Montana Standoff. Sharon Dunn

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СКАЧАТЬ “He won’t be able to catch us now. Not on foot.”

      “Yeah.” He didn’t want to worry her about the second hit man. Had the sheriff made it to the car or had the thug gotten away?

      “How far is it to this country store?”

      “I’ll take you all the way into town...and to the police station.” He didn’t like the idea of leaving her anywhere until he could be assured she was safe, though he dreaded the thought of returning to the police station. His departure had not been a quiet one. Incensed at the lack of justice over Tyler Mason, he’d let his chief know how he felt.

      “Thank you for doing that.” Sarah leaned back and closed her eyes.

      He reached over and patted her leg without thinking. It was a gesture he’d done a thousand times when they were dating. She sat up straight, and her eyes popped open.

      He bit the inside of his cheek. What a stupid move. Of course, he didn’t think he could go back to where they had been ten years ago. Too much had changed, even before they parted ways.

      He cleared his throat. “We do need to stop at the country store and make some phone calls. My cell phone is back at the fire tower. I need to find out if my replacement made it.” He hated abandoning his post and worried that he’d sent his replacement into a dangerous situation if the guy was still skulking around the woods with a gun. Though he doubted the thug would hurt anyone else and risk having another person who could identify him.

      The road evened out, decreasing the bouncing in the truck. Sarah folded her hands in her lap as a tense silence fell between them.

      What did they talk about now? What could they talk about that wouldn’t open old wounds? Even thinking about how their relationship had ended made his chest tight. No, he couldn’t go there again.

      Sarah leaned toward him and pointed through the windshield. “That must be it, huh?”

      A hundred yards ahead was a concrete building with a parking lot full of trailers. As they neared the store, signs advertising raft and boat rentals and bait for sale came into view. A campground a mile up the road was the main source of business for the store along with the abundance of fishermen who came for the freshwater fishing. Bryan pulled into the dirt lot.

      “It’ll take me just a minute to make these calls,” Bryan said.

      Sarah nodded. The bandage above her eye had come lose. He reached over and pressed it against her forehead.

      She lifted her chin as a show of resolve. She’d always been a strong person emotionally. She had had to be. But what she had been through today would have made anyone fall apart. He touched her cheek with his knuckles. “It’s going to be okay. I’ll get you into town.” She nodded and tried to smile. Bryan resisted the urge to pull her into a comforting hug. It wasn’t his place to do that for her anymore.

      Bryan got out of the truck and ambled toward the store entrance.

      * * *

      Alone in the truck, Sarah glanced out the back window. A hard, cold mass of fear had settled in her chest. These men were not going to give up easily. What could Crew have done for this kind of wrath to come down on him? He must have gone into hiding or the men wouldn’t have sought her out. Wherever he was, she hoped he was safe.

      She looked out Bryan’s window. Mixed in with all the trailers, there was only one car parked off to the side that must belong to the owner or store clerk. No one wandered around outside. Through the store window, she could see Bryan step up to the counter while the clerk rang up his purchases.

      She would have been dead by now if it hadn’t been for Bryan. How had a forest ranger learned to fight like that? She placed her fingers on the bandage on her forehead. His gentle touch had caused memories of being held by him to rise to the surface. All those years ago, she’d rested her head on his chest surrounded by his heartbeat while strong arms enveloped her. Back then, she had felt safe for the first time in her life when she was with him. But it didn’t last.

      Bryan emerged from the store holding two large cans. She leaned over and opened the door for him. He handed her one of the cans, an iced tea. “That drink I meant to get for you earlier.”

      Moved by such a small act of consideration, she opened the can and took a sip. The cool liquid traveled smoothly down her parched throat. She took several more gulps. “That tastes really good, thanks.”

      Bryan sat behind the wheel, popped the tab on his tea and placed it in the cup holder. “My replacement made it to the tower. No sign of the guy with the gun. I checked in with the sheriff and called the city police, too. They might be willing to get involved since the kidnapping took place in town. You can make your statement to them.”

      “Did the sheriff say if they caught the other guy?” She shivered despite the heat, not wanting to think about those men being on the loose.

      Bryan started the truck. “The dispatcher hadn’t heard anything. She’s gonna send the deputy up to the tower to make sure the area is clear.”

      For a forest ranger, Bryan seemed to know a lot about how the police worked. She had to know what he’d been doing for the past ten years. “So did you go to college like you planned?”

      Bryan’s head jerked back and he laughed. He pulled out of the dirt parking lot. “Boy, that question came out of nowhere.”

      “I was just curious.” It was the first mention either of them had made of the past.

      Bryan’s truck came to a crossroads. He turned onto a paved two-lane. “I...ah...started out that semester, but it was a little too much for me to handle.” Each word was wrought with tension.

      Sarah crossed her arms and stared out the window. His discomfort made it clear that even such a benign question was off limits. She wondered, too, how and why he had ended up back in Discovery, but now she didn’t dare ask. She longed to have a normal conversation with him, but that wasn’t going to happen. It would be best if he just dropped her off at the police station. He could go back out to his lonely fire tower. If they ran into each other in town, they could keep the conversation to hello and the weather.

      Bryan glanced at the rearview mirror. “What’s this guy’s problem?”

      Sarah turned around to look at the SUV following too closely. Shock spread through her. “Bryan, that’s the vehicle.”

      He glanced a second time just as the Suburban tapped their bumper.

      “He must have been waiting for us.” Bryan pressed the gas. “Knowing this was the only road that led into town.”

      “How could he know this was your truck?”

      “I don’t know. Maybe he was watching the store. Maybe he has a way to communicate with the other guy.” Bryan pulled away from the Suburban only to have it catch up with them again. The car bumped the back of the truck again, causing it to lurch.

      “Hold on.” Bryan executed a sudden turn onto a dirt road.

      The other car overshot the turn, but spun around and charged up the road toward them. Bryan turned off into a grassy field and veered back to the main road, but in the wrong direction—away from town.

      The car caught СКАЧАТЬ