Shivering, she hoped she didn’t meet him over at the Horse Emporium. It wasn’t likely to happen because he worked as a driver at Ace Trucking. Still, Cat did not want to meet him. Why hadn’t she seen his violent streak earlier? It wasn’t as if Talon lacked violence, but he had a gentle soul. She knew she was safe with him. Maybe Talon wasn’t the only one who needed to talk to Jordana….
CHAPTER EIGHT
BY THE TIME Cat drove back to Jordana’s office, later than she’d anticipated, Talon was waiting for her outside. She gulped at how good he looked, having just gotten a haircut. As he emerged from the shadow of the porch and into the morning sunshine, she got a quick glimpse of his military-short hair before he put on his baseball cap. Talon stood tall, his shoulders broad and pulled back with natural pride. At six foot three inches tall, he was devastatingly handsome. Now she was seeing the SEAL in him, that clean, unyielding line of his jaw, his mouth firm, his gray eyes hard and alert. To say he was ruggedly good-looking was an understatement. He was powerful.
Their eyes locked as he casually walked toward her. Shaken, Cat tried to calm herself, her fingers tightening around the steering wheel. This was not the man she had picked up in the snowstorm. Talon oozed that kind of raw, sexual, alpha-male energy. Her mouth went dry.
“You got a lot done while I was picking up grain,” she managed as he entered the cab and pulled on the seat belt. Talon’s profile was like granite—a tough, lean face, strong and resolute.
Talon slipped on his wraparound sunglasses, a SEAL staple and something he’d always wear. “No problem.” He closed the door. “I walked a few blocks and found a barbershop and—” he held up his cell phone “—found a store that would turn on my phone.”
He felt pretty damn good having some money in his pocket to do the small things. As he watched Cat, he could see she was in some kind of shock. Her cheeks were flushed a deep rose. Damn, she looked good to him.
“That’s great. You sure look different with your hair cut short.”
“I like it short. Stays out of the way.”
Cat managed a weak smile. Her body was on fire. She had to force herself not to stare too much. “What did Jordana say?”
He grinned a little. “Light duty. Said my lungs are pretty much clear, and in another five days, she wants me back. She thinks I can do serious wrangler work after that.” He lost his smile and added, “Then I can go see my mother.”
Cat noticed the sudden sorrow in his eyes. “I know she’s looking forward to seeing you, too, Talon.”
He didn’t want to pursue it. “So what now?” He looked at the watch on his wrist. It was ten o’clock and he was keeping in mind Cat had duty at three this afternoon at the fire department. She had taken off her cap and her shining black hair was mussed around her shoulders. Talon itched to slide his fingers through it, discover how silky and strong it was, like her.
“Andy’s got lots of great sales on winter clothes and gear at the Horse Emporium. Thought I’d drive us back there.”
“Sure,” Talon said, looking around. He never stopped checking out his surroundings. It was a natural part of being a SEAL: knowing your territory, knowing where the humans were. Just part of the wary security since it could save his life. Not that there was danger in Jackson Hole, but Talon knew he’d never stop being watchful.
As they drove through Jackson Hole to get to the Horse Emporium, Talon asked her, “Should we get the grain?”
“Yes. They were still mixing it in a hopper and that’s why I was later than I thought I’d be.”
“I made good use of the time,” Talon assured her, seeing she was anxious. “No worries, okay?”
Trying to relax, Cat gave him a nervous smile. He filled up the cab of the pickup truck. And she swore she could feel the heat of his body rolling off him. It wasn’t upsetting, just…well…sexual…sensual. And her body was doing somersaults inside. She’d never reacted to a man like this. It made her edgy. What made it more frightening was the way Talon returned her look, as a man who desired his woman. There was blatant interest. And she liked it. A lot. She simply had no experience with an alpha-male wolf like him.
“Did Jordana change your antibiotic?”
“No. Said what you put me on was doing the job.” Talon absorbed her profile, his gaze resting on her full, soft lips. Cat really had no clue as to how sexy she really was. Talon intended to change that if she gave him a chance.
“Oh, good,” she whispered, relieved.
“You’re a paramedic. You’re good at what you do.”
Warmth flowed through Cat as Talon’s growling words blanketed her. She moved her fingers nervously on the steering wheel. “Jordana’s a wonderful doctor and she knows her stuff, too.” Cat gave him a quick glance. “You do know she’s a PTSD expert?”
Talon nodded. He was feeling too good, happy, even. His life had turned around in a heartbeat and he didn’t want to spoil the new tendrils for Cat growing in his heart. “Yeah, we talked a little about it at Sunday dinner.”
“Are you going to see her about it?” She was thinking of his nightmares, although he hadn’t had any that she knew of since he’d come to the ranch house.
“In time,” he murmured. “I want to focus on my mother’s care and being a good wrangler for Griff and Val.”
Cat got the message. She could feel that tightly wound tension around Talon. This was new. Was he like that all the time? As he became well, was he going to become more like his old, military SEAL self? She didn’t know. The energy around him, though, was palpable. And it made her feel…well…cared for. She risked a quick glance at him after she’d turned the corner and saw the Horse Emporium. Was he aware of this? Was he doing it on purpose? She knew little about SEALs. And she had a million questions for him but wasn’t sure he’d answer any of them.
Once inside the store, Talon made quick work of buying eight pairs of Levi’s, the same number of long-sleeved chambray work shirts, a pair of decent work gloves and other gear he’d need. He knew Andy and it was good to shake his hand and see him once again. Best of all, Talon could pay for his purchases. Cat had shadowed him but said little. She seemed happy to carry some of his clothes to the counter for him.
Andy smiled. “Glad you’re back home, Talon,” the man said, putting the purchases into a big paper bag. “I imagine you’ll be taking over for Cat in coming here for feed and supplies?”
“Most likely,” Talon said, handing him the money.
“Ah, come on, Andy, I’m not disappearing on you,” Cat protested with a grin.
“Miss Cat, you are like a beautiful flower gracing my humble store,” Andy said, serious. “I’d hate to lose the sunshine you bring in with you. You always make my day when you show up.”
Talon noticed how Cat suddenly turned shy, lowered her lashes, her cheeks red. He was beginning to see more facets of her. Hell, she was a confident and competent paramedic, yet, when Andy, who obviously loved her like a long-lost daughter, gave her a compliment, she didn’t know how to handle it. This was one more piece of the puzzle of Cat Edwin.
“Hey, Mo’s Ice Cream Parlor has some really great pecan pie for lunch today,” Andy told them, handing Talon the huge sack.
Talon looked over at Cat. It was almost noon. “Want to drive over and grab lunch?”
“Well…sure,” she answered. She hadn’t thought about eating in town. Normally, she swung by her condo to eat lunch.
“I’m buying,” Talon assured her.
“Okay,” she murmured, taking the second big sack from Andy.
“See you later,” Andy called, raising his hand.
In the truck, Talon turned to her. “You okay with going to Mo’s for lunch? We can do something different if you want.”
She shrugged and started the truck. “No…that’s okay. I keep forgetting you haven’t been home for a long time and you’d probably like to visit your old haunts. Usually, I make lunch at my condo.”
Talon nodded. “Saving money for that house, righ
t?”
She backed the truck out and put it in Drive. “Right.” She gave him a quick smile and drove back onto the street that would lead them to Mo’s, which sat on the main plaza in downtown Jackson Hole.
Talon wasn’t sure about Mo’s, either, but he said nothing. On a good day, he could handle noise and crowds. He knew Mo’s was the most popular restaurant for locals. Today, he felt he could handle it. Besides, it meant quality, private time with Cat, which he would seek out any chance he got, PTSD or not.
They arrived at eleven and Mo’s wasn’t crowded. Talon chose a booth in the rear of the restaurant, near the exit. He was positioned so that he had a full view of the restaurant and he could see who was coming. Plus, Talon could see through the huge windows that faced the two streets. Cat had given him a strange look as he directed the waitress to a seat in the rear. There were plenty of booths up front along the windows.
Sitting down, Cat shrugged out of her coat and set it beside her with her purse. She watched as Talon took off his sunglasses and hat. Looking around, she swung her gaze back to him.
“Why did you want this particular booth?” She opened the menu, wildly aware of the man opposite her. He looked like a huge cougar just sitting with coiled, tense energy around him, his alertness always present.
Talon picked up the menu and smiled a little. “SEAL habits, Cat.”
She tilted her head. “Teach me.”
He met her curious blue gaze. Her black hair was mussed and he watched as she tamed it with her long, tapered fingers. “Security stuff,” he explained. “You never sit in front of windows. You’re a target. If someone is watching you, you will be found.”
“And sitting by this exit?”
He grinned. “Very astute. SEALs never sit in a place where they can’t leave in a hurry. If the bad guys are coming in the front door, you can go out the rear exit door.”
“Survival?”
“Yes.”
“When we’re at a structure fire, I always want to know the entrance/exit points, too, in case we get into trouble inside.”
“See?” he teased, laying the menu aside, “you’re more like a SEAL than you realized.”
She grinned and felt heat surge into her cheeks. When Talon gave her that smoldering, intense look, she felt it all the way down to her toes. Never mind the dampness between her thighs. “But I’m not being hunted by a bad guy, just the fire.”
“Both can kill you,” Talon said, frowning. He worried for her.
“No doubt,” she said.
The waitress came over and took their orders, filling their coffee cups before she left. Talon folded his hands, absorbing Cat. She wore a dark purple long-sleeved tee with a denim vest. The color reflected the hue of her large eyes. She seemed uncomfortable.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Cat shrugged. “Yes. Fine.” Oh, the lies! What? Go tell Talon that every time he looked at her, she felt he was invisibly touching her? That she thought about sex—all the time? Right. The man was certifiably, sinfully delicious. There were the fine lines at the corners of his eyes, the deeper lines that appeared when he smiled at her. His flesh was weathered by years as a SEAL. She saw the scars on his hands, heavy scarring on his back. He’d led a very hard, dangerous life, her instincts told her.
“Do I make you nervous by looking at you?”
She stared down at her clasped hands resting on the table. Her mouth went dry as she struggled to find words.
He reached over, laying his hand over hers. “Look at me, Cat.”
The instant he touched her, his long, callused fingers curving across hers, Cat jumped inwardly. She stared into those gray eyes “What?” she managed, her voice off-key. She wanted to pull her hands away. This kind of contact with Talon was really making her feel too much.
“Why are you so uncomfortable with me looking at you? You’re a beautiful woman and you should feel good about it. Not…” He hesitated, casting around for the right word. “Not scared. I see fear in your eyes every time I look at you. I’m not going to hurt you, Cat.” And Talon lifted his hand from hers because he saw panic.
Cat sat back, tucking her hands beneath the table. “It’s a long story,” she whispered.
Talon gave a shrug and a gentle look. “I’ve got the time if you do.”
“I’m really ashamed to even talk about it, Talon,” she muttered, refusing to meet his eyes.
“Okay,” he said. “Do you mind if I tell you what I think?”
Cat lifted her chin and held his gaze. “No.” She felt his protection suddenly cloaking her. How did he do this? No man had ever given her that sense.
He lowered his voice so no one could over hear them. “I think you’re afraid of men in general because your father or a male relative or friend probably did something to you when you were a little girl. I’ve found that we’re all branded, one way or another, by our parents. Sometimes in good, positive and supportive ways.” Talon’s voice grew concerned as he held her unsure gaze. “And sometimes, parents can harm a child in so many ways—physically, mentally or emotionally.” He opened his hands around the cup of coffee he held between them. “Maybe all of the above.”
The silence thickened between them.
Cat gulped. How could he have possibly known? “You know, Val and I, when we met one another for the first time, we instantly got along like sisters.” She forced herself to look at Talon. His face was normally unreadable. Maybe his game face. Right now, he was open, vulnerable to her, and that shook Cat. It made her feel less threatened. “We…uh…discovered pretty quickly that we sort of shared the same rotten childhood. Val’s father, Buck, was a drunk and he physically abused his wife, Cheryl, and Val. Cheryl was so beaten down after living years with Buck, that she never protected Val like she should have.” Cat hitched one shoulder, her voice growing painful. “When we discovered we had a similar past with our fathers, we just clicked.” Her voice dropped into a whisper. “We understood one another, our crazy quirks, maybe eccentricities….”
Talon wanted to get up, slide into the seat where Cat was sitting, sweep her into his arms and hold her. Hold her and give her the protection she had never gotten as an innocent child. The need was so powerful he had to literally stop himself from doing exactly that. Her face had gone pale, her eyes haunted. She bit on her lower lip as if to stop from crying.
“I’m sorry, Cat. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad….” Talon would do anything to remove the anguish he saw in her eyes.
“I-it’s not something I want to talk about, Talon.” Cat shifted, feeling anxious. “I try not to remember. Every time I think about it, I get scared, upset and anxious, like right now. I’m sorry. I’m not exactly whole.”
“I’m not, either,” he admitted wearily. “No one is perfect, Cat. We all carry invisible scars of one sort or another.” He saw a hint of tears in her eyes. Oh, hell! She couldn’t cry. Not here. Not now. A sense of utter helplessness spread quickly through him. “I like you just the way you are.”
Cat glanced out over the restaurant that was getting more and more customers in for lunch. “Jordana said I had PTSD. We, uh, talked about it after Sunday dinner. I’m going in for treatment once I’m back in town. Maybe someday I’ll be able to trust men again.” She tapped her head. “In here, mentally, I know all men aren’t my father. But when a man looks at me and I pick up on his intentions toward me, emotionally, I get scared.”
Talon’s mouth tightened. “Because you see your father stalking you? Hunting you down?” He wanted to kill the bastard. What father would ever hurt his child? Staring at Cat, how beautiful she was, how much she helped others with her kindness and compassion, Talon felt rage tunnel through him toward her father.
“Yes,” she whispered. “You look at me and it just triggers my reflex, Talon.” She leaned forward, her voice hoarse. “I know you don’t intend me harm. My head knows that. But…God, I’m so oversensitized to men that I pick up their intentions, like an invisible radar. Jordana has he
lped me to understand that when it happens, I have to mentally separate out what I’m feeling. It isn’t like every man is stalking me. It’s that I pick up their interest in me and the message gets twisted inside me, my feelings… And instead of being able to accept their compliment, I realize I interpret it as stalking me.”
Talon sat back, digesting her words. Even though Cat had nothing to feel humiliated about, Talon understood a little more about her reaction. “You’re still trapped in the emotions of when you were a child.”
“Not that I’m proud of it,” Cat admitted wryly, one corner of her mouth hooking upward in a twist. “I’m twenty-seven years old. Jordana said that often, when a child is traumatized like that, the emotions don’t grow and mature as they should. It’s sort of like being stuck. She’s really helped me see this, Talon. When you look at me and it triggers me, I stop and tell myself you’re not my father. You’re not out to hurt me.” Cat tilted her head, seeing his face go dark with an unknown emotion. “I know you wouldn’t hurt me,” she admitted, her voice soft. “You’re a good person.”
Watching Cat struggle made him want to cry for her. For the pain she lived with daily. Her sick, abusive father had stolen so much from her.
“Look,” he began, spreading his hands out in front of him, “maybe we need to reset how you see me? Would you react the same if I were your friend?” Not a lover, which was what he wanted to be.
Cat sat back and digested his question. Talon had never been a friend to a woman. Didn’t have a friggin’ clue how to be one. But he’d do anything to win Cat’s trust, and maybe, just maybe, offering her friendship was the safe place to start.
“I don’t know, Talon.”
He nodded in understanding. “I want your trust, Cat.” That wasn’t a lie. That was the whole, unvarnished truth. Without trust between a man and a woman, nothing was going to happen.
The waitress brought over their plates and refilled their coffee cups and left.
Cat wasn’t hungry, but she knew she had to eat. Going on shift, she had to eat or else. A structure fire could go on for hours, half a day, and Cat would have no chance to eat at all. She had to keep her strength. She felt Talon’s eyes on her, but for whatever reason, it didn’t trigger her anxiety. Right now, she experienced his gentle side. Oh, she’d seen his gentleness with Zeke. And at those times, Cat had wanted his hands on her. How would it feel to be stroked with his long, large-knuckled fingers? She waited until the waitress was out of earshot to answer him.
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