Too Hot to Handle (Jackson Hole 2)

She considered it for a good thirty seconds, then shook her head. He probably hadn’t left a note detailing his plans on the off chance that a crazy chick would break in to track him down. So instead of waking Grace up, Merry tiptoed into her room and checked her phone for texts from Cole. There were none. She was back at square one. So she got in her car and drove in slow circles around town.

There was no point hurrying. She wouldn’t find him. But she couldn’t sit around anymore. Her brain was a tumbling mess of confusion and betrayal and hope, and she had to move or she’d go mad.

The hope was the worst part. It wanted to fill her up. It wanted to overtake everything else. Hope that everything was going to be okay for her, but the worse, more insidious hope that she could have better than okay. She needed to find him and cut that off at the knees. Lay it to rest. Or maybe, just maybe, let it grow.

Trying to stamp down her own ridiculous thoughts, she stopped for a latte and then drove out of town, automatically heading toward Providence. It seemed as good a destination as any. Maybe it would bring her some peace, or maybe she’d find some clarity about what Shane had done. At the very least, she could do a little busywork and move back into her office.

She tried to breathe deeply. Tried to relax. And the drive helped. The rising sun turned the sky to a beautiful silver-blue that took her breath away. The last of the snow on the far peaks of the Tetons glowed white and pink and pale gold, and she felt a moment of such sharp relief that tears sprang to her eyes. This place didn’t just feel like home. It was home, now. She wouldn’t have to leave. There’d be no moving on.

Her mind started turning through the possibilities, and by the time she turned onto the dirt road, she’d given in to the excitement of the big news. This was no longer going to be a piecemeal effort. With the release of funds, the first thing she’d do was hire a restoration consultant to be sure she was on the right track. Then she’d finish the saloon, start on the church and start writing up content for the placards that would need to be ordered for every building. Of course, there were still the historical documents to be organized and cited and…but that could wait for winter, which would not only stop work, but also make the town inaccessible for long periods of time.

She was so completely drawn into the excitement of planning that she didn’t notice the vehicle ahead of her until she was almost at the pullout for Providence.

Frowning, she took her foot off the gas and let the car slow. Why was there a big white SUV parked just at the edge of the trees ahead? Was it someone from the trust? Or should she be worried for her safety? Then the logo on the side of the truck became visible. And the low light rack across the top of the cab.

A sheriff’s truck.

“Oh, no,” she breathed, worried even before she drew even with the place where she always parked and saw that Shane’s truck was there. “Oh, no.”

She parked her car in the middle of the road and jumped out, eyes flying between Shane’s truck and the sheriff’s SUV a hundred yards farther away.

Shane’s door opened, and Merry lurched toward him. “Shane!”

Her relief at seeing him was immediately quelled by the exhaustion on his face. His gaze met hers with weary sadness as he rubbed a hand over his stubbled jaw. “Hey, Merry.”

“What are you doing here? What’s going on? There’s a cop car and…the lawsuit…”

“I found my dad,” he said quietly.

She froze in the act of reaching out to touch his arm. “What?”

“I came out here to think, and I wanted to… I’d spotted something that day I took you up to the cabin, and I wanted to check it out.”

“I don’t understand. What does that have to do with your dad?”

“He bought a camping trailer the day he disappeared. He was with his girlfriend, so everyone assumed they hit the road. But I think maybe…I think he was taking the trailer up to the cabin.”

She shook her head, still completely lost.

“I found his truck and the trailer below one of those washed out areas of the road. Either the road collapsed beneath him or he didn’t see the gap until it was too late. I don’t know. But…he’s been here the whole time, Merry. He never left.”

She didn’t know much of the story, just what he’d revealed in his letter, but she could see enough of it on his face. The stunned sorrow, the years of pain and so much regret. “Shane, I’m so sorry.” She let her hand reach toward him again and touched his arm. “Have you been here all night? Is the sheriff’s office…” She didn’t know how to say it. How did you speak to someone about his father’s body?

He shook his head, his eyes on the arm she was touching. “Last night they couldn’t do much more than cordon off the scene. They found two partial skeletons in the grass, but it was too dark to start the recovery. They told me to come back at dawn, but I couldn’t leave. I just thought…Jesus, it’s stupid. It’s been twenty-five years, but I didn’t want to leave him alone for the night. Knowing he’s been here this whole time, and…”

“That’s not stupid. It’s not. You should have called me. I would’ve stayed with you.”

A bitter smile flashed over his face. “Yeah, somehow I didn’t think you’d be sympathetic.”

“Shane Harcourt!” She shoved him hard enough to make him step back. “You’re an idiot!”

“I know.”

Guilt shot through her like a bullet. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.”

“You have a right to.”

“I don’t, but I’ve been looking for you all night, and I’m so confused. Shane…what did you do?”