Page 14 of Stormswept Colorado (Hart County #3)

THIRTEEN

Teller

What on earth had just happened back there?

I mean, that email was creepy as fuck.

I wasn’t sure what worried me more. The fact that she’d received that message, along with a photo taken on Silver Ridge’s Main Street yesterday . Or the fact that Ayla claimed it was no big deal.

It was a very big deal. She’d been terrified. And no wonder. Was it an obsessed fan? Or somebody who actually knew her? A possessive ex-boyfriend?

If the guy had followed her to Silver Ridge, I would make him regret ever setting foot in this county.

But how could I do anything if she didn’t open up and tell me the truth?

Ayla locked up the building while I carried her belongings out to my vehicle. I had come straight here after swinging by my house to grab my bag for the weekend. Hadn’t bothered with changing out of my uniform. I could do that tonight once we arrived in Hartley.

I hadn’t even had a chance to explain the new plan to her. She seemed calm now, and I didn’t want to freak her out again. But I also had to let her know what was going on .

The air outside was frigid and bone dry.

I opened the passenger door for her, and she climbed in, rubbing her arms over her coat to brush off the chill.

Once I was in the driver’s seat, I turned to her.

“So the storm is arriving sooner than we anticipated. The weather service updated the forecast and increased the snowfall estimate.”

“Right, your message said something about that. That’s why we’re leaving early.” Her fingers tugged at the zipper on her coat, a nervous gesture.

I studied her briefly, looking for other signs that she was still in distress.

Her pulse had been going like mad earlier.

Then I snapped myself out of it. She was waiting for me to speak.

“The Department of Transportation is closing the mountain pass between us and Hartley. It’ll be blizzard conditions. Way too dangerous.”

“What does that mean?”

“Means it’ll be all but impossible for anyone else to get to Hartley who hasn’t already left.”

She jolted. “ What ? But?—”

“But I’ve got another route. Skirts the mountain and comes around another way.

Here’s the thing, though. It’ll take three hours.

” Also, my improvised route cut through a forest service road that wasn’t exactly open to the public.

If anyone had questions about how we’d made it to Hartley with the pass closed, well…

too bad. I wasn’t going to tell, and I doubted Ayla would either.

“Three hours ?”

“Could be a little longer, depending on road conditions. We’ll get to Hartley after dark.”

“But we will get there, right?”

“Absolutely.” I patted the steering wheel. “I’ve got 4-wheel drive and snow tires. I promised I’d get you to Hartley, and I’m a man of my word.”

She relaxed against the seat. “Okay. I’ll text Emma and Ashford so they know I’m still coming. ”

“Sounds good.” I’d shared the rough contours of my plan with Susan. I was off duty for the rest of the weekend, though of course I’d be available on the radio or by phone if anyone needed me.

This wasn’t ideal. But during my years as a Special Forces operator, how often had ops gone exactly to our original plan? Rarely.

Ayla stared at the overcast sky through the window. “It’s not even snowing yet.”

“Nope, but the snow is coming. No question about that.” I turned on the engine. A haunting piano melody blasted through the sound system, and I quickly punched the button to turn off the stereo.

Ayla slowly turned to me. “That was one of my songs.”

“Was it? Must’ve been on the radio.” I put the SUV in gear.

“Looks like it was connected to your phone.”

I was so busted. “It’s one of those workout playlists. I lift weights in the mornings.”

“Interesting. My upbeat songs are popular for workout playlists, but that was a heartfelt ballad.”

“What can I say? I’m a sensitive guy.”

“You enjoy a literal and figurative weight on your chest when you bench press?”

“See? You get me.”

A smile ghosted over her lips, and after she’d been so upset earlier, it was a relief to see.

I didn’t get flustered by anyone. But this woman… She did things to me.

First stop was food. Ayla had claimed she forgot to eat lunch. I didn’t believe that was the sole source of her stress and lightheadedness earlier. Not even close. But I wasn’t going to leave her hungry either.

Also, I could always eat.

“Do you have dietary restrictions?” I asked. “The travel stop on the highway out of town probably has an egg salad sandwich, but I can’t vouch for the expiration date. The Sunspot Cafe has all kinds of wraps but it’ll take half an hour for Betsy to make one.”

“I’ll eat whatever. Is there a drive-through?”

“You eat drive-through?”

“Are you kidding? In-N-Out is my go-to in LA. Or burritos.”

“Didn’t think a celebrity would eat fast food.” I’d assumed she had a private chef or something.

“ Maybe you don’t know what I would and wouldn’t do,” she said teasingly.

“I’m realizing that.”

“And stop side-eyeing me. I am fine .”

“Alright. I’ll take your word for it.” For now.

“I appreciate you driving me, though. I really do.”

“I’m happy to.”

Once Main Street turned into the highway, I pulled off at the travel center, which had a drive-through burger place. I stopped the SUV in front of the menu board. “What’ll it be?”

Ayla leaned toward me, blond hair spilling over her shoulder, and her caramel scent hit me. It sank into my lungs and then lower. Arousal pooled in my low belly. Damn . An involuntary reaction, but still, I needed to tamp that down.

“Ooo, I’ll have the barbecue burger,” she said. “That sounds great. And a mint shake.”

“You want a cold drink on a snowy day?”

“It’s warming up in here.” She unzipped her coat and tossed it into the backseat.

It was definitely getting warm in here. We’d barely gotten started on the drive, and I was all too aware of her.

I pulled the SUV forward to the window. “Hey, Meredith,” I said to the teenager working today. She was a senior at the high school. Good kid. “How’s your brother?”

“He’s feeling a lot better, Chief. Thanks. I hear there’s going to be more snow than expected.”

“You heard right. Drive safe on your way home. Can we get two barbecue burgers, a mint shake, and two bottles of water? And would you mind grabbing me a big bag of salt-and-pepper kettle chips from the travel store? I’m addicted to those.”

“Sure thing, Chief.” Meredith looked past me and did a double take when she saw Ayla. “Um, anything else?”

I glanced at Ayla, lifting one eyebrow.

“No, but thanks Meredith,” she said.

The teenager’s eyes widened in shock, like she couldn’t believe Ayla Maxwell knew her name. “I love your music. Like, love it. I listen to you all the time.”

Ayla smiled. “Thank you. That’s so kind.”

Once she remembered what she was doing, Meredith gave me the total, then disappeared from the window to grab the chips. Normally I’d go inside the travel shop and get them myself, but I planned to give her a generous tip for saving me the trouble.

When I turned to Ayla, she was studying me. “What?” I asked.

“It’s nice how you know everyone in town.”

“Hazard of the job.”

“And they clearly like you .”

Meredith reappeared. “Here you go, Chief. And Miss Maxwell. This is so cool. Like, best day ever. I put in extra barbecue sauce.” She handed me the food and the bag of chips, followed by the receipt. I passed everything over to my passenger.

“Wait.” Ayla took the receipt, fished a pen from my cup holder, and signed the thin paper. Thank you Meredith! Love, Ayla . “Here.” She reached across me again to hand the receipt to Meredith, who accepted it like a winning lottery ticket.

“Thank you so much! ”

Then I drove off and got back onto the highway. “That was sweet of you,” I said.

“She was a fan. It only took a second, so…”

“But it can’t be easy. Giving so much of yourself all the time, not knowing if a fan’s going to turn on you. Like the mob on Main Street yesterday.”

Or that message earlier .

Her expression faltered, gaze moving to the window. Then she unwrapped her burger and took a bite. “Mmm. That’s good.” She swallowed. “I really was starving.”

I was no genius, but I knew a blatant subject change when one came my way. Ayla wanted to keep our conversation light. Fair enough. I could oblige.

The winter landscape rolled past as we drove.

“Could you hand me my burger?” I asked.

“Do you need to pull over to eat?”

“Nah, I can multi-task. I’ve eaten many meals on the road.”

“Same here. I also love kettle chips.”

“Are you trying to steal my snacks?”

“I was hoping you’d share.” She smiled and pulled my burger from the bag. “I would offer to take turns driving, but…”

“Sadly, I can’t let you drive the department vehicle.”

“Can I run the sirens?”

“Maybe.”

“Wait, are you serious?”

“Not in the least, Troublemaker.”

She barked a laugh, easy and carefree. My chest swelled with happiness and pride.

Fuck, I was an idiot. Hadn’t been interested in dating a woman since becoming a civilian, and I chose a pop star for a hopeless crush? A pop star who needed a friend to have her back far more than she needed a guy lusting after her.

You’re embarrassing yourself, Landry .

Ayla unwrapped the top half of my burger and handed it to me. I polished it off in a few bites without a single spill.

“That was impressive,” she said. “Also scary.”

I opened my water bottle one-handed and washed down my dinner. “Told you. Lots of practice eating on the road.”

“I would’ve thought a police chief worked at a desk most of the time.”

“In a big city, maybe. In a town like Silver Ridge, I’m out in the community.”

“What’s your favorite thing about being police chief?”

“The difference I get to make every day. Helping people through difficult times.”

“Is it long hours?”

“Sometimes. I can always get called in, any time of the day or night. When I’m off duty, I spend as much time as possible with Ollie. And Piper, if she’s around, but I’m happy to give her a break. Tough being a single mom.”

“I’m sorry. It’s great that she and Ollie have you.”

“I do what I can.” I set the water down. “What about you? What do you do when you’re not working?”

“I’m always working. Except when I’m in Silver Ridge. This is my hot vacation spot. Mostly . Even on vacation, I still have interviews, calls with my manager. There’s always something.”

“Is that why you drove across the country that first time you showed up in Silver Ridge? To get a break from all that?”

She took another bite of her burger before answering. “Yeah.”

“And then, when you got to Silver Ridge, I wasn’t very welcoming.”

“You, not welcoming? Really ?”

I chuckled. “I deserve that. But I didn’t know what to do with you. You showed up here with a whole lot of attitude and chaos ensued.”

Her face fell. Shit, I was screwing this up.

“But that wasn’t your fault,” I went on. “You came to Silver Ridge needing help.”

“You did help. You and your officers helped create a diversion so I could escape all those reporters.”

“But I should’ve been kinder about it. That’s what I’m saying. I’ve been told I can be intimidating, and I’m working on that. But if you ever need help in the future, any kind at all, I’ll do whatever I can.”

“I see what you’re doing.”

“I’m not trying to be subtle.” I still wanted her to tell me about that screwed-up email. “I’d like to make sure you’re safe.”

Her finger traced a pattern in the condensation on the window. “Why?”

Because you’re getting under my skin. Because there’s something achingly fragile in you, and it calls to me .

“I like helping people. Probably explains my career choices.”

She blinked, her jewel-green eyes meeting my gaze as I looked from her to the road and back. “Most people want something from me, even if they claim to admire me. Some see me as a mirror, a reflection of something I can’t control, and they want to punish me for it.”

The raw honesty in her tone slayed me.

Right then, the realization slid home. I’d been wrong about everything concerning Ayla Maxwell.

“You deserve people in your corner. I know you have Ashford and the O’Neal family. And probably a bunch of people in LA.”

“Not as many as you’d think.” She said this quietly, like it hurt her to admit.

“Then I’ll be in your corner too. You owe me nothing, okay? You don’t have to be anyone with me except yourself.”