The Bribe (Calamity Montana)

LUCY DUCKED her head to hide her smile.

“What?” I nudged her shoulder with mine.

She looked up, taking in the football stadium. “I love this. It’s exactly what I pictured. The lights. The green field. The bleachers.” She rapped her knuckles on the silver bench. “It’s perfect.”

The stadium lights were on full blast, though the sun hadn’t quite set. But in an hour, when darkness crept over Montana, those lights would blanket the crowd gathered tonight to watch the Calamity Cowboys in their first home game of the season.

It had been two weeks since the incident with Savannah, and the only shiny thing to come out of the situation was the new window at the farmhouse. Savannah was back at home with her mother and stepfather. Hux, as far as I knew, hadn’t tried to intervene. And for the time being, the clusterfuck that was Hux, April and Savannah was on hiatus.

It wouldn’t last but unless something changed, my hands were tied.

So we’d done our best to move on, and tonight, we were at the high school football game.

Besides our first dinner at the bar, it was the only social outing I’d had with Lucy. When I’d mentioned the game, she hadn’t hesitated about coming.

She was tired of hiding, so here we were.

“This will be fun.” I put my arm around her, pulling her into my side so that her thigh was smashed against mine. She was wearing a long-sleeve gray T-shirt and jeans. Our coats were tucked beneath the bench, waiting for the sun to set and the temperature to drop.

“Hey, Duke.” Grayson appeared at my shoulder from the row behind us. “Thought I’d come down and say hello.”

I twisted to shake his hand. “Hey. Glad you did. I’d like you to meet someone. Gray, this is”—my Lucy—“Jade.”

“Hi.” She smiled up at him and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Same. Welcome to Calamity. Duke said you’re living out at Widow Ashleigh’s place?”

“I am. It’s a lovely home.”

“I’ve always liked that place,” he said. “Well, I just wanted to say hello and introduce myself. Enjoy the game.” Grayson left with a wave, returning to his seat.

Others around us must have been waiting because after Grayson broke the seal on introductions, we were inundated with person after person coming to say hello and meet Jade.

Her smile didn’t falter. If she was nervous about meeting people in town, it didn’t show in her voice, but her leg beside mine bounced almost constantly.

“Don’t worry, baby,” I told her. “No one recognizes you.”

Especially since she’d stolen my favorite green hat and apparently claimed it as her own. With the cap, fresh face and black hair, she simply looked beautiful.

“I know. It’s not that,” she whispered.

“Then what?”

“I just want them to like me. I don’t want people to think your girlfriend is a dud.”

My heart skipped.

I was in love with her.

The chance that someone would recognize her was slim, but if they did, it would likely mean a media onslaught and potential targeting from a crazed stalker. But here she was, not nervous that her secret would be blown, but that people wouldn’t think she was good enough for me.

The truth was, I didn’t know what I’d done to deserve her. My father always introduced my mom as his better half. I’d always thought it was just a saying, but I was beginning to understand he was simply stating a fact.

She was his better half.

I wanted Lucy to be mine.

“Don’t worry.” I kissed the top of her hat. “They’ll love you.”

The crowd began to settle and focus their attention on the field.

Lucy smiled at Kerrigan, who’d turned from her seat three rows down to wave.

“I heard yesterday that Kerrigan bought a shop downtown,” I said. “It’s been vacant for a while.”

“Yeah, I guess she’s going to turn it into a workout studio.”

“Huh? How’d you know that?” How did she have the one up on me with town gossip? Lucy rarely left the farmhouse.

She shrugged. “When I called to tell her that the new window was in, we started talking. Actually, I talked. She was gracious enough to listen. I think my lack of conversation with Everly has made me a little needy. Kerrigan indulged me and then, when she could get a word in edgewise, she asked my opinion on the gym idea. She wants to focus more on classes for women’s fitness and I told her it was brilliant. I’m the first member.”

“It’s not open yet.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m still number one.”

I chuckled. “Good job, baby.”

Kerrigan saw a need and was going to be the one to fulfill it. There was only one gym in town and it was mostly frequented by men. Since I had my gym in the basement, I’d never joined, but Grayson and a couple of the other deputies were members. They had some boxing and martial arts classes but very few women were members.

“Kerrigan Hale is going to run this town one day,” I said with a chuckle. “Just watch.”

Lucy smiled as the announcer came on the loudspeaker and welcomed everyone to the game.

The student section cheered, their whoops and hollers echoing over the field. The grass was as green as it would get all year, the chalk lines bright white and fresh. A thrill of excitement raced through my veins as the team captains took their positions for the coin flip.

“I played on a field a lot like this when I was in high school,” I told Lucy. “It’s fun to be in the stands, cheering these kids on.”

Most of the kids I’d known for years. I knew their parents and their grandparents. This was what our small town was all about—gathering together, supporting one another and looking out for each other.

If the town did know that Jade Morgan was actually Lucy Ross, I suspected there were a few who’d make a big deal out of it. The assholes. But the others, the majority, would do everything in their power to shut those few up.

When we pulled someone into the fold, they were in it for life.

And based on the welcome reception she’d gotten at this game, she was in.

The small pep band began playing the Cowboys’ school anthem and she looked past me to where they played and smiled.

“When I was a sophomore, my dad arranged to have our school’s marching band play ‘Happy Birthday’ to my mom,” Lucy said. “My school was a lot bigger than this and it wasn’t at a game or anything. Just after school. I made up a story about having a club meeting so Mom would have to come late to pick me up. Dad knew the band director and they’d set it up so that the band was waiting at the front of the school. She was so embarrassed. That was one of the last times he earned a cheddar for his cheesy gestures.”

The longing and the love in her eyes made my heart ache. I’d have to start taking notes about her stories. Make some cheesy gestures of my own.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.” She looked up at me and smiled. “I’m glad we’re here.”

“Me too.” I tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and into the band of the hat.

I beamed with pride as the Cowboys kicked off, not just because of my community, but because sharing this moment with Lucy was special. It was a beginning. We had hundreds of Calamity events in our future. Of nights together, sharing moments under the stars. There’d been a lot of moments lately. I’d only be satisfied with a lifetime more.

She was special and I wasn’t letting her go. Maybe I’d known since Yellowstone that Lucy was the one.

The Cowboys were up by ten as halftime approached, and the concession stands would be a madhouse soon.

“Want a hot dog or nachos?” I asked Lucy.

“Both. With a Diet Coke, please.”

“Okay.” I squeezed her knee. “Be back.”

I made my way through the stands, returning waves and nods and keeping one eye on the game until the field was out of sight. The lines were already forming at the concession booth, and I spotted a familiar face in the farthest row.

“Hi, Travis.” I clapped him on the shoulder. “First night of freedom?”

“Yeah.” He gave me a sheepish grin. “Let’s see if I can go a week without getting grounded again.”

“How about we aim for a month?” I chuckled. “Good timing. I’ll buy you dinner.”

“Mom gave me money.”

“I got it.” We shuffled forward in line one place. “Are you at home this weekend or with your grandparents?”

“Grandma and Grandpa. Mom was meeting some ‘friend.’” He rolled his eyes with the air quotes. “Which means she’ll be out all night.”

Was Melanie seeing someone? If she was, that would explain Travis’s attitude. Too much was changing on him, including his body. He looked an inch taller than when he’d come over earlier this week to mow my lawn in exchange for twenty bucks of gas money.

“You’re, uh . . . you’re here with Jade?” he asked though he already knew the answer. I’d spotted him in the student section earlier, looking our way.

“Yes.” I nodded. “Which means it’s the perfect night for you to give her an apology for missing Spanish lessons.”

Lucy had spent each of her Wednesday afternoons the past two weeks waiting for Travis to stand her up. He’d been consistent.

He groaned.

“Someday, you’d better learn that you don’t leave a woman waiting. And when you do, you apologize.”

He hung his head. “I don’t need a tutor.”

“Your grades say otherwise.” So far, he’d flunked his first two Spanish quizzes.

Travis grumbled something under his breath about the teacher.

“One session. You meet with her for one session and I’ll give you an extra twenty bucks.”

Yes, I was bribing him. But if I could just get him in front of Lucy for an hour, he’d fall for her. Just like I had. That was worth a twenty.

“Fine,” he grumbled.

“And the apology. Tonight.”

He nodded. The only reason he was this agreeable was because he was probably running short on spending money and his lawn mowing income was about to get snowed on.

We finally reached the concession window and I ordered our food. Travis helped me carry it to the bleachers, clutching our haul close as we squeezed past the opposing flow of traffic exiting the stands.

Lucy was chatting with Kerrigan, who stood a few rows down. When the pair spotted us, Kerrigan waved goodbye and Lucy’s smile widened. As her gaze shifted to Travis, she sat up straighter.

Her determination was showing. Lucy wanted Travis, more than any other person in Calamity, to like her.

“Thanks, babe,” she said as I handed her a tray of nachos and pop. “Hi, Travis.”

“Hey.” The seat beside me was taken so Travis had no choice but to sit beside Lucy.

I leaned forward, arching an eyebrow in a silent reminder that his twenty bucks had to be earned.

“Sorry,” he muttered to her. “For standing you up.”

“Thank you.” Lucy cast me a glance and winked.

“I’ll, uh, be there on Wednesday.”

“Then so will I.” She dunked a chip in the nacho cheese and popped it into her mouth, chewing with a grin.

Travis surprised me by sitting with us while we ate. He devoured three of the seven hot dogs I’d bought, plus a boat of nachos.

“Want another hot dog?” Lucy offered. “I’m only going to eat one.”

“Sure.” He shrugged and took it from her, eating it at normal human speed this time.

We’d all finished by the time the team came back on the field and the stands were again full of spectators.

“You don’t play football?” Lucy asked Travis.

He shook his head. “Not my thing.”

Someone caught Travis’s eye and I followed his gaze, spotting Savannah walking along the bottom aisle with a group of girls. She looked up and gave him a smile. Then she shifted her gaze to me and stuck out her tongue.

Brat.

She had her troubles at home so I gave her a pass on some of her behavior. But she also courted some of her problems. Savannah was wild. I suspected that spirit of hers was much like Hux’s had been before prison.

Travis made a move to stand but I reached behind Lucy and put my hand on his shoulder, forcing his ass back to the bench.

“Don’t even think about it.”

“What?” he asked, feigning innocence.

I scowled. “You know exactly what.”

“She’s my friend.”

“She’s a bad influence.”

“Come on, Duke. Savannah’s not that bad.”

“Tell me the truth. Did she give you that vape pen?”

Guilt flooded his expression, saving him from answering.

“That’s what I thought,” I muttered.

“She’s my friend,” he said, quietly this time, without any defense.

“Be her friend.” Lucy nudged his shoulder with hers. “Help her make good choices.”

He gave her a solemn nod and shifted his attention to the field just as Lucy mumbled, “Son of a bitch.”

“What?” I asked.

She pointed to her lap where a glob of red ketchup clung to the denim on her thigh.

I chuckled and handed over a napkin from the extras I’d brought for just this reason.

“I spill,” Lucy told Travis as she cleaned her jeans. Then she popped the last bite of her hot dog in her mouth, focusing on the game just as a ref blew his whistle and threw a yellow flag.

The stands erupted in cheers—the penalty was for the visiting team.

“It’s about time.” Lucy clapped. “That kid’s been holding all night. Good of the refs to finally notice. It only took until the third quarter.”

I blinked.

Travis stared at her with an open mouth.

Damn, there was something sexy about a woman who knew football.

“What?” She shrugged. “My dad liked football. He taught me the rules when we watched on Sunday and Monday nights. And I used to go to a lot of Titans games.”

Probably to sing the national anthem.

“I like the Titans,” Travis said. “Except Cal Stark seems like a dickhead.”

“Oh, he’s a massive dickhead.” Lucy laughed. “But he wins football games, so he gets to keep being a dickhead.”

“And make millions of dollars.”

She nodded. “This one time, I saw him freak out because he stepped in his own gum. His. Own. Gum. He spit it on the concrete at the stadium, got stopped by a reporter and forgot that he’d been too lazy to find a trash can, then stepped in it. He blamed the reporter. Douche.”

Travis laughed, then launched into something he’d heard on ESPN, never realizing that the reason Lucy knew so much about Cal Stark was because she likely knew him personally.

I grinned, listening to the two of them rip Cal to shreds as the game played on.

Travis stayed through the beginning of the fourth quarter until he finally loaded up a pile of garbage and stood. “Thanks for dinner.”

“Welcome,” I said.

“See you Wednesday,” he told Lucy, then shuffled down the row and disappeared back into the mass of students.

“He’s going to like me,” she said, leaning into my side. “He’s going to like me.”

“Yeah, baby. He’s going to love you.”

“Yes.” She fist-pumped in her lap.

We watched the rest of the game, cheering as the Cowboys won. There was no rush to leave the stadium and we hung back, moving with the lumbering crowd to the parking lot. In a sea of glow-red taillights, we waited our turn and inched toward the exit.

We met Travis’s car at the end of a row. He waved from behind the wheel. Savannah was in the passenger seat.

“Where’s his father?” Lucy asked.

“I’m not sure. Melanie didn’t know him well. And it wasn’t something we talked about much.”

“He’s lucky to have you. What did you have to give him to get him to agree to meet me on Wednesday?”

I chuckled. It shouldn’t surprise me she’d known there was something at play. “Twenty bucks.”

“And four hot dogs.” She giggled, then her expression turned more serious. “I wish . . . never mind.”

“Wish what?”

She slumped into her seat. “This was the first time I had to hold myself back.”

“From what?”

“From who I am. I wish I could have told him the reason I know Cal Stark is a dickhead is because he dated Everly for a hot minute a few years ago. That I could get him tickets to a Titans game if he ever wanted to go because the owner’s wife is a huge fan of my music. I just . . . tonight, I wished I didn’t have to be Jade.”

“I get it.” I wished she could be Lucy too.

“I created this entirely new person, but she doesn’t have any memories. She doesn’t have a past or a family or friends. It’s strange, stepping into her shoes. When we’re together, I’m Lucy. And the closer I get to other people in Calamity, the more I want to be Lucy with them too. I’ve been back and forth on the Jade Morgan thing. I feel stuck in the middle and I’m not sure which way to go.”

Because she didn’t have options. She wasn’t really free to decide, not with how things were at the moment.

I reached across the console and took her hand off her lap, then threaded my fingers with hers. More than anything, I wanted her to be free. I wanted to stop reminding myself before we went anywhere to call her Jade. I wanted to stop worrying about the lurking, invisible threat.

The only way to do that was to find this stalker.

“The only way you get to be you is if we end this for good. Let’s give Blake some time. When I talked to him last, he said he was wrapping up a job in LA, then he’d get to Nashville.”

She turned and stared out her window, taking in the dimly lit streets of Calamity as we made our way down First. “I hope he finds something.”

“Me too.”

“And I want to call Everly.”

“Lu—”

“Please. I need to know that she’s okay. Maybe I’ll never be Lucy Ross again—at least, the Lucy Ross I was—but I’m not going to give up the people I love. If that brings this entire disappearance thing crashing down on our heads, we’ll deal with it.”

We. It wasn’t her tackling this alone. She knew without needing me to remind her that we were in this together. Not that it made me feel any better about her re-forming that tie to Nashville.

“It’s a risk,” I said.

“If we both have burner phones?”

“Mitigates it some, but I don’t know . . . I feel uneasy about it. Can we wait until after Blake gets there and does some digging?”

“That could be weeks and it’s already been a month.” She sighed and lifted my hand, bringing my knuckles to her lips. “I want to call her.”

And I wanted to keep her safe. But not at the expense of her happiness.

“Okay.” I nodded. “I’ll get in touch with Everly. Get her your new number.”

Despite the warning light flashing in the back of my mind.

A storm was coming. I just wasn’t sure when or how hard it was going to hit.