Page 6 of Traitor

Nell lifts a hand to my cheek and pats it smartly as I shy away. She outdoes Peyton when it comes to the number of rings on her fingers. “You can sure try. I worked here before you were born, and I’ll probably be here long after you’re gone.”

I snort. “I’m not going anywhere, Nell.”

Her lips, painted a pale pink, pull into a smile. “Then you’d better get used it, then, hadn’t you?”

“I really ought to fire you,” I repeat to her back.

Nell pours herself a cup of coffee and says a cheerful, “Good morning,” to Peyton, who beams sunnily back at her. That pretty, easy smile pulls at me in ways I don’t like. But it’s more than the smile. It’s that I’d like it directed at me, which is a complication I sure as hell don’t want or need.

We don’t get many visitors to Windy Point this time of year. Most tourists tend to prefer the summer months, when the weather is clear enough for a hike or swim. The name Rhodes wasn’t familiar, so she doesn’t have family here. Her clothes don’t exactly paint her as a drifter and I’m not one to notice cuts or material. It makes me wonder what brought her to this town, to my lodge.

More specifically, it makes me want her to leave because I don’t want to wonder.

I don’t want to know any more about her than I already do.

It wouldn’t take long for word to get around about her, the way small towns work, and then I won’t have a choice. I knew that from personal experience. The gossip hotline would have her life story before sunup the next morning, if it didn’t already. In fact, now that I thought about it, I’m surprised Nell didn’t come in with a file as thick as my arm.

Her silver eyebrows wiggle when she comes back to the counter.

“Got us a pretty one today. When was the last time you went on a date?”

My scowl deepens. This is exactly how gossip starts. “You’re pushing it, Nell.”

The multiple rings adorning her fingers click as she types lighting speed on the computer, working whatever magic it is that keeps the lodge running smoothly. “Then I know I’m asking the right questions. People tend to get all riled up when someone pokes the spots they know are tender. Missing female company lately, Boss?”

“At the current moment, I’ve got all the female company I can handle, thanks.”

Nell harrumphs, then smiles triumphantly. “I’d say you do,” she replies.

The hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Yep, this woman is definitely all kinds of trouble.

I used to be good at trouble, once upon a time.

Turning to the counter, I bathe my tongue in a combination of toxic sludge and lava and grunt as Peyton shifts from foot to foot.

“Hi. I was wondering if you could recommend a trail for a novice. Something that won’t get me lost. Preferably one that leads up into the mountains, if possible.”

I raise a brow, but pull out a pamphlet and mark a couple options with a pen. Pointing to the first, I say, “This one will lead you on a trek around the lake. Nothing much by way of views, but it’s about impossible to get lost. The one to the north of the grounds will take you through some baby hills. The mountains are a bit of a hike, but if you leave now you should make it back by dinner time. That’s this trail here.”

Her perfectly arched brows pucker as she studies the trails I’ve indicated with crudely drawn marks on the map. Leaning over the counter the way she is, I can smell the expensive perfume she must have doused herself in. It’s been two years since my last tour in Afghanistan, but I’m as celibate now as I was then.

“I think I’ll take the mountain trip. Send help if I’m not back by dark,” she jokes. When I don’t answer, her face falls and she clears her throat. “Right, well, thank you for your help.” After giving Nell a little wave, she adds, “Have a good morning!”

“Smooth,” Nell comments from behind me. “You aren’t gonna rectify getting a woman if your pickup skills are that rusty.”

Turning to face her, I give her a mental shove to say one more smart-mouthed thing. It’s not a normal day if I haven’t fired her at least a dozen times before lunch. “That could be because I wasn’t trying to pick her up.”

Nell’s eyes twinkle mischievously. “Sure. So that’s why you couldn’t stop staring at her. Well, at least you’ve got a second chance. She left her wallet.”

Cursing lowly, I snag the trendy, frilly thing off the counter and hurry to catch her before she disappears into the woods. By chance I see a flash of blonde hair out of the corner of my eye. I shout her name, but she’s either in her own little word or doesn’t want a damn thing to do with me. I wouldn’t blame her.

“Peyton!”

When I get close, I tap her shoulder with a hand and she flies nearly a foot up in the air, whirling around, eyes wild.

“Whoa, there,” I say and take a cautious step back. “It’s just me.”

Panicked, wheezing gasps heave out of her lungs. “Jesus, you can’t sneak up on people like that.”