He touched the side of her face. “You don’t need to leave permanently. You could come back. Stay here.”
“I can’t.”
His face was inches from hers. “You could.”
When his lips touched her mouth, Ashley sighed. His softly spoken words had unraveled something inside her, something she’d ignored for a long time.
She leaned toward him, returning his kiss with the same gentle persuasion she felt in him. The last three years melted away, stripping her heart bare and reminding her what it felt like to be loved.
When Matthew groaned and deepened the kiss, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held on tight. She gave up thinking, gave up believing that she knew what was best for her.
Because deep down, she had a feeling that what was best for her was wrapped in her arms.
***
Matthew loaded the last dinner plate into the dishwasher. He should have been worried about kissing Ashley, but he wasn’t. He wanted her to be part of his life.
Sean looked around the kitchen. “Have you seen Ashley?”
“She’s in the laundry getting another load of washing ready.”
“What’s going on? You’ve been acting strange since I arrived home.”
Matthew leaned against the counter. “I kissed Ashley.”
“You what?”
“Kissed her,” he whispered.
“What did you do that for?”
“It felt right.”
“So does ice cream, but we don’t buy it every week because it’s not good for us.”
Matthew smiled. “Are you comparing the way I kiss to a frozen tub of ice cream?”
Sean picked up the bottle of ketchup. “You’re crazy.”
“Probably, but it doesn’t feel like it.”
“Have you thought about what’s going to happen when she leaves?”
Matthew turned on the dishwasher. “She might change her mind.”
“You’re dreaming. She’ll never come back, not after living in New York.”
“She won’t stay in Bozeman if I don’t tell her how I feel.”
“I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.”
Matthew knew his brother meant well, but Sean over-analyzed everything. “If it doesn’t work, you’ll know you were right.”
The kitchen door swung open. “Is there anything in the kitchen that needs to be washed?” Ashley looked at both brothers.
Matthew handed her two dishtowels. “Do you want to walk across to Nathan and Amy’s house? Catherine called to say she made a cake for dessert.”
Ashley shook her head. “I’ll visit them another day. I have to finish my story.”
Sean’s gaze landed on Matthew. He didn’t need to say what he was thinking.
Matthew could already feel the first nail being driven into his coffin. Showing Ashley how he felt hadn’t made any difference to her decision to leave. The sooner her story was finished, the faster she could leave.
“I’ll go with you to Nathan’s house,” Sean said into the heavy silence filling the room.
Matthew picked up his hat and headed out the back door. He thought Ashley might have considered staying in Bozeman, but he’d forgotten how determined she could be. Nothing would stop her from moving onto bigger and better things. Not even a love-sick cowboy who should have known better.
***
Later that night, Ashley stared at her cell phone. The number in her contact list glowed in the semi-darkness, daring her to tap the screen and talk to her dad.
She hadn’t spoken to him in a long time. After she’d left Bozeman, she focused on her own life, on the career she was desperate to build. Letting the days slip into weeks, then into months before calling him, had been easy. She kept telling herself they were busy people, that they both had lives that didn’t leave a lot of time for each other. But that was baloney.
She’d purposely kept her distance. Her mom had been the glue that stuck their small family together. While she was alive, it was easy to overlook her dad’s black and white view on life. In his eyes, you worked hard, earned a good income, and gave back to the community.
You didn’t run off to a city thousands of miles away and follow a dream. That would only lead to disaster, and that’s how her father saw her life—one big disaster after another.
“Are you memorizing those numbers or calling someone?”
Ashley’s eyes connected with Matthew’s. “I thought I’d talk to dad.”
Matthew didn’t say anything. He knew her relationship with her father could only be described as rocky, at best.
She left her phone on the porch and looked at the stars. “Do you remember the time you took me stargazing at Big Sky?”
He sat beside her. “You brought a book from the library on constellations. We must have sat outside for hours, peering at the sky.”
Instead of being a happy memory, Ashley felt the weight of what had come next. A few weeks later, she’d left Bozeman and hadn’t come back. Until now.
Matthew pointed to the stars. “There’s the Big Dipper.”
“And Sagittarius.” She tried to remember the names of more constellations. But the only thing she remembered was the incredible loneliness she’d felt each time she’d done the same thing in New York.
Matthew broke the silence between them. “I’ll go inside if you want to call your dad.”
Ashley shook her head. “I’d appreciate you staying. It could be a quick conversation. I haven’t spoken to him in so long that he’s probably forgotten who I am.”
Her attempt to lighten the mood didn’t work. An awareness she’d never felt with anyone else made her feel even more uncomfortable. It was almost as if she was twenty-three years old again, staring at the stars and imagining the rest of her life without Matthew.
“Why did you do it, Ashley? Why did you leave so suddenly?”
She looked down at her hands. “I’d been thinking about leaving Bozeman for a long time. While I was working at the Chronicle, I applied for a junior position at two newspapers in New York. I didn’t think I’d be offered either job, but The Daily Times interviewed me. They wanted someone who could start straight away.”
In a cruel twist of fate, her first day of work had been on Matthew’s birthday. She’d said goodbye to him the week before, knowing she may have turned her back on the most important person in her life.
Matthew shifted on the wooden stair. “After you left, your dad called me a few times.”
“He did?”
“He wanted to know if I’d heard from you.”
Ashley bit her bottom lip. “I only called him a few times.”
“At least you talked to him.” The bitterness in Matthew’s voice was thick with unspoken memories.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I thought it would be easier if I made a clean break.”
“And now you’re back.”
“For now,” she said quietly. She picked up her phone. “Do you think dad will talk to me?”
“He’s your father.”
Matthew’s gentle words didn’t do anything to reassure her.
“You won’t know until you call him.”
She stared at her dad’s phone number, remembering the last time they’d spoken. It had been at his wedding. Instead of helping to heal their relationship, it had left an even deeper chasm between them. But if she didn’t call him she wouldn’t know if he was okay. She needed to warn him about the article she was writing, the chaos that could follow.
Before she changed her mind, she tapped the green call button beside her dad’s name. The phone kept ringing. “I don’t think he’s home.”
“What’s the time in San Francisco?”
“Eight-thirty at night.” She lowered the phone. “I’ll try again tomorrow—”
“Hello?”
She nearly dropped the phone. With a shaking hand, she raised it to her ear, trying to breathe through her pounding heart. “Hi, dad. It’s me.”
&nb
sp; “Ashley?”
Her gaze landed on Matthew. He slowly nodded and she took a deep breath. “I’m sorry it’s been so long between calls.”
Even though they were thousands of miles apart, Ashley could feel the tension build between them. She rubbed her forehead, focusing on what she needed to tell him. She didn’t want their first conversation in two years to end in disaster.
“I’m in Bozeman, on the Gray ranch.”
“What are you doing there?”
This was the part she didn’t want to explain. Her dad would say she’d been impulsive, putting her career before her safety. The truth was a lot worse. She’d made everyone’s life unsafe.
“I’m writing a story about a congressman who may have defrauded a nonprofit organization for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Someone was following me and broke into my apartment. For now, I’m safer here.”
“Ashley.” Her name left his lips on a sigh. “You should come to San Francisco. Trisha and I can look after you.”
She’d expected him to tell her, ‘I told you so,’ but his softly spoken words surprised her. “I didn’t know whether you’d want me there.”
“Wherever I am, you have a home. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. No one’s found me here. You need to be careful. Other reporters might contact you if the story is published.”
“What do you mean, if?”
“The Daily Times won’t run the story unless their legal team is happy with the evidence I’ve found. I’ll finish writing the story by tomorrow afternoon. Once I’ve sent it to my editor, he’ll send it through to the legal team with all my notes.”
“When will you fly back to New York?”
Ashley glanced at Matthew. “I’m not sure, but it will probably be soon.”
“Promise me you’ll stay until the story is published. Hopefully, by the time you get back, most of the initial reaction would have died down.”
She didn’t want her dad to worry. Telling him the story could lead to a prison sentence for anyone found guilty of fraud would only make him more determined to have her stay with him. “I’ll talk to my editor and see what he says.”
“Make sure you do.” Her dad’s gruff voice cut through the evening air. “I’m glad you called.”
“So am I.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow night.”
Ashley sighed. “Okay. Say hi to Trisha for me.”
Her dad didn’t say anything for a moment. “I will. Take care.”
She left her phone on the porch and took a deep breath.
“How do you feel?” Matthew asked.
“As if I’m about to leap off the biggest cliff I’ve ever seen.”
“It could be worse.”
“I don’t see how.”
“You might still be in New York.”
As much as she didn’t want to agree with Matthew, he was right. If she’d been in New York, she would have been terrified. She just hoped Bonnie and Harry were safe.
***
Early the next day, Ashley drove into Tess and Logan’s front yard. She had a list of things to do, and this was the first.
Visiting Logan at the local news office was out of the question, so he’d invited her to his home.
While she was completing her internship at the Chronicle, Logan had been her main go-to person. She was in awe of what he had achieved during his career. He was an ex-war correspondent, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and a really nice person. If she was going to ask anyone for advice, he was the best person she knew.
The front door opened and Logan appeared on the porch. “Good morning. I thought I heard someone come up the driveway.”
Ashley smiled. She hadn’t seen him in three years, but it felt as though it was only a few months since she’d said goodbye. He still had the same boyish grin, the same dark brown eyes that missed nothing.
“Thanks for seeing me so early in the morning.”
He opened his arms and gave her a hug. “You’ve gone soft while you’ve been away. It’s eight o’clock. I’ve already been for a run and had breakfast with Tess at her café.”
“That’s because she makes the best pancakes in Montana.”
“It was one of the reasons I married her. Come inside and show me what you’ve written.”
Ashley picked up her backpack and followed Logan. “I brought copies of Congressman Welsh’s bank accounts and some other reports. I don’t know how Jason did it, but I’m sure we have enough evidence to run the story.”
“Fletcher Security knows what they’re doing.” Logan pulled out a chair from the dining table. “Sit here. I’ll get my glasses from the living room.”
While Logan was gone, she pulled the documents out of their folders.
“Looks like you’re setting up an emergency command center.”
She handed him the first set of papers. “Some days it feels like it. This is my article. I thought it would be easier if you had a paper copy to read. The other papers are copies of the evidence we’ve collected. Jason has the original documents.”
Logan sat at the table and started reading. Every now and then he’d look at her, clarify a point she’d made, then go back to the article. It was nerve-wracking knowing that one of the best investigative journalists in the country was critiquing her work.
When he’d finished, he left the sheets of paper on the table and peered at the data she’d accumulated.
Ashley handed him a copy of the accountability report The Reaching High Foundation had submitted to the Department of Health and Human Services.
“Looks legitimate enough.”
“That’s what I thought, too. Here’s the Foundation’s annual report and project report.”
Logan’s eyebrows rose. “The project report must have been hard to find.”
“My friend Bonnie spoke to someone who works at The Reaching High Foundation. She sent her the information.”
Logan spread out the papers. “They look as though they’ve done everything they said they would.”
Ashley handed him some photos of the Foundation’s learning center. “Half the computers are missing, the rock climbing wall isn’t finished, and the kitchen doesn’t have most of the items they supposedly bought.”
“And you think Congressman Welsh invoiced the Foundation for work they never completed?”
“That’s right.”
Logan pulled the papers closer and kept reading. “You’ve done well. This is a great story, but Congressman Welsh won’t be happy and neither will Jasmine Alfredo.”
“That’s why I wanted to show you everything before I sent it to my editor. Do you think I’ve missed anything?”
He rubbed his hand along his jaw. “Knowing exactly what the missing money was used for would help. At this stage, you’ve assumed it was used to pay for his mayoral election campaign.”
“Once we have a final report from the police, we’ll know exactly where the money went. Until then, I’ve taken an educated guess.”
“Educated guesses will land you in prison.”
Ashley swallowed. “I know.”
“When will you know what the search warrants uncovered?”
“Jason thought we should have some information by the end of the day.”
Logan nodded. “That’s good. You’ll be able to make any adjustments to the story before it’s published. Have you written any follow-up stories?”
“I wrote an article about the history of The Reaching High Foundation and another on Congressman Welsh’s involvement in different charities.”
“What about his family?”
Ashley looked at the papers. “I’m not going there. They shouldn’t be dragged down with him.”
“If you don’t tell their side of the story, someone else will.”
“Bonnie spoke to the congressman’s brother-in-law. He didn’t know he was listed as the owner of one of the fake companies. And if he didn’t know, then I doubt the rest of the congressman’s family knew what was happeni
ng.”
“Find out. Write a story.”
“They won’t talk to me over the phone. I’ll have to speak to them in person.”
Logan gathered the papers. “What’s stopping you?”
Ashley pulled out the empty folders she’d left in her backpack. “It’s complicated.”
“Most things are. But if you really want this story to work for you, you need to keep it on the front page. Write about the congressman’s life outside of politics. Everyone will want to know who he is. Follow the story as the police become involved. Interview the person in charge of the case. A no comment can have the same impact as a full debrief.”
She slid the documents into their folders. “I haven’t told anyone, but I’m flying back to New York tomorrow afternoon.”
“I’m surprised you’ve stayed this long. Stories like this don’t happen every day.”
“I know.” After waiting for her big break, she should be jumping for joy. This was her chance to show everyone how far she’d come. But with that excitement came a huge reality check. Jasmine Alfredo had done so much for children and their families. If she had anything to do with the missing money, she would be pulled into the mud surrounding Congressman’s Welsh’s life. Everything she did would be scrutinized and every small detail would be shared with the world.
The next few months could be the worst of everyone’s life. All Ashley had to work out was how much she wanted to exploit the downfall of a wealthy congressman and the woman he could have used for his own financial gain.
Ashley pointed to the article. “Would you print this story?”
“If it were my call, I’d publish it in tomorrow’s newspaper. If you ever want a job at the Chronicle, give me a call. We don’t have crooked congressmen, but there’s enough drama to keep you busy.”
“Thanks, Logan, but I won’t be coming back.”
He handed Ashley one of the reports. “I never thought I’d live here either, but Montana grows on you. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else now. You can make a difference wherever you decide to call home.”
Ashley blinked back her tears. “It’s not that easy.”
“The best things usually aren’t.” He followed her out of the house. “Will you have time to see Tess before you leave?”
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