Page 55 of Setup In Montana

“What will you do now?”

“Fix up my cabin.”

“I loved your cabin,” Clancy said. “I could see you in what you’ve done so far.”

Sarah smiled. “I thought you might like it. But along with the cabin, I’m going to help out at Shady Rest until they get a new manager, then who knows.” She laughed. “I’ll probably work there part-time. What would Myrna do without me?”

“And what would you do without Myrna telling you the latest rest home gossip?” Clancy shook her head. “I’ve never had a friend like you.”

“Lucky you,” Sarah joked. “What about you? What are your plans?”

“Definitely not going back to Shady Rest except for an occasional visit to see some of the residents and staff,” Clancy said. “Definitely not going back to the convenience store either.”

“Wait, isn’t your birthday this weekend? Still going to Billings and maybe on south?” When Clancy didn’t answer, she said, “Or has the cowboy changed your mind?”

A nurse stuck her head in the doorway of the waiting room to tell her that Dub had come out of surgery. “The doctor said to tell you that the surgery went well. Mr. Crawford is recovering. You should both go home and get some rest.”

* * *

DUB OPENED HIS eyes to find Clancy in the chair beside his bed sound asleep. He didn’t want to wake her. He preferred watching her sleep. After everything they’d been through, he felt even more determined not to let her go. Nothing had changed since the first time he’d seen her. His heart ached for what she’d been through. He hadn’t realized how lost she’d been until she turned up at the ranch.

That was when he’d discovered how much alike they were even though they came from completely different backgrounds. He understood her need to search for what was missing.

Her lashes fluttered and she opened those beautiful brown eyes of hers and smiled.

“You’re awake,” she said, sitting up.

He nodded, smiling. “I was just enjoying watching you sleep.”

She blushed, shaking her head. “How do you feel?”

“Sore and a little out of it, but not too bad. It’s good to see you. Are you all right?” He realized it was a stupid question. She’d almost been killed, knocked around and traumatized. “You just went through a lot.”

“I’m okay. You found me.”

“I would have never left you alone at the guesthouse if my brother—”

“It’s all right. The sheriff told me. I knew you wouldn’t just leave without telling me or leaving a note. But you found me when I needed you the most.”

Dub could think of nothing to say as he reached for her hand. He wanted to tell her that he loved her—he didn’t care that they didn’t know each other well yet—but he held his tongue. He promised himself there would be time now to tell her everything he needed to say to her, because he was going to marry this woman.

The nurse came into his room and told Clancy to go home and get some rest. Home? She didn’t have a home or a job or anywhere to go, he wanted to tell the nurse, but then the doctor came in to check his shoulder—and he saw Sarah waiting at the door.

Clancy let go of his hand as she stood. Smiling down at him, she said, “I’ll see you later. I’m staying with Sarah, but I’ll be back.”

He couldn’t wait as he watched her leave.

* * *

WHEN THE NEWS came out about the Shady Rest manager, Grass Range residents were shocked to find out they’d had a murderer living among them. No one was more surprised than Sheriff Max Lander. When Vernon was taken into custody, his prints run, Max discovered Vernon Vance, aka Donald Hanley, was a former homicide detective from Florida who had been wanted for years.

Hanley, a dirty cop, had been involved in a series of crimes before he killed two cops and disappeared.

“I never liked that man,” Sarah said when Max had gotten her and Clancy together to tell them the news. “None of the residents trusted him, for good reason. It didn’t help that everyone knew he was sleeping with Alice Chambers.”

“But why did he kill Esther?” Clancy asked.

“All this started,” Max said, “because of Esther, her thievery and her greed. She had been blackmailing Vernon aka Hanley since the day she moved in. Her bank account show weekly deposits, smaller ones that kept getting larger until her death.”