Page 42 of Hiding in Montana

Clint took his coffee and went out to sit on the wide porch of the dining hall. Long after his coffee was gone, he waited. This had the best view of people coming and going. He noticed billowing clouds of dust were trailing behind a sedan as it drove past the main house and in front of the dining hall. The windows were tinted, so he couldn’t see who was in the car. He rose from his chair, ignoring the twinge in his shoulder. He stood on the top step as the car stopped in front of his place. Polly? What the flip was she doing getting out of the passenger seat and what’s more, was that her ex driving?

She got out and waved. “Hey, my truck conked out just as I was getting ready to come over. Matthew was driving by and offered to bring me out.”

He descended the short set of steps and said, “Where’s your bag, darlin’?”

She pointed to the back seat, and he grabbed her small duffel bag before turning to give the ex a long, hard look. Matthew seemed to squirm under the intensity and Clint took small delight in that.

“Thanks for driving Polly out.”

“Anything for her.” He flashed a perfect smile, the kind you saw on dental commercials.

This guy annoyed Clint, but there was something more, kind of the moment before you heard the rattle on a snake, but sensed it was there, anyway.

It took a lot for him to force out a congenial thanks. “Appreciate ya. Now if you don’t mind, Polly and I have someplace to be.” He slung his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to his side. He felt better having his body between them.

She placed a hand on his chest. “Thank you, Matthew. We’ll catch up next week to finalize the plan to get me out of the line of fire.”

“Sure thing, Paulina. You two have a good weekend.” He got in the car without a backward glance, turned around, and headed back down the driveway.

Clint wasn’t in any hurry to move up to the house. He watched the car and made a note of the license plate number. It had a Washington State license plate, but he got the feeling it was either borrowed or rented.

He noticed Polly kept her eyes trained on the back of the car, too. “I was glad he came by when I needed a ride, but I forgot how odd he is.” She inched closer and kissed his cheek. “I’m so glad you’re a normal guy.” She gave him a nudge to get him walking up the steps.

“What do you mean?” He dropped her bag on the porch floor and took a seat on the bench, pulling her into his lap.

“For an ex-husband, he sure had a lot of questions about how serious we were. If I thought we’d get married and have kids.” She pushed back her hair and gave him a warm kiss on the mouth.

“What did you tell him?” His arms tightened around her waist. He liked how she smelled of sunshine and the earth even when she hadn’t been in the garden.

Cocking her head, she grinned. “At first I told him it was none of his business, but then I relented and said you made me very happy, but we weren’t rushing into anything. We had plenty of time to talk about the future.”

“What did he think about that?”

“Just that he thought you were good for me and I looked happier than he’d ever seen me.”

He smiled, and she poked his cheeks where his dimples would appear. “And what did you say to that?”

“It’s hard to not agree when he’s right. I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”

“Even when you were married to him?” He hated that he sounded like a jealous boyfriend, but she had made the statement about being happy. What had her life been like? His stomach turned if she was about to tell him they dined out at fancy restaurants and things he could never give her living in River Junction.

“He worked a lot. He always said it was not the right time to have a baby. I even went off birth control and tried to get pregnant. I figured once I was expecting, he’d be thrilled. But it never happened, so I concluded I can’t have kids.” She eased off his lap and sat on the porch rail. “Would that be a game changer if we decided to go down that path and we couldn’t have a baby?”

Without hesitation, he shook his head. “If I had you in my life, that would be all I’d ever need.”

She frowned. “Are you being honest with both of us? Most every guy I’ve ever met said that someday they’d like a son to carry on his name. And you said your dad wanted a grandson.”

“I’m not some men, Polly.” She had her arms wrapped around her midsection, and he knew enough to give her some space. Right now, they needed to use their words to have this conversation. There would be time enough for Clint to show her how he felt tonight when they were under the never-ending stars.

Tears slipped down her cheeks, and her hands covered her face. In a flash, he pulled her into his arms. There were no questions now. He could wait until she was ready to talk about what was breaking her heart.

For several long minutes, he held her. His heart broke for the hurt she was feeling. He kissed her hair and ran his hand over her back, all while making soft, soothing sounds. When the tears had slowed, the sound of hiccups replaced them. That too, he could wait out.

“I had a big fancy house in Portland. We socialized with all the right people, as Matthew called them, but I was lonely. I never felt like I was home until I found that little cabin in town. When I started to work for Annie, it was as if I had been reborn.”

He had to wonder if now was the time to talk about what she had remembered from her accident.

Almost as if she read his mind, she said, “I know you’ve wanted to talk about the memory I had when I got hurt and I needed to process it first. But in a way, those men did me a favor. I met you and found where I belong.”

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