Page 32 of July's Bad Boy: Blaze

She batted my hand away. “I don’t want to believe it either, but what if it’s true?”

“It can’t be. Ruby and Orville have been up to their ears in helping people around town. She’s the one who lined up financing for Levi’s construction company and the bookstore, and?—”

“And where do you think she got that kind of cash?” Olivia interrupted. “She could be putting on a front while trying to tear things apart on the backend.”

I wouldn’t believe anything bad about Ruby or Orville. They’d welcomed me with open arms when I’d moved to Mustang Mountain. “What would they have to gain from selling out the town?”

“Money? Land? I don’t know. It could be anything.” Olivia’s shoulders sagged. “A lot of people do dumb things for good reasons. You ought to know that better than anyone.”

The reference to my folks hit below the gut, but I wasn’t about to take the time to unpack that at the moment. “I think you’re seeing connections that aren’t there. How about we grab dinner from the cafe and take it back to my place for a movie?”

“I need to get to the bottom of this. That’s the only way I’ll have any peace of mind.” She looked up at me, her brown eyes wide with concern. “Will you help me?”

“Damn, Liv. You really can’t let this go?” I’d seen her get fixated on things before. She was tenacious as hell.

“Please, Garner?”

Fuck. It was the “please” that did it. That and the way she looked at me like I was her personal hero.

“Fine. What do you need me to do?”

She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth for a long beat, like she was nervous to tell me what hare-brained scheme she had up her sleeve this time.

“Just tell me.” I knew it would be whacked, but I was ready. I’d do anything for her, and she sure as hell knew it.

“Spend the weekend at the resort with me?”

That couldn’t be it. Not with the way her brows lifted and she waited for my answer like she was holding her breath. “That’s it?”

“Yeah. I already booked a room. There’s just one other little thing.”

I sensed her one other little thing wouldn’t be little at all. It was bad enough I’d have to spend a whole weekend sharing a room with her and trying to keep my hands to myself. “What is it?”

She took in a deep breath, then let the words out in a rushing exhale. “The resort’s hosting a retreat this weekend. The only way in is to participate. It’s not a big deal. We just have to pretend like we’re married.”