Page 3 of River Wild

Bailey McKenna of Powder Crossing, Montana, was released with only a warning after setting off after-hours alarms at the library. She claimed she’d been listening to music on her headphones and hadn’t heard the announcement that the library was closing.

“Well, that explains my visitor last night,” Stuart said to himself with a shake of his head. Actually, it had been late when Bailey had shown up at his door. He hadn’t known what had happened—just that something had the moment he saw her face in his porch light. He’d been sound asleep when he’d been dragged abruptly awake by her knock. He’d scrubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, taken off guard not by seeing her at any hour of the night, but by seeing her this upset.

Wordlessly he’d motioned her in. It was too close to daylight for beer. Yet too early for coffee. Still caught in the remnants of one of his nightmares, he’d been taken by surprise when she’d thrown herself into his arms.

He’d held her for a few moments before she’d quickly pulled away. Having grown up with Bailey in the small ranch community, he could count on one hand the times he’d seen her scared. Mad? That was another story. She’d always come out fighting, usually more than capable of taking care of herself.

“Bailey,” he’d said, startled and worried. It wasn’t like her to throw herself into his arms, though he’d dreamed of her doing just that. She had to know how he felt about her. Terrified, yet tempted by her. It’s why, he figured, she kept him at arm’s length. But seeing her this scared... “What’s going on?”

She’d stepped back, shaking her head as tears swam in her blue eyes. “I’m fine.” Her voice had cracked. “I’m just really tired. Everything is going to be fine.” She’d taken another step back, widening the distance between them. For the first time, she’d seemed to notice that all he was wearing was his jeans, his chest bare, his scars showing.

“Let me put something on,” he said, uncomfortable around people without a long-sleeved shirt or jacket covering the remnants of the “incident.”

“Don’t leave.” He’d started toward his bedroom, but then stopped, afraid she’d go back out into the darkness, afraid that whatever had her scared was waiting for her there.

He’d suspected there might be a man, a love affair gone wrong, though he couldn’t remember seeing her with anyone. If she’d been dating, the gossip would have stretched across the Powder River Basin with lightning speed. He hadn’t heard a thing about her and a man. To most people she was a mystery, apparently friendless, coming and going at all hours of the night, alone and secretive.

Turning back, he’d looked at her, so pretty and yet always so skittish. He’d desperately wanted her to open up to him and let him in. But he’d seen that wasn’t happening, not then, maybe not ever.

“I just need...” She’d looked around as if almost surprised that she’d come there and didn’t remember why she had. She looked exhausted and lost, and it broke his heart. He’d desperately wanted to comfort her but had known instinctively that wasn’t why she’d come to him.

He’d pointed to the spare bedroom. “Get some rest. You’re safe here. Stay for breakfast.”

Her eyes had filled again with tears. “Thank you.”

He’d shrugged and padded back to his own bed. He’d only had a few hours before he needed to get up and go to work. He’d thought he wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep knowing she was just in the next room, but he’d been wrong. After he’d heard the creak of the bed in the next room as she’d lain down on it, he’d slept hard, awakened by his alarm.

When he’d gotten up, no surprise, Bailey had been gone. There was a slight impression in the mattress where she’d slept on one side of the spare bed. But other than that, there was no sign that she’d stopped by, let alone stayed long.

Sitting in his office now with a mug of hot coffee, he wondered what she’d been doing so late at the Billings library that she’d gotten locked in. At least now he had some idea why she’d come by his place last night and maybe why she’d stayed. But he couldn’t imagine that was why she’d been so scared.

Remembering the fear in her eyes only made his concern for her escalate. What was it she’d said?I’m fine. I’m just really tired. Everything is going to be fine.

He had no idea what she’d been talking about. But he had a bad feeling it wasn’t going to be fine any more than he suspected she did.

CHAPTER TWO

THECALLCAMEinto the sheriff’s department midmorning. Stuart hadn’t been able to get Bailey’s visit last night and his one-sided feelings for her out of his mind. Those feelings were complicated to say the least. He wasn’t even sure exactly what he wanted from her—let alone what she might want from him.

All he knew was that she had secrets he feared were dangerous. He couldn’t help but worry about her, even while admitting that she was a dark path he knew he shouldn’t take.

He accepted the call as if he’d been waiting all morning for bad news.

“Ralph Jones is on the line,” the dispatcher said. “He says it’s urgent. Wouldn’t say more than that.”

“Put him through.” Stuart leaned forward in his chair. Along with an ongoing feud with his closest neighbor, Ralph Jones was the head of a so-called secret local organization called Dirty Business. Jones had organized some area residents against coalbed methane drilling. But from what the sheriff had heard, the group hadn’t been meeting much lately after a guard from the gas company had been killed and another injured. Drilling seemed to have slowed down.

Stuart assumed the call had something to do either with CH4, the gas company that had been operating in the area, or Jay Erickson, the feuding neighbor, and braced himself. All morning he’d had a familiar itch on the back of his neck. He blamed Bailey’s visit for leaving him on edge and anticipating the worst.

“Ralph,” he said into the phone. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m by the river. Stopped on my way back from taking a horse down to Wyoming.” The rancher’s voice sounded strained. “I was taking a piss in the trees when I saw...a body in the water. A woman’s body.”

Stuart felt all the air rush from his lungs. His first thought was the woman who’d left his place before daylight this morning. “Do you recognize the woman?” It was a small community where most everyone knew each other.Everyoneknew Bailey McKenna. She was the daughter of Holden McKenna, a wealthy, powerful rancher who probably had the governor’s cell phone number, he was so well-connected.

“She’s lying face down in the water. She’s completely naked and...” Jones said, voice hoarse with emotion. Before Stuart could ask if he had checked to see who it was, the rancher said, “I thought it was Bailey McKenna, the dark, curly hair... But when I checked, I saw it was Willow Branson, the young woman who works...worked at the hotel. Then I saw...someone did something awful to her.”

“Okay, Ralph.” The rancher’s words were still echoing in his ears, making his heart pound, his stomach roil.I thought it was Bailey McKenna.“Where exactly are you?” Jones told him. “Stay there. Don’t talk to anyone about this, and don’t touch the body again. I’m on my way.” He disconnected and called the coroner.

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