Page 4 of Canyon Killer
“I’ll be fine, Mom.” Bethany wanted to remind her that she had been working for the company since before they’d bought out the previous owners, but thought better of it. Nothing she said could get past this image her family had of her as flighty and irresponsible. For some reason she had never ceased to be their silly little girl, despite all evidence to the contrary.
She said goodbye to her mom, and settled in to file paperwork, confirm reservations for the next day’s tours—and possibly daydream about a certain blue-eyed billionaire.
CHAPTER TWO
Obviously word had gotten around town about what Ian was up to. As soon as he’d put up the Closed to the Public sign at the head of Humboldt Canyon, he’d expected to get some criticism, and it didn’t really bother him. He had a thick skin. But he had been pretty steamed at that guy at the Jeep place for bad-mouthing him in front of Bethany. At least he hadn’t let his temper get the better of him and gone off on her brother.
She’d been cool about the whole thing. She’d even come to his defense, which didn’t happen that often. He had noticed right away that Bethany had that pretty girl-next-door vibe going for her. Then he had seen her with the infant, and the disappointment he’d felt had taken him by surprise. A baby meant there was probably a partner somewhere. Then she’d revealed she’d just been babysitting, and the relief he’d felt was all out of proportion to the moment.
She wasn’t the type he usually went for. That was his first clue that there was a lot more going on under the surface than he was ready to acknowledge.
Traffic came to a stop. Eagle Mountain didn’t have any traffic lights, but he could see a big truck up ahead backing out of an alley. He waited, window rolled down to catch the breeze. Hard to believe it was July, the weather was so pleasant.
A leggy blonde woman on the sidewalk stopped to stare. “I like your car,” she called.
Ian nodded. A person didn’t buy a car like this and expect to be inconspicuous. But he hadn’t counted on just how noticeable the Porsche would be in a small town like Eagle Mountain. He hadn’t bargained for how big of a pain it would be, either. Not only did the town not have traffic lights, it didn’t have much pavement. And the roads in and around Humboldt Canyon were narrow, winding, steep and rocky. About ten minutes after arriving to oversee the Eagle Mountain Via Ferrata, he’d realized he needed a Jeep. But Eagle Mountain didn’t have car rental companies, either.
They did, however, have a Jeep tour company that also rented Jeeps. Now all he had to do was get a lift back into town to pick up his new ride.
Traffic started moving again, and he turned off onto the county road that led to Humboldt Canyon. He had to slow down when the pavement ended and carefully steer the low-slung Porsche the rest of the way. He pulled up to the RV that would be his new home/office for the next few months and looked around. No sign of George, the guy he had hired as sort of a general handyman to get things ready for the major construction. George’s pickup truck, which Ian had been counting on for a ride back into town, was nowhere in sight.
A note on the door of the trailer provided an explanation:Gone to Junction for parts.
Junction was an hour away. Ian didn’t know how long-ago George had left, but he figured it would be at least a couple of hours before he made it back. Peak Jeep Tours closed at three.
He went inside and sat at the desk in what would have been the RV’s living area, which he had turned into an office. Another note was on the desk, this one written on cardboard that looked like it had been ripped from one side of a beer carton, three-inch-high letters written in black marker: NO VIA FERATA. There was an obscenity after the wordno, and they had misspelledferrata.
George had left a sticky note beside it.Found this on the front gate.
Ian tossed the sign into the trash and sat back. He needed that Jeep, and he couldn’t leave the Porsche on the street in front of the rental place all week. As soon as people found out it was his…no telling what they’d do. He tried to think of anyone else in town who might help him, but he had only been here one day and didn’t know anybody.
Bethany’s smiling face popped into his mind. He didn’t really know her, but at least she’d been friendly. She had been obliging enough to babysit a customer’s infant, so maybe she would help him out, too. He pulled out his phone and punched in the tour company’s number.
“Hello, Peak Jeep Tours. How can I help you?” She sounded every bit as friendly on the phone as she had in person.
“Bethany, this is Ian Seabrook. I need a favor.”
“Hey, Ian. What do you need?”
“I’m looking for a way to get the Jeep I rented out to my place,” he said. “The guy I was counting on to give me a ride had to go to Junction. If I drive back to town, can you follow me to my place in the Jeep? I’ll see that you get home safely.”
Silence.
Right. What young woman would agree to drive to an isolated location with a guy she didn’t know?
“You can bring your brother along if you like,” he added. Ian didn’t like him, but he wanted to put her at ease, and he really needed that Jeep.
“That’s okay, Ian. I’m happy to help you. But I will leave a note for my folks, telling them where I’ve gone. And you don’t have to drive all the way back here to guide me. Just tell me where you are, and I’ll meet you.”
“Great. Do you know where Humboldt Canyon is? I have a trailer set up there.”
“Sure,” she said. “You’ll have to wait until I get off at three thirty.”
He checked his watch. Another hour, but he didn’t really have a choice. “I’ll see you then. And thanks a lot.”
Ian spent the next hour reviewing communications from the design team and answering emails from his contacts in various locations overseas. He wasn’t someone who had trouble focusing—he had been accused of being too single-minded at times. But he kept checking the time and trying to calculate how long after three thirty it would be before Bethany got here.
Finally he heard the Jeep’s approach on the rough road and was waiting in front of the RV when Bethany rolled up and parked next to the Porsche.
