At Any Cost (6 page)

“Vacation,” Nick said. “My wife stayed in town and I volunteered to drive our daughter up.”

Cori turned her attention to the mountain as she sipped from her cup and broke off a chunk from her muffin. Nick erred on the side of caution and didn't push for conversation. After a few more minutes, she dug her phone out of her coat pocket and checked the time. “I have a private lesson in ten minutes so I'd better get going. It was nice talking to you.”

“You too,” Nick said. “Have a good one.”

Cori might have been a dead end but she'd given Nick a good lead. He waited until he saw Cori emerge from the lodge. She retrieved a pair of skis from a rack and locked her boots into the bindings and took off toward a small building near the lift. Nick pushed out from the table and headed out of the lodge to the ground floor and the customer service office.

He took the stairs slowly as he thought of a cover story. Under any other circumstances, he would have simply flashed his badge and gotten right down to business. He couldn't be so forthright now. He couldn't let Livy know he was investigating her. If she happened to be tipped off that someone was asking around about her, she could get spooked and run again. If that happened, Nick would be back at square one and no closer to bringing Meecum in.

The customer service office was tucked away at the back end of the ground floor behind the ticket windows. Nick held open the door before going inside for a trio of kids who examined their shiny new season passes as they exited. A long counter spanned the small office space and a woman with short blond hair and bright blue eyes greeted him with a smile.

“Hi! What can I help you with?”

“Hi, I was wondering if I could get some information on a youth lesson package. I was told to ask for Jane.”

“I'm Jane,” she said with a wide grin. “What would you like to know?”

Everything you know about Livy, for starters.
“A friend of mine said his daughter took lessons from Livy last year and loved her. Does she still work here?”

“Oh sure,” Jane replied. “Livy's great. The kids really respond to her and she's super patient.”

“That's great,” Nick said. “Is she local?” Jane gave him a strange look and he added, “I heard you guys have a high turnaround and I just want to make sure she'll still be here at the end of February.”

“Livy's been here for about four years,” Jane said. “I doubt she'll be leaving anytime soon.”

“That's good to know.” So far, he hadn't learned anything more than what Cori had told him. Damn it, getting information was so much easier when he showed up with a gun on his hip and his badge on his belt. “Do you mind if I ask what her level of experience is?”

“Not at all.” Apparently Jane regularly dealt with parents concerned for their child's ski instructor's credentials. “She's an expert-level skier. Raced at the junior level, if I remember correctly.”

Finally, something Nick could use. There was a chance she'd fabricated her ski experience in order to get a job but there was always a little bit of truth to every lie. “That's impressive.”

“She trained in Tahoe when she was younger, I'm pretty sure. Anyway, you won't have to worry about her on the slopes. Your . . . ?” Jane trailed off.

“Uh, daughter,” Nick said.

Jane smiled. “Your daughter will be in good hands.”

“Great.”

She reached under the counter and produced a brochure that she slid toward him. “Would you like to book the lessons today?”

“I'll let you know after I show this to my wife. Thanks for the information, though.”

“Anytime,” Jane said. “Just give us a call when you're ready to schedule.”

It might have been a tiny kernel of insight into Livy's life, but even a tiny kernel could produce a plant. Nick headed out of the office and down a long boardwalk toward the stairs, a hell of a lot more confident than he'd been this morning.

“Nick?” He turned to find Livy heading toward him, her steps awkward and clunky from her ski boots. “What are you doing up here?”

Chapter Six

Nick looked a little like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar, but he recovered his calm resolve quickly enough to make Livy hope she'd imagined it. Fear trickled into her bloodstream but she forced the sensation away. Nick had every right in the world to be up here and it didn't mean that it had anything to do with her. She needed to cut the paranoia and try to act like a normal human being for a change. The problem was, Livy had been looking over her shoulder for so long, she had no idea how to do that anymore.

“Hey.” His easy smile as he walked toward her relaxed the unwelcome tension that pulled her muscles taut. “I was looking for you, actually.”

“Me?” He'd only been her neighbor for a week but in that time, Livy felt like she'd gotten to know him a little bit. He wasn't a skier, so if he was looking for her it wasn't because he wanted a lesson. “Why?”

He gave a sheepish grin that did traitorous things to Livy's body. Did Nick have any idea how good-looking he was? He seemed to wield his charm like a weapon. At least, it felt that way to Livy. A simple grin stabbed her through the heart. “Honestly?” He looked away as though embarrassed. “I'm going stir-crazy in the house. I drove around town but that took all of about ten minutes. You talk about the ski hill so much, I got curious. So I went for a drive. I figured since I was up here, I'd see if you wanted to get some lunch.”

His story wasn't too farfetched. She still couldn't understand what in the hell he was doing on vacation in a place that had nothing to offer him, free house or not. That familiar suspicion crept up on Livy. Her equal measure of comfort and discomfort in Nick's presence was another reminder that she needed to pull up camp and move on.
He's only here for a few more weeks. What would it hurt to let yourself enjoy a little human contact?
“I've got about forty-five minutes until my next lesson. I could grab a bite.”

Nick smiled and she swore if her ski boots weren't holding her up, her legs would've given out. The fear that had kept her going for the past four years scratched at the back of Livy's mind, warning her that getting close to anyone—even a guy who wouldn't be around for much longer—was a bad idea.

“This is your wheelhouse,” he said. “Lead the way.”

Her stomach leaped into her throat and floated back down in a not altogether unpleasant way. Yep. Letting Nick get close was definitely a bad idea.

Livy paused and hiked up the legs of her ski pants to unbuckle her boots before they headed up the stairs to the third floor of the lodge and the restaurant. She usually didn't mind walking around in her cumbersome ski gear but she suddenly felt like an elephant walking beside a sleek tiger.

“Try to ignore the fact that I look like a goose waddling around on land,” she remarked as they climbed the stairs.

Nick chuckled. The deep timbre rippled through her like rings on a pond and she suppressed a shiver. “I bet when you're on the slopes you're as graceful as one in the water.”

The compliment, whether intentional or not, caused a rush of heat to flood Livy's body. Thank God the telltale signs of a blush were hidden beneath the chill that painted her cheeks and nose. “I try,” she said with a laugh.

“How long have you been skiing?”

Nick held open the door and followed Livy inside the crowded lodge. Finding a table might be problematic, but they'd squeeze in somewhere. She contemplated his question as she headed for the cafeteria area. She'd made the mistake of answering personal questions when she'd first moved here. Livy Gallagher didn't have a history and it needed to stay that way. “Oh, you know, a while,” she said. She pointed toward the end of the food line where a stack of plastic trays rested on the counter and smiled. Smiles always put people at ease. Curt responses, frowns, those made people suspicious. “Grab a tray and follow me.”

“A while, huh?” Nick placed his tray next to hers on the counter and stepped up to the grill to order a burger and fries. He cast a questioning glance Livy's way.

“Oh, I'll take the black bean chicken quesadilla and mango salsa,” she said to Craig who was manning the grill today.

“Are you like, Olympics good?”

His question caused anxious nerves to rear their ugly little heads. The question was innocent enough she supposed, but it also made her feel as though Nick might know more about her than he let on.
Danger, Will Robinson!
“Not really,” she remarked as she accepted the plate with her quesadilla from Craig. She set it on her tray and continued down the bar after Nick got his burger. “I can handle the black diamond runs, though.”

Livy grabbed a bottle of water out of the cooler and Nick swiped an iced tea. He pulled his wallet out of his jeans as they approached the register but she stopped him.

“It's on me.”

Nick cocked a brow. A half smile flirted with his mouth and Livy fought the urge to sigh. The man was too good-looking for words. “I'm the one who invited you, remember.”

“True. But I'm the one with the employee discount.”

“All right. You can get this one,” he said as though he did her a huge favor, “but next time is on me.” The thought that there'd be a next time filled her with equal parts anticipation and fear. “You paid for pizza the other night too. You're going to put me to shame.”

They found a table tucked away in a far corner and close to the windows. The lodge was always so busy it was tough to have a conversation without shouting. Livy tended to avoid the third floor because the press of people made her nervous. Too many bodies crammed together and not enough space between her and the nearest exit. Sitting here with Nick made her feel more at ease than she had in a long time, though. Was it because he was a cop or because his sheer size and imposing presence made her feel as though nothing could touch her?

Did it really matter?

“You dug me out of a snowbank, packed in my groceries, and chopped firewood. I should be feeding you every night.” Nick's brow furrowed and a smile played on his lips. A warm glow settled in her belly and Livy's pulse skittered in her veins. Rather than try to smooth over her own embarrassment, she turned her attention on the quesadilla. “The food here is really good.”

The great thing about Nick was that he didn't press her. They ate and talked, but he didn't ask her any more personal questions or grill her about her past. One of the reasons Livy kept herself from forming any relationships was because people were naturally curious and the more time she spent with someone, the more they wanted to know about her. Where had she lived before she moved to McCall? What had she done for work? Did she go to college? What about her parents? Where did they live? Did she have any brothers or sisters? Livy hated to lie and so rather than make up stories about a life she hadn't lived, she opted to simply refrain from making friends. Sure it was lonely. But lonely was better than dead.

“Most people ski on their days off.” Nick put his lips to the bottle of iced tea and took a long pull. Livy tried not to be jealous of an inanimate object, but she suddenly found herself wishing she'd been born a bottle of Lipton. His mouth looked absolutely delicious. “Since you ski at work, I doubt you're anxious to spend your free time here.”

Truth be told, there wasn't much else that Livy did. She felt relatively safe here. There was only one road in or out and the slope of Brundage Mountain gave her the perfect vantage point to keep an eye on the parking lot. Not that she expected a horde of loud, growling motorcycles to climb the steep, winding mountain road in the dead of winter, but she'd take a false sense of security over the crippling fear any day of the week.

“I come up on my days off sometimes,” she said. “The kids I teach are always beginners. They never graduate from Easy Street. Sometimes I like to take the big girl runs, you know?”

Nick smiled. The expression was as blinding and brilliant as the sun. Did he employ his charm often, she wondered? Did he realize how much it made her want to lean in closer? Maybe close enough to touch. He smelled like winter: clean and crisp. Livy snapped back in her chair as she realized she'd unintentionally angled her body toward his. It had been so long since she'd gone on a date, let alone kissed a guy. She was starved for the contact. The reminder of her isolated existence opened up a giant hole in her chest. She had Joel to thank for that feeling and she hated him for it.

“Hey. Everything okay?”

Livy brought her gaze up to find Nick studying her. His expression was full of concern and she wondered what she'd let slip as she lost herself to her own stupid thoughts. “Oh, sorry. Did I zone out? I um, was thinking about Simon. I forgot to put food in his bowl before I left for work this morning.”

Nick gave her a dubious look but he didn't call her bullshit. A gorgeous, easygoing guy who didn't pry. Too good to be true. The thought sent a shiver of warning through her. She needed to remain mindful of that very thing. When something was too good to be true, it usually was. Despite the fact that Nick made her feel safe, Livy needed to stay on guard.

Lonely was better than dead.

* * *

Livy obviously had a lot of practice at deflecting. She gave noncommittal answers, was careful to keep the topics of conversation light, steering it where she wanted it to go. More than once during their lunch, Nick had watched as her concentration flagged and her mind wandered. The sadness that came over her features was enough to steal his breath.

She hadn't been thinking about her cat. Her overly cautious and distracted behavior was just another telltale sign that he was on the money. Livy Gallagher was Kari Hanson. He might not have the solid evidence to prove it but he trusted his gut. It didn't answer the one burning question, though: Why did Joel really want her and why had she gone into hiding?

She pulled the knit beanie from her head and smoothed a hand self-consciously over her hair. Her braids had kept it neat and Nick wondered what the golden strands would look like if she ever let them hang loose about her shoulders. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold; even her lips were darker pink and inviting, making her skin seem even more creamy and fair.
Jesus, snap the hell out of it!
She was a person of interest, not a date. It didn't matter what she looked like. Even unofficially, Nick was still on the job.

A few moments of companionable silence followed, each of them lost in their own thoughts. The connection between Livy and Joel was the ultimate puzzle, one with too many pieces for him to easily put it back together. The informant had been adamant that Joel was looking for his ex, a woman he hadn't been able to get out of his head. He wanted her back at any cost and had put the word out to MCs across the country to keep an eye out for her.

Currently, there were multiple federal warrants out for Joel's arrest. Every law enforcement agency in the country was looking for him. A smart man—one with Joel's extensive local and international connections—wouldn't have wasted any time finding someone to smuggle him into Mexico. He had dealings with the cartel; it would have been relatively easy for him to slip over the border undetected. But according to their informant, Joel wasn't going anywhere until he got his old lady back.

Why? Why was Joel's safety and freedom less important that getting his hands on Livy? She was beautiful, intelligent, funny.... It would have been enough to keep Nick by her side. Was it enough for Joel Meecum as well?

“Looks like I'm not the only one zoning out today,” Livy remarked. “And you don't even have a cat at home who's more than likely plotting your demise because you forgot to feed him.”

The comment tumbled from her lips with such ease. Nick wondered how long it had taken Livy to buy into her own lies and this life she'd fabricated for herself. “I think the cold weather is freezing my brain.”

Livy laughed. The sound washed over him, warmed him from the inside out. Nick chided himself for allowing her to affect him in anyway. He was investigating her, for shit's sake. This wasn't a date.

“Winter is the price we pay for amazing summers.” Livy's tone changed, no longer playful, but sad. “The summers in McCall are spectacular. Not too hot, not cold. The lake is amazing. I kayak, paddleboard, swim. I bet even you could get into those types of activities,” she added with a wry grin. “It's a great place to live.”

Goddamn it.
She was getting ready to run.

Livy spoke about the town as though in mourning. Regret shone in her eyes and tugged her mouth downward. The gears cranked in Nick's brain and he fought to keep his expression impassive, the conversation light, when what he really wanted to do was grab her by the shoulders and shake some sense into her. Running wouldn't solve anything. It would only make matters worse. “It sucks that I won't get a chance to see it. Maybe I'll have to drive up for a week in July or something.”

She averted her gaze. Livy wouldn't be here in July. “That would be great. You'd probably have a lot of fun. There's more to do here in the summer anyway.”

“Livy—” Nick snapped his jaw shut before he said something he'd regret. It was too soon to show his hand. She was as spooked as a rabbit caught in a snare and he still didn't know her history with Joel. Livy appeared soft and innocent but looks could be deceiving. If he backed her into a corner, pushed her, she might show her teeth. He couldn't afford to lose the one lead they'd had on Meecum in over a year.

“What?” Her wide hazel eyes drank him in. Nick swallowed past the lump that rose in his throat. God, she was beautiful.

“Why don't I feed Simon for you?” It was an excuse to get into her house while she wasn't home. She'd all but put the suggestion out there when she'd used her cat as the reason for her wandering thoughts.