He reached for the door of his new four-wheel-drive truck with a plow on the front.
“Liam!”
The shout came from across the parking lot. He opened the door and turned to see Heath practically jogging toward him. Liam chuckled at the sight.
“You’re going to slip and fall!” he called.
Gasping for breath, Heath caught up to him. The parking lot wasn’t small. “When you excused yourself, I thought you were coming back. Then I spotted you through the window. Where are you going?”
“I have something I need to take care of.”
Heath frowned. “Okay. Fair enough. But why do I get the feeling it’s more that you’re trying to avoid us?”
“It’s not that, Heath.” Liam climbed into the cab and started the engine to get the heat going. The diesel’s rumble had the added benefit of drowning out most of Heath’s words, but Liam might as well hear him out. Heath would keep at him if he didn’t, so Liam killed the idling truck and turned his focus back to Heath. “I’m listening.”
“I’ve kept my peace and given you the space you’ve needed since you came home last summer. I was glad to have you back. I know we haven’t seen eye to eye and we still have our issues, but are you ever going to tell me what happened to you? Because something’s eating at you, and it’s only getting worse. I’m leaving in the morning. I didn’t want to leave without asking you about it.”
Did Heath just want to confirm that Liam would be responsible for the ranch in Heath’s absence? Nah. That wasn’t fair. Heath truly cared about him. Not everyone was all about themselves or had a secret agenda. Liam would keep reminding himself of that until he finally believed it. He caught a glimpse of Rae getting into a vehicle.
“There’s not much to tell. I was working undercover. I made a mistake. I got too close to someone, and in the end, she was only using me. She blew my cover, or rather, forced me to blow it. We both almost died.”
Heath hung his head. “I’m sorry. But you both survived. And where is she now? You said that you got close to her.”
“I also said she used me.”
“Are you sure about that?” Heath knew Liam had trouble trusting.
“One hundred percent.”
“That’s too bad.”
Rae steered from the parking lot. Liam needed to go if he was going to follow her—some kind of insanity getting the best of him. “She showed up here today.”
Heath’s eyes widened. “Interesting.”
“She asked for my help, and I turned her away.”
“So, are you upset because she showed up or because you rejected her?”
“A little of both.” A lot of both. “If it’s all the same to you, Heath, I don’t need your advice.” Liam’s gaze followed the vehicle. He glanced at Heath. “But you’re going to give it anyway, aren’t you?”
Liam grinned to take some of the sting out of his words. Even if he hadn’t, Heath was his brother. Nothing would ever change that.
Heath studied him. “No, little brother. Not this time. I already know you’ll do the right thing.”
Liam hadn’t decided if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He’d spent so many years trying to disconnect himself from his dysfunctional family that fitting back in and trying to make it work seemed out of reach, though he’d tried over the last several months. Granted, living with Heath and his new wife wasn’t anything like the past they shared with their troubled parents.
“Will you be home for dinner tonight?” Heath crossed his arms. “We’re all heading out tomorrow early. I know Austin will want to say goodbye before he goes.”
“But not you?” Liam teased.
“I don’t like to say goodbye. Besides, I’ll only be gone a week.”
Liam needed to talk to Heath about their living arrangements. Since Harper had moved in, the house seemed to grow smaller for Liam every day. But he could do that later. “I’ll see you tonight, then.”
Liam shut the door and started the truck. He steered from the parking lot to follow the woman he wished had stayed in his past and far from this valley.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Wednesday, 12:30 p.m.
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Rae followed the instructions the female GPS voice delivered and steered toward her destination. She’d entered the address Reggie had texted while she was still at the resort. Though mostly plowed, the road had spots that were slippery. Why, oh, why had she thought to approach Liam?
He certainly hadn’t needed an apology from her. For months now her conscience had eaten at her about everything that had happened. It hadn’t ended well. Somehow, Liam seemed to have misunderstood everything. For certain, Rae’s motivations. Never mind that she’d failed to make it right. But no time to think about that now. She needed to prepare for her next surprise visit.
This time of day, she might have better luck if she tried Zoey’s mom—Samara Davidson—at her place of business. Rae had learned that she owned Mountain Valley Adventures, a heli-skiing company that was founded years ago. Rae struggled to picture the Zoey she’d known working alongside her family in this kind of endeavor. Nothing about Zoey ever said she enjoyed skiing. But heli-skiing—helicopters delivering tourists to fresh, undisturbed powder on mountain peaks no one could otherwise reach?
Zoey was tough but brainy and bookish. Had that been part of the new persona she’d put on when she’d escaped her life here? Now that, Rae could believe.
Why so many secrets, Zoey?
Rae came up behind a snowplow and slowed. Another car behind her honked, then passed them both. Rae would stay behind the plow for now, thank you very much. Even though she’d rented a four-wheel-drive SUV, it was on the smallish side and she wouldn’t press her luck. Considering her treacherous drive to Emerald M Guest Ranch earlier to find Liam, she was glad she’d opted for this model. Still, she could appreciate cleared roads.
She turned onto another road, then it hit her—would Zoey’s mother be distraught over her missing daughter? She might not be working today. Rae should have thought of that to begin with. But some people preferred working through a crisis. Rae would start there and then head to the home address if Mrs. Davidson wasn’t at work.
On the one hand, Rae hated the thought of intruding. Then again, searching for Zoey was better than sitting at home. Giving her absolute best to find her sister-in-law had been behind her reasons for eliciting help from both Reggie and Liam. In Liam’s case, she’d hoped to open the doors to a conversation. To mend what had been broken. But that was a no go. She’d just do this on her own since he had rejected her in a much more spectacular display than she could have imagined.
He obviously thought she deserved his reaction.
The GPS interrupted her thoughts, letting her know she was now at her destination. She was relieved.
Rae steered into the parking lot of an upscale log-cabin lodge and took in the majestic and peaceful scenery—mountains and snow-covered peaks all around her. A wide rushing river curled around the base of the mountains.
She spotted a helipad but not helicopters—the guides had taken the tourists out. She didn’t know much about how it worked. Did the helicopters drop them off and return later? She would assume, but maybe it involved a tour of the area before taking to the slopes. How long were the tours? A day? Half a day?
Rae turned off the vehicle and composed herself. This one conversation could mean everything, and Rae needed to be calm, collected, and confident before she came face-to-face with Mrs. Davidson. She had to remember to use Zoey’s real name—Tawny—with Mrs. Davidson, though Rae could only think of her as Zoey.
Shouldering her bag holding her tablet, paper, pen, and cell, she left the vehicle and hiked across the plowed parking lot, maneuvering around a few expensive-model cars. She should expect heli-skiing was a sport for the well-to-do sorts. Or thrill seekers, at the very least, who spent every last dime on extr
eme sports. Was heli-skiing an extreme sport? She would have to find out. She could use the information in the travel article she hoped would land her that job when this was over. Pushing through the doors of Mountain Valley Adventures, Rae found a reception counter.
A young woman wearing a beautiful cream sweater stood behind the counter and smiled. “Welcome to Mountain Valley Adventures. How can I help you?”
Her name tag read “Kelly.”
“Hi, Kelly. My name is Rae Burke. I’m here to see Samara Davidson.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“I’m here to talk to her about a private matter.”
The statement didn’t move Kelly.
Rae lowered her voice. “It’s about her daughter.”
Kelly’s eyes widened slightly. Was her reaction simply from surprise, or did she know that Tawny, aka Zoey, was missing? She must know. Surely the police had figured out Zoey Dumont was Tawny Davidson. They would have beaten Rae here, wouldn’t they have?
“One second.” Kelly left her post and headed down a hallway. Rae was surprised that someone who ran a heli-skiing business would be locked in an office, but then again, business owners often got stuck with the daily grind that had nothing at all to do with the fun or the very reason they got into the business to begin with.
“Sam, someone’s here about Tawny.” Kelly kept her voice low, but it still echoed enough for Rae to hear.
She emerged from the hallway and smiled again. “She’ll see you now.”
At the entrance to Samara Davidson’s office, Kelly pushed the door open wide and gestured for Rae to enter.
A woman stood with her back to Rae, arms crossed, in front of a striking window view of the mountains.
Tension rolled off the woman and slammed into Rae. She was definitely intruding. Shoving past the awkward moment, Rae fully entered the office and waited for Kelly to shut the door behind her. Zoey’s mother didn’t turn to greet her. Rae would give Mrs. Davidson time to compose herself.
Seconds ticked by. Had she forgotten someone was in her office?
Finally, Rae spoke up. “Mrs. Davidson, my name is Rae Burke. I’m sorry for my intrusion. I’m here . . . I’m trying to find Zoey . . . um . . . your daughter, Tawny.”
This was all kinds of awkward—Zoey and her mother had been estranged, or so Zoey had told her. Did Mrs. Davidson even know Zoey had married? Did she know she had a grandchild? Rae was wholly unprepared for this exchange.
Zoey’s mother turned to face Rae with red-rimmed eyes. “The police were already here to inform me she was missing and to ask their questions. Who are you, exactly? Another detective?”
“No. I’m . . .”—Steady your voice—“I’m Tawny’s sister-in-law. I was her roommate in college.”
Mrs. Davidson stared at her with her unusual blue eyes—contacts, for certain. Rae wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but now that she’d met Zoey’s mother, it all made sense. This woman ran a business for the well-to-do and managed heli-skiing backcountry guides, mostly people with medical emergency certifications and a long list of skills and education in everything about snow science—glaciology, avalanche forecasting, and explosives. They were thrill seekers. Tough. Rugged.
This woman supervised that crew.
She was tall and regal like a castle, striking like her daughter. And somehow she managed to make the backcountry ski garb she wore seem elegant and like she was ready to take to the slopes all at the same time. A chill crawled over Rae as she had a sudden vision of Zoey standing in front of her—twenty or so years into the future.
Mrs. Davidson crossed her arms. “And?”
Oh boy. She wasn’t going to make this easy. “Mind if I sit down?”
“Go ahead.”
Rae had hoped sitting would allow the tension to ease from her body, but the chair made no difference. Regardless, it was showtime.
Mrs. Davidson took a seat behind her enormous desk, the picturesque mountain scene behind her, seeming to frame her—another postcard moment.
“It must be hard to work in this office with such beauty at your back.” Rae hoped light conversation would bring Mrs. Davidson around. If the woman was like this all the time, she had no problem seeing why Zoey had left or why they were estranged. Zoey’s mother clearly had high expectations of everyone around her.
The woman huffed and smirked at the same time. “Small talk doesn’t suit you.”
“No, I suppose it doesn’t.” She’d found common ground at least. The woman liked to get right to the point.
“Does anyone know you’re here?” Mrs. Davidson asked as she tapped her laptop keyboard to bring the screen to life.
Rae had wanted her full attention, and given the topic, she would expect no less. “Yes. My brother, Tawny’s husband, Alan, knows. He asked me to come, in fact.”
“I assume he’s looking for her as well.”
This woman could be a wealth of information. How deeply had the police probed? Still, Rae sensed that she wasn’t going to give Rae too much. She seemed cautious. Wary. Downright cold as stone.
“He’s done everything he can, but they have a daughter.” Again, Rae was reminded how unprepared she’d been for this side of things—Zoey’s mother might not even know. But what daughter would keep so much of her life from her mother?
By the shift in the woman’s demeanor, Rae could tell she knew about Callie. Interesting. Zoey had kept private. Away from social media. Had she kept in touch with her mother, after all?
“Alan has to stay with Callie.” Rae had to direct the conversation to find out as much as she could in the shortest amount of time. “Is there anything you can tell me that might help?”
“I haven’t seen or talked to Tawny in years.”
“Mrs. Davidson. Zoey—”
“Who?”
Oops. “Zoey . . . It’s what Tawny changed her name to when she moved to Colorado. I was friends with your daughter for a few years before she met my brother. As I already mentioned, we were college roommates. During that time, she disappeared for a week, and when she came back to the dorm, she’d been beaten and traumatized. I’ve always suspected a stalker. That may have been the reason she fled to Colorado. I’m sorry if this hurts you, but I have to know—why did she leave Jackson Hole and change her name? Was she running from someone?”
That Zoey had fled her home seemed painfully obvious. But from whom, wasn’t clear. Maybe she’d left this seemingly cold, demanding woman behind and met her abductor in Colorado. Maybe no one had followed her from Wyoming. Would Zoey’s mother even know?
Mrs. Davidson’s whole demeanor changed. Softened. She appeared to decide. “Please . . . call me Sam. It’s short for Samara. Everyone here calls me that.”
Sam had suddenly dropped the castle fortifications. “Okay, Sam, then.”
“I’ll answer your questions, but first I have a few of my own. Do you have special skills?” Sam asked. “What makes you think you can find my daughter? The police are already looking for her. Why not allow them to do their own work? I’ve contacted the FBI as well to see if they’ll look into her abduction.”
Which one of those should Rae tackle first? Sam’s questioning Rae’s private investigation made sense. Who was she and what could she do? Now, see, this was why Liam could help her. She could hire him as a private investigator. She could use his intimidating demeanor at times and more personable, lovable-guy persona at other times. Like now. But . . . using him. Using him was what he blamed her for to begin with.
Time for Rae to make her case. “I’m a journalist. I write exposés. I spend months finding people and digging into their backgrounds. Usually that’s to expose the travesties and atrocities done to them. That’s my skill, if you will.” If she shared her father’s name and his legacy, would that matter? “As I said, my brother asked for my help. I knew Zoey. But not nearly well enough. She wanted her privacy, her secrets. I nev
er pressed her.” Rae hadn’t even known Zoey’s birth name. “But now’s the time for me to invade her privacy and uncover her secrets. Knowing more could help me find her. ”
Her explanation appeared to satisfy Sam. The woman blew out a breath and suddenly appeared more human. More approachable. More rocks tumbled from the castle walls. “Tawny was . . . is . . . beautiful. She’s more than beautiful. But she always seemed to attract the wrong sorts. Could never seem to lose them.”
“My brother was smitten when he met her,” Rae said, “and she married him. He’s not the wrong sort, so I hope you can find comfort in knowing that.”
“But she’s gone now. The husband is usually a suspect.”
“I don’t believe for a moment he’s involved, but if he is, the police will know soon enough. That said, I’ve seen enough victims who never got justice. Enough unsolved crimes to know that law enforcement can’t be everywhere. Police detectives, investigators, special agents, the lot of them, they can’t solve every crime. Millions of crimes happen every year, many of them violent. So, here I am. I’m doing what I can to help. It can’t hurt, can it? Zoey could be running out of time.”
“All right. Okay. I’m convinced you have the right skills. You definitely sound like a reporter. I was already considering hiring a private investigator for all the reasons you mentioned. Tawny needs all the help she can get.” Sam swiveled the chair to the side so she could turn her head to the view. She gazed at the expanse for a few moments, then said, “Tawny grew up in this business. She learned everything, including how to guide tourists as well as how to keep the books. For some reason I will never understand, she was more drawn to computers than the scenery. I put her on the payroll in high school to manage the finances and develop our website. She attended a community college for a year here before . . .”
Sam frowned as if emotion would get the best of her, then she quickly composed herself. “She was the smartest among us. She takes after her father in that regard, except he loved the outdoors and had no interest in technology. He founded the business thirty-five years ago. He was a thrill seeker. Loved the adventure of it all and wanted to share that with the world. He died in an avalanche before she was born.”
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