Page 23 of The Stranger's Code

It was a message from Teddy, with a link to some article. The attached photo was of Cameron, which made me click on it instinctively.

YEEHAW! RISING STAR CAMERON CLARKE ATTENDS COWBOY FUNDRAISER

“Who the hell is Cameron Clarke?” I dropped the bouquet in my hands as I stared at the cabin door of a complete and total stranger, a man I’d been certain about only seconds before.

9

CAMERON

“Levi?”I stepped outside of my cabin that morning, finding flowers on my doorstep.

They were in a huge bouquet, but there wasn’t a letter or note with them. Confused, I brought the bouquet inside, wondering if they were maybe from Amber instead of Levi, wanting to thank me for helping her raise money last night. I set the flowers down in the living room before I flopped down on the couch.

Last night was truly awful.

Was there anything more embarrassing than literally throwing my arms around a man and assuming we felt the same about each other? I cringed away from the memory, how hopeful I had been, how badly I wanted Levi to take me back to his cabin. I saw it all as some kind of happily ever after even though I knew I was still lying to him about who I was. But if our connection was real, wasn’t that part forgivable?

He could forgive me, couldn’t he?

Bzz.

Bzz. Bzz. Bzz.

I reached for my phone, still lost in thought. “Hello?”

“You should’ve told me you were planning this!” My manager’s tone was happy and light. “This is great press for the movie and for you personally! Everyone loves a star with a heart of gold.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh, please. This fundraiser headline. Don’t pretend like you didn’t know!” He laughed. “I couldn’t have done a better job myself. I’m also loving the overalls look. Very chic. I feel like if we play our cards right, you could get one of those social media sponsorships for whatever brand that is in the photos?—”

“Oh, my God.” My heart sank as I looked up my name. An article popped up as the first result, with a photo from the fundraiser. I placed my manager on speaker so I could still hear him, even though he now sounded like he was a million miles away. “No, no, no. No one was supposed to—how did these pictures even get out?”

“Someone tagged you on social media. I think they meant it as a joke, like, doesn’t this guy look so much like Cameron Clarke? But then an eagle-eyed pop culture journalist realized that it wasn’t a look-a-like,” he explained. “But you don’t need me to tell you all this, Mr. Mastermind.”

“This is bad. This is very, very bad.” I was spiraling in real time. “Is there a way we can bury this?—”

“Why would we want to bury it? Everyone loves that you’re in Montana right now! And that you’re helping the local community. This is literal gold, Cameron. We’re going to be printing money over here?—”

“I have to go.”

“Wait, can we circle back about that music video real quick? That popstar isdyingto work with you now and even agreed to increase the daily rate?—”

“I have to go!” I quickly hung up the phone, all the air in the room disappearing. I sank back down on the couch, my hands pressed against my knees. I had no idea what I was going to do, where I was going to go first. Was I supposed to just pack my bags and never come back? Would anyone here trust me anymore?

Would Levi trust me anymore?

Levi.

I forced myself to get up from the couch and headed for my front door. I needed to talk to Levi before he saw the article, assuming he still hadn’t seen it. It was going to be bad, but it was going to be even worse if the truth didn’t come from me. And even though I grew more anxious with every step, I eventually made it outside, my head on a swivel as I searched for any sign of Levi.

* * *

I hadn’t beenable to find Levi anywhere, almost like he was hiding from me.

Is he hiding from me?

I checked various barns, Big Sky Rescue, Levi’s cabin. I was now walking up to the Stratton’s main cabin, which seemed to be reserved for family only. When I got there, I noticed Virgil sitting out on the front porch, as if he’d been waiting for something. When he spotted me, his face broke out in a wide grin. “There you are, trouble.”

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