‡‡
The patter of rain on the windowsill when he woke couldn’t dampen Carter’s good mood. He’d slept in a real bed, had a beautiful woman in his arms and the prospect of a shared goal to challenge them. He couldn’t wait to get up and get started—after he showed Amanda how happy he was to find himself next to her.
He pressed kisses along her neck and bare shoulder until she sighed and stretched.
“Is it morning already?”
“It is,” he confirmed. “Another beautiful day.”
“It doesn’t sound beautiful,” she murmured, but she didn’t push him away or move to get out of bed. It was some time before they actually got up.
“Hope someone else got breakfast on the table,” Carter said when they were finally ready to trek to the town hall.
They entered the cafeteria to find Nate had taken charge of the meal today. The others were already eating. Carter’s stomach rumbled as he helped Amanda into her seat.
“I’ve got some news,” Nate said. “I ran into Carolyn Snyder last night in town. Remember her?”
“Of course. She’s married to Dustin. He drove logging trucks for years for Dad. How are they? I didn’t realize they were still in Chance Creek.”
“Carolyn looks well, but Dustin passed away last year.”
The news made Carter’s gut twist. “He couldn’t have been more than sixty-five.”
Nate nodded. “Heart attack. One minute he was here, the next gone, according to Carolyn.”
“What a shame.”
“Anyway, she’s interested in buying their old house. It’s in the subdivision. I got her up to date on what’s happening and warned her we can’t guarantee we’ll be able to keep the Ridge. She doesn’t care. She misses her old home.”
“I bet. They raised three kids there.”
“Who are grown and scattered around the country now. She doesn’t know if any of them intend to move back.”
Carter thought about that as Amanda passed the platter to him and he heaped four pancakes onto his plate. “Won’t she be lonely up here?”
“For now, but if Mom and Dad ever move back, she’ll be thrilled. They always were close.”
“I guess.” He filed the idea away to think about later. “We should have her up to see the old place before she makes any decisions. It’s pretty rough around the edges.”
“Doubt that will put her off,” Lincoln said. “The Snyders were pillars of the community.”
Carter nodded. “While we’re talking about the future—I was thinking. We need a mayor. Someone to take charge of the town’s finances. A point person for enquiries and decisions. Someone organized and conscientious.”
“I suppose you’re nominating yourself,” Hudson drawled.
“Actually, I nominate Amanda.”
Amanda, who’d been about to pluck a piece of bacon from a serving dish with tongs, dropped it. “Me?”
“Yes, you.” He spoke to his brothers. “If any of us is mayor, the rest of us will resent him, right? It’ll cause a rift in the family, and that’s the last thing we want. Amanda is a neutral party.”
“Is she, though?” Hudson asked. “You’re sleeping in her house. Which used to be your house. That doesn’t sound very neutral.”
“I was just renovating it, that’s all.” Carter sent his brother a hard look to remind him to keep his mouth shut. “And she’s not an Elliott, no matter what my relationship is to her.”
“Your relationship?” Lincoln emphasized the word. “Are you two having a relationship?”
Carter suppressed the urge to toss a pancake at his face. “None of your business.” He wasn’t going to let any of his brothers get to him after the morning he’d had with Amanda. “All of us are busy with the mill and cleaning houses. Amanda has already proved how organized she is. Why shouldn’t she take the position?”
“Do you even want to be mayor?” Nate asked her. “You’re already doing a number of jobs.”
“It would be an honor,” Amanda said slowly. “Unfortunately, I need to find a paying job soon. I’m not sure if I can handle the shopping, the mail, making lunch and dinner, running the library, being mayor and working full-time.”
She was right; that was asking the impossible. And once again, he’d taken a step without consulting his brothers, despite what he told them last time. Carter thought it over. Could they afford to pay Amanda a salary? He should have looked into it before bringing this up.
“Elliott Ridge never had a mayor before,” Lincoln pointed out.
“That’s because it’s not an incorporated town,” Gage spoke up. “It’s a company town. We own it, and we run it. That’s the way it’s always been. We can’t have a mayor.”
“So what can we have?” Carter asked. “Someone needs to stay on top of things.”
“A manager?” Lincoln suggested. “In a way this town is an extension of our business. Amanda could work for us.”
“We could give her a contract that lasts until next June,” Nate said. “At that point, we’ll know where we stand as far as moving forward. If we pay her a salary, she won’t have to get another job. It won’t be much,” he told Amanda, “but it will be something.”
“It doesn’t need to be much,” Amanda said. “You’re already feeding me. If you keep that up, I just need to be able to buy clothes, personal supplies, a few extras—and still have a dollar left over to buy my house when the subdivision is approved.” She grinned.
“You can help us figure out how to structure the town in the future, if we manage to pay off our loans,” Lincoln said.
“I can do that,” Amanda said. “And if I can’t, I’ll ask for help.”
“Hell, that already makes you a better candidate than any of us,” Nate said. “Just try getting an Elliott to admit he doesn’t know something.”
Even Gage nodded at that. “I’m good with Amanda being town manager,” he said. “Once she’s pulled all the information together about governing the Ridge when part of it is subdivided, you’ll see it’s a lot more complicated than you think.”
“Dude, cheer up,” Carter said. “It’s okay to be happy once in a while.”
“Meanwhile, we’re not going to pay off our loans if we don’t get our logging operation running again,” Gage went on, ignoring him. He turned to Hudson. “Are you making any plans?”
“Me? Why should I make plans?”
“Because you’re the logger in the family.”
“You had a hand in it before it all went south,” Hudson said.
“Only because things were desperate. Better get on that.”
“If you need help figuring out how to start that part of the business up again, let me know,” Carter said. Hudson didn’t look too pleased with his new assignment. Carter thought he knew why. Hudson was a doer, not a pencil-and-paper guy. Give him a chainsaw, and he’d lay a tree down nice and easy, wherever you wanted it to fall. Give him a laptop and ask him to create a spreadsheet, and he’d probably throw it at you.
“Whatever,” Hudson said. “Is Amanda going to run this town or what?”
“Let’s vote,” Nate said. “All in favor of making Amanda town manager?”
“Aye.”
“Aye.”
“Aye.”
“Aye.” Carter, Lincoln, Hudson and Gage chimed in without hesitation.
“Aye,” Nate said. “Amanda, congratulations. You’re hired.”
“My first order of business is going to be to make all future votes confidential,” Amanda said. “What if one of you had wanted to vote no?”
“I would have thumped him,” Carter said cheerfully. “Eat up. I want to start gutting your kitchen this morning. Can you guys do without me at the mill for a couple of hours?” he asked Lincoln.
“Yeah, I think we can make that work today. We need to talk about securing another contract and hiring some more men soon, though.”
“Sounds good.”
When the meal was over, they returned through the rain to number twenty-three, where they peeled off their wet outer things and surveyed the kitchen and dining room. Carter had already taken down the wall between the two rooms and with the help of his brothers had wrestled the old appliances outside. Now there remained a mess of cabinets and countertops to tackle. He fetched his crowbar and a pair of gloves for each of them.
Soon they fell into a rhythm of work. Carter pulled the cabinets and countertops out from the wall, and Amanda lugged the pieces outside to the Circle, where they were accumulating trash for a dump run. An hour or so later, the rain tapered off to a fine mist, and they were down to one stubborn corner cupboard.
“I’m going to run upstairs a minute and freshen up,” Amanda said. “Be right back.”
“Sure thing.” Carter kissed her before turning back to his task. A few moments later, when he heard a buzz of a phone, he looked around to locate it. He had his own on vibrate in his pocket, but he spotted Amanda’s on a nearby windowsill. Someone named Melissa was calling, but as he moved toward it the call cut off.
Melissa. Wasn’t that her sister?
Now a text appeared on the screen. Carter picked up the phone. It was locked, but he could read the texts as they flashed across it.
What’s your new address again?
Hello?
Address, Amanda!
Sending you a present.
Stop playing hard to get.
A cute emoji followed that last text.
Carter thought about what he knew of the sisters’ relationship. It had been damaged by their father’s actions and Melissa’s tendency to blame everything on their mother, but Amanda had said she wished they were closer. It seemed like a good sign that Melissa wanted to send a present.
The phone buzzed, surprising him. Melissa was calling again.
Carter answered it. Amanda would be back from the bathroom soon, and he knew she wouldn’t want to miss her.
“Hello?”
“Hello?” a woman’s voice said. “Who’s this?”
“This is Carter, Amanda’s friend. She’ll be back in a minute. Can you hold on?”
There was a silence, then, “Hi, Carter,” the woman said. “I’m Melissa, Amanda’s sister.”
“She’s told me about you.”
Another pause. “I hope it was all good things.” She sounded like she thought it might not have been.
“She said she misses you.”
“Really?”
“That’s right. Like I said, she’ll be back in just a minute.” He could still hear her moving around upstairs.
“Look, I’ve been in Paris these last few years. I’m trying to send her a present and don’t have her current address. Could you give it to me?”
“Sure thing.” Carter gave the address of the PO box in town, since mail wasn’t delivered directly to the Ridge.
“I was hoping for a street address,” Melissa said when he was done.
“We’re forty-five minutes out of town. No one delivers here,” he explained.
“Is that still Chance Creek?”
“Elliott Ridge, actually, but we’re in Chance Creek County.”
“Sounds like heaven.”
Carter wasn’t sure if she was being sarcastic. Had an edge crept into her voice? “I think I hear Amanda. Just a second.”
“You know what, Carter? I’ve got to run, but I’ll call her again soon. Thanks for the address.”
“But—” The call cut off. Melissa was gone.
“What are you doing?” Amanda demanded, coming into the room behind him.
“Carter? Why do you have my phone?” Panic propelled Amanda across the floor to snatch it out of his hand.
“I…”
She swiped at the screen and looked at her messages. “You were talking to Melissa?”
“Your phone kept buzzing. I saw it was Melissa and remembered her name. I thought you’d be back any second, so I answered it.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged.
“What did she want?”
“Just to know your mailing address so she could get a package delivered… Amanda, are you all right?”
He stepped toward her, but she stepped back, one hand outstretched to stop him. She’d had time now to read the texts herself, and she felt dizzy.
“You told her the address here?”
“The PO box in town.”
So Melissa still didn’t know exactly where she was, but anyone at the post office could clear up the matter and tell her—or Buck, if he had listened in on that call somehow—where she actually lived.
“Amanda,” Carter said again. “What is it?”
“I… I’m not on good terms with Melissa at the moment. I wish you hadn’t talked to her behind my back.”
“I wasn’t trying to talk to her behind your back,” Carter said reasonably. “You told me you rarely heard from her, and it seemed like Melissa was trying to fix that.”
Amanda told herself to stop overreacting before he got suspicious and started asking questions she didn’t want to answer. Melissa was in Paris, after all. Buck didn’t have any access to her—or her phone.
“You’re right,” she managed to say. “I’d better call her. I’m sorry I snapped at you.” She went up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “My family is complicated.”
“Isn’t everyone’s?”
She nearly sighed with relief when he accepted her apology and returned to work. “I’ll be back in a minute,” she called to him and went out on the front porch. She put the call through, but Melissa didn’t answer, so when her voice mail came on, Amanda said, “Don’t you dare tell Dad where I am if you hear from him. Don’t tell anyone where I am. Got it?”
She hung up, more frustrated than she could say, determined to get rid of the painting as soon as humanly possible. How on earth could she fetch it without Carter knowing? And how could she take it anywhere when she didn’t have a car of her own?
Maybe it was time to tell Carter everything.
Amanda thought it over but decided against it. If Carter didn’t know about the painting, he couldn’t be accused of being an accomplice if she was caught with it. After all, it was stolen property.
She was on her own as far as returning it was concerned, and that was nothing new, she told herself. She was used to being on her own.
When she went back inside, Carter was finishing up.
“Finally,” he said, lifting the corner cabinet off the wall. “I thought I’d never get this one down. I’ll haul it out to the Circle and keep going to the mill. I’m already late. Meet you at the town hall for lunch?”
“Sure thing. I’m going to grab a shower and then I’ll head over to prepare the meal.”
“Are you still mad?” he asked. “I shouldn’t have answered your phone.”
She could tell he wanted to reach for her, but she was glad when he didn’t. She was too wound up to be close to anyone right now. “It’s okay,” she assured him, even if she wasn’t sure it was. If her father contacted Melissa, she knew her sister would pass along what she’d learned.
How often did they talk these days?
Amanda didn’t know. During the time her father lived with her, she’d never heard him talking on the phone with Melissa. She supposed they might have texted each other. The subject of her sister simply hadn’t come up.
Amanda was ashamed to admit she’d never broached it. She supposed she hadn’t wanted to share him once she’d had him to herself. If Melissa had called during the time he lived with her, of course she would have passed the phone to him so the two could talk. Melissa hadn’t called, though, and her father hadn’t asked about her.
Had the two been in touch since she left LA?
Her thoughts spun in circles as Carter edged past her with the cabinet. Once he was gone, she climbed the stairs slowly and undressed in the bathroom. The hot water soothed her a little, but she didn’t come up with any answers and was still tense when she walked to the town hall.
She let herself into the building, veered left instead of right and slipped into the library, needing to breathe in the quiet peace of the place before she got to work preparing the meal. She walked among the half-empty stacks, wishing she could bury herself in cleaning and organizing the books. Libraries were places where sanity won out. You could trust librarians.
Amanda stilled.
Librarians.
She drew out her phone and brought up a search engine. The Chance Creek library was too small for her purposes, but the Billings library looked like a large, modern building, the kind of place where you could easily blend in. She could make up a reason to take Carter’s truck to Billings tomorrow. On her way she could stop and walk up the Ridge from the far side of the settlement. That way she’d be able to fetch the painting and scoot back down to the truck with no one the wiser.
Amanda crossed quickly to the counter at the far end of the room. She’d often wondered if Carter’s mother made her patrons check books in and out. There were drawers there with old office supplies in them, including an old-fashioned date stamp and ink pad that had long gone dry. Rummaging around, she found a roll of packing tape and a faded bubble mailer big enough to contain the painting. She tested several permanent markers until she found one that still wrote and added a pair of scissors to the pile for good measure. Now when she secured the painting, she could package it up in the mailer, label it with the Billings head librarian’s name, drive to the Billings library and leave it somewhere near the circulation desk or back office where it would be easily found.
She’d include written instructions asking the librarian to report the stolen painting to the FBI tip line. As long as no one saw her leave the package, no one would be able to trace the painting to her. She’d have to look for cameras and be a little sneaky, but she was sure she could pull it off. Any librarian worth her salt would contact the authorities immediately and get the painting back where it belonged. Librarians believed in the public good. They knew right from wrong. Once the painting was in its rightful place, Buck wouldn’t have any reason to come after her.
And it would be safely out of her father’s hands, too.
It was the best she could come up with.
“Amanda.”
She whirled to find Gage had entered the library and shut the door behind him.
“Y-yes?” She put a hand to her heart. “You scared me. Can I help you? Need a book?” she added. She checked the time. “I’ll be getting lunch ready in a minute.”
“Lincoln needs a manual.”
“A manual? For what?”
He crossed the room to a shelf unit she hadn’t tackled yet. Amanda came out from behind the counter and followed him, leaving the little pile of supplies she’d gathered behind.
“Here’s his collection.” The stack of tattered volumes had been shoved any which way onto the shelf instead of organized. “Mom made him keep them here because he kept throwing them out, then complaining when he couldn’t find the information online. Some of the vehicles and machinery in the graveyard are pretty old.”
“I didn’t even know what those were.”
Gage rifled through them and pulled one out. “Here it is. Didn’t believe him when he said it would be.”
“You make a habit of that, don’t you? Not believing your brothers.” Amanda shut her mouth with a snap. That wasn’t any of her business.
“Because I’m not cheering them on about resurrecting the town?”
“That’s right. You don’t think Carter can do it.”
“You’re right, I don’t. And now I’ve got to spend the rest of the year watching him bust his ass for a lost cause.”
“Or you could help.” She held her ground when he turned to level a sharp look in her direction. “You’re here anyway, right? A year is a year whether you’re sitting on your butt doing nothing or accomplishing something worthwhile. Why not pitch in? You’d get to spend time with your brothers. Or don’t you want to do that?”
His expression darkened. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He walked out of the library, and the door swung shut behind him with a decided click.
“Should I sleep upstairs or downstairs tonight?” Carter asked Amanda later that evening.
“Upstairs.”
Carter bit back a smile. Good. She’d seemed pretty ticked off about him answering her phone earlier. He was afraid he’d be back on the living room floor.
“Carter,” she said and stopped, as if not sure how to proceed with what she wanted to say. She trudged up the stairs.
“Yeah? Everything all right?” he asked as he followed her, turning into the bedroom when they reached the top.
“You’re going to think I’m such a girl.” She opened a drawer in the dresser and busied herself with tidying clothes that were already tidy as far as Carter could tell.
“I like that you’re a girl.” He came to put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a little massage.
“But tomorrow you’re going to regret it.”
“Am I?” He doubted that. He swept his hands down to rest on her waist, appreciating the curvy wonderfulness of her.
“I need to go to Billings.”
He paused. “Why?” It was a workday, and he’d already spent too much time away from the mill. He wasn’t sure he was comfortable taking a whole day off.
“Because I need to get my hair done. I’m sorry—I like this whole ghost-town way of life, but there aren’t any salons in Chance Creek County that I’d trust with this.” She twisted a strand of her hair.
Carter hadn’t expected she would be so particular, but then women could be funny about that kind of thing. “I’ll talk to Lincoln, I guess. See if he minds me skipping out on them again.” He didn’t want to set a bad example for the mill workers. They were all supposed to be working together to make sure they hit their deadlines.
“Oh, no. No, no, no.” She turned and wagged a finger at him, dislodging his hands from her waist. “You are not coming along for salon day. I’m going to get my nails done and enjoy myself. I’ll be home at the end of the afternoon, and I swear I won’t go back for a month.”
She was going to Billings once a month? For a haircut? “O-okay.” Seemed like a lot of fuss to him.
“Don’t look at me like that. You think this whole package just happens naturally? Well, it doesn’t. It takes a lot of work.”
“If you say so.” Carter gathered her close again. “I’ll miss you,” he grumbled into her hair. “I like having you around.”
“I’ll miss you, too.”
“You can take the truck.”
“Thanks. I was hoping you’d say that. I need to look around soon for one of my own.”
“I’ll put some feelers out, but you can use mine for as long as you like. Now go get ready and come to bed.”
He crawled under the covers with her a few minutes later and groaned with satisfaction when she burrowed against him, fitting her curves to the hard planes of his body. Losing himself in exploring her, he made love to Amanda more than once before they collapsed together, breathing hard, gloriously spent. He didn’t know when he fell asleep, but by the time he woke up, Amanda was dressed and ready for her trip to Billings. She bent over the bed to give him a long, slow kiss, which served as a reminder of all the fun they’d had the night before.
“I’ll be home in time to make dinner,” Amanda said. “Can you handle lunch? I left several shepherd’s pies in the refrigerator and instructions on how to heat them.”
“Sure thing. Have a good time.” He sat up and stretched.
“I will.” She waved and headed downstairs. A minute later, he heard the engine of his truck fire up. He got out of bed and crossed to a window to watch it trundle down the road and disappear around the bend. The house seemed empty without her cheerful presence. As he looked around the master bedroom, he wondered how he ever thought he’d be happy living here by himself. Number twenty-three was Amanda’s house now, but he hoped like hell someday it would be his again, too.
He was getting ahead of himself, though.
He took a shower and rustled up some clean clothes, then walked to the town hall and found Lincoln in the kitchen.
“Heard your truck a little while ago,” Lincoln said. “Thought you went out somewhere.”
“Amanda went to Billings. Hair, nails and stuff.” He opened the refrigerator and checked out the pies. A note on the door told him how long to heat them and the temperature to set the oven. He’d just have to nip back from the mill early so they were ready when everyone else got here.
“I had a girlfriend like that once. High maintenance.”
“I didn’t think Amanda was like that, but maybe she is. Maybe I don’t know her enough to predict what she’ll do.”
“You’re getting to know her pretty well, seems like.”
Carter heard what he didn’t say. That maybe he was moving too fast. He’d brought a stranger home to the Ridge, moved her into a house and started renovating, and now he was sleeping with her. Of course, Lincoln didn’t know he was sleeping with Amanda, but Carter had a feeling his brothers had guessed as much.
“I like her,” he announced. “She’s a good one, Lincoln, even if she wants to get her hair done at a particular salon.”
“Sounds serious,” Lincoln joked.
“I think it might be,” Carter said, surprising himself. He thought he’d wanted to keep that to himself. “I can picture her in my life long term. I can imagine having a family with her. That’s why I offered her the deal for my house in the first place.” He pulled a carton of eggs out of the refrigerator and shut the door, feeling overexposed. He hadn’t meant to divulge any of that.
“That is serious.” Lincoln leaned against the counter. “But why shouldn’t you be thinking about starting a family? You’re in your thirties. If you’re going to settle down, now is the time for it.”
“What about you? You ever think about a wife? Kids?”
“Sure, I do. Now that I’m home, I think about it a lot. I just need to find someone.” Lincoln put a pan on the stove and took the eggs from Carter’s hands. “Why don’t you start some toast?”
“I’ve got a hot tip for you.” Carter went to fetch the bread. “If you want a woman, go to the airport.” Someone snorted behind him. Gage had entered the kitchen. “Breakfast won’t be ready for a while,” Carter told him.
“Thought I’d get a head start this morning. Did you have any luck with that edger?” Gage asked Lincoln.
“Not yet,” Lincoln said. “I’ll try again today.”
“Need a second pair of hands?”
Lincoln’s eyebrows shot up at Gage’s unexpected offer. “Definitely. That would be great. Carter, can you take the lead at the mill this morning while Gage and I fix that piece of equipment?”
“Of course.” Why was Gage offering to help all of a sudden? Carter knew better than to ask. So, apparently, did Lincoln. The three of them finished preparing the meal and brought it out to the table without saying another word.
Hudson and Nate joined them, and they all dug into their food. Carter’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw he’d received an email from Matt Wren, who worked at the county office.
“Oh, hell,” Carter said when he read the message.
“What is it?” Gage asked. All of his brothers tensed, ready for action.
“The subdivision request. Matt says it looks like it’s going to be denied.” He held up a hand to forestall their comments and called the man, grateful he’d made a friend in the office. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have known about the outcome until it was a done deal. “Matt?” he said when the man picked up. “What’s going on?”
“Hang on,” Matt said tersely. All Carter could hear was his breathing for thirty seconds or so. Then sounds of traffic filtered through the line. “Okay, I’m outside now. I shouldn’t be talking to you.”
“What’s happening?”
“Everything was lined up to go. Rod Stevenson was all ready to sign off on your request. You guys did a good job with all the paperwork and reports.”
“Thanks.”
“Then Blake Warrington came in for an appointment.”
“With Rod?” Carter couldn’t believe it. “Do those two know each other?”
“Rod worked with Warrington quite a bit when he first arrived in town. Helped walk him through the approval process for getting infrastructure extended to his resort. Wouldn’t have called them friends before now, but they were pretty chummy when Warrington left Rod’s office yesterday.”
“What do you think happened?”
Matt didn’t answer his question right away. “I can’t say much, Carter, because my job is on the line, but if you have any influence, now’s the time to use it.” He hung up.
Carter swore and shoved his phone into his pocket.
“What did he say?” Nate asked.
“Warrington got to Rod Stevenson at the planning office. Rod’s going to turn us down.”
“He can’t do that,” Lincoln said. “What did Warrington do? Bribe him?”
“Matt wouldn’t say, but something like that.” An idea occurred to him. “Maybe Rod decided to invest in Warrington’s resort.”
“So what do we do?”
“I don’t know. Matt said we should use our influence.”
“What influence?” Lincoln asked.
“That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?” Carter asked.
Driving off with Carter’s truck for the day had been easy. Fetching the painting was turning out to be a nightmare.
After driving down Elliott Way and turning onto the county highway, Amanda kept going until she estimated she was past the settlement, then parked the truck by the side of the road like she’d planned. In a perfect scenario, she’d have found somewhere to hide it, but there weren’t any side roads nearby and she didn’t know the terrain well enough to think of an alternative. Besides, she needed to move fast. The men would all be at breakfast and then would go to the mill, except Gage, who seemed to keep to his parents’ place most of the time. She needed to scurry up the Ridge to the mine, grab the painting and race down before anyone was the wiser.
If only it were that easy.
It had rained overnight again. The forest was soaking wet, the loamy ground sodden underfoot. The day wasn’t exactly hot, but it was humid, and between the dripping trees and the damp terrain, she was getting wetter by the minute as she trudged uphill.
Even though she was far past the area where the mill and bunkhouses lay, she was still afraid someone might take a notion to go for a walk out this way. She’d never been over on this part of the ridge before and spent so little time with the mill workers, she didn’t know their habits. All she could do was hope she wouldn’t run into anyone and keep going.
A half hour later, she was cursing the day she’d decided to move the painting out of her house. If she’d left it in her bathroom, it would have been easy enough to collect it this morning, hop in the truck and be on her merry way. The briars that dotted the slope lower down thickened out to blanket it up here, and thorns tore at her clothing as she tried to push her way through them. Each time she thought the going might get easier, it seemed to get worse, but she felt confident she must be high enough on the Ridge that the mine should be somewhere around here.
All she had to do was find it.
Amanda took a break, leaned against the side of a pine tree and caught her breath. She was sweaty, and her T-shirt was streaked with dirt in several places. Thorns had scratched her bare arms, drawing blood. She’d have to clean up somewhere in Billings before going to the library or she’d attract attention to herself no matter how big it was. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes, willing her heart to slow down.
Now that she wasn’t thrashing through the underbrush, she realized how quiet it was up here. Birds calling to each other brought a smile to her lips. Oh, to be one of them with nothing more pressing on her mind than finding her next meal.
A rustle behind her startled Amanda. She opened her eyes and spun around, grabbing the pine tree’s trunk to steady herself. She ducked down, keeping one arm around it, and scanned the hillside. Was someone else up here? Had Carter followed her somehow?
Was it Dennis?
Amanda straightened. She didn’t have to be afraid of an old man.
Another rustle sounded, and she dug her fingers into the pine’s bark. “Dennis?” she called softly. “Is that you?”
She held her breath, heart beating hard. After a long moment, the noise came again from a thicket of bushes about twenty feet away.
“Carter?” Amanda asked, her voice coming out more like a croak. When there still wasn’t an answer, anger boiled up inside her. Someone was playing tricks, and she didn’t like it.
She stooped, grabbed a rotting chunk of wood from the ground nearby and hurled it at the bushes. It would serve whoever was hiding there right if she hit him.
A black bear exploded from the thicket, its massive body a blur as it hurtled past her and disappeared down the slope. Amanda shrieked and dropped to her knees. Cowering behind the tree trunk, she panted for air until she realized the danger was past and the bear was gone.
Still, she clung to the tree for long minutes afterward, searching for the strength to stand.
Carter had mentioned bears, but she never thought she’d actually see one.
Now Amanda realized how stupid that was. Where did she think bears hung out, if not in the woods?
When she finally was able to get to her feet again, she braced herself against the trunk for a few more minutes before pushing off and cutting sideways across the ridge. Alert to every noise, she pressed on, telling herself the bear had to be far down the slope by now.
She was beginning to fear she’d never find the mine and would have to return to the settlement with some lame excuse for why she hadn’t gone to Billings after all, when she stumbled into the clearing where it was located. Amanda blinked back tears of relief as she hurried to the outbuildings, which seemed to have slumped farther into the foliage since the last time she visited.
Poking her head gingerly into the last of them, she spotted the old desk and murmured a prayer of thanks that it was still standing. It must have expanded with the dampness of the air, however, because the drawer was stuck shut, and she had to apply all her strength before she could budge it an inch. Its squeal of protest made her let go and cower back, as if someone down in the settlement could hear her all the way up here. Laughing at her own timidity, she grabbed hold of the handle again and tugged.
It was stuck.
Amanda swore under her breath. She was losing precious time. She still had to get down the slope, package up the painting, drive all the way to Billings and find the library. After she left it there, she had to find a salon and get her hair and nails done before she could drive home.
She planted her feet on the rotting wooden floor and pulled with all her might. The drawer squealed again as it finally let go, opening enough for her to see the plastic bag in which she’d stored the painting.
Thank goodness it was still here.
She slid it out carefully, tucked it under her arm and shoved the drawer back in. It protested even louder this time, but she muscled it into place and checked the desk over to make sure she hadn’t left any traces of her presence here. Satisfied, she turned to go.
She’d done the hard part, she told herself. From now on, everything would be smooth sailing. She had to hurry, though.
Amanda picked up speed as she went out the door—
And crashed into a man’s arms.