Page 20 of Relentless

Arriving at her bedroom, she was grateful to finally strip off the wine-stained clothes. Holding them up in the light, she realized they were entirely ruined now.

Pity.

She currently lacked the funds to replace any designer clothing in her extravagant wardrobe.

Even though the pain medication was working to loosen up her aching back, she still felt uncomfortably stiff. She went to the bathroom, intentionally setting her phone within reach in case she needed it. Flipping the knob to scathingly hot, she stepped into the shower and attempted to soothe her tender injuries.

Hearing her phone chime loudly, she nabbed it with hopes it might be Delia — or even Paisley. There had to besomeonewho would patiently allow her to vent about her horrendous night.

It was Clara.

Hoping her former assistant had a change of heart, she tapped on the message.

Clara — typing…

Here’s someone I know would pick up your call.

Harper’s wet fingers dripped onto the screen where the number appeared. To her horror, it began to dial out.

“No, no, no!” Harper’s finger smashed the end call button, but it continued to rebel.

“Hello?”

“Uh — um,” Harper stammered, panic surging through her. She nabbed a towel and swiped the screen dry. “Uh — wrong number!”

“Harp? Is that you?”

She recognized the voice immediately.

There was only one person in the world who had ever called herHarp.

Chapter 7

Just Peaches

Maeve winced as she heard what sounded like the phone on the other end of the unusual call being slammed repeatedly on a hard surface. Her brow furrowed in concern, and she fired off a quick text to the unknown caller. The frantic voice on the other line sounded like Harper, but she couldn’t imagine why her sister would be reaching out, especially since their last conversation had ended in a heated exchange.

Setting her phone back on the nightstand, she was elated to see a large paper cup filled to the brim with hot coffee. Dallas’ thoughtfulness drove a smile to her face and dashed all worry straight from her mind. She swiped her hand over the smooth sheets and yawned, giving a long stretch.

Propping up on one elbow, she reached for her coffee cup and took her first sip. It certainly wasn’t as good as the rich brew she made at home, but the gesture alone had won her over.

The door cracked open, and Dallas quietly slipped into the room. He pulled off his dark brown cowboy hat and hung it on the rack next to the door.

“Hey there,” Maeve said, sipping her coffee. “And where’d you disappear to?”

His eyes held a conspiratorial look, and his smile pushed up the corners of his mustache as he pulled a greasy brown paper bag from behind his back.

Maeve’s eyes widened, and she sat up in bed. “Yes! Bless you,” she exclaimed. It wasn’t that the food at the inn had been terrible, but it wasn’t necessarilygoodeither. They had been strategizing for days on how to sneak food into their room without insulting their gracious host. The elderly woman seemed to be a permanent fixture at the front desk at nearly all hours of the day.

“How’d you get it past Barb?” Maeve questioned, beckoning him to join her with a pat on the soft mattress.

Dallas climbed over the sheets beside her and set the bag of greasy food between them. “Weirdly enough, she wasn’t there.”

Maeve paused as she uncrinkled the top of the paper bag. “You think she’s okay?”

“I’m sure she’s fine,” he replied, waving away her concern.

Crunching down on a delicious salty french fry, she couldn’t help but imagine Barb puttering around the kitchen, hard at work preparing their tasteless lunch.

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