by Linda Palmer
Shadow Wolf
by
Linda Palmer
Wolf of My Heart Book 7
Shadow Wolf © 2016 by Linda Palmer
Cover © 2016 by Linda Palmer
Cover art Canstock © snehitdesign, © gina_sanders,
©audioundwerbung.
ISBN-13: 978-1539389507
ISBN-10: 1539389502
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and events described herein are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real.
Chapter One
Lily
The first thing I saw was his blue sling. I was actually passing him before I noticed his crutch and the flat tire. I immediately took to the shoulder on his side of the road, scattering pebbles as my car skidded to a stop mere inches from a drop off with a fast-running stream at the bottom of it. The guy waited, eyes narrowed, for me to get out of my ride and walk back to him. I saw that the arm nestled in the sling had a cast on it.
"Looks like you could use a hand." His sporty red car was so much cooler than my hand-me-down SUV.
"Are you nuts?"
"Excuse me?"
"Don't you know how dangerous it is for a girl like you to pull over on these mountain roads?" A Texas drawl if I'd ever heard one.
"What danger? The wildlife around here avoid humans."
"So should you. I could be anyone. A moonshiner, a skinhead, Ted Bundy."
"Or a guy who really needs help?" I'd seen him struggling with the spare. I pretended neutrality as my gaze dropped from his ridiculously blue eyes all the way to his Nikes. My first impression stuck—long legs, wide shoulders, nice face. In other words, the type of guy who always made me look twice. I wondered how he'd gotten the scrapes on his cheek. And was that Hershey kiss-shaped mark on his hand a birthmark or a bruise?
"I'm doing okay." He kept eying the narrow road, which had thick woods on one side and that wicked steep gulch on the other. "Seriously. It's not safe here."
"Says who? 'Backwoods'?" How I hated that reality show's portrayal of the wonderful people who lived in the Missouri Ozarks. "Believe me, rumors of illiteracy, incest, and disdain for dentists have been greatly exaggerated." I shouldered past him and went for the spare tire, hefting it from the trunk.
He hovered. "Wasn't trying to piss you off."
"Good, because you didn't. Get those, would you?" I pointed to the scissor jack, tire tool, and jack handle.
"I can't let you do this."
"Why not?
"You'll get yourself filthy."
"No I won't."
His mouth a taut line of displeasure, he did as requested and joined me where I knelt by the flat.
I held out my hand for the tire tool. "My name's Lily Vincent, by the way."
He hesitated just long enough to make things weird. "Cade."
"Nice to meet you, Cade. New to these parts?"
"You clearly aren't." He watched me trying to loosen the lug nuts, which must've been tightened by a torque wrench.
At any rate, they wouldn't budge even when I put my full weight on them. "Actually, besides a few visits, I sort of am. I'm moving in with my cousin Denise Webster. She lives about twenty minutes that way, in Moonrise Ridge." I sat back to catch my breath. "Been there?"
"Yes." He stepped over to add his strength to mine. The bolt miraculously turned. "How old are you?"
That was random. "Nineteen." I wondered why he'd asked. Was I his type? The idea made my heart inexplicably skip a beat even though it hadn't fully healed from past breaks. "You?"
He acted as if he hadn't heard me. "So you're probably not going to your cousin's because you're suddenly an orphan."
That made me smile. "I'm doing it for other reasons, the biggest being the job that Neecy has offered me. She runs her own business downtown. Ah Spa?" He shook his head to indicate he'd never heard of it. "I start as her new masseuse on Monday. I'll only live with her until I'm on my feet financially. Hopefully not more than six months. Then I'll get an apartment near the college and start my laser course." I referred to Winchester Technical College, right there in Moonrise Ridge.
He looked puzzled. "Your what?"
"Never mind." I'd already said too much, something I had a tendency to do. I stuck the handle into its slot on the scissor jack that I'd carefully positioned near the flat and began to work it. "How'd you get hurt?"
"An accident."
I waited for more. Didn't get it. In seconds, the tire was off the ground enough for me to remove it. In minutes, I'd mounted the spare, replaced the lug nuts, and finished up. I stood and brushed dirt and pebbles off the knees of my jeans. "All done. Now aren't you glad I stopped?"
Without answering, he tightened the lug nuts a last time and rolled the flat to the open trunk. I lifted it into place and tossed the tools in, too.
He turned to me. "What do I owe you?"
"Nothing." I meant for that to be that, but impulse again betrayed me. "Unless you want to buy me a coffee. I passed a service station a few miles back." I pointed the way I'd just come.
Could a guy look more shocked?
Well, he wasn't the only one. Had the past year taught me nothing? I instantly backpedaled. "Not that either of us has time for that. I sure don't."
"Me, either." He looked confused and wary, reasonable reactions considering my mixed signals.
Embarrassed, I shut the trunk. "Better get that tire plugged, dude." I hesitated for just a heartbeat, but Cade didn't speak. With a slight wave, I headed for the car, dead certain I could hear him cursing under his breath. I didn't look back. Didn't have to. The motor revved before I slid behind my steering wheel. And when I glanced in the rearview mirror, I saw nothing but a cloud of dust.
In a perfect world, would he have bought me that coffee? I pictured us together, sipping from Styrofoam cups at a bustling gas station. Nothing about that scenario felt right. Why? Because in the real world, which had nothing to do with a perfect world, my lifelong sweetheart, aka the guy I planned to marry someday, had just stomped my heart into the ground. So my current reality was a life devoid of men. Instead, I had to earn a living, find affordable housing, and get my certification in aesthetic/cosmetic laser therapy.
Meanwhile, I tried again to find a radio station with music louder than the static.
*****
I got to Neecy's rural home around three that Sunday afternoon. I'd had my doubts about moving in with her and Theo, her husband of seven months. In my opinion, they were still honeymooning, and I didn't want to intrude. But my worries vanished when I saw their smiling faces. Neecy, twenty-two, and I had always been close, probably because we'd been raised a block apart by twin sisters Sarah and Hannah, who could read each other's minds. Their lives were inevitably entwined, but in the best of ways, and Neecy and I were the better for it.
After hugs all around, Theo helped me unload my boxes from the tightly-packed car. I'd worried about bringing too much, but one glance at their house set my mind at ease. A two-story fixer-upper, it was probably a hundred years old and clearly had rooms to spare. I'd be upstairs. They'd be down.
Theo, two years older than Neecy and what I'd call a decent man, worked as a real estate broker at an agency in Branson, which was about thirty miles further north. He planned to remodel the house, quit the agency job, and freelance from his home once it was completely restored. They had a ways to go. I saw boards needing paint, a roof needing shingles, and shutters hanging by a nail. I hoped I could find time to help with renovations. Meanwhile I'd pay rent, something they didn't want, and do my best to stay out from under foot.
One step into the foyer proved I'd judged the hou
se by its dilapidated exterior. "Wow!" I set my box on the shiny wood floor and performed a slow pirouette to take in everything from the sweeping staircase to the immaculate wallpaper to the exquisite antique furniture. The rugs had to be Persian. The painting on the walls had to be originals. Everything looked perfect and very expensive.
"Like it?" Neecy was pretty much dancing around me.
The sight of her bright brown eyes and bouncing knot of messy red ponytail made me laugh. "I'm so amazed!"
Theo grinned, obviously pleased. I saw he had some flecks of gray in his hair I hadn't noticed before and new crow's feet. I could tell he was still a runner. Or maybe he was simply working out at gym or something. Either way, he appeared as fit as always and was a good match to Neecy, the yoga and Pilates guru. Feeling a little guilty that I hadn't ridden my folks' exercise bike in weeks, I sucked in my stomach and silently promised myself that I'd do better now that Mom's apple pies and brownies were way out of reach.
I caught Theo's eye. "So you're already working from your office here?"
He shook his head. "My goal is to have everything up and running by New Year's. At the very least, the house needs a few coats of paint before my clients see it. And the better option is having everything completely finished. But we've got some bad weather headed our way, so that may not be possible. Do you mind—?"
I looked where he looked and remembered the box I'd set at my feet. After placing it on top of the one he held, I headed back out for more with Neecy right behind me. I glanced up at the cloudless blue sky as I walked through the grass. What bad weather? I loved autumn best of all the seasons. And I loved being in the Ozark Mountains in the fall even more. Although it was November, some colorful leaves still clung to the trees. In the bright sunlight, the yellows, reds, and golds were a sight to see.
"You brought Lupo!" Neecy's exclamation startled me. I saw she'd picked up the box full of stuff from my bedroom back home.
"Duh."
She burst into laughter. I didn't mind. If I went somewhere, my stuffed wolf went with me. Period. A gift from my big brother Roger on my actual birth day, poor Lupo had been washed and mended too many times to count. But he hung in there, loyal to the end, and I could do no less.
"I'm so glad you're here." Neecy shifted her load so she could hug me hard.
Hearing a crack in her voice, I frowned. "Are you okay?"
My shoulder muffled her reply. "Now I am."
I wasn't sure what to make of that and opened my mouth to demand some answers. A quick shake of her head told me not to. Baffled, I followed her into the house and right up the stairs to the most amazing bedroom on the planet. Everything else was forgotten at the sight of the bedposts and the canopy with its sheer draping and eyelet everything. On the wall I saw Frederick Burton's "Meeting on the Turret Stairs," a favorite painting of mine. I knew without asking who'd hung it there. On a lace doily on the dresser sat a photo of Neecy and me playing dress-up.
With a grin, I leaned close to study it. "Those were the days."
"Weren't they? Wish I was ten again."
Something in her tone made me look at her in the mirror. Were those tears? I turned and took her boxes to set them aside. "What's wrong?"
She glanced at the open door, her expression cautious. Or was she really and truly scared? Standing in that century-old house in that timeless bedroom, I could believe anything. Had I read one gothic romance too many? Or was something seriously wrong?
"Talk to me, Neecy."
"Later, okay?" At the sound of Theo's cheery whistle and footfall, Neecy darted to the door to greet him. "Is that everything?"
"Yep." He dumped his load on the bed, dusted off his hands as if he'd done a day's work, and zoned in on me. "So what do you think?"
"I feel like Princess Anna in that big old Arendelle castle. All that's missing is Olaf."
"Huh?"
Neecy laughed, a perfectly natural sound. If she'd been truly nervous five seconds ago, she sure wasn't now. "Come on. I want to give you the grand tour. You can unpack later."
Theo stayed right with us as we walked through the house, adding his commentary to Neecy's. They both came across as relaxed, and their banter seemed to confirm it. She looked so happy. Had I dreamed our moment upstairs?
Chapter Two
Cade
Sometimes spying really stunk. This was only my fifth assignment. While I still should've felt challenged, I'd somehow lost enough enthusiasm to call this job a bore. That made it easy to get sloppy; getting sloppy meant trouble. Not that I blamed my flat tire on carelessness. All four were almost new. So that left only lousy roads as the culprit, right?
Wrong.
"Shit happens" aka fate had no doubt thrown the usual tire tool in the works that were my sucky life, resulting in the most amazing girl I'd ever met stopping to rescue me. I could handle the humiliation of that role reversal. In fact, I liked it. What I couldn't handle was my certainty that if I'd been free, I'd have bought Lily Vincent the coffee, possibly resulting in a friendship I could really use.
Friendship?
Was that really what I wanted?
Remembering Lily's big brown eyes, tempting curves, and dazzling smile, I had to laugh at myself. What a liar, right? I hadn't been on a real date in five years, "real" being defined as meeting up with a girl simply because I was intrigued or already liked everything about her. As for the other kind of dates, the ones motivated by a need for information, I'd had more than my share and hurt enough chicks to last a lifetime.
Then there was the other thing holding me back—my duality. I knew guys who successfully juggled their two selves. So far, I hadn't managed it. Or maybe I'd just never met anyone worth the trouble. Whatever the reason, I wasn't about to complicate another innocent girl's life. Besides, Ben DeLuca wanted me gone yesterday, which meant I should call this assignment quits now. But Mike, the leader here, had recently mentioned an upcoming leadership summit, as he'd called it. I wanted to know what that was all about. If I told Ben, he'd send in the cavalry.
It was best to keep my mouth shut and hang around just a little longer. Something was about to happen. I could feel it in the air.
Chapter Three
Lily
I really didn't have a chance to wonder about Neecy until I got back to my bedroom, a solid hour later. As I dealt with my boxes and hung my clothes, I tried to think up a reason she might be frightened. Unless Theo had a Mr. Hyde persona I hadn't witnessed—sadly, so many men did—he was still head over heels for his wife. And wasn't that love shining in her eyes every time she looked at him?
So what the heck was the problem? Sitting on the side of my bed, Lupo in my arms, I tried to think of other things that might worry my sweet friend. Were they in a financial bind? I couldn't begin to imagine how much money they'd tied up in the house. A mountain of debt could definitely strain a relationship. Had Theo been against her opening the day spa, another big expense? She'd never said so, but then she wouldn't. The spa had been a dream since high school. It couldn't have been a surprise to him.
A creak in the hall outside made me get up and peek out the door. It was empty, but a new idea popped into my head. What if the house was haunted? Neecy never read creepy books or watched slasher movies. On Halloween, she always went as a fairy or nurse or hobo. No witches, zombies, or vampires for her. I, on the other hand, loved a good scare, and I felt an undeniable tingle of excitement at the mere idea of living amongst ghosts.
But it probably wasn't that, either.
Neecy suddenly appeared at my door. "Supper is a ways away, but I have snacks."
"Excellent." I set Lupo aside and followed her downstairs.
While we pigged out on brownies chock full of pecans and chocolate chips—so much for eating smarter—Neecy talked about her plans for the day spa and the November holiday schedule she'd worked out.
"I'm going to be closed from noon Wednesday through Thanksgiving. We'll be open on Black Friday and on Saturday. I've spruced up
my website for cyber Monday gift cards with a whole page devoted to our amazing new masseuse. We're ready to go!"
"I guess we'll be closed for Christmas."
"Yeah, but we'll reopen on the Monday after, not that you have to be there. Several of the girls won't be." The "girls" she referred to were the stylists and manicurists that rented booth space from her. They set their own schedules.
"I'll be there. To our success." I raised my drink. We clicked our glasses together in a toast.
Neecy, Theo, and I spent the afternoon catching up on each other's lives. It wasn't until she and I were alone watching a chick flick that night that she opened up to me. "Theo is under a lot of stress."
"I thought he looked tired. Is it the renovation? Or his job?"
We sat in the dark den, a throw over our legs. With our only light source the TV, it was hard to see her expression, much less read it.
"Neither. He's enjoyed every second he's spent remodeling. As for his job, while it's not particularly challenging, he enjoys working with the public. He's so smart and totally reliable. Everyone around here trusts him. In fact, last week some recent clients who were out of town called and asked him to go help their teenage daughter, who'd just had a wreck right here in Moonrise Ridge."
That made me smile. "Maybe it's bills. This makeover must've cost you plenty."
Neecy hugged a throw pillow. "His Mimi's paying for everything. He's her only grandchild, and she adores him. Not that he asked her for money. He'd never. But she knew what we hoped to do someday and wanted to see it happen during her lifetime."
"How cool is that!" We exchanged a high five. I could just make out her dimples and pleased grin.
Hm. "So he's definitely stressed about something besides the house and the job." Naturally my mind leapt to a too-common source of marital strife and the reason I was now avoiding men.
She apparently read my thoughts. "I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong. There is no other woman."
