Under Threat

hated more, him or Mary, as she watched him disappear into her office.
“Excuse me?” A woman stepped in front of her, blocking her view. It was all she could do not to reach across the counter and shove her out of the way. She wanted to see what was going on across the street. “I’d like to order.”
Fortunately, she got control of herself. She needed this job to get closer to Mary and pull off her plan. If she hoped to pay back Chase, she couldn’t lose her cool. She plastered a smile on her face.
“I’m sorry, what can I get you?” She hadn’t even realized that her Texas accent had come back until that day when she’d finally met Mary Cardwell Savage. She’d thought she’d put Texas and her childhood behind her. But apparently all of this had brought it back—along with her accent.
As she made the woman a latte, she thought about spitting in her cup, but didn’t. Instead, she let herself think about the apartment in Mary’s building. Of course she was going to take it. She had already gained the woman’s trust. It didn’t matter that Chase was over there with Mary. Soon enough she would end their little romance.
She would just have to be careful to avoid Chase. The changes in her appearance were striking, but given what they’d shared, he would know her. He would sense her beneath her disguise. He’d feel the chemistry between them. So she needed to avoid him until she was ready to make her dramatic reveal.
Smiling to herself, she considered all the ways she could make their lives miserable, before she took care of both of them. As she’d told Christy Shores, she was lucky when it came to getting what she wanted. Hadn’t she gotten this job and was about to get Christy’s apartment, as well?
She wanted Chase and his precious Mary to suffer. She just had to be patient.
Chase removed his Stetson as he stepped into Mary’s office. He couldn’t help but admire the building and what she’d done with it. Hardwood floors shone beneath a large warm-colored rug. The walls were recycled brick, terra-cotta in color, with paintings and photographs of the area on the walls.
“Your office is beautiful,” he said. “This place suits you.”
Mary smiled at the compliment, but clearly she hadn’t thawed much when it came to him.
“I heard you have a couple of apartments upstairs that you rent and live on the third floor,” he said. “Wise investment.”
That made her chuckle. “Thank you. I’m glad you approve.”
“Mary, can we please stop this?” He took a step toward her, hating this impersonal wall between them. They knew each other. Intimately. They’d once been best friends—let alone lovers.
“Thank you again for the daisies.” She picked up a package from her desk and held it out to him, blocking his advance. “This is what was dropped off for you.”
He chewed at the side of his cheek, his gaze on her not on the package. “Okay, if this is the way you want it. I’ll wait as long as it takes.” He could see that she didn’t believe that. She’d lost faith in him and he couldn’t blame her. For a while, he’d lost faith in himself.
“So you’re working for Beth Anne’s father at their ranch.”
So that was it. “It’s temporary. I have a job as a finish carpenter for a company that builds houses like the upscale ones here in Big Sky. It’s a good job, but since it doesn’t start for a week, I took what I could get in the meantime.” He didn’t mention that buying a new engine for his pickup had set him back some.
His gaze went to the daisies he’d had sent to her, but quickly shifted to the vase with the rose in it. “Is that from your deputy?”
Mary raised her chin. “Don’t start, Chase.” She was still holding the package out to him.
He took it without even bothering to look at it. He was so close now that she could smell his masculine scent mixed with the outdoors. “I can be patient, Mary,” he said, his voice low, seductive. “Remember when we couldn’t keep our hands off each other?” He took another step toward her, his voice dropping even more dangerously low. “I remember the taste of you, the feel of you, the way your breath quickens when you’re naked in my arms and—”
His words sent an arrow of heat to her center. “Chase—”
He closed the distance, but she didn’t step back as if under the cowboy’s spell. With his free hand, he ran his fingertips leisurely down her cheek to the hollow of her throat toward the V of her blouse.
She shivered and instinctively she leaned her head back, remembering his lips making that same journey. Her nipples puckered, hard and aching against her bra. “Chase—” This time, she said his name more like a plea for him not to stop.
As he pulled his hand back, he smiled. “You and I will be together again come hell or high water because that’s where we belong. Tell me I’m wrong.”
When she said nothing, couldn’t speak, he nodded, took the package and walked out, leaving her trembling with a need for him that seemed to have grown even more potent.

Chapter 9
Chase still hadn’t paid any attention to the package Mary had given him until he tossed it on the seat of his pickup. The lightweight contents made a soft rustling sound, drawing his attention from thoughts of Mary for a moment.
As he climbed behind the wheel of his pickup, he considered what might be inside. It appeared to be an old shoebox that had been tied up with string. Both the box and the string were discolored, giving the impression of age. Why would someone leave him this? Mary had said the woman claimed to be a friend of his mother’s.
His thoughts quickly returned to Mary as he drove back to the Jensen Ranch. He remembered the