Page 21 of First Date: Divorce (Wyoming Marriage Association #1)

After yesterday’s hubbub, Far Hills Ranch’s main house seemed flat to K.D.

Didn’t matter. Work. This was work. No confusion at all about that.

She and Eric spent the drive going over details of their history again. Crisp, distant, professional. Absolutely appropriate.

They found Kendra and Daniel, Ellyn and Grif, Rebecca and Luke, and Cully and Jessa in the family room.

“Perfect timing,” Ellyn said. “Kendra’s ready. Stills first, then the video.”

Kendra had done a remarkable job.

It looked like a real wedding. And one with more than a handful of guests.

Even with all of them looking closely, only one still photo had to be removed from Kendra’s selections, because it caught Daniel in the background changing jackets.

Then came the video.

If K.D. didn’t know better, she’d think that couple on the screen who looked like Eric and her had actually gotten married.

Felt the connection those exchanged looks implied.

Experienced the passion that kiss promised.

Were in love.

Kendra should be in Hollywood. She’d made it all so … real .

On the video, they turned and faced the “congregation,” their smiles a little awkward, a little shy. That made sense. A newly married couple might feel that way.

On the screen, Eric clasped her hand, looking at her. She looked back.

The smiles changed. Became more comfortable. That was okay, too.

The smiles changed more. Bigger, happier.

She’d gotten through the kissing, but this…

That smile…

She wanted to stand up, turn her back to the screen, put herself between it and the others.

She didn’t.

She said, “Fantastic job, Kendra. That’s sure to help sell our cover story to the people at Marriage-Save.”

“There’s still the reception to watch,” Kendra said.

She was spared the reception — well, no, spared wasn’t the right word, because that made too much of it. Watching the reception video didn’t happen because Cully and Tal arrived, coming in the back way.

*

Cully brought their new phones, handing them over to Kendra to load what she’d already arranged, while he took their personal phones for the duration.

K.D. finished flipping through the courtship photos on her Marriage-Save phone … at the same time Cully and Tal did a final check over her shoulder for any that might give away her real identity or job.

They’d done the same with Eric’s phone, though Kendra said she’d mixed up the photos, so they didn’t have all the same ones. “More natural,” she’d said.

Kendra had done a great job of framing shots to make it look like she and Eric were at different places, across different times.

Then the wedding photos.

One caught Eric and her in mid-kiss.

Definitely not the first kiss.

She should feel good about this. It looked real. It would support their cover at Marriage-Save.

She went through the wedding photos fast. After all, she didn’t need to familiarize herself with those. Then she came to what would pass as their happily married phase. Blessedly short, thanks to the history they’d put together.

Except she paused at one photo.

Eric leaned across her, his fork extended toward the remnants of her sample of Ellyn’s chocolate cake. Kendra had cropped out the other samples, so it appeared as a moment at a meal. A moment between a couple happy with life and each other.

Ideal for their charade.

She resumed scrolling, finishing quickly.

“Impressive, Kendra.” Cully straightened from his over-her shoulder position.

“If you’re interested, I might have work for you,” Tal said.

“Depends on the work.”

“Nothing nefarious,” the private investigator said. “But you couldn’t report it in the Far Hills Banner .”

“Hey, this isn’t a job fair,” Cully mock grumbled. “Let’s go through this all one last time.”

At the end, he said to both of them, more serious than she’d seen him before, “Don’t push it.

Either of you. Getting caught trying to be James Bond ruins our chance to get Gail Bledsoe to contact K.D.

, which is what we want the most. If we get Bledsoe’s involvement, we can work back from her to her source at Marriage-Save.

But we don’t want just the Marriage-Save side.

I want Bledsoe. If Marriage-Save picked up and left, she’d still be sitting here, doing bad stuff. ”

*

Back at his house, Eric slipped his new phone into the outside pocket of his suitcase.

He didn’t need the wedding photos and video on the phone to remind him of … anything.

“Ready? I’ll take your suitcase downstairs.” Eric called so K.D. would hear him at the other end of the hall.

Where she’d slept these past nights.

Close.

Not nearly close enough.

Maybe he’d been trying to tell himself he didn’t feel that way. Maybe he’d half succeeded in persuading himself.

But watching that video, seeing how he felt—

No.

Not felt.

How he reacted. A male reacting to a female. Basic biology.

Still, there on the screen for all to see.

Including K.D. It had clearly raised her barriers as high as she could get them.

Couldn’t blame her.

On the other hand, everything was about to change. They needed to demonstrate they were a couple on the verge of divorce. That should curb any misguided notions his body might entertain.

“I’m downstairs, Eric. My stuff’s here by the door.” K.D.’s voice floated up to him.

“One time I’m carrying that damned suitcase come hell or high water,” he muttered.

*

From the passenger seat, K.D. turned her head to watch Eric’s house recede from sight.

“Be sure to tell Pauline thank you again for all her help,” she told him.

“You already thanked her before she left for the airport.”

“I want her to know how much I appreciate—”

“She knows. She also appreciates what you’re doing.

She’s a true believer in marriage and would like to do Gail Bledsoe bodily harm.

” He grinned shortly. “Couldn’t figure out how she could still believe, considering her views on Hilary and our marriage, but I should have known Pauline worked it out to her satisfaction.

Her theory likened Hilary to a lemon car.

They crop up now and then. Not much you can do but get rid of it.

Not reason to stop getting cars, to stop …

driving. Only there are no consumer protection regulations regarding a lemon spouse. ”

She half snorted. “No, there aren’t, or I’d file a complaint on behalf of my mother.”

“Your father?”

“God, no. He disavowed any participation in my conception. His family backed him. Her family didn’t back her.

As close to throwing her out in the snow penniless for bringing shame on their house as it got, even nearly thirty years ago.

Although no snow, because they were in Mississippi.

An uncle slipped her enough cash to get to Montana and get a job.

“She had me alone. She raised me alone. She worked two jobs most of the time. I picked up work as soon as I was old enough. But maybe the worst part—”

She broke off and tensed. For questions? For a complete change of subject? She wouldn’t know until he did it.

He waited.

It was her choice whether to stop all talk, turn the conversation, or … continue.

“She was never happy with herself,” she said slowly.

“Like if she could get her hair exactly how she wanted it and her nails perfect and wore the right outfit, she’d find the guy who would love her — love her for herself, she’d say.

Not ever having a clue at the irony that she twisted herself inside out in pursuit of someone who would fall for her that way.

“Course, I didn’t see it as irony at the time. Teenager with a chip on my shoulder, I saw it as hypocrisy.”

“You? A chip?”

She glared, but it melted quickly. “Yeah, smartass. But I got over it. Like I told you, decided on law enforcement, got a degree, into the academy, hired.”

“And then?”

“Nothing. Routine, until this assignment.”

“Have you found that routine satisfying?”

“Are you cross-examining me?”

His brows popped up. “I haven’t been, but I can if you want me to.”

“It doesn’t have anything to do with our cover. It’s not like we can mention that I’m a deputy.”

“No, but your feelings about your job in general could — would — have an impact on our relationship. Supposed relationship. And we never did decide—”

“You’re right. God, how did I miss that. We talked about an insurance investigator, but—”

“You grimaced whenever you said it. We’ve had a lot going on and didn’t get back to that. So we decide now. Make something up. Although Tal Bennett did say—”

“Keep it as close to reality as possible.” She exhaled through her nose.

“That’s what he said.”

“Okay. The reality is that I’m not treated badly. I’m also not part of the group. Still in the picture but not really part of the picture. Having Tal Bennett of all people ask for me for this assignment rattled the sheriff. Though he’s probably happily pretending now that I don’t exist.”

“Why Tal Bennett of all people?”

She explained his legendary status in the Cabot County Sheriff’s Department.

“Huh. Didn’t realize that.” The mild words picked up flavoring from the searching look he sent her, but she couldn’t parse out the specific flavor before his next words coated over it, like milk after chili. “What about when you go back after this?”

“Good question. The sheriff will probably be re-rattled by my existence.”

“I meant your feelings about the job.”

“Oh.” She considered. “I expect I’ll be more dissatisfied with routine. I want to investigate. I’ve applied, but haven’t gotten any of the few openings that come up. Too young, too inexperienced, I’m told.”

“Too female?”

She exhaled a quick breath. “Maybe. Probably. Nothing overt. Possibly not even conscious. It’s who he’s comfortable with. And that’s definitely not me. What’s that look for?”

“You rarely make people comfortable with you. You can, because I saw you do it with everyone at Far Hills Ranch and with the Schmidts.”

“Different thing. They made me comfortable. Not the other way around.”

“You could have frozen them out anyway. Way you did to Shar at the flower shop and Mrs. Cavendish.”

Disbelief rampant, she asked, “You think if I twisted myself around to make my sheriff comfortable, my career prospects would suddenly shoot up?”

“Nah. He sounds like a throwback.”

“As my supposed spouse, you should show concern about my career issues and be supportive of my ambitions,” she said dryly.

“I am. I say get out of there. Get away from a boss who’s an anchor around your neck.”

“Quit? Get out? That’s supportive?”

“Sure. But, considering the difficulties in our marriage, maybe I shouldn’t be so supportive. We should make use of your career frustration. I’m tired of you bringing it home, being surly about it. That sort of thing.”

“That’s not bad. But insurance investigating still doesn’t feel right.”

“Prison guard? Parole officer?”

“Too close to law enforcement.”

“Teacher?”

“Don’t know anything about it. But I do know about libraries from my mom. That was her part-time job for years and years. I spent a lot of time there after school while she worked. I can make that work. I’m a branch manager, but with a difficult boss above me, blocking my career.”

They settled on names for this boss and two fictional co-workers as well as where she worked.

After a brief silence, he said, “You never said why you’d file a consumer complaint on behalf of your mother.”

“Mark, that’s why.”

“Your fath— stepfather.”

“Not my father of any sort. My mother’s husband.”

“Oh-kay. Won’t make that mistake again. There it is. First look at Marriage-Save.”

All the preparations were behind them. All the pretending that they were a courting couple, a wedding-day couple, a happy married couple were behind them.

Now they shifted to two individuals trapped in a failed marriage. Giving it one more try, but knowing it was doomed.

And she started her job. Her real job of investigating.

All the rest was to get to this point.