Page 23 of Montana Rain

He blew out a breath, and I saw the refusal on his lips before he could even speak. “Get the hell out, Cole.”

“Fine,” he said, voice low. “I’m going. But I need you to understand this, Rayne. I’m here. You might not want my help, and that’s fine. But if you need my help? I don’t care if you think you’re not my business, I’ll come if you call. You know how to get ahold of me.”

The knock at the door came again, and I followed him back into the entryway and watched him throw open the door and pass a very shocked Lena and Grace, standing there with a plate of cookies.

“Ladies,” he said quietly, but he didn’t stop.

All three of us watched him as he got into his truck and drove away, but not before he gave me the most scorching look in the history of the world. I wasn’t sure if it was a look of hatred or desire.

Maybe both.

“What the hell was that?” Grace asked.

“A man trying to insert himself where he has no business being.”

Lena smirked and pushed past me into the house. “Based on chemistry alone, I think you should let him insert himself anywhere he wants to.”

“Oh my god, Lena.”

She shrugged, grinning unapologetically as she set the cookies down on the kitchen counter. “I’m just saying. I watched this one—” she pointed to Grace “—and Harlan verbally beat the shit out of each other forever, and now they’re so in love it’s disgusting.”

Grace laughed. “Be careful, Lena. Because you and Jude are definitely giving us a run for our money.”

“Do you guys want tea?”

“Tea would be great.” Lena sat at the breakfast bar. “But are you okay? That’s actually why we’re here. Not to tease you about Cole. We heard about the break-in.”

I added more water to the kettle. “I figured. Actually, when Cole barged in here, I thought it was one of you guys. News travels fast.”

“How are you feeling?” Grace asked. “Break-ins are scary.”

Turning away, I grabbed more mugs from the cupboard and weighed the wisdom of what to tell them. The guys wouldn’t betray my privacy, but it was unnerving, and I needed to talk it out. “Okay,” I said. “I’m feeling okay about the break-in, but it’s everything else. You guys have some time?”

“Absolutely,” Lena said. “Spill.”

We let the water continue to heat, and I spilled.

Chapter 11

Rayne

Whenever you’re free, come over to the lodge.

Jude’s text made me feel a mixture of relief and nerves. I knew all of them well enough to know they wouldn’t communicate anything regarding a sensitive situation over any channel that could be monitored. Even good news.

Will do.

Outside the window, snow fell. Early this year. It was always a gamble whether we would get the first snow before Halloween. This year? Clearly.

Even if we got snow, it wasn’t normally this heavy this early. But already, the news was reporting a big storm coming in. I needed to grab some extra food and essentials from the store on the way back from the ranch, just in case.

Because my office was still a crime scene, I took my clients’ video calls in the kitchen. I missed the intimacy and energy of the sessions in the office, but it was certainly cozier. I kept sweatpants on and made myself hot chocolate. It felt appropriate for the snow outside.

When I finally ended my last call, I looked outside and deflated. I needed to get over to the ranch before the snow got too bad. The last thing I needed was to be stuck in a ditch and have to be rescued.

Thankfully, the plows around Garnet Bend did a good job, and the roads were still clear. And doubly thankfully, despite his saying he would work for the ranch, I didn’t see Cole’s borrowed truck. So there was no chance of us having a repeat of yesterday.

But when I walked into the security office, Jude and Daniel looked grim. “Why does it feel like I just walked into a funeral?”

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