Page 14 of Fool Me (Timberline Peak #1)

CHAPTER

NINE

HARLOWE

Phase one of getting the town to believe Atlas and I are together started on Sunday morning, after coffee, with a walk around the farmer’s market.

We strolled hand in hand, letting everyone see us as we got to know each other better.

After a mostly uneventful morning, we agreed to set a time for another date on Friday.

We have four weeks before Vivi’s and Xavier’s vineyard wedding in California.

That means at least four more public dates here, where we can be seen together, before people think he’s whisking me away for a romantic weekend at the vineyard celebrating my friends.

Or at least, I hope that is the conclusion they come to if we sell this fake relationship.

But before I worry about our first date tonight, or fake falling in love with the town’s new vet, I have to get through the monthly SAR team meeting that’s happening in under an hour.

With each meeting comes mandated training to ensure the team is sharp and prepared for all the scenarios the Wyoming wilderness can throw at us. Today is ropes training. I’ve got a pair of tactical pants and a tank top on, with my hair braided, so it’s easy to deal with the helmets later.

There’s a pit where my stomach should be.

We all know Travis’s retirement is coming, and with Canyon back in town, the ground beneath my feet feels unsteady, shifting, like it could crumble away and send me careening down a cliff.

My stomach stays in knots on the fifteen minute drive to the SAR Headquarters we affectionately call “The Shed.” We’ll start our day there and go over the plan for training, before we head out to Outlaw Falls to do ropes training.

I switch the radio over to my phone and start one of my dad’s more mellow playlists.

By the time I pull into the parking lot, I’m feeling less tense.

That is, until I almost run into Canyon coming out of Travis’s office.

I put my hands up to stop the collision and my palms press against his chest. I quickly pull them back, but I can’t help but notice he’s not as thick or solid as his brother.

Where Canyon is leaner, more wiry—built like a distance runner—Atlas is more well-defined with a bit more heft to him.

Without his brother here, there’s no buffer, no one to whisk me away or put themselves between Canyon and me. Atlas got me out of the bar so fast I didn’t have time to think about seeing my ex again, let alone talk to him.

Today, I’m alone and unprepared to see him. Finding him here feels like an invasion of my happy place. My hands clench and my nails dig into my palms. I cannot punch him or I can kiss my promotion goodbye.

“Harlowe,” Canyon says, his lips curling into the smile I used to find charming. Now, that crooked grin makes my skin crawl. It’s not endearing, it’s slimy and fake.

“What are you doing here?” I already know the answer, it’s painted all over his smug face.

“Just catching up with Travis and telling him about the team I was working with out in Montana. I learned a lot that Timberline Peak could benefit from.”

I have to hold back my snarky comments. Reacting emotionally to Canyon in front of my boss isn’t going to do me any favors.

Instead, I poke my head into Travis’s office. “Is my dad here?”

“Yeah, he should be in his office.”

“Thanks, I’m going to go say hi before we get started.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Canyon says, putting a palm on my elbow that I shake off.

“Please don’t,” I grit out.

“I didn’t get a chance to say hello to him before my meeting with Travis.”

I start down the hall, ignoring him—not letting him goad me into looking like the petty one. When we’re out of earshot and he steps up next to me, I hiss, “Just leave me alone. I’m not interested in you or your games.”

“That’s right, all your interest is reserved for my brother now.”

I pick up my pace, heading to the back of the building where my dad sits. “Your brother doesn’t play games.”

“You’d be surprised, princess.”

“Don’t call me that.” I hated the nickname when we were together and I hate it even more now.

“This whole thing i,s a game. You don’t think I know what’s going on here? You two are trying to make me jealous—get under my skin and push me out of town. But that’s not going to happen.”

Running Canyon out of town would be a happy bonus, but my only concern is getting this job. Never mind the fact that I earned it and it’s what’s best for the town.

“Not everything is about you.”

“Isn’t it?” He cocks his head playfully.

I’ve seen Canyon’s ego firsthand, the man really thinks he’s God’s gift to the world. Bringing him down a peg or two is going to be so much fun.

Hot breath hits the shell of my ear as he whispers, “Do you think of me when you’re with him?”

His revolting words have me forcing down the bile as I spin on him. That fucking smirk; I want to slap it off his face. But he’s counting on that.

“I can’t even remember my own name, let alone yours, when I’m with Atlas. You haven’t been worth my time since the day you ran north with your tail between your legs.”

His smirk falters, but he fixes it back in place.

“Now, I’m going to walk through this door to say hi to my dad and you’re going to leave.”

“Not a chance.” Canyon just keeps following me.

Over this entire encounter, I push through the door, fixing a smile on my face. “Morning, Dad!” I cross the work space toward his desk.

After the avalanche, Dad came back to the SAR team in a different capacity.

He still gets out in the field to do training with the dogs, Echo included, but most of his work is here in The Shed—inventorying, checking gear, ordering new equipment, comms, and running things when we’re out in the field.

“Morning, Harley.” My dad’s gruff voice is cheerful, fading to flat when he spots the parasite over my shoulder. “Canyon, I heard you were coming back, but I didn’t realize you were here already.”

I notice he doesn’t add any platitudes about being happy to see him, and I’m pretty sure that has more to do with me than the accident.

My dad has never held the avalanche against Canyon, claiming it was a fluke that could have happened to anyone.

But that’s him—forgiving to a fault. Careless mistakes were made that day and had his partner been paying attention— following protocol—my dad wouldn’t have been crushed by the snow.

The only grudge he holds over Canyon is hurting me in the avalanche’s aftermath.

I put my trust in Canyon. He was my first friend when I moved here and he took me under his wing with the search and rescue team.

It was nice to have someone besides my dad to guide me amid an overwhelming career change.

His betrayal was a crushing blow because it didn’t just bruise my heart, it shattered my confidence.

If I misjudged him so badly, what else was I wrong about?

“Harlowe didn’t tell you? That’s funny. We saw each other last weekend at Jude’s. Although, she was a little preoccupied with my brother, so I guess that makes sense.”

Fucking prick. I wasn’t sure what I was going to tell my dad. He’s not a decision maker for my promotion, but he’s a trusted confidante for the SAR team. Knowing this relationship is a lie would put him in a terrible position, but the idea of hiding it makes me sick to my stomach.

We’ve never had secrets from each other and I don’t like it, but I can’t see any other way around it. Keeping it from him for the next few weeks and coming clean when all is said and done with the job is best for everyone.

“I met your brother last week, but I hadn’t realized he and Harlowe knew each other that well.” One fuzzy, gray eyebrow lifts making dad’s forehead wrinkle.

“It’s, um . . . new. I just haven’t had the chance to tell you yet.”

True, mostly. I was too busy trying to figure out how to handle it with him, something I didn’t think about when I kissed Atlas in public last week.

“Are you sticking around for the training? Travis mentioned you were interested in rejoining the team.”

The hell he is. I know he’s coming for the Incident Commander job, but I’m not ready to work side by side with him so soon. I figured if he didn’t get the job, he would run off to the next best thing rather than stick around.

“I’m sure he’s got other things going on. Besides, he’s not part of the team.” He made sure of that when he took off. “It would be a liability to have him out there with us today.” Then again, every mission with Canyon is a liability.

He hums. “Not today, but I’ll be back before you know it.”

Over my dead body.

“We’ll see about that. You know how hiring goes with municipalities—there’s all sorts of red tape. Things can take a while. Not to mention there’s not an opening.”

“Isn’t there?”

Fuck him and the insinuation that he knows something I don’t.

“Okay,” my dad says, holding his hands up, putting a stop to our bickering. “You need to get to your meeting.” He glares at me, warning me to keep myself in check. “And I need to get back to working on equipment testing.”

In other words, he’s sick of our shit and he’s kicking both of us out.

“Good to see you, James. Maybe we can catch up soon.” He leans forward, holding out a hand for my dad—I want to smack it away. Instead, I stick out my tongue behind his back. I never claimed to be mature.

My dad’s gaze shifts from my shenanigans back to Canyon’s hand. “That’s not a good idea. I don’t blame you for what happened on the mountain, that was an accident, but you hurt Harlowe, and until she forgives you for that, I can’t either.”

There’s a thick lump forming in my throat—I struggle to swallow around it. James Corbin has never been stingy with his love, but his declaration of support hits me harder than I expected and makes the guilt of lying to him even heavier.

I give Canyon a look. He’s still here, but I want a moment with my dad before I head to our meeting. My glare does its job, and he heads for the door.