Big Sky Dynasty

“A thousand dollars? Don’t you find that a little unusual?”

“No, obviously she’d seen the sign and knew how much she needed to rent the apartment,” Georgia said, getting annoyed. “She probably thought I wouldn’t take an out-of-town check.”

“Sounds like the woman at least didn’t just stumble in off the street,” Rory said. “She had to be planning to rent the apartment if she had the money ready. I suppose that’s good news. Still, you have to wonder what a woman like that is doing in Whitehorse.”

Nicci had kind of stumbled into the shop, Georgia thought. But only because she’d been outside looking at the For Rent sign. And a woman like Nicci Corbett probably wouldn’t think a thing about carrying around a thousand dollars in cash.

Rory was just jealous.

Once Rory met Nicci, she would like her and stop this.

“I’d better get busy,” Georgia said, a little irritated with Rory. She’d called her friend to see about getting together, but now let it go. “See you at knitting class later?”

“Are you kidding? I can’t wait. I have to meet your new renter.”

MORNINGS WERE USUALLY slow at the shop and Georgia was thankful for it today. The summer day got remarkably hot fast. Just as she had yesterday, Georgia had opened both the front and back doors and had fans going. Few people in Montana had air conditioning since it was needed for such a short period of time each year.

But this morning with all the work she had to do, she would have loved the convenience. Her biggest problem though was that she couldn’t get her conversation with Rory out of her mind.

What bothered her most was that Rory was right. Georgia didn’t know anything about the woman she’d rented the apartment to. She had an application form that she’d planned to use for any interested renter, but she’d forgotten to get Nicci to fill it out. Now she felt funny about asking her to do it since Nicci had already moved in and wouldn’t be staying long anyway.

Georgia was bent over one of the bins of yarn when she heard someone behind her. Straightening as she turned, she was shocked to see who.

“Didn’t mean to startle you again,” the cowboy said in his slight Southern drawl. He held a huge bouquet of roses. Dragging off his Stetson, he added, “I’m Dalton Corbett.”

“Georgia Michaels,” she said, taken off guard.

He smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ve only come in to apologize and give you these as a peace offering.” He held out the flowers. “I truly am sorry for the way I behaved yesterday.”

She smiled in spite of herself as she rose to her feet. He looked genuinely apologetic and she felt horribly guilty. He’d accused her of lying yesterday—and had been right.

“Thank you,” she said, taking the flowers even though she didn’t deserve them. “This really wasn’t necessary.”

“It was and if there is anything else I can do, I’d be most happy to do it,” he said. “My behavior was inexcusable yesterday. I was upset. I thought I saw someone…someone I knew but didn’t expect to see here in town.”

She felt a wave of sympathy for him. No man got as upset as he had yesterday unless he loved his wife. That made Georgia feel even worse since she knew Nicci had come to Whitehorse only to divorce the poor man.

“Please, don’t give it another thought, and the flowers were very thoughtful.” Georgia could see what Nicci had seen in the man. Dalton Corbett, along with being movie-star handsome with thick dark hair and bright blue eyes, was also gracious and quite charming.

Yesterday Georgia had found his height and muscled arms and broad shoulders intimidating. Is that why Nicci had been afraid of him?

He certainly didn’t seem dangerous now. If anything Georgia found him gentle. But then Nicci had said he wasn’t dangerous to anyone except her.

Georgia couldn’t help but notice also that his hands were callused and his skin tanned dark from the sun. This was a hardworking man, not an idle rich one as she’d assumed when she heard about the Corbetts and their wealth and land.

“Apology accepted then?”

“Apology accepted,” Georgia said.

He smiled so broadly that she felt as if the entire room had lit up. “Thank you.” His gaze locked with hers for a moment, then acting almost embarrassed, he’d glanced around the shop. “So you sell yarn.”

She laughed. “I also teach knitting and crocheting and embroidery.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“And I’ve had one or two men attend my classes.”

He looked uncomfortable. “I appreciate you for accepting my apology and not making me learn to knit as payback.”

“I wish I’d thought of it. You might have found knitting relaxing.” She laughed as she tried to imagine knitting needles in his big callused hands. “I can’t really see you knitting.”

He laughed then too, a warm, natural sound that made her soften even more toward him.

“Well, I won’t keep you any longer,” he said, backing toward the door. Slipping his Stetson back on his head, he tipped his hat to her. “It was nice meeting you, Georgia Michaels.”

She smiled and sniffed the bouquet he’d given her as he left, thinking how nice he’d been and wondering what had gone wrong with his marriage to Nicci. They were both gorgeous and both probably rich. But Georgia doubted Nicci had worked a day in her life. Still maybe there was a chance they would reconcile if Nicci stayed around long enough.

Georgia hoped that was possible for Dalton Corbett’s sake. He really seemed like a nice man, a man who would take his vows to love, honor and cherish very seriously. Not a man who would ever hurt his wife.

DALTON HOPED he’d handled the situation with Georgia Michaels the right way. If it had been any other woman than the yarn shop owner, he might have tried to persuade her into telling him what had happened to Nicci after he’d left the shop yesterday. He might even have offered a bribe.

But one good look into Georgia Michael’s pretty, sweet, girl-next-door face and he knew he would be wasting his time. Kindheartedness radiated from the woman the way greed radiated from other women he’d met.

Even at the threat of death, Georgia Michaels would cover for another woman who she believed to be in danger. And that, Dalton thought, would be her downfall.

He parked up the street in sight of the shop and now all he could do was wait. If he knew Nicci, which even in their short intense time together, he did, then she would take advantage of a woman like Georgia.

Georgia Michaels was everything Nicci was not, and Nicci would use that to her advantage. Which meant it was just a matter of time before Nicci returned to the yarn shop. She had found a sympathetic woman who’d already helped her. Getting Georgia to help her again would be child’s play for a woman like Nicci.

He had to assume from the way Georgia had acted at the shop yesterday that Nicci had brought in an Academy Award winning role as the helpless woman in need. Even if Nicci did return to the shop, he couldn’t go in there demanding she talk to him.

Georgia Michaels had already proven she wouldn’t hesitate to call the sheriff. Nicci would be counting on that having gained the shop owner’s trust.

A little before nine, women began to enter the knitting shop one after another. None of them was Nicci, though. Each woman carried a bag, probably going to one of those classes, Georgia had mentioned. While he had no idea what Nicci had been doing the last nine years, he knew she hadn’t taken up knitting.

So how would she ingratiate herself into the shop owner’s life and exploit that relationship? Just Georgia Michaels’s luck that Nicci had chosen her shop to duck into yesterday. Or had Nicci planned it that way all along?

Dalton grew impatient, anxious to ask Nicci where she’d been all this time and even more to the point what she was doing alive.

Still no sign of Nicci, Dalton started the engine and drove down past the yarn shop. He glanced toward the front window, but the glare of the sun off the glass made it impossible to see inside.

What he did see though stopped his heart cold. Yesterday there’d been an Apartment for Rent sign in the front window. He hadn’t noticed it earlier when he’d gone into the shop.

But now there was no mistaking.

The sign was gone.

“AGNES?” Georgia exclaimed when the elderly woman arrived for knitting class.