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He had my full attention now. “You don’t know what it is?”
“I know what it is. What I don’t know is why now.” He slid the envelope across the desk to me. “It seems you left out a critical detail regarding your relationship with Ms. Lila Ford.”
“What’s that?” Frowning, I pulled the envelope closer. It was addressed to me from the Fremont County District Court. What the hell? I slid my finger under the flap and wiggled it open.
“She’s not your ex-wife. She’s your wife.” I glanced up and found him regarding me with flinty eyes. “I don’t particularly care for being lied to, son. Especially when I’m doing you a favor.”
“I didn’t lie. You called me her ex-husband and I didn’t correct you. What the hell does it matter? We’ve been separated for three years. The marriage is over. Ask her yourself.” The words were physically painful. I ripped my gaze away and looked at the papers in my hands.
My breath stuttered.
What the fuck was this?
“Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea of what she’d say.” Amusement tinged his voice. He tipped his hat as he pushed to his feet. “Mr. Sebastian Ashcroft, you have been served.”
24
LILA
“Hello, wife.”
My soul damn near departed my body. I startled backward with a squeak, tripping over my own feet, my hand clapped against my racing heart. Glaring, I wrenched out my earbud. “Seb! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
He said nothing as he studied me from the doorway, his expression impassive, arms folded under his chest with a sheaf of papers rolled in his hand. The casual way he leaned his shoulder against the jamb, one ankle crossed over the other, put my instincts on high alert. Seb was a lion. One minute he looked like an indolent pussycat and in the next, his jaws were clamped around your throat.
“Is there something you need? Because I’m kind of in the middle of something.” I gestured to the saddle blankets I’d been mending.
He eased into the room. “Quick question for you.”
“All right.” I wasn’t scared. I wasn’t.
The door swung shut behind him with encouragement from his heel. His eyes stayed on me as he reached back for the doorknob. Click. My pulse stuttered at the sound. He’d locked us in.
Okay, now I was scared.
But I pretended I wasn’t, standing my ground as he prowled toward me.
“What the fuck is this, Lila?”
I glanced at the papers he held between us and immediately knew. The divorce papers. Shit. I thought I had more time. I licked my lips nervously.
“I was going to tell you tonight. It turns out it’s really easy to get a divorce in Wyoming. There’s a thirty-day waiting period, and it was $165 to file in Fremont County. You can answer the complaint, but you don’t actually have to. I’m not asking for anything from you, and it’s not like we have kids. If you don’t respond, the judge will sign anyway. In thirty days, this sham of a marriage will be done and dusted.” I said it cheerfully, like my heart didn’t beat out of time at the thought.
“When did you file?”
“A week ago.”
“Fuck.” The hand fisting the divorce papers went to his hip, and he pinched the bridge of his nose like he couldn’t believe it. “Fuck.”
“What are you so upset about? You said it was a hassle, so fine. I made it easy for you. You don’t even have to show up for court if you don’t want to.”
“Yeah, Lila. You made it real easy.” Sarcasm layered every word. “You made it easy for anyone with half a brain cell to discover your location.”
My breath stuttered. “What?”
“Divorce filings are public record.” His voice rose to a shout. “There’s a fucking psychopath hunting you, and you put a goddamn bullseye on your back.”
I fell back a step, eyes wide as I stared into his furious face. “Shit,” I whispered. That never occurred to me. But he was right. Anyone searching for my name could stumble across the court filing, including the state and county.
