Wife Wanted in Dry Creek by Janet Tronstad Page A

the window, but she could see Conrad’s gas station from here. He had lights over the gas pumps and they lit everything up enough that she could see the whole building. The windows of the garage showed nothing but black inside, though. She wished Conradhad parked Leanne’s car outside, but he clearly hadn’t. He had brought the key to the car back with him last night and laid it on the dining room table.
    The one thing she could do for Leanne right now was to go take that sign off the freeway. She’d need a car to do that. And she’d have to get dressed.
    Suddenly, the thought struck her that Conrad might not lock his building at night. It would be foolish not to, she knew that. But Edith had made the remark earlier today that most people didn’t lock their doors around here. At least, the older woman had added, not unless there was a rodeo in Miles City.
    Apparently, the rodeo was a big thing around here. Cowboys would come from all over and townspeople took extra precautions. She’d also heard that a woman, Lizette Bowman, came in from the ranch she shared with her husband, Judd, and opened her small bakery. She’d make enough of her legendary doughnuts to keep the rodeo men and everyone else happy for a few days.
    Leanne could love this little town, Katrina told herself as she sat down to put on her jeans. If Walker was threatening her, maybe Leanne would keep herself and the boys away from him. Maybe they could come to Dry Creek and make a home here.
    It was a fantasy, Katrina knew that. Moving to Dry Creek was what she would like to do if she could. The buildings around here might be a bit weathered and windblown, but the people were rock solid. She’d made the mistake before of thinking that her sister would feel the same way she did; she didn’t want to make that assumption again, even though she believed that if her sister got to know people like Edith and Conrad, she would be drawn to them. Of course, life was never that simple. Even for her, half of her was drawn to Dry Creek and the other half wanted to run away.
    Katrina finished putting on the same ivory top she’d worn yesterday. Edith had lent her a comb and she tried to straighten out her hair. She’d also given her a toothbrush and Katrina planned to stop at the bathroom and brush her teeth and get herself ready to go outside.
     
    Conrad had a blanket wrapped around himself and he was lying on the sofa. He’d gone to bed in the clothes he’d worn all day long. He didn’t have any nightwear with him and he liked the weight of his clothes, especially when the weather was cold like this. Besides, he wasn’t totally at ease. The wind had blown some earlier and the fate of Katrina’s sister kept twisting around in his mind. That’s why he wasn’t fully asleep when he heard the footstep overhead. It sounded like it was coming from the bedroom Katrina was using and, at first, he thought she had simply gotten up in the night to use the bathroom.
    But then he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Even that wouldn’t have caused him to stir as she might have gotten thirsty and wanted a drink of water from the kitchen. But he could tell from the clicks that she was wearing her high heels. Now, why would she wear heels to the kitchen when his aunt had given her those cozy slippers?
    Plus, given the way she was tiptoeing around in those heels, it seemed she didn’t want to wake him up. That couldn’t be good if she was going somewhere without telling anyone. She was still under suspicion, at least a little.
    There were no lights in the living room and it was dark outside. His aunt had left a small light on by the dining room table, though, so it outlined the furniture around Conrad. He shifted slightly on the sofa so he could see the stairs better. He knew Katrina couldn’t see him, but he saw everything as she crept down the stairs. He noticed that she had her jacket on. Even her hair was combed. He hoped that maybe she was just so excited about