Page 55 of Colton in the Wild
He hated people like that. People who thought they knew it all when they knew nothing. It made him recall how neighboring Valdez had begun as a landing port for miners during the gold rush in 1897, and how they’d been conned into thinking something called the Valdez Glacier Trail existed and would lead them directly to the rich, untouched gold fields. That it had turned out to be a hoax promoted by steamship companies to sell tickets, a hoax that had cost many lives and was a sore spot with any local who knew the history.
“I get the feeling that if he was as good as he told her he was, we wouldn’t be here talking now,” Reynolds said.
Meaning one or both of them would be dead. “Then I’m glad he wasn’t,” Hetty said heatedly. “This was bad enough.”
Reynolds looked at her as if to go on, but hesitated.
“She can take it,” Spence said.
That got him a flashing smile from Hetty. But the smile died when Reynolds said, “He knows that you saw him.”
Spence had figured that out early on, because there’d been no other reason for the shooter to go after them so strongly once he’d discovered his true targets had not kept their part of his evil bargain.
“He knows Hetty did. I think I was just insurance.”
Reynolds nodded. “Maybe, but I kind of doubt he’d risk that you didn’t see him. A hired gun isn’t usually the type to leave loose ends.”
Spence’s brow creased. “But he’s not from here. Maybe he’d just head back to wherever home is and figure we’re far enough away we’d never find him.”
“Could be.” Reynolds’s mouth twisted wryly. “Lots of people from down there think we’re a different country anyway. So maybe he’s gone and will never come back. But do you want to pin your lives on a maybe?”
“But he doesn’t know who we are,” Hetty said. “I mean other than we’re from RTA.”
Reynolds grimaced. “You’re all over the RTA website. Named and labeled as locals. In a town of less than four thousand, that narrows his search a lot already. And it’s clear that you’re the one who flies the floatplane, and Spence is the premier guide in the area, if not the entire state. And in case you haven’t looked lately, there are a ton of photos of the two of you with various guests. It’s easy to extrapolate that you’re usually together.”
Spence knew that, in light of the subject matter, it was silly to feel a pleasant little jolt at those last three words, but he couldn’t seem to help it.
…you’re usually together.
He wanted that to be the mantra for the rest of their lives. He wanted it to be just as true fifty years from now as it was today. He wanted them to be like his parents were, still in love after all these years and all they’d been through.
And he’d do whatever it took to make that happen.
The first thing he had to do was keep Hetty safe, because Reynolds was right, they were all over the website, with pictures clear enough to make them recognizable to anyone who took the time to look. And while the hired gun might not be the best shot—at least, not out here in the backcountry—they couldn’t assume he hadn’t done his homework.
“The state troopers are being good about sharing information, and I’ll pass along anything that’s relevant,” Reynolds said. “But until we nail this guy down, watch your back.”
When Reynolds left them, with assurances they were doing all they could, Spence sat for a moment longer before he could bring himself to meet Hetty’s eyes. The incident at the camp was one thing, knowing a hired killer was afraid you’d seen and could identify him was something else altogether.
When he finally shifted his gaze, he saw that she looked troubled but not panicked. But then, Hetty never panicked. She was a lot more likely to get angry about a threat than scared.
He mentally abandoned his wishful thinking about her moving into his place with him. She was better off at the big house, with more people around to keep an eye out. In fact, he’d best stop by his place, grab some things and stay there himself until this was resolved. Better to have three people there looking out for her. He needed to tell his folks about this anyway, so they could be on guard.
So much for that grand seduction scene I was imagining.
“What was that face for?” Hetty asked.
“You don’t want to know,” he muttered. “Come on, let’s go. I need to tell Mom and Dad about this.”
She didn’t resist. In fact, she nodded quickly when he mentioned his folks. But once he’d gotten up and helped her—which she did try to refuse, but relented when he mentioned that speed was kind of important at the moment—to her feet, she slanted him a troubled look.
“Maybe I shouldn’t stay there,” she said. “It might put them in danger, too.”
“The more eyes watching out, the better,” he said shortly as he folded up the tarp they’d been sitting on. “I’ll stay there, too. And I have to let Kansas and Parker know about this, too.”
“But if I went somewhere else, they wouldn’t need to worry.”
“Fine,” he said shortly, finishing with the tarp and looking at her. “You can move into my place and I’ll cancel all my upcoming jobs—”
