Read MONTANA HOMECOMING (Montana Book 2) for Free Online

without me being one of
them."
    Maddie put her arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze.
"I said that because I didn't want you to get hurt,
which is probably the exact same reason that Blake was so determined to keep
him away from you . We knew what Scott was like, that he was a volatile
bad boy who'd break your heart, and looking back he probably would have done
exactly that. There were the girls, sure, but he was into everything, Mandy.
What his dad put him through, he would have tried anything to dull the pain and
Blake didn’t want you drawn into that world."
    "And now?" Amanda asked, still standing beside her sister, looking at
her in the mirror.
    "As far as I'm concerned you're both all grown up now.
You want to let Scott break your heart, then that's your call. And I know for a
fact that the party phase was just that, a phase. He’s hardly going to lure you
into a bad scene now."
    Who said he was going to break her heart? "Is it so bad
to be attracted to the bad boy?" For a girl who'd always played by the
rules and dated clean-cut kinds of guys, it was a question she needed to ask
herself.
    "Bad boys are bad for a reason, and it’s usually
because someone’s hurt them. Maybe in the end they just need the right woman to
make them happy."
    "Is that you or your happy pregnancy hormones
talking?" Amanda asked with a laugh, even though she wanted to believe
what her sister was saying.
    "Hey, it's either that or those kind of men are put on
this planet to have fun with. Either way, just make sure you don't fall too
deep, okay? I love Scott, but he's a love ‘ em and
leave ‘ em type, we all know that."
"I have no intention of falling for anyone," she told her, linking
their arms and turning to walk back out into the hall. "But I have every
intention of eating a massive slice of mom's chocolate cake."
    They both laughed and walked down the stairs, still arm in
arm.
    " Maddie , are you happy with
Jack? I mean, really happy?"
    Her sister's contented sigh made her smile. She shouldn't
have bothered asking - it was obvious Maddison had
finally figured out what, or who, made her happy.
    "Two years ago, I looked like I had the perfect life.
I was planning my wedding to another man and getting ready to start a family.
If anyone had told me that I'd end up living back in Montana, married and
pregnant to my childhood best friend, I'd have laughed my head off."
    "And now that it's happened?"
    Maddison stopped and looked her straight in the eyes. "Now I'm
happier than I've ever been in my life, because I stopped overthinking everything and just let life happen for once. And that's what I want for you.
If you want to have a crazy affair with Scott and see where it leads, then I'm
the one person in this family who'll never tell you not to. Because who knows
what could happen?"
    "You know you're the perfect big sister, right?"
    Maddie laughed at her. "Funny, but I don't ever recall you
telling me that when we used to live under this roof together."
    They headed for the dining room again, their conversation
forgotten as they walked straight into a heated debate between the men seated
around the table. Amanda had no idea who was right, but from the look Scott
gave her as Blake and Jack argued about whether or not organic ranching was the
way of the future, she was ready to side with him no matter what his opinion
was.

CHAPTER FOUR
    THE sun was beating down on Amanda's shoulders as she
walked across the field, and even though it was only late morning it was hot
enough that she wished she'd worn a hat. She'd already been walking for half an hour, and she found herself standing at the edge of
Wild River, gazing at the parched yellow grass of the Gregory's ranch.
    Her feet had sent
her toward Scott, but her mind was screaming at her to turn straight back
around and head for home.
    Screw it. She was home to be with her family and see old
friends, which meant there was nothing wrong with heading over to say hello.
And besides, if she