Page 57 of Hiding in Montana

He tucked a strand of her hair back behind her ear. The hair on her arms rose to attention, and she rubbed her hand over her shirtsleeve. Moving to the other side of the bench, she kept lining up pots, and she forced a smile.

“You know I’ve always loved gardening and now I can do it on a large scale.”

“What would these cowboys do without your skill of making food grow from little seeds?” He picked things up and set them down, not really looking at them but all the while keeping his eyes on her. “So, I’m here. What was so important? You wanted to talk today.”

“Well,” she said, letting the word slide out slowly, “during lunch yesterday, I saw a man who I think shoved me into the ravine.”

The smile evaporated from his face, and she breathed a sigh of relief. The news seemed to upset him just as much as it did her.

“Did he speak to you?”

The tone of his voice made her stomach flip. “No, but he gave me a knowing smile and then a pushing motion and he smirked.”

“Why didn’t you tell me on the spot? I would have done something.” He tipped his head. “Wait, do you mean the guy with the long nose, a few days’ growth of whiskers, and bald?”

“Yes, that’s the guy. You saw him.” At least he could provide some details to the police. “Any idea where he is staying? The police are looking for him.”

“I think he’s left town and won’t be smirking at you again.”

“Why? What makes you say that?”

Matthew stepped around the side of the bench and was coming in her direction. His lips had formed a thin, unforgiving line. He shrugged. “Let’s just say we had a chat, and I pointed him in a different direction.”

“Matthew, what exactly are you talking about?” She snapped her head up and glared at him. “Does that mean you saw him make that gesture to me?”

He lifted one shoulder and shrugged. “Paulina, I have to admit. I do—or did—know him and his friend. But I can promise you neither of them will ever hurt you again.”

She took a step back, running her hand down the bench to help her stay connected to reality since this conversation was becoming surreal. “Matthew, you’re scaring me.”

“I really wanted this to be easy for you, but a little fear will just be a part of our new situation.”

“What are you talking about? We have to get the money to the loan sharks, and then we’ll both be in the clear.”

He snorted and was shaking his head, all the while never breaking eye contact. “For a smart woman, you really haven’t figured all this out yet, have you?”

She enunciated each word carefully to keep her voice from shaking. “Figured out that you know some pretty crappy people? That has become clear.”

“There was never a loan shark, and I owed no one money, but you owe me some money and it’s almost time for me to collect.”

She stumbled back and tripped over a bag of peat moss. “I don’t have any money, you know that. I left everything behind when I moved to Nevada, and when I went on the run, I took even less.” Her mind raced. What could he be talking about?

Matthew reached out and grabbed her arm with enough force to keep her from getting away, but not enough to really hurt her. “Two words. Life insurance.”

“What are you talking about?” With her shirt buttoned she couldn’t reach her gun, but on the other hand, he couldn’t see it either.

“There is a multimillion-dollar life insurance policy on my beloved wife that I just happened to forget about canceling when we got divorced. Magically, I’ll discover it when I’m gathering papers for your funeral.” He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. “Just in case I forget to tell you later, I want to thank you for setting me up financially for the rest of my life.”

It hit home. He planned on killing her to collect the money.

He gestured to the door. “Come on now, it’s time we go for a brief ride around the ranch. I have just the spot for our last conversation before you meet your maker.”

A cold sweat broke out over her skin. She glanced toward the barn.

“Don’t worry about your cowboy. He’s currently being watched and if he decides to be a hero or come back early, he’ll be waiting for you on the other side.”

28

Clint took the path at a jog on his way to the greenhouse. He couldn’t wait to see Polly and plan what they were making for dinner. When he got there, the door was ajar. He walked in and called out for her. The silence engulfed him. He walked up and down each row of benches and at the end, he saw her cell phone. She never went anywhere without it.

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