by Spear, Terry
“And Tracey found trouble here at the mine,” Hal said. “When I’m not acting in the capacity of part-time deputy sheriff, or running things at the ranch, Tracey and I are with the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife Services. We go after wildlife traffickers and the like.”
“Total scumbags,” Nina said. “I’ve had to deal with a couple of them who murdered a forestry ranger.”
“You’ve got that right,” Hal said. “Jack Barrington is with CSF also. His mate, Dottie, had been our dispatcher. Her ex-husband was the trouble.”
Bridget raised her arms in her defense. “I was no trouble at all.” She smiled evilly. “But I did have to save Travis from the bad guys.”
“And the gesture was reciprocated, mate of mine,” Travis said smiling, his arm wrapped around her waist while they waited for Chase to lead some of the men into the mine, equipped with helmets and headlamps.
Nina smiled at Bridget and Travis.
Stryker wasn’t sure if Nina was worried Yuma Town was overrun by bad guys, or she might think it was the perfect place for her to work.
They all were keeping a lookout for any sign of the shooter or Ava to appear until the men in the mine returned. After about an hour, they came back up.
“No sign of either of them going down there,” Chase said.
“All right, let’s check out the house and buildings once belonging to Mrs. Blasdell, and we’ll call it a night after that,” Dan said.
When they reached the abandoned house, Stryker and some of the others went inside to investigate, while the others checked the outer buildings, including the unattached garage.
“Ava’s been here,” Nina said, her heart beating faster.
At least now all the searchers knew Ava’s scent so if they found it anywhere else nearer to Yuma Town, they’d recognize it.
“It looks like she’s been using the place for a while,” Stryker said, as he smelled Ava’s scent in the kitchen and bathroom. “I think she might have slept on the couch too.”
“Then why go to Anderson and sleep in the ghost town? Oh,” Nina said, “I bet she found this place after that one. But then she was afraid the shooter had followed her and she left.”
After searching the place, everyone gathered outside in the snow.
Nina pulled out her phone and showed everyone a picture of her sister in both her cougar and her human forms.
“Do you mind if I copy the pictures and send them out to everyone in Yuma Town and the surrounding area who are cougars?” Dan asked Nina.
“No, that would be a great idea.” She shared the pictures with him and looked a little relieved that everyone would know to look out for Ava.
“We have bad weather coming in and we need to be available for any emergencies that come up,” Dan told his men. “Except for you, Stryker. Your sole responsibility is keeping Nina safe.”
“Speaking of that, I was going to ask who would mind taking my dogs for a spell to ensure they don’t get caught up in anything while I’m safeguarding Nina,” Stryker said.
Leyton opened his mouth to speak, but Hal beat him to it. “I’ll take them. Sydney and Zander love the ranch, and everyone loves them. I’ll pick them up at your house, if you want to meet me there first before you return to the Robinson’s home.”
“Okay, we can do that,” Stryker said.
Travis said to Bridget, “We have to run off with a couple of skunks to leave out in the wilderness.”
“Eww,” Bridget said, wrinkling her nose, but she already knew that.
“If you need Stryker in an emergency, I can go with him to help out, so he doesn’t have to feel he has to babysit me at the Robinson’s house,” Nina said.
Stryker was glad she’d offered because he hated putting everyone in a bind if he was needed and he could still protect her even if he was assisting the others. Not only that, but he suspected she could be a big help too. He knew the only reason she might not want to accompany him though was if she thought her sister would end up at her aunt and uncle’s home and Nina wanted to be there for her.
“Thanks,” Dan said, “we sure appreciate the offer.”
Then everyone headed to their vehicles and once they all backed down the long road and were on the main road, Hal followed Stryker and Nina to Stryker’s home. When then reached his place and he went to open the door, Zander and Sydney were as excited to see Nina, as they were to greet Stryker and Hal. They were as unruly as when they were pups, jumping, barking, wagging their tails, and licking hands.
“Don’t worry about food for the dogs. I’ve got plenty. Just bring their beds and dishes and we should be good,” Hal said.
“Okay, thanks,” Stryker said, but he’d give the Havertons a bag of dog food to help them out at some other time.
“And, hey, don’t be surprised if Ricky Jones, one of my ranch hands, drops by just to say hi,” Hal said to Nina as they all went inside the house and Hal grabbed the dogs’ beds while Stryker was getting their food dishes.
“Uh, yeah, Ricky is always looking to meet up with any new she-cat in the area,” Stryker said. “And he always develops insta-crushes. He’s nineteen, a hard worker, eager to help out in a crisis, and had been an informant for Tracey before he and his brother were turned, long story. So they both are Hal's ranch hands and Ted Weekum, Hal’s ranch foreman, keeps them in line as far as the shifting goes, and keeps them busy. They love the dogs as much as they love the horses.”
“I love stories like that. I’m not into men that young though,” Nina said, smiling.
“He likes the older women. We’ve got to find him a filly around his age,” Hal said.
“I’m going to grab some things for a few nights’ stay at the Robinson’s place. I’ll be right back.” Stryker headed down the hall to his bedroom to pack.
* * *
“I hope you’ll consider hanging around after this is all over,” Hal said. “You should have seen the way Stryker talked about you and searched for you in the area for some time after he saw you at the Santa charity event. I can tell you right now that Dan is going to want you to work for the sheriff’s department as one of his deputies. And Leyton will want you as one of his CSF agents. Mick Sorenson, the big boss over the USFWS, would love to have you working with us. So you’ll have no trouble getting a job if you want to stay in the area.”
Nina was amused that, after their initial distrust of her, they wanted to offer her a job. She glanced around at the furniture in Stryker’s living room—a dark brown wraparound sofa set with three recliners that looked nice and comfortable to sit in with additional sectional seats for about eight people and another couple of chairs for lounging on. A big oak rectangular table sat in the center, and an oak shelving and entertainment center were situated against one wall. Books on dog care and some psychology books were shelved there. To deal with problem people in his job? Then she saw one on how to date women. She smiled. Then she saw some beautiful watercolors of cougars and flowers, the mountains, bighorn sheep, eagles, and a falcon in flight. Even one of Zander and Sydney. Really beautiful. She moved closer to see who the artist was. Her jaw dropped. She turned to Hal who was texting on his cell phone.
“Stryker,” she whispered to Hal.
Hal looked up from his phone and saw her pointing to the painting. “Yeah, beautiful, aren’t they?”
“They are just beautiful.” She would love a couple in her own place.
Stryker had a really nice setup, not like some thrown together bachelor pad like some guys she knew had. Stryker had it set up for relaxing and entertaining. And the place was neat, despite that she’d gotten him out of bed to help her rescue the skunks in the cold and track down the shooter and look for her sister, so he certainly hadn't had time to clean or even anticipate she’d come to see his home.
The kitchen had a pretty tile backdrop behind the counters and the island was covered in a marble top, the cabinets all white, nice and light and airy. A big window looked out into the woods.
The
dining room was open to the living room and kitchen so that everyone could talk to the cook and wouldn’t leave him out. She liked that. She’d actually been living in an apartment, no sense in having a home when she was undercover and constantly on the move. Once she’d left the FBI, she had still been running around to various areas, helping the police with cases. She really liked the idea of settling down in one place. Not that she was ready to mate Stryker or anyone, but maybe she could try out a job here and see how she liked it. What if after having worked for so long out of a suitcase, she wouldn’t like being tied down to one place though?
She considered the huge windows viewing the forest and the mountains with a lovely covered deck that wrapped around the house. The place was a large home for a bachelor, but she assumed he was looking to the future and having a mate and children. She was really impressed.
A large fireplace added warmth and she smiled to see his and both dogs’ stockings still hanging from the mantle. The Christmas tree sat in one corner, all decorated in strings of popcorn, bows, and paper stars and tons of Christmas balls in reds, greens, blues, and golds.
She wondered what was taking Stryker so long. The guys she knew never took any time at all. But she heard him opening plastic containers in one closet, and then another and she wondered what he was looking for. Then it dawned on her that he could be looking for the baby blanket. She was hoping she might be able to sense something from it if she was able to touch it.
Stryker walked out with a couple of bags in hand and said to Nina, “I especially want you working alongside me.”
She smiled. “I never thought I’d be offered a job when I returned here to look for my sister.”
“Are you going to accept?” Stryker asked.
Hal looked like he was holding his breath, waiting for an answer.
She laughed. “No one has offered me any job, and I’m just here to find my sister.” Although the thought of going back to what she was doing all on her own, without any contact with her kind, sure didn’t appeal now that she’d had so many cougars to work with here. All of whom were eager to help her find her sister and take down the bad guy. She really appreciated everyone’s assistance. No one appeared disgruntled that she’d gotten them out of bed for this. She truly loved them for it.
After loading the dogs and bedding and dishes into the back seat of Hal’s truck, Hal followed them out to the Robinson’s place.
“Did you bring your baby blanket with you?” she asked Stryker.
“Yeah. I couldn’t remember which of the storage tubs I had it in.” He smiled. “You must have heard all the noise I was making back there.”
“Yeah. Cat’s hearing. I didn’t think it would take you that long to pack a few things. So, you’d taken it with you even when you were on the run from your foster parents back in Minnesota.”
He shrugged. “I’d been working at a lumber yard, saved up a lot of money, and bought a bus ticket to Colorado. I’d traveled all over the state before I landed in Yuma Town. No one knows I have it, so I appreciated that you hadn’t mentioned it in front of Hal back at my house.”
“I’m sure he would have understood the significance. Especially since he’s got little ones of his own now, right?”
“Yeah, four of them.”
They finally reached the Robinson’s home and Stryker drove into the driveway while Hal honked his horn and continued on his way out to the ranch. Stryker honked back.
“I think your brother was a little shocked to see the ghosts in Anderson. Though I was surprised that he could also. It makes me wonder if my sister has visions like I do and has been denying them,” Nina said, getting out of the Jeep, and going into the house with Stryker. Both of them had their guns out to check out the place first and make sure they didn't have any unwelcome guests.
“Yeah, I have to admit I was shocked he could see them too. I think it’s going to take him some time to get used to the idea. I’m sure he’s afraid to talk to Kate about it, but he will be more afraid that one of us will mention that he saw them during the séance and he hadn’t already told her.”
“Good idea. And speaking of secrets,” she said, returning to the living room, the home all clear, “Bridget told me about hers.”
“Uh, yeah, her ability to read minds. She said she couldn’t read yours.”
“Or yours.”
He smiled. “For which I’m grateful.”
“Me too.”
“I’m going out to grab my bags.”
She let out her breath, figuring there was no going back if she offered, but after all he’d done for her, and as much as she loved being around him, she was offering. She just hoped he wouldn’t reject her offer. “Are you ready for bed?” she asked as he returned to the house with his bags and locked the door.
“Hell, yeah. It’s way too late for anything else.” Then he smiled and she didn’t figure he had sleeping in mind any more than she did.
11
Stryker was surprised Nina would want to sleep with him, but he was glad. He hoped they’d make more of a connection and she wouldn’t be so eager to leave this time. At least he hoped she wouldn’t.
“I don’t do this ever, by the way,” she said, sitting down on the bed to remove her boots, but he was at her feet in an instant, taking them off for her.
“Me either,” he said, setting her boots aside and removed her socks next.
She chuckled and pulled off her sweater. “That’s hard to believe.”
He smiled up at her. “It’s true.” He sat down on the bed and began removing his boots and socks. “We live in a tightknit community and folks tend to know what’s going on. Not because everyone is a nosey-body, but because we all watch out for each other. And everyone would know who I’d been with if I’d been with someone in town. I mean, other than just a date, or dinner at the house. Well, even then they’d know. We’re big cats after all.”
“Uh, okay, so then you think everyone’s going to know about this?” She motioned to the bed, and he rose and helped her up, then began to unfasten her belt.
“Yep, so there’s no sense in avoiding it if it’s something we want to do.” He leaned over and kissed her bare neck. “And with me staying with you, especially after some of the guys caught us in the shower together, not that we were going that far at that time, but, you know they figure something’s up.”
She tilted her head to the side a little to enjoy his mouth on her skin and he kept kissing, not wanting to lose the momentum, while he was trying to pull her pants down. His arousal was already burgeoning just from touching her, helping to undress her, and smelling her she-cat and vanilla scents.
She slipped out of her jeans and he hurried to unfasten his belt, then ditched his jeans. She slid her hands up his chest, running the palms over his nipples, and his heart was beating harder, his desire for her elevating like a certain part of his anatomy was.
Then she was unfastening the buttons on his shirt, pulling his shirt open, and leaning down to press kisses across his chest. He was trying to unfasten her lace lavender bra while reaching around her when she licked one of his nipples and he groaned aloud. He finally managed to unfasten her bra when she reached down and pulled his boxer briefs down his legs. He’d barely removed her bra when she was taking her lavender panties off.
He reached into his pants pocket for his wallet.
“Condom? No need, unless you feel the need for extra protection.”
“I don’t mind living dangerously.”
She chuckled and climbed into the bed and he soon joined her, leaning his body over hers, kissing her delicious mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, inserting her tongue inside his mouth, tasting of him as he tasted her sweetness and spice.
Their pheromones were signaling to each other’s that they were ready for the next step in this venture, and he was certainly inclined. He’d never fantasized about a woman before in his life, certainly not one that had been such a mystery to him, sweeping into
his life and right out of it again. He still couldn’t believe she’d really returned or that he’d had his hands all over her soaping off the skunk spray, and trying not to think about how soft and silky her skin was, or how luscious her curves, or the way she had made him rise to the occasion.
Even now, she was wet and ready for him as he began to stroke her clit and leaned over to suckle one of her dusky nipples. The need to pleasure her, to make her come apart beneath his ministrations, filled him with purpose and urgency. She moaned and ran her fingers through his hair, her own blond curls resting against the pillow. “Oh, uh,” she groaned out before she sank into the mattress and he slipped his finger between her feminine folds and felt her climaxing.
He lifted her legs around his hips and centered himself on her, sliding in slowly at first, letting her accept his girth before he began to pull out and thrust. She arched her back, getting into his thrusts, deepening the impact. “Yeah,” she whispered as if she couldn’t take enough of a breath to say the word any louder, but he loved that she let him know this was what she wanted.
* * *
Stryker. Was. Amazing. No man had ever brought Nina to climax like that and she couldn’t get enough of him, glad she’d told him to join him in bed with her, and glad he’d agreed. He’d already made her world complete, yet with the way he was thrusting, and kissing and licking and biting her neck, she was getting ready to come again, and that never happened either.
She held onto his hips, loving the power of his thrusts, the size of him, the serious expression on his face, his gaze on hers, watching her as she was watching him, and felt the joy of climax again. As if a dam had burst, he groaned out a response, his breath warm against her ear as he whispered, “You are amazing.”
When he turned his head to capture her mouth in a kiss, she smiled. “I was thinking the same thing about you.”
