“I’m sorry,” she said. “I thought it would be easier if I made a clean break.”
“And now you’re back.”
“For now,” she said quietly. She picked up her phone. “Do you think dad will talk to me?”
“He’s your father.”
Matthew’s gentle words didn’t do anything to reassure her.
“You won’t know until you call him.”
She stared at her dad’s phone number, remembering the last time they’d spoken. It had been at his wedding. Instead of helping to heal their relationship, it had left an even deeper chasm between them. But if she didn’t call him she wouldn’t know if he was okay. She needed to warn him about the article she was writing, the chaos that could follow.
Before she changed her mind, she tapped the green call button beside her dad’s name. The phone kept ringing. “I don’t think he’s home.”
“What’s the time in San Francisco?”
“Eight-thirty at night.” She lowered the phone. “I’ll try again tomorrow—”
“Hello?”
She nearly dropped the phone. With a shaking hand, she raised it to her ear, trying to breathe through her pounding heart. “Hi, dad. It’s me.”
“Ashley?”
Her gaze landed on Matthew. He slowly nodded and she took a deep breath. “I’m sorry it’s been so long between calls.”
Even though they were thousands of miles apart, Ashley could feel the tension build between them. She rubbed her forehead, focusing on what she needed to tell him. She didn’t want their first conversation in two years to end in disaster.
“I’m in Bozeman, on the Gray ranch.”
“What are you doing there?”
This was the part she didn’t want to explain. Her dad would say she’d been impulsive, putting her career before her safety. The truth was a lot worse. She’d made everyone’s life unsafe.
“I’m writing a story about a congressman who may have defrauded a nonprofit organization for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Someone was following me and broke into my apartment. For now, I’m safer here.”
“Ashley.” Her name left his lips on a sigh. “You should come to San Francisco. Trisha and I can look after you.”
She’d expected him to tell her, ‘I told you so,’ but his softly spoken words surprised her. “I didn’t know whether you’d want me there.”
“Wherever I am, you have a home. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. No one’s found me here. You need to be careful. Other reporters might contact you if the story is published.”
“What do you mean,if?”
“The Daily Timeswon’t run the story unless their legal team is happy with the evidence I’ve found. I’ll finish writing the story by tomorrow afternoon. Once I’ve sent it to my editor, he’ll send it through to the legal team with all my notes.”
“When will you fly back to New York?”
Ashley glanced at Matthew. “I’m not sure, but it will probably be soon.”
“Promise me you’ll stay until the story is published. Hopefully, by the time you get back, most of the initial reaction would have died down.”
She didn’t want her dad to worry. Telling him the story could lead to a prison sentence for anyone found guilty of fraud would only make him more determined to have her stay with him. “I’ll talk to my editor and see what he says.”
“Make sure you do.” Her dad’s gruff voice cut through the evening air. “I’m glad you called.”
