“You may find some things in Harper haven’t changed,” he laughed. “You’ll get plenty of respect, don’t worry, but they may refer to you as a secretary. They don’t mean anything bad by it.”
She shrugged. “I guess it doesn’t matter what they call me. I won’t be there very long.”
Evan sighed. The only thing this woman wanted was her life back. “Ka—, Presley, it could be months before we convene a Grand Jury, maybe years before he comes to trial. He’s got a phalanx of lawyers that will delay as long as they can until witnesses have hazy memories or—” He broke off abruptly.
She rolled her eyes. “Or disappear? Or end up dead? That’s what he’s counting on, right?”
“We’re not going to let him get to you. You’ll be safe in Harper with Seth. All you have to do is sit tight while we build a case against him. Once he’s behind bars and all his assets seized he won’t have any power to hurt you. No one will do his dirty work for him if he can’t pay them.”
“That’s the truth,” she snorted. “He employed a bunch of vultures who were only out for themselves. His friends weren’t much different.” She turned and looked out the window. “Is my sister okay? I feel badly that she has a funeral to arrange for a body that doesn’t really exist. I still wish you’d let me call her.”
That was the last thing Evan was going to allow. His investigation had found Presley’s sister, Nora, to be one cold-hearted bitch, living off her dead father’s and ex-husband’s money. A rather plain woman, she didn’t appear to be as fond of Presley as Presley was of her, although she was putting on a good show of grief for her society friends.
“Your sister is fine. I’m going out on a limb here and guessing your sister is always fine.”
She turned back, her mouth drooping. “Yes, Nora’s that kind of person. Always fine. She’ll move on without me pretty quickly.”
It appeared she already had but this wasn’t the time for telling Presley that. The plane was starting to descend and the Fasten Seat Belt light came on. They would be landing in a few minutes.
He leaned forward and patted her hand, knowing she wouldn’t believe what he was about to say. “We’re almost there. Time for your new life. Just think, a brand new start. Lots of people would love to trade places with you.”
* * * * *
Evan was only doing his job, but she had to resist the urge to kick him in the shin. He’d been so nice to her this far that she didn’t have the heart to tell him he was full of shit. She’d happily change places with anyone who wanted a brand new start. She’d loved her old life.
Okay, maybe loved was a strong word, but she’d liked it. She might not have made all the best decisions but she’d done her best. She’d had a good job.
Scratch that. My boss is a criminal.
She’d had friends and family.
Her sister had been a little cold, but she did have a few good friends. They would probably be sad when they learned she was dead. Her neighbor would probably be sad, too. She picked up the mail for her elderly neighbor, Mrs. Sanborn, every day. Mrs. Sanborn was eighty-five and her children never visited her. She couldn’t get around well so Katie, no, Presley, tried to help out when she could. She needed to start thinking of herself as Presley, not Katie.
The plane landed with a few bumps and then smoothly taxied down a deserted landing strip. Presley peered out the window and saw nothing but darkness. Not one building, or other planes to break up the blackness outside.
The door to the aircraft opened and a bone-chilling blast of cold blew into the cabin.
“Holy shit, that’s cold! It’s fucking October!” She grabbed the jacket they’d purchased for her, but it wasn’t much protection from the biting wind.
Evan chuckled. “October is winter in Montana. That’s why we bought you warm clothes. As warm as we could find in Florida, anyway. I warned Seth you’d need a few things. Hopefully he brought you a real winter coat.”
As they descended the stairs, Evan led her toward an oversized truck with big tires. Presley dragged her feet. As crappy as the last twenty-four hours had been, at least she’d been in Tampa, her hometown. Now she was in a strange place with a strange man who was supposed to protect her.
Evan guided her towards the man standing by the truck. She didn’t know much about cars and trucks, but it looked powerful, its tires massive. The wind easily penetrated her thin jacket so by the time they reached him, Presley was blue from the cold, her teeth chattering.
Evan grinned and shook the man’s hand. “Good to see you, Seth. Thanks for doing this. This young woman is Presley. Presley, this is Sheriff Seth Reilly. He’s going to take over from here, okay?”
He phrased it as a question but it wasn’t really a question. He wasn’t asking permission. Evan was going to get back on the plane and it was going to turn around and head back to Florida, or maybe someplace else. He was dumping her here. Evan was the only familiar person in her life now and she didn’t want to see him go.
He patted her shoulder. “We’ll be checking on you.” Evan leaned forward to look into her eyes. “You’re going to be okay, Presley. I promise.”
She nodded mutely. She didn’t know what to say. If she spoke, she’d beg him not to leave her here, but she knew she couldn’t do that.
The Sheriff held up a long coat he’d had draped over his arm. “It looks like you need this.”
“Thank you,” she croaked, reaching gratefully for its warmth. “I’m freezing.”
She didn’t even bother to take off the thin jacket she was wearing. She simply pulled the long wool coat over it buttoning it up with relief. She shoved her hands in the pockets and found leather gloves, which she quickly pulled on her cold fingers.
Evan nodded in approval. “Glad you didn’t forget. Presley’s from a southern state.”
The sheriff’s eyes appraised her head to toe, not giving away his thoughts, before turning back to Evan. “I’ll take it from here. Next time you come, stay for awhile and I’ll buy the first round.”
Evan slapped him on the back. “I’ll hold you to that.” He turned to Presley and handed her the carry-on. “Take care. Do what Seth says and you’ll be safe.”
She didn’t even have time to answer before he was hurrying back to the plane, pulling his phone out of his pocket as he left.
She was alone in the middle of Montana with a man she didn’t know. And it was freezing.
“I’ll get your bags.” He strode toward the large suitcase the flight crew had placed on the runway. He lifted it effortlessly, despite the fact she’d shoved her entire new wardrobe in that bag. He came back and stopped in front of her.
He didn’t say anything else, just reached for the shoulder strap of her carry-on and slid it off her arm, turning toward the vehicle. She followed reluctantly, maneuvering around him to the passenger seat, but he was quicker and opened the door for her, offering a hand up. She murmured her thanks as he stowed her bags in the back seat, then swung into the driver’s side of the truck.
“Thank you for getting my luggage. It’s cold out there.”
He started the truck and they pulled away smoothly heading down a dark, deserted road. She studied his profile as slyly as she could, admiring the square jaw and classical bone structure.
“Your welcome. This valley gets some bitter winds in the winter,” he said.
She couldn’t really see anything out of the windows. It was too dark but at least the cab of the truck was toasty warm. She was almost lulled into relaxing when something darted in front of the headlights and he had to slam on the brakes and swerve to miss it. His arm flung out in front of her despite the fact she was wearing a seatbelt.
“Fuck! Shit! Are you okay? That was a coyote that ran in front of us.”
“I’m okay. Is the coyote all right?”
“He’s fine. We didn’t hit him.” He grimaced. “Shit, I didn’t mean to say fuck. I mean, I didn’t mean to say shit. Aw hell, my daddy’s going to kick my ass if he finds out I
swore in front of a lady I just met.”
That made her smile. It also made him more human. “Your secret is safe with me. I think my virgin ears can stand a few cuss words. I might use a few of my own every now and then.”
“Virgin ears?” Seth laughed. “I haven’t been with a virgin since high school.”
“You’re not with one now,” she retorted. “That honor has come and gone. I was a freshman in high school. Billy Sanders, was the grandson of my church pastor.”
“That’s young. I mean, for a girl that seems young.”
“How old were you?”
“Sixteen.” Seth’s grin spread a mile wide. He must be imagining that night. “Sixteen, in the back of my old man’s Chevy four by four. Damn, those were the days. I have sweet memories of that night. That night and Sheryl Albright.”
“I have fond memories, too. Billy eventually went into the clergy himself.”
Seth glanced at her with a frown before turning his eyes back to the road.
“I’ve heard a girl’s first time isn’t usually very good.”
She shrugged. “It wasn’t bad. I thought it was exciting.”
Seth smiled again. “Damn, girl. You got me talking about sex and we just met. How did you do that?”
She laughed and looked out the window, the scenery passing in a gray and black blur. “My mother once said I could have a meaningful conversation with a place mat. Total strangers tell me their life stories in line at the grocery store. It’s a curse, I guess.”
“Seems to me it would come in handy. We went from barely speaking to each other to talking like friends in nothing flat.”
She looked back at him. “It’s a curse. Trust me on this one.”
The start of all her problems was being someone anyone could talk to. That’s what Randall had said. He could talk to her about anything. This trip to Montana was the culmination of one bad decision after another, starting with Randall Simon.
“Evan asked me to get you a place to live and I’ve fixed up the apartment above the sheriff station. The apartment is in the center of town so you won’t need a car. It’s small but you can always move elsewhere later if you like, as long as I think the new location is safe.” He slid her a sidelong glance. “I was hoping you could start work the day after tomorrow, but we can wait a few more days if you like. I’m between secretaries at the moment.”
Fatigue and depression were starting to creep over Presley. She shrugged.
“I can start in the morning, if you want.”
He looked surprised. “Are you sure? Don’t you want to unpack and rest? How long have you been traveling? You’re probably tired.”
She hadn’t slept more than thirty minutes at a stretch in the last twenty-four hours. “We left about ten last night, while it was dark. I haven’t exactly been sleeping very well since this all blew up, so to speak. I might as well be productive.”
“I imagine it’s been tough.” He never took his eyes off the road.
“Tough? I’m looking at tough in the rear view mirror. My car was blown up, and my house was set on fire, destroying everything I own.” Her voice cracked. “A few hours ago I had a different name. I’ve been given a new driver’s license, check book, credit cards, and past. They actually went to the trouble to create a past for me. I grew up in Wheaton, Illinois. I’ve never fucking been to Wheaton, Illinois. I had to practice talking about myself on the flight here.”
Her eyes started to brim with tears and she fought to keep them from falling. She’d always hated women who cried and whined. Crying and whining wasn’t going to change any of this.
Seth pulled the truck over on the shoulder and handed her a handkerchief.
“It’s going to be okay. You’ll like Harper. Nice people, nice town. I’ll try not to be an ogre of a boss.”
He gave her a lopsided smile. He really was a handsome man. Even in the dim light, she could see he had a square jaw and a nice smile. She swiped at her wet cheeks, sniffling.
“I’m sure you’ll be a good boss. You’re a nice man. You must come from good parents.”
“You’ll meet them eventually. You’ll meet everyone in Harper. You won’t be able to help it.”
“Please don’t take this wrong, but I just want to go home. I just want to testify and get my life back.” She didn’t want him to take it personally. Wanting to go home had nothing to do with him. “None of this is your problem,” she said briskly, handing him his handkerchief back. “It’s my problem and I need to deal with it. I don’t have any choice.”
He started the truck and pulled it back onto the road. “That’s where you’re wrong. My job is to make sure you stay safe. I can’t help you get back to wherever it is that you come from, but I can protect you while you’re here.”
“Florida.”
“Huh?”
“I’m from Florida.”
Seth burst into laughter. “That explains why you didn’t have a coat and they couldn’t find you one. I thought that was strange. By the way, it’s okay if you tell me about your past, but don’t mention it to anyone else. I’m sure Evan told you secrets are a good thing in this situation.”
“He did. I won’t say anything.” She sighed. “It was eighty-five degrees yesterday.”
Seth grinned with delight. “It got into the fifties yesterday, and down below freezing last night.”
Presley shivered. “Yeah, I felt it when I got off the airplane. How do you stand it?”
“You’ll see in the morning. The beauty of this area will take your breath away. You look at something that amazing and you don’t care what the temperature is.”
She wasn’t sure she would ever be able to ignore the temperature but decided to keep her thoughts to herself. He sounded like he really believed what he said.
“Are we almost there?”
She needed to get out of this truck and find a place to curl up in the fetal position for a few hours. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat enjoying his warm scent, a mixture of something woodsy and something warm, reminding her of a roaring fire and a soft, flannel blanket. She wanted to curl up on his lap and draw comfort from that warmth and his innate strength. She mentally slapped herself. Men couldn’t be trusted to provide comfort and care, only sex and heartache. If she hadn’t known it before Randall, and she should have, she knew it now.
“About another forty-five minutes. We chose an out of the way airstrip that’s rarely used. You can close your eyes if you like, maybe catch a nap.”
She wouldn’t sleep but closed her eyes, slumping against the window. She wouldn’t need to talk to him if she pretended to be asleep. She didn’t want to talk about things any more. It only made her depressed and she wasn’t the type to be depressed.
No matter how depressing reality actually was. She would keep thinking about going home. Keeping the thought would get her through this.
She wanted her life back. She only needed to figure out how to make it happen.
Chapter Three
“Pass the butter, son.” George Reilly, Seth’s father, and the patriarch of the Reilly family, held out his hand. Seth passed the dish and looked back down at his plate. He didn’t really want to talk about his upcoming day, as was the norm at breakfast time. The fact was he didn’t really know how he felt about the woman he had vowed to protect.
She was more beautiful than he’d expected, and definitely younger. Evan hadn’t described her at all, but for some reason he’d pictured her differently. Perhaps older and more cynical. She’d worked for a billionaire financier for the last six months, after all. Seth had been shocked to find her quite young and astonishingly pretty, with her long wavy brown hair and her golden brown eyes. Her complexion was clear and creamy with a touch of gold, probably from the Florida sun. He hadn’t been able to discern if her figure was as attractive as her face in the large coat she wore, but from what he could see she looked tiny and delicate.
Or maybe she looked delicate because he could remember how sad she’d
looked with tears running down her face, making a mess of her mascara.
He’d also been surprised by how easy she was to talk to. He’d always had trouble making casual conversation with strangers, but she had him talking right out of the gate.
“You’re quiet this morning. Rough day ahead? Setting up a speed trap or something?” Seth’s brother, Jason, grinned at his own joke and shoveled more pancakes into his mouth. His pretty wife, Sarah, elbowed him in frustration. “Will you please chew your food? You know you get indigestion if you eat too fast.”
Jason paused to give his wife a loving look. Seth came from a long line of love. His grandparents, now retired in Arizona, had been married more than sixty years. His parents had been married for over forty years. Jason was married to his high school sweetheart, Sarah, with a baby on the way. His older brother, Sam, was married to Cindy, the girl from the ranch down the road. When Cindy had shown up at the local watering hole with another cowboy, Sam had quickly dispatched the other man and closed the deal. Two months later they were married and seven months later they had a beautiful baby girl, Amie. Sam had recently built a new house on the family ranch so he and Cindy didn’t always come to eat at the ‘big house.’ Seth and his brother also had their own homes, but Seth found it easier to eat with his parents. It wasn’t worth it to cook for only one person.
Seth was thirty-five years old and he’d never been in love. Not really. He’d felt lust and even care, but never love. He was pretty sure no one had ever been in love with him either, which made him wonder whether he was lovable at all. Maybe he lacked something his brothers, and other people, had. His girlfriend, Eliza, often told him he could be remote and controlling. He knew she was right but he also knew without control and order there was nothing but chaos. No one knew better than he what tragedy it could bring.
“Nothing special today,” Seth answered. He might as well tell them. They’d find out eventually. There weren’t many secrets in a small town. “I hired a new secretary.”
Cowboy Command Page 3