Somewhere Montana by MJ Platt Read Free Book Online

to the airport?” Mac searched the backpack, running the seams between his finger and thumb, no spot escaping his scrutiny. He pulled her wallet from a side pocket and opened it.
    “I used her cell phone to call the mechanic at the hangar to ready Dad’s plane. I used the excuse it had been sitting too long and needed airtime. If Marcos had managed to get into the hangar, he probably would tag only my plane, the smaller single engine prop. With his ego, he’d figure I couldn’t fly the twin engine jet. While we waited, she cut my hair so the wig would fit better.”
    “She has black hair? You traded places?”
    She nodded, frowning at him as he searched her wallet.
    “When we knew the plane would be ready, she put on the blond wig and my clothes and left in my car. We had already switched my stuff to her car. I watched from the window and saw his car pull away from the curb to follow. I had even given her the engagement ring so it would be seen on her hand when she left. She promised to return it to Derek for me. I gave them a few minutes, then drove to the airport. The mechanic took her car to the hotel where she works. I took off and here I am.”
    “How far did you expect to get? There’s only forty dollars in here,” he said, holding up her wallet. “That wouldn’t fuel the plane. And you wouldn’t have had enough fuel to fly to Whitehorse and back to here.”
    “I planned to get a job until I had enough to move on or if he was getting too close. When I crashed and realized where I was, I figured I was safer yet.”
    The closer he got to the bottom of her backpack, the more nervous she acted. She clutched the bedclothes, darting her eyes from the pack to him and then back to the backpack. What are you hiding?
    “Or you could ditch the plane somewhere and continue on this,” he said, pulling two thick bundles of one hundred dollar bills from the secret compartment at the bottom of the backpack. “Where did this come from?”
    “Father always kept five thousand in a box under a false bottom in a drawer in his desk. He jokingly called it his mad money. Well, I was mad enough, so I took it. I left my purse, credit cards, anything I thought could be traced with Vanessa and I couldn’t stop by the bank.”
    “I wondered why you were starting to look worried. This,” he said, waving the money at her, “will be best kept in the safe in the office. If that is what it takes to keep you here, then by damn you won’t get your hands on it.” He was hurt and angry that she didn’t trust him enough to confide in him. It had been like pulling teeth to get the whole story out of her. He had to leave before he said any more. Cool down before he followed the urge to shake some sense into her. He grabbed the money and walked out.
    After securing the money in the safe, he returned and stood in the doorway watching her. She was leaning back against the pillows, more relaxed, the pain lessened from her gentle features. Good, the medicine was working. He thought he should help her slide down flat so she could sleep. The itch to hold her again in his arms, to tell her how he felt, would have to wait. Now was not the right time. When would be? Would she even believe him? She needed time to heal and get through the trouble following her. He walked into the room, picked up the backpack, and stood it in the closet. Her eyes opened and she watched him as he came around the bed to reach under the covers, removing the now cold warm pack. She gasped and jumped as the movement jarred her leg.
    “Shhh. It’s okay. Just me. We need to get you settled for the night. Need to make another trip before that?” he asked, nodding toward the bathroom. She blushed and shook her head no. “Then I’m going to lift you and slide you down so you can get comfortable. I want you to be able to sleep. You’re safe here. Let the medication do its job. Don’t fight it. Your body and mind need the rest. How’s the pain level?”
    “Tolerable.