Christmas At Cardwell Ranch. B.J. Daniels
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that she was our most reliable employee.”
He nodded. If it wasn’t for the ransacked condo, he would have just figured the woman had met some man and fallen hard. People in love often became less reliable employees.
Hud assured Lily he’d let her know when he heard something. But he could tell nothing he might say would relieve her worry. After seeing the inside of the condo, he shared her concern.
* * *
WITH HER SHIFT finally over, Teresa Evans opened the back door of the bar and looked out at the falling snow. She had mixed feelings about seeing her boyfriend after the fight they’d had earlier before she’d left for work.
But she didn’t have to worry about it. The main parking lot was empty. No Ethan sitting out here in his old pickup, the engine running, the wipers trying to keep up with the falling snow. No Ethan at all.
The only vehicles were Reggie’s SUV and Ace’s old Jeep. Both were covered in snow.
“Do you need a ride?” Reggie asked behind her, making her jump. The other server stopped to frown at her. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” she said a little too sharply.
Reggie raised an eyebrow.
“Didn’t Lily say Mia left with someone else earlier?” Teresa asked. “Her car’s gone.”
Reggie glanced to the spot where Mia had parked earlier. Teresa followed her gaze. There was a rectangular spot in the snow where the car had been.
“I guess she must have come back for it,” Reggie said with a shrug. “I hope she wasn’t as drunk as that customer thought she was. Bad night to be driving as it is.”
“Yeah,” Teresa agreed. “Or to be working.”
Reggie took hold of her arm and gently squeezed it through Teresa’s coat. “Hey, accidents happen. Ace knows that.”
It took her a moment to realize that Reggie was referring to the tray of glasses she’d dropped earlier in the evening when she was clearing one of the tables. “Clumsy,” she said to cover the truth. “I think I’m coming down with something.”
“Is everything okay with Ethan?” Reggie asked, lowering her voice, as they stood under the shelter of the small landing just outside the bar. Reggie didn’t look at her when she asked it. Instead, she pretended more interest in digging her keys out of her purse.
Teresa stared through the falling snow, trying to conjure Ethan and his old pickup. “We’re good.” That wasn’t exactly true, but it was too cold to get into it out here in the wee hours of the morning. “I appreciate you asking, though.”
“Hey, we’re friends. You sure you don’t want a ride?” Reggie said, looking around as she found her keys in the bottom of her shoulder bag. “I don’t see Ethan.”
“He’ll be along soon. He probably just fell asleep. I’ll give him a call. If worse comes to worst, I’ll walk. It’s not that far.”
Reggie looked skeptical. “You’d be soaked to the skin if you walked in this.” But she let it drop, no doubt sensing that whatever was going on with Teresa, it wasn’t something she wanted to talk about. “Well, then, I’ll see you tomorrow. I just hope it won’t be as crazy as it was tonight.” With that, Reggie stepped off the covered landing and headed for her car.
Teresa found herself wondering when Mia had come back for her vehicle as she watched Reggie clean the snow from her car and finally drive away. She couldn’t shake the memory of what Mia had said to her earlier.
Several cars went by, disappearing quickly into the falling snow. Still no sign of Ethan. Reaching into her pocket, she told herself he had probably fallen asleep and forgotten to set the alarm. Her pocket was empty. She tried the other one. Empty. With a groan, she remembered leaving her cell phone on the breakfast bar earlier. She’d been in such a rush to get out of the apartment and away from Ethan, she’d forgotten it.
Ethan wasn’t coming. Had she really expected him to come after the fight they’d had? She considered going back inside the bar to wait, but she didn’t want Ace to know Ethan had stood her up. As soon as Reggie’s taillights disappeared in the snowstorm, Teresa started the walk home.
The fight earlier had been another of those stupid ones.
“I need to know you want to marry me and have this baby,” he’d said while she was getting ready for work.
“Stop pressuring me.” Ever since she’d told him she was pregnant, he’d been so protective that sometimes she couldn’t breathe. He was determined they had to get married and settle down. His idea of settling down was moving closer to his parents, who lived down in Billings.
“I don’t think your new friend Mia is good for you. I saw her talking to some guy the other day. I’ve seen him before. He’s bad news.”
Teresa stifled a groan.
“I don’t want you getting involved in some drug deal, or worse.”
She had turned to face him, unable to hide her growing impatience. Ethan had been like this ever since he’d gone to the law enforcement academy and was now working for the Montana Highway Patrol.
“I’m sure Mia isn’t involved in any kind of drug deal.”
“Your friend might not realize what she’s getting herself into with a man like that.”
It made her angry to hear him talk this way. “Mia’s a big girl,” she’d snapped. “She can take care of herself.” When Ethan looked skeptical, she’d added, “Mia carries a gun.” Instantly, she’d wished she hadn’t added that part.
“She what?” he’d demanded.
“It’s just a small one. She wears it strapped on her ankle.”
Ethan had sworn and begun to pace. “You’re hanging out with a woman who carries a concealed weapon? Does she even have a permit to carry it?”
“Damn it, Ethan. Stop acting like a narc.”
He had stopped dead in his tracks. “What?”
“It’s just that you used to be fun. Now you’re such a...”
He had waited for her to finish.
“Cop.”
Without another word, he’d grabbed his coat and left.
Still, she couldn’t imagine him not picking her up. He was too concerned about her and the baby. Something must have come up with his job, she thought now as she walked through the deep snow toward the apartment they shared.
Ethan had been her high school sweetheart. She smiled to herself now as she thought of how they’d been back then. He had been adventurous, up for anything. His friends said he was crazy fun.
But a couple of years ago, he’d almost gotten into some serious trouble with some ex-friends of his. The incident had apparently scared him straight. He was no longer crazy fun. Far from it.
Teresa wasn’t sure she wanted to be married to a cop. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be married to Ethan. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to be pregnant.
Shoving those thoughts away, she found herself worrying about Mia as she ducked her head against the thick falling snow. Tonight she’d seen Mia get into some kind of argument with a man who’d come into the bar alone. The conversation had looked personal—and definitely heated. At one point the man had grabbed Mia’s arm. In the skirmish, the man ended up spilling his drink on her.
Teresa had quickly stepped in.
“Back off. I have it under control,” Mia had snapped, wiping at her alcohol-soaked jeans.
Teresa might have argued differently, but the man had raised his head and looked right at her before getting up and leaving.