“Shelby.”
Someone shook me. I groaned, fighting to stay inside the wonderful dream.
“Shelby! Wake up!”
More shaking. I felt like I was surfacing from deep underwater. I tried to open my eyes, but they weren’t working properly.
“Shelby Rae Flint, if you don’t wake up this instant I’m going to slap you into next Sunday!” I finally got my eyes to open but they wouldn’t quite focus. I saw a blurry brunette standing over me.
“Jesse?” I rasped. My mouth and throat were dry and sore. Why was that?
“Thank goodness, Shelby. You had me worried. I’ve been trying to wake you up for five minutes!” She sat down on the bed beside me and handed me a glass of water.
“Here, drink this. You look like hell.” Gratefully, I took the glass and gulped it down. It was a touch painful, but I felt more human for it.
“What time is it?” I croaked, still disoriented. It was light outside, so I must have only slept for a few hours.
“It’s seven.” She gave me a weird look.
“Oh, I guess you and Ty are picking up your car then?”
She arched an eyebrow. “Shells, it’s seven in the afternoon. Friday. We picked up my car yesterday. You never answered the door. When you didn’t answer your phone this morning, I was worried. What happened to you?”
Shocked, I sat up and looked around. Everything was just as I left it. My towel was still on the ground, and the trail of my sooty clothes led into the bathroom.
“Holy crap,” I said as a wave of dizziness overwhelmed me. I had to sit back against the pillows. “Jess, I’ve been sleeping for 28 hours. I think my blood sugar is a little low. Do me a solid and get me some orange juice from the fridge?”
She left, eyes wide, and returned with a huge glass of OJ. Seeing she was about to burst from all the questions, I appreciated that she waited to attack me until after I had drunk half the glass.
“What is going on with you, Shelby?” She hissed. I winced as the rest of the juice stung its way down my poor throat, raw from the heat of the fire.
“I really wish I knew, Jess. I was out avoiding your and Cash’s phone calls yesterday morning and Vince called to tell me my cousins are claiming undue influence and then someone started fires right by my cows. I had to move all of the cattle out of there and called CDF in to put them out.” Jesse sat on the edge of my bed hanging on every word with a horrified expression on her face.
“By the time I had shuttled all the firemen back and forth, I was exhausted. I guess I just sort of conked out after I took a shower. I’m really sorry if I made you worry. But honestly, you do kind of deserve it.”
In typical Jesse style, she skimmed over my last statement. “Who do you think started the fires?”
It didn’t take me long to respond. “I think the man who came by here the other night probably did it. For some reason he’s trying to scare me off.” I raised my eyebrow at Jess. “Honestly, I’m shocked Tyler didn’t hear about the fire. I had a chopper and three CDF crews here.” A look of shock flitted across her face and was replaced by a deeply suspicious one.
“If that husband of mine thinks he can hide stuff about my best friend from me, he is deeply mistaken.” From the ominous look on her face, I didn’t envy Ty when she got through with him. “And why didn’t Cash say anything to me either? I’m sure he knew too, and he stopped by the store yesterday. I asked about the fire and they told me it wasn’t anywhere near your ranch.”
At the mention of Cash’s name, I blushed deeply. Jesse looked at me quizzically. “What is that all about?” she asked pointing to my face.
I honestly didn’t know. The dream I’d had of Cash wasn’t in the least bit erotic. He had just lain next to me in bed, stroked my hair, and said sweet things to me, all the while smelling reassuringly of trees and campfire. It was one of the best dreams I’d ever had.
“Oh, we had a little bit of a fight. That’s why I’m avoiding his calls too.”
She nodded sagely. “I thought he would go after you when he raced away from my house yesterday morning. It was either that or he ran for the hills, which is what I did.” She winked.
Jesse knew she’d already been forgiven. We never stayed mad at each other long whenever we had fought.
“Regardless, I hope those boys have some idea who’s doing all these nasty things to my best friend and why.” She had that same determined look in her eyes that she’d gotten whenever she’d wanted to do something she wasn’t supposed to. I sighed, got up and threw on some sweats.
“At this point, all I want is some food. I’m starving.” Realization dawned. “SHIT!” I barked and I sprinted out of my bedroom. Jesse yelped and ran after me.
“What is it? What’s wrong? Shelby!” I ran out the door, heedless of my bare feet, and ran to the barn.
“I didn’t feed the—” I stumbled to a stop as I saw that Tahoe and Roanie were munching contentedly on what was left of a flake of hay. Confused, I looked around, searching for any sign of an intruder. I turned to Jesse who had just arrived, huffing.
“Did you or Ty feed my animals? I was asleep for hours; they couldn’t have any food unless someone fed them.” Jesse shook her head wearily.
“No, Shells. Neither of us did.” I narrowed my eyes at her.
“I have a dirty, dirty feeling I know who did.”
Chapter Nine
“I told you what would happen if you didn’t call me back.” He paused. I was silent. I didn’t have a clue how to begin to vent the fury and outrage I felt. “So I didn’t drag your ass outside. I figured you’d be grateful since you were out cold and naked in your bed.” I was shaking so badly I had to sit down.
“Now you listen to me,” I hissed into the phone. “You unbelievable, impossible, arrogant bastard—”
“Wait a minute there Shells.” I could hear the laughter in his voice and it nearly made me cry with rage. “You’re telling me you’re angry because I made sure you were alive and I fed your animals?” Having Cash throw that back in my face, along with being beholden to him for taking care of my animals, when I was unbelievably livid did nothing but fan the flames.
Things clicked into place in my head. “I wasn’t dreaming. You really were in my bed.” My voice was soft and should have been a warning.
“I’m dream-worthy, eh? I like that.” He shifted his voice into announcer mode. “Cash Newcomb, man of your dreams.” That hit too close to my earlier thoughts. I went back to my comfort zone: anger.
“So you’re telling me that you broke into my home, laid on my bed with me, while I was naked, and touched me without my permission? I could send you to prison for this!” Hearing his laughter made me want to scream. So I did. Loudly. Into the phone.
“Dammit, Shells! I think you busted my eardrum.” I didn’t have it in my heart to feel sorry for him. “Besides, you kept snuggling next to me like you were happy to see me. You do have a fantastic body, FYI. Oh, and apparently I smell nice?”
Hanging up would have been more satisfying if I had slammed the phone into his face. However, I probably would have to get a new phone and there was a dent in my kitchen table.
Saturday morning, Sheriff Henderson showed up at my door. It was seven in the morning, and I was still in my pajamas trying hard to squeeze all of the caffeine out of every sip of coffee. I heard the knock and shuffled over in my bunny slippers. I opened the door and took a gulp, needing the liquid fortification.
“Good morning, Sheriff. What can I do for you this fine morning?” I stepped aside and let him come into my kitchen. I motioned toward my coffee maker; he nodded, so I poured him a mug.
“Well, since Newcomb said you weren’t speaking to him, I’ve come over to let you know what’s going on. It looks like the man who trespassed here the other night was the shooter of the man you found. The .22 pistol he dropped matched the bullet fragments we pulled out of the body. We also think those fires on your place the other day were deliberately set, probably by th
e same man.”
“Nothing I haven’t already figured out, but I appreciate you coming by. Was there anything else?” He seemed nonplussed. I let him think for a minute while I poured myself another mug of coffee.
“Well, Newcomb, Deputy Weaver and I were thinking now might be a good time to visit some friends.” His worry touched me so I softened my demeanor.
“Don’t have many.”
He nodded. “How about some family?”
I shook my head. “My dad’s been a no-show my entire life, so no family on that side. I haven’t heard from my mom in over a year, and I don’t much like any of her family either. I’m sorry Sheriff, but I’m not going to get run off my land by a pyromaniac idiot with a .22. And you can tell those other two to mind their own damn business.” He just shook his head and smiled a little. He stood to leave, but before I closed my door he turned.
“Well, girl, your grandpa’d be proud of the woman you turned into. Give me a call if that sombitch comes back.” I laughed to cover my watery eyes.
Jesse didn’t want me to spend the day by myself, and since she had the day off, we spent it watching Bones reruns, eating junk, and talking about Cash. I would have preferred not to do the latter, but Jesse was determined to get to the bottom of our relationship. I tried to tell her we didn’t have a relationship, but she wasn’t buying it.
“Don’t give me that crap, Shells. You’ve made out with the guy on multiple occasions! He was in your bed cuddling with you! You can’t tell me there’s nothing going on with you two.” She shook her head at me, but her eyes were glued to the shirtless Booth on the TV. “You know, they don’t show near enough nudity in this show,” she muttered.
I laughed at her and shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you, Jess. I barely know the guy! Besides, one moment he’s really sexy and sweet, and the next he’s an arrogant A-hole. He swings back and forth so fast it gives me whiplash!” I shook my head. “Even though his sneaking in my house was kind of creepy, it was sweet that he checked on me.”
Jesse’s jaw dropped and she gaped at me for a few seconds. I took advantage and jumped up to get another slice of pizza.
“Who are you, and what did you do with my friend? The old Shelby I knew would have thought that was ‘patronizing and chauvinistic’!” I opened my mouth to utter a snappy retort, but my phone rang. I grinned widely at Jesse as I ran to snatch up the handset.
“Saved by the bell!” I chirped as I answered the phone. “Hello?”
“Hi Shells,” said the rich, sexy voice I’ve come to know and dread. “What are you wearing?” I screeched my outrage and heard him yell, “No! Don’t hang—”
Jesse sat on the couch, eyebrows raised. “That had to be Mr. Big Hunk! He’s the only guy I’ve ever seen you this crazy about as long as we’ve known each other.”
I let out a derisive laugh and sat back down on the couch next to her, phone in hand. “Crazy being the operative word! He drives me insane!” The phone started ringing again. I held it out away from me like venomous snake.
Jesse snatched it out of my hand and answered in a husky voice. “Hey, how’re you doing, big boy?” She waggled her eyebrows and he must have said something interesting because a wide smile grew on her face. “Shelby might get turned on by that kind of talk, but I’m a married woman, Mr. Newcomb!” I could hear Cash’s angry voice bark something, but Jesse quickly hung up the phone.
We both fell to pieces and laughed.
When I walked back to my trailer after feeding the animals, Cash was sitting on the steps. Believe it or not, I had almost forgotten how gorgeous he was. I was struck with his manly beauty that practically begged to be captured in marble or paint. He sat there, looking at the ground, so I couldn’t see those baby blues, just his long black eyelashes lying on his cheeks.
His dark hair fell over his forehead in waves, curled around his ears, and my fingers itched to run themselves through it. With his elbows on his knees, he leaned forward enough for me to see his uniform straining against his wide, muscled shoulders and his big, well-formed biceps. He looked as beautiful as Atlas did, carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
I took a deep breath. Even though I was too far away, I knew what he would smell like. I wish I knew if it was cologne so I could go buy a bottle and spray it on my pillow. He was on your pillow, in your bed. I tried to ignore the heat that spread out from my core like flames but I didn’t know how much longer I could hold out. The thought scared me. Do you really want to? I shook off the grating little inner voice and walked up to Cash. He didn’t look up when I stopped in front of him.
“What are you doing here, Cash?”
He didn’t say anything right away, but kept looking at his hands. He seemed so vulnerable, sitting there, so I took another step closer. His forehead was about a foot away from my stomach, and I could feel the heat and conflict flowing off of him. I gently pushed a few strands of his silky hair out of his eyes, and he finally looked up.
The force of his gaze hit me like a blow and I took a half step back. His big, rough hands shot out and grabbed my hips, preventing me from putting any more distance between us. His eyes were so intense, so predatory, it frightened me. He dropped his gaze and I tried to relax but it wasn’t easy. I quivered underneath his grip.
He pulled me closer and rested his head against my stomach. Tired of fighting with myself, I ran my hands across his shoulders, across his back, up his neck and tangled my fingers into his silky soft hair. As wonderful as his hands felt on my hips, I still had an unsettling feeling that something was wrong. I grabbed a hank of his dark hair tightly in both fists and pulled back until he tilted his face up toward mine.
“Why are you here?”
His eyes searched my face for a moment. I don’t know what he saw, but he gathered his resolve and tightened his grip on my hips.
“I can’t stay away from you any longer,” he muttered softly.
Still sitting, he pulled my hips in between his legs, and I stood gazing down into his face. I put my hand on his cheek and felt the rough stubble of his five o’clock shadow.
“I think I know what you mean.”
I felt a connection with this man, and despite my fears, it kept getting stronger. I think it was that bond that scared me the most. I had only trusted one man in my entire life, and now he was gone. I still felt raw at the loss of my grandpa, I didn’t know if I could handle getting my heart broken by Cash.
He pulled close and buried his face in my stomach, his strong arms encircling me.
“What do you want?” Even I could hear the tremor in my voice, but if Cash did, he didn’t show it. His shoulders shrugged under my hands, and he sighed. I could feel his hot breath through my t-shirt and it lit me on fire. I let out a small moan and he looked up at me, desire burning in his eyes.
“Everything,” he growled. I shivered, every particle of my being wishing he would make good on that threat. Instead, he just sighed again. “But I’ll settle for sleeping on your couch tonight.”
Confusion flitted through my mind. I thought he wanted something else. Why didn’t he want to? My pride wounded a little, so I pulled out of his grasp and stepped back. I saw the regret and pity in his expression when he dropped his hands back to his knees.
“Why do you want to sleep on my couch?” I snapped.
I couldn’t help it. There I had stood, all vulnerable to his mojo, and all he wanted was to sleep on my couch. I could see in his expression that he knew what he’d done. I hated that more than anything, seeing pity in his eyes. I had gotten that a lot as a kid, since my dad deserted me and my mom was a slut, and again when grandpa had died. It had always left a bad taste in my mouth.
“A man has tried to kill you twice, now. I can’t leave you here by yourself with that guy still on the loose.” Oh thanks a snide little voice said. Pour some salt into that nice open wound. I really loved being reminded that I’m alone. I bristled, feeling like a cat rubbed the wrong way.
“Yes,
a man tried to shoot me and set fire to my property, but I recall taking pretty damn good care of it, by myself. Just as well, since you were nowhere to be found,” I said, my voiced dripping acid. I glared at him, ran around him up the stairs and opened my door. “The answer is no.”
I slammed the door and locked it, throwing the deadbolt. I was one big ball of anger, rejection and pent up sexual energy. What is wrong with me?
I woke up in the dark when I felt my bed move. I frowned, wondering if Reg needed to go out, and look down. I didn’t see Reggie, but there was a big wolf lying against my legs. His weight pressed against me, and I could feel his warmth through the covers.
“Oh, it’s you,” I said sleepily and scratched the spot behind his ears I knew he liked. He licked my hand. I sighed and fell back asleep.
Chapter Ten
I rolled over, smiling to myself when I smelled campfire. A heavy arm snaked around my waist and pulled me closer. Warmth surrounded me and I snuggled up against it. It was when the warmth started to chuckle that I finally was awake enough to realize there was a man in my bed. I looked into sleepy blue eyes and broke the sound barrier as I leapt out of bed.
“What the hell are you doing in my bed? AGAIN?” I screeched.
I searched my nightstand for my .45 and didn’t see it anywhere. He kept laughing as he rolled over. I realized that whole thing about guys in the morning was no exaggeration. I gulped. It was a good thing he had boxers on.
I couldn’t help but gawk at him lying there in all of his glory, so to speak. The rest of him was no less breathtaking. His abs rippled as he continued to chuckle, and his biceps bulged when he put his hands behind his head and stared back at me, his eyes twinkling with mirth. I’m pretty sure he knew he looked good enough to eat, because he had an unbelievably smarmy grin on his face.
Hunter Moon (Lupine Moon Series) Page 7
