As he crossed Fort Peck Dam, once the largest earth-filled dam in the world, he thought about his life and about the beautiful brunette with the green eyes who’d walked into his woodshop and changed everything. If he couldn’t save her, then he had nothing to live for. Not that he would be living long once the men hired by the syndicate found out where he was.
But right now, Oklahoma City was a hell of a long way from where he was headed.
* * *
COLLIN FOUND HIMSELF watching Kate out of the corner of his eye. He hadn’t thought about her cell phone. A mistake, and not his first. She could have just as easily texted the law, he thought as he drove the snow-packed highway north. The border was close now. He’d know soon if he was driving into a trap.
He loved that in this part of Montana, towns were few and far between. That meant that cops were few and far between as well. Unless Kate had notified someone at the border. There could be an armed regiment waiting for them.
He silently berated himself for being so careless, fearing that the woman was going to get him killed. At the same time, he wondered if they still might have a chance with each other. He knew it was beyond hope, but then again, he’d never expected her to go online to research what drugs were being brought across the border. He wondered what else she’d researched. She was smart. That made her dangerous. She would make one hell of a partner in crime, if he could bring her over to his way of thinking.
Ahead he spotted a border-patrol vehicle sitting on a small rise over the highway. As they passed, Collin could see that the officer was on his cell phone. His pulse jumped. Calling the border to let them know he was coming? Just ahead, he could see the lights of the crossing. The building with its chain-link fence and elaborate glass-and-steel structure looked out of place in the middle of nowhere. He slowed, feeling perspiration run down his back and puddle at the base of his spine. He didn’t see dozens of armed men, but that didn’t mean that they weren’t close by. He turned off the radio, telling himself he could do this.
Glancing at Kate, though, he felt another wave of anxiety. She looked too calm, too collected, as if she knew exactly what was going to happen ahead.
He realized he’d taken his foot off the gas pedal. The SUV slowed to a crawl. He caught sight of a sign saying this was his last chance to turn around before the border.
Stop looking so suspicious, he told himself. If she hadn’t called... And why would she, knowing that it would get her daughter killed? Well, then, he had nothing to worry about.
If she had? It was too late to worry about that now.
He reminded himself that he didn’t have anything illegal in his possession—not yet, anyway. It was coming back across the border that he had to worry about. He glanced at Kate and felt his heart drop. Unless he was arrested for kidnapping.
An officer in blue looked in his direction from the glass enclosure. He sped up, pulling into a lane next to the building with numerous snow-covered signs detailing what couldn’t be taken into Canada. The signs were virtually unreadable because of the snow stuck to them.
As he stopped where another sign indicated, he saw several other officers in the glassed-in office. One of them opened the door and headed for them.
* * *
KATE TRIED TO swallow the lump in her throat when she saw the border crossing ahead. A US Customs and Department of Homeland Security officer approached them. He was dressed in a blue uniform with a Kevlar vest, a radio and a weapon at his hip. He approached the vehicle warily. Kate could almost feel Collin’s anxiety. If he was worried now, imagine what he would be like when they returned with a load of drugs.
Thinking about her daughter, she leaned forward to say hello to the officer through Collin’s now-open window. The man didn’t respond other than to ask for their passports. She started to reach for her purse and was surprised when Collin handed them both over. When had he gotten hers out of her purse? Without a word, the officer took the passports inside the building. Neither she nor Collin spoke as they waited.
Collin had left his window down. She shivered, but he didn’t raise it. She could see ahead where they would exit the compound to go to the Canadian side. The buildings on both sides resembled car washes with huge glass-and-steel doors that rose on approach.
She could see no other cars, no one else crossing the border this afternoon.
The officer appeared at Collin’s side again, holding their passports and looking from one to the other of them. “Ma’am, please remove your sunglasses.”
“Kate, he wants you to remove your sunglasses,” Collin said tersely.
She realized that it was the second time the officer had asked. She quickly took them off while he checked her face against the photo on her passport.
“How far are you going on the Canadian side?” the officer asked in his no-nonsense tone.
“Swift Current,” Collin said. “She wants to do some shopping while we’re there. Wedding stuff. We’re getting married soon. My fiancée has never been to another country, so since we are on our engagement trip to Montana, anyway...” Collin said and looked over at her. He was smiling, but his look warned her. She could see the nervous tension around his mouth and eyes and knew it would be up to her.
“We’re from Texas,” Kate said, bending forward to look at the officer. “I’d never seen snow. Now I’ve seen enough of it, thank you very much.”
“How long will you be staying?” the officer asked, his tone full of authority and not the least bit friendly.
“Just a couple of days,” Collin said. The officer looked up at them, taking her in and then Collin before he began to question them about items in their possession, going through the list she’d seen online. Collin said they didn’t have any of the prohibited items. She noticed the officer looking in the back of SUV before he asked Collin to open the back.
Collin popped the hatch and started to get out, but was ordered to stay in the vehicle as the officer went around to the rear. Kate wanted to turn and watch him but instead snuggled against Collin. He flinched in surprise, then put his arm around her, whispering in her ear, “You’re doing fine.”
Was the officer looking through their suitcases? After a few minutes, the man returned to the driver’s-side window and told Collin he could close the hatch.
Handing back their passports, he gave them a nod and told them to continue straight ahead. Collin put up his window, and they left Montana to drive across the border only to stop on the Canadian side. The large overhead door lifted, and the Canadian officer waved them in. Again they showed their passports and were also questioned, this time with even more suspicion, before being allowed to enter the country.
* * *
COLLIN TRIED TO RELAX. It was his first time crossing the border. The sweat that had soaked through his shirt was beginning to dry. He didn’t feel as if he was going to jump out of his skin anymore as he saw the sign welcoming them into Saskatchewan. He could almost breathe freely. Coming back across would be worse. With luck they would have the same law officer. Maybe he would remember them, since so few people crossed here.