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“Wow, it’s like a time capsule,” she says, echoing my thoughts.
“It was a booming gold town about a hundred years ago,” I inform her. “When it seemed that most of the gold had been mined, people left to find other claims. Some stayed. There’s always been working mines here, but it slowed down considerably. The downtown area looks pretty much the same as it did back in the old days. The buildings have withstood the test of time.”
“It’s very cool,” she says. “I’d love to wander around and take it all in.”
“Another time. I promise. Today, I’m anxious to grab lunch and get back to the ranch.”
“I understand.” I glance over when she lays her hand on my arm. “Honest, I do.”
“Good.” I park right in front of the deli. “Lock these doors. Do you have your weapon?”
“Of course.”
“Keep it handy. Keep your eyes open. Don’t look at your phone or fall asleep.”
“You’ll be gone for all of thirty seconds,” she reminds me.
“Sometimes, that’s all it takes.” I lean over and kiss her cheek. “Do as I say.”
“Yes, sir.”
I hop out of the car and nod in satisfaction when I hear the snick of the locks. Ivie isn’t careless, and I know she’ll do as I ask.
“Well, good morning, handsome.”
Mrs. Ullrich is sixty-five if she’s a day, and she’s a hopeless flirt. She’s also been married for forty-seven years and has eight children, some of whom are my age.
“Hey there, Mrs. Ullrich. Do you have those sandwiches for me?”
“Right here.” She fetches a brown paper bag from a shelf. “I added it to your tab.”
“Thanks. Appreciate it.” I toss a five-dollar bill into the tip jar and turn to leave. “Have a good day, ma’am.”
“You, too, you handsome devil,” she calls after me, making me grin.
I haven’t exactly become a member of the community. I’m not one to attend town hall meetings and get acquainted with my neighbors.
But there’s value in knowing who’s here, who I should watch out for, and letting the community know that I’m not someone to be wary of.
I’m an outsider. I know that. But I keep to myself, and I don’t make trouble. In return, the townspeople have been cordial, and I trust that I’m safe here.
Which is more important now than ever before.
When I walk out of the deli, I feel my blood fucking boil.
“In the car,” I bark to Ivie, who’s standing on the sidewalk, covered in puppies. “Now.”
She smiles at the teenager who’s walking them, gives one a kiss on the head, and then climbs in next to me.
“Don’t yell at me, Shane. They’re puppies.”
“I don’t care if they were the cutest puppies on the planet—”
“Which they were.”
“I told you to stay put. What if there had been a sniper in one of these buildings?”
She stares at me as I pull onto the road and head back toward home.
“You’re being ridiculous.”
“No, I’m not.”
“There are no snipers.”
“That you know of.”
“For God’s sake, Shane, I was out of the car for less than fifteen seconds. I wanted to pet a puppy.”
“Fifteen seconds is all they need. Trust me. We won’t be leaving the ranch again.”
“So now I’m being punished? I’m taking that blowjob back.”
I want to laugh. But I’m too fucking mad.
Chapter 10
~Ivie~
“I’m going to—” Shane begins when we pull up to the house, but I put my hand up, stopping him from speaking further.
“I don’t care what you’re going to do. I’m not speaking to you right now.”
I shove out of the SUV and hurry into the house. I hear him behind me, and I remember that I’m starving, so I whirl back and reach for the bag in his hands.
“Which one is mine?”
He doesn’t reply, so I glance up at him and cock a brow.
“Shane?”
“Now you’re speaking to me?”
I just narrow my eyes menacingly, and he’s smart enough to sigh and hang his head. “They’re the same.”
I fetch one of the sandwiches from the bag and turn to march away once more, headed for the guest room, where I shut and lock the door behind me.
I’m adult enough to restrain myself from slamming the door. Barely.
“He drives me fucking crazy,” I mutter as I unwrap the sandwich and pull my phone out of my purse to video call my best friend, Annika. I’ve been friends with the gorgeous doctor for more years than I can count, and she knows everything there is to know about me.
She’ll talk me down from the ledge.
“Hey, friend,” she says with a bright smile. I prop the phone on the desk so I can see her, and vice versa, and still eat my lunch.
“I’m going to be eating in your ear.”
“I’ll join you. I just made some leftover lasagna for lunch.”
“Lasagna leftovers are the best.”
“Hell yes, they are,” she agrees and takes a bite. “I’m so happy you called. I haven’t heard from you since you went up to Shane’s place.”
