by Marla Monroe
She quickly took a seat and carefully set the binder with all her notes in their neat plastic covers on the desk in front of her. She looked up and tried to steady her nerves. When her eyes met Laredo’s, her courage faltered and she had to swallow around a huge rock lodged in her throat, holding back the words she needed to say.
Laredo frowned. “What’s wrong, Shelby?”
“I…” Her voice faltered and she had to clear her throat to continue. “I have to leave. I am so sorry to leave out of the blue, but I don’t have a choice. You were so kind to offer me the chance to work for you when you didn’t know anything about me. I thought I’d have more time this time, but I was wrong.”
Tears trickled down her cheeks. She’d known better than to try and say something this time. She should have just run and left a note like she always did. Instead she laid her hand on the notebook and tried again.
“Everything is up to date and I even paid all the bills through the end of the month. The payroll checks are ready to be signed for Friday and you have enough supplies through the end of the month as well.” She had to take a deep breath so she could continue. “I typed up all of my duties and separated them by what I handle on a daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis so someone will be able to just step in and take over. I’m so sorry. I love it here and everyone is so good to me, but—but I have to go.”
Before she could stand up and run for the door, Laredo had gotten up and moved around the side of the desk so fast she almost didn’t see him move. He stood over her with concern on his features.
“What’s wrong, Shelby? Is someone bothering you here?”
She shook her head hard. “Everyone is great. It’s like a family here.”
“What about Bo and Dalton? You’ve been spending a lot of time together over the last few weeks. Is it them? Are they putting pressure on you for some reason?” he asked.
“No! They’re great guys. This has nothing to do with them. I just have to go.”
He frowned down at her then squatted so that they were almost at eye level. She could see that he truly was worried. She hated that she was causing so much trouble, but she had to go so that no one there would end up hurt because of her.
“What kind of trouble are you in, Shelby? Let us help you.”
She gaped at him. Shutting her mouth once she realized it was wide open, she just shook her head. There was no way she would involve these people who’d taken her in and treated her like family.
“I can’t talk about it. I just have to go. Please. I couldn’t sneak away like I normally do. I couldn’t do that to you and your brother. You’ve been so good to me, but I have to go so no one gets hurt. Please don’t make it harder than it is.” She had tears freely flowing down her face now and did nothing to stop them.
Laredo grimaced but stood up and stepped back. “I wish you would trust me and let us help you. We’ve got connections in a lot of places. If you’re in some kind of trouble, our lawyer will help us handle it.”
She dropped her head in shame. The fact that he was offering her so much without even knowing what was wrong only strengthened her resolve not to allow her dangerous situation to touch them.
“I can’t. Thank you so much, but I can’t.” Shelby stood up and opened the notebook she’d left on the desk, pulling out an envelope with Bo and Dalton’s names on it.
“Would you do me a favor?” she finally asked, squeezing the envelope in her hands.
“Of course. If I can do anything to help, I will,” he said.
She nodded then drew in a deep breath and held out the envelope. “Would you please give this to Bo and Dalton when they get back from their camping trip?”
Laredo winced but nodded. “Sure. I can do that. Are you sure you don’t want to at least wait until they return and tell them good-bye yourself?”
She shook her head. “I can’t wait that long. I should have already left, but I wanted to talk to you in person. Just tell them I’m sorry and, well, I’m sorry.”
She felt the sob building in her chest. She had to get out of there before she really broke down. Shelby rushed past a startled Laredo and slipped through the door before running to the back of the lodge where there was a servant’s entrance to the lot where she’d parked her car. As soon as she was safely buckled in, she started the engine and drove out of the little lot to wind her way around to the main road. She had a hard time navigating as she finally broke down and cried all the way to Ennis.
Chapter Ten
Shelby felt as if she’d been driving forever. After filling her car up with gas in Ennis, she’d had to fill it up twice more on her way to upstate Washington. It wasn’t where she planned to stay, but it would do for a few weeks until she could make more plans. Right now, she was operating on fumes and needed to rest. Stopping so soon scared her though. After Bo and Dalton had left her apartment the night before, she’d slept about an hour then got up to pack and get ready to leave.
She’d had no trouble picking out the car trailing her when she had left Ennis that morning. She’d ignored it until she got into Billings then proceeded to lose it in the dense traffic. Once she felt sure that she no longer had a tail, Shelby had taken another highway that essentially doubled back the way she’d come. It eventually branched off toward Missoula. She had wanted to cross over the state line, but it wasn’t going to happen tonight. If it hadn’t been for having to travel around so many mountains, she would have been out of the state a lot sooner. Now she needed to find a place to stop for the night.
Though she could have continued on if she had to, there wasn’t a need this time. If it had come down to it, she could drive twenty hours without finally conking out. She’d done it in the past, but it wasn’t her favorite thing to do, and it wasn’t safe for her or others on the road around her.
She found a little one-horse town with a roach motel that had a vacancy and the ability for her to park around back. The clerk behind the registration desk was so busy watching The Walking Dead on TV that he didn’t bother checking her license or anything, just took her money and gave her a room in the back. She’d gotten a room with a double bed and registered as Mr. and Mrs. Holmes in case anyone checked. Of course if they checked, they’d drive around and see her car.
At least it would throw them off if they were a day behind her and she’d already left. She even got two cups of the complimentary coffee, making a big production of her husband wanting Sweet’N Low instead of Splenda in his. The clerk grumbled but got up and went to the back to look for it. She quickly grabbed the few packets of Sweet’N Low and hid them in her pocket before he returned with a handful of the pink packages. She thanked him and finished fixing her husband’s coffee before leaving.
Once back at her car, she poured out the coffee and tossed the empty cups into the trash before driving around to where room one-twelve was. She backed into the parking space one door over and waited to be sure no one followed her around before she cut the engine and climbed out.
Funny how old habits didn’t really ever go away, she thought. Even after living on Bear Mountain Ranch for almost eight months and actually relaxing enough that she considered making it her permanent home if things worked out, Shelby had easily fallen right back into the groove of duck and hide. It was sad realization that her life had been reduced to this. She might as well plan on moving at least every six months from now on. That meant waitressing jobs for the most part.
The room proved to be fairly clean considering the age of the motel and where it was located. Though the décor was old and outdated, it was clean and the room didn’t smell musty. Even the bathroom looked presentable. Relieved, she dropped her overnight pack on the bed and locked the door. Then she pulled the love seat over in front of it and pushed the table and chair in front of the window, just enough out of the way that if someone tried to break in that way, they’d trip over them.
Could I be paranoid? Nah. I know everyone is out to get me.
Taking her bag into the bat
hroom with her, Shelby locked the door and took a hot shower for as long as the hot water held out. It felt good and helped to soothe some of the stiffness from her muscles. Driving all day had pretty much left her feeling like a pretzel since she only stopped for gas and to use the facilities.
When she’d dried off, Shelby wiped the condensation off the mirror and stared at herself. The bags under her eyes already seemed more pronounced that they had been before she’d left the ranch. The shadows that had pretty much disappeared from her eyes after living so long at the ranch were back as if they’d never been gone. She hated how being on the run made her look, and even more so, she hated how it made her feel.
Having to look over her shoulder all the time made her wary of strangers and less inclined to smile since that encouraged conversations she didn’t want to engage in. It made people remember you much easier. If she kept her head down and avoided eye contact, she looked like every other person out there, too busy to stop and chat. It kept her suspicious of any offer of help or obvious interest in her. It was why she hadn’t warmed up to Bo and Dalton as easily as she could have.
Damn! I miss them already. It hasn’t even been a full twenty-four hours and I wish I could curl up between them again.
How was she going to make it the next few days if she couldn’t get them off of her mind? She’d worried about it all day long right along with the fear she’d be caught before she could fully disappear again. She’d hated leaving like she had, not really giving them any explanation in the note she’d left for them.
“There’s nothing you can do about it now. You couldn’t have done anything different anyway. If they followed you, they’d put both you and themselves in danger. This was the best you could do, Shelby. Suck it up.”
Heartsick, she pulled on shorts and a T-shirt along with socks to sleep in. That way if she needed to run, she would be halfway dressed and could step into her shoes and grab her bag as she made her get away. It had saved her butt in the past. She hoped she didn’t need it this time. She was getting too old for this. With a sigh, Shelby lay down on top of the covers and mentally reviewed her plans in her head before drifting off to sleep. The last thought she had was that she wondered if the guys were thinking about her as they made camp for the night.
* * * *
The next morning, Shelby woke just before dawn. She’d set the alarm clock for seven, but her own internal alarm clock had decided it wasn’t early enough. After dealing with her morning routine, she dressed and repacked her pack before heading out. She left the key in the room and didn’t bother stopping by the front desk. She rarely did when she paid cash, and they usually didn’t expect you to.
There wasn’t anything open in the area, so she munched on peanut butter crackers with plans to stop and top off her gas tank at the next truck stop along the way. She could grab something to eat from there as well. She knew eating well was essential in staying alert and being able to handle the additional stress, but Shelby lost her appetite when she was nervous like this. It was a problem some women would die to have, but she didn’t wish it on anyone. Between the weakness it caused and the constant nausea, keeping her head on straight wasn’t easy.
By the time she finally found a truck stop that looked fairly decent, it was already ten in the morning and she was so hungry she was almost too weak to gas up. She pulled up to the building and pulled herself out of the car, leaning on the open door for a few seconds before closing it and walking inside. It smelled of diesel fuel, sweat, and burnt grease from the fryers.
She was thankful that there were only a handful of truckers inside milling around. Most were friendly enough, but there were always a few who had a bone to gnaw or something to prove. In her present state of mind, she was afraid she’d go off on anyone who gave her attitude.
“What can I get ya’, honey?” the tired-looking waitress asked when she took a seat facing the windows.
“Coffee, black, two eggs scrambled, and dry toast with grape jelly, please.”
“You can get bacon or sausage for only a dollar more.”
“No thanks, but could you add a glass of water to that please?”
“Sure. I’ll bring that and the coffee back after I put your order in.” The woman smiled at her despite the fact that her feet must be hurting her. She limped slightly back to the counter.
I sure feel for her. That will be me once I get settled somewhere. I just hope I can hold up being on my feet for eight or ten hours.
After the waitress returned with her water and coffee, Shelby pulled the map out of her pack to make sure she was still on course. She could stay on I-90 or she could veer off to Highway 2 and still get to her destination. She just didn’t know if staying on a major interstate was her safest bet or not. There would be more cars around her and provide her with more public stops but more than likely they would assume she would take a major road because of the safety if they figured out which direction she’d gone after she left Billings.
Shelby rubbed her forehead. She was developing the makings of a major headache. Between not eating and all the stress and worry, it was a miracle she didn’t already have one.
“Headache, hon?” The waitress appeared next to her and refilled her coffee cup. “I’ve got some over-the-counter pain killers in my purse if you need something?”
“Thank you, but I’ve got some in the car. It will go away when I eat. I skipped breakfast and shouldn’t have,” she assured the woman.
“That’ll do it. Your food will be out in just a second.” She patted Shelby’s arm and moved on to the next table to refill their cups.
She’d run up the coast line once she hit Seattle and figure out if she wanted to stop and Bellingham or go all the way to Lynden that was a hop, skip, and a jump from the Canadian border. Before she made it that far, she’d need to grab some warmer clothes than she had with her. It was one of the things on her to do list for the coming winter in Montana anyway. She’d made it fine in the jeans and long sleeved shirts she still had, but a new coat would definitely be welcomed.
When her food came out, Shelby folded the map and tucked it back inside the pack to concentrate on her food. The first bite of eggs nearly made her moan out loud. She felt it hit bottom in her stomach. She really didn’t need to allow herself to get that hungry again. It was dangerous, and if she had to run on an empty stomach there was no telling when she’d get to eat again.
By the time she’d finished eating, Shelby felt as close to a hundred percent as possible considering her situation. The waitress thanked her for the nice tip she left, and Shelby did some quick shopping to replenish her dwindling snack and water supply. She grabbed some individually packaged painkillers and checked out, antsy to get back on the road.
As she pulled out of the truck stop, she got a strange feeling that someone was watching her. When she looked around, she didn’t see anyone, and once she was back on the Interstate, nothing followed her out of the truck stop. She kept a close watch in her rearview mirror anyway.
By the time she crossed the state line from Idaho into Washington, it was after two in the afternoon. She was still okay on gas, but figured it would be a good idea to stop at the next truck stop and fill up again. She wanted to check her map as well. She wasn’t sure yet if she wanted to stay on the Interstate or take Hwy 2. The last sign she passed had said that Spokane was only about thirty-five miles away. She’d stop there. It was a big enough place she could lose someone if she needed to. Now was the time she wished she’d splurged and bought a GPS, but she was terrified someone would figure out how to trace her through it.
Forty-five minutes later, she pulled off the Interstate at what appeared to be a favorite truck stop for the casual trucker. There were more rigs parked there than she’d ever seen before. At first she’d thought it might have a dealership next to the truck stop, but once she got closer, it was obvious that they were all in use.
As she filled up with gas, Shelby watched the cars and trucks that pulled in behind her.
She didn’t recognize any of them as having been close to her at any given time while she’d been driving, but her stomach flip-flopped with nerves anyway. She debated on if she needed to pay and leave right away or if she could risk taking a bathroom break. By the time she’d made it inside and paid for her gas, the bathroom break had become a necessity.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d been found despite not noticing anyone watching her or pulling out behind her. She even kept in the slow lane and deliberately drove the speed limit when everyone else was speeding past. No one slowed down to stick with her and no one appeared to be lagging behind either. All she seemed to be doing was wasting time and pissing a lot of people off.
She’d decided to take the highway out of Spokane in hopes it would throw anyone watching off. With the Spokane Indian Reservation and Lake Roosevelt just to her north, there was surprisingly more traffic on the highway than she’d expected. It helped her settle her nerves down somewhat that she wasn’t all alone on a long stretch of rural road.
The first real town she came to was Davenport. She had no reason to stop, so she kept going and prayed there would be another town along the long stretch of road. Her map didn’t show much of anything until Waterville, which was quite a distance to travel.
To her relief, she finally came across the small community of Creston. There really wasn’t anywhere to stop but she pulled off at an intersection and asked a young man walking a dog if there were any larger communities or towns before she got to Waterville.
“There’s a couple down the road there. When you get to the intersection of Highway 2 and 21 you’ll be in Wilbur. Expect you can get gas and something to eat there. Or you can drive on a few miles and get to Almira and right after that is Perdair. Really, you can take your pick, lady.” He shrugged. “Pretty much got a choice along this road.”
“Thanks. I was worried it would be awhile before I could get gas again.” She started to roll her window up and rive off, but he spoke up again.
