Playing For Keeps (Emerald Lake Billionaires 2) Read Free

a damsel in distress. But I haven’t finished yet. I’ll take you back to your car once we’ve got a full can of gas.”
    Her eyes widened. She’d been in such a hurry to leave that she’d forgotten about getting back to her car.
    “Just in case you need rescuing again, here’s my phone number.” He took a piece of paper out of a folder on the floor and scribbled a number on it. Now let’s get some gas for your car.”
    Sophie didn’t need to be told twice. She jumped out of the truck and walked across to one of the people working at the station. The sooner she got what she needed, the sooner she could start working on her other problems.
    Running out of gas wasn’t the best start to her arrival in Bozeman, but it was better than not getting there at all.
     
    ***
    Four hours later, Sophie was exhausted. She was beginning to feel as though she’d made a serious mistake in coming to Bozeman. She’d been into most of the stores on Main Street looking for a job. Everyone had been helpful, but no one had any vacancies. What she needed was a cash job; something that wouldn’t draw attention to herself.
    For two weeks she’d tried to disappear. Hiding from the people who were looking for her wasn’t easy. She couldn’t afford to give anyone her Social Security number or tell them anything that could be entered into a database. She’d relied on using cash for everything, but there was only so far her money could go.
    She’d just visited a craft store and asked the owner if she had any jobs available. They weren’t hiring, but the person she’d spoken to had suggested going into the café beside them.
    As soon as Sophie opened the door the smell of cinnamon and mixed spice tickled her nose. She looked around the room, smiling at the red check tablecloths and small vases of flowers on each table. It was the kind of place you could sit in for hours, enjoying good food, good coffee, and the company of other people.
    “Can I help you?”
    Sophie turned toward a blonde woman.
    “I’m Tess. You look as though you could do with a drink.”
    Sophie pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. She was hot and sticky and so disheartened that she felt like bursting into tears.
    Tess put her hand on Sophie’s arm. “Hey, it will be okay. It can’t be that bad. Come and sit down and I’ll get you a nice cold drink. It’s hot enough to make anyone feel overwhelmed.”
    Tess walked across the room as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. She chose a table against the back wall; somewhere that Sophie could have some privacy.
    Sophie sat on the seat that Tess pulled out. “Thank you. I guess I’m more tired than I thought.”
    “I wouldn’t worry about that,” Tess said with a smile. “It happens to most of us at some time or another. I’ll be back in a minute.”
    While Tess was filling a glass with water, Sophie took a deep breath and tried to think of something positive that had happened today. Apart from being rescued on the side of the road, the rest of the day had been a horrible repeat of the last two weeks.
    “Here you go.” Tess put the glass of water on the table. “Do you mind if I sit down?”
    Sophie nodded and took a welcome sip of the cold water.
    “Why don’t you tell me what your name is and where you’re from?”
    Sophie stumbled over her words. “I’m Sophie Elliott. I live in San Francisco.”
    “You’re a long way from home. Are you on vacation or visiting family?”
    “A friend recommended Bozeman as a great place to visit. I underestimated how long it would take to get here.”
    Tess tried to hide her surprise. “You came all the way from San Francisco to Bozeman without knowing how far away it was?”
    “I know it seems weird, but I’ve never done anything spontaneous in my life. This seemed like a great way to start.” Sophie hoped that Tess thought her red cheeks had more to do with the heat than the lies coming out of her mouth.
    “You’re talking with someone who makes