He pulled out and Des turned her head as the paparazzi started shooting. There was a sudden rush as people ran off to jump into their cars.
“Now you’re screwed. They’ll follow you into town, which isn’t at all private.”
“I know, but I really want to see Hope.”
“Not much to see. It’s a typical small town. Surely you’ve seen a lot of them.”
“But I haven’t seen this one. So your brother’s the sheriff?”
“City cop.”
“Oh, that’s right. He’s probably going to hate me for causing a stir.”
“I doubt that. He likes to stay busy.”
Logan kept an eye on his rearview mirror. They had definitely acquired an entourage of cars behind them. Des didn’t look into her mirror once, just kept her gaze firmly planted on the windshield in front of her.
“It’s so remote out here. Your nearest neighbor must be miles and miles away.”
“I guess so.”
“I’m so used to living in a big city with people all around, I have a different perspective. You can’t move or breathe without someone knowing every move you make. You could probably step out on your back porch or on your deck at night in your underwear—or even naked—without anyone seeing you.”
“I could.”
She took a deep breath and let out a sigh. “That would be so great.”
“You could buy a place that’s remote, so you could get away.”
“I could. I plan to, someday.”
He glanced at her. “When is that someday?”
“When I feel like settling down. When I find the right place.”
“And when is that?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t felt like settling down before.”
“You’re still young. You probably crave all that travel and adventure.”
“I liked it at first. But now—”
She didn’t say anything more, and he didn’t want to pry.
Des looked out the window, ignoring the convoy of cars she knew were behind them. She’d taken a big risk leaving the safety of the ranch, but she really did want to see the town.
They’d been stationed in small towns before when she’d been a kid, and they’d always been her favorite places. Always tight-knit communities with the best people. Not that she got to hang out with the locals all that much—not until she was a teen and got her driver’s license. She’d always lived on base, in base housing, with all the other army people. Her dad had always insisted on living on base, and had required her to go to school with all the other army kids.
Which had made sneaking out and getting to know the local towns and kids that much more fun.
She liked Logan, and she knew he was from a small town. She’d done a little research on Hope before she came to the location, and it was a beautiful place set in northeast Oklahoma. She’d never been to Oklahoma before. She’d already decided she wasn’t going to spend all her time holed up in her trailer, even if the paparazzi stalked her.
Though what they were looking for, she had no idea. It wasn’t like she was all that interesting. But she was young, and she and James had had a high-profile romance, so they always thought there was dirt to dig up.
It took about fifteen minutes before she saw the sign that they were entering the city limits of Hope.
She saw the high school first. It was one story, but it seemed to go on forever, with two buildings that faced each other and a big football field behind it.
“Oakdale High. Is that where you went to school?”
“Yeah. There are two high schools in Hope. This one serves a lot of the kids who live outside city limits. Hope High School is in town and serves the rest of the city.”
“Interesting. I wouldn’t think a town as small as Hope would support two high schools.”
“There are also all the county residents. The population is larger than you’d think.”
It looked so small. Then again, as they drove farther into town she saw more and more businesses and side streets filled with homes. She supposed she had had this mental image of a one-stoplight town like she often saw in movies, but Hope was nothing like that. While it was a small town, there were miles of it, including a community center, medical and dental facilities, urgent care centers, several restaurants, and what appeared to be a lot of impending expansion.
“Your town is growing.”
“Uh-huh.”
She switched her gaze over to Logan. “Which is why you like living on the ranch?”
“I like Hope just fine, but it’s a lot bigger now than it was when I was a kid.”
“Progress isn’t a bad thing, you know. It’s good for your town to grow.”
“So they tell me.”
He pulled into an auto parts store. Des smiled. She was just sure the paparazzi were going to find this riveting.
“You want to come in?”
She released her seat belt. “Oh, definitely.”
He gave her a funny look, but shrugged. “Okay.”
Out of the corner of her eye she saw the entourage of cars pulling into the parking lot, and she smiled. They wouldn’t come inside—it wasn’t in their nature, and besides, hordes of photographers tended to upset customers and store owners, and that usually led to police getting called and photographers getting arrested. Instead, they lingered outside and took pictures.
Of Des, inside the auto parts store. She couldn’t help but laugh at that. No doubt the paps had already conjured up Des rendezvousing with some secret lover at the auto parts store, so she might as well give them their money’s worth. While Logan headed over to the parts counter, she busied herself wandering up and down the aisles, scanning air filters, socket wrenches, and various types of motor oil.
“Excuse me, but aren’t you Desiree Jenkins?”
She turned to find an older man wearing a polo shirt emblazoned with the name of the store on it. “I sure am.” She read his name tag and stuck out her hand. “And you’re Bill.”
Bill shook her hand. “I sure wish my wife was here. She’s a big fan of yours. We both really enjoyed that movie you were in, The Heart of Sunrise.”
“Thanks so much, Bill. I liked making that movie. It was one of my favorites.”
“Sorry you had to die at the end, though.”