Page 61 of Montana Manhunt

“Best news I’ve heard all day,” Grant muttered. He threaded his fingers through Rayne’s and stepped into the hall. After a pause, he said, “Clear,” and started toward the stairwell with Rayne.

Noah stepped into the hall first, then moved aside so Violet could join him.

She wanted to roll her eyes at his protectiveness. Truthfully, though, she appreciated Noah’s care.

They walked downstairs to the lobby and to the restaurant. The hostess greeted them with a smile. “Welcome to the Cascades. Party of four?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Grant said. “We’d prefer a table in a corner.”

She scooped up four menus. “No problem. This way, please.” The woman led the way to a table in the back corner. “Is this all right?”

“It’s perfect,” Noah said. “Thank you.”

“Of course. Your server is Jana. She’ll be with you shortly. Enjoy your meal.”

When they were alone, Noah seated Violet, then took the seat next to hers and picked up the menu to scan the selections.

Violet skimmed through the options. Her stomach knotted and her throat tightened. Man, at this rate, she wouldn’t be able to eat anything. She closed the menu and slid it away from her. Maybe a soft drink or more herbal tea would do the trick. The thought of drinking coffee made her want to hurl.

Under the table, Noah covered her hand with his. “You okay?” he murmured.

She shook her head. Lying to the man she adored wasn’t acceptable. “Nothing appeals.”

“Stomach tight?”

“How did you know?”

“A friend of mine in the service had trouble with PTSD. He couldn’t eat for months.”

“IV?”

He nodded. “Took almost a year for him to return to normal.” Noah leaned over and brushed her mouth with his. “Order something light for yourself. I’ll help you get it down.”

She didn’t know how successful he’d be. Didn’t matter. She could always take whatever was left back to the room. If nothing else, Grant might eat the leftovers when he was on watch. “Grant, do you like club sandwiches?”

“Love them, why?”

“I’m not hungry. I thought you might like the rest on your watch shift.”

“Don’t worry about me. I know how to use the phone to call for room service. Order what you like, all right? I can take care of myself.” He grinned as he glanced at Rayne. “Or my girlfriend will do it for me.”

“Keep on dreaming, Grant,” Rayne murmured.

He chuckled.

The server hurried to their table. “Hi, I’m Jana. What can I get you?”

The operatives gave Jana their orders, and a moment later, she delivered them to the kitchen.

“We need to track down Melton’s three accusers,” Rayne said. “If we’re lucky, they’re still in the area so we can talk to them in person.”

“This isn’t a subject you cover in a phone conversation.” Grant frowned. “If the women have moved, we might have operatives who are nearby to question them for us.”

“What are their names, Violet?” Rayne asked, pulling out her phone. “We can start tracking them down while we wait for our meals.”

“Charity Bradshaw, Lauren Gilmore, and Dana Farraday.”

“I’ll take Charity.” Rayne looked at Grant. “You want Lauren Gilmore?”

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