Mason wasn’t convinced. Who the hell else would have done this? “So what then, something to do with your job?”
“Maybe. I’m mulling some possibilities over.” Avery pulled the covers back and slid in next to him. “Aren’t you glad you came with me now?” she said wryly.
“Yes.” Because of what they’d done in the utility room, but also because he’d been able to spend time getting to know her, and at least he’d been here through this tonight.
She glanced over at him, her expression unreadable. “Been a long day. Let’s get some sleep. The cops will want to update us first thing in the morning.” She rolled over to switch her bedside lamp off.
Mason stared up at the darkened timbers above him, a faint amount of light hitting the ceiling where it filtered in through the wooden shutters on the window above the bed, the urge to protect and comfort her coursing through him. He rolled toward her and curved an arm around her waist. Not crowding her, just letting her know he was there, and that he cared about her.
“If you’re going to do that, you might as well get under the sheets,” she muttered.
He did, biting back a groan as he settled in close and molded his body around hers, one arm tucked beneath her head and the other locked between her breasts. He buried his nose in her hair, breathing in the sweet, clean scent of her shampoo, vowing to protect her.
Tonight’s message to her was personal. He was going to make sure she stayed safe while they got to the bottom of this.
****
They hadn’t seen her.
Shannon’s heart raced a mile a minute as she hid behind an outbuilding fifty yards from Avery’s cabin, elation building until she had to bite back a giggle. By now they’d seen what she’d done.
Her timing had been perfect, spotting them sneaking into that closet earlier in the lodge. It had given her the perfect opening to go to the cabin unseen and wreck everything before they arrived. When they’d walked in, Avery’s stuff would still have been burning in the fire. She’d delivered her message.
This hiding spot was perfect, and there were no lights out here. She stayed in the shadows while the manager and security came from the main lodge to check things out.
As soon as they were inside, she darted off through the night, circling around across a large lawn to the far side of the lodge. The security cameras couldn’t see her here, and neither could anyone else. Even if they did, her staff uniform wouldn’t raise any suspicion.
Other staff members were leaving when she reached their designated parking lot several hundred yards away from the guest one. No one paid her any attention as she climbed into her car, took the weapon from the back of her waistband and put it in the glove compartment before driving away.
A rush of triumph and excitement erased any remaining traces of her earlier anxiety as she hit the open road. She couldn’t wait to tell Mike about it when she saw him next. He’d love this.
But first she had to take care of the next part of her plan.
She turned her car to the west and took the highway toward Missoula. The drive was long. Twice she stopped for coffee to help keep her awake, and she arrived in the small town of Rifle Creek a little before eight in the morning. Avery and her mystery man were hours away, giving her plenty of time to get her bearings here.
She stopped at a local diner and took a booth near the back next to the window. The main part of town was cute, full of old heritage buildings, and quiet. Only three other people were at the diner, including one old man sitting at the counter across from her booth.
He had to be a local, because the waitress addressed him by name and didn’t pay him a whole lot of attention as he bitched about something going on with his family property that some assholes were trying to buy out from under him.
“I won’t let them do it,” he snapped, all worked up.
“I’m sure it will all work out, Ray,” the waitress said politely. “More coffee?”
He pushed his mug across the counter for her. “Why doesn’t anybody care about the way things used to be anymore?”
“Some do. Now you just enjoy your coffee and your breakfast will be out in a few minutes.” She patted his shoulder and turned to walk over to Shannon. “Morning. What can I get you?”
Shannon ordered blueberry flapjacks and scrolled through her messages and emails while she waited. There was nothing from Mike. Disappointment washed through her but she pushed it aside. Soon she would visit him again and she’d be able to tell him about everything she’d done.
The waitress arrived with the old man’s breakfast. “Can I get you anything else, Ray?”
“Naw, thanks. Whaddyou know about that new guy in town. Tate Baldwin’s friend, Mason.”
She shrugged. “Not much. They’ve come in here to eat a few times over the past few weeks. He was living with Tate when he first got here, but I heard he moved.”
“Where?”
“He took Avery Dahl’s basement suite.”
Shannon almost choked on her coffee. Her muscles drew taut. Mason. Was that the guy she’d seen Avery with?
She’d underestimated what small town life was like, and that everybody knew everybody here. It was an advantage she could put to good use.
She took her coffee over to the counter and paused next to the old man to ask for a refill, immediately smelling the booze on him. Perfect. Drunks loved to talk.
While the waitress poured more coffee into her cup, Shannon smiled at Ray. He definitely wanted to talk, and right now she had the time to listen. “Morning. Not having a great day so far, huh?”
He eyed her, a thick layer of white stubble covering his face, his bright blue eyes sharp. “You heard that, huh?”
“Yeah. I feel bad for you. I grew up on a cattle ranch outside Bozeman.” Not even close. She’d grown up in Billings. “My parents died in a car wreck when I was in my teens. The ranch was supposed to be split between me and my other relatives. I wanted to stay there but they insisted on selling. I couldn’t afford a lawyer to fight it.”
He shook his head, his expression sympathetic. “So you were kicked off your land.”
She nodded and pressed her lips together, as if the memory still hurt her. “Yep.”
“You new in town?”
“Yes. Just arrived, actually. Only staying for a couple days, but I don’t know anyone here.”
Ray patted the stool next to him. “Sit down and join me. You remind me of my granddaughter.”
She smiled at him. “I’d love to.”
She listened as he bitched about his situation, focused on how this Mason guy fit into the picture. Ray hated him. Shannon hated Avery.
Now she had a new plan to torment her enemy once Avery returned to Rifle Creek.
Chapter Ten
Light filtering into the room woke Avery. She tensed, keenly aware of the huge male body curled around the back of her.
Mason.
Her pulse skipped, her libido revving to life. He felt amazing, all warm and solid. He’d also been incredibly good to her this weekend, especially last night.
Especially in that supply room.
A heavy throb pulsed between her legs as she recalled that intoxicating mix of authority and control he’d used so effortlessly to weaken her defenses.