Page 12 of Wind Valley

“I’m just checking my email before school.” Maura pulled out her wallet. “How about you, Lachlan? Are you Netflix-ing?”

“Research.” He offered a ten-dollar bill to Kathy. “I don’t know how long I need, so consider this a tab.”

“No tabs. Too much trouble.”

“Fine, just keep the change.”

Kathy wrote down the password on a slip of paper and slid it across the counter. “Share, please. You know the rules. No porn, no gambling, nothing to get me in trouble with the law.”

“Haven’t you heard,” said Maura lightly. “There’s no law out here.”

“There’s law in here.” Kathy pointed to her own chest. “Me. I’m the law.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Lachlan gave her a respectful salute, which made her giggle. Kathy could be an intimidating figure with her all-business approach, but apparently she had a soft spot for Lachlan.

“She likes you,” Maura whispered as they both made their way to the bench at the back of the store set aside for Wi-Fi users. It sat between a humming chest freezer and a rack of shelves that held animal feed.

“Does she?” Lachlan said absently.

She imagined that most people liked him, and that it probably never registered with him one way or the other. There was something universally endearing about Lachlan. Maybe that was why she kept trusting him—mostly, in between moments of reactive caution.

She sat down on the bench, and set her MacBook Air on her lap. He hesitated, digging his hands into the pockets of his coat. “Listen,” he said softly. “I can wait until you’re done. I’m in no big rush.”

“Why?”

“I saw your face when I came in. You didn’t seem happy to see me. It’s a small town, more of a…micro-town. I don’t want you to feel awkward every time our paths cross.”

He thought her reaction had been due to her “rejection.” And now he was bending over backwards to make sure she didn’t feel awkward. Could he be any more thoughtful?

“That’s not…” She wished she could explain. But that might take a while. “Please, sit down. I’m happy you’re here at the same time as me. I promise.” She gave him her friendliest smile, and it seemed to work on him, judging by the way the tension in his shoulders relaxed. “When I’m done with my email I wanted to do a search on moose acting weirdly. We’re probably here for similar things, right? We can research together, or at least simultaneously.”

“Moose?” He gave in and sat next to her, then pulled an iPad from his inner jacket pocket. “I thought you said it was all smaller animals?”

“Yes, but Old Solomon picked up a moose that had been struck by a car. The people in the car said the moose was weaving back and forth across the road as if it was drunk. They were trying to avoid it but it rammed right into them. Strange, right?”

“Very. Were they okay? A moose can do a lot of damage.”

“They’re fine, but their car’s a mess. What are you researching?”

He unzipped the case of his iPad. “Top-secret government contract.” After a moment, he grinned at her. “Kidding. Apparently there was a family that tried living in Wind Valley. I’m hoping to find out more about them.”

She couldn’t help laughing. “You really had me for a second. I didn’t know you could be so deadpan.”

“I know I seem like an open book, but I hold some things back for a surprise here and there.”

She felt herself stiffen again. He was speaking lightly, jokingly, but wasn’t that exactly what SS had done? He’d seemed like a normal, reliable guy, until his other side had burst through.

On their first date, after that fateful debate practice where they’d first met, SS had been low-key, charming, no-pressure, casual, relaxed. If only there’d been an obvious warning sign—keep your distance. Run and don’t look back.

She snapped out of her memory trance to find Lachlan looking at her curiously. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah.” She drew in a deep breath. What had they been talking about? Surprises. His hidden deadpan abilities. Innocent, harmless stuff. And she’d freaked out and gone into a tailspin over SS again. “I’m sorry. I’m a little jumpy, I guess. I?—”

He waited patiently. Her longing to spill everything shuddered through her. Back home in Hopper, Colorado, talking about the situation hadn’t helped her. In fact, it had made things worse in many ways. She’d gotten anonymous threats from phone numbers she didn’t recognize. Even the lawyer she’d consulted had warned her that she’d be in for a battle that could get ugly.

But here…none of that was a risk. Lachlan wouldn’t be in danger if she told him about SS. SS was never going to find her here. This was her safe haven. How wonderful would it feel to bring this kind man into her confidence?

But if she did tell him everything…well, he might never treat her normally again. He might walk on eggshells around her, treat her like someone fragile who needed to be shielded from the world. He might look at her as a victim instead of a woman trying to rebuild her life.

---