Page 72 of Protective Cowboy

He stubbornly stuck to the official story: that he and Autumn were house-mates and friends, and that they’d been faking a relationship, hoping to get Phillip to stop trying to win Autumn back.

When he realized Lily had no intentions of leaving before he talked to Theresa, Matt surrendered.

He did an online search and quickly found Theresa Botticelli’s address and phone number. They matched the information he’d gleaned about her, so he picked up the phone and called.

“Hello, Ms. Botticelli?” he asked when a woman answered the phone.

“Yeah, that’s me.” Theresa sounded wary. He heard a baby crying in the background. “Look, whatever you’re selling, I ain’t buying.”

“I’m not selling anything,” Matt assured her. “My name is Matt Parker, and I’m a deputy sheriff in Snowberry Springs, Montana. I was wondering if you knew a man named Phillip Garthe.”

“I sure do,” Theresa answered, her tone bitter. “He’s a two-timing, lying snake. Whaddya wanna know about him?”

Matt talked to Theresa for a half hour. She had a lot to say about Phillip, none of it good. After the first two minutes, he grabbed a notepad and pen and began scribbling notes.

As he listened to Theresa, he paced back and forth between the dining room and living room, the floorboards creaking beneath his boots. Lily listened intently from her perch on the couch, nursing a second mug of coffee.

“Okay, so you talked to Theresa, and she’s promised to contact that Red Carpet Rumor Mill site,” she said after the call ended. “What’s next?”

Matt stopped pacing and rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know. Hopefully, this will be enough to help Autumn.”

“Not that, you moron,” Lily chided him. “What’s next for you and Autumn? You can’t let her leave Snowberry Springs, Matt. You need to fight for her.”

“I want to,” he confessed, running a hand through his brown hair. “But what if she doesn’t want to stay? She seemed pretty convinced that moving to Seattle for this new job is the best thing for her and Jayden.”

“Only one way to find out,” Lily replied, setting her coffee down and standing up. “Talk to her, Matt. Tell her how you feel. Show her you’ll be here for her and Jayden, no matter what.”

He grunted.

She scowled ferociously at him. “I swear to God, Matt, I’ll slap you upside the head if you let her get away again!”

Chapter Eighteen

Sisterhood

That evening, Autumn stood in front of the mirror, brushing her hair and dabbing on a touch of lipstick. She had a dinner date at The Yummy Cowboy Diner with Summer and Winnie to discuss her job offer. She hoped her sisters could give her some advice about moving to Seattle, since Winnie used to live there.

As she smoothed out her dress, she found herself torn between excitement at this huge career advancement, and regret at the thought of leaving Snowberry Springs… and Matt.

It was crazy how quickly they’d fallen back into their old friendship. She’d missed having a man in her life she could trust. Who had her back. And who knew exactly how to please her in bed.

She’d had some of the best sex in her life this past week. It had been the one bright spot in the dismal days after Phillip’s interview hit the Internet.

She remembered Matt’s hurt expression when she’d told him she’d have to move away for her new job. Damn.

If only Karla’s offer had included remote work, it would be perfect.

But every good thing in her adult life came with a hefty price tag. She should be used to it by now.

“Jayden, sweetie, time to put on your shoes. It’s almost time for dinner with Aunt Summer and Aunt Winnie,” she called.

“Okay, Mom,” Jayden replied from his room.

She heard him sniffle and felt like the world’s worst mom. She knew what was upsetting him.

Things had gotten complicated very fast. Everything was awkward at Matt’s house today, and of course her son had picked up on the tension between Matt and her.

“Hey, are you okay?” she asked, kneeling down to help Jayden tie his shoelaces.

---