Sean’s shoulders relax. He knew Elise wasn’t hiding anything.
Not like him.
“Who is this, Elise, and what’s he doing here?”
The man threw back his shoulders and his cold blue eyes raked Sean from head to toe. “Who are you?”
“This is ridiculous. Ty, this is Detective Sean Brody. Sean, this is Ty Russell from back home, and I have no idea what he’s doing here or how he found me.”
Ty took a step back. “I found out what happened to you, and I’m here to bring you back.”
Elise closed her eyes and pressed her fingers to her temples. “How in the world did you find out and how did you find me here?”
“I have my sources.”
Elise raked her hands through her loose hair. “Oh, please. Did you con Courtney somehow? Because we both know what a con artist you are.”
The man physically flinched as if Elise had slapped him. Obviously, these two had history but it sure didn’t sound as if they were engaged anymore—if they ever were.
“Someone attacked you and broke into your house. You’re not safe here.” He turned to Sean. “Detective, don’t you agree?”
He did agree, but he didn’t want Elise going back to Montana with this cowboy—her ex-fiancé. And what did he do to become Elise’s ex? Must’ve been something really stupid.
“I’m...we’re doing what we can to keep Elise safe. The choice is hers.”
Ty narrowed his eyes as his gaze shifted between him and Elise.
Had his feelings for Elise seeped into his voice? What were his feelings for Elise?
“Thank you very much.” She stamped her bare foot on the ground. “Go home, Ty—alone. I’m not going with you, now or ever.”
Ty’s face reddened and his face puffed up as if he was about to explode. Had he been abusive toward Elise?
“Step off.” Sean inserted himself between Ty and Elise.
Ty sputtered. “Are you kidding me? Why don’t you go get yourself a doughnut and leave me to talk some sense into my fiancée?”
“Thanks, but I don’t eat doughnuts.” Sean drew his shoulders back. “And Elise already told you she’s not engaged to you, so giddyap on back to Wyoming.”
Ty’s mouth gaped open and he bunched his hands in front of him. “It’s Montana.”
“Whatever.” He dropped his gaze to Ty’s white-knuckled fists. “Or I can take you in for disturbing the peace.”
Ty jabbed his finger in the air. “I’m not giving up on you, Elise. I’ll be here for a few days if you change your mind, and if you don’t I’ll bring your brothers down here with me to this freak-show city to get you home.”
“Buh-bye.” Elise curled her fingers into a wave. “Try the sourdough bread bowl with clam chowder on your way out of the freak show.”
Ty grunted and stalked off, calling over his shoulder, “I’m staying at some dump in Fisherman’s Wharf.”
“Good. You can get the bread bowl there.” She tossed back her hair and sighed. “I can’t believe Courtney called him. It had to be her. I thought she was on my side.”
“Maybe she was just worried about you and thought it best that you take a break.”
She jerked her thumb at Ty’s retreating form. “With that?”
“So, what’s the story, if you don’t mind my asking?”
She dropped onto the low stone wall in front of Courtney’s building. “We were engaged. We were high school sweethearts and all that stuff, blah, blah, blah.”
“He obviously had the stamp of approval from your brothers since he’s considering calling them in as reinforcements.”
“Oh, yeah, my parents, too.”
“And then you grew up? Changed?” He rested his foot on the wall next to her.
“I wish I could claim that, but I was a coward. All the forces in our world were pushing us together and the flow carried me along in its current even though I had misgivings.”
“What finally happened to get you to swim against the tide?”
She pinned her hands between her knees and lifted her shoulders. “He cheated on me.”
“What an idiot.” What man in his right mind would risk losing this woman? “How’d you find out?”
“My maid of honor told me.” She raised her eyes to his. “On my wedding day.”
“Ouch.”
“I didn’t want to believe it, at first, but I guess deep down I knew.”
“You called off the wedding.”
A grin spread across her face. “Not at first.”
“What does that mean? You married him and had it annulled?”
“My maid of honor told me while she was helping me dress for the wedding, while all the guests were arriving or sitting in their seats.” She stuck her legs in front of her and tapped her toes together like a naughty schoolgirl. “I figured they got all dressed up for the occasion, I might as well give them a show.”
“You called it off during the ceremony?” The corner of his mouth twitched into a smile.
“I did. It was a big story in town, even made the local newspaper—runaway bride.”
He threw his head back and laughed. No wonder Ty was so desperate to get her back. He had some face to save.
“I walked down the aisle, smiling into the lying face that waited for me under the trellis, and when I got there I exposed him as a liar and a cheat.” She pointed her toes. “Then I kicked off my white satin shoes and ran back up the aisle—alone.”
“I’ve never met anyone who ran out on their wedding. That’s impressive.”
“It was just like a country music video.”
“What did old Ty do after that?”
“Came after me, of course, but I wasn’t having any of it. My bags were already packed for the honeymoon that never happened, so I threw them in my car and drove to San Francisco.”
“And you’ve been here ever since?”
“I went home once to get the rest of my stuff.”
“That’s quite a story.” He wiped his eyes. “Why this city?”
“The bridge.”
