by HELEN HARDT
“No, he wasn’t. It was one of his many aliases.”
“He’s also dead.”
“True enough.”
“So I’m thinking this doesn’t have anything to do with a fake name and the profession of a dead man.”
“I don’t know, Bryce. I can give this to the Spider, and I will, but he’s a hacker. He isn’t a PI.”
“Fuck. We need a PI, don’t we?”
“We do, and I know the best PIs in the business.”
“Mills and Johnson.” I looked at my feet hanging below the rung on the barstool. “But that means…”
“We have to tell them. Everything.”
I woke up the next morning with a nasty stiff neck. Saturday dawned with the sun’s rays streaming into the master suite at the guesthouse, but all I could think about was the pain in my neck—both literal and figurative.
Joe and I hadn’t made a decision yet to involve Mills and Johnson in our dilemma. Neither of us was quite ready to tell them. They were the best, according to Joe, but they were also mercenaries. If someone offered them more than we did for any information on us, they’d probably bite.
So maybe we needed to find another PI—one who couldn’t be bought.
The only problem was, as Joe had told me last night, everyone had his price. Everyone except his sister-in-law, Ruby Lee Steel.
But if we told Ruby…
So that was out of the question.
I had no idea where to even begin to look for a good PI, so Joe had taken that responsibility. My plan, for the time being, was to keep tabs on Ted Morse. Stay in the loop that way.
I walked out to the kitchen where Mom was feeding Henry.
“Da-da,” he said happily.
I smiled. This little guy could always get a smile out of me, even when I was feeling like complete and total crap.
The secret Joe and I were keeping was weighing me down big-time. And then there was…
Marjorie.
Marjorie, whose tears I had caused yesterday. That only heightened my resolve to leave her alone. I had to for myself, but even more so, I had to for her. I wasn’t being fair to her. As usual, I was being a selfish bastard.
No matter what, I had to keep her at a distance.
I couldn’t hurt her. Her pain devastated me.
Today was Saturday, and I was determined to try to take my mind off all the troubles. No better way than spending some quality time with my child.
“How’d you like to go into town with Dad today?” I asked him. “We can go to Gymboree and then get some lunch and ice cream. We can go swing on the playground if it’s warm enough.”
Henry giggled, picked up a Cheerio from his tray, and stuffed it into his mouth.
“I think his tooth is feeling better,” Mom said. “He slept really well last night.”
Yeah, my son was sleeping, and I was out in a bar with Joe.
Something had to change.
“I wonder…”
“What?” my mom asked.
“What if you and Henry took a vacation? Somewhere nice where you could both relax.”
“What? Who would take care of the house? Of you?”
“I’m thirty-eight years old, Mom. I don’t need a caretaker. I’d just feel better if you and Henry were safe somewhere.”
“Safe? From that man who showed up at the house? Ted Morse?”
“No, not Ted. I honestly think he’s harmless. It’s just…”
“What, Bryce? Just what? What aren’t you telling me?”
Problem was, I didn’t know myself. Maybe that was a wrong assumption. Maybe Mom and Henry needed to be right here. Where I could keep an eye on them.
“Never mind. Everything’s fine. I’d miss you both too much anyway.”
That was the truth of the matter. I missed my son now. I’d given my mom basically all the responsibility for him since the shit with my father had gone down. Henry had truly helped heal her, but because of that, he hadn’t helped me heal. Not that it was a one-year-old kid’s duty to heal anyone. That was a hell of a burden to put on a baby.
“Why would you bring that up?” she asked. “I don’t understand.”
“Nothing, Mom. Just forget I said anything.” I pulled Henry out of his high chair. “Let’s go check your diaper, buddy, and then we’ll go out. Just you and me.”
“That will be good for both of you.” Mom smiled. “It will also give me some time to get this house in order.”
I looked around. “This house is immaculate, Mom.”
“It just needs Grandma’s touch, I think. Henry has nothing but white walls in his room.”
“Henry doesn’t know a white wall from Noah’s Ark,” I said. “Don’t bother. He’ll be old enough to choose how he wants his room done soon enough.”
“But it will be fun for me.”
I nodded. “Okay, Mom. Whatever you want.”
I quickly changed Henry and dressed him in some day clothes. Then I took his car seat out of my mother’s car and placed it in the Mustang.
My father’s car.
I so had to get rid of it.
We drove the half hour into town and stopped at the Gymboree playhouse. Henry was too young to do a lot of the activities, so I sat and watched him play in the toddler’s ball pit. It kept him occupied for about forty-five minutes before he started to get fussy.
I picked him up and walked outside so he wouldn’t bother the others, and—
“Ma-ma!” he exclaimed.
God. Marjorie Steel walked toward us dressed to kill in leggings, a tank, and a fleece jacket. She wore cross-trainers on her feet.
She smiled. “Hi there, Henry.”
“Hi,” I said as nonchalantly as I could. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m going to the gym,” she said to Henry in a baby voice. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
Right. The gym was two buildings down.
Henry giggled and clasped his tiny hand around her first two fingers. Her red nails peeked out over his chubby fist.
“Did you go to Gymboree?” she cooed. “Are you having fun?”
“He played in the ball pit but got a little fussy, so we came out here for a few.”
“His tooth again?”
“Probably.”
“Did you bring a teething ring with you?”
I shook my head. I’d brought extra diapers, but other than that, I’d come hopelessly unprepared. That wasn’t like me. I was usually on top of things where Henry was concerned.
“Oh. Well, maybe go get him a frozen banana at the smoothie shop. That might help.”
The woman was a genius. The smoothie shop was next door, between the fitness club and Gymboree. Which meant she’d walk with us.
So much for keeping her at a distance. I’d had no idea she’d be in town this morning, but still… It was becoming increasingly clearer that staying away from Marjorie Steel would be impossible.
I wasn’t sure why I’d thought I’d be able to accomplish it in the first place.
We walked along silently, Henry still clinging to Marj’s hand. Within a minute, we’d reached the smoothie shop.
“See you,” I said.
“Bye, sweetie.” She pulled her fingers out of Henry’s fist.
Nothing to me as she walked toward the gym. I watched her until she disappeared inside the building.
“Ma-ma,” Henry said once more.
Damn.
Chapter Twelve
Marjorie
Mama.
The third time Henry had called me Mama. My heart was at the same time filled with happiness and empty with sadness.
Was I never going to escape from Bryce? It was Saturday. What was he doing in town? He hadn’t spent any quality time with Henry in weeks, and he picked today?
Nothing to be done. I slid my membership card through the entrance and headed toward the ladies’ locker room. A few minutes later, I’d stashed my stuff and made my way to the gym. I checked the class schedule,
but nothing appealed to me. Looked like the elliptical or maybe some free weights. I knew myself. If I started with weights, I wouldn’t do my cardio. That was how much I hated it. So I found an empty machine and got set up.
I programmed what I wanted and then took a drink of my water and set it down. It tipped over and spilled all over the elliptical’s dashboard.
“Here, let me help,” a strange voice said.
I looked up to see a towel. Held by a man.
A very good-looking man.
“Thanks.” I took the towel, wiped up the errant water, and handed it back to him.
“Not a problem.” He held out his hand. “I’m Dominic. Dominic James.”
“Marjorie Steel.” I didn’t take his hand.
“You don’t look like you need to be working out,” he said matter-of-factly. He could have easily sounded like he was coming on to me, but he didn’t. It was an actual compliment.
“Thanks. Neither do you.” No truer words. He was tall and muscular with tan skin and black hair.
“That’s how it stays this way,” he said.
I laughed. “True enough.”
“Mind if I work out next to you?” He indicated the machine to my right that was unoccupied.
Well, heck. Jade had said the gym was a great place to meet men. Apparently, she’d been right.
“It’s a free country.” I smiled.
He placed the already wet towel around his neck and climbed onto the other machine.
I started my workout, and having Dominic next to me turned out to be a godsend. No way was I letting him see how out of shape I was. I kept at it, never succumbing to my desire to stop and go pass out somewhere. I stayed on the elliptical with the program I’d chosen for the full half hour, and to my surprise, I got it done.
I got it done!
I’d forgotten how great a decent workout felt. Though I was breathing rapidly, I could still talk when he asked me where I lived.
“You must be new around here,” I replied. Everyone in Snow Creek knew the Steels.
“Yeah. Just moved here a couple of weeks ago. I’m looking for a house to rent. You know of any?”
I did, actually. Bryce’s house. Bryce and Evelyn had been worried that they wouldn’t be able to rent it to anyone in town because of who his father had turned out to be. Were they even interested in renting it? Or did they want to sell?
I didn’t know.
“I might,” I said. “I’d have to check with the owner first, though. They might want to sell.”
“I could buy if it’s the right property. I just want to get out of the hotel.”
“What do you do?”
“I work here,” he said. “I’m a personal trainer.”
“Oh my God.”
“What?”
“I just worked out next to a personal trainer? I’m a little embarrassed right now.”
“Why? You did great.”
“I haven’t exactly been coming around regularly,” I said.
“I can help you with getting back into shape,” he said, smiling. “Of course, I’m not cheap.”
That wasn’t a problem, though it was clear he had no idea who the Steels were. He must have had his head down the few weeks he’d been in town.
“What do you charge?”
“If you go through the gym, it’s one hundred dollars an hour. But I do take private clients.”
“How can you do that if you work here?”
“I’m an independent contractor. I have a gym membership just like everyone else. I made sure I could still work privately when I took the job.”
“How much for private clients?” I asked.
He smiled. His perfectly straight teeth were a beautiful contrast to his tan skin. “Depends on the client.”
He was going to play coy. I sure was out of practice. I hadn’t dated in a while and not seriously since college.
Then there was Bryce.
Though we’d had panty-melting sex, we’d never actually had a date.
And we never would.
I smiled and touched his forearm lightly. His skin was warm. “For me?”
“How about lunch?”
“Sure. I’d be happy to buy you lunch.”
“No,” he said. “I’m a gentleman. A lady never pays when she goes out with me.”
Damn. “How are you getting paid, then?”
“The company of a beautiful woman, of course.”
Was he for real? I stopped myself from shaking my head.
What the heck? Jade had told me to get out there. To meet someone.
Dominic James was definitely someone.
“Okay. You’ve got yourself a client.”
“Perfect,” he said. “I have another client coming in ten minutes. After our half-hour session, I’ll shower and change, and then it will be lunchtime. Meet me at the front desk at noon?”
“Well, I—”
“Treat yourself to a steam.”
“A half hour in the steam room? I’d be a puddle,” I said. “But I have some lifting to do. I’ll do that, and then I’ll steam and shower. I guess I’ll see you at noon.”
He smiled once more. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Dominic James was even better looking in street clothes. Jeans, a T-shirt, and a black hoodie did a lot for him.
So he wasn’t Bryce Simpson. He wasn’t blond and beautiful.
But he was dark and handsome.
And he was here.
More importantly, he was interested.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey.”
“Since I’m new around here, where’s a good place for lunch?”
“Depends on what you’re in the mood for. Jenny’s is good for typical diner food. Then there’s the Noodle. They serve Asian fusion and ramen. Sushi in the evening. There’s the Bungalow that’s run by Mrs. Pagliacci. She serves amazing pasta and other Italian stuff.”
“They all sound wonderful. I’m sure we’ll sample all of them while we work together. You choose.”
I loved them all, but where was I least likely to run into Bryce? He and Henry could still be downtown. He’d most likely choose the diner, where Henry could have crackers and soup. Next to that, the Noodle. What kid didn’t love noodles?
“Let’s try the Bungalow,” I said.
“Good enough.” He gestured for me to walk ahead of him, and we left the gym.
The Bungalow was a block over, and we made it without running into Bryce and Henry. I was tense the whole way. We were seated quickly, and the server gave us water and menus.
“What do you recommend?”
“Everything’s great. The lasagna is my favorite. She uses a special spice blend in the sausage that I’ve been trying to duplicate for about a decade. I haven’t been successful yet.”
“Are you a chef?”
“Not technically. I’ve taken a few classes, but it’s still mostly a hobby.”
“Ah. I love good food. I think we’re going to get along just fine.” He signaled to the server. “We’ll both have the lasagna. I’ll have an iced tea.” He nodded to me.
“Two,” I said.
“Two lasagnas, two iced teas. Got it.”
Dominic turned to me. “If you’re not a chef, what do you do?”
What did I do indeed? I was a live-in cook and nanny for my brother. That didn’t sound very interesting. Not that I was embarrassed, but this was a first date.
God. A first date.
How long had it been since I’d had a first date?
“Have you heard of Steel Acres Ranch?”
He shook his head.
“I own a quarter of it.”
“Steel. Marjorie Steel.”
“That’s the name.”
“Tell me about your ranch.”
“It’s my brothers’ ranch, really. They do all the work. I’m a silent partner. What I actually want to do is study at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.”
“What’s stopping you?”
/> What wasn’t stopping me? “Family obligations. For now.”
“What type of obligations?”
I took a sip of water and then cleared my throat. “I’m sorry, but we just met. I don’t feel comfortable…”
“Telling me your family history?”
“Something like that.”
“No problem. What do you want to know about me? I’m an open book.”
“Where are you from?”
He laughed. “A tiny town in Iowa called Horse Fork. I’m not even kidding.”
“Well, Snow Creek isn’t exactly a thriving metropolis.”
“That’s why I’m here. I spent the last several years in California, but I like the small-town life. I like a place where everyone knows everyone and you feel safe leaving your doors unlocked.”
“How did you learn about Snow Creek?”
“A fluke, actually. I was looking for a job as a trainer, and I focused on fitness centers in rural towns. I got several offers, and I chose here because Colorado is such a beautiful place to live.”
I nodded. “It is. There’s nothing like it. California can have its beaches. I’ll take our mountains any day.”
“I’m ready to experience four seasons again.”
The server brought our iced teas, and I took a long sip. I was thirsty after the steam, and it also gave me something to do with my hands, which suddenly seemed overly big and gawky.
“Where did you study?” I asked.
“I did my undergrad and master’s at UCLA. You?”
“University of Denver. I majored in Journalism, and I did a little work for the local paper here, but cooking is my first love.”
“Why not go straight to culinary school then?”
“My father. He was adamant I go to a four-year program. All three of my brothers had, and I felt I owed it to him.”
“Owed it to him?”
I cleared my throat. “Yeah. He died right after I graduated high school.”
I hadn’t meant to lie. Until recently, that had been the truth as I knew it. My father had faked his own death after I turned eighteen, and I’d done the university thing because it was what he’d wanted.
No other reason, but I was glad I’d gone. I’d met Jade there.
“I’m sorry.”