That pulled a laugh out of me.
“You laugh now, but you’ll see,” she said, patting my arm with her papery hand.
The seatbelt sign dinged on, and a minute later, the pilot announced our descent. I leaned forward, straining to see past the snoring cowboy as the plane dropped through the clouds.
Wyoming was prettier than I’d expected. Green foothills rolled into mountains still capped with snow, even this close to July. Incredibly empty, though. A single house would appear in the middle of nowhere, then miles of open land before another one showed up.
Chicago, this was not.
We landed in Sheridan after four. As the plane slowed, the woman tucked her yarn back into her canvas tote with a satisfied sigh.
“You hang in there, hon,” she said. “And if he gives you trouble, you give it right back.”
“Don’t worry. I give as good as I get.”
The woman beamed like I’d passed some kind of test.
I gave her a small smile back, then stood and joined the line of passengers shuffling off the plane.
The Sheridan terminal was basically one big room. By the time I reached the carousel, my suitcase was already circling. I caught it on the second pass and headed straight for the rental counter, where a bored-looking guy manned the desk. I slid my phone forward with the confirmation open.
“Sienna Starling. I’ve got a booking.”
"Where are you headed?" he asked.
"Redbow."
He looked me up and down. “You sure you want the Camry? Got an Outback on the lot, same price. Better if you’re going off pavement.”
I was going to the motel. After that, I planned to lie face-down on the mattress until morning.
“The Camry's fine.”
He slid the keys across the counter. “Suit yourself.”
I rolled my suitcase out into the parking lot and stopped. The mountains sat flattened blue against the horizon under an endless, cloudless sky. A dry chill nipped at my nose. I breathed deeper and caught the scent riding the wind: green, wild, and bitter. Sagebrush, maybe, or dry pine.
Then my phone started ringing, shattering the quiet.
I pulled it out and stared at the caller ID. It was Avery, my boss. My thumb hovered over the ignore button. Couldn't I have a little time to be the person who had just arrived? An hour to call her back from the hotel, from a bed, behind a closed door?
I finally answered on the fourth ring.
“Sienna, you landed?” On the other end, her keyboard clicked rapidly under the muted roar of traffic outside her office window.
“Yes,” I said. “I already got the rental.”
“Good, good—listen. There’s been a change of plans.”
Something in her tone made my stomach tighten. “What kind of change?”
“You can ditch the hotel.”
I frowned, staring at the keys in my hand. “But I just got here.”
“I know, but the sponsor wants you on site.”
“On site where?”
