Page 36 of High Country Escape
“The twins—Carter and Dalton—didn’t really have anything keeping them in Vermont, and they liked the idea of living in Colorado. Bethany was already a member of search and rescue and they wanted to do that, too, and they came to work for us at the tour company, so it was an easy choice for them. Aaron was a bit surprising—he was already working for a sheriff’s department in Vermont. But there was an opening here and he decided to take it. He’s never said, but he hadn’t been very lucky in love, either, so I think that was another reason for the move. And of course, once he moved here, he met Willa, so I have to think Providence had a hand in it all.”
“And now three of your children are getting married,” Roxanne said. “That must be exciting.”
“It’s a lot.” Diane drizzled olive oil over the chicken. “It really hits home that they’re no longer yours when they take a spouse.”
“You still have Dalton.”
“Yes.” She smiled, a fond look that pulled at Roxanne’s heart. “He’s always been the quietest of the four of them. The brightest. Sometimes the most devious.”
“Devious?” The adjective surprised her.
“That may not be the right word, but he’s always thinking about things—doing things that surprise us. He’ll find his match one day.” She sent Roxanne a speculative look.
Roxanne focused on cutting the eye out of a potato. She liked Dalton. A lot. But she wasn’t in a place where she could even think about a relationship.
The doorbell chimed. Diane hurried to wash her hands. “I’ll get that.”
She left the kitchen and Roxanne peeled the last potato and tried not to listen to the muffled voices from the front room. Moments later, Diane returned. “There’s someone here to see you, Roxanne,” she announced.
“Hi.” Kara lifted her hand in a shy wave. She held a small box in her other hand. “This came for you this morning and I was worried you might need it,” she said. “I hope you don’t mind that I tracked you down.”
“Oh. Thanks.” Roxanne took the box and read the label, aware of the other two women watching her. “It’s just some face cream I ordered,” she said. “You know, after seeing one too many social media posts.”
“Oh my gosh, I do that, too,” Kara said. “You’ll have to let me know if you end up liking it.”
“Um, how did you find me?” Roxanne asked. Why had she believed she would be harder to find in a small town? Obviously, that wasn’t true.
“Actually, I wasn’t trying to find you,” Kara said. “I was trying to find Dalton.” She turned to Diane. “I figured he would know how to get in touch with Roxanne. I saw the name of your Jeep tour company on the back of his Jeep, so I went there first, but the woman at the counter told me Dalton had left for the day. She didn’t know where he lived, but she gave me your address.” She turned back to Roxanne. “I thought I’d leave the package here for Dalton, but then Mrs. Ames told me you were here. So this is where you’re staying?”
“I’ll have to speak with Ashlynn about giving out our address,” Diane said. “I’ve got to finish getting dinner ready. But you two feel free to sit out in the living room and visit.”
The women moved to the living room and Kara perched on the edge of the sofa. “I hope you don’t mind me bringing the package,” she said. “I’m not trying to intrude on your privacy.”
“No, of course not.” Roxanne sat in the chair across from her and put the package on the coffee table between them. “Thank you for going to so much trouble. Is everything okay out at the house?”
“Oh yes. I mean, I haven’t seen anybody over there or anything. Mr. Lusk came over and put a new lock on the door this morning. I guess you’ll need to get the key from him.”
“That’s good.”
“Have you found out anything more about the break-in?” Kara asked. “Do they know who did it?”
“I haven’t heard anything,” Roxanne said.
“I haven’t seen anyone except Mr. Lusk since the sheriff’s deputies left.” Kara smoothed her hands down her thighs. “It’s freaking me out a little, being out there by myself since this happened. Did they take anything valuable?”
“Not really.” Her peace of mind. Her sense of safety. Had that been the aim all along?
“It’s good that you have friends to stay with,” Kara said. “Does Dalton live here, too?”
“No. He has his own place.”
“Oh.” Kara’s face was full of questions, but all she said was, “He’s really cute. Have you known him long?”
“Not long.”
Kara laughed. “Then you must have really made an impression, if you’ve already moved in with his family.” She covered her mouth with her hand. “Sorry. That probably sounded really rude. I didn’t mean it that way. It’s great thatyou have such good friends.” She stood. “I’d better go now. I promise I’ll keep an eye on your place. Do you know when you’ll be moving back in?”
“I’m not sure.” Roxanne stood also, and walked with Kara to the door. “I’ll let you know. Thanks for dropping off the package.”