by V. A. Dold
“Thanks, Julia. Sorry, I woke you.”
He ended the call as Doug walked through the door.
“Lucas,” Krystal growled low enough for only him to hear.
Looking innocent, he rose from the couch and beyond her reach. “What? Did you think I’d leave him in the dark about someone horning in on his girl? Hell no. Us men have to stick together.”
“Lucas, Krystal,” Doug said, removing his hat. “I hear something happened last night.”
Krystal shot Lucas a dirty look. “Nothing happened that requires the local sheriff.”
Ignoring her brush off, he fingered a rose petal while his tiger took a more aggressive approach by swiping at the offending blooms. “Are these the ones?” he asked in a tone that brooked no-nonsense.
When she didn’t answer, he looked her in the eye. “I asked you a question. It’s impolite not to answer.”
She huffed out a breath. “They were left outside my door late last night.”
Nodding, Doug picked up the note, read it, gave it a sniff. Looking from Krystal to Lucas, he said. “Smells like wolf. If you don’t mind, I’d like to take your scent in comparison.”
Lucas held out his arm. “Sure.”
Bending, Doug took a slow inhale. Then he turned to Krystal. When she rolled her eyes and held out her arm, he pulled her in close and rubbed his nose up the length of her neck.
“Doug!”
Grinning, he said, “The wolf on that card isn’t either of you. Did anyone else touch it?”
Lucas looked at her brows raised in question.
She shook her head. “Only the three of us.”
Doug rubbed his jaw. “Then we have another wolf hanging around. One of your hands, Lucas?”
“Nope.” He shook his head. “All human.”
“Any wolves in the area besides you two and Kensie?”
“No,” Lucas said with a frown of concentration. “Only when my family visits. And no one is here right now.”
He caught Krystal’s gaze and held it. “Then we have an unknown sniffing around your ranch.”
“Not for long,” Lucas snarled. “I’ll organize a rotation of guards around the living quarters and outbuildings. If he comes around again, I’ll teach him a lesson he’ll never forget.”
“What can I do to help?” Doug asked.
“Nothing,” Krystal blurted before Lucas could accept his help.
Both men raised their brows this time.
Planting her hands on her hips, she stared back. “I haven’t come up with a solution for my mother. Until that happens, he can’t be hanging around.”
Lucas cussed under his breath. “That’s it. I’m talking to my parents. Between them and Julia, we’ll come up with a way to deal with Lucinda.”
Walking to the front door, she held it open and gave Doug a pointed look. “Until then, the sheriff has to go.”
Lucas clapped Doug on the back. “Sorry, man. I’ll see what I can go to get this mess cleaned up so you can get on with business.”
“Thank you. If any other strange gifts show up, let me know.”
“I’ll do that. For now, I’ll leave you to say goodbye to my cousin.” Whistling, he headed for the family wing.
Focusing his attention on her, Doug started toward the door. But as he brushed past her, he took her hand and pulled her along with him.
“Doug! What are you doing?”
With the glint of cat smugness in his eyes, he said, “Letting you walk me to my truck. It’s what a djairi does when her djairu is leaving home.”
Stefanie giggled excitedly. It’s about time. Make sure you kiss him goodbye.
Thrilled but refusing to listen to her guide or show her excitement, she objected, “This is not your home, and I’m not your djairi, yet.”
“Krystal,” he said her name like a gentle admonishment. “The instant I recognized you as mine, you were my djairi.” He stopped them beside his truck and cupped her face. “Your mother and her tantrums matter little to me. You’re mine. You will always be mine.”
Oo! I like him. I bet he’s really romantic. He might even write poetry.
Krystal trembled with a full-body shiver. “What was that?” Her eyes narrowed on Doug. “What did you do?”
“I stroked your inner light body to wakefulness with my mine.” A mischievous grin spread across his lips. “Our connection is…” he paused as if searching for a word. “More. Now you will sense me, no matter where I am, and I can do the same with you. Not only will you know my location, you will also feel my emotional state.”
Great. Just flipping, great. Now she’d not only think about him twenty-four hours a day, she’d freaking feel him, too.
He brushed his thumb across her cheekbone. “If you’re in trouble or hurt, I’ll know it and come to you. Your mother won’t get near you if she has dark intentions. I won’t allow it.”
Bending, he placed a soft kiss upon her lips. “Take care, sweet Krystal. Be safe, and call me if you feel threatened in any way.”
“Okay,” was all she could manage. With one last brush of lips, he climbed into his truck, and she watched him drive away.
Trudging back into the main house, she waved at Leon as he walked past on his way to breakfast. Making it to the couch, she fell onto it again and rubbed at her nose as if that would get Leon’s strange smell out of her nose. For some reason, he always smelled like a wet dog dosed in old spice.
Good lord, she’d never been so tired. She was yawning when Lucas walked in with Kensie.
“Gracious, Krystal. You look awful,” Kensie exclaimed as she put her palm on Krystal’s forehead to check for a temperature. “No fever. Are you feeling okay?”
“Just tired.” She yawned again. “I haven’t slept in days.”
Lucas sat down and put his arm around her shoulder to pull her to his side. “I’m sorry, cher. You know what? Jojo can handle things around here. I think you should take the day off and get some sleep.”
Krystal glanced at the front desk. There wasn’t a needy guest in sight. “I have all of today’s activities set up and ready to go. I think you’re right. I’ll take the day off—after I eat breakfast, that is. Whatever Cook is making smells amazing.”
“She said something about getting a ton of sweet potatoes in her last delivery. I believe she’s making sweet potato and pecan waffles and sweet potato biscuits.”
Krystal rubbed her hands together and got to her feet. “Yum. I better get in there before your crew shows up and eats them all.”
About twenty minutes later, she patted her tummy full of Cook’s waffles and yawned so big her eyes watered.
“That’s it,” Lucas grumbled, getting to his feet. “Come on, it’s time for you to go home.”
She grinned up at him. “I know, I’m just trying to work up the energy to get out of this chair.” She let out a little squeak when he pulled her from the chair. “Well, that solved the problem.”
Then she felt his hand on the small of her back, gently pushing her toward the door. She could take a hint. “I’m going.”
“I’m just making sure you don’t topple over. Someone will bring you dinner tonight. I don’t want to see you again until tomorrow.”
Krystal gave him a teasing salute. “Sir. Yes, sir.”
“Smartass,” he murmured as he opened the door and held it for her.
“You know it. Thanks, Lucas. I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow.” With a wave over her shoulder, she trudged home.
Doug appeared to leave but only drove as far as the driveway’s first bend. There, he pulled into the brush and parked, then he returned to watch the main house from the shadows of a stand of trees. From where he sat, he saw Krystal emerge and head for her cabin. Under the bright morning sunshine, she was magnificent.
When she turned toward her cabin, a stunning profile view of her curves appeared. His body hardened into a painful, unfamiliar ache. With only one woman for
every ten men on Mer Ahn Tah, females were revered as treasures. A Mer Ahn Tian male never lusted after another’s djairi. To do so brought great shame upon him. On his world, everyone remained celibate until their companion was found. It wasn’t until he landed on Earth that he had his first sexual experience. It was pleasant but not something he chose to partake in lightly. As such, he could count his partners on one hand. Occasionally, he had a physical response to a woman, but his body had never behaved in the manner Krystal evoked.
As a feline shifter, his ability to stalk prey was highly developed. That skill came in handy as he followed his djairi to her home. He didn’t want to be seen and accused of stalking her. There was a distinct difference between stalking and protecting. She may be within the boundaries of the ranch, but a stranger delivering flowers had already proved it didn’t ensure her safety.
As long as he was in the area, he would make sure she was safely behind locked doors before he headed out. Standing in the shadow of a large tree, he watched as she went inside and listened for the deadbolt to turn. Satisfied when he heard the telltale click of metal on metal, he looked longingly at the door she’d gone through for a few minutes. Then he turned to gaze at the only window. He could see her silhouette pacing the floor. She was upset, but at least she was safe for now.
He was about to turn and go when his ear picked up female grumbling. Krystal was thinking about him, and she wasn’t happy about it. Then something, probably a shoe, hit the wall. A grin tugged at his lips. She was warring with her attraction to him. Good. That meant she would spend her day thinking about him and their future. Even better.
Walking back to his truck, he considered his day. When he got to the office, he would use every tool he had to identify the man sniffing around her door. As long as she was in danger, he would have difficulty giving her the space she’d requested. The sooner the mystery was solved, the better.
Eight
Over the next few days, Krystal made every attempt to locate the floral shop that sold the roses. Between guests checking in and out, asking questions, and signing up for activities, she made call after call. When she’d exhausted every shop on her list within sixty miles, she gave up. She could make calls until she was blue in the face in the hopes of finding the sales clerk who sold the flowers, or talking to an overworked florist, who by now would at best have a foggy recollection of the man who bought a dozen red roses. No, it was time to throw in the towel.
After a long day taking care of guests, she headed home for a shower and her fuzzy slippers. A night in with a sappy Hallmark movie was exactly what she needed. The ranch was maxed out with guests, and it was too peopley outside.
Finally settled on her couch, she grabbed the channel changer. “This one sounds good,” she thought out loud as the scratchy sound of something sliding on the floor had her whipping around.
There was a legal sized manila envelope lying on the floor. Not only was she freaked out, she was confused. How did that get through the tiny gap under her door? Inching toward it as if it would jump up and bite her, she looked at it from all angles without touching it. Whatever was inside was pretty thick. Goosebumps rose on her arms. Much too thick to slide under her door. That was when she turned her attention to the door and noticed it was ajar. It was only open by a hair, but still, she knew for a fact she’d locked it when she got home.
Her wolf growled, pacing in her mind as she backed away. Grabbing her landline, she called Lucas.
“Hello?”
“Lucas, I need you,” she whispered into the mouthpiece. “Hurry.”
“Krystal? Are you okay? Where are you?” His voice rumbled low and rough, filled with a menacing growl.
“In my cabin. Someone was here and left an envelope. The thing is, I locked the door and when I noticed the envelope, the door was ajar. Whoever this is can unlock my door.”
“You have a secondary deadbolt, right?”
“Yes.”
“Did you use it or only lock the doorknob?”
“I just used the lock on the knob,” she admitted quietly.
“I thought so. Lock the door and make sure you use the deadbolt this time. Stay inside and don’t touch the envelope. I’m on my way.”
With that, the call ended. Krystal hung up the phone and stared at the envelope. She wanted to pick it up, but she didn’t want to mess with the evidence. Snapping her fingers, she headed to the kitchenette. Tongs. She could pick it up and give it a sniff without screwing up any fingerprints, DNA, or scent left behind.
Gripping the tongs, she surveyed the envelope. If she grabbed it by the tip of a corner, she’d touch only the barest amount of the evidence. Crouching down, she was reaching for the offending item when pounding on the door sent her backward on her rump. Fur and claws erupted on her hands as her wolf struggled to emerge and protect her. Calm down. I’ve got this. If I need you, I’ll let you know.
Palm to her chest, she gulped a breath of air. “Jesus, Lucas. You scared the crap out of me,” she snarled as she pulled her door open and gasped. “Doug. What are you doing here?”
“Responding to call about a suspicious item shoved under your door.” He glanced around her at the large manilla envelope. “Is that it?”
Krystal folded her arms and stood her ground. “Yes, and I called Lucas, not you. We can handle this.”
“And I’m the law.” Gripping her shoulders, he picked her up and set her aside. “Excuse me.”
“Hey! Manhandle me again, and I’ll mark up that pretty face,” she snarled. No one pushed her around like that. Not since the Paulson boy shoved her into a shed and tried to take advantage of her. That ill-advised choice hadn’t ended well for him either.
Doug dragged his hands through his hair. “I apologize, sweetheart. You’re right, I shouldn’t have done that. My only defense is I get a little bossy when I’m scared. And right now, I’m terrified that something will happen to you.”
Krystal scrubbed her face with her hands. “I’m sorry as well, I shouldn’t have jumped down your throat like that.”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll get started.” Doug was pulling on latex gloves when Lucas skidded into the cabin. “Oh, good. You’re here.”
Krystal glared at her cousin. “Yes. The sheriff is here, Lucas.”
“You have a stalker, Krystal. That means the local law enforcement is involved. Get over it.”
“You and I both know that isn’t why you called him. If he were anyone else, you and I would handle this ourselves.”
“But I’m not anyone else,” Doug said from his crouched position without looking her way. “So, like Lucas said, please let me do my job.”
“Lucas didn’t exactly say that as eloquently as you did. I appreciate your tactful approach.”
Lucas stuck his tongue out at his cousin before turning his attention back to Doug and the situation at hand.
Gripping the envelope by the merest edge, Doug lifted it to his nose, then held it out for Lucas to do the same.
Lucas nodded. “Same scent as the flowers.”
Examining first one side then the other, he looked for anything that would identify the sender. A single black hair clung to the backside. Taking an evidence bag from his pocket, he bagged the hair. Doug examined the envelope one more time. Except for the hair, there was nothing on the generic envelope. Finally, he glanced at Lucas and Krystal. “I can open this here or at my office.”
“Open it now,” Krystal answered for the both of them. “It was sent to me, and I want to know what’s inside.”
Breaking the seal that was only attached by the center half-inch of the flap, he glanced inside. “It looks like a bunch of photos.” Rising to his full height, he moved to the little dining table before pulling out the contents.
On top of the pile of images was a single folded sheet of paper. I love the way you look with sunshine on your hair.
Krystal took a step back as if the note would lunge at her. The words wer
e carefully chosen to frighten her. A threat couched within a compliment. As was the fact that the note was unsigned.
Placing the note inside an evidence bag, Doug carefully fanned the dozen or so photos across the table.
Every picture was of Krystal going about her day doing mundane tasks. What raised the hair on the back of her neck were the ones of her at the front desk in the main house and the single picture that didn’t feature her at all. That threatening photo was of her bed. The stalker had been inside her cabin!
Her stomach revolted, and she would have been sick had not the pea gravel of the walkway leading to her front porch crunched under someone’s foot. At once, three heads jerked around towards the door.
Someone was outside—someone who definitely didn’t belong near her private quarters.
With the flick of two fingers directing Lucas toward the front window, Doug crept to the still open door and froze when the sound of movement stilled outside. Doug used hand signals to communicate that she should act as if they hadn’t heard the intruder.
“These look like they were taken two days ago. See that blouse? That is what I wore with my black slacks the day before yesterday. Based on the angle, the photographer was standing just outside the front door.” She felt like she was babbling but continued her monologue. “I would have noticed someone holding the door open. He or she must have waited for a guest to enter or leave before snapping the picture.”
A moment later came a creak of wood underfoot. The stalker was moving closer. Like most serial criminals, he wanted to witness the reaction to his work. She held her breath as Doug allowed him to mount the stairs and get within a step of entering the cabin before making his move. Carefully lifting his right foot, he cautiously made his way to the door.
Glancing at her cousin, she saw that Lucas had made it to the picture window, lifted the edge of the curtain, and peered outside. He wasn’t going to see anything from there. The darkness of a cloudy night sky added to the shadows of the covered porch would make it impossible to see identifiable features without the porchlight on.
