by B. J Daniels
Kate watched him check his phone, something he’d been doing all through the meal. Clearly, he was expecting a call. From his associates, as he called them.
“I have to go,” he announced to her relief. Rising, he said, “I have some business to take care of. I’ll see you back at the motel.” He left her at the café to finish her coffee and pay the bill.
When he’d gone, she realized that he hadn’t asked her what she planned to do for the rest of her day. The days were so short here in the winter. While it had stopped snowing, it was still gray and cold out.
“Tomorrow’s supposed to be pretty,” Bessie told her as she refilled Kate’s cup. “Sun’s going to shine. Bet you’re ready for that.”
Kate nodded and tried to smile. She should be happy. Collin had said during breakfast that if she wasn’t ready to leave by tomorrow, he would go alone. She could stay as long as she needed to, he’d said. He would check back with her after he finished his business.
So, why didn’t she believe him? Because it felt too easy? Because she suspected he was trying too hard to please her? She hated that she was questioning his motives. He had every right to be angry. They were supposed to be on their engagement trip. And here she was in love with another man.
She glanced across the highway toward the old carriage-house woodshop. The light was on and had been since early this morning when she’d walked down here to meet Collin. She no longer asked herself what she was going to do. That was probably the same reason Collin hadn’t bothered to ask. Because like her, he already knew. She was staying for as long as it took.
Finishing her coffee, she rose to pull on her coat and head across the street. She didn’t know what she hoped to accomplish. She just had to be near Jon Harper. Nor did she have any idea if he would allow that to happen or if he would leave town as he’d said he probably would. So far, he’d put up with her visits and her stories about her and Danny and the girls.
She didn’t think he would turn her away and tried not to make more of that than it probably was. He was a nice, kind man who felt sorry for her. Even though it hurt, it was enough for now.
* * *
JON COULD FEEL the clock ticking. Yesterday he’d seen Collin Matthews head down the street carrying something. The coffee mug. The man was walking in the direction of the post office—just as he’d known Collin would. Now it was only a matter of time before the truth came out.
But this morning all he could think about was Kate. He knew she would be stopping by his workshop. He had a rocker he wanted to finish, one he’d promised to Tina Mullen. He just wasn’t sure there would be time before he had to leave.
But he couldn’t leave until he heard back from Earl Ray. Once he left, Kate would go with Collin. Jon couldn’t bear the thought that he would have thrown her together with the wrong man for her. Unless his suspicions about the man proved wrong.
As he’d showered and dressed for work, he’d felt an excited anticipation that upset him more than his impending death. He wanted to see Kate again, as foolish as it was. He knew he would have to leave soon—to protect her. Or maybe her fiancé would talk her into going with him before that. Either way it would leave a hole in his heart, one she’d made. One he had no choice but to keep letting her make because he couldn’t send her away.
At the creak of the door opening, he turned to see her silhouetted against the light and snow. She hesitated for a moment before she stepped in and closed the door behind her. He caught the hint of her perfume and felt his pulse jump. For so long, he had lived like a hermit, staying clear of anything that could bring his downfall. He’d known the first time she’d walked into his workshop that she was dangerous, because she reminded him of what he’d missed, the lies he’d told himself about what he could live without. When he’d forced himself to go back to work after her first visit, his hands had trembled.
For so long, he had closed himself off from the world. He’d numbed himself against feeling anything other than tired at night after he’d worked in his shop all day. He hadn’t wanted to feel or remember or list his regrets. He’d been content if not happy. It had been enough.
“Could I just sit here and watch you work?” she asked.
He heard her start to pull up Earl Ray’s stool and said over his shoulder, “You’re welcome to sit in the rocker.” He didn’t dare look at her. He’d brought the rocker out of his cabin this morning, telling himself he might as well let Earl Ray use it instead of that old stool.
Lying to himself had become a habit, he realized. He’d brought it out for her, hoping she would stop by. He heard her sit down, slip off her coat as if settling in and staying for a while. He felt himself begin to relax as well as she began to talk. She had a melodious voice that was easy to listen to as he worked. She talked first about the weather and how tomorrow the sun was supposed to come out. Then she talked about Texas, growing up there.
He knew that eventually she would get to Daniel Jackson, the boy next door who she’d fallen in love with as a young girl. She talked about how their parents had tried to keep them apart but how they couldn’t stay away from each other, until finally they’d taken off and eloped, Kate lying about her age. How excited they were when Mia was born and then Danielle, and how Danny, as she called him, never complained about working two jobs.
“He built the girls a big dollhouse,” she said, a smile in her voice as she recalled their lives together. “He had so much fun doing it. All the little details, like the shutters and the stairs and the curtains at the kitchen window. He was good with his hands. He used to whittle, too. He carved all the furniture for the dollhouse. It took him a while because he got home so late from his jobs, but even when he was exhausted after such a long day, he would sit on the porch and whittle something for the girls. It was his tireless patience that I admired the most. And his love for me and the girls.” Her voice broke.
Jon said nothing as he continued to work. The workshop filled with the sound of only his hand-sanding or the crackle of the fire in the stove. A few minutes later, he turned and saw that the rocker was empty. She’d slipped out. He’d stared at the closed door, wondering if she would be back. He hated the hope that rose in his chest—and the fear—that she would. Or worse, wouldn’t.
Then he reminded himself that he couldn’t stay in Buckhorn much longer. And neither could she.
* * *
COLLIN HAD KNOWN it was just a matter of time before his creditors got hold of his cell phone number and started dunning him. He’d held them off for as long as he could. Things were getting ugly, and they weren’t even the kind of creditors who would break your legs. He had those, too, and they were the ones that had him running scared.
He told himself that once this business deal was done, he’d be fine. But even as he thought it, he knew it wouldn’t be enough money for long. He had to think long-range. That was where Kate came in. She’d been his long-range plan—until she’d seen that damned carpenter.
Seldom was he at a loss as to what to do. But Kate losing her mind over some loner had come out of left field. Like anything could have prepared him for this. Now he was putting all his hope into proving that Jon Harper wasn’t her Danny boy. But what if he was wrong? What if Jon Harper’s criminal record was clean? What if he really was Kate’s long-lost husband?
Of course, he wasn’t.
But would she even believe him when he proved Jon wasn’t Danny?
He pushed open the door to the bar, glad to see it almost empty except for Lars and Dave. Sidling up to the bar, he gave Dave a nod and took a stool next to Lars.
“Still here, huh?” Lars said, smiling as he motioned to Dave that he was paying for Collin’s beer.
He picked up the draft Dave placed in front of him and tilted it and his head in thanks to the man. “Leaving soon. At least, I hope so.” His friend Nels had to come through for him. It was just a matter of running the prints. He tried
not to think about what he’d do if Jon Harper’s prints weren’t on file. He was so sure the man was hiding from something and that usually meant a criminal background.
In the meantime, he wouldn’t think about Kate. He was pretty sure she was with the carpenter right now in his cruddy little workshop. Just the thought made him take a gulp of his beer.
“Rough day already?” Lars asked with a sympathetic smile.
“There a woman in your life, Lars?”
Dave laughed and then quickly turned away. Lars picked up his beer and took a drink before answering. “Trust me, I have my own female problems. Maybe not quite like yours, but damned close. So, what are you going to do about it?”
“Have another beer,” Collin said with a curse. “What can I do? My fiancée has lost her mind.”
Both Lars and Dave said “Women!” at the same time. Dave poured them both a glass of beer and said, “On the house,” and went into the back.
“If I want to get rid of my live-in, I’d have to give up where I live, where I work. Hell, I’d have to pack up and leave town before either she or her father got a gun and came after me.”
“I suspect you’re exaggerating,” Collin said.
“I wish. On top of that? She’s pregnant,” Lars said and held up his hands. “It’s not mine. I swear. Needless to say, my girlfriend is furious and threatening to have my nuts cut off.”
He studied the man. “All that in this small town?”
“You want to know the worst of it? I have no idea whose baby it is. Everyone in town thinks it’s mine, including my girlfriend.”
Collin shook his head. “You might have it worse than me. Short of killing the live-in, pregnant fiancée, I don’t know what to tell you to do.”
Lars chuckled. “Don’t think I haven’t thought of it.” Dave returned with a case of beer to stock the cooler, and Collin and Lars watched the news on the television over the bar while they finished their drinks.
Collin realized he’d found peace in the bar with these men. He didn’t even mind if Kate was with the carpenter. Let her spend all the time she wanted with him. Wouldn’t make a lick of difference come tomorrow afternoon when she was going to get into that rental car and head to Canada with him, come hell or high water.
He’d even let her look back fondly on this town and her carpenter all she wanted. It wouldn’t do her any good. By then it wouldn’t matter who Jon Harper really was. Because Collin had made up his mind. He wasn’t going to let the woman ruin his plans. He couldn’t. Too much was riding on this.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
NOT LONG AFTER Kate left his workshop, Jon had gotten in his pickup and driven to Lewistown. He’d stopped by the bank, taken out all his money and closed his account. Then he’d walked around town until he realized he was hungry. He’d found a café and got something to eat. All the time, he found himself watching the people around him. He knew the kind of men who would be coming after him. He told himself he’d know them on sight.
But that didn’t mean he’d have enough time to react. He realized he needed to start carrying his handgun from now on.
It was dark by the time he’d headed home.
Home? He definitely had stayed too long in Buckhorn.
He wondered if Kate had come by his workshop this afternoon. He’d had to leave, needing to get ready for his final exit. But also, he didn’t think he could bear any more stories about her life with her husband and children.
Anxious to hear from Earl Ray, he worried. The more he’d thought about Collin Matthews, the more he feared Kate was in trouble. He couldn’t shake the feeling.
As he drove into town, he was relieved that the rental car was still in front of the motel. They hadn’t left. His cell rang. Earl Ray.
“Tell me what you found out,” he said into the phone as he took the call.
“Kate Jackson is well-off. She’s made a good living and has substantial investments.”
He thought of the payoff she’d gotten from the refinery as he got out of the pickup and went inside. She’d said that she hadn’t spent it. Instead had invested it, apparently wisely. “And her boyfriend?”
“Collin Matthews did come from money. He inherited a bundle. He owns a string of small businesses in Houston. A laundry, a vending-machine business, a parking lot, a half dozen car washes.”
Jon went through the cabin and out the back door into his workshop. “So, he’s legit?” Jon wanted to be relieved, but he felt as if he was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“He’s up to his ears in debt. Gambling. He loses. A lot.”
Jon stepped to the carriage-house doors and looked out on Buckhorn. “How deep in trouble is he?”
“Deep. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was involved in money laundering through the businesses. If he isn’t, he will be. I’m surprised the feds haven’t red-flagged him. He might be in Montana looking for a way to pay off his gambling debts and get his head above water.”
“By marrying Kate.”
“I’m not sure that would be quick enough,” Earl Ray said. “Bessie saw a map he was looking at on his phone at breakfast. He’s headed for the Canadian border.”
Jon swore. “Drugs?”
“If I had to guess, I’d say fentanyl. That’s the hot one right now,” Earl Ray said. “With so many states legalizing marijuana, it isn’t worth getting caught sneaking weed over the border anymore. It crossed my mind that he might want Kate along. Fiancée, celebrating the engagement, looks better than crossing the border alone. Less suspicious. Or he could be just on a trip and always wanted to go to Canada.”
“Why go to Saskatchewan otherwise? What would be the point? It looks just like Eastern Montana, only flatter.” Jon rubbed his jaw, feeling the scars, knowing that the really bad ones were deep inside him. “I really was hoping this guy was legit and that she would marry him.”
“Were you?” Earl Ray asked, an edge to his tone.
“You’re barking up the wrong tree, my friend. I’m not her husband.”
The older man sighed. “So, what are you going to do with this information?”
He ran a hand over his face. He hadn’t slept well in years. But last night the nightmares had been worse. All the explosions and fires had felt so real as if they were burning him all over again. He feared they were premonitions of something worse that was coming.
“I just wanted to make some furniture, keep my head down, put in the rest of my time,” he mused, knowing that everything had changed now.
“You don’t have to get involved,” Earl Ray said. “You could make an anonymous call to the feds and let them pick him up at the border. Of course, if she decides to go with him, she’ll be an accomplice, but she’ll probably get a lighter sentence at least.”
Jon let out a bitter laugh. “You think I won’t make that call? I told you. I don’t know this woman. None of this has anything to do with me.” Earl Ray said nothing on the other end of the line, as if he knew that when Jon wasn’t having nightmares about explosions and fire, he was having sweet dreams about Kate.
“Then, do the sensible thing,” Earl Ray said. “Leave and don’t look back. Let her make the decision to go or not go with Matthews.”
He shook his head, not even registering his friend’s words. “You ought to hear the way she talks about her husband. You’d think Daniel Jackson was a saint. Nothing like me. Hell, no man could fill her husband’s shoes. Certainly not me.”
“Or Collin Matthews,” Earl Ray said. “But like you said, it doesn’t have anything to do with you.”
* * *
COLLIN HAD APPARENTLY woken in a great mood, because when he came to her door the next morning, he was all smiles. Kate figured it was because he was planning to leave today. Yesterday he’d said he would go alone if she was staying behind. She hoped he hadn’t changed his mind.
“I need to run
a few errands this morning,” he said. “Mind having breakfast without me?”
She hoped that her relief didn’t show on her face. As he started to leave, she stopped him, realizing she wouldn’t be able to eat a bite without getting this over with. She wanted him to know for certain that she wasn’t leaving with him.
“Collin, I’m sorry you have to go alone,” she said and braced herself for his angry response. “But as I told you, I’m staying.” To her surprise, he smiled.
“I know, Kate. It’s all right. You can stay here as long as you want. I wish you were going with me, but it appears you have made up your mind.”
She hadn’t expected this and felt choked up. “Thank you.” It came out on a croaked whisper. “I’m sorry.”
“No reason to be sorry. Sometimes things just don’t work out like we planned them.” He gave her a sad smile before turning and walking out the door.
She stood, still shocked and so relieved that she wanted to sit down and cry. She’d expected a huge fight and had been dreading it. Now she just felt weak and tired. Maybe once Collin left, she would be able to sleep again.
But she knew that he was only part of the problem. How long was she going to stay in this town and keep trying to reach the man who called himself Jon Harper? Eventually she would have to go home. She would have to go back to work. She had a book to write, and she missed her daughters.
For now, though, she would stay. She began to dress in her winter wear, her decision made. She would stay as long as she could. Maybe he would never remember her. Or maybe one day she would stop by his workshop and he would be gone.
Maybe she was being a fool, she thought as she finished dressing. She probably was, because if Jon Harper wasn’t Danny, then she was in love with a complete stranger. And she could not explain that even to herself. It just was. And it scared her and exhilarated her and made her happier than she’d been in a very long time as she headed for his workshop.