Over the Moon Read online

  She was striking, from her wide green eyes to her high cheekbones and full lips, but what threw him off balance was the unflappable confidence she radiated. She’d just been caught by the local law and yet she didn’t seem in the least bit concerned. Who was this woman and what was she doing here riding the Ferris wheel?

  His shock must have shown on his face because she laughed, clearly finding his discomfort and confusion more amusing than he did.

  “Marshal Baggins.” She spoke the words with authority, her voice slightly husky, almost sexy. She didn’t really think she could charm him, did she? Maybe she’d beguiled the Ferris wheel operator but he was just a teen. This wasn’t Leroy’s first rodeo. He wouldn’t prove to be such a pushover.

  Moonlight danced across her face as she closed the distance between them. “Everything I’ve heard about you is apparently true.” She held out her hand. “TJ Walker, hired gun.”

  There was now a teasing sparkle in those eyes that said she was enjoying his discomfort. Not only had she caught him by surprise, he realized that she’d been watching him from her perch on the Ferris wheel.

  Everything she’d heard about him? He took her hand automatically. Her grip was strong, the skin cool even on this warm end-of-summer night, but not as cool as her demeanor. She seemed to know who he was, but he had no clue as to her. Frowning and caught even more off guard, he had only a moment to wonder how she knew anything about him since she clearly wasn’t from around here.

  “Hired gun?” he repeated with growing exasperation. Who was this cocky woman who’d probably only had to flash that smile of hers at that teenaged carnival operator to get him to start up the Ferris wheel for her?

  “I’m here with my security team,” she said. “We were hired by Vi Mullen on behalf of the town to make sure this event goes off without a hitch. I can assure you—”

  “You’re security?” He couldn’t keep the astonishment out of his voice. “And you think this—” he waved his arm to take in the carnival ride “—is the best way to keep everyone safe?”

  She chuckled. “I’m a sucker for a Ferris wheel, but I also like to check things out before everyone arrives. I like getting a feel for where I am, and it was a nice view from up there—until you shined your flashlight in my face and blinded me. It’s a wonder I didn’t fall.”

  She touched his bare arm with just the tips of her fingertips, but it was enough to make him react as if touched by a live current. She quickly drew her hand back, grinning as she said, “I’m kidding, Marshal. I was fine up there. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m here to make your job easier.”

  He had his doubts about that, which must have been written all over his face.

  “I’ve seen enough for tonight though. How about you?” she said and motioned toward the exit as a semi geared down at the edge of town. The two-lane strip of blacktop cut right through the heart of the small town, traveling past the new fairgrounds. The highway was the only way in—or out—of Buckhorn.

  She removed her sweatshirt, exposing a pale green short-sleeved T-shirt beneath and a holstered weapon snug against her side.

  “You have a permit to carry that?”

  “Of course.” She casually slung the sweatshirt over one shoulder. He could feel her gaze on him as they began to walk toward the exit. “I can see that you’re not convinced about me and my team. Maybe if you meet us, discuss any reservations you have, we can convince you that we know what we’re doing.”

  She didn’t give him a chance to answer. “How about tomorrow morning?” she continued. “Breakfast at the café? I heard a woman named Bessie makes the best cinnamon rolls in this part of Montana.”

  Leroy felt as if he was on one of the wilder carnival rides. This woman threw him off-kilter in so many ways. He wasn’t at all sure that she and her team could do the job. Which meant they would have to be replaced. He groaned inwardly. The celebration started tomorrow. How long would it take to get another security team—even if one could be found?

  “Seven good for you, Marshal? You look like a man who likes to start the day early.”

  “Seven.” He told himself that if her “team” was anything like her, he would be having a serious talk with Vi Mullen. Where had Vi found this woman? When he’d told Vi she’d have to provide private security, TJ Walker was definitely not what he had in mind. He hated to think what her crew was like.

  As they reached the parking lot, he watched her head for a large motorcycle sitting off to the side in shadow. He hadn’t noticed it when he’d parked his patrol SUV earlier.

  “See you in the morning, Marshal,” she said over her shoulder. She was smiling as she stuffed the sweatshirt into a bag on the bike, pulled on a helmet and leather jacket and swung onto the seat. He couldn’t help noticing her shapely, muscled, bronzed arms and long legs again as the engine rumbled to life and she took off in a cloud of dust, leaving him standing in the lot shaking his head.

  He’d had more than misgivings when Vi Mullen had told him about her plans for Buckhorn’s birthday. Now he felt as if the whole event was already out of control and it hadn’t even officially started yet.

  * * *

  TJ ROARED DOWN the main drag of Buckhorn, Montana. She thought of the marshal, the man so full of indignation and authority in his Stetson and boots, and couldn’t help smiling. The cowboy cop was just as uptight as she’d been told. A by the book lawman. What she hadn’t realized was how young he would be or how attractive.

  She could appreciate both—from a distance.

  TJ had barely gotten her speed up on her bike when she had to shut it down again. The town ended at the new hotel out past the old-timey gas station. Buckhorn was the kind of town that had she blinked, she would have missed it. She was amazed that the burg had survived for a hundred and twenty-five years and even more astonished that it seemed to be growing. While in a beautiful setting in a narrow valley between two mountain ranges, the town was so far from anything, she wondered how people survived here.

  She breathed in the sweet night air scented with pine. Buckhorn had its appeal, she had to admit. She liked being in the middle of nowhere with more cows than people. She liked that the town was tucked into the mountains, secluded and small enough that everyone knew their neighbors. It was a nice change from the big cities where they usually worked.

  She’d done some checking on Leroy Baggins, whose nickname was, according to one of the other deputies, By the Book Baggins, no doubt for a good reason. She’d been anxious to meet him. Now that she had, she thought he fit right into this country. A born and raised Montanan, he knew his way around a gun and a horse. But when it came to women?

  From what she’d heard no woman had ever put her brand on him. A few had tried to hog-tie him, but he’d slipped the loop. Was he just skittish when it came to women? Or had he never met anyone who could get past that stuffy reserve of his?

  She smiled to herself remembering his surprise when he’d met her. She definitely hadn’t been what he’d expected. She and the team would have to prove to him tomorrow that they were up for the job. She wasn’t worried.

  TJ was always curious about the law enforcement she’d be working with. Marshal Leroy Baggins intrigued her. She couldn’t imagine how he could be any more fusty. She wondered what it would take to get him to loosen up. Not that she planned to find out.

  As she swung into the parking lot of the recently completed Buckhorn Hotel, she told herself it was only for four days and then she’d be on to another job, another state, another hotel room. The nomadic life had chosen her almost four years ago, filling her with a restlessness, making her feel that she had something to prove to herself.

  Her earlier adrenaline rush from the Ferris wheel ride—and the new job—was waning even with the fun of meeting the inscrutable marshal. She realized she was tired after a long drive across the state. Sometimes she wished that she took more time between jobs. As it was, she hated to fly, preferring to hop on her bike to the next job whenever she could. She liked the open road, that feeling of freedom—something else that had changed in her life not quite four years ago, she thought as she parked.

  Yawning, she stretched and looked up at the amazing night sky overhead. So many stars against that midnight blue canvas. She hoped she didn’t regret taking this gig. Only hours ago, she and her team had provided security at a private party of celebs at Big Sky. Just like the jobs, the two communities couldn’t have been more different. Big Sky was more of an enclave for the wealthy while Buckhorn... It was as rural, isolated and antiquated as a place could get.

  When the Buckhorn birthday party job had come up, she’d jumped at the opportunity since the team would already be in Montana and had the time. The celebration at the fairgrounds would definitely be a change of pace and who knew if they would ever get back to Montana again.

  As she started through the hotel lobby, she caught the sound of laughter coming from the lounge and glanced in that direction. It was a typical hotel lounge, though smaller than most, with stools at the bar and a few booths off to the side.

  But what caught her eye was the television screen at the end of the bar. The image of a man had appeared and disappeared so quickly that she wasn’t even sure of what she’d seen. Just a flash of a man’s face in profile.

  Instantly, her stomach dropped, her pulse spiking, heart hammering. She felt that old sickening feeling before she reminded herself that she’d put the fear and shame and humiliation behind her. She wasn’t that innocent young woman anymore. She was strong and capable, a woman to be reckoned with. Her life had completely changed after her encounter with him. Because of him. And she hadn’t even gotten his name—someth
ing she later realized was the way he’d planned their meeting. He’d never wanted her to be able to find him.

  He’d called himself Worth, but that had turned out either to be a lie or only part of his real name. He had definitely not been registered at the hotel under the last name Worth. It had been four years, but she hadn’t forgotten the night she’d lost more than her innocence—or the man who’d taken it from her. She’d often wondered what she would do if she ever saw him again.

  Walking into the hotel lounge, she saw that there were only two couples in a booth and one man on a barstool talking to the male bartender. “That man who was just on the TV,” she asked the patron at the bar and the bartender. “Did you catch his name?”

  The bartender looked startled. “Sorry, I wasn’t paying any attention.”

  He glanced at the man he’d been visiting with, who said, “It was the local news, if that helps.”

  She nodded. “Thanks.” As she walked away, she questioned whether it had been him. But a glimpse of the man’s profile had brought back the trauma.

  You’re just tired, she told herself as she moved through the lobby, but she knew better. It had been him. She was sure of it. But if she was right, what was she going to do about it?

  A part of her wanted to track him down. And do what? Just tell him off? No, she thought, she needed to concentrate on this job. Better if it wasn’t him. Hadn’t she been trying to put that night behind her for years now?

  She texted her team to meet her in the conference room downstairs. They’d all opted to stay here in town at the hotel so they could be near the action and close to the job. TJ knew she would get plenty of “action” on the double shifts she planned to work during the four-day event. She didn’t sleep that well anyway. Because of the long workdays she was glad to have a room so close by so she could at least try to grab a few hours’ sleep.

  By the time one woman and two men entered the room a few minutes later, TJ was back in full control, the glimpse of the man on the television forgotten. She’d hand-chosen her team for this because they were good at their jobs.

  Lane came in behind the other two, closing the door behind him. Ash and Zinnia had already pulled up chairs on either side of her at the table. Lane joined them, all of them looking expectant since they hadn’t planned to meet again until morning.

  Lane and Ash were both surfer blond and scary strong. They were the muscle, but they were also supersmart. Zinnia, or Z as they called her, was deceptively sweet looking so more dangerous than a person suspected. She could open any locked door or device faster than anyone TJ had ever seen. She also didn’t mind small spaces and, being petite in stature, could crawl through narrow openings when needed.

  TJ had worked closely with all three of them and trusted them. That’s why she’d chosen them for these particular jobs in Montana. They were in Buckhorn to protect not only people and property at the event, but also to see that the proceeds from admission were secure each day after the celebration closed down for the night.

  “I met the marshal earlier,” TJ said as they were all seated. “We’re having breakfast with him in the morning at seven at the café downtown. He’s a little concerned about whether or not we can handle security on this job.”

  Zinnia chuckled. “You want us to demonstrate?”

  “I doubt it will come to that.” She looked at each of them in turn, knowing each of their strengths. She’d worked with all of them, but this was the first time the four of them had worked together.

  After this event, they would all be working other jobs for Walker Security Inc., across the country, each going his or her own way. TJ had her reasons for mixing it up. She didn’t like any of them to get too comfortable with each other.

  “This is an easy gig,” she told them now. “Almost like the end of summer vacation.” At least she hoped that was the case as she wished them all a good night.

  Once in her room, she turned on the television, but the local news was over. If that had been the man she recognized earlier, she’d missed it. What would he have been doing on the local news anyway? She was in Buckhorn, Montana. It wasn’t the end of the earth, but it felt that way.

  She turned off the television and moved to the window, opened it and breathed in the cool night air. She could see the black outline of the mountains that bordered the town on two sides.

  For some reason, as she looked out at the night, she thought about the marshal and wondered how deep his roots went in this county. She’d heard he was all lawman, a confirmed bachelor and an unflappable marshal. From what she’d seen, she could attest to that. It was that strong, stubborn jaw of his, she thought and smiled.

  But what kept him here? The land, the lifestyle, the job? He was ambitious, the fact that he’d made marshal at such a young age proved that. It had to be more than the land and the job. Not a woman apparently.

  Yawning, she closed the window and the curtains and got ready for bed. Tomorrow would be a big day. If she couldn’t convince the marshal that she and her team knew what they were doing, they could be hitting the road.

  While she didn’t think that would happen, she had a feeling that she and Baggins had entirely different approaches to security—and life.

  CHAPTER TWO

  DAY ONE

  VIVIAN “VI” MULLEN stood in the predawn dark of her general store simply reveling in what she’d accomplished. Today was the first day of Buckhorn’s birthday celebration! She couldn’t have been more excited. She just hoped that everyone who’d promised to attend would.

  Taking deep breaths, she tried to relax. She loved this time of the morning before the town had yet to come alive. Well, as much as Buckhorn could come alive. She felt such a sense of ownership and not just because her family had helped found the town.

  She’d put her heart and soul into Buckhorn over the years, but no more than she had recently by planning its one hundred and twenty-fifth birthday celebration. It was her baby, both the town and the event. And damned if she would let anything—or anyone—spoil it, especially her ex-husband.

  Axel had sent a text that he would be attending the celebration and that they needed to talk. She’d signed the divorce papers he’d sent her and returned them to him, so what else was there to say? Since getting the text, she’d had a bad feeling she couldn’t shake and realized she hadn’t had confirmation that the papers had ever been filed.

  She’d been surprised when Axel had agreed to walk away with what he’d brought into the marriage—little more than the clothes on his back and what she considered severance pay. This store, the antique barn, the property, all of it had been in her family when he’d come into her life with his big talk and disarming smile.

  Had he changed his mind and now he wanted more of a payoff?

  That would be a mistake on his part, she thought as she clenched her fists at her sides. If he knew her at all, he should be smarter than that.

  Her cell phone rang, making her start. Because she’d been thinking about him, she thought it would be him. Axel hadn’t said when he would be arriving. With the celebration starting today, she assumed it would be soon.

  But as she checked her phone, she saw with relief that it wasn’t him. What had she been thinking? He never rose this early in the morning unless forced to.

  Her relief was short-lived as she saw though that the call was from the mental facility where her niece Jennifer was being held. “Now what?” she said under her breath and quickly declined the call. Whatever trouble Jen was in would have to wait. Vi couldn’t deal with it right now. She had a birthday celebration to worry about. Everything had to go just as she’d planned it. Her reputation was at stake.

  Her thoughts returned to Axel against her will—and that first day he’d hit town. Cocky and cool, he’d walked into the store and flashed that smile at her. She’d been easy prey—a plain Jane who’d never been more than a hundred miles from Buckhorn her whole life, all eighteen years of it.