by R. C. Ryan
“Count on it.”
She moved past him and, to prove her point, led the way for the rest of the trek.
CHAPTER FOUR
Mitch Carver looked Sierra up and down as she and Josh stepped inside his office. “Well, Miss Moore. You don’t look any the worse for your time in the storm.”
“I’m sorry I caused so much concern. I never felt that I was in any trouble.”
“That’s good. We like our guests to feel safe, and stay safe on the mountain. But when you didn’t check in, we got nervous. Especially since you were climbing alone, you weren’t where you said you’d be, and my rangers couldn’t locate you anywhere in that area. When those things happen, Josh Conway is our go-to guy. He’s even been known to find needles in haystacks.” The ranger glanced at Josh. “You made good time.”
“Sierra’s a good hiker.”
She flushed. “Thanks. I was determined not to take up any more of your time than I already have.” She unhooked her backpack and realized what a relief it was to be free of it. Then she flexed her neck and shoulders. “After all this, I think a good soak in a hot tub will be just what the doctor ordered.”
“Sounds like a good prescription, Miss Moore.” Mitch Carver steepled his fingers on the desktop. “Are you staying at a nearby dude ranch?”
“I wish I’d thought about making reservations. But I plan on driving to Casper before catching a flight.”
“Casper? That’s a killer drive from here. Why not just drive to Jackson Hole?”
She evaded his look. “I’m not in any hurry. I thought I’d see some more of the state before I have to leave. The autumn color is fabulous, and I want to capture as many photos as possible.”
“I see.” Mitch Carver glanced at his watch. “The day’s half over. You might want to think about staying some place nearby, and heading out tomorrow.”
Josh nodded. “I agree with Mitch. You’d be wise to take the rest of the day to bunk somewhere and start out in the morning when you’re fresh. If you’d like, you could follow me to my ranch. We’ve got plenty of room.”
Mitch turned to her. “I can vouch for the Conways. They’re good people, and they’ll make you feel like one of the family.”
“Thanks.” Sierra shrugged. “I don’t mind long drives. I’m feeling really energized. I’ll just drive until I’m tired, and find a place to crash for the night. Besides, a good, long drive will make that soak in the hot tub even more wonderful when I finally get to enjoy it.”
“Suit yourself. I’ll warn you, though. You’re going to drive through a lot of desolate land, with very few places to stay. The scenery may be breathtaking, but the solitude could be a problem.” Mitch glanced at a notation on his desk. “I almost forgot. Somebody phoned here asking about you.”
Her head came up sharply, her eyes narrowed. “When?”
“This morning.”
“Did you—” she paused to take in a quick breath “—get a name or a message?”
“Neither. I told him you were up on the mountain somewhere shooting pictures, and planned on hiking down today.”
Him.
Sierra’s smile was forced. “Thanks, Ranger Carver.”
She turned away and heaved into the straps of her backpack, sagging under the extreme weight of it.
Josh and Mitch exchanged handshakes.
“Thanks again, Josh.”
“Anytime, Mitch. I’ll see you around.”
Josh followed Sierra out to the public parking area, where a few employees’ cars were scattered here and there.
She paused at the shiny silver SUV. “This rental is mine.”
When Sierra stopped, Josh halted beside her. “Why don’t I give you a hand with this gear?”
“Thanks.”
He opened the back hatch and, with a great deal of effort, managed to shove the enormous backpack inside the storage section.
When he’d finished, she offered her hand. “Thanks again, Josh, for everything. I’m really sorry to have caused you so much time away from your work.” Without warning, she stood on tiptoe to brush a quick kiss on his cheek.
It had been meant merely as a friendly gesture, the sort of thing she’d often done with friends in Paris. But the moment she was touching him, she felt a rush of heat that left her sweating, and a quick, sexual jolt that raced all the way to her toes.
She pulled back as quickly as she had stepped forward.
She saw his eyes narrow fractionally on her, and she wondered if he’d felt it, too. Or was he merely annoyed at such intimacy?
“No apology needed, ma’am. The pleasure was all mine. If you change your mind, feel free to take me up on my offer of a room for the night.”
His lips curved into that sexy smile that had her heart doing somersaults, before he turned away.
He was heading toward his truck when he heard a cry of alarm.
He turned. The driver’s door of Sierra’s vehicle was open. She was standing outside the car, holding a slip of paper, her eyes wide with emotion, all the color drained from her face.
He hurried to her side. “Hey. What’s wrong?”
She fisted her hand at her side, crushing the paper into a ball and stowing it in her pocket.
Her action wasn’t lost on Josh, who watched in silence.
It took her several seconds before she found her voice. “If you don’t mind, I… I believe I’ll take you up on your generous offer of a room for the night.”
He studied her face, so pale, her eyes looking too big and much too bright. “Sure thing. Would you like to follow me?”
She gave a quick shake of her head. “I believe I’ll just leave my rental car here and have the agency pick it up. Maybe they could deliver something a bit smaller to your ranch.”
He arched a brow. “I’m sure they’ll do it, as long as they have your credit card on file. But it’ll cost you an arm and a leg for the extra service.”
“I don’t mind. I’d prefer something smaller and less… showy, anyhow.”
“Well then…” He nodded toward her vehicle. “Let’s unload your gear. I have plenty of room in the back of my truck.”
She walked to the rear of the SUV and removed everything. With Josh’s help, she loaded it into his truck before climbing into the passenger side.
As they drove away, she watched in silence as her rental car receded in the side-view mirror.
Leaving it behind was definitely safer.
She dropped her head back and pressed a hand over her eyes. And prayed that the rest of her troubles were as easy to dispose of as the rental vehicle.
From his vantage point on a snow-covered hill, the man lowered his high-powered binoculars and gave a chilling smile. So, she thought to throw him off her trail by begging a ride with one of the hikers. He noted the license plate, committing the numbers to memory. In a place as sparsely populated as this, it would be no trouble to find out who the driver was and where he’d taken her.
He’d seen her reaction to his note. Had watched through narrowed eyes as she’d crumpled that paper and stuffed it into her pocket. A clear sign that she’d been caught by surprise.
Good. Let her stew awhile and think about what she’d done to him. Hadn’t he offered to use his family connections to nurture her career? Hadn’t he taken her under his wing, introducing her to all the right people in Paris? He’d had every right to expect some gratitude on her part. She couldn’t possibly be naive enough to think he had done all of this out of the goodness of his heart, without expecting payback.
She had not only refused him but had run off like a thief in the night, without a word, thinking she could hide away on some mountain top.
He was a generous man. He would forgive her. But only after she apologized and recognized him for what he truly was. Without him, she was nothing. And one day soon, she would come to her senses.
Until then he would watch and wait. For he was not only generous but patient. Especially when the object of his obsession was so tantal
izingly near.
Josh drove in silence as they followed the long highway leading away from the mountains. Though he craved answers to all the questions playing through his mind, he knew this wasn’t the time.
From the little he knew of her, Sierra Moore appeared to be a series of contradictions. Open as a book about her career, but more than a little secretive about her private life. Completely independent but willing to take him up on the offer of a place to sleep. Or to hide.
She’d had a scare. Of that he was certain. And though she’d been quick to pocket something, he’d have bet good money that whatever she’d found in her car had her running like a rabbit.
An old debt? An old enemy?
The fact that she’d agreed to let him drive her and leave her rental car behind meant that she was feeling more than a little overwhelmed.
She would talk when she was ready. Until then, he’d give her what she needed. Time to sort through whatever was going on in her life and figure out how to deal with it.
They drove for hours in silence through some of the most spectacular scenery imaginable. Despite whatever was weighing on her mind, the beauty of the countryside in all its autumn glory didn’t seem to be lost on Josh’s passenger, who was watching with avid interest.
When they reached the town, Josh slowed his pace and turned to Sierra. “Welcome to Paintbrush, Wyoming.”
She lifted her head and glanced around the sleepy little place. “Do you live here?”
“My ranch is about a hundred miles from here. But this is the closest town, and the closest thing to civilization in these parts.”
He watched her reaction as they drove down the main street, past the row of old buildings that housed the courthouse and jail, with the police chief’s office in front, and beyond that Thibalt Baxter’s Paint and Hardware. A newer cluster of buildings announced Dr. April Walton’s Family Practice and the medical clinic next door, which shared office space with a dental clinic, and next door to that a barber and beauty shop. The last building in the row was the rainbow-colored Odds N Ends Shop.
He saw Sierra’s spirits lift considerably as she read aloud the sign above it:
“If we don’t have it, you don’t need it.”
Seeing her smile, he winked. “If you like that, you’re going to love Flora’s Diner.” He pointed to the gaudy wooden building painted pink and bright lavender, with shocking pink letters spelling out the name.
“Flora’s been a fixture in this town since my grandfather came here. And her daughter, Dora, is older than my dad. The two of them know everybody for miles around and can tell you anything you want to know about anyone’s business. Believe me, there are no secrets in a town this small.”
“That must be a comfort.”
He chuckled. “Unless you’re the one with the secrets they’re all sharing with your neighbors.”
She lifted a brow. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“We like to say that the good thing about living in a small town is knowing everything about your neighbors. And the bad thing about living in a small town is having all your neighbors know everything about you.”
She shared a laugh, and Josh was relieved to see that her wonderful smile had returned.
At the end of the street he pointed to the Paintbrush Church, with its gleaming white steeple pointed heavenward, and the Paintbrush Elementary School next to the Paintbrush High School, with its new football field and modern track. “Just beyond town is the fairground. During rodeo days, the town swells to about five times its normal population.”
“Do you take part in the rodeo?”
He shook his head. “I leave that to my brother Jake. He’s always been crazy enough to try his luck with a bucking bronc or an angry bull. Quinn and I are more than willing to stand back and cheer him on.”
“Is Jake a rancher, too?”
“Yeah. It’s the family business. And now he’s our veterinarian, as well. We never say it aloud, but we’re pretty proud of him.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “It takes guts for the youngest of the family to travel a thousand miles away from home to chase a dream. But as I said, if you’re looking for a crazy, gutsy guy, Jake’s your man.”
“Are you saying it doesn’t take a crazy, gutsy guy to climb the Tetons during a storm to locate lost hikers?”
Josh grinned. “Just doing my job, ma’am.”
After making a slow tour of the town, Josh brought his truck to a halt in front of the diner. “I don’t know about you, but right about now I could use a good, hot meal.”
She nodded. “Sounds wonderful. That’s not to say that your steak-and-egg breakfast wasn’t really good. But my stomach is telling me that it hasn’t been filled for hours.”
She climbed from the truck and followed Josh inside the ancient diner. Arranged on one side were a couple of old metal tables and scarred wooden chairs, and all of them were filled by people who called out greetings to Josh as he led her toward the gleaming counter, lined with a row of old-fashioned stools.
The minute they were seated a plump woman hurried over to greet them.
“Josh Conway. Haven’t seen you in weeks. Busy time up at the ranch?”
“You bet.” Seeing the way she was studying Sierra, he said, “Dora, this is Sierra Moore.”
Dora stuck out a hand. “Nice to meet you, Sierra. Coffee?”
Sierra accepted her handshake. “Yes, please.”
“Make that two,” Josh called, as she started away.
“You don’t need to tell me that,” the woman said with a laugh. “The day you come in and order tea, I’ll know you’re not feeling like yourself.”
While she poured two cups of coffee, a white-haired woman peered at them from the pass-through to the kitchen. “Josh Conway. How’re you, honey?”
“Great, Flora.”
She stared at the woman beside him. “Don’t tell me you finally got yourself a serious girlfriend.”
“Just a friend, Flora.”
“Tell that to someone else. A female that pretty is never just a friend.”
Josh ignored her little jibe. “Flora, this is Sierra Moore.”
The older woman gave her a bright smile. “Any friend of Josh Conway’s is more than welcome here.”
“Thank you.”
Flora’s daughter, Dora, set down two steaming cups of coffee and indicated the faded, plastic-coated menus. “You decided what you want?”
Before they could say a word her mother called out from the kitchen, “The special today is chicken and dumplings. You don’t want to order anything else.”
Josh winked at Sierra. “That settles it for me. Make mine chicken and dumplings.”
Sierra couldn’t help laughing. “Make that two.”
Dora nodded and shouted out the order to her mother, even though the old woman had obviously heard every word. Then Dora proceeded to place two premade salads in front of them before turning away.
The rest of the meal was delivered on steaming plates, along with homemade rolls and Flora’s special honey butter.
Both Josh and Sierra cleaned their plates before sitting back to sip their coffee.
Sierra turned to him. “I can’t remember the last time I had a real home-cooked meal in a diner. This was amazing.”
Having overheard her, Dora stepped closer. “If you liked Ma’s chicken, you’re going to love her coconut cream pie. It’s the best in the West.”
“I’m sold.” Sierra smiled. “I have to try it.”
“Me, too.” Josh winked. “I’m not about to pass up a piece of Flora’s homemade pie.”
They were still grinning as they dug into the mile-high confection, and both were sighing with pleasure by the time they’d finished.
Dora picked up their empty plates. “It’s nice to see a pretty young thing like you enjoying Ma’s pie without worrying about your figure.”
“Why, thank you,” Josh deadpanned, causing both women to roar with laughter.
“Be sure to tell your mother that I’ve never tasted coconut cream pie that good,” Sierra said.
“I will.” Dora studied her a minute, then asked, “You wouldn’t happen to be a photographer, would you?”
Both Josh and Sierra shot her puzzling glances.
Josh arched a brow. “Have you taken up mind reading, Dora?”
The woman laughed. “Don’t I wish? It just dawned on me. There was a man in here asking if anybody knew a beautiful photographer who was supposed to be in the area.” She puffed up with importance. “Someone in town told him that if he wanted to know anything about anybody in these parts, he ought to ask at Flora’s Diner. But Ma and I told him we’d never heard of her.” She turned to Sierra. “Since you’re the prettiest woman who’s been in our place in a long time, I just now put two and two together.”
“How long ago was the man here?” Sierra asked softly.
“Yesterday. Handsome devil,” Dora muttered. “And oh, such fancy clothes. I’m betting he paid more for his watch than I did for that new truck I bought. Ma and I thought about locking him up in the cooler and keeping him for ourselves, but we resisted temptation.”
She turned away, laughing uproariously at her little joke.
Seeing the stricken look of Sierra’s face, Josh dropped some money on the counter. “Thanks, Dora. Bye, Flora,” he called to the older woman in the kitchen.
At once the white-haired figure popped up at the pass-through. “Bye, you sweet, sexy thing. Bye, pretty woman. Hope you’ll both hurry back.”
Sierra managed a weak smile before turning away.
Josh led the way to his truck. Once inside he turned to her. “Okay. Either something you ate doesn’t agree with you, or the news Dora delivered just added to your misery. I’m betting it’s the news.”
She nodded, staring hard at her hands.
“Want to talk about it? I’m a good listener.”
She shook her head. “No. But thanks for the offer to listen.”
“Anytime.”
She shrugged. “Maybe… later.”
“Okay. Would you care to pay a visit to the chief of police?”
As his words sank in, she seemed to shrink back against the seat. She lifted her gaze to his. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
