Free Maverick (Star Valley Book 3) by Dahlia West Page B

water of the reservoir even before the dam itself came fully into view. Candace’s foot came up off the accelerator and Leah felt the car slow. “Do you want to stop?” she asked, nodding at the turn off to the dam.
    Leah sighed and shook her head because it was late and Candace was probably tired from driving. “No. Thanks, but no. Let’s just go home.” She gazed out the window anyway, at the one place that always made her feel calm and secure. But somehow Leah doubted even the sturdiness of the concrete Buffalo Bill Dam would make her feel as though she was standing on solid ground.
    They passed the museum and it hardly seemed as though it was worth it to have taken the day off. A day of making change and leading the occasional tour would’ve been a walk in the park compared to driving most of the day only to be called a gold-digging whore and having to slink back home with her tail between her legs.
    At the apartment, they finished the takeout pizza from the fridge, which wasn’t nearly as good as that woman Sofia’s cookies and lemonade. Leah didn’t feel like eating much anyway. After two bites her stomach rolled again. She could do without the morning sickness, which seemed to happen any time of the day or night. All she wanted to do was go to sleep and put Austin Barlow out of her mind entirely.
    She crawled into bed in her tiny apartment and closed her eyes, doing her best not to think about the enormous log cabin nestled in the foothills of the Tetons hundreds of miles away, or the ruby red lips that had once sweet talked her into being naughty in an elevator and then called her a whore for her trouble. She willed herself to sleep so she didn’t have to think anymore at all.

Chapter Eleven
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    A ustin didn’t wake so much as just rise out of bed. He hadn’t slept a minute the entire night, replaying their conversation in his head over and over. He’d played too many hands over the years, and his luck had made him cocky and overconfident. The ability to predict a storm had failed him this time. He hadn’t seen this one coming, and it was one hell of a sidewinder.
    He packed quickly but with purpose. He wasn’t sure what he’d need, or how long he’d be away, but he shoved in some clothes and basic necessities. At the last minute, he picked up his checkbook, but he didn’t like the way it felt in his hands—cold, impersonal. He stuffed it way down into the bottom of the duffel bag where he could forget it was there.
    The drive took too long, because he was impatient. He risked a ticket, practically flooring it through Yellowstone where park rangers were more plentiful than state troopers on other highways. Luck was with him, once again, and he made it to Cody just after noon. He’d been here before, but didn’t know his way around. She’d said her name was Pierce and he was standing in front of the door of the only Leah Pierce in Cody, Wyoming, according to the internet, an apartment in a rundown part of town.
    He recognized the car in the parking lot, at least, so he knew he was in the right place. Standing here now, about to talk to her again seemed daunting. He didn’t know what to say but he was certain he’d fuck it all up, no matter what.
    He took a deep breath and raised his arm but beside him, another door opened. A woman shuffled out, looked at him, and visibly recoiled. His appearance probably didn’t help. He hadn’t shaved again in weeks, had skipped it this morning in favor of getting on the road. He probably looked crazy. Or homeless. He reached out and rapped briskly on Leah’s door, so the woman wouldn’t mistake him for a burglar or a stalker and call the police. He wasn’t ready though, not by a long shot, and when the door swung wide he felt awkward and stupid looming on the stoop.
    It was Candace who opened the door and it was a bit of a relief. A five, maybe ten second reprieve before he had to do some fast talking about his earlier behavior. The young woman