Montana Refuge. Alice Sharpe

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      It had been over a year since she’d seen him and time had done nothing to lessen his physical appeal. If anything, he was more dynamic than ever, his shoulders and chest broader, body leaner, face more chiseled. The ease with which he handled those fifty-pound bags of grain was remarkable and the memory of those strong arms closing around her in the dead of the night still made her ache with loss.

      How could two people who were so right together also be so wrong?

      She let the curtain fall back into place. She’d screwed everything up. Everything. What had made her think Tyler would want anything to do with her? Now what?

      She finally realized she still carried the brown paper bag and set it on top of the dresser. It held the only possessions she had with her—a second pair of jeans so new they still bore their tags, underwear and a couple of T-shirts, all purchased in town before coming out to the ranch. She was down to about twenty dollars in cash and she was afraid to use her credit cards or cell phone because Roger Trill was a cop, and didn’t that mean he had access to data banks and records?

      She wasn’t sure. She didn’t know. If he was working independently from the department, if he was a crook, then maybe he would have to be cautious about drawing attention to himself. Maybe he would just cut his losses and forget about her.

      She’d never talked about this ranch to anyone, not even her friendly neighbor or the other woman in the office or the lady who did her dry cleaning who was crazy about country western music and would have loved to talk about Montana. She hadn’t used the name Hunt since leaving here. She’d figured if she needed so desperately to change her life, to give up what she had in order to find herself, well, then, she shouldn’t rely on the past.

      Gee, hadn’t that worked out well?

      A fresh start, that’s what she’d wanted. She’d chosen Oregon because she’d never been there. She’d found the job with Dr. Killigrew almost immediately and been thrilled to discover it included occasional travel and adventure. And it paid well. She’d rented an apartment and spent her paychecks furnishing and decorating it. There wasn’t one thing there that even hinted at ranch life. She’d made a place she could call a home. A fresh start. A new life.

      There was a phone sitting on the nightstand, a holdover from the pre-electronic days when every room had had a land-based line. Today was a Thursday, which meant her neighbor Nora had worked the morning shift and might be away from work by now. Julie sat down on the side of the bed and placed the call. Nora picked up almost immediately and her relief at hearing the call was from Julie brought tears to Julie’s eyes. Someone still liked her.

      “I’ve been worried about you,” Nora cried.

      “I’m so sorry,” Julie said. “I had to get away and there wasn’t time to let you know.”

      “I thought something terrible had happened to you!”

      “No, I’m fine.”

      “The police came by and got the manager to open your door in case you were inside, you know, hurt or something.”

      “The police?”

      “Yeah. You weren’t in your apartment of course, but the cop asked me a few questions about your emotional state of mind. What’s going on?”

      “Just a minute, Nora. Did you get a name from the policeman?”

      “Yeah, Brill. No, Trill. He was really worried about you, Julie. He said they suspected you purposely stepped in front of a bus.”

      “No, that’s not true,” Julie protested.

      “Are you depressed? Why didn’t you come to me? What happened?”

      “Nora, please listen. It didn’t happen that way.”

      But Nora couldn’t seem to stop and listen. Instead, her voice continued to grow more shrill. “Did you really run away from the police station without telling anyone? Julie, that cop made it sound like you’re crazy, like you’re trying to hurt yourself.”

      Julie clutched her stomach. Was Trill trying to set her up for a fake suicide?

      “Was he alone or with other policemen?”

      “Alone.”

      “Did you tell him anything?”

      “What could I tell him? I’d been with George that afternoon and then when I got home, that policeman showed up.”

      Julie knew how stressful time with Nora’s brother was for Nora. George was dying, and even though they tried to pretend it wasn’t happening, they all knew it was. “I’m sorry I’m adding to your stress,” she said. “Tell George hello for me when you see him again.”

      “I’ll do that. I’m going back over there tonight. What the heck is going on with you? Where are you anyway?”

      “That doesn’t matter. Don’t tell Trill you heard from me.”

      “But what if he comes back?”

      “Play dumb. Promise me. I’ll explain it when I get home.”

      Nora sounded worried, but she agreed. “I have your number on my caller ID,” she said. “I’ll call you tomorrow morning—”

      “No!” Julie said. “No. I won’t even be in the same state by tomorrow. Please, Nora, just don’t talk about me with anyone.”

      “Not even your boss?”

      Julie rubbed the back of her neck. “I don’t have a boss. Killigrew fired me.”

      “Then why did he come here looking for you, too?”

      Why would Killigrew travel across town to come to her apartment? “I don’t know,” she said truthfully.

      “Is that why you were emotionally distraught? Because you got fired?”

      “I’m not distraught,” she insisted. “Trill is making that up.”

      “You sure sound like you’re distraught.”

      “Not the way you think.”

      Nora was silent for a second, then she lowered her voice. “I hear a noise coming from your apartment,” she said. “Just a second, I’ll see what’s going on.”

      “No—” Julie said, but Nora didn’t respond. Instead, Julie heard footsteps and then a door opening. “Oh, it’s you,” Nora’s voice said to a third party. “I wasn’t expecting—”

      She was cut off by a male voice and then she spoke again. “Sure, I’ll be happy to help,” she said. “Just give me a second to get off the phone.”

      The man asked her to hurry and this time he was closer and Julie recognized the voice. Chills raced up her spine. Trill! As she heard the door close, she said, “Nora? What’s Trill doing there?”

      “He wants me to take a look in your closet and see if anything is missing.”

      “Nothing СКАЧАТЬ