by R. C. Ryan
“At the spa?”
“We could leave that to the others, and I’d find us a private spot to talk…and stuff.”
“It’s the ‘and stuff’ that could be a problem.”
“Think of it as a pleasurable challenge.” He leaned close to murmur in her ear, “Of course, that could be said of you. I’m finding you a pleasurable challenge. And a daunting one.”
“Same goes, cowboy.” She stepped away from him when Kyle and Lily charged into the kitchen to report on the puppies.
While the children breathlessly described the silly antics of the dogs, Ally could feel Reed’s steady gaze on her. When she looked over, he winked, and she felt the quick sexual tug.
What was she going to do about him? Reed Malloy was too sexy for his own good. And if she didn’t guard her heart, she could find herself in over her head.
Too late. She already was.
Within the hour the family had enjoyed a raucous meal, and the men were now getting ready to tackle dozens of ranch chores while the women prepared for a trek to town for a day at the spa.
Frank and his Gracie were standing quietly, arms about each other, faces close.
Matt and Nessa were embracing.
Luke and Ingrid were locked in a passionate kiss.
Reed turned to where Ally stood, flanked by Kyle and Lily.
He crossed the space that separated them and tousled Lily’s hair before kneeling to hug Kyle. “Looks like you and Yancy and Great One will be in charge of all the manly chores around here for a few hours.”
“We will?” Kyle brightened. “Like what?”
Standing, he picked up the boy and held him in his arms before turning to Ally. “For one thing, I’ll expect you two to watch out for each other while your moms are gone to town.”
“Okay.”
“And you and Lily will have to look out for Molly and the puppies.”
“We will.”
Reed reached out his other arm and drew Ally close. “Your only job is to enjoy your girly day. You’ve earned it.”
She lifted her head. “Thanks.”
Before she realized what he intended, he lowered his face and kissed her.
Kyle giggled. “Reed. You’re kissing my mama.”
“Yeah.” Reed set him on his feet. “I hope you don’t mind, little buddy.”
“Uh-uh.” The boy looked from Reed to his mother.
“Well, then. In that case…” He straightened and gathered her close, kissing her again. A hard, lingering kiss that left her head spinning. “Just so you don’t forget about me the minute I’m out of sight.”
When he released her and took a step back, she brought her hand to her throat in a gesture of surprise. “As if I could. Especially after that.”
“Good. That’s what I intended. And when you get back, we’re going to talk…and things.” He winked before sauntering toward the idling truck where Burke sat waiting.
Kyle caught his mother’s hand. “Reed hugged me.”
“That’s wonderful.” She watched the truck start up a dirt trail that circled the barns, sending up a cloud of dust.
“That’s ’cause he likes me.”
When she knelt to gather him close, he touched a hand to his mother’s cheek. “He likes you, too.”
“It was just a little kiss good-bye.”
“Uh-huh. ’Cause he likes you.” He pushed free of her arms. “Me and Lily are going back to the barn to see the puppies.”
She didn’t even bother to correct his grammar. She was too busy dealing with her heart. A racing heart that was doing the strangest dance inside her chest.
“All right, girls.” Nessa had appointed herself leader of their day’s activities. “Yancy graciously invited Lily and Kyle to have a cookie-baking lesson while we head to town.”
“We may have to nominate that man for sainthood,” Ingrid muttered in an aside.
“Oh, I don’t know.” Grace looked out the window where the two children and Yancy were kneeling in the grass, surrounded by frolicking puppies. “It’s hard to tell who’s having more fun.”
The women gathered around her and watched the scene with murmured words of approval.
Grace’s eyes were crinkled with pleasure. “It’s such a joy to watch children and puppies. I’m sure Yancy is enjoying them as much as Frankie and I are. I’ve so missed having little ones around.”
Her father looked up from his favorite chair.
“Have fun with your girls, Grace Anne.”
“You know I will.”
Once in the truck, Nessa drove while the others relaxed and settled in for the long drive to Glacier Ridge.
After Nessa parked the truck along Main Street, she turned to the others. “We have some free time before we hit the spa. I called ahead and reserved chairs for pedicures at one o’clock.”
“That gives us enough time to shop at Anything Goes.” Grace led the way toward the pretty little shop with its red-and-white-striped awning.
Inside, owner Trudy Evans looked delighted to see them. “Ladies. What a lovely surprise.”
Grace hugged her. “We’re having ourselves a girly day. Shopping. A visit to Gert and Teddy’s spa. And probably tea and pie at D and B’s before we head home.”
“Oh, what fun, Miss Grace.” Trudy looked around at the lovely young women rummaging through the merchandise. She sighed. “You’re so lucky to have girls in your life. There’s nothing like it.”
“Don’t I know it?” Grace laughed. “For years I was surrounded by all that testosterone. And now I feel so blessed to have these wonderful young ladies around me.” She lowered her voice. “They keep me young.”
Trudy put a hand on the older woman’s shoulder. “Miss Grace, you don’t need anybody else for that. You and your Frank are the youngest old-timers in this town.”
“Why thank you, dear.” Grace’s eyes danced with laughter. “Help them find some fabulous things.”
“I’m happy to.” Trudy walked away, and the three young women were soon off to the back room to try on their choices.
More than an hour later the countertop was littered with piles of clothing. T-shirts. Shorts. Pretty sandals. Assorted lacy undergarments.
As Trudy began placing their choices in handled bags, the young women held out their credit cards.
Trudy shook her head. “Sorry. I’m told your money’s no good here.”
They looked at one another with matching frowns as she explained, “I had a call early this morning from Frank Malloy. He said he’d have my hide if I allowed anyone except him to pay for whatever you chose. So put away your cards, ladies. When Frank Malloy uses that tone with me, I know he means business.”
Grace burst into laughter. “That old softie. And all the while he was teasing me about wasting an entire day on girly things.”
They called out their good-byes to Trudy as they carried their purchases to the truck.
Nessa checked her watch. “Time to head over to the spa.” As they crossed the street, they caught sight of Dr. Anita Cross heading straight toward them.
“Right on time,” Nessa called.
When the others turned to her with looks of surprise, she explained, “I called Anita to see if she had time to join us for a pedicure.”
“And I told Nessa I’d make time,” Anita added with a laugh.
She hugged Grace and then each of the young women. When she hugged Ally, she said, “I’m still waiting for that well visit with Kyle.”
“I know. Soon, I hope. But things—”
Anita silenced her with a finger to her lips. “I know. You’ve been a little busy since the fire. It’s all anybody talks about here in town. I’m so relieved that you and Kyle escaped without a scratch. But what makes it all so awful is the fact that it was a personal attack. Not to mention the damage to your business.”
“Sheriff Graystoke believes he’ll have the person in custody soon. As for my business, Thorny assures me he’ll have things up and running as soon as
he can make all the repairs.”
“I’m so glad.” Anita drew an arm around Ally’s waist as their party stepped inside the spa.
Gert and Teddy Gleason were both standing behind the glass-topped desk, eager to greet their little party.
Teddy looked up from his ledgers with a wide smile. He wore a black smock that buttoned across one shoulder. Though he’d begun this business as a barbershop, he’d quickly realized what the town really wanted. Now his simple barbershop had been turned into a lovely spa.
“Miss Grace. Ladies.” His wife, Gert, tall, model-thin, her hair tied back in a bun, was wearing a pink smock over yoga pants. “We have all our chairs ready so that you can have a lovely visit while you get your pedicures.”
Grace stared around admiringly. “The chairs aren’t out here?”
“This area is for our stylists.” Gert nodded toward three young women, all in pink smocks, busy cutting hair. One other employee was giving a manicure. “We keep our pedicure chairs in here.” Gert opened a door to admit them to a charming room with soft music playing, and in one corner, a fountain spilling water. Five chairs were arranged in a circle. Five young women in pink smocks greeted them and led them to their places, before filling the basins with warm water.
As Grace settled herself in the leather recliner, a young woman touched a button and the chair began gently vibrating along her back. A second button activated the recliner’s many positions.
“Oh my.” Grace laughed like a girl as she slid off her shoes and placed her feet in the warm, scented water before settling in to relax.
A man in a black smock stepped in from a back room and moved among them holding out a tray on which rested chilled bottles of fizzy water.
“All the comforts of Chicago,” Nessa called as she plucked a bottle, and the others laughed at her remark.
“I was just thinking this is one of the few things I miss about Boston,” Anita chimed in as she helped herself to water. “And now I won’t ever have to miss it again. Boston has come to Glacier Ridge, Montana.”
“And to think I’ve been missing all this comfort.” Grace turned to Ally, who had gone ashen as she accepted a bottle of water from the tray. “You look pale, dear. Is anything wrong?”
Ally shook her head, wishing she could shake off the feeling of dread that unexpectedly gripped her. “I don’t know. I just feel…” What did she feel? She couldn’t explain. But there was such a feeling of unease holding her in its grip, she was worried she was about to become physically ill.
Anita smiled. “Colin tells me you’re from Virginia.”
Ally nodded before sinking back against the cushions, fighting a distinctly light-headed feeling.
Around her, the young women were recounting stories of their lives before coming to Montana.
While the others enjoyed sharing fun anecdotes about themselves, Ally, though struggling to smile and nod, fell silent.
While their feet were sanded, scraped, and buffed, Ally saw the door handle of the back room turn. The door was opened slightly, as though someone was peering around while remaining hidden. The door suddenly closed with a resounding click.
Ally felt a momentary chill, despite the warmth of the room, as the thought exploded in her mind.
The employee with the tray. Though she hadn’t been paying attention, there had been something about him.
Glen? In disguise?
Ally reached for her cell phone and listened in frustration to the message before saying quickly, “It’s Ally Shaw. I just saw Glen. In the spa.”
Before anyone could react, she lifted her feet from the water and struggled to slide them into her sandals.
The girl in the pink smock touched a hand to Ally’s leg. “I haven’t done your polish yet.”
“There’s no time.” Ally turned to the others. “That man. The one with the tray. It’s him. The stalker who firebombed my building.”
While they watched in stunned silence, she raced out the back door, wearing one sandal and leaving the other behind in her haste.
Chapter Eighteen
Ally tore open the back door of the spa and stepped out into a patch of concrete that held trash cans and recycling bins. Fearing that Glen could be hiding behind one of them, she looked around carefully before starting forward. She’d taken no more than a few steps before an arm locked around her neck, halting her in midstride.
Glen’s voice, next to her ear, was low with fury. “Looking for me?”
Before she could utter a word, she was yanked off her feet and dragged through another doorway. Once inside a room, she was slammed roughly against a wall. With no way to protect herself, her head hit so hard she saw stars swimming before her eyes. Her knees buckled, and she felt herself sinking to the floor. When she looked over, Glen was watching her through narrowed eyes. Light glinted off the blade of a knife in his hand.
Though she wanted to scream, she struggled to keep her tone soft, afraid of fueling his already seething anger. “Why are you doing this, Glen?”
“You need to ask why? You two-timing bitch. Did you think I wouldn’t see you with that cowboy?”
“I don’t know what you—”
He slapped her hard enough to have her head snapping to one side. He slashed out with the knife, catching the sleeve of her T-shirt and slicing the tender flesh of her upper arm.
When he grabbed her by the neck of her shirt to pull her savagely to her feet, she could hear the fabric tearing.
“Just so you know how fine this weapon is, I’ve worked on the blade until it’s razor-sharp. Sharp enough to slit your pretty throat in one clean slice. Are you ready to die?”
“Why, Glen? Why are you—”
“Shut your mouth.” He pressed the tip of the blade to her throat, drawing blood. “You and I don’t belong here in Hicksville. If we’re smart enough to work for a top security firm, we’re too good for this backwater town. At least one of us is. But now you’ve lowered yourself to their level. Just look at the stupid fools who run this so-called spa. All I had to do was tell them I needed a place to stay and they allowed me to sleep in this storage room.” He nodded toward the cot on the far side of the room. “What they didn’t know was that I’d already broken in here before I asked for a job and knew this window offered a clear view of the front door of your shop. I had the best seat in town.” He gave a shrill laugh, so alien with his deep voice. A laugh that reminded Ally of a madman.
His laughter died as abruptly as it started. “After I smashed your front window and ruined that pretty little display, I thought you’d learned your lesson. You sent the cowboy away. And you were reading my emails. Even though you didn’t answer me, I could tell you were definitely interested.”
Ally thought about the thick file of those emails in the sheriff’s office. Emails that declared his love, before becoming more and more demanding. “If what you said in those emails is true, why did you firebomb my apartment, knowing it would hurt me and my little boy?”
“Because you let the cowboy back into your life. And don’t you dare try to deny it.” He slapped her again, hard enough to have her crying out in pain. “I saw the two of you in the doorway. All wrapped around each other like lovers.” His voice lowered with fury. “When Rick died, I made it clear I would take care of you. But you decided I wasn’t good enough. You ignored me. And then you left me. Left me without a word.” He smiled, and his smile was more frightening than his frown had been. “You thought you were so smart. But I’m smarter. Finding you was easy. I had enough security clearance to go through your files without anyone being the wiser. So now I’ve found you. And I’ve come to a decision. That precious brat that you claim to love so much could have had a safe home with me, if you’d gone along with my plans. Now, since you think you’re too good for me, the kid will grow up without anyone. I intend to make him an orphan. And it’s all your fault. I want you to think about that when you’re dying. You chose some Montana cowboy over me, and it cost your kid his only parent.”<
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As he lifted the knife, Ally held out her hands to him. “Please, Glen, think about what you’re doing. The sheriff won’t stop hunting until he finds you. And if you kill me, you’ll spend the rest of your life in prison. But if you walk away, right now, I promise I won’t press charges against you.”
“Liar! You’re doing it again. Lying to me like I’m some kind of brainless idiot.” He stepped back as though the touch of her suddenly repelled him. “Your whole life has been one big, stupid lie.” He raised the knife until the tip of the blade was aimed straight for her heart. “And now you have to pay.”
Reed was leaving Will’s Feed Supply when he passed the ranch truck parked outside Anything Goes. When his cell phone rang, he decided to let it go to message. He was feeling too mellow. The sight of all those fancy handled bags tossed on the front seat had him grinning. A day with other females was exactly what Ally needed after all the chaos in her life.
When his cell phone continued to ring, he plucked it out of his shirt pocket and checked the caller. His smile grew and he glanced over at the spa. Leave it to Ally to want to share her good time with him.
“Hey, Red.”
The sound of her voice had him hitting the brakes. Without even bothering to park, he was out of the truck and running as fast as he could.
In the spa, in those initial moments after Ally shouted and made a run from the room, there was complete confusion while the others struggled to process what had just happened. It was Grace who pressed the sheriff’s number to report what they’d just witnessed.
As the truth dawned, the women rallied, ignoring fresh polish dripping from their toenails, struggling to slide wet feet into shoes that resisted.
By the time Sheriff Eugene Graystoke came rushing into the room, they had already made a mad dash for the back door.
Nessa tore it open, only to see nobody around.
“All right now,” Eugene shouted above the voices. “Everybody calm down and tell me what transpired here.”
