by Jo McNally
Matt threw his hands up. “We don’t have a plan B! And the snowmaking machines arrive next week.”
Bryce put his arm over his brother’s shoulder and turned him away from Jillie.
“Then I guess we’d better come up with a plan B...after your temper cools, bro. I’m the hothead, remember?” Bryce called back to her as he walked away. “Nice to meet you, Jillie Coleman!”
Matt just grunted, glaring over his shoulder at her without saying a word.
That weird prickle of energy swept over her again. An angry man normally sent her running...or even collapsing. There was something about this particular angry man that didn’t frighten her as much as...amuse her.
“Thanks, Bryce,” she called out. “Oh, and good luck with that road problem, Matt!”
Matt opened his mouth, but Bryce gave his brother another firm tug downhill, still laughing loudly.
“You always told me to accept defeat with dignity, big brother, and walk away.”
* * *
“Do you really think this will work?” Matt was pacing inside the Gallant Brew coffee shop on Main Street.
Nora Peyton, the owner of the shop, folded her arms and gave him a pointed stare.
“Not if you stalk around my place like an angry bear. Sit down, Matt.”
“What if she doesn’t show up?” He pulled out a chair in the empty café and threw himself into it.
Nora’s husband, Asher, was leaning against the exposed-brick wall that ran the length of the place. He owned a furniture-making shop next door, but both businesses were closed right now. This top-secret meeting had been set up by the Peytons after Matt had followed the police chief’s advice and reached out to local business owners. After a few shared glasses of bourbon with Asher in his shop a few nights ago, Matt had agreed to meet Jillie Coleman in a so-called neutral setting. He knew the woman was nervous, but this amount of precaution seemed excessive.
Asher pushed off the wall, walking over to his petite wife and scooping her up for a quick but intense kiss before answering Matt.
“Relax, man. Try to remember you need her, not the other way around.”
Matt nodded, pressing his lips into a tight line. “Trust me, I know how much I need her. I’ve pushed the work back as much as I can afford to. We’ve already had a couple snow flurries. If we get any real snow, I’ll never be able to get the work done.” He blew out a long breath and stretched, doing his best to get the tension out of his shoulders. “Ironic, right? I need snow, but not until we’re ready for it. And Jillie Coleman is the key to everything.” He gave Nora a reassuring smile. She’d been eyeing him with a healthy dose of suspicion all night. “I’m not an ax murderer. I’m not going to stalk the woman or...”
He sucked in a sharp breath, feeling a lightning bolt of clarity. Maybe it was all the worry about the lodge and his brother that made his brain so slow to catch on before now. Jillie’s jumpiness. The shadow of caution that was always there in her eyes, even when she was joking with Bryce. Her refusal to meet with Matt at her home or at the lodge. She’d insisted on this happening somewhere familiar to her. Where her friends could be present for support. For protection. A chill wormed its way through his veins, and he turned to Asher.
“Something happened to her.”
It wasn’t a question. No wonder the police chief had been so proactive in warning him and his brother away from her. It wasn’t because she was a prima donna. It was because she was a victim. The carefully blank looks Asher and Nora gave him confirmed it. “Someone hurt her. That’s why she’s so isolated. So careful. What happened?”
They shook their heads in unison, and Asher replied. “Not our story.”
Nora added, “And not your business.” She hesitated, and her voice softened. “Jillie is one of the smartest and strongest people I know.”
Matt slumped against the back of the chair. He’d been looking at this all wrong. Jillie Coleman wasn’t flighty and irresponsible. She was doing what she thought she had to. He looked up at Nora.
“But she needs to feel safe.” Another hesitation, then she nodded. Her expression was less adversarial toward him. He turned the handle on his mug of coffee back and forth, watching the murky black liquid swirl inside. A lot like his feelings right now. Before he could ask any of the many questions he had, the back door opened. Mackenzie Adams from the liquor store came in, followed by Jillie.
The two women were quite a contrast. Mack was a tall, buxom blonde with a quick smile and, he’d learned, an equally quick wit. Jillie was petite, with softer curves and dark, straight hair. That hair was loose tonight, swept back off her shoulders to fall like satin down her back. Her eyes swept the interior of the café, and Matt realized why Nora sat him in the corner, against the wall. With Jillie coming in the back, it gave her plenty of space, and she had multiple escape routes. She could be out the front or back doors in a flash. The setup must have met with her approval, and she walked over after nodding at Nora’s offer of a cup of tea.
She pulled out a chair and sat. Everything in her body language screamed she didn’t want to be there. Her shoulders were high and tight. He could see the cords in her neck, tense and taut. Her jaw moved back and forth like a saw blade. His mind spun, trying to think of the best approach to put her at ease. Not to get what he wanted, but to make her feel safe. That was suddenly, and inexplicably, his top priority at the moment. In a normal business meeting, he’d be leaning forward and making firm eye contact, but that felt like a mistake. He could hear Bryce saying this isn’t the way. So he made himself stay slumped back against his chair. Made sure his shoulders stayed relaxed. Kept turning his coffee mug. He gave her a quick glance of acknowledgment, then spoke to the mug.
“I’ve gotten us off to a really bad start, Jillie, and I’m sorry. I want you to know that I’m not here to try to talk you into anything.” He looked over her shoulder to Asher, Nora and Mack. Jillie’s guardians. He gave them a smile. “I appreciate your friends coming up with this idea to meet in neutral territory, but I want you to understand that all territory is neutral for us. This isn’t a battle. We’re not enemies. And I’ll abide by any decision you make.”
Sure, it would cost extra to get equipment up the mountain without the road, but it wasn’t the budget breaker he’d been making it out to be. It would eat into his “unexpected expenses” fund, but that was what the fund was there for. After all these years of flipping properties, he’d learned there was always something. And the ski resort’s something was the quiet brunette sitting in front of him. Her friend squad glanced at each other in surprise. Nora beamed at him like a proud mama hen.
Jillie considered his words, then gave him a level look. “I appreciate you saying that, but...I don’t think you’re going to change my mind.” She gave Nora a quick smile of thanks when she delivered her cup of tea. “I value my peace and quiet.”
Matt’s hand curled into a fist against his thigh. He hated the thought that someone had hurt her enough to send her into seclusion. But he had to at least make his proposal, since that was the whole reason behind the meeting. He had a feeling she wasn’t a woman who wanted pity. He cleared his throat gently.
“I understand you work from home and don’t want to be disrupted.” He wondered what kind of work she did. “What if I limit the hours the contractors use the road? I promise you they will not set foot off the road. They’ll head right to the mountaintop without stopping on your property.” He could see the slightest softening in her posture. She was considering it. He pressed on, careful not to sound too confident. “Is there a time of day that would be easier for you to have the trucks there? What if I had them go up between nine and ten, and then come back down between three and four? I could ask them to take everything they need in one trip up...but it might be multiple vehicles at once. Then just one trip down. Would that work? I’d pay you a lease, of course.”
He threw that in
, but Matt had a feeling money wasn’t the issue. Not only because she hadn’t responded before to his offers to pay her. He’d seen enough of the après-ski crowd to know expensive clothing and jewelry when he saw it. Her sweater and slacks were casual, but they looked like...money. She wasn’t wearing much jewelry, just a simple necklace and earrings. A chunky ring with a dark red unpolished stone. None of it was costume jewelry.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” she started, glancing over at her friends, “but...how long a time are we talking? Days? Weeks?”
Matt kept his voice steady, trying not to sound eager or pushy. “Weeks. Three or four at most. I’ll make the crews work around you.” He thought about Dan warning him not to show up uninvited. She didn’t like surprises. “I can text you every day when they’re headed up, and again when they’re coming back down. No surprises.”
Silence hung in the room like fog. He couldn’t see through it. Couldn’t determine if it was in his favor or not. Jillie sipped her tea before nodding.
“I suppose that could work.” She paused. “I know the ski lodge could help local businesses this winter if it’s successful, and I don’t want to stand in the way of that.” She looked up at him through long, curved lashes. “I want you to donate any lease money you would have paid me to the commerce committee in Gallant Lake. They’re helping businesses that were hit hardest by the pandemic.”
“I’d be glad to.” His words raced. “And this is only temporary, Jillie. Just until we can get another road built on the other side of the main slope next spring. I won’t lie—it’ll be busy for a month or so. We have to install new snowmakers and fix the old lift...”
Her eyebrows lifted and she smiled.
“Are you trying to talk me out of this?”
He huffed out a laugh. “God, no. But I want to be up front with you.”
She looked into his eyes, then pulled up the small purse she’d hung on the back of the chair. She removed a thick ivory business card with embossed black lettering, sliding it across the table. “Here’s my contact information. I’m trusting you to keep this confidential.”
“Keep the agreement confidential?” He frowned in confusion.
“My personal information. Our mutual friends seem to think you’re reliable, even though they just met you.”
Their mutual friends seemed stunned at what had happened. They looked at each other, then back to Matt and Jillie. Mack was the first to speak up. “Just so you know, my husband is the one who trusted you first, and it would be a really bad idea to disappoint the police chief.”
“I would never,” he assured them before turning back to Jillie. “You can all trust me.”
He put his fingers on the card but could see she was still tense. He waited until she nodded her head in approval before picking up the card. It was rich-looking, but simple. Her name. Her address. A phone number. An email address that was clearly a shadow account—WatcherMtWatcher at Inmail.
He handed her one of his own thin and slightly smudged business cards. “Sorry, I’m using ones I printed at home for now. I ordered some real cards for the ski lodge the other day.”
Her lips went thin and tight as she looked at it. Her voice dropped so low she was almost talking to herself. “The ski lodge next door.”
“Neighbors, Jillie.” He extended his hand across the table. “Maybe friends?”
She stared, then accepted his hand and shook it before quickly releasing it. Behind her, Mack and Nora were both wide-eyed. Her hand was small in his. Warm. Trembling. He missed it as soon as she pulled away. She lifted her chin.
“Let’s leave it at neighbors.” She stood. “But there is no need for us to be uncivil.”
He rose with her but stayed on his side of the table. “Do you want me to call or text when the workers are headed up the mountain?”
“A text will be fine. If I’m writing, I may not answer, but I’ll hear it come in. No need to text twice.” She paused, and he realized that was probably the most sentences she’d strung together at once while talking to him. And she’d revealed something of herself.
“You’re a writer?” That fit with her working at home.
She paled. “Yes.” She opened her mouth as if to say more, then closed it again, turning to Mack. “Are you ready? I need to get back.”
And just like that, she was gone down the back hall without a backward glance. Mack gave him an amused wave and followed. Matt thanked Nora and Asher for keeping the coffee shop open for the detente.
Nora smiled as she locked the front door and started turning out lights. “It went surprisingly well, I thought.”
Asher agreed. “It felt like a declaration of peace. And you got what you wanted.”
As Matt drove back to the rental house he and Bryce shared near the lake, he thought about that. He got what he wanted for the lodge.
But he found himself wanting more. Wanting to know more. About Jillie Coleman.
Chapter Four
The sun rose, looking very much like the literal ball of flame that it was. Sure, it brought warmth and light. But too much of anything was dangerous. Monica rubbed her eyes and sighed. Maybe that Robbie guy in the resistance was right. Maybe she was too skeptical. Look at her—she was suspicious of the sun.
Jillie leaned back in her chair with a satisfied sigh. Even after writing ten books, having a good writing day still felt like a precious gift. She’d stalled out for a while after discovering Matt Danzer in a tree a few weeks ago, but she was beginning to find her writing mojo again. As unhappy as she was at the thought of her mountainside haven being disturbed by a commercial property right next door, the truth was next door was far enough away where it didn’t have to disrupt her routine.
Even with the leaves off the trees, she’d been barely able to see the trucks lumbering up the mountain every morning. Matt had held to his promise, texting her before they headed up and again when they were done for the day. That didn’t mean it had gone smoothly. Whenever they veered off the routine, she’d text Matt to let him know. After all, a deal was a deal. And to be honest, it was kinda fun.
The first few days after they’d started last week were the bumpiest. The workers weren’t on time. Matt forgot to tell her about changes to the schedule. The contractors didn’t always notify Matt when they needed to go back down the mountain for tools or whatever. It led to some testy text conversations between Jillie and Matt.
They’re early...
Okay, I didn’t know...
You’d better know the next time...
Yes, ma’am.
Don’t call me ma’am.
What then? Hey, lady?
Ha ha. Jillie is fine.
Yes, ma’am.
She’d groaned at that. He thought he was some kind of comedian now. The weekend had been quiet, but on Monday someone had driven a pickup truck down the mountain without warning around noontime. She’d texted Matt, and he’d responded tersely that the contractor forgot some tools and would be heading back up again shortly. Jillie had replied that wasn’t part of the agreement, and he’d apologized. Just one word—sorry. She was going to reply with something snarky, then deleted it. It was hard to tell from a text, but she had the feeling he wasn’t in a joking mood.
On Tuesday there was a horrendous screeching sound on the mountain that had jolted her out of her chair and startled Sophie. The sound happened again, and she promptly texted Matt. They hadn’t discussed noise at their little detente summit at Nora’s, but the whole point of the agreement was that she wouldn’t be disturbed. It had taken a while, but Matt had texted back about the noise.
Working on the damn lift. The thing is rusted all to hell.
She’d stared at the words in consternation. He hadn’t addressed the problem.
You said I wouldn’t be interrupted during the day.
His response had been swift.
Our agreement was about using the road. This isn’t about the road. It’ll get quieter.
She’d narrowed her eyes at the screen.
If it doesn’t, I may rethink our agreement.
By the time she’d hit Send, she regretted the tone. She was coming across as a crank.
I’m on it. Ma’am.
She grinned. Playful Matt had returned.
The high-pitched squeal of metal on metal did disappear by the end of the day.
On Wednesday, the issue was more manageable, but Matt’s playfulness had vanished again. The workers forgot to let Matt know they were coming down early, so he wasn’t able to warn her about the vehicles rumbling down the mountain. She’d answered his explanation with a reminder that he’d promised no surprises. His response told her Matt might be regretting their agreement at this point.
Srsly?
There was no doubt he was getting annoyed when she texted on Thursday and asked why only one truck had gone up the mountain that morning. There were usually anywhere from two to four vehicles. Matt’s text had oozed with irritation.
Is that a question? A complaint? Is there some specific number you were expecting?
He was definitely annoyed. And it seemed he was having a bad week. Jillie was really out of practice with this whole negotiate-with-strangers thing. She was bad at it, and had a feeling she was getting on Matt’s last nerve.
It’s a fair question. Just wondering if there will be stragglers going up later.
It took a moment for Matt to respond. That made her smile for some reason. This was becoming a game. She didn’t play games. At least, not until now. She finally saw bubbles wavering on the phone screen.
The work on the lift is done, so that crew is gone. The electricians are the only ones working today and tomorrow.
She could see he was typing something else.