Target on the Mountain by Elizabeth Goddard (the chimp paradox .txt) 📕

only had time to shove you out of the way. Didn’t you hear the vehicle speeding up?”

She stared into her cappuccino macchiato. He knew that admitting that she hadn’t been aware of someone following or targeting her would be hard for her. She hadn’t even known that Ryan was following her. He suspected Sarah’s death was clouding her mind and impacting her usual perceptiveness. More now that she realized Sarah had been the intended target. The grief and stress were pressing in on her. That was why a bereavement leave was given. But instead of using this time to cope with her loss and work through her feelings, Tori refused to give herself time to process Sarah’s murder. He wouldn’t press her on what she’d missed today, but there was something else he would press her on.

“So, what’s here? Why did you come to Shady Creek? I have a feeling you’re following a lead.”

She had hoped he wouldn’t go there. “Back up. I’m still reeling over the fact you claimed someone tried to run me over.”

Tori squeezed the bridge of her nose and took a breath. What was the matter with her? If what Ryan said was true and someone had tried to run her down, then this latest attack meant that two people had been following her and she’d missed that. Or one person had followed her and one had waited for her here. Either way, she was getting careless. Her hand shook as she tried to lift the now tepid drink to her lips.

Ryan still waited for an answer to his question and Tori wasn’t ready to give him one. She eyed him over the rim of her cup. She wished she had opted for sitting across from him now. He was much too close.

She tried to shake off the effect his nearness was having on her. How had she found herself so close to him twice in one day? She shivered again, the still-damp clothes fighting against her attempts to get warm. She almost wished she could lean into Ryan and soak up some of his body heat, but she was drawn to him for other reasons, too. Reasons she wouldn’t indulge.

But he was waiting on an answer. “Clearly, I didn’t make it to the place where I could learn something, as you put it.”

“Come on, Tori. You know we’ll get to the bottom of this faster if we work together.”

“As soon as I know anything solid, I’ll share it.” She angled her head to look at him. She knew a little but it was mostly a feeling she was going on here. “I don’t have any facts worth your time.”

He worked his strong jaw back and forth. His slicked-back hair was now mussed, even though he’d tried to shove it back into place. His blue-green eyes held both appreciation and...something more. Affection. Getting a glimpse of that sent longing coursing through her. And she absolutely couldn’t act on any part of that. She couldn’t afford to miss what she once had with this man, or think about how much she wished she hadn’t had to make a choice between him and a career she’d wanted.

The barista—Tom—approached the table, interrupting her thoughts. “Some more towels if you like. They’re just small dish towels, but they’re dry.”

“Thank you, Tom,” Tori said. She didn’t want to reach over Ryan to take them. “That’s very kind of you.”

He set them on the table, smiled and left. She wished he would bring her another cappuccino macchiato.

As if he weren’t close enough, Ryan leaned closer to Tori after Tom left. “I think he’s a great guy, but he’s also looking for a big tip since there are so few customers today.”

Tori smiled. “I think he deserves one.”

Ryan smiled back and held her gaze for a few breaths. “Me, too.”

“Maybe we should leave that tip and get out of here.” Tori needed to escape her proximity to Ryan.

“I had hoped that whoever tried to run you over might come back.” They had either followed her and had parked when she parked, or had been lying in wait for her.

“Oh, really.” She feigned outrage.

“Yes. We could get a license plate. A face. Something to find out who is behind this.” He guzzled the rest of his coffee and set the empty cup on the table.

“But now you want to leave?” She did, too, but if she could keep him talking about something else, she might be able to prevent him from pursuing information about why she’d come to Shady Creek. She didn’t want to share too much. At least, not yet. If she got Ryan involved too early then she’d stand no chance of getting more information out of Dee James. James knew something.

“Yes. The towels aren’t doing enough to warm you up.”

“And how do you know that?”

“Your lips are still kind of blue.” His gaze lingered on her lips.

Tori’s heart skipped erratically. She needed to escape from where he’d purposefully pinned her so he could protect her. While he’d been serious about not sitting with his back to the door, she was sure protecting her was the real reason he’d sat beside her. She knew that much about Ryan.

The thought stirred her heart and made her miss him and what she’d left behind all the more.

“Okay, then, let’s get out of here.” After all, if she couldn’t lean against him to get warmer, she needed to get home so she could get out of the wet clothes. Her jeans hadn’t dried at all and the cold and wet chilled her to the core.

She’d have to come back to talk to Dee James another time. Ryan and Tori both pulled bills out and left them on the table for a more than adequate tip, and thanked the barista.

At the glass doors, Ryan tugged her aside. “Be careful. I’ll walk you to your car and stay with you until you get in. Then I’ll follow you home.”

She gave him a wry grin. “I wouldn’t