Why did you leave town? Was it because of my dad? Were you there first or was he?”
Her mind swirled with possibilities. “Were you in love with her?”
“Kid, I’m not answering any of your questions. Like I said, if you want to know more, ask your mother. It’s her business.”
“And yours?”
He raised his eyebrows as if asking her if she really thought he was that stupid, then continued walking Cupcake. Montana moved with him.
“You’re not going to say anything else?” she asked.
“On that topic? No.”
“So I should change the subject?”
“That would be my suggestion.”
MONTANA SPRAWLED IN A CHAIR in Dakota’s living room while Hannah played on a quilt on the floor. Nevada and Kent were digging chips into salsa. Dakota sat on the sofa, her feet propped up.
“Ethan said we’re making too much out of nothing,” Nevada announced after she’d chewed and swallowed. “Sometimes he’s really a pain in the—” She glanced at Hannah. “A-s-s,” she spelled, then rolled her eyes. “I think he’s too happy with Liz and all their kids. It’s making him sanctimonious.”
“I know,” Montana said. “He was all about us leaving this alone. I can’t. It’s too weird.”