Mountain's Captive

by Michelle M. Pillow

  “Oh, no.” Devon started to laugh despite her concern. “Chloe, that’s not right.”

  “What?” Chloe asked, confused.

  “Chloe, honey, listen to me very carefully.” Devon took an audible breath before stating in a firm tone, “You didn’t spent last night with Paul. He hasn’t met you yet. In fact he said you never called him. He’s still in his room as we speak.”

  “But, that’s impossible.” Chloe’s knees weakened and she sunk to the floor. “Then, who?”

  “Honey, I don’t know. Can’t you remember anything?”

  “I remember calling Paul and telling him to meet me downstairs. Then I woke up alone this morning with a cheap metal band on my finger, which looks as if it came out of a toy machine.” Chloe picked herself off the plush carpet and began searching her purse for an aspirin. “Devon, I had a lot to drink.”

  “Paul doesn’t have to know a thing. I’ll tell him my secretary gave you the wrong hotel name. You can still meet him today and get married. Everything will be all right.” Devon tried to sound encouraging. “We’ll just chalk last night up as a girl bachelor party.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.” Chloe laughed halfheartedly. Inside she trembled with uncertainty. “I just wish I knew where I was now. What if I am not even at the same hotel?”

  “What room number are you in? Check the phone. It should be printed on the side. The hotel’s name should be there, too.” Devon turned to her professional calm. Being a top-notch attorney, she was used to dealing with high stress situations.

  “Well, it’s the same hotel. It says so on my robe. Just give me a second and I’ll look up the room number. I’m trying to find my aspirin first.” Chloe turned her purse over, dumping the contents on the table in frustration. She picked through the mess and found the bottle. “Got it.”

  “Well?” Devon questioned sharply.

  “I meant I got the aspirin.” Chloe started to move to the phone when she spotted a piece of newly folded paper amidst her belongings. “What’s this?”

  “What?” Devon’s voice demanded. “What’s wrong, Chloe?”

  Chloe fingers quivered violently as she unfolded it. “Oh, my God.

  “Chloe?”

  Chloe stared at the paper as if it would start fire and disappear. “Oh, Devon. Your plan is not going to work. I’m married and it’s not to Paul.”

  Chapter Five

  Two Weeks Later

  Chloe frowned in irritation. She pulled her sunglasses down over her eyes as the rental car bounced heavily on the mountain pass road. The sedan was the only car the rental lot had left. The rental agent had told her it was because many of the tourists were leaving Montana due to the heavy snowfall the state had experienced recently.

  Chloe scanned the sides of the mountains, searching for avalanches. She couldn’t imagine that they would occur too often, as the agent had suggested, or at least not this early in the fall. She guessed they only told people that so they would purchase the extra insurance when they made the rental.

  It had taken her twice as long to drive across the mountain passes as she had at first anticipated. What looked like an hour’s drive on the map actually had taken her closer to three, due to the dangerous curves. Chloe slowed the car as she came to a fork in the road.

  “Miner’s Cove.” She squinted and lifted her glasses to read the faded print on an old, rusted sign. “I guess it’s that way.”

  Chloe turned the car to the left. From the looks of the landscape she guessed that her husband lived in the most un-populated area of northern Montana. She sent a brief prayer to heaven that he wasn’t a backwoods hillbilly or a militia leader of some sort.

  It had taken her the better part of two weeks to track down Everest Beaumont. Luckily, she had Devon to help her. Devon flew to Vegas shortly after Chloe discovered she married the wrong man. And with a few subtle bribes to the hotel staff, Devon found that the man on the wedding certificate did indeed exist and was a prosperous Montana businessman. At least that was to be assumed since a major corporation had paid for his hotel suite.

  Chloe took a deep breath. She was running out of time. Her thirtieth birthday was coming up in a little over a month. That gave her four weeks to divorce one husband, marry another, and collect her inheritance from her father.

  Coming quickly to a small town hidden within the mountain valley, she stopped the car in front of a small General Store. Miner’s Cove was a modest town built into the side of a mountain. She was sure she had seen the exact same community in pictures of the old west. It was really a beautiful area, once a person got over the fact that they were out in the middle of nowhere.

  Chloe had been raised in the hustle and bustle world of New York. She hadn’t even seen the countryside until she was thirteen. By then, the wide-open area frightened her in its quiet serenity and she had begged her father to take her back to the city.

  There was a light sprinkling of snow on the ground so Chloe grabbed her jacket out of the back seat. Making sure to take her purse, she locked the car door. A few of the local’s watched her with avid interest. It was clear that they rarely had visitors. Chloe averted her eyes and walked straight into the General Store. Years in the city had taught her to mind her own business and these locals terrified her more than the city at night.

  The small store stood in a lone brick building that actually was a grocery that doubled as a hardware store that doubled as a post office. Every imaginable item a person would need was packed onto the cluttered shelving until there was hardly room left for walking. As she pulled open the thick glass door, it jingled.

  “Hello?” Chloe called, as she made her way toward the back. She grimaced softly as her jacket snagged on a protruding broomstick.

  “Be with you in a moment, I will,” an old voice answered her.

  Chloe found the register. It was inconveniently located in the rear of the store, as not to allow for easy departure. She leaned on the counter and started to drum her fingers.

  “There now, how can I be of help?”

  Chloe smiled as an old man bustled from the back room. He was very energetic for his advanced years. Smiling kindly, she reminded herself that these people lived at a slower pace. Trying not to sound panicked she greeted him politely. “Hello.”

  “There now, who do we have here?” The man smiled as he scratched at his balding head. He was a compassionate looking person, with a round face and a cheery smile. Chloe imagined that if he grew a white beard he would look exactly like a skinny Santa.

  “My name’s Chloe.” Chloe held out her hand.

  “Just Chloe?” The old man laughed. “That will do, that will do. Are you lost, Chloe?”

  “Actually it’s Chloe Masters.” Chloe scrunched up her face in confusion. “I mean, Chloe Masters-Beaumont.”

  “Beaumont, eh?” the man inquired, growing curious. “I’m Grandpa. Everyone just calls me Grandpa. You related to any Beaumont’s around this way?”

  “I am actually. I’m looking for an Everest Beaumont.” Chloe to a deep breath before rushing, “I’ve been informed he lives around here.”

  “Everest, you say?” Grandpa laughed again. “Could be I know him.”

  “If you could tell me where to find him,” she began, only to frown when he cut her off with his chuckling amusement.

  “Seems to me that I heard of a Chloe Masters,” Grandpa broke in. “Could it be that you’re her, the writer I mean?”

  Chloe nodded, trying not to let her frustration show, “Yes, I am a writer.”

  “Well, I’ll be. What are you wanting with Everest? He finally take my advice and write you a piece of fan mail?” Grandpa grinned delightedly and clapped his hands with glee. “That boy has me ordering your books as fast as they come out.”

  “Really,” Chloe answered dejectedly. She grew apprehensive. Surely she wasn’t married to a fanatical admirer. Her stomach began to churn with nausea. Over the weeks the sultry image of chiseled muscles had dissolved into scrawny arms with
a machine gun and hatchet.

  “Well, you never mind that. Everest has me ordering him all kinds of books.” Grandpa smiled and shook his head. “What are you wanting with our Everest? Hey, is he going to be in your next book? Wouldn’t that be something?”

  “Maybe. I haven’t thought about it. There’s something I need to discuss with him.” Chloe lowered her voice as the bell tinkled behind them at the front door. Two elderly ladies walked into the store. The man lifted his hand to them in greeting. Ignoring the women, she hushed, “Of a personal nature.”

  “Personal, eh?” Grandpa leaned forward, his tone growing suspicious. “How personal? You don’t want to cause him trouble, do you? Are you in the family way?”

  “No, I am certainly not. Please this is between Everest and myself.” Chloe looked painfully at the two ladies and leaned closer. It was obvious that he wasn’t going to let up. She whispered just so the old man could hear her. “I’m his wife.”

  “Everest is married?” Grandpa shot back loudly. “Well, I’ll be! Did you hear that Gladys? Everest finally went and got himself a wife!”

  Chloe flinched as Grandpa waved over one of the women who milled quietly near the entrance. Turning her pleading gaze to the old man, she begged, “No, please, don’t… do that. It’s just a misunderstanding.”

  “Well, I never!” exclaimed Gladys. She was a woman in her late fifties who patted her bouffant hairdo into place as she approached in her waitress uniform. “He was just in town a couple weeks ago and didn’t mention it.”

  “There is nothing to mention. It’s a simple mistake,” Chloe persisted. She gripped her purse to her hip in aggravation. “I’m here to get some papers signed to clear up the confusion. Honestly, it’s all a misunderstanding.”

  “Divorce, she means.” Gladys raised a disapproving eyebrow toward Grandpa, who nodded his head in silent understanding. “That’s what they all mean these days when they call marriage a mistake. Can’t seem to make them last. Not like we did, anyhow. Back in the old days we knew ‘til death do us part’ meant just that. You were going to be together until one of you croaked, in some cases longer.”

  Chloe backed away, feeling like she was cast into the middle of a bad fifties movie. Grandpa and Gladys stared after her. “Excuse me. I should be going. I really must find him.”

  “Wait a minute, child,” said Grandpa before turning to Gladys. “You hush up. You don’t know if that is the case. Maybe she’s here to straighten things out with him. Could be she’s here to make the marriage work.”

  Both of them turned their head to her in expectation. Chloe slowly moved back to the counter. She silently pondered the fact that both of them might be in need of a good hearing aide. This was not how she wanted the conversation to go. She hadn’t planned on anyone finding out about the fake marriage. Everest would no doubt have a lot of explaining to do when she left. She was sorry for it, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

  “I have a load of supplies I have to take up to Everest’s place tonight. It’s a good hour’s ride from here. You’re welcome to come with me in the jeep,” Grandpa offered. “Your car won’t make the trek into the mountains.”

  Chloe turned to glance out of the front window. Her car could be seen through the dusty pane of glass. Already snowflakes were covering the hood.

  “That would be fine,” Chloe nodded when she once again faced them. “And I’m afraid that the car is a rental.”

  “Anyhow, it won’t make it.” Gladys chimed in as if she hadn’t heard Grandpa’s offer. “And the only available room for rent is taken up by some photographer fellow. So you’d better take your luggage with you and stay the night there with Grandpa. Maybe it will give you some time to work whatever it is out. There’s no need to resort to divorce quite yet. Everest is an upstanding man. He’ll make whatever it is right with you. You’ll see.”

  “What a splendid idea, Gladys.” Grandpa nodded in approval. “Everest has plenty of room in that cabin of his.”

  Chloe gave a smile that she wasn’t sure she meant. She didn’t like the idea of spending the night in the mountains, let alone a log cabin. People disappeared all the time in the mountains. Anything could happen to her. Chloe shivered as she imagined being attacked by a hungry bear or getting bitten by a diseased tick. And if the wilderness didn’t do her in, her husband just might. Either way, the prospect of roughing it in nature didn’t hold too much appeal. She liked the relative safety of the city. Sure there was crime, but she knew how to protect herself against that. How did one convince a bear not to eat?

  Seeing Grandpa’s smiling face, it appeared as if a night in the mountains was going to be her only option. It’s not like she had the time to be choosy about her accommodations.

  “Fine, when do we leave?” she asked quietly. She tried not to let her apprehension show.

  “I close up here in about two hours. Why don’t you go grab something to eat at the diner until then? It’s across the street. Can’t miss it.” Grandpa winked at Gladys.

  “Very well.” Chloe nodded with a sigh as she left the store.

  “What are you up to, Grandpa?” Gladys gave him a suspicious look. “Did you know about this?”

  “Not at all, Grandma.” Grandpa leaned over and kissed his wife’s cheek. “But, I’ll find out tonight.”

  “I like her,” Gladys put forth. “I wish there was a way we could get her to stay up there longer. Everest has been alone for too many years now. It isn’t good for a man his age to spend all that time by himself. He should get out more.”

  “I quite agree.” Grandpa smiled mischievously as he whirled his wife around in a dance. For a moment they swayed to a song only they could hear. Pressing his cheek to his wife’s, he breathed heavily in contentment. “I’ll take care of everything. Now, help me round up some extra supplies to take to Everest. We only got two hours and your old bones don’t move like they used to.”

  “Oh, you!” Gladys swatted his arm and laughed as he chased her playfully into the back room.

  Chapter Six

  Chloe stared out of the diner window as she waited for her hamburger. It was about the only thing on the menu that the waitress seemed to know was in stock. She lifted her cup of coffee to take a drink and noticed everyone was staring at her.

  “Hi.” She nodded and tried to smile. “Nice town you have here.”

  A few of them nodded back. A few others grunted.

  Chloe guessed that this was the place everyone in town got together to visit—only they weren’t visiting. They were staring at her as if she was a political speaker ready to make an important announcement regarding the town mining company. And they didn’t anticipate her speech to be good.

  “So is it true?” her waitress asked with a cock to her hip. She gave a sly smile to the man at the counter she had been flirting with. His teeth were slightly bucked and stuck out when he smiled.

  “Pardon me?” Chloe looked at the attractive woman. She wore too much makeup and hair spray, but was comely nonetheless. Chloe guessed she was one the few women her age in the town and from the looks of her bored expression she seemed to resent the fact that there weren’t more men to choose from. “Is what true?”

  “That you’re married to Everest Beaumont.” The waitress was chewing loudly on a piece of gum. Chloe wanted to snatch it from her.

  Chloe took another drink of coffee, not knowing how best to answer. Biting her lips, she started to panic. How was it that everyone seemed to know her business already? She had only been in the diner for twenty minutes. Then, as she spied the woman who had been shopping with Gladys in the General Store, she grimaced in disdain.

  “Are you?” An older gentleman at the counter joined the inquiry.

  “Yes. But, it’s a mistake—a clerical error.” Chloe tried to remain calm. She felt like she was on the witness stand. “I am here to clear it up.”

  “So, what you mean to say is that you found out he lives out here in the boonies and you want no part
of it.” The waitress laughed heartily. A few of the other’s joined her. “I can’t say that I blame you.”

  “No, I didn’t mean that at all. Your town is l-lovely,” Chloe stuttered.

  “How do you like that?” The older man again.

  Everyone chuckled as Chloe turned red with embarrassment. She wished she were let in on the joke, though she got the feeling she was somehow the punch line.

  “Leave her alone, Clyde,” the waitress scolded before turning back to her interrogation. “Now, Everest is a cute one. Could it be that you’re here to convince him back to wherever it is you’re from? Not that he will go, mind you. Where are you from?”

  “New York,” Chloe answered weakly, feeling as if she had no choice. She took a sip of coffee wondering what the waitress’ standard for cute was—a man with most of his teeth? She gulped as the bucked tooth lad leered a little too approvingly at her.

  Dear God, she thought. Please tell me I didn’t sleep with something like that!

  “See, I told you. She doesn’t want to be moved out here. She’s used to that city living. What I wouldn’t give to go to New York.” The waitress gave a dreamy sigh. “Do you get to shop on Fifth Avenue?”

  “Now you’ve done it.” Clyde, the man at the counter, laughed as he lit his cigarette. “Betsy will be asking to go with you before you know it, mark my word.”

  “Shut up, Clyde!” Betsy, the waitress, yelled.

  The diner broke up in laughter as Betsy ran into the waitress station with an audible sob.

  “Now you all leave that poor child alone. Shame on you!”

  Chloe turned grateful eyes to Gladys who had just walked in. Her stern voice instantly drew respect from the gathered customers. She pointed her finger at Clyde and shot him a scolding look of disapproval.

  “Last time you made her mad, Clyde Walton, I had to cover her shift for three days.”