Katie's Heart ~~ Part One of the Montana Series

~Chapter Five~

March 2016

The second week of March started off with an unexpected snow storm. Justin, Katie and their boys along with Colten were stuck on the ranch with no power for almost a week. The boys, being boys thought it was a great adventure. Thanks to the wood burning stove in the playroom and the fireplace in the living room, the family stayed warm and were able to enjoy some fun times with their family.   For Justin the timing of the storm was perfect, he was able to make some lasting memories with his boys.

After their Saturday afternoon date, Katie and Justin sat down and tried to explain to the boys what was happening with Justin. William and Michael understood more than the other boys and were understandably angry but mostly they were extremely sad. The couple spent that Saturday night holding and loving their six boys vowing to make as many memories as they could. Katie and Justin had decided to do as much as they could together as a family knowing that their time together was short. After a lot of discussion, they decided to hire a foreman to live on the ranch and take over most of the day to day chores so Justin could spend more time with his family. Colten decided to extend his stay until the end of March to see the changes that the ranch had undergone in his decade long absence before making his decision about the sale of the ranch.

The boys loved their snowed in camping adventure. They had fun watching Katie cook over the fireplace and roast marshmallows in the living room too. They loved having everyone piled together in sleeping bags on the living room floor. They loved only taking a bath once since they had to heat their water up on the wood stove or fireplace. Most of all they enjoyed learning about their long lost uncle.

Justin and Colten along with the new foreman, Sam Tindle a friend of Justin's from his rodeo days, took turns feeding the animals and regaling the boys with their own antics growing up. The family spent their days checking on the animals, playing board games, laughing, and talking about anything and everything. Oftentimes the boys would look over to see Justin or Katie stepping back from the fun, watching everyone intently. It was as if they were trying to freeze time and savor the moment.

For the first time in ten years, Colten felt like he was where he should be. He was thoroughly enjoying his time with Justin, Katie, and the boys. There were no demanding management teams. There were no Hollywood divas. There was just him and his family. The only major downfall was the impending sense of doom that seemed to hang over the house like a dark cloud and his heightened awareness of Katie.

She had changed in the past ten years. Katie had grown from a beautiful young girl to a gorgeous woman. Gone was the figure of a young girl, replaced with the lush curves of a woman. Her eyes had small laugh lines starting around the corners reflecting the joy that she had found marrying and caring for Justin and their boys.  Colten was feeling envious  of his brother and Katie's seemingly perfect relationship, especially after Justin referred to her his home. He thought he'd loved Katie when they were younger but watching her interact with Justin now showed him how selfish his love had been. Not once had he tried to put Katie ahead of his own desires or dreams. That selfishness cost him Katie and their son. His pride cost him ten years of life with his family.  Most of all, he now wondered if he had lost the only woman that was supposed to be his home.

While Colten was bonding with his brother and the boys, Katie was feeling out of sorts. It wasn't anything she could put her finger on, just a nagging feeling of dread, like time was passing too quickly and her life would be over before she was ready.   She was quick to laugh and enjoy the antics of Justin, Colten, the boys, and Sam when he joined them but for the most part she was quiet and slightly withdrawn.

Justin noticing the change in his wife's demeanor began to wonder if she was beginning to feel things for Colten again. While Katie had never given him any reason to be suspicious and was determined to never be alone with his younger brother. In spite of that, Justin couldn't help but feel jealous. After all, the younger Haynes was rich, healthy, and most of all her first love.  He decided to question Katie one evening as she helped him and William and Michael in the barn while all the little boys were in the house with Colten.