Trust in Sanctuary [Sanctuary, Montana 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Corinne Davies

  “Do you know Dr. Hailey Hunter?” Aubrey had recommended she speak to the vet who was working on the Baldwin ranch. She’d be the first in a number of people Jocelyn would speak to. Most times it was impossible to get an objective opinion from anyone involved directly in her research. Outsiders were much more open to talk and often noticed things that the family didn’t realize.

  “Yes, of course. She’s due to check out today but hasn’t come down yet.” The older woman waved a hand toward the staircase. “It’s unusual for her to sleep this late, but she’s a vet and may have been called out to Jackson’s in the middle of the night.”

  “I can wait down here until she gets up.” Jocelyn picked up her bags and followed Minnie to the desk in the front entranceway. This area led into a cozy living room with lots of places to sit. Her eyes were instantly drawn to a big overstuffed chair tucked away into the corner. It looked like a perfect place to curl up and do some research.

  “Let’s get you checked in. You can relax, and I promise I’ll let her know that you want to talk to her.”

  Jocelyn filled out the small amount of paperwork Minnie required, had her bags stashed upstairs, and was back down in the living room within thirty minutes. She immediately started looking at the old pictures on the walls around the living room, completely absorbed in not just the pictures but the backgrounds as well. Sometimes one could learn more about a picture by what the photographer didn’t focus on. It was a while later when she heard Minnie’s voice in the hallway again before a young woman walked into the living room.

  As soon as she spotted Jocelyn she headed straight for her. “Hello, I’m Hailey Hunter. How can I help you?”

  “Dr. Jocelyn Richards. You’re checking out, I see.” Way to state the obvious, idiot.

  “Yes.”

  Jocelyn tried to gain some more control and act professional. She’d been hired to do a job, and her employers didn’t need to hear that they’d hired a total flake. She pointed to one of the chairs in the room. “Do you have a minute? Minnie said you worked at the Baldwin ranch for the last couple of weeks.”

  “Yes.”

  Hailey looked half asleep, and Jocelyn wondered if this was the best time to pester her with questions. If Jocelyn had had to go out in the cold in the middle of the night to take care of some big animal, the last thing she’d want was to be bugged by a complete stranger. Hailey’s stomach rumbled, and the young woman placed her hand over it as if to hide the noise.

  Jocelyn quickly dug in her bag and pulled out one of the candy bars she always had stashed down there. It wasn’t like she needed to count calories right now, as her focus was trying to put some more weight back on. “Will this help?”

  “Thanks.” Hailey accepted the chocolate bar and opened it as she spoke. “So what do you need to know?”

  “Aubrey Maxwell, a friend of Tatum Baldwin and Farah McLean, hired me,” Jocelyn stated.

  “Seriously?” That had gotten Hailey’s attention, but it didn’t stop her from stuffing half the chocolate bar in her mouth. Her eyes half closed, and a blissful smile curled her lips. Jocelyn knew that feeling well. Sometimes chocolate could fix everything.

  “Without divulging confidentiality, I should take a step back. I’m a forensic genealogist.”

  “What is that?”

  Way to sound like an arrogant ass. The small, disparaging voice in the back of her head was in full force this morning, and she tried to ignore it. “I get that all the time. It comes in many varieties. I have my PhD in criminology, but I specialize in researching family backgrounds. Think of it like CSI meets Roots.”

  “There’s been a crime?”

  “No. Not at all. I thought that if you spent time with the Baldwins that you were aware of the feud between the two families.”

  “At every turn.”

  “Can you tell me what you know?”

  Hailey’s brows drew together, and Jocelyn feared she was making a complete mess of this entire explanation. “I’m trying to understand here. What’s the point?”

  “Some members of the warring families want to put an end to the families maligning each other. They think the issue is one of misunderstanding.”

  “I was told the issue goes back as far as the Civil War.”

  “That’s what the ladies thought also, but they believe there’s more to the story than the theft of some gold.”

  “And you dig into family secrets, hoping to find the real cause for the feud.”

  Jocelyn nodded. “That about sums it up.”

  “Okay, fire away.”

  Hailey relaxed back into the chair as Jocelyn quickly retrieved her notebook from the side table and brought up the list of questions she’d made. Jocelyn kept her questions straight and to the point, but every time Jackson Baldwin and a man named Tanner Crenshaw came up in conversation, Hailey’s emotions rolled over her expression, sadness and longing that echoed in Jocelyn’s own memory.

  She remembered feeling that way about a man only to have him decide that she wasn’t good enough and “traded up” as he’d said to her. Hailey had said that she was moving back to Pleasure, though it was temporary until she found a full-time job.

  Knowing that Hailey was hungry and a candy bar would only last for so long, Jocelyn quickly asked the questions she needed to and thanked her for her time. Hailey mentioned that she was moving away but that she might be back in a week or so. There was another flash of sadness that accompanied that fact and Jocelyn wished she knew what to do. Some people would have simply hugged the woman in sympathy, but Jocelyn was raised in a household that didn’t think highly of physical contact.

  It wasn’t that her parents didn’t love her—they just didn’t show it through hugs or zerberts on the cheek like some of her friend’s parents did growing up. She received a pat on the shoulder and a verbal confirmation of excellence. The only physical contact she received was when she was in trouble and her father would get out his belt. Even when she’d been spanked, he’d use some object that didn’t touch her directly.

  “Jocelyn, would you like some lunch?” Minnie was standing in the doorway looking at her.

  “Oh, no thank you. I’m not hungry.” Her stomach cramped at the lie. She remembered being stared at in the hospital as the nurses made certain she ate and then watched her so she wouldn’t purge it later. She hated those memories. “I need a bit of fresh air, I think.”

  “Sitting for a long drive will do that to you.” Minnie didn’t seem fazed by her refusal to eat. Instead, she ducked behind her counter for a moment and came back with a sheet of paper. “This is a map of Sanctuary. The church and library are just at the end street if that is where you were thinking of heading.”

  Jocelyn took the map and smiled at Minnie’s intuitiveness. “Those are the places I’d like to start first.”

  “There’s also a café across the street from the library and a tea shop one block over. Don’t forget to eat.”

  “Thank you, Minnie. Maybe a bit of a walk will wake up my hunger.” Or she could get something small for takeout and eat it where no one would stare at her. She would eat. She wanted to eat, but for the last couple months mealtimes had become an inner battle of will.

  One thing is for certain. I am not going near that fire station. It had been long enough she hoped that the men who’d witnessed her embarrassing display would be inside and that she wouldn’t run into any of them. You’re being self-centered. They weren’t looking at you in particular. They were watching two cars almost get in an accident. That thought gave her enough confidence to take the walk she’d mentioned. After checking the map and seeing that she really didn’t have to go past the fire station to get to any of her locations she felt better.

  The air was cold enough to make her see her own breath, and by the time Jocelyn had walked up Second Street, she was wishing she’d brought her car. The tea shop Minnie had mentioned was on her right, so she decided to duck in there and get something to warm her up before heading over to the libr
ary. The church and cemetery could wait until she dressed properly. With churches one never could be certain of their temperature, and libraries tended to be more reliable because they were protecting books.

  As soon as she stepped into the tea shop she was surrounded by a warm welcoming scent of fresh-baked goods. There was a glass case with a number of pastries and treats. Jocelyn knew she could eat whatever it was. She didn’t want to develop bad eating habits. Still, as she looked at the delicious-looking scones her eyes were drawn to a chocolate croissant sitting on a plate. One wouldn’t hurt her, and she was going to be walking a lot so she should have a few extra calories.

  A woman stood on the other side of the case and looked at Jocelyn. “Anything I can get you, hon?”

  She tapped lightly on the case at the croissant. “I think I’d like that.”

  “Danielle, I’ll take that last croissant you have there.” The large man at the counter spoke at the same time she did.

  “Sorry, Matt. It’s spoken for.”

  He turned around and Jocelyn felt her face grow hot. Oh, god. He was the big one from the fire station. She glanced down, hoping a monstrous hole was going to open up so she could jump in. “Never mind, you can have it.”

  “How about you share it with me?”

  “Um, yeah okay.” Her brain had gone on hiatus the moment she looked up at his big hazel eyes framed with thick black lashes. His bold statement took her off guard. A normal person would have just accepted the entire pastry or insisted that she take it. “I’m sure she can cut it in half.”

  “Now what fun would that be?” He smiled down at her and she felt a strange flip-flop in the vicinity of her stomach. “Why don’t we pick a table and do this the proper way?”

  That quickly, she found herself holding her tea and being ushered across the room to a corner table. “What if you have to put out a fire? I don’t want to distract you.”

  An amused sparkle lit his eyes, making her wish for that hole again. She’d just admitted to being the idiot who almost got into an accident because she’d been ogling him and his coworker.

  “Don’t you worry about that. My shift ended twenty minutes ago. I was just going to pick up some bagels for the night crew.” He placed his large mug and the plate with the croissant on the small table and reached out to pull out her chair for her.

  Jocelyn sank down into the seat still clutching her mug with both hands. The fireman slipped his coat off, revealing a mouthwatering expanse of chest. A long-sleeved navy-blue T-shirt molded to almost every muscle that packed his torso. He sat back and smiled at her. “Are you going to take off your coat? If you get too warm in here, it won’t keep you warm outside.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Jocelyn placed her mug on the table and wriggled out of her jacket, letting it drop back on the back of her chair. Why is he still here when you are acting like such an idiot again? Maybe he likes brainless twits? She couldn’t explain why she felt like her IQ dissolved like sugar in her coffee around this man.

  “My name’s Matt.” He leaned forward and held out his hand.

  “Jocelyn. Jocelyn Richards.” She immediately slipped her hand into his, thankful for this normal ritual. But the moment her hand disappeared into his larger one, her body turned into one massive raging hormone. Really, it should be illegal for a man to have lashes that long. Small lines in the corner of his eyes added to his looks and gave him character. She thought her crow’s-feet made her look old.

  He didn’t seem to be in too much of a hurry to let go of her hand, and it took a second of looking up into his beautiful eyes before she realized she still had her fingers curled around his. “Oh, god, I’m sorry.” She pulled her hand back and wrapped her fingers around her mug. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”

  Matt huffed a bit of a laugh and winked at her. “I’m usually much smoother than this as well. You seem to have me a bit flustered.”

  “I find that highly doubtful.” She took a sip of her tea. The delicate mint and blackberry flavors coated her tongue and warmed her almost as much as touching him had.

  “You start from one side, I’ll start from the other, and we’ll see where we are when we get to the middle.” He pushed the small plate holding the croissant toward her. His sleeve slid up his arm, allowing her a glimpse at the bottom of a colorful tattoo. A fireman and a bad boy. She shifted in her seat a little bit trying to relieve the ache that had taken up residence between her legs. Her mother would have a stroke, but Jocelyn wanted nothing more than to crawl in his lap and see how far up the tattoo went.

  She wasn’t certain if he meant that in a way other than the obvious, and her heart pounded against her ribs at the prospect that this big man might be flirting with her. You must be reading this situation wrong. “Do you often wash your fire truck outside in freezing cold weather?” she asked, trying to find a safe topic of conversation.

  Matt laughed. The low timbre to his voice, combined with the rough chuckle, sent vibrations streaking straight between her legs. For an insane moment she wondered if he could make her come simply by talking to her. “It’s not that bad out today, and we needed something to keep busy. I haven’t seen you around town before. Were you here for the rodeo?”

  “Oh, no, not at all.” She took another sip to wet her dry throat. “I’m here doing research on families in the area, ones who have been around for a long time.”

  “Really? I can help you with that. My family was one of the first in the area. My last name is Baldwin.”

  Jocelyn almost choked on the decadent piece of croissant she’d popped into her mouth. She’d just been thinking about avoiding a conflict of interest, and now she was sitting here flirting with a member of one of the families she was investigating. Way to go, Jocelyn.

  Chapter Two

  Jocelyn looked like she’d either seen a ghost, or she was choking. Matt wasn’t certain which at the moment. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded quickly and took another sip of her tea, shrinking back into her seat like she was afraid to be too close to him. Matt knew he was a big guy, but he didn’t like that she appeared to be afraid of him. Perhaps he’d forced the situation when he all but bullied her into sitting down with him, but he wasn’t about to let the opportunity to get to know her slip through his fingers. An hour ago he’d thought he’d never see her again, and now she was sitting across from him.

  Jocelyn Richards was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Introverted without a doubt, he could tell she wasn’t used to having much attention on her. She’d practically run for the door when he suggested they share the croissant. In fact, he’d been ready to give up the last pastry to her until he turned around and realized who she was.

  It was the glasses he recognized first. They were almost black in color and angled into points at the corner of her eyes, like a cat’s eye. Little crystals decorated the tip of each point and framed a pair of beautiful blue eyes. At first glance he’d wondered if she was related to the McLeans with eyes that shade. Now that they were sitting together he decided her eyes were much more of an aqua shade than the brilliant blue of the rival family in town.

  “What is it you’re hoping to find, Jocelyn? I can tell you that the Baldwins and McLeans are the oldest families in the county and they don’t get along too well.”

  “Why is that?” she asked quickly. Her nervous glances toward the entrance had stopped.

  “There are lots of stories and finger-pointing behind all that. Started with a pile of gold that went missing back during the Civil War, and then some cattle that died, and pretty much anything that goes wrong, each family blames the other.” He shrugged, not want to bore her with the details of his family’s dirty laundry. “I’m not saying anyone is completely innocent or completely guilty, but it never seems to get better and each generation teaches the next to continue the fight.”

  “What about you? Do you feel the same way as your dad? What if there was a fire at a McLean house?”

  A rush of anger hit him ful
l force at her question. How dare she insinuate? She immediately sat back in her chair, looking wide-eyed and nervous again. His anger must have shown on his face. He and Eric had faced a few such accusations from both families when they moved back to Sanctuary and took over running the fire station. “I don’t give a damn whose name is on the mailbox when I get called out. My priority is to first save lives and then property to the best of my ability and that of my crew.”

  He put down his coffee with every intention of heading out. Perhaps she was part of the McLean family after all and had been sent to test him.

  “Please no. I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to be offensive.” She reached forward and laid her small hand over his, stopping him.

  She was so small compared to him, he’d be afraid of breaking her if he ever followed through with the carnal images filtering through his mind.

  “I didn’t know how ingrained this feud was, or how strong. Please don’t…”

  A pretty blush colored her cheeks again when she realized she was gripping his hand. She let go and moved back in her chair again. Don’t fuck this one up, buddy.

  “Sorry, I’m overreacting, myself. The whole feud thing is a hot button around here and I’ve had my ethics called into question a couple times over it.” He reached out and tore a small piece off his side of the croissant, making certain there was a generous amount of chocolate on it, and then held it up to her. She hesitated, which made him feel like a complete bastard for snapping at her before.

  “Come on, this is my version of an olive branch.” When she reached for it, he moved his hand away and moved closer to her. “Open your mouth.”

  The blush on her cheeks hadn’t faded much at all, and this time it was darker. She glanced around to see if anyone was looking. He didn’t give a damn who watched him pop the bit of pastry in her mouth when she opened it. She made a soft moan and closed her eyes when the croissant hit her tongue. The only person he wished was here right now was his cousin, but Eric had gone over to the grocery store to pick up something for their dinner.