Jack watched Steph cross the gym to the sled seller. Lean and athletic, she moved easily in jeans and a brown sweater that matched her eyes.
She threaded through the crowd with the kind of ease that didn’t draw attention to itself—an easy word here, a brief touch on an arm, a laugh thrown over her shoulder as someone tried on boots. She wasn’t working the room. She just moved through it like she belonged.
And she did. Jack knew that. Steph was a natural fit in Irma, Wyoming.
Liam appeared beside him. “Saw you talking to her.”
“She was looking at the sled.”
“The one I told you to buy?”
“I have a sled.”
“Uh-huh.” Liam surveyed the room with the expression he wore when he was deciding how much to say. “You met Chris and Bethany Hepner.” His tone held a note of distaste.
Jack nodded toward them. They were stopped at the table advertising Wild Bill Hill. “You know them?”
“Everyone knows Chris. Local boy. His dad’s the county sheriff.”
“I gathered that much. He used to date Steph?”
Liam shrugged. “Old news. They were together for a long time. Years. Then they broke up, and he married hernot long after.” He tilted his head toward Bethany. “Few months, maybe.”
Jack said nothing.
“Sheriff Hepner’s been good to Steph’s running club,” Liam continued. “Knows people and has helped her find sponsors.”
“Your family isn’t a sponsor.”
Liam chuckled. “Sheriff Hepner isn’t a fan of my dad or my granddad. Probably not me either.”
Interesting, Jack thought. When Liam had first suggested Jack explore the world of distance running, saying how much something like it was needed for Elkridge and Basin County, he hadn’t said anything about Steph’s running club. Liam said that bringing a nationally recognized event to the small community could bring in some serious tourist money.
He also didn’t mention that not everyone in the area was on board with the idea. He certainly never said anything about issues with the sheriff or that it might be a problem.
The sheriff’s backing meant something in a county like this. It meant doors that stayed open, permits that moved through channels without friction, a community that paid attention when he paid attention.
It explained some things about the position Steph held here, though he suspected she’d earned most of it on her own. It also explained why he and Liam were facing roadblock after roadblock for their event, and they were only in the exploration stage.
“Steph’s doing some great things,” Liam continued. “The programs at the college are giving young people a way to make a living in the great outdoors. It’s more of atech school and offers national accreditation in certain areas. She’s bringing in students from around the world.”
He watched her finish with the sled seller, shaking hands and pulling out her wallet. Transaction done. She’d made up her mind and acted on it, no deliberating once the decision was made. He couldn’t deny that kind of action impressed him.
Sheimpressed him.
Jack was an outsider, standing at the edge of something Steph had spent years building, and he knew it. The newcomer with a well-known name and face, using someone else’s money.
Now, learning that the sheriff admired Steph and her Basin County Running Club but didn’t share that enthusiasm for Liam and his family’s money, he suspected it could become an issue down the road. People might warm up, but warming up was not the same as belonging, and he understood that difference.
“Hepner mention anything interesting?” Liam asked.
“Poaching reports. His dad’s got a task force going. Different wilderness areas.”
Liam’s expression sharpened. “That’s worth knowing. For permits, logistics.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“He say what they’re poaching?”
