Stalked in the Night

by Carla Cassidy

  “Dad already arranged everything in the event of his death,” David said. “We have an appointment with Paul tomorrow at noon for the reading of the will and then at four we’re to meet with Aaron at the funeral home to make sure everything is ready for the funeral at ten on Sunday morning.”

  Jake nodded. “I’ll be available for whatever.”

  “I had the staff ready your suite for you. How long do you intend to stay?” Stephanie asked.

  “I’m here to stay for good,” Jake replied. He saw the surprise not only on Stephanie’s face but on his brother’s as well. “I’ve been planning on making the move back here for some time. The winery is running smoothly with the managers that are in place. I’m no longer needed there for the day-to-day running of anything, and I’ve been homesick.”

  “So, what are your plans?” David asked.

  Jake laughed. “I’ve only been here for less than an hour. To be honest, the only plan I have right now is to freshen up a bit and then head into town and take a look around.”

  “You’ll see a lot of changes have occurred in the past ten years,” David said. “We have a new bakery and ice cream parlor on Main and a lot of other businesses that have opened up.”

  “We even have a ladies’ shoe shop,” Stephanie said.

  Jake smiled teasingly at his sister-in-law. He’d always liked Stephanie. She had gone to high school with Jake and David, but they hadn’t started dating until several years later. With her light blond hair and steel blue eyes, she appeared cold and haughty, but nothing could be further from the truth. She was a sweet person with a good and giving heart. “A women’s shoe store...wow, Dusty Gulch has definitely arrived,” Jake teased.

  They all laughed and finished with lunch. Minutes afterward, Jake climbed the main staircase to his suite of rooms in the left wing of the house.

  He’d grown up in the suite that included a living area with a fireplace, the bedroom and bathroom. The walls were a pale gray and the furniture was black. There were two leather chairs facing the fireplace and a small sofa against one wall.

  He went into the bedroom, where a spread of various shades of gray covered the king-size bed. It had been here in this room where he’d dreamed and planned his future, and it had been in here he’d wept when those dreams had all fallen apart.

  His suitcases were already there and awaited his unpacking. He took a quick shower and shaved and then pulled on a pair of jeans and a black polo shirt. He then headed back down the stairs.

  David had disappeared into their father’s office, and Stephanie was in the kitchen lingering over a cup of coffee. Jake grabbed his truck keys off the key holder where they’d always been held in the kitchen.

  “David had your truck serviced this morning, so it would be ready for you,” she said.

  “That was thoughtful of him,” Jake replied. “I appreciate him taking care of my baby while I was gone.” His “baby” was the black pickup truck with all the bells and whistles he’d received ten years ago from his father upon his graduation from high school. He’d barely had a chance to enjoy it before he’d left for Italy.

  More than that, the truck had been a promise from his father that he would eventually run the ranching portion of the Albright estate, something he’d dreamed of doing since he’d been a young boy.

  But that had been before his life had fallen apart. That had been before her. Even though it had been ten years since he’d seen her, been with her, thoughts of her still shot a hot wave through his body. He was never sure whether it was the burn of a rich anger he’d never gotten over or the white-hot fever of a desire that had never burned itself out.

  “Should I expect you back here for dinner?” Stephanie asked, pulling him from his wayward thoughts.

  “No, I’ll just grab something while I’m out, but tell David I’ll be ready for the appointment at the lawyer’s office at noon tomorrow.”

  “I’ll tell him,” she replied. “And enjoy your first day home.”

  “Thanks, Steph. I’ll see you later.”

  Jake stepped out the back door and drew in a deep breath of the August heat. It smelled of pasture and hay and cattle. It was a welcome scent. He’d never wanted to be in Italy working for the family winery. His heart had always been here in Dusty Gulch. But, when his father had insisted he go, Jake had believed there was nothing left here for him, and all he’d wanted to do was escape.

  Times had changed. Justin Albright was dead, and Jake’s grief was deep for the man he’d admired and loved and desperately wanted to please. His grief came from the fact that he would now never gain the closeness he’d wanted with his father. He’d always thought there would be time for him and his father, but time had run out.

  He headed toward the garage in the distance. Once there he got into his pickup and headed out. He followed the drive around to the front of the house, where he had a view of the small town below...a town nearly owned by the Albright family.

  He had no idea how his father might have divided things up between him and his brother. Hopefully David would be agreeable to letting Jake take over the ranching business and David would be kept busy with the real estate and any other business.

  When he reached the bottom of the hill, instead of turning left to head into town, he turned right and headed in the direction of Eva’s place.

  He knew going to see Eva Taylor, now Eva Martin, was a foolish thing to do. He’d been seventeen years old and she’d been sixteen when they’d first begun dating. Eventually they had shared an explosive love affair. She’d been his first lover and he had been hers. That had been over ten years ago.

  In those ten years, she’d married and had a child and was now a widow. He had no idea why he wanted to see her again, but as he drew closer to her small ranch on the outskirts of town, the nerves in his chest bunched and tightened.

  He didn’t know why he suddenly felt so tense. She’d really been nothing more to him than a first love...a high school sweetheart. Maybe he just needed to see her again in order to stamp closure on the fiery relationship that had haunted him over the years.

  As he pulled down the long lane that was her driveway, he saw the ranch house looked much the way he remembered it. Painted white with dark green shutters and trim, this place had been where he had spent much of his teenage years.

  Spending time here with Eva and her father, Tom, had felt like home. Tom had welcomed him like a son, and there had been much warmth and laughter and caring in this small ranch house.

  He pulled up and parked, and his gaze swept the area. Although the house appeared to be in good shape, her barn and some of the other outbuildings were weatherworn and begged for paint and some repairs.

  Was she struggling financially? It must be hard for a single woman with a son to keep a ranch up and running. He knew they had struggled with money issues when her father had been alive. None of your business, a small voice whispered in his head.

  He got out of his truck but stood hesitantly by the driver’s door. What in the hell was he doing? He shouldn’t have come here.

  Ten years ago she’d broken up with him, and she had never indicated that she’d regretted her decision. She’d moved on with her life and had probably never given him a second thought.

  He was just about to return to his truck and drive away when the front door opened and there she stood.

  Clad in a sleeveless summer dress and with her long black hair falling down beyond her shoulders, her beauty nearly stole his breath away.

  Her violet-blue eyes were widened in surprise. “Jake,” she murmured. “Wha...what are you doing here?”

  “I just thought I’d stop by and visit an old friend,” he replied. He gestured toward the door. “Can I come in? Maybe get a cup of coffee?”

  She hesitated for a long moment, and once again he wondered what in the hell he was doing here. She was even more beautiful t
han she had been ten years ago, but she definitely didn’t appear overjoyed to see him again. And why should she? He was probably nothing more than a distant memory in her mind.

  She’d married her husband months after Jake had left town. She’d had his child. Jake had been nothing more to her than a high school boyfriend. But high school had been over a long time ago.

  She finally opened the door wider to allow him entry. As he swept by her, he couldn’t help but notice the scent that wafted from her. It was the same perfume she’d worn years ago, a spicy, slightly floral scent that instantly heated his blood.

  And that’s when he knew exactly why he was here. He wanted her. He’d never stopped wanting her. And he believed the only way he could really move on from her was to have her one more time.

  Chapter Two

  Eva led Jake through the living room and into her kitchen, where he sat at the square wooden table. She went to her coffee maker to start a pot.

  She felt as if she was in some kind of shock. Suddenly her body felt too warm, and yet her brain was frozen. The last person on earth she’d expected to see here was Jake Albright, and the surprise of him being here had definitely thrown her for a loop.

  As she measured the coffee, she was acutely aware of his gaze on her. What was he doing here? Why had he come? What did he want from her? It felt so surreal to have him in her home...at her table after all these years.

  Thank God Andy was still at school. There was no way she wanted her son to have anything to do with Jake Albright. As far as she was concerned, the Albrights’ wealth and power-wielding ways had always tainted everything around them.

  As the coffee began to drip into the carafe, she finally turned to face him. “What are you doing here, Jake?” She remained standing at the counter.

  “I got into town earlier, and I thought about you and decided to stop by and catch up with you.” He smiled at her, a slow, sexy rise of his sensual lips that had once weakened her knees. She steeled herself against any emotional response to him.

  He had a strong jawline and sculpted features that still made him the most handsome man she had ever known. For a moment there was a long, awkward pause between them.

  “I was sorry to hear about your father’s death,” she finally said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

  A sharp grief splashed over his handsome face. It was there for only a moment and then gone. “Thanks, and I was sorry to hear about your father and your husband. That’s a lot of loss for one person to deal with.”

  “I got through it.” She turned around and poured them each a cup of coffee and then joined him at the table. She sat close enough that she could smell him...the scent of clean male with a hint of shaving cream and a fresh-scented cologne.

  She still didn’t know why he was here. The last time they’d seen each other, they certainly hadn’t parted as friends. Rather it had been an emotional time that had ended in acrimony on his part.

  “So, how long are you in town for?” she asked and cast her gaze just slightly over his head.

  The last thing she wanted to do was gaze into his eyes. Jake’s eyes had always been seductive. Dark as night and with long, thick black lashes, there had been a time when she’d easily fallen into the sweet seduction they offered.

  Not now.

  Not ever again.

  “I’ve been homesick for quite some time, so now I’m in town to stay,” he said.

  “Oh,” she replied, both surprised and dismayed by his response. She’d hoped he’d be on a plane back to Italy as soon as his father was buried. Life had been easier on her without Jake Albright being in town. She certainly didn’t want to be reminded of her past mistakes and the secret she needed to keep from him forever.

  He leaned back in the chair. He was a tall man with lean lines, but muscled biceps bulged out from beneath his short shirtsleeves, biceps that spoke of an understated strength.

  Even as a teenager Jake had possessed a presence that demanded respect. He’d been a leader, never a follower, and he’d had a self-confidence even then that had been appealing. It was as if he owned the air around him. She realized he had that same kind of presence still.

  “So, tell me how things have been going around here. The house looks just like I remember it.”

  “I’ve managed to keep it up okay, but the barn needs some major repairs. I’m hoping to get on that as soon as possible,” she replied.

  His gaze landed on the picture of Andy hanging on the wall. “Is that your son?”

  Her stomach muscles tightened, and her throat closed up. “Yes, that’s Andy,” she finally managed to say. She was grateful her voice sounded perfectly normal.

  “He’s a good-looking boy. He looks a lot like you,” he replied and then, to her relief, he looked out the nearby window. “Business is good?”

  “We’re getting by,” she replied and then frowned. The note she had received that morning was still in the middle of the table, and as she stared at it, a faint chill once again filled her body.

  She released a deep sigh. “But somebody is not too happy with me right now.”

  “What does that mean?” One of his dark eyebrows rose slightly.

  “Every week for the last three weeks, I’ve found one of my cows dead and mutilated in the pasture.”

  His eyes narrowed, and he sat up straighter in the chair. “What do you mean? Mutilated how?”

  “Their throats were slashed and then the hearts were removed.”

  He stared at her. “What the hell?”

  She reached out and picked up the note that had arrived that day and tossed it to him. “And each time I’ve found a dead cow, I’ve also received one of these in my mailbox.”

  She watched closely as he read the note. She wasn’t sure why she’d told him about all this. Maybe because it was much easier talking about dead cows and threatening notes than discussing anything that might have happened between them in the past.

  His jawline tightened as he dropped the note back on the table. “That’s one nasty piece of work. What does Wayne say about all this? Surely you’ve called him.”

  “I called him the first time I found a cow down in the pasture and a note in my mailbox, but he hasn’t had much to say about it all.” She told him about the sheriff’s visit that morning and the two times he’d been out before.

  “This morning all he seemed really bothered by was the heat,” she said.

  “It’s August in Dusty Gulch. Wayne is a native here, so the climate can’t come as a big surprise to him. He’s still got to do his job even if it’s hot and uncomfortable. Do you have any idea at all who might be behind this?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “I really don’t have a clue.”

  “Have you dated anybody recently and broken up with them?” he asked.

  “I haven’t dated anyone at any time since my husband’s death,” she replied. “I have no interest in dating. I have my son and my ranch, and that’s all I want and need in my life.” She raised her chin slightly. “I haven’t had any real issues with anyone and can’t imagine why somebody is doing this to me.”

  “Sounds to me like you need for Wayne to step up his game and find out who is behind all this,” he replied.

  She released a small, dry laugh. “That goes without saying.” She sobered quickly. “I’ve been having some trouble with some teenagers.”

  “What kind of trouble?” Jake asked and then took a sip of the cooling coffee.

  “A bunch of them have been sneaking out here pretty regularly to use my barn as a party place late at night. I’ve caught them a couple of times and have chased them off, but I do wonder if maybe they’re responsible for the notes and the dead cows as some form of revenge against me.”

  “Did you tell that to Wayne?” he asked.

  “I did. I even gave him a couple of names of the kids, but I’m
not sure he did any follow-up.” She glanced at the clock on the wall, wanting Jake gone before Andy came home from school.

  “I’ll give Wayne a call and see if I can light a fire under him.”

  “Thanks, I would really appreciate that.” She got up from the table, hoping he would take the hint and leave. Despite their fairly easy conversation, she was still uncomfortable in his presence. To her relief he got up as well, and together they walked to the front door.

  “It was nice seeing you, Jake,” she said.

  He took a step closer to her. “It was good seeing you, too, Eva. You’re even more beautiful than I remember.” He lifted his hand, as if to stroke her hair, and then quickly dropped it back to his side.

  For just a brief moment, their gazes locked, and in the depths of his dark eyes she saw something that half stole her breath away. It was something she remembered from those summer days and nights so long ago...a fiery desire that threatened to pull her in.

  Shocked, she quickly took a step back from him and broke the eye contact. “I guess I’ll see you around.”

  “Oh, you’ll definitely be seeing me, and I intend to call Wayne as soon as possible and find out what’s being done as far as these crimes against you.”

  “I really appreciate that.”

  “Can I get your phone number?”

  She wasn’t thrilled with him having her number, but if he was going to speak with Wayne on her behalf, then he should probably have it. She grabbed her cell phone, and he punched his number into hers and then set her up in his contact list.

  “I’ll call you after I speak with Wayne. I’m driving into town right now and will try to catch up with him.”

  “Thanks, Jake.”

  With a final last look at her, he was gone. She closed the door and leaned against it. For the first time since he’d walked into the house, she felt as if she could finally draw a full breath.

  She hadn’t ever expected to see him again—here in her house or anywhere else. More than that, she hadn’t expected the emotions the very sight of him had evoked in her.