Wind River Wrangler (Wind River Valley #1)(58)

As a convicted felon, Anton couldn’t own a firearm. So he’d found a druggie digging through a Dumpster at one end of the town by the name of Jerry Carpenter. For a small amount of money, the druggie, who had no criminal record yet, had agreed to buy whatever firearms he needed.

There was a small gun shop in town and Anton drove him over there. Carpenter worked as a server at a local restaurant and bunked in with four other druggies in a nearby small apartment. He made money to go drift off into marijuana la-la land. Fine by Anton. As long as the twenty-one-year-old scrawny kid could legally acquire the weapons he wanted, he didn’t care what he did with his life. There would be a waiting period, of course, after Carpenter bought the weapons he’d put down on a list, but Anton wasn’t in any hurry.

Next, he decided to go back to his hotel room and dye his blond hair dark brown. He was growing a beard and he’d dye it, too. He spotted a small article in the local paper about the new wildlife drive on the Wind River Ranch. Visitors to the area could drive onto the ranch and pay to go see the animals. Smiling a little, Anton decided it would be a wise move. He was fairly sure Shiloh would not recognize him. He’d wear dark glasses and a hat, and play tourist. Anton had no idea where Shiloh was at on the ranch. But he’d try to find out as he drove that loop road where different animals were kept in different pastures.

*

Time was going too fast as far as Shiloh was concerned. Another week had passed and she found herself happy. Every day, she woke up to Roan in the house. They shared breakfast and dinner together. He always packed a lunch and threw it in his saddlebags on his horse because he was out working somewhere on the ranch at lunchtime. She’d found her writing ability had come back. After breakfast Shiloh would clean up the kitchen and then go write in her bedroom on that beautiful hundred-year-old rolltop desk. Getting up every twenty minutes or so, she’d walk across the road to the office and see if Maud or Steve needed her help.

Sometimes, Maud would ask her to do a little office paperwork and Shiloh was glad to fill in. She would divide her time between the office and the employee house where her book chapters were coming together, much to her relief.

She was sitting out front, giving John Harper, the office manager, a break from office duties when Maud wandered in. Her silver and black hair was tucked beneath her red baseball cap. She smiled at Shiloh and wandered over as she pulled off her dirt-stained gloves.

“You holding down the fort?”

Grinning, Shiloh nodded. “Yes. John needed to run an errand. I told him I’d sit and answer the phone for him.”

Maud nodded and leaned against the wooden counter. “You know you’ve been here a month already?”

Glumly, Shiloh nodded. “I was just realizing that this morning after Roan left for the day.”

“You seem happy here.”

“I am.” Shiloh looked around. “I really love Wyoming, Maud. I love the wildness of it. The beauty.”

Wrinkling her nose, Maud said, “Winters are long and hard. We get three months of summer and that’s about it, if we’re lucky. You’re here at the best time.”

“But I love snow,” Shiloh protested. She saw Maud’s eyes twinkle.

“Maybe you should think of something more permanent here, then? You seem to be writing up a storm. You’re happy. What else is there?”

“I know,” Shiloh admitted softly. “I can’t keep leaning on you for a place to stay. I was thinking of maybe renting an apartment in town and staying until September.” Shiloh opened her hands. “I can write anywhere.”

“Do you miss New York City?”

Shrugging, Shiloh said, “With that stalker back there, no. Out here, I’m free and it feels so wonderful, Maud. I’ve finally relaxed. I just don’t want to go back home. At least, not yet . . .”

“Anything else tugging at you to stay around here?” she asked, raising her brows, giving her a pointed look.

Shiloh felt heat rushing up from her neck and into her face. Maud knew. “Well . . . uh . . . Roan is a very nice man.”

Snorting, Maud pulled off her cap and threw it on the counter, running her fingers through her short strands. “I’ve never seen that man as happy as he is now. And I’ve known him for two years. Roan actually smiles every once in a while.”

Rubbing her heated cheek, Shiloh avoided Maud’s gaze. “I do like him but . . .”

“But what? You aren’t in a relationship currently, Shiloh. What’s there not to like about that cowboy?”

Sighing, she stared up at Maud. “He plays for keeps. He’s not like a lot of guys I’ve been with before. Roan wouldn’t walk away.”

“So? What’s the matter with THAT? There’s a lot of women who would die to have a man who is true blue and loyal to his woman.”

“I . . . just . . . well, I guess I’m commitment-phobic, Maud. I get scared about getting serious about a man.”

“But you like Roan? Right?”

“Very much.”

Maud shook her head. “I swear, Shiloh. What on EARTH is stopping you from having a good, solid relationship?”

Wincing internally, Shiloh said softly, “I don’t know, Maud . . . I get scared. It’s silly, really, but it’s real and it’s there, haunting me.”

Maud studied her for a moment. “Maybe this reaction is based on losing your father at such a young age? I know your mama was terribly in love with him. And he got ripped away from her and you saw it. You were so young and children, God love ’em, are so impressionable at that age. It may have wounded you, Shiloh, sent you a message that if you really do love a man, he’ll be ripped away from you, too.”