Under Threat

accent. She’d been good, so good that she’d hardly had to try out in high school to get the leading roles.
Now as she waited, she felt antsy. Mary had come home and then left again without even getting out of her car. Lucy had been so sure that Chase would have made it to Montana by now. Waiting for him, she’d had too much time to think. What if she was wrong? What if he hadn’t been hightailing it back here to his sweet little cowgirl?
What if he’d left Arizona, then changed his mind, realizing that what he had with her was more powerful than some old feelings for Mary Cardwell Savage? What if he’d gone back for her only to find out that she’d drowned and that everyone was waiting for some poor soul to find her body along the edge of the river downstream?
The thought made her heart pound. Until she remembered what she’d done to his pickup engine. Who knew where he’d broken down and how long it would take for him to get the engine fixed. If it was fixable.
No, he’d made it clear that he didn’t want her. Which meant he would show up here in Big Sky. She just had to be patient and not do anything stupid.
She’d realized that she should approach this the same way she’d gone after prospective buyers in real estate. The first step was to find out what she was up against. Lucy smiled. She would get to know her enemy. She would find her weakness. She already had a plan to gain Mary’s trust.
Not that she was getting overconfident. Just as important was anticipating any problems—including getting caught. With each step toward her goal, she needed to consider every contingency.
Some precautions were just common sense. She’d purchased a burner phone. She hadn’t told anyone she’d known that she was alive, not even Patty. She hadn’t left a paper trail. Taking all her money out of the bank before what the authorities thought was an attempted suicide had been brilliant. Just as was wearing gloves when she tampered with Christy Shores’ battery.
It had been pure hell living with three older stepbrothers. But they’d taught her a lot about cars, getting even and never leaving any evidence behind. She’d used everything they’d taught her the night she burned down her stepfather’s house—with her stepfather, mother and stepbrothers inside.
But sometimes she got overzealous. Maybe she’d gone too far when she’d put the bleach into Chase’s engine oil. She’d considered loosening the nuts on his tires, but she hadn’t wanted him to die. Not yet. And definitely not where she wouldn’t be there.
But what if he couldn’t make it to Montana now? Shouldn’t he have been here by now? If he was coming. She was beginning to worry a little when she saw him. As if she’d conjured him up, he drove past where she was parked to stop in front of Mary’s building. Lucy watched him park and jump out. Her heart began to pound as he strode purposely toward Mary’s building to knock on the door.
Her stomach curdled as she watched him try to see into the windows before he stepped back to stare up at the top floor. “Sorry, your little cowgirl isn’t home,” she said under her breath. There were no lights on nor was Mary’s pickup where she always parked it. But it was clear that Chase was looking for her. What would he do when he found her? Profess his undying love? As jealousy’s sharp teeth took a bite out of her, she was tempted to end this now.
She’d picked up a weapon at a gun show on her way to Big Sky. All she had to do was reach under her seat, take out the loaded handgun, get out and walk over to him. He wouldn’t recognize her. Not at first.
He would though when she showed him the gun she would have had hidden behind her back. “This is just a little something from Fiona.” She smiled as she imagined the bullet sinking into his black heart.
But what fun would that be? Her plan was to make him suffer. The best way to do that was through his precious Mary. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t deviate from the plan. No more acting on impulse. This time, she wouldn’t make the same mistakes she’d made in the past.
As she watched Chase climb back into his pickup and drive away, she was trembling with anticipation at just the thought of what she had in store for the cowboy and his cowgirl.

Chapter 7
The next morning, Mary saw that Lone Peak Perk was open again. Just the thought of one of her ultimate caramel frappaccinos made her realize it was exactly what she needed right now.
Stepping through the door, she breathed in the rich scent of coffee and felt at home. The thought made her smile. She would be in a fog all day if she didn’t have her coffee and after the restless night she’d had...
As she moved to the counter, she saw that there was a new young woman working. Had they already replaced Christy? The woman’s dark hair was styled in a pixie cut that seemed to accent her dark eyes. She wore a temporary name tag that had LUCY printed neatly on it.
“So what can I get you?” Lucy asked with a slight lisp and a Southern accent as she flashed Mary a wide gap-toothed smile.
“One of your ultimate caramel frappaccinos to go.”
The young woman laughed. “That one’s my favorite.”
“I was so sorry to hear about Christy,” Mary said.
“I didn’t really know her.” Lucy stopped what she was doing for a moment to look over her shoulder at her. “I was shocked when I realized that Christy was the one who took my application. She was nice. I couldn’t believe it when I got the call. I hate that her bad luck led to my good luck. My application was on the top of