Page 23 of Hiding in Montana

“I hate when you answer a question with one of your own.” She exhaled and scanned the silent darkness. Was she being watched? “I got a text telling me to keep my mouth shut, and of course, I thought of your situation.”

With a dry laugh, he said, “Of course, everything always lands at my feet, good or bad; isn’t that right?”

“I left my home and friends because of your dirty dealings, and I haven’t seen my sister in years. What you did wasn’t my fault. You said me leaving and the divorce were all to keep me out of the line of fire and you said everything was okay. Why would someone text me a warning?”

“For good measure, I’d guess. But you’re right; how would someone have your number? Are you sure your sister wouldn’t give it out?”

“She would do anything to protect me. That even means not seeing me until things are settled, one way or the other.”

“I’ll make some calls and see what I can find out, but watch your back. They might have your phone number, but not where you live. I’d like to keep it that way.”

Polly thought it was ironic he wanted to keep her safe now, but when they were married, he never gave that a second thought. Other than to agree to the divorce and help her relocate to Nevada.

“Do you have security cameras installed at your new place?”

“No, this is a small town.” She didn’t mention she had deadbolts on every door and replaced all the window locks.

“Bad things happen in Podunk towns, too. Do yourself a favor and order some online. They’re easy to install and use the app on your cell phone. You’ll get alerts even when you’re not home. Well, that’s assuming there is cell service where you’re working.”

She shifted from foot to foot, thinking that was a good point, not that she would admit it to Matthew. “I’ll think about it, and if you do find out anything, will you let me know?”

“Yeah, and for what it’s worth.” He waited half a second before he said, “I never wanted you to get caught in the crossfire. I should have done a better job protecting you.”

His words meant nothing to her now. Perhaps years ago when they were still together, it might have changed things between them. But not now. “You should have thought about that before you got into business with criminals.” Her finger hovered over the disconnect button, but before she depressed it, she said softly, “Take care of yourself, Matthew.” Then she ended the call.

Three days later, security cameras and installation instructions littered her small kitchen table. She had never been one to deal with technology, but now she needed to install these on the front, facing the street, and on the back door, covering the yard, and one on the porch, directed at the front door. Just in case she needed to see if someone could get past the exterior cameras, at least she would have a clear view of the door.

She shuddered just thinking of someone breaking in. A rap on the front door caused her to jump out of the chair. Her heart was pounding as she hurried to look out the front window. It beat faster for a different reason now as she swung the door wide.

“Clint, I didn’t know you were coming into town.”

A puzzled looked flashed over his face. “We had dinner plans, remember?” He glanced around the room, and she noticed he had a brown dessert box in his hand.

Damn it, she forgot she promised to cook for him tonight. “I’m sorry, come on in.” She closed the door after he was inside and flipped the lock. If he heard the click, he didn’t acknowledge it.

“We can do dinner another night.” He brushed his lips over hers. “You’ve been a little distracted the last couple of days. Anything you want to talk about?”

She took the box from his hands and gestured for him to follow her to the kitchen. “I can explain.”

He stopped just under the kitchen archway and his eyes went to the boxes on the table. “What’s all that?”

“Do you want a beer?”

He pulled out the chair closest to him and sat down, nodding for the beer. To his credit, he waited until they were both sitting down. His eyes probed hers with questions.

“Sunday night I got a text from an unknown number telling me to keep my mouth shut.”

He opened his mouth, and she held up a hand. “Hold on. Let me tell you the rest of the story, and if you want to hang around while I get this stuff installed, I can whip us up some dinner.”

He took a pull on the brown bottle and set it back down. She appreciated how he respected her request.

“I called my ex-husband to see if he gave out this number since very few people have it. During our conversation, he suggested I install a few cameras for added protection. I hate to admit it, but I thought it was a good idea.”

She waved a hand over the papers and hardware on the table. “This is why I’ve been distracted and forgot about our dinner.”

Clint took her hand. “It’s okay. We can eat pie for all I care, but why didn’t you tell me what had happened? I would have come right over after work today to get these installed.”

“It’s not your responsibility to take care of me.” She hated the sharpness in her voice. Old habits resurfaced, and she reminded herself Clint wasn’t Matthew.

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