AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“A technicality. Sam and I will sort it out with the attorney. We might even be able to expedite it.” Logan didn’t have a clue what he was talking about, but thought it sounded reasonable.
Sam had stood silent beside him, stunned at how Logan had jumped right into her lie. She felt bad about the subterfuge, just not enough to stop the ruse. If Miguel believed they were planning to marry, he might give up and leave town.
“When is the wedding date? If I’m still here, I’ll plan to attend.”
So maybe he wouldn’t leave,Sam thought. Undeterred, she stepped closer to Logan’s side. “Sorry, but I don’t envision you on the guest list.”
Shrugging, the grin on Miguel’s face indicated he was far from giving up. “You never know what will happen.”
Sam glanced around, noting they were the last ones to leave. “We have to be somewhere. By the way, Miguel. Why are you even here, at Mark’s memorial service?”
“I applied for work at his ranch a few days before he died. He seemed a decent guy, so I decided to stop by.”
Something in his voice didn’t support his words. Refusing to make an issue of it now, Sam decided to leave.
“We need to get going, Logan.”
He offered a sharp nod as his gaze locked on Miguel. “I expect you to leave Sam alone. You and I are going to have problems if you don’t. Do you understand?”
Miguel gave a negligent shrug before turning to walk away.
Several seconds passed before Sam realized he hadn’t answered Logan’s question.
Deputy Aiden Winters knocked on the open door, peering into the cavernous space. “Mrs. Maddox?” Cans of paint were set around the room, with large tarps covering counters and the floor. “Mrs. Maddox?”
“I’m upstairs. Be right down.”
He stood in the middle of the space, staring at the stairs. When she came down, he smiled, stifling a chuckle. She wore a white industrial coverall, the hood covering her hair. Sensing his amusement, Laurel held her arms out and grinned back.
“I know. It may be overkill, but I don’t have to worry about ruining my clothes. I didn’t pack old work clothes when I flew out to the guest ranch.” She slid the hood off her head.
“You mean leasing an old building in Brilliance wasn’t on the activity list Gage hands out?”
She laughed. “Not even close. How about a tour?”
“That would be great.”
“We’ll start upstairs. That’s where I’ve been working today.”
Aiden walked to the stairs, motioning her to go ahead of him. “I’ll follow you.”
She led him into the apartment.
He took a quick look around. “This is huge.”
“Much bigger than I need. There is one large bedroom, two small ones, and two bathrooms. Plus, a huge storage area. It takes up the same space as the retail area downstairs.”
“Are you going to leave it like this?”
“It’s doubtful. I spoke to a local contractor about remodeling the space to have three apartments with one bedroom and one bath each. I talked to several people around town, and they all said there isn’t much for single people to rent.”
“You won’t live up here?”
“For a time, I might. My plan is to buy a house after the shop opens. There’s a real cute one three blocks from here.”
“Are you going to buy it?”
“I’d love to, but I have to sell my house back home first. It’s on the market, so we’ll see what happens. I’ll explain what I’m doing downstairs.”
