Home to Montana. Charlotte Carter

      Where The Heart Leads

      Staying in one place was never Nick Carbini’s plan. When his troubled past leads him to Bear Lake, Montana, single mom Alisa Machak makes him consider putting down roots. Alisa doesn’t have a problem letting Nick work in her diner, but when he starts edging his way into her heart, she has to draw the line. He reminds her too much of her son’s father, another drifter who abandoned them both. Nick wishes he could be there for them, but believes he’s not fit to be a husband. When his worst fears come true one night, it’s up to Alisa to show him the perfect recipe for a forever romance.

      Two weeks. Could he hang on for that long?

      He wasn’t sure. He was about to say No, thanks when the image of Alisa popped into his head. The thought that she might give him an honest smile, more than her overly practiced, the-customer-is-right smile, gave him a jolt. He had no business thinking about that. Or wanting it.

      He was definitely tired of being on the road. A clean room with a shower and free meals had a certain appeal.

      Foolishly, he knew the real appeal was Alisa. He doubted she’d feel the same about him. Not if she knew the truth about how he’d spent the past three years. He didn’t have to feel pressured to stay.

      Slowly he stood. “Okay, I’ll take your job.”

      CHARLOTTE CARTER

      A multipublished author of more than fifty romances, cozy mysteries and inspirational titles, Charlotte Carter lives in Southern California with her husband of forty-nine years and their cat, Mittens. They have two married daughters and five grandchildren. When she’s not writing, Charlotte does a little stand-up comedy, “G-Rated Humor for Grownups,” and teaches workshops on the craft of writing.

      Home to Montana

      Charlotte Carter

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      Many nations will come and say,

      Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.

      —Micah 4:2–4

      To all the men and women in uniform

      who so bravely serve our country around the world, and to those who wait for them at home, you have our heartfelt thanks.

      Special thanks to Kara Lennox and Mindy Neff; you always make my books better.

      Contents

       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

       Chapter Fourteen

       Chapter Fifteen

       Chapter Sixteen

       Chapter Seventeen

       Chapter Eighteen

       Epilogue

       Dear Reader

       Questions for Discussion

       Excerpt

      Chapter One

      “A pretty lady like you shouldn’t have to chop your own firewood.”

      Alisa Machak nearly sliced off her foot with the ax. She whirled toward the sound of the deep masculine voice.

      The stranger stood in a column of sunlight that slid between the pine trees, highlighting his unkempt ebony hair, a matching beard and his equally disreputable dog sitting beside him. He wore old jeans and a khaki jacket that looked like it had come from an Army surplus store years ago.

      A ripple of recognition stole through her, and a shiver raised the hair at her nape. A drifter.

      Drifters passed through the town of Bear Lake, Montana, on a regular basis, some heading to Glacier National Park up Highway 93. Some with no particular destination in mind. None stayed long. She’d learned that lesson ten years ago, a painful lesson she would not soon forget.

      Flashing him the friendly smile she used with strangers, she hefted the ax. “Someone has to make kindling for the fire.” She and her mother owned the Pine Tree Diner and the adjacent Pine Tree Inn. Unfortunately, their handyman, Jake Domino, had gone to stay with his daughter while she recovered from an auto accident. He’d be away at least a couple of weeks. So Alisa was chopping wood, among other chores that had to be done.

      The stranger strolled toward her, all long legs and a gait that seemed a little uneven. “I’m pretty good with an ax. I’d be glad to help out. You wouldn’t have to pay me.”

      She cocked her head in disbelief. This guy was a drifter with a silver tongue, the kind of man who Alisa had learned to keep at a distance while doing her smiling welcome-to-Pine-Tree-Diner shtick.

      “If the diner has some scraps for Rags, I’d appreciate that.” His baritone voice sounded as smooth and rich as homemade gravy.

      That stopped her. “Rags?”

      “My dog.” He patted his thigh. The dog stood looking up at him waiting for his next command. “I figured when I found him that he looked like the old rag bag my mother used to have. She used the rags for cleaning and scrubbing the house.”

      “You found the dog?” She’d heard that some pickup artists used a dog to put a woman at ease and get her off guard. Vulnerable. But surely a man like that wouldn’t go out of his way to look so scruffy. Maybe his angle was