“Over there,” she’d said, pointing to a small counter and then she’d gone again.
He’d muttered to himself as he’d taken everything over to the counter and carefully wrapped the cup in Bubble Wrap, then put it into the box. After writing the address on the box, he’d returned with everything to the arched window to ring the bell again.
She’d appeared at once and had begun to add up his bill.
“Wait, you’re charging me for the roll of tape and this whole roll of Bubble Wrap?”
“The US post office doesn’t supply tape or Bubble Wrap for nothing,” she’d said primly.
“Well, I don’t want or need the rest of it. Is your supervisor around?”
She’d smiled at that. “I’m Vi Mullen, postmistress,” making it clear she was the boss. Her eyes had narrowed. “And you’re that fella staying at the motel with that brunette.”
He’d hated the way she denigrated his relationship with Kate. “She’s my fiancée. We’re getting married.” Her look said she’d known better.
“From Texas, I heard. Strange time to be taking a trip to Buckhorn.”
“We weren’t taking a trip to Buckhorn. Our rental car broke down.” As if she didn’t know that.
“Still,” she’d said, eyeing his package and the address he’d written on it.
He’d remembered what Lars had told him about his live-in girlfriend’s mother. “Vi’s the worst gossip in town.”
“Doesn’t seem like there would be much to gossip about,” Collin had noted. “Does anything ever happen in this town?”
“You’d be surprised,” Dave had said and then quickly walked away. Lars had looked down into his beer and changed the subject.
“I need to overnight it,” he’d told the woman, and she’d let out an irritated sigh and started to redo his bill. “Will it get there by tomorrow?”
“Should now that the highway’s open,” she’d said and asked if what was inside was liquid, perishable...
He hadn’t caught the rest. “No,” he’d told her. She’d seen that it was a cup. Was the woman just being difficult? He’d handed her the money. “I don’t want the tape or the Bubble Wrap.” He’d shoved it back through the opening.
She’d pursed her lips again but had taken the items back. “You paid for it.”
“I did. Now you can charge the next sucker for it who walks in here.”
With that done, he’d left, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. With luck, he’d find out the truth about Jon Harper. He was convinced the man was hiding here in this town because he had a criminal record. But more important was proving that Jon wasn’t Daniel Jackson. Once that was done, he figured Kate would finally knock off her fantasy about rekindling with her dead husband, and they could leave.
The day had passed with him spending much of it at the bar. He was running out of money, though, and worried things would get worse before they got better. Back at the motel, he asked Kate to dinner, but she said she’d already eaten. So they’d gone to their separate rooms.
This morning he’d texted her, asking her if she wanted to meet at the café for breakfast. He’d been in a good mood after receiving confirmation this morning that Nels had received the package.
Now as he walked up to the café, he told himself that he could still make this work with Kate. Could he marry her and be happy? Happy enough, since he wouldn’t have to worry about the necessities. He could depend on Kate to pay for those, while he ran his businesses behind the solid domestic front she would provide.
He just worried that what had happened here in Buckhorn could make that impossible. Even when he proved that Jon Harper wasn’t Daniel Jackson—and exposed the carpenter for the man he really was—Collin didn’t see her marrying him now. She didn’t look at him the way she had before this trip. She’d broken the slender thread that had connected them. Not that he’d ever felt she was as crazy about him as she should have been. It made him wonder if he could ever trust her.
But he wasn’t ready to throw it all away just yet.
He had a new plan. Which meant he couldn’t let on what he was thinking. He had to play the role of the understanding fiancé just a little while longer.
* * *
EARL RAY KNEW the moment he saw Jon that things had gone badly. He’d tried to warn the young man. Or at least let him know what was at stake so he could decide how he wanted to handle it.
But from the look on Jon’s face, things had gotten worse. Not that Earl Ray hadn’t heard about what was going on through the Buckhorn grapevine—which was very short and fast in the winter months. Kate and Collin were staying another night—but were now in separate rooms. At least that’s what Shirley at the motel had said. And Kate had been visiting Jon’s shop while her fiancé, Collin, had been spending more time at the bar. If that didn’t spell trouble, he didn’t know what did.
“Do you still have some of your old connections?” Jon asked without preamble.
Earl Ray didn’t bother pretending that he didn’t know what the young man was talking about. Not that he’d ever told Jon anything about what he’d done in the military. Everyone believed he was the town’s local war hero. He had the medals. He just hadn’t been on the front line as that kind of soldier.
“I need to know about the boyfriend,” Jon said.
Earl Ray’s raised a brow. “Kate Jackson’s fiancé?” he asked, just to be clear.
Jon limped over to the window and looked out. He was limping worse than usual. No doubt it was the stress. Did he think he’d been followed? From his expression he was worried—and not about the woman’s fiancé.
“What’s happened?” Earl Ray asked, knowing it was even worse than what he’d heard on the grapevine.
Jon turned from the window. “Collin Matthews paid me a visit. He stole the coffee mug I’d been drinking from.”
Earl Ray didn’t need to ask what that meant. “What do you know about him?”
“Just what Shirley at the motel told me, so little more than his name. He used a credit card for the room. When he went to get the second room for himself, the card was declined, and he had to use another one. Sounds like he doesn’t have as much as he pretends. I’m betting he comes from money, but I’m curious how he makes his own now.”
“You sound suspicious.”
“Just a feeling. One more thing. Kate Jackson. From what she said, she might be well-off or at least comfortable. I need to know if that is true.” Earl Ray raised a brow, making Jon shake his head. “I’m not interested in her money.”