Page 31 of Hiding in Montana

She didn’t want to think that anyone would be that brazen to come to the ranch. She figured if someone was watching her, they’d just keep an eye out in town or when she was driving around. Reluctant to think anyone would invade this haven, she nodded. “I’ll talk to Annie, Mary, and Daphne. If you think we should tell the others after I get done in the greenhouse, I can bump into them at the dining hall at dinner.”

He leaned in and Clint smelled of sunshine, horses, and leather. “I’ll make sure they’re around, and I’ll be with you for moral support.”

She gave him a faint smile. One she had to pull up from its hiding spot inside her heart. She didn’t want to still be upset with him and most of how she felt had been a knee-jerk reaction from her past. Clint was nothing like Matthew. In fact, other than both being male, that was the end of their similarities.

“I’d like that. Thanks.” She rose from the bench. “I’m going to walk back to the main house and then spend the rest of the afternoon gardening. You go back to work, and I’ll reach out when I’m ready to go to the dining hall.”

His face scrunched up in a scowl. “I should walk with you.”

She gave her head one final but firm shake. “Nope. You’re going back to work. Linc told us that if we do see any animal to wave our arms over our head and appear larger than we are and that should scare anything away.”

He brushed his lips over hers. “Just for the record, it won’t scare me.”

She put her fingertip under his jaw and tipped his face to hers, where she claimed his mouth. When she was done kissing him, she smiled. “I wasn’t worried.”

Late in the afternoon, Clint walked into the greenhouse just as Polly was cleaning up the workbench. She was planning an experiment of growing lettuce and a few other things in late fall to see what she could do to extend the fresh salad season.

“Hey, beautiful.” He swept her close to his chest and kissed her. “Busy day.”

“It was, and you, did you get a lot done?”

“I did, and I made sure to get a message to the guys to meet us in the kitchen. I thought it would be easier without everyone else around, just in case anyone might overhear our conversation.”

She tipped his hat off his face and grinned. “You have the prettiest brown eyes, and getting a hold of the guys was thoughtful. Thanks.”

He groaned. “Guys’ eyes are handsome or devilish but never pretty.”

“I’ll remember that. Ready to walk down?” She slipped her hand in his and tossed him the keys from the rack. “Lock up for me?”

When Polly and Clint walked into the kitchen through the back door, Quinn was stirring a large pot. Rory was pouring himself a mug of coffee, and Jed was washing his hands. The men looked up when the door banged softly behind Clint.

One by one, they nodded their hellos. Why did these men have to be stereotypical cowboys, short on words and long on head bobs?

Clint said, “Guys, come on over here. Polly needs to talk to you for a minute.”

There was no mistaking the seriousness of this situation based on the tone in his voice. Jed dried his hands and Rory took a seat at the rectangular wooden table at the opposite end of the spacious room. Quinn turned the flame down on the pot and joined them.

Clint stuck his hands in his pockets and gave her an encouraging smile, almost as if to say she had the floor.

“Thanks for coming. I know you all heard about this morning and my close call with the mountain lion, but that isn’t what I want to talk to you about.” Clint’s eyes never left her, giving her a boost of courage to continue.

“There’s another situation that I’d like your help on, though. The other night I got a text message that was a bit threatening. It wasn’t anything specific, but Clint helped me install some cameras around my place and I can check on my house during the day, and they even record movement. The genuine concern is if someone comes out to Grace Star Ranch looking for me.” She looked at the three men who were standing stock-still, hanging on her every word. She rocked on her feet, trying to decide how much to tell them.

“A few years ago, I had an accident and after that my looks changed because of my injury. I also changed my name and reinvented myself since it turns out my ex-husband was involved in some stuff that wasn’t on the up-and-up. No one from my past should know where I live. So, if someone comes around asking for Paulina or Polly, can you just say you don’t know me and then tell me and Clint?”

Jed looked from Clint back to Polly. “One of the construction workers was asking about a Paulina two days ago. I told him I didn’t know anyone by that name. He said she was his cousin and he had heard she was working in River Junction and maybe even at the ranch.” He shifted from one foot to the other. “I’m sorry, Polly, but I said I didn’t know a Paulina, but Polly was our head gardener and told him you lived in town.”

Her heart sank, and her gut flipped. “It’s okay, Jed. Did you tell him exactly where I live?”

“No. I’d never be specific since you live alone, but that didn’t seem to faze him since he said he’d catch up with you here in the next few days.”

Clint stepped forward and placed his hands on her shoulders, immediately offering comfort. “Have you seen him since?”

“Yeah, in fact, he was still working when I came up to the dining hall. Want me to go down and see if he’s still around?”

Polly put a hand on Clint’s arm. “What did he look like?”

Jed thought for a minute before saying, “About six four, thin, muscular, dark hair pulled back into a ponytail, and he had a long, thin scar across his chin.”

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