Page 46 of Hiding in Montana

He trusted Jesse, so he dropped his voice so that it wouldn’t carry. “Polly got a threatening text. I guess you didn’t hear, but I was shot a couple of weeks ago when I was at her place. I just want to make sure that there isn’t someone lurking around here. You know, we’re doing all we can to keep her safe.”

He nodded. “Hey, man, I’m really sorry. I hadn’t heard about you. I was on vacation last week. This is my first day back. As far as I know, we only had one transient worker, and he didn’t last long. Matt something. He didn’t know a saw from a hammer, and then he stopped showing up after two days. No great loss.”

Clint nodded. That sounded like the ex. “Will you let me know if someone comes around looking for work?”

“Yeah, of course, and I’ll keep my ears open too. If I hear anything, I’ll let you know right away.”

He shook Jesse’s hand and thanked him. They talked about catching up for a beer one night at the Bucket before Jesse had to get back to work. Clint watched as the men all switched back into work mode and they seemed to all know each other as they laughed and joked around like old friends.

After Clint got back to his office in the dining hall, something struck him. How could the ex not know the difference between basic tools? With a few clicks on the keyboard, he started researching Polly’s old life in hopes something would spark a new idea.

He got lost in his research and notes, and before long, shadows were slipping across the floor. His stomach grumbled. It had been three hours. Each time he thought he had a lead, it went down to a dead end. The internet trail had the ex looking like a choirboy. But you don’t reach almost forty without so much as a ticket. So what was this guy hiding?

The sound of boots on the wooden floor heading to his office made him smile. It was Polly’s walk. He walked around his desk and perched on it until she entered the small office.

“Hey, cowboy. Hard day on the range?” She closed the distance between them and ran her fingers through his hat-matted hair before dropping a kiss on his mouth.

“Wasn’t too bad. Fence looks good, and I swung by the construction site. All is well there, too.”

She cocked a brow. “What did you find out?”

He pulled her close and looked into her pretty gold-flecked hazel eyes. “What makes you think I was searching for anything?”

She tapped the end of his nose with her finger. “Because I’ve been dying to go down there. I didn’t have a good excuse and I don’t know anyone, so I’d look out of place. Besides, if there is someone working there that has been watching me, it would only reinforce they got under my skin.”

A small smile graced her lips, and he brushed her hair off her face. “You’ve got me pegged. I know the supervisor. We’re old friends and his name is Jesse. He’s a local guy, grew up a few miles outside of town, actually near Riverbank Orchards.”

She nodded. “I know where that is. Go on.”

“Jesse said that everyone had been working together for years except one guy who only lasted two days.”

Shaking her head, her smile dipped. “Let me guess. Matthew, right?”

He nodded. “You want to hear how Jesse described him?”

“When you set it up that way, yes.”

Clint liked how Polly felt in his arms. Warm and soft, but her confidence was very attractive, too. “He said, and I quote, ‘the guy didn’t know a hammer from a saw.’”

Polly hooted. “Sounds like Jesse had his number. Matthew never did anything around the house. Even if he wanted a picture hung, his idea of doing the work was dialing the handyman. I swear that man was able to start a hefty college fund for his kids on what Matthew paid him.”

She eased out of his arms and moved around the desk, plopping down in his desk chair. “I hope you don’t mind, but my feet are tired.”

“See those papers in front of you?”

She picked up the pad he had been using and scanned his notes. “This is all about Portland?” She looked up. “Why are you looking into my past?”

“It’s more about your ex. Something’s bugging me and I can’t put my finger on it. Yet.”

“Um, it’s called the typical ex-husband and new boyfriend syndrome. Matthew might be a lot of things—lazy, inconsiderate, and loud—but he’s transparent. What you see is what you get.”

“If that’s true, then why does he appear squeaky clean?”

She wrinkled her nose as her frown grew. “What do you mean? He’s far from an angel.”

He pointed to the pad. “Read that and tell me if that jibes with the person you know.”

She flipped through the pages and looked up. “I’m going to need a large mug of coffee and maybe a cookie if Quinn’s got any hiding in the bread box.”

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