Starcrossed Colorado (Hart County #1)

24. Ashford

TWENTY-FOUR

Ashford

Teller stuck around for a few more minutes, then left to head back to the station. He assured us he’d be in touch soon with whatever he found.

Hopefully, the reporter who’d harassed Emma and Maisie would be getting his ass out of town before morning. I doubted Teller would do anything out of line. He was the straight-and-narrow type. But he’d taken what happened seriously, and I was grateful for that.

After Teller took off, the rest of us sat around the table. Elias, Judson, Callum and Grace had stayed. “Thanks for being here,” I said. “It means a hell of a lot. I should’ve told you all a long time ago.”

I’d been sweating as I told them all about Lori’s sister. But I should’ve known they would be great about it. Though Elias and Callum would definitely give me shit for keeping my superstar sister-in-law a secret.

Callum shrugged. “Yeah, but we all know you’re the least likely to ask for help when you’re in trouble. So thanks for trusting us. I gotta say though, I’d be even more thankful if I can meet Ayla Maxwell in person. Think she’s single?”

The rest of us frowned at him.

“Oh come on, did you guys even see the outfit she wore to the Oscars last year?”

“It was a showstopper,” Emma agreed.

“Didn’t know you were so into fashion, Cal.” Grace gestured at his jeans and tee. “You think Ayla will be impressed by volunteer firefighter chic?”

“My style hasn’t failed me yet.” He pushed the sleeve of his shirt back and flexed his bicep.

I wadded up a napkin and threw it at him. But we were all laughing.

Callum brought out the whiskey bottle again. I nodded, and he tipped another half-inch of brown liquor into my glass.

Callum went around topping up everyone else’s glasses. “Here’s what I want to know. How did the media find out that Ayla was Lori’s sister in the first place? Obviously, Ashford has been keeping that under wraps for a long time. It’s hard to imagine Ayla telling anyone, either. Don’t celebrities hate the tabloids?”

“What about Danny Carmichael?” Grace asked. “Lori could’ve told him her sister’s identity.”

Emma’s gaze sharpened. “Why him? Because Lori worked in his office?”

Grace tilted her head thoughtfully. “That. But I used to think…well, I wondered if maybe Lori was seeing Danny. Since we’re all being honest tonight.”

Judson took a sip of whiskey. “Lori was around the dentist every day. Proximity counts for a lot.”

I shoved my glass away, bile rearing in my throat. “Why would you think that? Lori couldn’t stand him.”

“ You can’t stand him,” Callum corrected. “Are you sure Lori felt the same way?”

“I…” Shit. I didn’t actually know.

There was so much I still didn’t know.

Emma crossed her arms on the tabletop. “Danny got Maisie and me away from that reporter, and I appreciated that. But he was pretty rude to me afterward.”

My eyes narrowed. “Rude to you?”

She waved her hand, like that part wasn’t important. “I had the feeling he’d heard the name Ayla before. Like he knew something, and he was smug about it.”

“Danny and I get along okay,” Elias said. “I could try talking to him about what happened today. See if he lets anything slip about Lori or her sister. Or anything else Lori might’ve told him.”

I scrubbed a hand over my face. “I guess. Thanks, man.” Honestly, too much had happened today. It was hard to wrap my head around all of it.

I was wiped.

Grace and Callum hugged me on their way out. Judson tipped his hat to Emma.

Elias clapped me on the back. “I hear you asked out my baby sister,” I said under my breath.

Elias smiled sheepishly. “I thought it would be easier to get forgiveness than permission. Plus, I didn’t know if she’d say yes. She still hasn’t.”

“I could be okay with it. I know you’d be good to her.”

“If she gives me a shot, I will.”

I was grateful for all of my friends and family, but when Emma and I were finally alone again, I pulled her against me and just held on.

Damn, I was relieved. That Emma and Maisie were okay, but also, that I wasn’t carrying around this secret anymore. Funny that I’d always dreaded this very scenario, yet now that it was here, I almost felt better.

A big part of that was Emma. Knowing she’d protected Maisie. Though it frustrated me to no end that I hadn’t been there.

“You sure you’re okay?” I smoothed my hand over the bruises on her elbow.

“Fine. What about you?”

“Pretty good. Considering. But there’s something else I need to do.” I took out my phone, went to my settings, and unblocked the last of those Los Angeles numbers. I held my phone to my ear. The number rang.

Voicemail answered, and I said, “Ayla, this is Ashford. I’m willing to talk. Call me back, but don’t come to Silver Ridge. We had a reporter show up here and scare Maisie, and if that happens again…”

Emma reached over and squeezed my bicep reassuringly.

“Just call me back,” I finished. That was all I could do for now.

No—there was something else I could do. Take care of Emma the way she deserved.

“Can I get you anything? Some tea?”

“Just you.” Emma tipped her head back, and I knew exactly what she wanted. I kissed her, slow and deep. Bending down, I put my arms around her hips and lifted her up.

“Want me to make you feel good?”

She shuddered against me. “Yes. Make me forget everything else.”

That, I could handle.

Emma’s bedroom was closer, so I carried her inside and quietly pushed the door closed with my foot. When I set her down, she reached for the hem of her shirt, but I stopped her hand. “Let me do it. Let me take care of you.”

With a shaky breath, she nodded.

I undressed her piece by piece. Pressed kisses to her exposed skin, and stroked her warm, smooth curves. Once she was down to her bra and panties, I pulled off my own shirt and opened the fly of my jeans to give my cock some more room. I was so hard that I was uncomfortable.

Sitting on her bed and scooting all the way back against the pillows, I patted my thigh. “Come here, baby.”

She crawled toward me, and when she was close enough I nudged her to turn and sit between my legs. Grabbing some lotion from the nightstand, I slicked my hands and started massaging her shoulders.

After kneading the muscles up and down her spine, I unhooked her bra and reached around to cup her breasts. Emma turned to kiss me.

We’d only been together a couple of weeks, yet intimacy with her was as easy as breathing.

She got onto her knees and faced me. Kissed her way down my stomach, and then her tongue darted out to lick the tip of my cock where it poked out of my fly. I clenched my teeth on a groan.

Suddenly, all I needed in the world was to be inside her. With our bodies connected, eyes locked. I couldn’t wait another second. I shoved my jeans and boxers down.

“Ride me.”

Emma pushed her panties over her hips, then worked them off and straddled my lap. She opened her mouth on the sweetest sigh as she sank onto my cock, enveloping me in her tight heat.

“That’s so good, baby,” I murmured in her ear, and she whimpered.

I held her by the waist and pumped myself inside of her. We kissed and kissed. Trying to draw this out, make it last.

But nothing, especially not the very best things, could last forever.

The next morning, Teller called with an update. Maisie was watching a show on my iPad in her bedroom, so Emma and I sat at the kitchen table and put him on speaker.

Teller got straight to the point. “We found the reporter who accosted Emma and Maisie yesterday. Guy was in an extended-stay motel outside town. I went myself along with one of Sheriff Douglas’s deputies. Had a word with the suspect.”

I put my hand over Emma’s on the table. “How long has he been there?”

“Off and on for a couple of months. Wouldn’t reveal any sources, but he admitted he’s fishing for info on Ayla Maxwell. Seemed very concerned about anyone scooping his story.”

“Who does he work for? The Hollywood Star Post ?”

“No, claimed to be freelance.”

I cursed under my breath. “That means there’s more than one of them sniffing around. The person who was paying Sheldon to go through our trash was someone else.”

“Yep. I sent an officer to the Ponderosa Apartments to chat with Sheldon as well. We let him know that if he goes near you again, you might press charges for harassment. Sadly it’s difficult to convict someone of harassment or stalking, but I think in this case the warning will be enough.”

“And the freelance reporter?” I asked. “Did he agree to leave town?”

“You bet he did. Was already packing up when we arrived. He knew he’d gone too far. He’s driving out of the county as we speak.”

Emma exhaled. “Chief Landry, did you by any chance see a dark blue rain slicker in the reporter’s motel room?”

I lifted my eyebrows, locking eyes with her. I hadn’t thought to ask about that.

“Huh.” The chief thought a moment. “You know, I believe I did see one. A raincoat hanging on a hook by the door. What’s the significance?”

“Someone was watching me and Maisie about a month ago wearing that coat. Then followed me to my apartment. Ashford saw him.”

“I chased him off,” I said. “Didn’t report it because we couldn’t be sure he’d done anything wrong.”

But now, I was kicking myself for not realizing what it meant.

“There probably wasn’t anything I could’ve done at that point,” Teller said. “But now we know the situation. So does Sheriff Douglas. Next time someone shows up in Silver Ridge digging for info on your sister-in-law, we’ll at least know what’s up. But Ashford, I’ve gotta be honest with you. If these reporters follow the rules, there’s very little I can do. They have First Amendment rights. I can’t banish them from town or forbid Silver Ridge residents from talking to them. Much as I might like to.”

“I know. Thanks for all your help, though.”

“Keep me posted, and we’ll keep doing what we can.”

I ended the call. “Now we know who was following you the day of the rainstorm. The whole time, it was that reporter. He could’ve followed you other times, too. Like the night you left the brewery.”

“It’s possible. Kind of anticlimactic, in a way. The guy’s a nuisance, but he wasn’t actually that dangerous.”

“He hurt you yesterday. Bruised your arm.”

“I know. But he wanted information. Not to actually hurt us.” Emma glanced in the direction of Maisie’s bedroom. We could still hear her Netflix show playing. “If more reporters show up, there has to be something more we can do to fight back.”

I smoothed a lock of hair from her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. “Aside from leaving messages for Ayla on every possible phone number, I don’t see what else I can do.”

Exactly why I’d always dreaded the media’s discovery of this secret. I was all for reporters exposing corrupt politicians and important news events. But my child’s blood connection to a celebrity wasn’t news. And yet they could upend our lives because of it.

Emma seemed like she wanted to say more, but she was hesitating.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Do you think, if you speak to Ayla, you’ll ask her again about what Lori was keeping secret around the time she died?”

For a moment, I struggled to respond. “I don’t know. That’s a tough question to answer. Part of me still wants to know the truth. But the other part of me…” I shook my head. “Just wants to never see or speak to Ayla Maxwell again.”

Emma nodded. “Then maybe you should get legal advice about this. My dad and stepmom are friends with a bunch of lawyers. Including one of the top private attorneys in West Oaks, Jane Holt. I’m sure she knows lawyers who practice in Colorado.”

“I don’t want you worrying about this. It’s my problem to fix, not yours.”

“But—”

I stopped whatever she was about to say with a kiss. If I really got desperate for legal representation, I could call my Army buddy Dane for a loan. But that wasn’t anything I wanted Emma stressing about. “I just want to enjoy spending time with you and Maisie,” I said. “Couple more weeks until we can get out in the wilderness for our camping trip, and it can’t come soon enough.”

“You still feel okay about going?”

“Absolutely. I want to get away more than ever.”

I had little control over this situation with Ayla, and I hated that feeling. All I could do was keep Maisie and the other people I cared about close.

I had to enjoy whatever time with Emma I had left. After this summer, I would go back to focusing solely on my kid. That had been enough for me before Emma. It could be enough for me again.

Even if I knew deep down that I was lying to myself.