“It wasn’t ten times. Don’t exaggerate.”
“I’m sorry. Have dinner with me tonight?”
“I can’t.”
He nodded as disappointment filled him.
“I’m supposed to go over to the Lone Creek Ranch later. Trip is making dinner for Tabby and Kas.”
Caleb smiled. “That ought to be interesting.”
Katie chuckled.
“Well, enjoy your dinner,” Caleb said. “I need to get to work.”
“Okay.”
He left feeling as bad as he had when he’d arrived. He’d apologized, and that was something he’d come to do. But some part of him thought that Katie would have had a different response.
She had plans tonight and they didn’t include him. He should feel rejected. But as he climbed in his truck that’s exactly what he felt, along with a healthy dose of jealousy.
* * *
That sure was a swanky car sitting in a pile of snow in the parking lot of the chapel as Caleb drove by on his way to work. The man standing next to the car talking on his cell phone was probably ruining his fancy shoes that he was lifting out of the snow as if he were dancing. Caleb wasn’t on patrol, but there was no harm pulling in and seeing what this stranger was doing on the property.
He pulled the truck into the parking lot and parked a few yards away from the fancy car just in case this guy had a lawsuit in mind like Henry Callahan. He didn’t need someone accusing him of getting too close and causing a scratch on an expensive paint job. Caleb had seen that sort of thing happen before from out-of-towners who turned their nose up at anyone with a pickup truck instead of a Porsche or a Ferrari. He got out of the truck and slammed his door loud enough for the eagles and the bear to hear. But this guy kept talking on the phone. Only when Caleb cleared his voice twice did the stranger lift his head and glance at him. But he kept the cell phone still pressed against his ear.
“Hi, there,” Caleb said. “Looks like you might be stuck.”
“Hold a second,” the stranger said to the person on the phone. He lifted a finger as if needing Caleb to stop talking so he could finish a conversation. Caleb wasn’t having it.
Caleb cleared his throat again. “What are you doing out here?”
“Are you the tow man?” The man finally glanced at Caleb’s truck and then groaned. “I called for tow not a mechanic.”
“Well as you can see, I didn’t bring a tow truck.”
The guy actually rolled his eyes. Hollywood folk. They came in from LA trying to snatch up land and put up a big fancy house that they couldn’t afford to build out in California. But it was cheaper here. They could take their pictures back to their friends and brag about their weekend retreat to unwind. And most of them hated every minute being here and every person who called Montana home.
“Do you at least have a winch on your truck? They said I needed a winch to get out of this snow pile.”
Caleb smiled, but only because he wanted to have fun with the jerk. “I have a rope.”
The guy frowned. “Can you use it to get me out of here?”
“I might consider it if you had some manners.”
The man glared at him, and then turned his back to Caleb. Into the phone, he said, “Of course, they sent me an idiot.”
The man swung around and pasted on a plastic smile that made Caleb want to laugh.
“Tell your friend the ‘idiot’ is a cop,” Caleb said.
The man’s eyes widened with surprise. Then he glanced over at the truck. “You don’t say. Where’s your police car?”
“No one but an idiot would take a cruiser into new fallen snow the way you’ve just taken this Porsche. But seeing how I know you’re not from Montana, I’ll let that part slide. Who did you call?”
“AAA. They said they sent someone.”
Caleb made a face. “Most likely they called the closest garage. That would be Jamison Locks place. But you have a good wait until he gets here.”
“Why is that? I’m sure if I call him I can make it worth his while to come here quicker.”
“Yeah, you could. But I doubt very much he’s going to leave the delivery room and his wife when they’re expecting their first baby.”
“Is there anybody else at his garage who can help me out?”
“Sure. But I just heard over the radio that there was a pileup up on the road to the ski resort, so the tow crew is probably a little busy. I think you have at least two or three cars ahead of you before someone will be able to get out here.”
The man’s jaw tightened. “I was hoping to be back on the road long before dark. It’s a good ride back to Vegas.”
“I see. You never said what you are doing out here.”
“I represent the owners of this property,” the man said.
A fingernail of irritation dug into his spine. So this is the guy who was pushing his weight around with Katie. “You’re the one who put that petty cease and desist letter on the door?”
The man turned towards the makeshift door where the sign was posted. Then he chuckled. “You call that a door?”
“This property’s been sold. Your client no longer owns it.”
The man stared at him for a few minutes. Then he shined a smile and extended his hand. “Darren Littleton.”
Caleb looked at the man’s gloved hand. Those gloves probably cost more than Caleb’s weekly paycheck. Caleb didn’t care. He pulled his thermal glove off his hand and extended a bare hand to the man. If they were going to shake hands, he was shaking it like a man. As if sensing a challenge, the man stared at Caleb’s hand and then slowly pulled off his glove one finger at a time. Then he shook
