Page 44 of Smokescreen

She wished for a second that she had someone to share this moment with, someone who might enjoy a good thunderstorm as much as she did.

Reid was inside going over a few things with Cooper about tomorrow’s barbecue. She’d been sitting out here, both enjoying the storm and hoping she might run into Trick. But she hadn’t seen him yet.

Her thoughts turned to Jason. What would it be like if he was here to enjoy these moments with her?

A moment of hope panged inside her.

Why were her thoughts going there again? She’d managed to keep people at arm’s length for so long. Now Jason kept popping into her thoughts. She had to get that under control.

Thunder rumbled again.

Olive and her sisters had often told ghost stories to each other when it stormed. Actually, Olive had told the stories, and her sisters had listened.

Until her mom found out about it and Olive got in trouble. It might have had something to do with the fact her sisters usually couldn’t sleep afterward and had nightmares.

They used to climb under a sheet with a flashlight, leaving the lights off in the room. Then the spooky stories emerged.

Olive smiled at the memory.

Her grin faded as a pang of grief filled her chest cavity.

She had no one to reminisce about those times with anymore. Life had chosen to spit her out and leave her alone. Birthdays, holidays, milestone celebrations . . . she was meant to celebrate those solo.

The sound of a car coming down the lane pulled her from her melancholy thoughts.

Who now?

The white Tesla pulled to a nose-dive stop in front of the house, and a moment later a leggy redhead stepped out.

The woman—probably in her late twenties—looked vaguely familiar. Olive was usually good with faces, but she couldn’t quite place this woman. She didn’t think they’d met before.

The visitor stormed up the steps, holding her gold-sheened clutch over her head as if the small accessory might keep her dry. No such luck. The woman’s black mini skirt and tight pink sweater seemed out of place here on the ranch.

“Where is Reid?” The woman paused on the porch, rain dripping from her face as she stared at Olive.

“That depends on who’s asking.” Olive wasn’t about to give up Reid’s location until she knew more.

“I don’t think that’s up to you to decide.” The woman gave her an icy glare.

“I thought I heard a commotion out here. If it isn’t Daphne.” Reid stepped outside, the door squeaking closed behind him as his footsteps rumbled across the wooden planks. “It’s been a long time. What are you doing here? You can’t tell me you just happened to be in the neighborhood.”

Daphne . . . Olive mused.

That was when she realized who this woman was.

Daphne Miller. A B-list actress who’d been on Reid’s reality show here at the ranch. Before that, she’d had small roles in a couple of failed sitcoms and one direct-to-TV movie. She and Reid had been an item for a while, and the press had loved spotting the city girl and rancher together.

“I heard you were dating someone else.” Daphne jutted out her arm and pointed at Olive. “It’s her, isn’t it?”

“Now, Daphne, you need to calm down.” Reid remained unflustered, with his hands in his jeans pockets and his shoulders relaxed.

“I thought you said you didn’t want to date anyone right now.” A whine captured her tone.

“I did say that. And I also said that you and I weren’t right for each other.”

“Butshe’sright for you?” Daphne pointed at Olive again, her eyes wide and incredulous with disbelief.

Olive tried not to feel insulted. Instead, she watched their exchange curiously.

---