Page 7 of The Fixer and the Fugitive

“Tony’s wife,” someone in the next stack answered, though she had clearly been talking to herself.

Following Maybe’s lead, she backstepped out of the library and bumped into a man, a cowboy, she realized when she spun to face him.

He lifted his hat and spoke politely, giving herthe look.He wasn’t bad to gaze at, and he was definitely large and well muscled. But then he spoke. “Ma’am.” Celeste stared at his teeth. The four in front were blackened by tobacco juice stains. She took a step back.

He scowled and slammed his hat on his head. “Think I’ll be having a word with Maybe Montgomery,” he muttered and stormed off.

Celeste backed all the way to her truck, locking the door once she was safely inside.

Chapter 5

She arrived at the market and took a wary look around, making certain no insane local would accost her. Satisfied that she was alone, she hopped out and locked the door.

“You don’t have to do that here.”

Celeste closed her eyes and let out an aggrieved sigh. When she opened her eyes again, she saw yet another handsome man smiling down at her. At this point there seemed to be so many of them she was beginning to wonder if the town was some kind of experimental wasteland. Had they put things in the food and water to make men turn out this way? So handsome, debonair, and charming. First Elliot, then his father, Tony, and now this unknown man with perfectly sculpted wavy brown hair and a wide smile. Her gaze focused on the teeth, ready to back away if they were black. They weren’t, though. They were almost phosphorescently pearly and white. Were they real? Her finger itched to poke them and find out. Belatedly she realized she hadn’t spoken.

“What?”

“The door, you don’t have to lock it. I realize it’s a hard habit to break, but the only danger here is from bears in searchof food. And the locks don’t slow them down much. They use hangers to bypass them.”

She blinked at him.

He blinked in return. “That was a joke. You can laugh.”

“Ha.”

He sighed and gave his head a little self-deprecating shake that did nothing to alter the state of his helmet hair. Exactly how much putty and or hairspray was this guy wearing? And why? “Okay, look, let’s address the elephant in the room.”

She made a show of looking around. “We’re outside.”

“The figurative elephant. Yes, I am considerably famous. No, I am not a snob. Yes, I will sign an autograph for your ‘friend.’” He actually used air quotes when he said that.

Celeste glanced behind him to make certain no one was chasing him with a giant net. “Are you hitting on me?”

He blanched. “What? No, of course not. I’m happily married, everyone knows that. I have four kids.” Here he dabbed his sleeve against his forehead.

“My condolences,” Celeste replied.

He lowered his arm and scowled at her. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?” she asked, genuinely puzzled. What was she doing? Nothing but searching for an escape hatch out of this conversation, out of this town.

“Don’t be one of those women who pretends children are awful. Children are life’s greatest blessing. I would have a million of them, if Chloe would consent.”

She presumed Chloe was his wife. Her arms crossed over herself in challenge. “Apparently Chloe doesn’t believe they’re so great.”

“She does. She loves our brood, it’s just…”

“Just what?” she prodded with no idea why. How was she standing in the middle of a parking lot talking reproduction with this weird stranger?

“She says women aren’t designed to be water sprinklers, spitting out a new baby every few months.”

“I like her already,” Celeste declared.

“You definitely would, once she warms up to you. She’s shy. Also crazy busy because, you know, four children. Do you really not know me?”

Celeste pressed herself against her SUV with prickles of alarm. “Have we met?” A better question would be didheknow her? Had The Colonel told anyone who she was or why she was here? Was this where he deposited people after he was done with them? Was the entire town populated with former assassins? That would explain a whole lot about the populace’s shaky mental wellbeing.

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