“Dusty Bennett,” he said, his deep voice sending rumbles up my spine. “I’m a little upset that you made more of an impression on me than I did you all those years ago.”
Dusty. DUSTY BENNETT. My hands flew to my face. No wonder why I didn’t recognize him. Fifteen-year-old Dusty Bennett looked much different than the Dusty Bennett standing before me. The Dusty here and now had filled out well.
“Dusty? Oh my gosh. Why are you here?” My manners in gracious hospitality could write novels.
He chuckled, giving me a flash of white teeth. Looks like the braces had worked out just fine. “I didn’t mean to be here. They closed the road. The last time this happened to me, your grandpa let me crash in the motel. Is he here? Can I talk to him?” He glanced behind my shoulder as if he expected Grandpa to suddenly appear somewhere behind me.
I studied him once again, hesitating. To be clear, my girl body was saying yes to inviting him into the house and out of the cold.Of courseI wanted to welcome this cowboy man, who looked like what I assume Josh Duhamel would look like in a cowboy hat—into my living space. The fact that I had known him as a kid did help calm my nerves a tiny bit, but the truth was, he was definitely no longer a kid and I didn’t know this guy from Adam. And my girlbrain—the one who listens to crime podcasts and watches Law and Order SVU—was giving my girl body a run for her cowboy fantasies. Other than being acquainted with him for a few summers working on my grandpa’s farm when we were kids, I didn’t know anything aboutthisDusty Bennett. And I’m sure most serial killers start out as nice kids. My younger sister, Julia, always had a crush on Dusty and used to moon over him like a newborn calf. The last I had heard of Dusty was from eight years ago, when his family had moved to Idaho. My grandparents had never mentioned he was back in Wyoming. Though I knew I was probably over-reacting, my red flags were raised and I couldn’t physically lower them until I found out a few things first.
“I just…um. Can you wait out here for a minute? I’ll be right back.” Then I closed the door on his pretty Josh Duhamel face. I turned the deadbolt as quietly as I could, making a face when the sound of it clicking into place rivaled a shotgun loading.
I leaned the rifle against the door and took the stairs two at a time until I reached my grandparents’ room, across the small hallway from mine. Thunderous snoring greeted me as I entered.
I crept into the darkness. “Grandma,” I whispered.
Nothing.
I inched a few steps closer, not wanting to startle the lump I could make out on the mattress. “Grandma.”
She snorted before she sat up, clutching her chest. “Oh, Lucy. I saw your shadow and thought I was done for.”
Biting my lip, I kept my laughter in check. “Sorry.” Neuroticism fell hard from the family tree. I stalked toward the window and peered out, still seeing a man in a cowboy hat below me. I had left him out in a blizzard. Guilt crept up the back of my neck, but I was determined to do everything in my power to avoid ending up a statistic on the news.
“Did Dusty Bennett move back here?” I whispered, moving to Grandma’s bedside.
“Dusty? That medium-built drink of water? Yes, he works for his uncle in Cody now. He stops by on occasion. Always requests my chocolate pie. Why? Is he here now?”
“Yeah. The roads are closed. I don’t know what to do.”
“He’s in the house now?” Her voice raised a few excited octaves.
“Not yet, he’s outside. I wanted to check with you first.”
“You left him standing on the porch in a snowstorm, darlin?”
“Yeah.”
“LUCY DAVIS. You let that boy inside now. Goodness. Have I taught you nothing? And keep in mind, I know for a fact that he’s single. And handsome to boot.”
I loved my Grandma, but she had never been one to focus. I was very much aware of his attractiveness, but I did not want to be murdered. “Grandma, I’m all alone down there and I hardly recognized him. Are you sure he’s okay to let inside?”
“Yes! For heaven's sake, let the man in. Cook him some dinner. There are enough ingredients to make another chocolate pie. He loves that.”
Okay, I definitely was not going to make him a pie.
“Should I open up a room in the motel?”
“Yes, that would be fine. He’s done it before. He’ll be grateful to you. Let him use the empty corral by the house if he’s got cattle. The keys to the rooms are in your grandpa’s office. But you know all that, dear.”
“Wait. Aren’t you coming down?”
She jolted backward as if I had just shot her. “Heavens no. I already took my face off for the night.”
“Grandma, I’m sure he’d love to see you.”Please come down. Please come down. Please come down.
Though the lighting was dim, I swear the old woman grinned and leaned back against her pillow. “Nope. I’m done for the night, but I trust you’ll take good care of him, dear. If you know what I mean.”
“Alright, Grandma, take it down a notch. I’ll take care of it.”
