“What do you think?” he asked.
“He sounds okay. I wonder if Daniel has worked with him. There aren’t that many lawyers in Bozeman.” She leaned forward and studied Adam’s photo. “He has nice eyes.”
Blake frowned. “Nice eyes don’t make someone a nice person.”
Elizabeth lifted her head.
Her grin was so unexpected that he could have sworn his heart stopped beating.
“You’ve got nice eyes, too. And most of the time you’re a nice person. I think Adam Jefferies and I will have a lot in common.” She closed the folder and sighed. “Thank you for making sure my questionnaire was added to the Crazy Love program.”
“You’re welcome.” Guilt laced with a good dose of dread crept along his conscience. If Elizabeth ever discovered what he’d done, she wouldn’t speak to him again.
That thought alone had been enough to give him too many sleepless nights.
Elizabeth glanced at her watch. “Daniel won’t be too far away. I’ll ask him about Adam before I do anything else. Have you tried the app?”
“Me?”
“Yes, you. Lots of women would find you attractive, even if you are a little set in your ways.”
Blake knew Elizabeth was teasing him, but he wasn’t in the mood for her light-hearted banter. Not when he was beginning to worry about his choice of candidates for her. What if she really liked Adam? What if they were so compatible that she ended up marrying the guy and having half a dozen children with him?
“Are you okay, Blake?”
He pushed his bowl of fruit away. “I’m fine. Just a little tired.”
“You know, if you want to date someone, Sarah is an awesome person.”
“Your friend who’s been helping at the clinic?”
Elizabeth nodded. “She teaches history at MSU.”
Sarah seemed like a great person, but not someone he wanted to date. “I’m taking a break from dating,” he muttered.
“You shouldn’t let your experience with Chantal stop you from meeting other people. I’m sure there are lots of women who like fast cars, penthouse apartments, and olives.”
Blake’s eyebrows rose. “You’re not going to let me forget, are you?”
“Not when you told me they were grapes. I don’t know how you can eat them.”
Elizabeth was eighteen years old when Blake first met her. She was in her sophomore year at college, as poor as a church mouse, and wanting to change the world.
The sister Daniel kept telling him about was nothing like the woman who left him speechless. With blond hair, clear blue eyes, and a razor-sharp mind, Blake quickly found himself enjoying spending time with her.
But spending time with your best friend’s sister could only lead to trouble. And it had. Big time. If he hadn’t walked away when he did, both their lives would have been a mess.
He stabbed a piece of apple with his fork. “Olives are an acquired taste for the discerning palate.”
“Such big words.” Elizabeth held a grape on the end of her fork. “These are yummier.” She bit into the deep purple fruit and grinned. “How are you enjoying your first week in Bozeman?”
“It’s been interesting.”
“When you first booked your tickets, I bet you didn’t think you’d be ripping up old carpet and scraping chipped tiles off the floor.”
He didn’t think he’d be buying a building in the historic district either, but he had. “I’ve enjoyed stretching my muscles.”
“Well, from one stretched muscle to another, I appreciate your help.”
Blake sighed. Trying to keep emotionally detached from Elizabeth was like throwing yourself over Niagara Falls and hoping for the best. She swept him up, tossed him around, and left him wondering if his life would ever be the same again.
He almost pitied the man the Crazy Love app had matched her with. Adam Jefferies didn’t stand a chance if Elizabeth decided she liked him.
A high-pitched beep came from the alarm Daniel had installed.
Elizabeth checked the security camera, then returned to her seat. “It’s Daniel. He’s just driven through the monitor at the front gate.”
“You should ask him to be your business partner.”
From the expression on Elizabeth’s face, that suggestion went down like a bowl of rotten eggs. “No. I’ll talk to my builder tomorrow. There must be something else we can do.”
“It’s okay to ask for help.”
“I’ve been looking after myself for a long time. It’s much better than working with my brother.” Elizabeth picked up her folder. “Tell Daniel I’ll be back soon. I want to read through the clinic’s building reports before I see Paul tomorrow.”
Blake watched her leave the kitchen. Diverting her attention away from the man looking for her had backfired. Just like suggesting she work with a business partner. Some days he got more response from banging his head against a brick wall than suggesting anything to Elizabeth.
She was stubborn, opinionated, and one of the most annoying people he knew. And to make matters worse, he was still in love with her.
The following afternoon, Elizabeth swung the sledgehammer at a wall in the clinic. With an almighty crack, the drywall disintegrated into a crumbling mess of fiber and gypsum. Her whoop of delight was matched by Sarah’s.
With her goggles pulled over her eyes, Sarah swung her own sledgehammer. Part of another wall fell away, exposing what looked like a nest.
She shot across the room. “Rat alert.”
Elizabeth used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe the sweat off her forehead. “You’re getting better. At least you didn’t run from the room this time.”
Sarah inched toward the door. “Don’t try any delay tactics on me. I’m already stretching my comfort zone.”
Elizabeth grinned. “You might not want to watch this.” She waited for Sarah to close her eyes before lifting the bundle of twigs and old newspaper out of the wall. There weren’t any baby rats inside, but something had definitely been living in there.
“I’m taking it outside. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Sarah squinted through the fingers covering her eyes. “Remember to take Sam.”
A woman with blond hair and blue eyes appeared in the doorway. “Did I hear someone call my name?”
“Elizabeth’s going outside,” Sarah said with a shudder. “She’s relocating a viper’s nest.”
“It’s a rat’s nest, and I’ll be okay.”
Sam didn’t appear to hear her. Or maybe she had. From the moment she arrived, she’d stuck like glue to Elizabeth.
“Are you leaving the nest anywhere near the dumpster?” Sam asked.
“I could.”
“In that case, I’ll empty the wheelbarrow at the same time.”
Not only was Sam on bodyguard duties, but she was also helping to rip out the interior walls. It was almost a win-win situation—if you ignored the gun strapped to her hips.
“Okay,” Sam said as she pushed the wheelbarrow down the hallway. “Follow me.”
If anyone ambushed them, Elizabeth had no idea how Sam would protect her while hauling drywall to the dumpster, but she had no doubt she could.
She’d told Elizabeth that working here was a welcome diversion from her usual job at Fletcher Security. As a self-confessed IT geek, Sam spent most of her time in the computer lab, hacking into computer networks and developing cutting-edge technology. Being here was like being given an early Christmas present.
Elizabeth walked to the back of the dumpster and found a safe place for the nest. Hopefully, resting it against the fence would give another animal the chance to use it.
When she’d finished, she helped Sam lift some of the trash into the dumpster. “Removing the water-damaged drywall is so much better than ripping up old carpet.”
“Anything would be better than ripping up your musty carpet.”
Sam had a point. If it weren’t for the work that Blake and Daniel had done, she’d still be—
&nbs
p; “Down!” Sam grabbed Elizabeth’s arm, yanking her around the side of the dumpster. “Call Sarah. Tell her to stay inside.”
Elizabeth crouched on the ground. While she spoke to Sarah, Sam called someone from Fletcher Security.
“Did you see Anton?” Elizabeth whispered.
“I couldn’t miss him. He gave me the meanest look I’ve ever seen.” Sam moved to the edge of the dumpster. With her gun against her chest, she peered into the alleyway.
Within seconds, she pulled back. “I can’t see him. We need to get back inside the building. Are you ready?”
Elizabeth nodded.
“Run toward the same door we came out. We leave on three. One, two, three.” Sam sprinted toward the clinic.
Elizabeth ran after her, ducking through the door and keeping low.
Sam yelled out to Sarah, then pushed Elizabeth into the storage area they’d designated as their safe room.
Sarah was already there, holding a shovel and looking as though she was going to faint.
As soon as Sam was inside, she slammed the door shut and locked it in place. “Are you both okay?”
Elizabeth held her hand over her thumping heart. “This is more excitement than I need.”
Sam checked her cell phone. “Connor and Tank are two minutes away. We’ll be okay.”
Elizabeth didn’t know whether she’d said that to reassure them or to fill the panicked silence. While they were waiting, she listened to each creek and groan of the building, hoping Anton hadn’t backtracked and entered the clinic.
Sam’s cell phone pinged. “Connor and Tank have arrived. They’ll let us know when we can come out.”
It seemed to take forever but, eventually, someone knocked on the wooden door.
“It’s safe,” a deep male voice said.
Elizabeth had met Tank and Connor at one of their boss’s barbecues beside Emerald Lake. They were both six-foot tall and built like quarterbacks.
Tank’s eyebrows rose when he saw the shovel in Sarah’s hands. “You can put that down now.”
Sarah frowned.
“The shovel,” he repeated.
A bright red blush hit Sarah’s cheeks. “It was the only thing I could find to keep us safe.”
Tank’s hand closed around the handle. “That’s why we’re here.” He glanced at Sam. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Did anyone else see Anton?”
Connor slid his gun into its holster. “The police are checking the security cameras on Main Street. You did good for an IT geek.”
Instead of looking happy, Sam shot Connor a ferocious scowl. “I was in the Army for six years. I came top of my class in hand-to-hand combat, I have a black belt in karate, and I know how to shoot a gun. There was never any question that I couldn’t keep Sarah and Elizabeth safe.”
Connor didn’t seem worried that he’d insulted Sam. “You wouldn’t be here if John didn’t think you could do your job.”
As far as apologies went, it wasn’t the best Elizabeth had heard, but Sam seemed a little happier.
Tank moved everyone into the reception area. “It’s four-thirty. How do you feel about going home?”
Elizabeth thought about all the work they still had to finish. Then she looked at Sarah. Her friend’s face was paler than before Tank had taken the shovel out of her hands.
“That’s probably a good idea.” She looked around the clinic and sighed. Tomorrow was soon enough to clear out the last three rooms. On Friday, the construction crew was arriving to begin the demolition. And if all went to plan, she would have her finances in place and ready to go.
Chapter 5
Blake didn’t arrive at Daniel’s house until nearly nine o’clock that night. The plans for his office in Bozeman were finished. After a few last-minute phone calls, he was expecting to see the final construction contract by tomorrow afternoon.
His team in Manhattan were already asking him questions about Bozeman. After he received his fifth email, he called the realtor who’d sold him his building. She was more than happy to answer his staff’s questions and organize a full day of viewings before everyone relocated.
With his staff taken care of, all he had to do was tell Elizabeth he was staying.
He parked Daniel’s truck inside the garage. It had been a long but productive day. He’d fixed a major issue with one of their IT projects and in the process, hadn’t created chaos.
The best news was that one of their latest apps was ahead of development and under budget—two things that were guaranteed to make him smile.
He followed the voices coming from the living room. Elizabeth was sitting on the sofa. With her legs curled beneath her and a smile on her face, he felt like he was really coming home.
Daniel looked up as Blake walked toward them. “Welcome home. Have you had dinner?”
“I grabbed something in Bozeman.” He glanced at Elizabeth. Her smile had disappeared. He hoped her reaction had nothing to do with him pushing her to ask Daniel for help. “Is everything okay?”
Elizabeth bit her bottom lip. “Something happened at the clinic this afternoon.”
“Did someone hurt themselves?”
“No. It wasn’t anything like that.” She cleared her throat. “Sam saw Anton de Bresney.”
Blake’s eyes widened. “Where was he?”
“He walked past the clinic when we were emptying some trash into the dumpster. He didn’t say or do anything.” She looked at her brother, then back at Blake. “At least we know Anton’s in Bozeman.”
Blake’s heart pounded. “And that’s supposed to make everyone feel better?”
Elizabeth dropped her feet to the floor. “You don’t need to get angry.”
He ran his hands through his hair. It wasn’t easy being calm when Elizabeth’s life could have been in danger. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Because you would have rushed across to the clinic and made a big deal out of it.”
“It is a big deal,” he growled. The stubborn look on Elizabeth’s face made him change what he was about to say. There was no point telling her she shouldn’t have been at the clinic. “I guess the next question is, what are we going to do about it?”
Daniel rose from his chair. “We aren’t going to do anything. A detective from the Bozeman Police Department spoke to everyone at the clinic. Sam will continue to look after Elizabeth until the police find Anton.”
Blake gave an exasperated sigh. “That could take weeks. If we visit a few of the motels—”
“No.” Daniel’s eyes narrowed. “The police told us not to do anything. Anton has some serious mental health issues that could make him dangerous.”
“Blake’s got a point,” Elizabeth said. “The sooner we find Anton, the less chance he’s got of hurting anyone.”
Daniel crossed his arms. “The police don’t want you going anywhere near him. Sam has been given strict instructions not to let you near a motel or hotel complex.”
“I’m not scared of Anton.”
“Maybe you should be,” Daniel frowned at his sister. “Don’t do anything stupid. Even with Sam’s help, you’re still vulnerable.”
Elizabeth didn’t say anything, but her frown said plenty.
Daniel sighed. “I’m going to bed. What time are you heading into town tomorrow?”
“No later than seven o’clock.” Elizabeth picked up her mug. “Sam will be at the clinic by seven-thirty.”
“What about you, Blake?” Daniel asked.
“I’ll follow Elizabeth. If Anton wants to hurt her, the clinic isn’t the only place it could happen.”
“Good idea.” Daniel took his sister’s mug out of her hand. “I’ll take this. See you in the morning.”
Elizabeth waited for her brother to leave before turning to Blake. “I don’t want to wait for Anton to do something. We need to find him.”
“Daniel doesn’t want us—”
“I don’t care what Daniel wants. The police are busy. They don’t have
time to look for someone who may or may not have broken the law.”
Blake considered his options. He could tell Elizabeth she was crazy to try and find Anton. But he knew how determined she could be. When no one was watching, she’d go off on her own, looking for a man who could hurt her.
The other option was to help her. At least that way he could make sure she didn’t get into too much trouble. He crossed his arms. “If you want to find Anton, you have to promise to stick with Sam and me. Daniel’s not going to be happy, but he’ll be less worried if he knows I’m with you.”
Elizabeth’s eyebrows rose. “Because you’re a man?”
“No. Because out of both of us, I’m the least hot-headed.”
“I’m not hot-headed. I’m focused and strong-minded.”
Blake looked around the living room, praying for some patience. “Is there anything important you need to do at the clinic tomorrow?”
“Not really. We’ve done all we can with the rooms until the builders arrive on Friday. Before we saw Anton, I was going to catch up on paperwork and funding applications.”
Blake glanced toward the open door. If Daniel knew what they were planning, he’d insist Elizabeth stay at Emerald Lake and not go into town. “Daniel is supposed to help at the clinic after lunch. That gives us four hours in the morning to search for Anton.”
Elizabeth sat on the sofa and opened her laptop. “I’ve already made a list of the hotels and motels in Bozeman. I spoke to the staff at the first ten and emailed them a picture of Anton. None of them have seen him.”
Blake sat beside her. “Can you print the list from your laptop?”
“As long as Daniel isn’t sitting in his office, I can. If he sees it, he’ll know what we’re doing.”
Blake stood. “I’ll check his office. If he isn’t there, we’ll split the numbers and make some more calls tonight. We can finish the rest in the morning. We should check vehicle rental businesses as well. Unless he drove here, Anton will need some way of getting around.”
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