Playing For Keeps (Emerald Lake Billionaires 2) (2 page)

Dorothy left the café as quickly as she’d arrived.

Ryan looked down at the folder and frowned. Some days, being a country music superstar sucked.

***

Sophie Elliott lifted one of her suitcases out of the trunk of her car. In both directions the road was as straight as an arrow, stretching into forever for as far as her eyes could see. Ten minutes ago she’d run out of gas. She knew she would have been lucky to reach Bozeman, but over the last two weeks she’d been in more difficult situations than a blinking fuel indicator. This time, she’d pushed her luck too far. About two miles too far.

She locked her car and pulled the handle of her suitcase high. Bozeman couldn’t be more than a thirty-minute walk from here. She’d buy more gas, walk back to her car, and keep looking for somewhere safe to stay.

As she started walking, she wondered how many people drove down this stretch of the interstate. In the last ten minutes, the only living thing she’d seen had been a hawk.

She’d driven from Chicago to Montana out of desperation. A friend who’d worked with her in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Chicago University had lived in Montana for six years. She’d told Sophie it was the prettiest place on earth. It was so quiet you could hear the wind whispering through the trees and, in the summertime, it was so hot you could fry an egg on the asphalt. Even knowing all of that, Sophie wasn’t used to feeling as though she was the last person on earth.

Her suitcase bumped over the stones behind her, jarring her arm and slowing her down. At this rate, she’d never make Bozeman by nightfall. She pushed the handle back into the suitcase and carried it beside her. She kept reminding herself that she was doing the right thing, that she could do more good by disappearing. Sharing what she knew with the wrong people could be deadly, not only for herself but for her mom and sister.

A brown pickup truck drove toward her. Sophie put her head down and kept walking. The truck slowed to a crawl, and the driver rolled down his window.

“Looks like you could do with a ride?”

Sophie glanced at the cowboy. “Thanks for the offer, but you’re going in the wrong direction.”

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

Sophie didn’t think her Chicago accent was that different from
his, but she wasn’t about to start a conversation with a stranger. She pushed a strand of hair off her face and kept walking. It must have been ninety-five degrees, and it was barely eleven o’clock in the morning.

The cowboy turned his truck around and followed her down the road. “That suitcase seems mighty heavy,” he said with a smile. “Looking at that tiny blue car on the side of the road, I’d say you’ve run out of gas. I can easily drive you into town and bring you back here.”

Sophie stopped walking. The cowboy’s hat covered most of his face. She had no idea what he looked like, but there couldn’t be many mass murderers and trained killers who wore plaid shirts.

His truck was covered in dirt. It had enough bumps and scrapes to pass for the real thing. “I don’t want to be too much trouble. You’ve just come from Bozeman.”

“Ma’am, there isn’t a woman alive that’s not trouble. But if it’s just gas you need, then I can help you out.”

Sophie looked down the road once more before deciding what to do. It was hot and she was desperate. After two weeks of running like a scared rabbit, she was tired of second-guessing everyone. It probably wasn’t the most logical thing to do, but logic didn’t work so well when you were alone and thousands of miles from home.

“Thank you. I’d be grateful for a ride into town.” She waited beside his truck while he got out. He was taller than she imagined. Taller and wider. The man had muscles that would have put her male colleagues in the science lab to shame.

Sophie looked into his deep brown eyes. “I appreciate you stopping.”

“Happy to be of help,” he said with a smile. He opened the back door and took her case out of her hand. “Were you planning on staying a while or just passing through?”

Sophie walked around the truck and opened the passenger door. She thought about the different things she could say; the half-truths and downright lies she could use to keep herself safe. “I’m not sure yet.”

The stranger got into the truck and started the ignition. “Montana’s a good place to work out what you need to do. Have you been here before?”

“No, but I’ve heard some great things about Bozeman. Do you live here?”

He looked in his rearview mirror and moved onto the highway. “I move around a lot. I’ve got family living in Bozeman.”

She waited for him to say something more, but he kept his eyes focused on the road ahead. “I’m Sophie.” She held out her hand, wanting to keep the ride into town as professional as possible.

The cowboy glanced across the cab. “Hi, Sophie. I’m Ryan.”

Their hands barely touched, but Sophie felt the strength of his grip like a warning along her spine. “I don’t usually run out of gas. I thought I’d have enough to get me into town. I guess I didn’t pay too much attention to how quickly the fuel gauge was going down.” Sophie closed her mouth. She was rambling. He probably thought she was a ditzy woman who didn’t know one end of a car from the other.

“You must have a lot on your mind.”

If Ryan knew what she had on her mind, he wouldn’t have stopped to help. Sophie glanced out of the cab, suddenly feeling nervous. It was a bit late for that. She’d jumped into the truck with
a total stranger, she was heading toward a town that she’d never seen and had ninety dollars in her wallet.

As they drove closer to Bozeman, she thought about what she had to do next. After she’d refilled her gas tank, she’d need to look for a job. It wasn’t what she’d planned on doing, but nothing over the last two weeks had been part of her plans.

Ryan glanced across the cab. “Where do you normally live?”

Sophie didn’t have to think hard about her answer. Before she left Chicago, she’d decided to invent another life in a different city. “San Francisco.”

“It’s a big city. I’ve stayed there a few times. Did you ever go to Tony’s Pizza Place? It’s on Stockton Street.”

Sophie felt her cheeks grow hot. “No, I don’t think I went there.”

“It’s opposite Washington Square Park. It’s well worth a visit.”

Sophie kept her eyes on the passing scenery, hoping Ryan got the message and didn’t ask her any more questions.

“How long have you been living in San Francisco?”

“About three years.” Sophie crossed her
fingers, hoping the story she dreamed up sounded real. “I work in retail.”

“What do you sell?”

She tried to look confident, as if his questions were the most natural thing in the world to answer. “Shoes. Ladies shoes.”

Ryan looked down at her feet. He didn’t need to say anything about her choice of footwear. Her sneakers were the most comfortable pair of shoes she owned. They definitely weren’t the type of shoes that a fashion-conscious twenty-nine-year-old would have worn.

She pulled her feet closer to the edge of her seat. “I wore my old sneakers today. They’re a good pair of shoes to wear when you’re driving.”

Ryan nodded. “Makes sense.”

As the first buildings in Bozeman came into view, she breathed a sigh of relief. The commercial properties were a mix of old red-brick buildings and newer retail outlets. The wide streets and almost empty parking lots were so different from
Chicago. She felt as though she’d stepped back in time.

“There’s a gas station not far from here. They’ll have a gas can we can use. When you get back to town, just drop it off to them.”

When they pulled into the station, Sophie looked at the cars and trucks parked at the pumps. Everyone was going about their own business. They weren’t worried about the brown truck that had parked at the side of the building.

As soon as Ryan stopped the truck she had her hand on the door handle. “Thanks for giving me a ride into town. I really appreciate it.”

Ryan looked amused. “Anytime. It’s nice helping a damsel in distress. But I haven’t finished yet. I’ll take you back to your car once we’ve got a full can of gas.”

Her eyes widened. She’d been in such a hurry to leave that she’d forgotten about getting back to her car.

“Just in case you need rescuing again, here’s my phone number.” He took a piece of paper out of a folder on the floor and scribbled a number on it. Now let’s get some gas for your car.”

Sophie didn’t need to be told twice. She jumped out of the truck and walked across to one of the people working at the station. The sooner she got what she needed, the sooner she could start working on her other problems.

Running out of gas wasn’t the best start to her arrival in Bozeman, but it was better than not getting there at all.

***

Four hours later, Sophie was exhausted. She was beginning to feel as though she’d made a serious mistake in
coming to Bozeman. She’d been into most of the stores on Main Street looking for a job. Everyone had been helpful, but no one had any vacancies. What she needed was a cash job; something that wouldn’t draw attention to herself.

For two weeks she’d tried to disappear. Hiding from the people who
were looking for her wasn’t easy. She couldn’t afford to give anyone her Social Security number or tell them anything that could be entered into a database. She’d relied on using cash for everything, but there was only so far her money could go.

She’d just visited a craft store and asked the owner if she had any jobs available. They weren’t hiring, but the person she’d spoken to had suggested going into the café beside them.

As soon as Sophie opened the door the smell of cinnamon and mixed spice tickled her nose. She looked around the room, smiling at the red check tablecloths and small vases of flowers on each table. It was the kind of place you could sit in for hours, enjoying good food, good coffee, and the company of other people.

“Can I help you?”

Sophie turned toward a blonde woman.

“I’m Tess. You look as though you could do with a drink.”

Sophie pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. She was hot and sticky and so disheartened that she felt like bursting into tears.

Tess put her hand on Sophie’s arm. “Hey, it will be okay. It can’t be that bad. Come and sit down and I’ll get you a nice cold drink. It’s hot enough to make anyone feel overwhelmed.”

Tess walked across the room as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. She chose a table against the back wall; somewhere that Sophie could have some privacy.

Sophie sat on the seat that Tess pulled out. “Thank you. I guess I’m more tired than I thought.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Tess said with a smile. “It happens to most of us at some time or another. I’ll be back in a minute.”

While Tess was filling a glass with water, Sophie took a deep breath and tried to think of something positive that had happened today. Apart from being rescued on the side of the road, the rest of the day had been a horrible repeat of the last two weeks.

“Here you go.” Tess put the glass of water on the table. “Do you mind if I sit down?”

Sophie nodded and took a welcome sip of the cold water.

“Why don’t you tell me what your name is and where you’re from?”

Sophie stumbled over her
words. “I’m Sophie Elliott. I live in San Francisco.”

“You’re a long way from home. Are you on vacation or visiting family?”

“A friend recommended Bozeman as a great place to visit. I underestimated how long it would take to get here.”

Tess tried to hide her surprise. “You came all the way from San Francisco to Bozeman without knowing how far away it was?”

“I know it seems weird, but I’ve never done anything spontaneous in my life. This seemed like a great way to start.” Sophie hoped that Tess thought her red cheeks had more to do with the heat than the lies coming out of her mouth.

“You’re talking with someone who makes lists of lists. I don’t do spontaneous very much, either. What were you going to do once you got here?”

Sophie knew what she wanted to do, but she didn’t think Tess would appreciate being told that she wanted to hide. All she knew was that she needed to stay alive to share the formula for the supplement she’d developed.

“The first thing I need to do is find a job,” Sophie said. “Do you know if anyone is hiring new staff?”

Tess looked at her closely. “Tell me about your work experience.”

Sophie had to think carefully about her answer. She’d waitressed part time in a small café in Chicago, but that had been eight years ago when she’d been a student. She couldn’t tell Tess where she’d worked or give any references. It could lead to questions that could be dangerous.

“I worked in a small café in San Francisco for about two years. I left when the business closed down.”

“What did you do after the café closed?” Tess asked.

She thought about the story she’d told Ryan. “I worked in different retail stores. My last job involved selling ladies’ shoes.”

“Were you good at it?”