Page 96 of Starcrossed Colorado

“No. Not in weeks. And I was the idiot who was relieved.” He gripped the skin between his eyes, a pained look on his face.

“Maybe that reporter had some random tip and was hoping to exploit it, but if he doesn’t find a story here, he’ll go looking for one somewhere else.”

“I think it’s worse than that.” He told me about how Sheldon, my former property manager, had been rifling through our trash.

“Sheldon? You’re kidding.” Thankfully I hadn’t thrown away my old journal. I’d dried it out and kept it as a keepsake. A lot of the ink was smeared, but the thought of Sheldon reading it disgusted me.

“A reporter put him up to it. Someone from theHollywood Star Post, a tabloid. But they’ve been in touch with him for a while. Months. Remember how the trash cart was tipped over not long after you got here?”

My hand went to my mouth. “Do you think it was the same reporter who came up to me today? Is that who Sheldon was working with?”

“I don’t know. It’s possible. But there could be more than one sniffing around. If Ayla suddenly took off and people are looking for her, a lot more could follow.”

If Danny Carmichael had heard that reporter asking about Ayla, would he be able to connect the dots? Who else in Silver Ridge might be willing to spill details about Ashford and his daughter in exchange for a payoff?

Maybe they already had. That reporter had known my name.

“I always knew it was possible that people would find out,” he said, “and I’m still not ready. I’m just glad you’re here.”

“Me too. I’m not going anywhere.” In that moment, I meant it with my entire heart. There was nothing in the world that would make me want to leave his side. “We’re going to figure this out. But you have to decide what to tell Grace and Elias when they get here.”

Because if more reporters showed up in Silver Ridge looking for a story about Ayla Maxwell, Ashford’s secret was not going to stay that way for long.

Grace and Elias arrived with an obscene amount of food, plus Judson. “Look who we found,” Elias said.

Judson took off his cowboy hat. “I heard someone accosted you, Emma. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m all right.”

Elias had brought burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches, to-go boxes of tots, and chocolate milkshakes. Between the food and the visitors for dinner, Maisie was all smiles. I was so glad that she’d already shaken off the upset of what had happened.

Callum showed up halfway through the meal, instantly doubling the energy around the table. I was surprised that Ashford had texted him. But if he planned to tell his siblings the truth, that made sense.

Everybody kept conversation light for Maisie’s benefit. But there was definitely an unspoken tension.

Chief Landry showed up next. Unfortunately, the crowd riled Stella up again. She was barking and misbehaving, so I had to put her in my room until Maisie’s bedtime. She kept whimpering until Ashford agreed to let her sleep on the floor right beside Maisie’s bed.

After that, we all gathered in the living room. The police chief introduced himself to me.

“I’m Teller. Sorry to hear about the trouble you had today, Emma.”

“It wasn’t fun. But I’m glad to meet you. Piper’s told me about you.”

“Same. Would’ve introduced myself earlier, but I don’t get out much for socializing. A visit from me isn’t something people look forward to.” He sounded apologetic about that.

Teller was a handsome guy in his department uniform, his blond hair cropped close to his head. I could see the family resemblance to Piper, both in his height and his striking pale-green eyes. But he didn’t have Piper’s easygoing smile. Instead, he had the penetrating gaze of an interrogator. Burn scars stretched over the right side of his neck and cheek.

Callum brought out a bottle of whiskey, passing around glasses. “Did you bring that bottle with you?” Ashford asked his brother.

“Hell yeah, I did. I could tell from your text that something big was up, and you never have anything decent to drink.”

Teller shook his head when Callum offered him one. Callum kept going around the circle, handing whiskey to Elias, Judson, and Grace. I sucked down half my glass in one gulp. I wasn’t usually a big whiskey drinker, but tonight, I wasn’t turning down a shot of liquid courage.

“Do we need to call in Piper too?” Callum asked. “Make this a full club meeting?”

“We’ll catch her up later,” Grace said. “Ashford, just tell us what’s going on.”

We sat on the couch, and Ashford’s hand rested on my knee as he told them about Lori’s famous sister. They were all as shocked as I had been when I’d first heard it. Except for Teller, who said he had no clue who Ayla Maxwell was.

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