“It’s all perfect.” Lucy smiled as they reached the last stair. “Thank you.”
“You’re from Maine?” Kerrigan asked.
“Yes, from Portland.” Such effortless lies.
“That’s quite the move.”
“It is.” Lucy laughed. “But I’m lucky that my job is so flexible. I’ve always wanted to see Montana and I thought, why not just move?”
My teeth gritted together, my jaw tightening with every lie. What a goddamn disappointment. I’d been so intrigued by her in Yellowstone. Instantly, she’d put me under her spell. Now she was doing the same to Kerrigan.
Fuck, I was an idiot. Gullible wasn’t something I’d been much lately and it tasted awfully sour. But I was still very much intrigued, by the woman and definitely by her story. Lucy Ross—Jade Morgan—was a mystery I was going to solve.
“How are you liking Calamity?” Kerrigan asked.
“It’s charming. The reason I’m late was because I got caught up exploring.”
“Welcome. I grew up here and moved away after college, but there’s no place like Calamity.”
“I think I’ll be happy here.” She cast me a nervous glance, covering it quickly when she faced Kerrigan. “I appreciate all your work getting this ready for me.”
“I’ve never had anyone rent a place via a FaceTime tour, so I’m happy you like it.”
“Thanks for accommodating me and all of my, um, odd requests.”
“No problem.” Kerrigan smiled. “It was actually easier this way. Less paperwork.”
Meaning Lucy was probably renting this place in cash.
“Okay, so you have the keys and my number,” Kerrigan said. “Please let me know if you need anything at all.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m sure I’ll see you around town. It’s impossible to hide in Calamity.”
The color drained from Lucy’s face as she laughed, attempting to cover it up.
“See ya, Duke.” Kerrigan waved and walked to the front door.
“Bye.”
I waited until the sound of her car’s engine drifted into the distance before I spoke. “All right, Jade. Time for that long story.”
“One hundred thousand dollars,” she blurted.
“Excuse me?”
“I, uh . . . I need something to drink.” She spun away from me and walked through the house. I followed her to the kitchen, where she searched the cupboards for glasses, finding them after three failed attempts.
“Would you like some water?” she asked.
“No.”
She went to the sink, giving me her back as she filled her glass, then guzzled it down. Even after the water, she didn’t turn but kept her eyes on the small window overlooking the property.
She was stalling.
Fine by me. I was a patient man.
Finally, she let out a sigh and turned. Her top lip was wet and had we not been separated by the island, I might have forgotten all about her fake name, crossed the room and kissed Jade Morgan.
Something I should have done at the trailhead when I’d been happily ignorant.
I’d almost kissed her. I’d been seconds away from taking her face in my hands and tasting those peach lips. But then I’d walked away. I’d come to my senses. Jade Morgan was a stranger. And I doubted she’d want a man she’d met hours earlier to kiss her senseless, then disappear from her life.
None of those facts made her lips any less appealing now.
“I’m not going to explain why I’m here.” She held up her chin. “That’s my business.”
“Sorry, Ms. Ross. That’s not how it works in Calamity. You’re in my town, which makes it my business.”
“Are you going to give me a speeding ticket? Or arrest me for giving you a false name while I was hiking in the middle of nowhere?”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I haven’t decided yet.”
“Then let me help you make your decision. I’ll pay you one hundred thousand dollars, cash, if you forget the speeding ticket and forget you ever learned my name. I need a place to lie low, and I’d like that to be Calamity.”
I narrowed my eyes.
That determined green stare, that insolent chin, didn’t waver.
Christ, she was serious. She really did want to bribe me into keeping her secret.
Well, I didn’t need her money. I sure as fuck wouldn’t take a penny, because that wasn’t the type of man I was. But I did want to know more about why Lucy Ross was in my town.
Maybe the easiest way to do that was tell her a lie of my own.
“Done,” I lied. “I’ll take the bribe. But I want to know your story.”
“It’s not up for discussion.”
“Then forget the deal.” I spun for the door.
“Wait.” She grumbled something under her breath. “Okay. But I don’t feel like talking about it today.”
“Not today.” I hid a triumphant grin. “But soon, Ms. Ross. Very, very soon.”
Chapter Three
Lucy
“Let’s see.” I opened the refrigerator and stared at the shelves. The only things inside were a nearly empty jar of salsa and a single can of Diet Coke, something I’d known but had checked again regardless. “So much for breakfast.”
My stomach growled as I made a mental note to text Everly later and thank her for always keeping our refrigerator stocked and pantry loaded. Living alone wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
I slammed the door closed, the hunger pains becoming unbearable. The salsa and a handful of sad, broken corn chip pieces were all that remained from the groceries I’d bought from a gas station in West Yellowstone before driving to Calamity. I’d been surviving on snacks for the past two days, not wanting to venture into town.
Paranoia had gotten the best of me. So had fear.
If Duke knew who I was, then it was only a matter of time until others discovered it too. I’d been a damn fool, wandering around Calamity on the day I’d arrived. What the hell had I been thinking, going into shops and giving people my name?
Fake name.
The moment Duke had recognized me, I should have hit the gas and gotten far, far away from Calamity. I’d contemplated it for a long moment. But I liked it here. That hour I’d spent exploring downtown had been precious.
No one had recognized me. No one had asked for my autograph. No one had taken my picture.
Maybe it was stupid, but I wasn’t ready to give up on Calamity. Even if their sheriff knew exactly who I was. Even if that meant living like a recluse, admiring the town from afar and taking sporadic trips into public places.
Fear and paranoia aside, there was no way I could survive another day on the food in my house. As much as I loved chips and salsa, it wasn’t breakfast.
The clock on the microwave read 7:23. Maybe if I limited my adventures in town to the early morning, I’d be able to avoid masses of people and go undetected.
If I could live here for a year or two without raising any suspicions, the citizens of Calamity might just believe I was Jade Morgan, and hopefully by then, the rest of the world would have forgotten all about Lucy Ross.