Thunder at Dawn

by Jill Gregory

  He remembered how he’d had to hide tonight, when that slut and the jerk who’d shown up had searched the woods for him. They’d thought they could find him, proving that they were even more stupid than he’d imagined. He’d been on the police force, for chrissakes, he had training and smarts and experience.

  They’d see. She’d see. The world would see.

  He stamped out the last of the fire, ducked inside his tent, and settled down in his sleeping bag for the night.

  Tomorrow would be a busy day. This operation was about to kick into high gear.

  And as far as he was concerned, the sun couldn’t rise soon enough.

  Chapter 10

  A CHILL WIND RACED THROUGH THUNDER Creek two days later, hinting at the long Wyoming winter to come.

  In Bessie’s Diner, everyone was ordering coffee or hot chocolate and thinking early about Thanksgiving and Christmas even though it was only the end of August.

  “Old man winter’s right around the corner,” Bessie sighed, pausing beside the table where Faith perused sample menus for the dinner dance.

  “Just so long as we don’t get snow the night of the auction,” Faith replied, glancing up with a distracted smile.

  “Don’t you worry. Folks in Thunder Creek aren’t like those in the big cities. We’re all accustomed to bad weather blowing in when it’s least needed, and no one hereabouts lets a dozen inches of snow keep ’em away from a good party.”

  Faith knew there wouldn’t be a dozen inches of snow in early September, but for some reason, the past few days she hadn’t been able to shake a feeling that something bad was coming. Something she wasn’t prepared for and didn’t know how to deal with.

  And it had nothing to do with the supposed prowler Zach thought he’d seen at the cabin. If Rusty Gallagher had really come by to hassle her—or perhaps to apologize—she knew she could handle him. It would take more than Wood Morgan’s drunken lawyer to tie her insides up in knots.

  No, the source of it all went straight to Zach. Why on earth had he kissed her—and worse, why in hell had she kissed him back?

  She took a sip of hot coffee, letting the sounds and smells of Bessie’s Diner float around her. Bessie and Ada were joking with Katy Brent, Bessie’s granddaughter, at the cash register, their laughter warm and comforting. The teenage waitress was serving platters of meat loaf and mashed potatoes to some hands from the Davis ranch.

  She could smell blueberry pie. The ceiling fan circled lazily, and outside the diner the wind whipped the awnings of storefronts and blew tumbleweed down Main Street.

  You let him do it to you again. Make a fool out of you. Maybe nobody else in town knows, but he does. And so do you, she thought bitterly.

  You’d think a twenty-nine-year-old woman would know better than to make the same mistake she made when she was nineteen.

  Bessie’s Diner, with all its cozy warmth and bustle, wasn’t helping to calm her thoughts. They circled endlessly, and the knot in her stomach wouldn’t go away.

  That does it. This goes no further, Faith told herself as she set down her coffee cup with a clatter and drew in a long hard breath.

  What you need to do is keep a good half mile between you and Zach McCallum at all times. That shouldn’t be too difficult, should it?

  “A penny for your thoughts.”

  She glanced up, startled to see Tammie Morgan standing beside her. Tammie’s head was tilted to one side, and there was a broad smile on her coral-glossed mouth. “You don’t mind if I join you, Faith? Do you?”

  Without waiting for a response, she slipped into the booth across from Faith as if she owned it. Her long amber cat eyes gleamed as she leaned companionably forward.

  “Now tell me.” She held up one slim tanned hand so that her perfect coral nails and three-carat, emerald-cut diamond ring dazzled in the sunlight. “You must have just loved having all those handsome single men fighting over you the other night. I swear I thought Zach McCallum would kill poor Rusty. I’m sure you were quite impressed.”

  “Actually, Tammie, it takes a lot more than caveman tactics to impress me.”

  “Really?” Tammie tossed her long black hair. “So does that mean you’re not ready to pick up with Zach where the two of you left off?”

  Faith stared at her. Could the woman be any more obnoxious if she tried? Yeah, she thought, she probably could.

  “What can I do for you, Tammie? I’m sure you didn’t come over here to talk about my personal affairs. I assume you want to discuss the dinner dance or perhaps the auction?”

  “Well, no. Everything is under control with our little event at the moment,” she said, waving a dismissive hand in the air. Her whiskey-soaked voice dropped another notch lower and she glanced around the diner to make sure no one was paying attention to the conversation.

  “Actually I do want to discuss your personal affairs—as they relate to Zach McCallum.”

  “Then we have nothing to talk about, because they don’t.”

  “Oh, but that’s not what I saw the other night. And Wood agreed with me. We talked it over this morning at breakfast and we both feel that you could do us a huge favor, one that would also be very important for Thunder Creek. I know how important Thunder Creek is to you, and to Ty, and to all of the Barclays. Your family has had ties here even longer than Wood’s and mine.”

  Faith kept her expression set in courtroom-neutral. “What is it you think I can do for you?”

  Tammie nodded. “You like to cut right to the chase, I see. A typical lawyer. That’s good, you know—because you understand logic and reason and right and wrong. That’s what this is all about.”

  “Just spit it out, Tammie.”

  The other woman stared at her reproachfully. “You must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed today,” she said with a shrug. “But I’ll make allowances since I’m sure you have a lot on your mind. No doubt you’re still getting over your fiancé breaking off your engagement.” She smiled slightly as Faith visibly stiffened. “Oh, you know how word gets around in a small town—if there’s even one person who knows something, then they tell just one other person and you know what happens next. I’m not saying who it was who let something slip, but there’s no reason for you to be embarrassed or anything. You’re not the first woman to lose a man before getting him to the altar—”

  “Tammie, what is this favor you want to ask me?” Faith asked between clenched teeth. “I don’t have all day.”

  “Well, neither do I, of course. But you and I need to have a good old-fashioned talk. For the good of Thunder Creek. It has to do with Zach McCallum. He’s turning into a problem for those of us who love this town.”

  “What does Zach have to do with me?” Faith interrupted curtly.

  “From what I saw at the Tumbleweed, Zach still has feelings for you.” Tammie slanted a look at her from those canny amber eyes. “Very intense feelings. So Wood and I were wondering if you would help us.”

  That’ll be the day, Faith thought, but aloud she said, “Help you what?”

  “We need to convince Zach that some of his plans for Thunder Creek are . . . well . . . unacceptable.”

  “You’re talking about the camp.”

  “You bet your buns I am. It’s a damned stupid, irresponsible idea. Busing in kids from all over the country—city kids—who don’t know how to ride a horse or sweep a barn or even set up a pup tent. They’ll whine every time they get a mosquito bite. They have no business here.”

  “Zach apparently doesn’t agree with you,” Faith said. “And neither do I.”

  “Oh, now, you don’t mean that.” Tammie’s cat eyes widened. “Think about it, Faith. All these kids from sad, underprivileged backgrounds, with no manners, no self-control, no discipline, running wild right here in town. When they flood into Bessie’s Diner, it’s going to be a mess. Do you want that? Do you want them roaming all over our beautiful, peaceful Main Street, running in and out of our shops, possibly shoplifting, breaking things, getting int
o who knows what kind of trouble?”

  “You’re making a lot of assumptions about these kids, Tammie. And you have no basis for any of them. Have you sat down and talked about this with Zach? Maybe he can put your mind at rest—”

  “Nothing he can say can change the fact that this is bad for Thunder Creek,” Tammie stated flatly.

  Faith controlled her temper. “Well, it’s his property, isn’t it? If he wants to lease it out to a camp, that’s his right.”

  “But we’ve offered to buy it from him,” Tammie argued. “Wood has made a very generous offer. Half again what the land is worth.”

  Now lightbulbs flashed in Faith’s head. At last they were getting to the crux of the matter. “Why did Wood do that? Just to keep a children’s camp from operating in the area?”

  “Yes, of course.” Tammie leaned forward. “If Zach sells us the land, you can be sure that we’ll make good use of it. I mean, there’s no sense having all that wonderful open land sitting empty.”

  “Let me guess.” Faith studied her coolly. “You want to build on it.”

  There was a tiny pause.

  “Well, yes,” Tammie admitted after a moment. “We’ve had our eye on that parcel for quite a while. It borders the Crystal Horseshoe, you know. And we made a bid on it when Zach first moved back to town. But he turned us down. Can you imagine that? For a camp!” She shook her head in exasperation. “Wood and I want to do something good for Thunder Creek.”

  “Such as?”

  “We want to build luxury private condominiums right there in the foothills. The Crystal Horseshoe Ranch condominiums. And . . .” Her amber eyes sparkled. “And we’ll build a world-class luxury spa halfway up Thunder Mountain. Now that will be fantastic for this town. We’ll draw even more tourists in—tourists from all over the world. Every single business in this community will profit from it.”

  Faith slid out of the booth. “No.”

  “No?” Tammie eyed her warily. “What do you mean, no?”

  “No, I won’t try to convince Zach to sell to you, or to give up on the camp. Not that I’d have any influence on him—”

  “How do you know if you don’t try?” Tammie countered, also sliding from the booth and facing her in the diner. “All I want you to do is think about it. Do you want our town brimming with famous wealthy people who will buy antiques and handmade quilts from our local businesses, who will fill up Bessie’s Diner every day, who will spend their money here—or do you want a bunch of unruly kids running wild, scaring away the tourists Wood and I are already attracting with our dude ranch?”

  “Frankly, I think we have quite enough tourists already. My answer is no, Tammie. And if it comes to a fight, don’t think I’ll come down on your side. I won’t. And neither will Ty, I can guarantee you.”

  “You might want to think twice about that.” Tammie spoke quickly. “Ty is running for reelection next year, and I’ve heard he won’t be unopposed. Deputy Rick Keene, who’s our acting sheriff right now while Ty’s away with Josy, has every intention of running against him.” Tammie’s smile was sweet, but edged in triumph. “Wood and I would really love to throw our support behind Ty, of course. All we ask is some understanding and some cooperation.”

  “Sounds like a bribe to me.” Faith looked her dead in the eye. But Tammie didn’t even blink.

  “A bribe? Heavens, no.” Her laugh was every bit as rich and shallow as she was. “Where do you get these ideas? All I’d like is for you to think about which side you want to be on. Because there will be a fight, and we’ll all be choosing sides. I promise you that.”

  “Count me out,” Faith told her in an icy tone.

  “Me too.” Bessie had come up behind Faith. She frowned at Tammie. “I’d like to give some city kids a taste of good old-fashioned Wyoming hospitality. What about you, Ada?”

  Ada left the cash register and hurried over to stand beside Bessie. “I think it’s a grand idea. My own granddaughter, Josy, grew up in foster care, and Zach mentioned to her before she went on her trip that foster kids will be part of the mix. I know she’s in favor of it. And Ty too,” she added with a dark glance at Tammie. “And besides that, I happen to believe Zach McCallum can do whatever he pleases with his own land. It’s nobody else’s business.”

  Angry color filled Tammie’s lean, hollow cheeks. She drew herself up straight and said in an icy tone, “Well, Wood and I don’t see eye to eye with you on that—with any of you. I guess you just don’t care what happens to this town—but plenty of us do. You wait and see.”

  She flounced toward the door. As the little bell above it rang and Tammie stomped out, Faith glanced ruefully at Bessie and Ada.

  “Thanks for the backup. Did you two hear all that?”

  “Heard enough to know I don’t like it,” Bessie muttered.

  Ada looked worried. “What Zach’s doing is a good thing. I have a special place in my heart for foster kids, after hearing what Josy went through all those years when I never knew her mama and daddy had died.”

  “I’m sure Zach can handle it,” Faith told them. “It’ll take more than Tammie and Wood Morgan to make him back down.”

  But when Bessie and Ada had returned to work, she reached for her handbag, more troubled than she wanted to admit.

  Zach and possibly Ty were in for a rough time. She’d seen and heard enough about the Morgans over the years to know that they’d pull out all the stops to get what they wanted.

  And that meant that the ugly incident with Pete Harrison would be brought up all over again in Thunder Creek.

  Fred Harrison had already referred to it the other day. He’d talk loudest of all. And many of the shopkeepers and business owners might be swayed by the argument that the condominiums would better benefit the town than a camp. True, it was Zach’s property and he could do with it as he wished, but if the community turned against him in a town this size, they could make life pretty miserable for Zach—and for his son.

  It’s not my problem, Faith reminded herself, but she couldn’t shake her anger at the Morgans. Not only were they pressuring her by using Ty and his upcoming reelection campaign, they also seemed to think she could actually change Zach’s mind.

  As if she ever could.

  She was about to leave when she remembered she hadn’t yet paid her bill. But as she turned toward the cash register, the bell over the door tinkled, and Zach walked in.

  Speak of the devil, she thought, her heart beating a bit faster.

  Just seeing him, all dark, tall, and heartachingly handsome, with those quicksilver eyes zeroing in on her like radar, it was impossible not to remember the way he’d kissed her two nights ago—and the humiliating way she’d nearly melted all over him like ice cream on a griddle.

  He wasn’t alone, either.

  Dillon bounced in at his side, his blond mop a striking contrast with his father’s dark hair, and yet the resemblance between them was unmistakable. The child had a boyish ruggedness so much like Zach, and the same strong jawline and a dimple in his chin. There was no doubt he’d be a heartbreaker too when he was older, she thought unwillingly. But unlike Zach’s darkly unreadable expression, Dillon was grinning, his eyes wide and shining with an earnestness she’d never seen in his father.

  “Hi, guess what?” He raced over to her. “I’ve been practicing how to whistle like you did. Want to hear?”

  “Not inside, Dillon,” Zach said, walking up beside him.

  Faith forced a smile as the boy stuck two fingers in his mouth and showed her how he would blow, without making a sound. “That’s great. Does Batman come running every time?”

  “Yeah. But he stayed home today,” Dillon explained. “I’m not taking any more chances.”

  “Good thinking.” Sensing Zach’s gaze on her, Faith struggled to keep the smile on her face. It was a relief when Dillon suddenly spotted a friend sitting with his mother at another table.

  “I have to talk to Brett, Dad, about bringing walkie-talkies on our trip. I’ll be r
ight back,” he exclaimed, and darted off. Only then did Faith allow her facial muscles to relax.

  But her heart was beating much too fast and her chest hurt. It would be the final insult if she let Zach McCallum give her a heart attack.

  “He’s going to the Grand Canyon for a week with the Graysons,” Zach said, breaking the silence that had fallen when Dillon left. “It should be quite a trip.”

  Faith started toward the cash register. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m on my way to a meeting,” she said frostily, but he immediately snagged her arm.

  “Faith. Wait. We need to talk.”

  “No, we don’t.” But he continued to hold on to her, and she glared at him. “I’m late.”

  “You’re running away.”

  “From you? Get over yourself.” She managed a light laugh. It cost her, hurting her throat, but she managed it. From the corner of her eye she saw Dillon and his friend eating french fries coated with ketchup while the boy’s mother spoke to Bessie.

  She had to get out of here.

  “You and I have nothing to talk about,” she said with finality.

  “That’s not true. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about the other night.” His tone held a note of determination she remembered. As his gaze bored into hers, Faith realized he wasn’t going to let this go.

  “Do you want to talk about the fact that you kissed me right now, right here in front of Bessie and Ada or—”

  “I didn’t kiss you!” Faith whispered furiously. “It was the other way around and you know it!”

  “If it makes you feel better to tell yourself that, go right ahead,” Zach said. To her fury, amusement gleamed in his eyes.

  She wanted to hit him. Or kick him where it would really get his attention. Instead she drew in a deep, civilized breath.

  “What do you want from me? I won’t have this conversation here.”

  “Good thinking. We’ll do it on neutral ground. I’ll pick you up at six. We’ll talk over dinner.”

  Dinner? Her heart stopped. “Why would I possibly want to have dinner with you?”