Page 49 of Hiding in Montana

“I don’t think you said, how did you find me?”

He leaned forward and rested his arms on his thighs. Lowering his voice, he said, “I hired a private detective. It took a while, but eventually this was his best lead. I had to call and see if you were okay and then, after I had found you, I had to come here.” His voice cracked. “To finish this once and for all.”

“I want it over with as well. But where do we go from here? If we need to reach out and get the money back to them, how do we find them?”She knew she sounded like a broken record, but it was all she could say.

“We don’t. They’ll find us, well, you really.”

Her stomach flipped when he said that. The reality of people coming after her, maybe even already in town, was hard to comprehend. “If that’s the case, then how can we be prepared? Are you going to take out a mortgage on the house or plan on signing it over to them?”

“I’ll have the money when the time comes. For now, you keep your eyes open and watch your back. Don’t trust anyone you don’t know. Even some of those cowboys on that ranch you work at might not be who they seem.”

Polly snapped her mouth shut after it dropped open when Matthew suggested any of the ranch hands might be behind this craziness. She knew for a fact that Linc and Clint vetted everyone who was hired, and if there had been anyone new in the last month or so, Clint would have made sure she knew about him when this all bubbled to the surface.

She thrust her chin a bit higher and made sure to project confidence to wipe that smug smile off his face. “Not to sound naïve, but I highly doubt anyone who was hired to scare me would be adept at working as a ranch hand. Contrary to what you might think, it takes skill and knowledge of this way of life to pull off getting hired at Grace Star Ranch.”

“Don’t be pigheaded, Paulina. You and I both know you aren’t the best judge of character.”

She looked him square in the eye. That comment was too much and she couldn’t hold back this time. “That’s rich. I married you, didn’t I?”

He rose to his feet. “Mark my words, the person who’s after you is right under your nose and you don’t even know it.” He walked to the front door and paused with his hand on the doorknob. He turned and the look on his face was almost sorrowful. “I’m sorry this is happening to you. It will be over soon.”

She forced a smile and nodded. “I have good friends who will step in if necessary, but you should take your own advice. You could get caught up in the fallout, too.”

“Your cowboy won’t be able to protect you. But I promise, I’ll find the money to pay it back, so as soon as they make contact, reach out. I’ll make this right.”

She wasn’t sure if he expected her to express her thanks or be mad that she was in this position in the first place. “I know you will. Matthew, in some small way, it helps that you’re ready to make amends and help me move on to the next phase of my life.”

“It will be a fresh start.”

The door closed softly behind him, and she waited until she heard his car drive away before she said, “Clint. He’s gone.”

Her bedroom door opened, and he stood in the doorway. His face was filled with anger. “Polly, I’ve got a bad feeling. Things are about to get worse and soon.”

She held out her hand, and he took it as he sat next to her. “We’ll get through this, and in a few weeks, we can plan another camping trip. This time maybe we’ll add a hike too.”

“And we’ll never have to see Matthew again.”

She ran her finger down his jawline. “He’ll be out of our lives forever.”

24

The next day, Clint went in search of Linc. Something the ex had said last night gnawed at him. Was it possible there was someone working on the ranch who could be a threat to Polly?

When he got to the dining hall, he crossed the open space and made his way down the hallway where all the business offices were except for Annie’s. She maintained her office at the main house. He rapped on the doorframe to Linc’s office.

“Got a minute?”

Linc looked up from the stack of papers in front of him. If he noticed the worried look in Clint’s eyes, he didn’t mention it. “Have a seat.”

Clint took off his hat and held it in his hands. “Thanks. I won’t take up much of your time. I know you have a lot to do.”

“Take all the time you need.” Linc picked up his coffee mug and took a sip.

“Polly and I have been trying to figure out who could have sent her that message and shot me. Last night her ex stopped over. She was hoping to discover when someone might come around looking for the money the ex owes. He said something that’s been bothering me.” Clint felt like a jerk for questioning Linc on his hiring, but Polly’s life wasn’t anything he was willing to gamble on, and if anyone didn’t like pointed questions, well, too bad.

“Go on, Clint. I can tell something’s eatin’ at you. Spit it out.”

“How long ago did you hire the last ranch hand and did you check them out?” Now that the question was out there, it didn’t sound as bad as it had floating around in his head.

---