Smokescreen (Pros and Cons Mysteries #2)

Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

O live was swinging on the porch swing, listening as rain poured from the sky and watching as lightning occasionally broke the darkness. The rumble of thunder added to the overall ambience.

She wished for a second that she had someone to share this moment with, someone who might enjoy a good thunderstorm as much as she did.

Reid was inside going over a few things with Cooper about tomorrow’s barbecue. She’d been sitting out here, both enjoying the storm and hoping she might run into Trick. But she hadn’t seen him yet.

Her thoughts turned to Jason. What would it be like if he was here to enjoy these moments with her?

A moment of hope panged inside her.

Why were her thoughts going there again? She’d managed to keep people at arm’s length for so long. Now Jason kept popping into her thoughts. She had to get that under control.

Thunder rumbled again.

Olive and her sisters had often told ghost stories to each other when it stormed. Actually, Olive had told the stories, and her sisters had listened.

Until her mom found out about it and Olive got in trouble. It might have had something to do with the fact her sisters usually couldn’t sleep afterward and had nightmares.

They used to climb under a sheet with a flashlight, leaving the lights off in the room. Then the spooky stories emerged.

Olive smiled at the memory.

Her grin faded as a pang of grief filled her chest cavity.

She had no one to reminisce about those times with anymore. Life had chosen to spit her out and leave her alone. Birthdays, holidays, milestone celebrations . . . she was meant to celebrate those solo.

The sound of a car coming down the lane pulled her from her melancholy thoughts.

Who now?

The white Tesla pulled to a nose-dive stop in front of the house, and a moment later a leggy redhead stepped out.

The woman—probably in her late twenties—looked vaguely familiar. Olive was usually good with faces, but she couldn’t quite place this woman. She didn’t think they’d met before.

The visitor stormed up the steps, holding her gold-sheened clutch over her head as if the small accessory might keep her dry. No such luck. The woman’s black mini skirt and tight pink sweater seemed out of place here on the ranch.

“Where is Reid?” The woman paused on the porch, rain dripping from her face as she stared at Olive.

“That depends on who’s asking.” Olive wasn’t about to give up Reid’s location until she knew more.

“I don’t think that’s up to you to decide.” The woman gave her an icy glare.

“I thought I heard a commotion out here. If it isn’t Daphne.” Reid stepped outside, the door squeaking closed behind him as his footsteps rumbled across the wooden planks. “It’s been a long time. What are you doing here? You can’t tell me you just happened to be in the neighborhood.”

Daphne . . . Olive mused.

That was when she realized who this woman was.

Daphne Miller. A B-list actress who’d been on Reid’s reality show here at the ranch. Before that, she’d had small roles in a couple of failed sitcoms and one direct-to-TV movie. She and Reid had been an item for a while, and the press had loved spotting the city girl and rancher together.

“I heard you were dating someone else.” Daphne jutted out her arm and pointed at Olive. “It’s her, isn’t it?”

“Now, Daphne, you need to calm down.” Reid remained unflustered, with his hands in his jeans pockets and his shoulders relaxed.

“I thought you said you didn’t want to date anyone right now.” A whine captured her tone.

“I did say that. And I also said that you and I weren’t right for each other.”

“But she’s right for you?” Daphne pointed at Olive again, her eyes wide and incredulous with disbelief.

Olive tried not to feel insulted. Instead, she watched their exchange curiously.

Daphne clearly still had feelings for Reid.

But did Reid still have feelings for Daphne?

It didn’t appear so. Olive was pretty good at reading body language, and she’d guess he did not.

Either way, this woman seemed unhinged.

Why exactly had Daphne and Reid broken up? Was it because Daphne had no desire to live on this land? If that was the case, maybe Daphne wanted Reid to leave Wyoming and move to California. Maybe she desperately wanted that.

That might be a good reason for someone to sabotage this ranch, Olive mused. It was something to consider, at least.

“Can we have this conversation somewhere where she’s not listening?” Daphne again pointed at Olive.

Olive hid her frown. It was a good thing she wasn’t easily offended. If she were, she’d feel both insulted and second class right now.

“It’s better if Olive is here for this conversation.” Reid stepped closer. “She is my girlfriend.”

Good. Olive wanted to hear this. Not because the conversation could be juicy—not necessarily, at least—but because the conversation could be important to the case.

Daphne pouted and crossed her arms. “What was wrong with me? Why did you pick her?”

Reid stepped closer, the pattering rain adding a nice soundtrack to their dramatic conversation. “Daphne, we talked about this. Our lives are too different for us to be together. You have no desire to live in Wyoming, and I have no desire to live in Hollywood. Nothing’s changed.”

She raised her chin. “Maybe I changed my mind.”

Reid tilted his head. “You want to live in Wyoming?”

Her face dropped slightly. “Well, not really. It’s complicated. I would have to give up everything to come here.”

“I know. I wouldn’t ask you to do that.”

Daphne closed her eyes. “Why is this so complicated? Why can’t it be simple? When you find your one true love, aren’t you supposed to climb mountains and swim oceans to be together?”

“If it’s meant to be, then yes.”

“So I guess we’re not meant to be?” Daphne’s voice wavered as she asked the question. Then she stared at Reid as if hoping he’d refute her statement.

“I’m sorry, Daphne.” Reid dropped his tone. “You know I truly cared about you.”

“It doesn’t seem like it.” Tears glimmered in her eyes.

A surprising—and unwelcome—pang of compassion flared through Olive.

Maybe because she could relate. She knew what it was like to care for someone but not be able to be together. The feeling was heartbreaking.

“I should go.” Daphne stepped back.

“Wait, Daphne,” Reid murmured. “Did you drive here? From LA?”

She shook her head. “I just finished filming a TV pilot in Denver. I came up from there.”

“That’s still a long drive.”

She shrugged and took another step back. “It wasn’t that bad . . . not until it started storming, at least.”

As if in response, thunder rumbled in the distance.

Reid reached for her arm. “It’s getting late, Daphne, and the rain is coming down hard. Where are you going to go?”

“I’ll get a room at the motel in town.”

“You shouldn’t be driving in this storm,” Reid said. “Stay here instead. I have the room. You can leave in the morning.”

Daphne glanced at Olive as if trying to read her reaction.

Olive made sure to keep her face emotionless.

Daphne being here would make things more complicated. But Olive wasn’t going to be the one to turn her away either, not with the weather like it was and the miles and miles of nothingness she would have to drive through to leave.

“Come on.” Reid nodded toward the front door. “Let me get you settled. But you really ought to call before you come.”

Then he cast an apologetic look Olive’s way.