Under Threat

way she’d trembled under his touch. The chemistry was still there between them, stronger than ever. He’d wanted desperately to take her in his arms, to kiss her, to make love to her. If only she could remember how good they were together.
At the ranch, he took the shoebox inside the bunkhouse, where he was staying, tossing it on his bed. He told himself that he didn’t care what was inside. But he couldn’t help being curious. He sat down on the edge of the bed and drew the box toward him. It wasn’t until then that he saw the faded lettering on the top and recognized his mother’s handwriting.
For Chase. Only after I’m gone.
His heart thumped hard against his ribs. This was from his mother?
He dug out his pocketknife from his jeans pocket and with trembling fingers cut the string. He hesitated, bracing himself for what he would find inside, and lifted the lid. A musty scent rose up as the papers inside rustled softly.
Chase wasn’t sure what he’d expected. Old photos? Maybe his real birth certificate with his father’s name on it? A letter to him telling him the things his mother couldn’t or wouldn’t while she was alive?
What he saw confused him. It appeared to be pages torn from a notebook. Most were yellowed and curled. His mother’s handwriting was overly loopy, youthful. Nothing like her usual very small neat writing that had always been slow with painstaking precision.
He picked up one of the pages and began to read. A curse escaped his lips as he realized what he was reading. These were diary pages. His mother had left him her diary? He’d never known her to keep one.
His gaze shot to the date on the top page. It took him only a moment to do the math. This was written just weeks before he was conceived.
His pulse pounded. Finally he would know the truth about his father.
When her office door opened, Mary looked up, startled from her thoughts. Chase had left her shaken. She still wanted him desperately. But she was afraid, as much as she hated to admit it. She’d trusted her heart to Chase once. Did she dare do it again?
That’s what she kept thinking even as she tried to get some work done. So when her door had opened, she was startled to realize how much time had gone by.
“Lucy.” She’d forgotten all about her saying she might stop by later to discuss the apartment. Mary was glad for the distraction. “Come in.”
The young woman took the chair she offered her on the other side of her desk. “Did you mean what you said earlier about renting me the apartment? It’s just so convenient being right across the street, but I wanted to make sure you hadn’t had second thoughts. After all, we just met.”
Mary nodded since she’d had second thoughts. But as she looked into the young woman’s eager face, she pushed them aside and reached into the drawer for the apartment key. “Why don’t I show it to you.” She rose from her desk. “We can either go up this way,” she said, pointing to the back of her office, “or in from the outside entrance. Let’s go this way.” They went out of the back of her office to where a hallway wound around to the front stairs.
“The apartment is on the second floor,” Mary told her as they climbed. “I live upstairs on the third floor. Some people don’t want to live that close to their landlady,” she said.
“I think I can handle it,” Lucy said with a chuckle.
They stopped at the landing on the second floor, and Mary opened the door to the first apartment. “As you can see, it’s pretty basic,” she said as she pushed open the door. “Living room, kitchen, bedroom and bath.” She watched Lucy take it in.
“It’s perfect,” the young woman said as she walked over to the window and looked out.
“There’s a fire escape in the back, and a small balcony if you want to barbecue and not a bad view of Lone Peak.” Mary walked to door and opened it so Lucy could see the view.”
“That’s perfect.” She stepped past Mary out onto the small balcony to lean over the railing, before looking up. “So the fire escape goes on up to your apartment and balcony?”
“It does. I wouldn’t use the fire escape except in an emergency so you will have privacy out here on your balcony.”
Lucy stepped back in and closed the door. “I didn’t even ask what the rent was.” Mary told her. “That’s really reasonable.”
“I like providing housing for those working here in Big Sky. Most of the employees have to commute from the valley because there is so little affordable housing for them.” She shrugged. “And it’s nice to have someone else in the building at night. This area is isolated since it is mostly businesses that close by nine. The other apartment on this floor is rented to a man who travels a lot so I seldom see him.”
Lucy ambled into the bedroom to pull down the Murphy bed. “This is great.”
“You can use this room as an office as well as a bedroom. Since it has a closet, I call it a one bedroom.”
“And it comes furnished?”
“Yes, but you can add anything you like to make it more yours.”
Lucy turned to look at her. “I can really see myself living here. It’s perfect. I would love it.”
Mary smiled. “Then it’s yours. You can move in right away if you want to.”
“That’s ideal because I’ve been staying in a motel down in the valley just hoping something opened up before I went broke.”
“I’ll need first and last month’s rent, and a security deposit. Is that going to be a problem?”
Lucy grinned. “Fortunately, I’m not that broke yet, so no problem at all. I promise to be the perfect tenant.”
Mary laughed. “I’ve yet to have one of those.”
Back downstairs, Lucy paid in cash. Seeing her surprise,