Page 28 of Hiding in Montana

“Clint. Sit down.” Linc pointed to the empty chair in front of his desk. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

He and Linc had been friends for a long time and if he asked the man for his word not to share the information, he wouldn’t. He took his hat off and sagged into the chair. Running his hand through his hair, he gave Linc a long look.

“Polly might be in danger.” He looked straight at Linc, who didn’t flinch.

“You’re not talking about something on four legs.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Do I have your word that you won’t say anything?”

“Annie and I don’t have secrets. We agreed that we’d never keep anything from the other again. If this affects Polly’s safety and she spends a good amount of time here, Annie has a right to know. But I can assure you it won’t go any further unless Polly says it’s okay.”

Clint knew Linc’s word was his bond, and he trusted his longtime friend with his life. “You can tell Annie. When or if Polly agrees, others should hear what else is going on from her.” He toyed with the hat in his hands and finally set it on the desk.

“Do you remember when I went hiking a few years back, and we found that woman at the bottom of the ravine, alone and hurt pretty bad?”

He nodded slowly. “You hung around for a few days at the hospital just to keep an eye on her.”

“Turns out that was Polly. She had been living on the hiking trails for a while, alone and basically on the run from her ex-husband’s business associates. Seems like he got caught up with the type who wants to make sure no one talks to the law. So, they got a divorce, thinking that would give her the protection she needed. It didn’t, so she left everything and came to Montana.”

“We certainly have enough wide-open spaces to get lost if you want to. She did this alone?” He gave a low, appreciative whistle. “She’s one tough woman.”

He sat up a little straighter, proud of the woman he was falling in love with. “It seems she was safe for quite a while, but she got a threatening text, reminding her to stay silent. I helped her put up some cameras over at her place, just so she can keep an eye on things and feel comfortable when she’s home.”

Linc nodded thoughtfully. “You think someone might trace her to the ranch and potentially come after her here?”

He flung his hands up, annoyed that it sounded like some gangster movie. “Maybe. I don’t know. But this morning, watching her completely unaware she was being stalked, it made me think what if it was someone from her past? I’m not with her all the time, and I can’t protect her.”

“Did she ask for you to be her knight in shining armor?”

“Now you’re being a lughead. She believes she can take care of herself, but she doesn’t even know how to handle a gun and she doesn’t own one.”

“Well.”

The way Linc drawled out that one word had Clint sitting up straight. “Or can she shoot?”

“She was a little rusty, but that woman has definitely handled a weapon before. She’s an excellent shot and was comfortable after just a few minutes. If you don’t believe me, take her down to the range yourself and watch her. Damn, she’s almost as good as you.”

Not to think too well of himself, but he was a good shot—not as good as Linc, but better than some of the ranch hands. “That’s actually good to know. I’ll make sure she gets a handgun for protection, but do you think we need to give the men a heads-up to keep an eye out for strangers?”

Linc rubbed his hand over the midday stubble on his face. “That’s gonna be a bit tough with the construction crews coming and going, and we don’t know everyone in town. You’re gonna need to talk to Polly and see if she’s willing to tell the hands, maybe not all, but Jed, Quinn, and maybe Rory. They can keep an eye open and you know the best set of eagle eyes around is Mary.”

Clint knew there were never truer words. Nothing happened on this ranch without Mary knowing about it and she could keep her eyes peeled, especially since Polly spent the majority of her day between the greenhouse and the garden. “I’ll talk to her and if she gets all stubborn, I’ll do my best to convince her to widen her circle of confidants. Not one of us will judge her, that’s for sure.”

“Heck, some of our guys right now have pasts that aren’t storybook worthy, but they’re good men and if they weren’t, they wouldn’t be on the ranch.”

Clint rose to his feet and put his hat back on. “I’ll find Polly and I’ll let you know what she says.”

“I dropped her and Daphne at the house for lunch. Annie wanted to hear all the details of their morning and this way her curiosity was satisfied.”

Just as Linc mentioned his wife’s name, Clint watched his face soften. “You’re a lucky man, Linc. You and Annie are really happy.”

“Sometimes she’s like a burr under my saddle, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Annie’s the love of my life.”

He knew exactly what Linc met. Knowing Polly was the woman he helped rescue felt like a second chance.

“Hey, Clint, one question. Why didn’t you recognize Polly when Annie hired her?”

He circled his face. “Her injuries were severe and caused her to have some facial reconstruction. There’s no way I would have recognized her, and she never spoke when I went to see her. I didn’t know she was even listening when I talked to her. I thought she was in a coma. Apparently, me talking about River Junction is what brought her here.”

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