Charming Hannah (Big Sky 1)

“You’re the brawn of our operation,” I agree. “You like feeling needed and you know it.”

“Maybe.” He tapes Grace’s box shut and then carries it to the growing pile against the wall. “So what did you decide to do with all of this?”

“Well, not all of it will fit in Brad’s house. So, I took over what’s most important to me already. Clothes, toiletries, electronics. You know, all that stuff. Now we’re packing up the rest of my personal things to go to storage until I have time to sift through it all and decide what to do.”

“What about the furniture? It’s practically brand new,” Grace says.

“Well, I was talking to Jenna the other day, and she suggested rather than making this place a monthly rental, I make it a vacation rental. I hadn’t thought of it before, but I looked at comps in the area for what the income potential could be, and it just made sense. So I’m going to move out the personal stuff and spruce up what’s already here and rent it out to tourists.”

“Jenna’s smart,” Grace says. “That’s a great idea. And around here the earning potential has to be fantastic.”

“Yeah, and the potential for asshole tourists is fantastic too,” Drake says, scowling. “They’ll wreck the place.”

“Not all of them,” I say. “What the hell is wrong with you today? You’re so moody.”

“I’m always moody.”

“You’re particularly sunshiny today,” Grace says, batting her eyelashes innocently.

“There’s nothing wrong with me,” he says. “But if I’d known I was going to be moving all of these damn boxes, I wouldn’t have gone to the gym this morning.”

“You don’t have to be here,” I remind him. “I have a dolly that I can use to move stuff around.”

“I don’t want either of you moving this stuff,” he says and I just cock a brow, watching him.

“You get this way when you haven’t gotten laid in a while,” I say, tapping my lips with my finger. “Is that it?”

“To be fair, I get testy when I haven’t gotten laid in a while,” Grace adds, making me smile. I nod in agreement, and Drake rolls his eyes. He’s the king of the eye-roll today.

“There’s absolutely nothing wrong.”

“Bullshit,” I reply. “I’ve known you for a dozen years, and there’s something bugging you.”

“I lost a patient last night.” He leans against the wall and wipes the sweat from his brow. “It was a fluke, and it was during surgery. Routine gall bladder removal. It shouldn’t have happened.”

“I’m sorry.” I stand and walk to him, wrap my arms around his waist and hug him close. This is the hardest part about what we do because eventually we’re faced with the reality that we’re human, and we can’t save everyone. “I’m very sorry.”

“I’ll be okay,” he says and squeezes me tightly. “And I’m sorry I’m an asshole.”

“It’s okay.” I pull back with a smile. “You’re only an asshole part of the time.”

His lips twitch just as the doorbell rings. I open the door and freeze. There are two Montana Highway Patrol officers standing on my porch.

“Brad.” I reach blindly for Drake’s hand. If something’s happened to Brad, I don’t know what I’ll do. I can’t lose him. I just found him. “Please tell me it’s not Brad.”

“No, ma’am.”

I sigh in relief, adrenaline coursing through my body. “Thank God.”

“I’m patrolman Peterson, and this is my partner, patrolman James. Can we please come inside?”

“Sure.” I step back and allow them in. “I’m moving, so the place is a mess.”

“We won’t be long. You’ll want to sit down.”

My eyes fly to both Grace and Drake, who are both watching the officers with suspicion. Grace has her phone gripped in her hand.

“What’s this about?”

Both men, in their forties with grim faces, look at each other. Patrolman Peterson says, “Would you rather we talk in private?”

“No, I’d rather you tell me what’s going on.”

He nods and takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry to inform you that Randall Malone was killed yesterday morning in a motor vehicle accident just outside of Billings, Montana.”

“What?” Suddenly both Drake and Grace are flanking me, each holding one of my hands, and the blood is rushing in my ears. “That can’t be possible. He doesn’t live in Montana.”

“No, ma’am. But he was driving through Montana, for what purpose we can’t be sure.”

“But I live in Cunningham Falls,” I whisper and close my eyes. “That asshole was coming here.”

“He was in a multiple vehicle accident yesterday,” he repeats, “and he was the only fatality.”

“Well, at least there’s that.” Drake squeezes my hand and I just shake my head. “Thanks for letting me know.”

“That’s not all,” he continues. “It seems you’re the only surviving relative of your father’s, so we need to know where you want the body to be transported to.”

“Excuse me?” I scowl and pull my hands free so I can fist them. “I don’t want him.”