Snow in Montana (Montana #4)

The Book

An actor in the closet, a sheriff in love, and memories that won’t stay hidden.

Jordan Darby is known as the King of Christmas. The star of eight made-for-TV Christmas movies, the leading man who always gets his girl. Filming at Crooked Tree Ranch in Montana, in the ice and snow, Jordan is fighting to make a go of his new company and dealing with fears of exposure over one huge secret. After all, who the hell would buy into him being a romantic straight lead if rumors about him being gay were proven to be true?

Sheriff Ryan Carter is advising on the new movie being made at Crooked Tree. He hoped this would be one day of work and nothing more. Until, that is, he meets the hero. But while Jordan is sexy, he’s also very much stuck in the closet—everything that Ryan doesn’t need in his life. And then lust becomes part of the equation, and Ryan’s quiet life is thrown into turmoil.

Their story unfolds against the chaos that overtakes the ranch, with Adam regaining memories that terrify him and make him look at Justin differently, and Justin leaving the ranch to make things right. Only through trusting in love and friendship can Justin and Adam learn to look to the future instead of letting the past destroy everything. But will they ever see clearly enough to do that?

• Cover art by Meredith Russell
• Edited by Sue Adams
• ISBN: 978-1-78564-059-9
• Word Count: 53,203

The Montana Series

Book 1 - Crooked Tree Ranch
Book 2 - The Rancher's Son
Book 3 - A Cowboy's Home
Book 4 - Snow in Montana

Buy Links - eBook

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Buy Links - Print Book

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK)

Reviews

USA Today - "....I love all of the characters who are brought together to protect, love and solve the mystery surrounding Justin and Adam. I’m so crazy about the Sullivans, Allens, Strachans, Todds, Carters and now the Darbys that it feels like I have met them and know their personalities. I recommend this series and the newest book in particular. Settle in your favorite reading chair with a cup of hot cocoa or wassail and prepare to be highly entertained. Again....."

Dog Eared Daydreams - 5/5 - "....I loved how we got a new love story while having the rest of the couples' stories come full circle. There's a short story, aptly title Montana Short Story, that's available for free on the author's website and I think it serves quite well as a prologue to Snow in Montana. Ryan and Jordan's romance wasn't angst-ridden--which I appreciated, what with Christmas just a less than three weeks away--and I liked that there wasn't all this unnecessary drama when Jordan's sexuality came to light. Aside from romantic love and acceptance, the always present series theme of family and friendship remains at the forefront of this fourth and maybe final novel, which are all part and parcel of why I've fallen in love with these men and each of their heartwarming stories. Snow in Montana receives five stars...."

Click cover to enlarge

Bayou Book Junkie - 5/5 - "....There was a lot packed into these pages that made me simultaneously want to keep reading and take a break! It's packed full of love, fighting, drama and friendship. I really liked Ryan's brother's and I really hope as this series continues that I get to see them find the rest of the guy's HEA, especially Saul's!...."

Archaeolibrarian - 5/5 - "....Snow in Montana is not a Christmas book, but it holds all the feel-good factors that you can get at this time of year. I say it's not a Christmas book as although the story starts with a Christmas Romance Film being made, the story actually takes place throughout the year. This is book 4 in the series, and as such, I would highly recommend that you read the previous 3 books, simply because they are absolutely brilliant, and you will also get the most out of them...."

Xtreme Delusions - 5/5 - "....If you’ve read the other Montana books you will absolutely not want to miss this one. If you haven’t read the others I highly recommend them as they are very compelling reads with interesting and complicated characters...."

Making it happen - "....Snow in Montana was an excellent, 5-star read for me, and I do highly recommend it. I do strongly recommend that it be read as part of the series in order as there is a lot that goes on in this story that builds on everything that came in the first three books of the series. If you're a fan of the series, you DO NOT want to miss this one. If you haven't started the series yet, you're really missing out on an amazing group of characters! This is one of my favorite M/M romance series, and it is meant for readers 18+ for adult language and M/M sexual content...."

Love Bytes Reviews - 4.5/5 - "....So the parts that focused on Ryan and Jordan were wonderful. I loved their romance, I loved the back story we get for both of them, and their relationships with their siblings. Ryan’s very close to his brothers, and I loved that, and how Jordan was pulled in to his family so easily. I equally loved Jordan’s relationship with Micah. The two are as close as siblings can be, not only twins, but co-owners of their business. I loved how Micah aids and abets Jordan and Ryan so readily. Their story was just a perfect romance…...."

MM Good Book Reviews - 5/5 - "....Let’s just say that it isn’t really all that Christmas themed in a sense but it works out pretty good.  Not all that much drama well except for the, well you will just have to read that.  Jordan’s sexy twin Micah and Micah’s girl friend were a great add in as well.  This whole story just rocked for me and I enjoyed reading it.  I can’t wait for the next book that comes out and I would definitely recommend it...."

The Geekery Book Review - 5/5 - "....I have absolutely loved RJ Scott’s Montana series, from the very first book these characters have captivated me and owned my heart. This is one of those series that just keeps getting better and better and Snow in Montana definitely does not disappoint. There is a great mix of the new characters and their story as well as coming back to the characters we already know so well. This is definitely a series you want to read from the beginning as each book builds on the previous ones...."

Rainbow Book Reviews - "....This fourth book in the ‘Montana’ series has the many characters of the Crooked Tree Ranch come full circle, and that was a great thing for me to witness. While a lot of the emotional drama and the suspense about what happened to Justin and Adam was resolved in the previous volume, there were a few details that needed sorting out. Adam’s memories and his relationship with Justin are the most important, and I was happy to find out that both men, as well as Adam’s lover, Ethan, and Justin’s lover, Sam, continued to play a prominent role in the current novel. The focus of this story, however, was Jordan and Ryan and they are a great couple to add to the Crooked Tree Ranch family...."

Excerpt

Chapter 3

~ Ryan ~

“Morning, Sunshine,” Saul said and slid a coffee across the table.

Ryan took it and grunted his thanks. His brother knew there was no way he would be capable of much rational speech this early in the morning, and they’d dropped into this system whereby perpetually cheerful Saul, the oldest of five boys, made everything better. How Saul could be this awake at 5:00 a.m., Ryan didn’t know.

Saul ran a bar. Carter’s Bar was his baby, and even though he had staff, he couldn’t have closed much before 2:00 a.m.

“What time do you need to be at Crooked Tree?”

Ryan glanced at his watch, but it was a blurry mess without his glasses or contacts. “Six.”

Something bumped his hand and he glanced sideways at the plate of toast.

“Eat,” Saul ordered.

“Yes, Dad,” Ryan snarked, then took a few bites. It was coffee he really wanted, and Sam might well have food he could scrounge when he got to the ranch. Or maybe Ashley had baked. Still, the toast helped, and the coffee began to work to sharpen his senses.

“Eddie is bringing the kids up on the weekend,” Saul said.

Ryan didn’t have to look to know that Saul had his ever-present diary notebook out on the table. Somehow the eldest Carter hadn’t let go of that need to look after all his brothers. There were columns for all of them in age order, and in there, Ryan knew, there would be notes of his shifts and anything else Ryan had mentioned. Saul was eighteen years and three days older than Ryan, and the other three Carter boys ranged in the middle.

Saul had been just old enough to take responsibility for his brothers at eighteen, including the baby Ryan. “How is he?”

“You’d know if you called him,” Saul admonished in that soft tone that made Ryan feel guilty in an instant.

“Last time I called he hung up on me,” he explained.

Saul muttered something and then sighed. “Saying you were going to do a background check on his new girlfriend will do that to a guy.”

“After what Sarah did to him—”

“It’s not our business, and Jenny is lovely, and she’s good with the kids.”

“Says the brother who knows exactly where we are and what we’re doing every minute of every freaking day.”

Saul changed the subject. “Thought we’d do a barbecue. Be here at noon?”

Ryan wanted to point out he wasn’t going to be anywhere else. He was on duty until eleven. He lived over the bar, sharing the apartment with Saul, so of course he’d be here.

“I’ll be there.”

Saul scratched something in the diary—probably some kind of tick in the attendance column.

“Bring a friend,” Saul said, his tone that infuriating mix of hope and interference. “How about Mark? I liked him. He was nice.”

Ryan was really not going there at 5:00 a.m. in the freaking morning. Mark had lasted exactly a week, right to the point when Mark explained how he wanted him and Ryan to have an open relationship.

“Back off,” he snarled, snapped, and laced it with a little brother’s patented whine. Then he pushed his chair back and stomped out of the kitchen.

“Ryan and Mark, sitting in a tree,” Saul shouted after him.

“Whatever.” He grimaced as he took the steps up to his room two at a time. At least now he was awake.

A shower, his contacts, and dressed in uniform, and he was back in the kitchen. One last coffee and he was out to his car.

When he arrived at Crooked Tree, he walked into chaos. Or at least it looked like chaos to him, but to everyone walking in and out of trailers in the parking lot it was probably highly organized chaos.

“Ryan!”

He turned to face the owner of the voice, spotted Sam and Justin just inside a large tent, and decided that direction was as good as any. He wanted to check in with Justin, see how the man was doing. A couple of people nodded at him, muttered “Officer” or “Sheriff,” but no one stopped to talk. Everyone had something to do, and Ryan wound his way past wires and boxes to what he assumed was the catering tent.

Justin had gone before he got there, leaving Sam and a table groaning with food. Two young guys there, both in chef’s whites, were clearly assisting with the burden of catering for however many people were present.

“Twenty-seven,” Sam explained, “but I catered for more, so help yourself.”

Ryan didn’t hesitate; he grabbed a plate of eggs, crispy bacon, and fluffy pancakes, and stood back in the corner, checking his watch every so often. Ten minutes to go and he’d cleared his plate while watching Sam doing his thing, ordering around his two assistants.

Still no sign of Justin coming back.

In fact, Justin did a very good job of avoiding Ryan, and with ten minutes to kill, Ryan decided to zip up his coat and go looking. Something about the way Justin wouldn’t quite look him in the eye had him feeling off. Justin had secrets—he’d been working for some shadowy kill squad after vanishing years ago with Adam. There was no information that Ryan could dig up, a blank of years that frustrated his analytical law enforcer’s brain.

He finally found his quarry standing with Marcus, hands in his pockets and a stony expression on his face. Marcus had been overwhelmed getting his son back, and Justin had tried hard to fit back into Crooked Tree life, but it was plain to see there was tension between father and son. When Ryan observed the two of them together, he often thought the pressure was going to snap into something more, but there was always a rigidity about Justin. The guy only truly relaxed when he was with Sam.

Justin saw him coming, lifted his chin, and stared. “Sheriff,” he said, with a nod.

“Ryan,” he emphasized, and not for the first time. “Call me Ryan.”

They were surely friends more than professional acquaintances. Being five years older than Justin meant they’d never been at school together, but still… more than just acquaintances, surely.

Another nod and Justin pressed his lips into a thin line. Ryan just knew that Justin wouldn’t be calling him by his first name.

Then they ran out of things to say. Or rather, Ryan wanted to ask questions and Justin didn’t want to answer them. They’d fallen into this weird, stony face-off, and Marcus had long since left.

“Can I talk to you?” Justin asked.

Ryan frowned and looked left and right. Justin was actually addressing him, right? “Of course.”

“Not here, not now. I’ll text you.”

And then he slipped away, sidestepping Ryan in one of his freaky ninja moves, and by the time Ryan made it to the front of the tent, Justin had vanished again.

Well, that wasn’t at all covert and weird. He shook his head and stepped out into the icy early morning half-light.

“Hey,” someone said from his side, “Good morning, Sheriff.”

Jordan was there, in so many layers of coats and scarves that it was difficult to see any more than a thin strip of his face, but Ryan would recognize those eyes anywhere. Then he remembered Jordan had a twin; was this Micah? They hadn’t looked the mirror image of each other, and Ryan couldn’t recall the color of Micah’s eyes.

Which reminded him he needed to google the man and find out about the father, then look for photos of Jordan and his twin, Micah.

For information purposes only, obviously.

“Hey,” Ryan said, abruptly very unsure.

Something in his tone must have shown hesitation because Jordan—or possibly Micah—pushed down the scarves from his face.

“Jordan. Remember me? I fell asleep in your car.”

Ryan held out a hand and they shook, which wasn’t easy when both were wearing heavy gloves.

Jordan kept talking, his voice less gruff than it had been two days ago, and he was staring right at Ryan.

For a second, Ryan imagined he had egg on his face and dismissed the idea. Just because a guy stared at him didn’t mean he had food on his face. He hadn’t the last time, and he didn’t now.

Still, he brushed at his mouth with his gloved hand, just in case, because Jordan made him feel like he wanted to look perfect.

What the hell? Where did that come from?

“I’m sorry about that, by the way,” Jordan carried on. “I usually don’t go sleeping in sheriffs’ cars.” He smiled, and Ryan’s brain short-circuited because, fuck, dimples.

“You spend a lot of time in sheriffs’ cars?” Ryan asked before his brain caught up with his mouth. I’m losing it.

Jordan shook his head. “No, I guess not. I was dosed up and ill.”

“I know.” And then he recalled the usual thing that normal people might say at this point. Normal, sane, rational, people. “Are you feeling better?”

Jordan wrapped his hands around himself and stamped a bit. “Much. Just freaking cold.”

Ryan searched his brain for an answer to that one while trying not to lose himself staring into those gray eyes. “It’s Montana,” he said lamely.

Jordan chuckled, coughed a little. “So it is. You want me to show you around?”

Ryan didn’t want to take Jordan away from whatever he was supposed to be doing, so he said, “I can do my own thing.”

“No, it’s okay. Follow me.”

Jordan pivoted and led Ryan through the maze of tents and wires, stopping and explaining that this was Production, this was their version of a green room, and this was Editing.

Ryan spoke to everyone, got a feel for the way things were running, and filed away as much information as he could. There wasn’t much he could say, although he had a list of things he needed to check when they were somewhere warmer. Not for his sake—he was plenty warm enough, a Montana native with enough layers to make him look like a snowman—but Jordan still hadn’t got the idea and he was shivering under the coat. Which had Ryan considering one question they hadn’t covered…

“How will you film outside scenes without coats?”

Jordan looked a little panicked for a moment, but it soon cleared and cheerful optimism seemed to carry him through. “We’ll be fine.”

Ryan didn’t want to point out that this was early in the day, and if there were night shoots, Jordan was in danger of becoming a Popsicle.

Jason arrived a little after nine, in uniform and clearly just off shift judging by the tiredness bracketing his eyes.

“Hey, little brother,” he said on a yawn.

That was the way he always addressed Ryan, but somehow, in front of Jordan, Ryan didn’t want to be identified as little. Then, Jason held out a hand, and he and Jordan did that whole awkward glove-slap thing.

“Jason Carter, MFD liaison,” Jason said and yawned again. “Sorry, long night.”

“Thank you for coming.”

Jason did that thing when he smiled and winked and showed way too much happy despite being exhausted. Ryan often wished he could channel Jason’s eternal happiness.

“You’re welcome,” Jason said with another smile. “Show me the way.”

And like that, Ryan’s part in this was over. He watched Jason and Jordan leave to check out whatever pyrotechnics plan they had cooked up, and realized he was standing there like a prize idiot and Jordan was looking back at him and sketching a small wave.

So, Ryan waved back, a thank-you wave—not at all a sexy wave, really—and then he felt even more of an idiot, so he left to find Jay, with his list of concerns in his head.

Jay was in his office, which wasn’t exactly his office anymore; Adam was sitting on one seat, Micah on the other. From the papers spread out on the desk, they were talking horses, and Ryan didn’t really have much to say on that, but he indicated he just needed paper and a pen and wrote out in careful block letters the things he thought needed checking out. Jay mouthed a thank you and placed the paper to one side with a thumbs up.

Ryan moved to leave but stopped when Adam grasped his hand.

“A word?” Adam asked softly and stepped out into the chaos without a jacket.

Ryan immediately went into protective mode, which was his default setting with Adam. After all, Adam had years of missing memories and still suffered from killer headaches. Should he be standing out in the cold? “Everything okay?”

“It’s Justin,” Adam said, worry in his expression.

“What about him?”

“Something’s wrong. He won’t talk to me or Ethan, and he’s quiet.”

“He’s always quiet,” Ryan said, not because he wanted to play devil’s advocate, but because it was the truth. Not only was Justin trained to be stealthy, he also played his cards close to his chest.

Too many secrets.

“No, this is more than normal, and I think it’s my fault.” Adam tapped his shoulder. “My tattoo. I woke up from a dream that I think could have been memories of the man who did the tattoo, and then I dreamed about being on that ranch and seeing the two men with me die. I mean, I’m not entirely sure, but when I told Justin, he just looked really pained and pale.”

Ryan filed away the information. Maybe this was what Justin needed to talk to him about. “I’ll talk to him,” he reassured Adam.

“There was something else…,” Adam murmured, as if he didn’t really want Ryan to hear and ask him what it was.

“What?”

“In the dream….” He hesitated again, then couldn’t look Ryan in the eyes. “Justin was there in the dreams, front and center.”

Too many questions. “I’ll talk to him,” he repeated. Adam turned to leave, but Ryan stopped him with “Are you okay?”

Adam glanced back, a lost expression on his face, one Ryan had seen many times. “Today isn’t a good day, so I gave in and called Ethan. He was coming home anyway, so he’s just leaving earlier. I don’t like doing it, but I just…”

“Need him,” Ryan finished.

“Yeah.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

Sometimes Adam was too lost, needed his fiancé by his side, and Ethan was working his notice at the job in Missoula. They hadn’t worked out what he would do at Crooked Tree, but Ethan wanted to be with Adam full-time and not just between shifts.

Ryan wished they had the budget at the sheriff’s office, but that wasn’t happening anytime soon. They had a rookie and that was pretty much all they could afford.

“No, thank you. I’ll be okay,” Adam said.

And that answered everything. “Good.” Ryan ushered Adam back into the warm office, then left.

Justin was waiting for Ryan next to his car, his hands thrust deep into his jacket, a beanie pulled low on his head. “Hey.”

Justin always looked so wary, as if, at the drop of a hat, Ryan was going to pull his gun and arrest him or shoot him.

“Hey,” Ryan said, and waited for more.

“Is Adam okay? I saw you talking to him.”

Ryan considered lying, but Justin wasn’t stupid. “He thinks that he remembered something and wanted to talk to me about it.”

Justin gave a sharp nod. He was in constant movement from one foot to the other, his expression fixed on Ryan, but Ryan imagined he was aware of every single inch of his surroundings. Whoever trained him way back had done a good job.

“What exactly did he think he remembered?” Justin asked.

“You know I can’t divulge information like that.”

For the longest time, Justin stared at him, his expression blank. Then he sighed. “Tell me he’s okay.”

Ryan wished he could say that, wanted to be able to say that he was, but he would be lying. “You should talk to him,” he advised, because that was the best he could do.

Justin looked down and kicked at a stone next to his boot. “He won’t talk to me. He’s avoiding me, or I’m avoiding him, fuck knows.” When he returned his gaze to Ryan, there was real grief in his eyes. “He’s remembered something and he looks so beaten down. How can I help him?”

That was the most Justin had exposed of himself to Ryan, ever, and part of Ryan, the compassion that wished he could help, wanted desperately to explain that Adam was dealing with memories that made no sense.

He couldn’t.

“Find him. Talk to him if you can,” Ryan said, and then he added with feeling, “I’m sorry, Justin.”

“Not your fault.” Justin drew himself tall. “I’ve got him. I’ll do what’s best for him.” He added, “Always.”

If only it was that easy.

They shook hands, and Justin walked back up to Branches.

Justin held too many secrets, and that scared Ryan. Because after today, with what Adam had told him, secrets could destroy Justin and Adam and any friendship they may have.

And likely rip families apart in the process.