Montana Refuge (21 page)

“But, Deputy, there isn’t time—”

“We’ll do this my way. Now, I’ll make some calls. Just hold tight until tomorrow.”

Without waiting for a response, he pulled on his hat and addressed the others. “Stay put for a couple more days, folks, then I’m sure you can go home.”

“Most of us have travel plans for the weekend,” John Smyth said amid a chorus of assents.

“That works out fine, then.” The deputy nodded at Julie and Tyler and walked out of the room. Julie stared at his back, but she didn’t say anything. She thought Tyler might, but he seemed anxious to leave and hustled out of the room.

Rose took over. “We have additional guests here, so it’ll be a full house tonight, just like the old days. Surf and turf for dinner, folks, in one hour. Now, where’d Heidi get off to?”

“She wanted to talk to Tyler about something,” Mele said.

Julie could tell John was about to come speak to her and she didn’t want to encourage that, so she left quietly, following Rose as though planning to help. She hated keeping secrets from Tyler and the knowledge of what John planned on dropping on Tyler weighed heavily on her heart. For that reason she grabbed a snack and skipped out the kitchen door, making it back to cabin eight where she planned on taking a rejuvenating hot shower before she did something she knew would hurt Tyler to the quick.

She had to leave. Tonight. Soon. She could not sit here in Montana while Professor Killigrew walked into a trap in Seattle. The deputy would not act until it was too late. She’d made Killigrew’s original arrangements, she knew where the professor was staying and that he would meet with a committee tomorrow night at the hotel. She also knew leaving like this would infuriate and hurt Tyler and hoped he understood that at least this time she wasn’t running away from trouble, but straight into it.

When she turned off the water after brushing her teeth, she heard the faint sound of a familiar tune and exited the bathroom to find Tyler sitting on the bed with his boots off.

He stopped humming. “I’ve always loved the way you look wrapped up in a towel,” he said. He’d obviously bathed, too, and had changed into casual clothes. He looked familiar and sexy and wonderful.

“You didn’t stay for your dinner?” she asked.

“Not hungry—well, not for food,” he said, making the most of the double entendre by pitching his voice just so and lavishing her with his gaze. “Anyway, Mom is as tense as a calf at branding time. John Smyth is acting funny and everyone wants to hear about the snakes over and over again. I swear, you’d think they’re all disappointed they missed the last part of the ‘adventure.’”

She smiled and sat down next to him.

“I talked to Heidi,” he said suddenly, leaning forward, his attention apparently galvanized on her shoulders. She felt a hot, piercing stab of desire.

“What about?” she asked, her voice raspy, her skin electrified.

“When she heard about the real Dr. Marquis being murdered, she asked me if we could speak. She remembered a call from a couple of days before the trip. That would have made it right around the time everything happened to you in Portland. Someone convinced her to give him the names of the people coming to the ranch. He claimed he was writing a story and the ranch would get lots of free publicity and he wanted contacts. She blithely asked if the guest list for the cattle drive in two days would be good and he said that would be fine. So, she gave it to him and forgot all about it.”

As he’d been talking, he’d been studying her. With his last words, he leaned forward a little bit more, lifted her hair away from her shoulders and kissed her neck, effectively melting her internal organs.

“Then there was no one here in league with those two murderers,” she mumbled.

“Just a kid who didn’t think,” he said as his fingers skimmed across her shoulders, up her throat, then down under the towel which fell away from her body. She closed her eyes as he found a dozen ways to touch her that glued her to the bed.

Soon they were under the cool sheets making their own heat. Julie knew this was just going to make everything even more difficult, but she honestly didn’t care. She needed him and he needed her and tomorrow she’d never see him again.

Afterward, she realized she had to find a way to get him out of her cabin because she had to leave. She’d swiped the truck keys from the century house, but how to get out of this room....

Turning in his arms, she looked up at his face and found him staring at her as his hand caressed her arm.

“When were you going to tell me?” he asked.

She studied his eyes and didn’t speak. Was he talking about the adoption thing?

“Were you just going to sneak away?” he added.

She pulled back a little when she realized this had nothing to do with John Smyth. He obviously guessed her plans. “Yes. How did you know?” she asked.

“Two things. First, the expression on your face when the deputy told you to stay put, and second, my extra truck keys are sitting over there on the bureau.”

She looked at the chest. Sure enough, there were the keys where she’d dumped them out of her pocket before her shower. “Well, good. I’m glad you know. Now I can be up-front and ask properly. May I borrow your truck?”

“No.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I have to go to Seattle, Tyler. I have to find the professor. If anything happens to him—”

He interrupted her by putting a finger across her lips. “You may not borrow my truck, but I will take you there myself.”

“What? You can’t leave now with things like they are around here—”

“Like hell I can’t.”

“But Tyler—”

“No buts, Julie. That’s the deal. Me and the truck or you walk. Sorry, babe, sometimes a man just has to draw a line in the sand.”

“Why, you—”

This time he shut her up with a kiss.

* * *

T
YLER INSISTED THEY
tell someone where they were going and Julie convinced him to let her tell Rose while he went back to the century house and packed a bag. She found Rose in the kitchen supervising the dishes. Rose led her back to her suite and closed the door behind them.

“I don’t have much time,” Julie said quickly. “Tyler and I are leaving right now.”

“You’re going to Seattle, aren’t you?”

“I have to.”

“And he’s going with you?”

“Yes. I tried to talk him out of it, but—”

“But he loves you.”

“I know.”

Rose grabbed her hand as tears sprang into her eyes. “Julie, John Smyth told you his preposterous idea, didn’t he?”

Julie returned the pressure on Rose’s trembling hand. “Did he finally talk frankly with you?”

“Yes, earlier today. I told him to leave at once, but then you and Tyler showed up and now he can’t leave even if he wants to.” She closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. “I knew he was up to no good. That’s why I didn’t go on the cattle drive, but now look at all that’s happened.”

“None of that is your fault,” Julie said. “Just tell me this. Is what he thinks even possible?”

Slowly, Rose nodded.

“Please try not to worry,” Julie said. “I trust John to do what’s best for Tyler and I trust Tyler to always know who loves him. You won’t lose him if what John says is true. You’ll explain the past to him and he’ll understand.”

“Can you promise me that?” Rose asked.

Julie looked her straight in the eyes. “Yes, I can promise you that.”

* * *

J
ULIE DROVE FIRST WHILE
Tyler did his best to shut down his brain and get some sleep. His turn behind the wheel would come soon enough. He didn’t awaken until Julie stopped the truck at a gas station. As the attendant filled the tank, she stifled a yawn.

“My turn,” he said, getting out of the truck and walking around to the driver’s door. He opened it for her and caught her in his arms as she got out, hugging her against him, smiling inside when she hugged him back. He’d been dreaming about her minutes before, and touching her now made him burn for her.

After fourteen hours of driving, they arrived in Seattle at noon or a little after. It took another hour to navigate the city traffic to get to the hotel where Julie had booked Killigrew a room. Her plan was simple. Stake out his room until she saw him, convince him his life was in danger and he needed to seek police protection, leave.

“They’re not going to tell us which room he’s staying in, you know,” Tyler pointed out as they entered the parking garage. “Even if you tell them it’s an emergency, the most they’ll do is send up a message. Maybe.”

“I know. That’s why you’re going to put in a rushed order for flowers to be delivered asap. I’ll follow the delivery person up to the professor’s room.”

“I can’t order flowers for another man,” he said, looking a little horrified.

“Sure you can. Hurry up now, if I remember the information on the internet site, the florist is right off the lobby.” The elevator opened and she pointed to the far left. “Over there. Make it something different so we can be sure to know which one goes to his room. I’m going to look in the café and make sure he’s not eating lunch or something.”

Tyler walked into the florist shop alone and picked up the first arrangement that caught his eye, a towering bamboo and orchid thing. He invented a story about an ailing friend and gave a fifty-dollar tip for immediate delivery.

Leaving the shop, he spotted Julie seated over by what appeared to be the freight elevator. She’d asked him to let her go alone and even though he didn’t like the idea, what choice did he have? It was difficult to remember she was not his to shelter and protect when every bone in his body ached to do just that.

So he sat close by on a lounge chair in the quaint kind of old-fashioned lobby where a sign three feet in front of him said “Emerald City Discussion Attendees. Meet and Greet downstairs in Coho Room starting at 5:00 p.m. Committees forming tomorrow evening at nine.”

Julie had asked him to keep his eyes peeled for a taller-than-average man of fifty or so years with wild white hair. If he came back, John was to follow him in case the flower trick didn’t work.

Fifteen minutes later, a young guy in a hotel uniform went into the flower shop and emerged carrying the orchid arrangement. He went right to the freight elevator, just as though he’d rehearsed his role, and got inside. The elevator was the kind with a panel of numbers on the outside that lit as the elevator traveled. Tyler saw it pause on the eighth floor. Julie apparently did as well. She dashed around to the guest elevator and disappeared inside.

To hell with her damn plan, he decided as he got to his feet and crossed the lobby. To hell with respecting her wishes.

* * *

J
ULIE GOT OFF THE
elevator and wasted valuable time attempting to orientate herself. Where was the blasted freight elevator in this maze of halls? She was pretty sure she’d blown it when she sighted the bellboy walking past the end of the hallway she currently occupied. He still held the orchids.

When he was out of sight, she ran down the hall and arrived at the crossroads in time to see him stop in front of a door. He knocked smartly twice, waited a second and then the door opened. Julie heard the rumble of male voices, the flowers disappeared, money exchanged hands and the bellboy walked by again, his eyes glued to the screen of his phone where he busily texted a message.

But now she knew which room. She walked up to the door and raised her hand, pausing when motion down the hall caught her attention. Turning, she saw Tyler walking toward her. A brief flash of irritation came and went. She knew Killigrew was in his room—that’s all that mattered now.

She opened her mouth and he put a finger over his own lips. She walked to join him instead.

“Did you find him?”

“Yes. He’s in his room. I was just about to knock.”

“He’ll see you through the peephole.”

“I know, but he’ll be curious—”

“Just let me stand in front of the door—you stand off to the side.” He took out his gun and handed it to her. “We’re breaking some pretty serious laws by carrying a concealed weapon, but we don’t know for sure he’s alone, do we?”

She hadn’t thought about that.

“You hold on to the gun and stand to the side of the door. Let’s go.”

There he was, giving orders. Funny thing was, however, she didn’t mind. He’d made some good points, so they set themselves up as he’d suggested. Tyler knocked. The door opened wide.

Holding the gun out of sight, Julie was ready to step into view, but Tyler raised his hands by his head. “You aren’t the professor,” he said.

Julie shrank back against the wall.

“And you’re not anyone I know,” the other voice said. Julie knew that voice. Roger Trill! Her fingers tightened around the grip.

“Do you always hold a gun on strangers?” Tyler asked.

“Just when they’re friends of Killigrews,” he said. “Get in here.”

There was no time to think. Once that door closed, Tyler would be at the mercy of Roger Trill, and when he found out who Tyler was, his life wouldn’t be worth a plugged nickel. Julie stepped closer. Apparently sensing her thoughts, Tyler grabbed his side and bent over double, groaning as though he was in sudden, intense pain. Trill’s hand reached out and grabbed Tyler’s arm as if to pull him inside, and part of his head showed as he did so. Quickly flipping on the safety and turning the gun in her hand, Julie brought the grip down on Trill’s temple. He yelled. Tyler tackled him. Julie ran into the room and pointed the gun as Tyler disarmed the other man. Trill was subdued without a shot being fired.

He sat on the floor, rubbing the knot on his temple. His eyes narrowed when he saw Julie. “I didn’t expect to see
you,
” he said.

Julie stared him right in the eyes. “Because you thought your hired killers would get to me first? Well, they failed.”

His pinched face registered confusion. “What hired killers?”

“The two you sent to Montana to kill me.”

He shook his head. “Not me. Probably your boss. He sent killers? That’s rich, isn’t it? Guess his mind was on more important things to bother with you himself.”

“Sure. First you pushed me under a bus—”