Chapter 1
I’d played a game I was sure to win and had been tricked. Cheated.
Deceived by a pro whose job it was to uphold the law.
He’d taken me to the cleaners, and now I was paying the price for my arrogance.
I slipped off my baseball cap and swiped at the sweat beaded on my brow. Living in the north didn’t always mean blistery cold days. But now that my Bennett cousin who could manipulate weather had just left town, things were destined to change faster than a heartbeat.
If anyone would have asked me yesterday if I’d be refreshing the paint on an old wooden sign in town, I would have called them crazy. I don’t do favors.
There was a reason I lived on the outskirts of town. It wasn’t by necessity but by choice.
No neighbors stopped in to check on me. No unexpected guests at all.
I wasn’t the neighborly kind.
My job meant even more seclusion. Working in the woods on the non-tourist side of the mountain equaled peace and quiet. Except when poachers broke the law.
But here I was, being all kinds of neighborly and swiping red paint from the tip of the brush over the letters on the Mountain View Inn’s sign.
Mountain View didn’t get many visitors. Not sane ones anyway.
Canfield, the next city over, was much better suited for tourists. That side of the mountain had perfect snow for skiing and venues with bustling nightlife.
But I’d lost a bet to Sheriff Clark Weller after the asshole cheated at poker. I hadn’t proved it yet, but one day I would.
The sheriff’s mom, Mrs. Weller, poked her head out the inn’s door and stared up at me. She’d been like a second mother to my brothers and me. Her son had been my best friend growing up. Until one day when he wasn’t.
It was my fault, really. I was the one who suggested not telling him the truth about my brother dating his sister, but in the end, it all worked out. He was more than just my best friend. He was family now too.
“You almost done, Walker?” Mrs. Weller asked.
“On the last coat. I’ll be done in a few minutes.”
“I really do appreciate your help.” She smiled. “When you’re done, come on in and get cleaned up. I made us some lunch.”
“You didn’t have to go to all that trouble, Mrs. Weller.” I really wish she hadn’t.
“You aren’t getting out of this one.” She raised a brow as if she’d known I’d planned to make a run for it. There was no escaping that eagle eye of observation and an even sharper motherly intuition. “You either eat here, or I’m taking it to your house.”
She would too. Mrs. Weller didn’t make idle threats. Like most mothers, she wouldn’t stand for an answer like no. Telling her no bordered on the dangerous side.
One corner of her mouth twisted as if she were ready with a comeback for any argument, I might give her. I was as stuck as the car in the mud, my brain spinning like tires for any source of real escape.
“I’ll be right in.”
Her satisfied smile grew. “I knew you were smart.”
“Smart would have been not playing poker with Clark.”
“My son always has an ace up his sleeve. You’d be wise to remember that.” Her chuckle followed her back inside.
I shouldn’t be surprised that Clark had something up his sleeve. He’d always had a crazy plan of some kind growing up and often talked us into doing things that got us all in trouble. Some might say Clark could finesse everyone he met. I’d seen it in action when he’d talked my cousin into marrying him. But he’s had to work hard for that goal; Bennett women were notoriously tough nuts to crack.
I finished the sign and climbed down the ladder, dumping my stained brush into the bucket of dirty water. I stepped out into the street, shielded my eyes from the sun and checked out my handiwork.
The wet letters shined in the midday sun the red standing out like a bright beacon against the backdrop of the Western Slope. The sign had aged and with it, the snowy mountain peaks painted on the wood had turned dirty and grungy, now they sat gleaming with white snow caps.
