by Liz Isaacson
Six
Lily removed her phone from her ear and looked at it, a frown pulling through her whole body. Maybe Beau was out with the horses. Maybe when he went on long rides, he didn’t take his cell phone.
Her line rang a moment later, and his name came up. Or maybe he just couldn’t get to the phone in time.
She steeled herself and took a deep breath before answering with, “Hello?”
“Sorry,” he said by way of greeting. “I saw you called?”
“Yes,” she said, glad her voice didn’t catch on itself. “I’m interested in hiring you, Mister Whittaker.”
“Beau.”
“Beau.” The word did trip out of her throat then. “Do we need to meet again to go over things?”
“That would be best,” he said, his own tone slipping into something more professional and less rushed than his previous words. “I’ll go over everything, have the contracts for you to sign, all of it.”
Lily pressed her eyes closed. “And I’ll be moving to the lodge.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “It’s best if you stay here, then I can…help in any way necessary.”
Help.
Lily did need help.
She’d miss her grandparents terribly, but she didn’t want to put them in danger. A flash of the dark towncar that had eased down a side street near downtown Jackson yesterday crossed her mind.
It could’ve been anyone. Lots of celebrities came to Jackson for some rest and relaxation. Skiing in the winter. Hot springs in the summer. Shiny limos and stretch SUVs weren’t that uncommon.
But somehow, as Lily had watched the shiny, not-a-spot-on-it car come to a stop and a goateed man get out, she knew he was one of Kent’s guys. He looked a little greasy. A little bit like he’d do something outside the lines if he had to. A little bit sneaky.
And while she’d been wanting to call Beau and make everything official, seeing that man and that car so close to her grandparents had been what tipped her over the edge and got her fingers dialing his number.
“When’s good for you?” he asked, and Lily got the distinct impression it wasn’t the first time.
“Oh, uh, anytime. What works for you?”
A low chuckle came through the line, and darn it if it didn’t warm her chest and make her heart purr—just a little. “Remember how I said I don’t do much but ride horses? Still true. You come on out to the lodge whenever you’re ready, and I’ll have everything we need.” He seemed completely unruffled by her—and why wouldn’t he be?
So he’d stared a little when she’d first shown up on his doorstep. That was probably from the pepper spray pointed at his eyes.
Lily pressed her eyes closed and wished she could go back in time and undo a million little things. “I’ll be there in the morning if that’s okay.”
“Perfectly fine.”
She said goodbye, and the call ended. Lily pressed the warm device to her chest, wondering if she’d ever truly feel safe again. Truly be able to relax and stop checking over her shoulder.
She’d never told Kent about her grandparents in Wyoming, but he’d somehow sniffed her out. So the best thing to do would be to disappear again. Run to the state farthest from Wyoming. Instead, she’d go an hour to Coral Canyon and then up to the lodge. Maybe hiding right under Kent’s nose was the way to go.
Lily breathed, a sense of calm coming down on her like a freshly dried blanket. And she knew her move to Coral Canyon and Whiskey Mountain Lodge was an answer to a lot of prayers.
The next morning, she drove up the narrow road toward the lodge. Her to-go cup of coffee was brand new and scalding hot, from the only drive-through coffee bar in the small town of Coral Canyon. Still, it was delicious, and she was glad the options for hot, caffeinated beverages didn’t disappoint just because the population wasn’t very large.
Dark blue and gray clouds filled the sky, and lightning flickered up ahead, seemingly against the Teton Mountains. Lily leaned forward and peered out her window, trying to judge how close the storm was.
Too close.
At least it didn’t look like snow today. Big, fat raindrops hit her windshield in the next moment, and the sound of them hit like they were made of rock instead of water. She flipped on her windshield wipers and marveled at how quickly the storm had struck.
She slowed as water began to pool on the road in front of her. So much so fast apparently caused flash floods, even up here. She was used to such things in California and Arizona, two of the nearly fifteen states she’d lived in over the course of her life.
With the windshield wipers going full speed and the rain striking the car with the beat of drums, Lily continued up and up and up the mountain. Finally, the bright yellow lights of the lodge came into view, and she pulled into the parking lot.
She parked as close as she could to the overhang, but it would still be quite the dash through the deluge of water to reach safety. The temperature indicator said it was only fifty-two degrees outside, and Lily didn’t want to leave the warm, dry comfort of her car.
Thinking maybe the storm would drop its water quickly and the rain would ease up, she waited. Nothing seemed to stir from behind the windows of the lodge. No other cars were parked in the lot. For a few terrible moments, Lily felt like the only human left on Earth after some sort of cataclysmic event. Now she’d have to figure out how to survive. Now she was truly on her own.
In a lot of ways, Lily had been feeling exactly like that for much of the past twelve months. And she was ready to join the land of the living again. Live her life instead of hiding behind closed curtains and fake email addresses.
The rain did ease up, and Lily jumped from her car while she had the chance. Her purse swung against her side as she rounded the front of the car and hurried under the protection of the roof. She slowed, her heart pounding in her chest, and wiped the water from her forehead.
She pressed the doorbell and listened to the fancy chimes. Nothing moved beyond the door. She tried knocking next, but her fists fell against the huge door with little sound. Turning back to her car, she wondered what she should do. Beau knew she was coming.
Wait in the car? Call him?
The rain began pounding again, the drops actually splashing in the puddles just beyond the overhang. She was not going back to her car. She pulled her phone from her purse and dialed Beau, hoping she wasn’t being too big of a nuisance.
She didn’t think it too early for the cowboy, as last time she’d been here, he’d already been out to see the horses before she’d tried to sneak away. And it was almost ten-thirty after her long drive from Jackson and the crawl up the canyon in the rain.
The call went to voicemail, but Lily didn’t leave a message. A gust of wind howled around the side of the house, and Lily made a quick decision.
She opened the front door and went inside the lodge. With the door securely closed behind her, she called, “Hello? Beau?”
There were no chicken broth smells this morning. No freshly baked bread. Not even a whiff of air freshener. But the lodge felt homey and lived-in, something none of her residences had ever been.
Lily took in a deep breath, glad she felt comfortable here. After all, she was going to be living here for a while, and she didn’t want to live each day with negative or awkward feelings.
She bypassed the couch where she’d sat before and went into the dining room. Beyond it stretched a massive kitchen, but there was no evidence that Beau was here or had even been here that morning. No coffee in the pot. No cereal bowl in the sink.
Dialing him again, she stood at one of the windows that looked out into the backyard, a prayer for his well-being playing through her mind.
Somewhere deeper in the house, she heard a tinny song playing. It sounded very much like someone’s ringtone, and she deduced that Beau had left his phone somewhere here.
But was he okay? Maybe he’d fallen and hit his head.
Lily took a step toward the kitchen as if she’d explore this huge lod
ge until she found him.
Sure, she wanted to feel comfortable here, but she didn’t think traipsing around the place would help. But what if he was hurt?
Torn in two directions, Lily didn’t move. She didn’t know what to do. And she hated feeling this way, as it was a stuck-in-place feeling she’d experienced a lot since her divorce five years earlier.
Just as she was about to start exploring—she couldn’t leave the man lying in his own home unconscious—the back door opened and a man said, “Thank you, Lord.” The wind whistled, and Beau grunted, and the door slammed closed before Lily could even take a step.
She was still standing like a freaking statue when he came limping around the corner, soaked from head to toe and cradling one arm against his side in a protective way.
“Hey,” she said loudly, and he skidded to a stop.
“You didn’t answer the door,” she said, her voice wobbling a little bit. He was clearly hurt, and yet the attraction between them zipped and swooped with the power of arcing electricity. “And it was pouring buckets, so I just came in. I called you twice, but you didn’t answer.”
Pain crossed his face, and he continued to a barstool only a few feet from her. “It’s fine. I’m glad you came in.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “You’re hurt.” Her hand lifted as if she’d reach out and touch him. As if such things were allowed. Or welcome.
“I was helpin’ my brother round up his cattle.”
That wasn’t a proper explanation, but Lily didn’t press for more. “Do you mind?” She stepped closer to him and managed to put her palm flat against his shoulder. Even sitting, he was almost as tall as her, and their eyes met. “I know some therapeutic touch,” she said.
“Therapeutic touch?” he repeated. “What does that mean?”
“It’s a bit new-age,” she said, shifting her palm to the back of his shoulder and placing her other one on the front. “Oh, yeah. There it is.”
“It?”
“You hurt this shoulder recently. The energy is pulsing in it.” Her hands grew hot as she took on the negative energy, and she ran her hands down the front and back of his arm, throwing the energy off once she reached his hand. “Did you fall?”
“Yeah, my horse went ballistic with the thunder. I landed on that shoulder.”
“Just sit still,” Lily said, glad he hadn’t freaked out with her declaration that she could feel his energy. “Close your eyes if you want.” She moved the energy out of his shoulder and down his arm, one swipe at a time, growing warmer and warmer with each stroke.
“Let me take the jacket off,” she murmured, and he helped her by shrugging out of the other side of it. He wore a pair of jeans and a black and blue striped shirt—nothing fancy—but he was easily the calmest, most handsome man she’d met in a long time.
She pressed both palms against his shoulder and then released them. “Done. I can do more later.” She felt a breath away from passing out, so she dropped onto the barstool next to him and wiped her forehead again. This time, she had sweat and not rain lining her brow.
“Where’d you learn to do that?” he asked.
“Oh, it’s just something I picked up somewhere,” she said. “You learn a lot when you live three hundred days on the road.”
He gave her a curious look and said, “We’re going to have to be honest with each other.”
“I know.”
“You’ll give me all your cases. Not hold anything back, even if you’re embarrassed.”
Lily swallowed and nodded. Said, “I know,” again.
Beau’s rugged features softened, and he stood with a groan. “Okay, let me get some coffee started. Then we can get down to business.”
Seven
The lightning beyond the window caught Beau’s eyes as he spooned the coffee grounds into the machine. He normally loved storms, as long as he was somewhere safe and protected. But Graham and Laney were in the final day of getting their cattle back to the ranch for the winter, and when his brother had called, Beau had gone.
No questions asked.
That was what the Whittaker brothers did for each other.
Now, if Bareback had just managed to hold on a little longer, Beau’s shoulder wouldn’t be aching and his pride wouldn’t have taken a hit to have the beautiful Lily see him in such a state.
His jeans clung to his legs in the most uncomfortable way, and as soon as he had the coffee set to start brewing, he said, “I’m going to go change into something dry. Make yourself at home,” and disappeared down the hall to his master bedroom.
He jumped in the shower and got warmed up, put on dry clothes, and returned to the kitchen, which now smelled like a more heavenly version of the lodge—with coffee.
Lily had gotten out sugar and found the cream, and she sipped from a mug that used to belong to his father. Beau stopped and stared at her, something squeezing tight in his chest and then letting go.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
He blinked and got his feet moving to the cabinet where the mugs were. “Sure, yeah. Fine.”
“You said I could make myself comfortable,” she said. “It wasn’t hard to find things in here.”
“It’s not that.” He kept his eyes away from hers as he poured his own cup of coffee. He added two spoonfuls of sugar and took a sip. Ah, yes, that was delicious.
“Then what?”
He might as well tell her. He had said they wouldn’t keep secrets from one another. He’d just assumed it would be her that needed to reveal all, not him. He nodded to the mug she held in both of her hands. “That was my father’s.”
Lily looked at the mug and set it down. “I’m sorry. Does he not want others to use it?”
“He passed away, almost four years ago.” Beau smiled so she wouldn’t be upset. “So I doubt he cares. He’s probably glad someone’s using it, honestly.” Because no one did. Why Graham had moved it here and kept it here, Beau didn’t know.
Lily’s eyes rounded. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay, most days.” Beau took another drink of his coffee. “Okay, should we go into the office? Look through a few things?”
Lily nodded, stood, and left her coffee on the counter when she followed him into the office. He settled behind his desk, his shoulder surprisingly feeling better. He knew nothing about therapeutic touch, but he could still feel the ghost of her hands on his shoulder, back, and arm.
He suppressed a shiver and pushed aside the thought that he wanted to hold her hand, touch her hair, and breathe in her perfume, and focused on the paperwork in front of him. “Okay, so this is a standard contract. It basically says you’re going to hire me to represent you in any and all legal cases you now have, or that you may have in association with the current litigation.” He slid the paper toward her, but she didn’t even look at it.
“I think you just spoke English,” she said, those blue eyes twinkling with mischief. “But maybe you better do it like you would for a five-year-old.”
Beau tipped his head back and laughed. “Fair enough,” he said through the chuckles. “This means I’m going to be your lawyer for all the cases you have against you now, or any new ones that come up, if they’re related to the open ones. Once we clear those, if you get sued again, you can hire someone else.”
“See, now I get that. You’re going to be my lawyer.” She picked up a pen and signed her name on the bottom line.
“How many cases or lawsuits are you currently facing?” he asked, slipping the paper into a folder he’d already labeled with her name.
“Five,” she said. “I think.”
“Criminal or civil?”
“Civil.”
“The ex-husband? He is an ex, right?” He didn’t want to assume anything, though he’d already checked for a diamond ring on her left hand, and Lily didn’t wear one. She didn’t have an indentation, nor a tan line either.
“Ex-husband, yes,” she said evenly, and Beau nodded. He could deal with ex-husbands. Had
dealt with a lot of them, actually.
“This gives me permission to look at your case files,” he said, placing one paper near her right hand. “And this one gives me permission to look at any confidential information about you, in any court system, or any police system.”
Lily didn’t hesitate as she signed her name on both papers. He gathered them up and put another one in front of her. “This one I need you to fill out. It’s all your personal stuff, so I can start to gather all the facts and build our case.”
She filled it out, and he continued with the legal jargon until the entire packet was finished. All in all, it only took about fifteen minutes, but he felt wrung out and it wasn’t even noon yet.
“Okay.” He sighed as he stood. “So, when would you like to move in?” She’d signed the paperwork that said she could stay at the lodge rent-free as long as their cases were in court or unsettled and as long as she didn’t disclose her location.
“Is tomorrow too soon?”
Beau turned back from the doorway. “Tomorrow?” He cocked his head. “Lily, are you safe for tonight?” His heart ached for her, for the worry that rode in her eyes, for the way she drew her shoulders up as if she were preparing for a fight.
“I’m living with my grandparents in Jackson Hole,” she said. “But I have reason to believe my ex is looking for me, and is closing in. I don’t want anything to happen to them.”
Beau returned to his desk and with clumsy fingers because he was in such a rush, tore off a piece of notebook paper. “Write their names and address here, and I’ll send the Sheriff over to make sure they’re okay.”
Lily looked at him with surprise. “You can do that?”
“Of course I can.” He tapped the paper. “Names and address.”
She wrote down the info he needed, and he picked up the paper and his phone. “Be back in a minute. You don’t have to wait in here. We’re done.” He put in the call to Harper Sewing, the Sheriff’s secretary and explained the situation.
He found Lily in the living room, curled into the recliner near the fireplace. “She said they’d do surveillance on the house for a week,” he said. “Perhaps when you talk to your grandparents tonight, you can tell them to call the police if they see any suspicious activity or anyone tries to talk to them.”