Out of the Storm (Buckhorn, Montana #1) - B.J. Daniels Page 0,54

not be. But there was something about the man. It was more than a resemblance to Danny. Had she fallen in love with Jon Harper...?

Would she be responsible for getting the man killed because of her feelings for him? Collin would make that call just to spite her if she didn’t go with him.

Turning around to face him, she tried to reason with him. “Collin, I had no idea when we drove into this town that—”

“Yes, that we’d stop in some tiny Montana town in the middle of nowhere in the middle of winter,” he mocked, “and you’d see your dead husband. Then again, are you sure it wouldn’t have been some other town, some other man?”

“Don’t say that. You don’t know how much I hate this. I know I’ve spoiled your trip.”

“You have tried to spoil it, that’s for sure. This isn’t what I wanted, either. I wanted to marry you. I thought we could make a good team. But now that’s off the table, isn’t it? Not that it matters. You are still going with me up to the border so I can make this meeting with my associates and pick up your wedding dress because I told them you were coming with me. You aren’t going to make a fool out of me. After that, I really don’t care what you do.”

She stared at him. “Your associates will understand and I’ll reimburse you for the cost of the dress.”

He glared at her, an icy, brittle hardness in those blue eyes that she’d never seen before. “Kate,” he said as if talking to an unruly child, “you are going with me.” Getting her back up, she started to argue that she wasn’t, but he cut her off. “Call Danielle.” He held out his phone. “Call your daughter.”

“What?” She looked at him, refusing to take his phone.

“Fine, I’ll call her.” He punched in a number on his cell phone.

“I don’t want you involving my children in this,” she said emphatically. “Collin, are you listening to me?” She started to take a step toward him when she saw that the call had been answered already.

“Put Danielle on the phone,” he said into his cell, his gaze on her.

She felt her eyes widen. Danielle didn’t have a roommate at the apartment she’d rented near the campus. Who had he just ordered to put her on the phone? All those thoughts raced around like caged hamsters in the seconds before he said, “Talk to your daughter, Kate.” He shoved the phone at her.

Her hand trembled as she took it and put the cell to her ear. “Danielle?”

“Mom, what’s going on?” Her youngest daughter sounded terrified.

Kate glared at Collin as she asked her daughter, “Who’s with you?”

“Some man. Mom, he has a gun, and he said that if you don’t do what you’re supposed to, he’s going to kill me.”

All the air felt as if it had been vacuum-sealed from the room. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak for a moment. Her murderous gaze was locked with Collin’s. She was realizing with terror that she had no idea who this man was.

“Danielle,” she said, surprised how calm her voice sounded, “don’t worry. Just be safe. This should be over very soon. Tell me you’re all right. He hasn’t tried to—”

“No, Mom. No.”

“Okay, just remain calm. Don’t do anything to upset him, and I’ll talk to you soon.” She disconnected and held out the phone. “You hurt my baby, and I’ll kill you myself,” she said from between gritted teeth as he took his phone.

“No one is going to hurt Danielle, okay?” he said, sounding like the man she’d agreed to marry. “Nor will I make a call on your...carpenter friend. If you cooperate. It’s just a trip up to the border. We cross. You be calm, like you told your daughter. You be my fiancée on our engagement trip. You be the woman who’s never been to Canada and wants to mark it off her bucket list. I meet my associates, we pick up your dress and we come back across the border.”

She stared at him in disbelief. Had he lost his mind? Or was there more to this trip? “You really expect me to believe that’s all this is about, meeting some associates and picking up a dress?” she demanded with a shake of her head. “You would kidnap my daughter for that?”

Now that she’d seen this other side of him, she hated to think what they would be bringing back across the