Page 75 of Moonlit Colorado

An unpleasant thought raked down my spine. “She doesn’t have a thing for him, does she?”

“Oh, no. Not even close. But Bristol likes to be the center of attention, and she wants to run Knightly Global with Kip, especially once our fathers agree on this little hotel partnership they’ve been negotiating. Dane is already a threat to that, and you’re a new factor in the mix.”

“I have no interest in Knightly Global. I really am a small-town girl. Dane and I aren’t officially together, and when this trip is over, we’re going back to just friends.”

“You can tell yourself that, but Dane might have other ideas.” Ainsley had such a disarming look on her face that I couldn’t help but smile.

An hour ago, I’d been bracing myself to meet Dane’s ex, but I actually kind of liked her.

“Hey,” I said, dropping my voice to a whisper. “Is Dane and Kip’s mother here tonight? I assumed she would be, but he hasn’t introduced me. I didn’t ask him because I didn’t want to bring up an awkward subject, given his relationship with his dad. But…” I trailed off when I saw the uncomfortable expression on Ainsley’s face.

“Dane didn’t tell you about Isadora?”

I set down my spoon, no longer interested in the rest of my dessert. “Didn’t tell me what?”

* * *

When Dane didn’t come back to the table, I went to look for him.

Dane’s mom was sick. Ainsley hadn’t given me all the details, saying that I should ask Dane for the full story. But he’d had plenty of chances to tell me. He’d chosen not to. I was trying not to overreact about it, but I did want to know why.

I passed by the restrooms, listening for voices. There was no sign of Dane or his brother. But when I glanced up a nearby staircase, I saw the back of a man ascending the stairs.

It wasn’t Dane, though. Or Kip. This man wore a boxy suit and had a shaved head.

Instantly, my pulse raced into overdrive.

It seemed impossible, but he reminded me of the man who’d stopped me in the lobby the night of the masquerade. What on earth could that guy be doinghere? Not just thousands of miles away from Silver Ridge, but at Kip and Bristol’s private rehearsal dinner. They’d rented out the whole place. It couldn’t be the same man.

But what if itwas?

I started mounting the stairs. I kept on the balls of my toes so my heels wouldn’t clack on the wood.

If there was any way I could find out that man’s identity and how he was connected to Nina Jamison and Dirk Lancaster, I had to take the opportunity. He might know something about Nina’s disappearance or the break-in at my house.

I reached the top and looked around the quiet upstairs dining area. The lights were dim. This part of the restaurant wasn’t being used, so nobody else was around. I didn’t see the man with the shaved head anywhere, either. Had no clue where he’d gone.

Unease suddenly gripped me. Maybe I shouldn’t have come up here.

Then I spotted Dane through a set of French doors, standing on a balcony, and my heart seemed to restart, flooding me with relief.

I was probably just on edge because I hadn’t been able to find Dane. And here he was. So everything was fine, right? I was being ridiculous.

There was no way that bald man could’ve been the same creepy guy as in Silver Ridge.

When I stepped out onto the balcony, Dane turned his head. “Hey.” It was too dark to see him well. The air was chilly but not uncomfortable. I was a Colorado girl, after all. The sounds of the city surrounded us, filling in the silence.

“You disappeared,” I said.

“Sorry about that.” Dane’s voice was rough. “I needed to clear my head. Didn’t mean to abandon you.”

“I told you, I’m tougher than I look.” I almost asked if he’d seen a man with a shaved head pass by. But Dane shifted so his features stood out in sharper relief in the low light. And I forgot everything else.

“What happened?” I asked.

“I had some words with Kip and then my father. Wasn’t pleasant.”

“What did they say?”

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