“Wyatt. Step out of the vehicle.”
Rafe relaxed his hands and climbed out of the truck.
“Walk to the front of the vehicle.”
Rafe complied.
“Is there a problem, Sheriff?” Grace asked.
“Has anyone tried to hurt you, coerce you or assault you this evening?”
“No, sir.”
“Are you in any jeopardy or danger? Do you fear for your life?”
“No, sir.”
“You should. I warned you to stay away from him.”
“I appreciate your concern, Sheriff. I’m perfectly well, in mind and body, and can make my own decisions.”
“Do you have any knowledge or suspicions about the Walker’s Run Cooperative or any of its members?”
“No, sir.”
“You sure about that? You haven’t observed any unusual behavior in Wyatt, the Walkers or any other Co-op member?”
“No, I haven’t. Have you?”
“Miss, I’ll ask the questions.”
“I’m curious because you’ve approached me twice and I’d like to know what your concerns are.”
“You’ll find them out soon enough. Do you mind if I search the vehicle?”
“Ask Rafe. It belongs to him. He’ll tell you to call his lawyer. I have him on speed dial. Would you like me to call him?”
“Have a nice evening, miss.”
The sheriff talked to Rafe at the front of the vehicle for a few minutes. Then they walked back to the truck.
“Watch yourself, Wyatt.”
“Always do.” Rafe climbed into the truck, buckled his seat belt. The sheriff continued on to his car.
Rafe’s gaze searched her head to foot. The muscles in his face and jaw relaxed. “What did he say to you?”
“He asked a bunch of questions.” Grace squeezed his fingers. “He did not like that I was with you.”
“It’s late on a Friday night and I’m a recovering alcoholic with a DUI history. Considering how rumpled your clothes are, maybe he wanted to be sure you were safe.”
“He’s also suspicious about the Co-op. There’s nothing illegal going on, is there?”
“No.” Rafe cranked the engine, turned on the lights, put on the blinker and eased onto the road. “We strive to be environmentally friendly, we keep our wolf pack healthy and safe, and we focus on supporting our families and community.”
“Then why is the sheriff so concerned about the Co-op?” Grace noticed the patrol car following at a safe distance.
“He’s an outsider. From his perspective, the Co-op is a secretive organization that he hasn’t been able to crack. He thinks he’s doing his job by investigating us.” Rafe didn’t seem to harbor any annoyance.
Grace frowned at the sheriff’s car as it continued on the highway after Rafe turned onto the private road leading to the resort. He pulled to a stop at the valet station, climbed out of the tow truck and came around to her side to open the door.
His Southern manners had started to grow on her. Opening doors, the way he walked close and lightly touched her back, and he never simply dropped her off. He always walked her to her room. Made her feel protected and cherished.
In the crowded elevator, he stood behind her with his arms wrapped around her, buffering her from unruly resort guests who’d had too much to drink in the lounge downstairs. When they arrived at her floor, he stepped around her and made a path through the people so she could easily exit.
He laced his fingers through hers as they strolled to her room. Out of habit, she handed him the card-key. Somehow the reader never worked for her when Rafe accompanied her.
“Want to come in?” Good. Her voice sounded as nonchalant as she was pretending to be.
“Not tonight.”
Disappointment dropped into her stomach. Maybe she’d imagined the intimate connection she’d felt as they made love.
She really needed to get a grip on her emotions before she ended up with another broken heart.
“Oh, okay.” Before Grace turned to enter the suite, Rafe’s hands grazed her waist before settling on her hips. Her insides fluttered like a dozen butterflies trying to escape their cocoon.
Chills, the good kind, swept over her skin as he nuzzled her neck. His lips skimmed the curve of her jaw up to the delightful spot behind her ear that instantly turned her bones to mush.
He backed her against the open door. Smart move, since she could barely stand.
Grace stared up into his eyes and felt herself falling into the depths of the dark blue pools. She didn’t have time to pull herself out before Rafe gently held her face in his hands and leaned in for a kiss. The sound of waves crashing against the breakers pounded in her head.
Rafe’s firm lips whispered softly over her mouth. He took his time. Patient and calm. And Grace delighted in his every nibble.
A tiny sigh escaped her lips when Rafe broke the kiss and nuzzled her cheek. “Good night, sweetheart.”
With dreamlike vision, she watched Rafe walk into the elevator. “Bye,” she mouthed, before he was hidden behind the shiny brass elevator doors.
Chapter 29
“Did hell freeze over and I miss the memo?” The security guard at the entrance to the Co-op’s outdoor park cracked a big smile.
“Maybe so,” Rafe said good-naturedly.
Grace expected they would show ID but they simply kept walking through the checkpoint.
“What good is a security guard if people can waltz right in without being checked.”
“Kenneth knows who belongs and who doesn’t.”
“What if someone has a gun or a knife?”
“If we were at a public event, that would be a concern, but not here. We don’t shoot or stab someone when we have a disagreement.”
“Don’t tell me. You let your wolves battle it out,” Grace said jokingly.
“Well—”
“I was kidding.” She clasped his arm. “Please tell me that isn’t what you do. That’s animal cruelty.”
“Gullible.” A crooked grin quirked his mouth. His arm bumped hers and he slipped his hand into hers as they walked.
The grounds were vast and the scale of the picnic larger than any she had attended. Huge tented pavilions were set up with a variety of foods, including barbecue, hot dogs, hamburgers and a several spits roasting pigs. Areas were roped off for children’s events, including a clown performing magic tricks, story-telling and a bean-bag toss.
“Rafe!” A slightly more than middle-aged woman, standing between two other women, waved.
He stopped and a subtle tension crept into his posture. Grace could almost feel the tightness spreading to her body.
“What a nice surprise to see you here.” The woman approached and gave him a hug. “You must be Grace.” The woman’s smile was warm and genuine. “I’m Cynthia Reinhardt.”
Bells went off in Grace’s mind and a slight unease settled in her stomach. “Nice to meet you.”
“Is your cousin and her son coming today? I’d love to meet them, too.”
“Ronni is working this morning. She’ll be here for the baseball game.” Rafe adjusted his ball cap over his eyes. “Alex spent the night with his friend, Lucas, and is coming with Lucas’s family.”
“Lovely. I do hope you all have a wonderful time.” She swallowed and Grace glimpsed a flash of sorrow in Cynthia’s eyes. Her shoulders dropped as she turned to walk away.
“Oh no!” Panic tinged the note of aggravation in her voice. She stepped hurriedly toward the man fast approaching. “Clay, stop.”
He didn’t. He kept barreling toward them.
“Clay,” Rafe growled, tucking Grace behind him. “You need to back off.”
“You filthy cur!” Clay shoved Rafe’s shoulder, but Rafe’s body merely absorbed the shock.
“How can you tolerate this?”
“Go home, Clay. Get control of your grief before it destroys you.” Outwardly Rafe appeared to be the picture of calmness. Inwardly, Grace felt a churn of intense emotions that didn’t quite feel like her own.
“Let’s find Brice and Cassie.” She tugged Rafe’s hand.
As Rafe turned to follow her lead, Clay intercepted.
“You’re aren’t going anywhere with her.”
“That’s enough.” Tristan barged between them. Fingers spread, his wide hand slapped against Clay’s chest. “If you can’t play nice, Clay, you’ll have to leave.”
Clay’s face darkened. Spittle formed in the corners of his mouth. “You’re all a pack of mongrels.”
“Why don’t we take a ride to the clinic.” Tristan tipped his head and two men, plainclothes security guards, made their way through the small crowd that had gathered.
“There’s nothing wrong with me.”
“Just go with them, Clay.” Cynthia rubbed her temple. “You need help.”
“Come on.” Rafe steered Grace away from the scene.
She looked back to see Tristan accompanying the security guards dragging away Clay, his face twisted in a vicious scowl.
“He’s a powder keg ready to blow.”
“He’s a broken, angry, grieving man.” Sadness laced Rafe’s voice. “I used to be him.”
“Not anymore.” Grace playfully bumped against Rafe.
“Nope. Not anymore.”
* * *
Clutching a tray of drinks, Grace climbed the bleachers. The picnic had been in full swing since eight that morning. Now it was nearly two in the afternoon and in all that time, she’d hardly had a break.
She and Rafe had played horseshoes, joined the sack races, watched an archery competition and had eaten a barbecue lunch. But, he’d disappeared half an hour ago to meet Ronni at the entrance while Grace waited at the concession stand for drinks.
Where are you?
“Grace!”
She turned and saw Ronni coming up the steps behind her.
“Hey, I thought Rafe was with you.”
“He stopped to talk to Loretta.”
“Oh.” Grace’s stomach flipped. Her gaze darted between pockets of people milling around the grounds and bleachers. She found Rafe, cozied up next to Loretta in the far right section in the first set of bleachers.
She felt a rush of jealousy and, buried beneath it, disappointment.
Wow. It hadn’t taken him long to change his mind.
A sudden sense of Rafe’s being filled her. He looked over his shoulder and caught her staring.
“Have a little faith in me, sweetheart.”
He held her gaze with such expectation that she answered with a nod.
His smile loosened the tightness in her chest.
Weird. So very weird. If hearing Rafe’s voice in her head was a symptom of the concussion, she thought the effect should’ve faded by now. And she found it curious it was only Rafe’s voice she heard, never anyone else’s.
“Mind if I sit with you? I haven’t met many people yet and Alex is playing in the game.”
Grace’s attention returned to Ronni. “I’m sitting with Cassie and her family, but we have plenty of room.”
“I can find another seat. I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
“You’re not intruding. I’ll introduce you.”
“Alex had a great time yesterday,” Ronni said as they climbed the steps.
“Rafe and I had a lot of fun, too.” Grace led Ronni midway up the bleachers. So far, the only ones sitting in the reserved row were Cassie and Abby, her mother-in-law. Grace made the introductions as she passed Abby her soda and gave Cassie a bottle of water.
“Nice to finally meet you.” Cassie smiled at Ronni. “I’ve wanted to invite you, Alex and Rafe to dinner, but Gavin said you’re busy taking night classes.”
“I am.” Ronni returned a smile.
“We’ll plan a small dinner party when your classes are finished,” Abby said.
“Grace!” Rafe bounded up the steps, two at a time, to get to her. He took off his shades and hooked them in the collar of his T-shirt. “You’re sunburned.” He dusted his thumb across Grace’s cheek.
“I forgot to put on sunscreen.”
He took off his cap and placed it on her head.
“Thanks.” She pulled her ponytail through the opening in the back. Lowering her voice, she asked, “What were you talking about with Loretta?”
“You.” Rafe leaned toward Grace. “I made sure she understands the way things are now.”
A heated, hungry look darkened his eyes. His arms braced against her hips.
“What are you doing?”
“Reassuring you.”
“I don’t need reassurance.”
“Then maybe I do.”
Previously, Grace might’ve dismissed fleeting thoughts spoken in Rafe’s voice as imagination, but when it happened with him right in front of her face and his mouth never flinched with movement...well, she wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.
“Kiss me. Like you did last night.” His eyes darkened and a seductive smile played on his lips.
A wicked heat flashed through Grace’s body.
Her nipples pebbled, desire pooled in her lower belly. She licked her lips, parched from the sudden heat wave.
“Take it down a notch or two.”
Grace tore her gaze from Rafe. Cassie grinned at them like a fiend.
“The team’s getting ready,” Abby said to Rafe. “I hope your suit fits. You never gave me your measurements so I had to guess.”
Rafe glanced toward the baseball field and back to Grace. “I can think of a better way to spend the afternoon.”
“Oh, no.” Grace wagged her finger. “You’re not copping out now. I want to see your ass in those tight uniform pants, running the bases.”
Humor lit Rafe’s eyes and his entire face smiled. He touched his nose to hers while they stared into each other’s eyes. He gave her a peck on the lips and stood.
“Make sure my ass is the only one you watch, sweetheart.” The gravelly rumble in Rafe’s voice nearly made her come.
He was halfway down the bleachers when she yelled out, “Hey, Wyatt!”
He turned back.
“Make sure your ass is the only one worth watching.”
His smile turned lethal. The heat in his gaze seemed to cause the outdoor temperature to rise.
Or maybe just her body temperature.
Then he winked.
Grace’s breathing went wonky.
“You were right. Your chemistry with Rafe is explosive.” Cassie grinned. “I knew you were perfect for each other.”
“He’s lonely. I’m single.” Grace shrugged.
“Some of the best relationships start out that way, hon.” Ronni patted Grace’s knee. “Especially with men like Rafe.”
“Oh, we’re just friends.”
“Well, that’s a step forward.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I first asked Rafe about you, he said you were a friend of a friend,” Ronni said. “Now, you’ve moved up to friend.”
“That didn’t take long.” Cassie peered at Grace with sharp, inquisitive eyes.
“What?”
“A few days ago, you said he didn’t want to be your friend.”
“He changed his mind.”
“You changed his mind.” Cassie turned her head.
Grace followed her friend’s gaze toward the locker room. Rafe hesitated, his hand on the door. He turned, locking his sights onto Grace and a sense of his very presence filled her. Smiling,
she wiggled her fingers at him. He nodded and went inside.
“Maybe he’ll change your mind, too.”
“About what?”
“About everything.”
Chapter 30
“Stirrriike.” The umpire’s boom echoed around the baseball field.
“Damn it, Brice! Knock the goddamn ball out of the park!” Rafe rocked on his feet and scowled down the third baseline toward home plate.
“I’m trying!”
“Not hard enough,” Tristan chimed in from his position on first base.
With the score seven to seven in the bottom of the eleventh, two runners on base, and two outs, they were fighting hard to avoid another inning of overtime. Wolfans never stopped at a draw. They played until someone won.
Rafe didn’t care who won anymore. Tired and sweaty, he could no longer pick out Grace’s scent from the crowd. His nerves coiled as he wondered if she had left the bleachers, bored with the game.
The pitcher wound up. Rafe wiped the moisture from his brow and crouched into position.
The fastball rocketed from the pitcher’s hand. Brice’s bat splintered and the ball exploded down the third baseline. Roaring, the crowd jumped to its feet. Tristan took off for second base while Brice headed to first.
Rafe stayed put, tracking the ball as it drifted south of the baseline. His adrenaline rush stalled.
“Foul!”
Tristan and Brice turned back at the umpire’s call.
Rafe caught his first glimpse of Grace since the seventh inning. Still wearing his favorite hat, she waved furiously. The worried clench in his gut eased.
“Looks like we got a time-out,” the third baseman taunted. “You know what that means.”
The catcher pushed up his face mask and trotted to the pitcher’s mound, probably to discuss an intentional walk. A power hitter, Brice only needed to get the ball into the outfield to bring Rafe home for the win.
“Ah, hell!” Hands on his hips, Rafe kicked the dirt and paced a tight circle around the base. If Brice walked, Tristan would advance to second. The bases would be loaded with two outs. The next batter was a wolfling who didn’t have the strength to knock Rafe home. Another inning loomed.
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