Protector Lion

by Zoe Chant

  Protector Lion

  By Zoe Chant

  Copyright Zoe Chant 2017

  All Rights Reserved

  Author’s Note

  This book stands alone. However, it’s the fourth in a series about the lion shifters of the Cedar Hill Ranch pride. If you’d like to read the series in order, the first four books are Lawman Lion, Guardian Lion, Rancher Lion and Second Chance Lion. Alternatively, you can buy the first two books at a discount in the Cedar Hill Lions Boxset #1.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One: Natalie

  Chapter Two: Casey

  Chapter Three: Natalie

  Chapter Four: Casey

  Chapter Five: Natalie

  Chapter Six: Natalie

  Chapter Seven: Casey

  Chapter Eight: Natalie

  Chapter Nine: Casey

  Chapter Ten: Natalie

  Chapter Eleven: Casey

  Chapter Twelve: Natalie

  Chapter Thirteen: Casey

  Chapter Fourteen: Natalie

  Chapter Fifteen: Casey

  Epilogue: Natalie

  A note from Zoe Chant

  Special sneak preview: Lawman Lion

  Chapter One

  Natalie

  Taking a deep breath, Natalie Nelson hesitated, staring at the login screen of her email.

  It had been two weeks since she’d sent off her resume, detailing all her past experience working as a cleaner in dirty old motels, fancy hotels, and everywhere else besides. Office buildings, penthouse apartments, the sordid aftermaths of bachelor and bachelorette parties – you name it, she’d cleaned it.

  Most people wouldn’t have seen it as a prestigious job, and Natalie supposed, really, that it wasn’t. But she took a certain amount of pride in it – it was good to look around a bathroom she’d just finished scrubbing to a sparkle, remembering the chaos it had been in just an hour or so before, and knowing that she had been the one to put it right.

  On the days when she felt unappreciated – which, to be honest, was most days – she simply had to roll her eyes and remind herself just how quickly people would notice it if she ever didn’t do her job. Sure, they might just haughtily inform her that she’d missed a spot, or leave their clothes lying all over the floor without even an attempt to pick them up, or…

  Natalie took a deep breath.

  Okay.

  Now she remembered why she’d sent off her resume.

  It was a pie in the sky dream, but the second she’d read the ad she’d known she had to try. It had seemed perfect: a position as a cleaner at a small, boutique bed and breakfast, out in the middle of nowhere on Route 66. Food and board provided. The photos that accompanied the ad were beautiful: all the décor was pale peach and white, with a kind of homey feel despite its modernity. The rooms were spacious, some designed for couples, others for families.

  The ad copy had made everything sound like a dream:

  WANTED: One experienced cleaner for our small B&B in Cedar Hill. You might not have heard of this place, but believe me, once you’re here, you’ll love it!

  We’re looking for the right person – and we’re prepared to pay to get them. This is a family-owned, family-run business, and finding the right fit is important to us.

  Things can get busy here sometimes, so we need someone who can deal with a fast-paced environment. We also pride ourselves on making our guests feel welcome, so if you’re comfortable talking with customers, this could be the place for you.

  Food and board is taken care of. Kid-friendly. Any questions? Just give us an email, or send your resume.

  Natalie had read the ad, then she’d read it again. Then she’d looked up Cedar Hill on Google Maps, because the ad was right, and she hadn’t heard of it. It had all seemed just a little too perfect.

  Gotta be a catch, she’d thought. But Googling the name of the B&B had brought up nothing but a long list of glowing, five-star reviews, from people who were all delirious in their praise of what an amazing time they’d had on their vacation:

  ***** WOW! Amazing! This place is a diamond in the rough – definitely recommending to all my friends. Ranch tour couldn’t have been better. Fun AND informative! PERFECT FAMILY VACATION!

  And that was only the beginning.

  Thanks for giving me and my family the best vacation we could have dreamed of. Amazing service, amazing food, beautiful country. Will definitely be back.

  AWESOME. Loved it. My hubby and I loved the B&B, kids loved the ranch tour. Gotta say, they grow men different out there! YUM! Too bad I’m married! Haha!

  I had a great time! Five stars *****! Faye was an amazing host and made sure we were well taken care of. They knew it was our anniversary and had complimentary champagne ready for us. I’ll be telling everyone back home about this hidden gem.

  It went on like that for pages upon pages upon pages. Natalie had almost found herself disbelieving her own eyes. Could anywhere be that perfect? Surely not.

  Irritated, she’d closed the ad. Even if it was that great, well, wouldn’t they be inundated with applications? And Cedar Hill wasn’t exactly close by. She’d have to uproot her whole life.

  Not that I have a lot worth sticking around for.

  Except one thing.

  And it was a big thing.

  “Mom, I’m home!”

  The voice of Micah, her six-year-old son, rang out through the apartment, just before he slammed the front door shut behind him.

  Smiling, momentarily distracted from the dilemma of whether or not to check and see if she’d received a reply, Natalie stood and headed down the hall, sweeping him up in her arms.

  “How was school today, honey?” she asked when he struggled away from her – embarrassed by the kiss she planted on his cheek, even though there was no one else there to see.

  “M-ooooom,” he complained, though he still hugged her fiercely, his little arms encircling her neck. “School was okay. I guess. Kind of boring, though.”

  “Made any new friends?” Natalie asked, hoping that Micah’s answer would be different today than it had been every other day.

  He was new at this school – his old one had closed down. Budget cuts, teacher shortages – all the usual. Micah was new at school in general, but he’d barely seemed to find his feet when he’d had to start all over again, at a larger school that was farther away from their home. He’d missed the start of the school year, and all the kids seemed to have found their friends already.

  Micah shrugged, and Natalie’s heart sank.

  “I don’t really like those kids,” Micah said, his eyes on the floor.

  Natalie leaned forward. “Are they mean to you?”

  “No.” Micah shook his head. “They just don’t want to talk to me. Even when I talk to them.”

  “They just don’t know you yet, sweetheart,” Natalie said, knowing even as she said it how hollow the words really were. “And if they don’t talk to you, then you don’t want to know them anyway. Okay?”

  Micah nodded, but it was a little half-hearted. “Sure, Mom. I know.”

  Natalie’s heart ached for him. He was so young, but already it seemed like he’d had to deal with so much. She did her best, but ever since his father had walked out…

  … Well.

  It was hard being a single mother, but she managed. Everything she did – every filthy mattress she’d flipped, every banana skin she threw away, every moldy coffee cup she scrubbed out – it was all for Micah. She’d never let him go without.

  And I shouldn’t really be thinking about moving him again, not so soon after the last time.

  It’d been selfish of her to send off that job application. Moving Micah out to the middle of nowhere? Sure, the ad had said the place was kid-friendly, but she didn’t
know if she could risk it. What if it didn’t work out? Would she then have to move again?

  No. Better to stay here and keep toughing it out. Micah was a bright kid, and his new teachers all loved him.

  She watched as he carefully began unpacking his schoolbag, laying out whatever home activities he had been assigned.

  With a pang in her heart, she noticed that he’d put Barry, his plush stegosaurus toy, down on the table next to his pencils.

  Barry was the only gift his father had ever given him – and she knew Micah tended to turn to his dinosaur friend whenever he was feeling particularly downhearted. Sometimes she wondered if Micah might be a little too attached to it, but she couldn’t bring herself to suggest he find another favorite. Especially when she came in to tuck him in at night and found Micah already asleep, his arms wrapped around Barry’s neck.

  Barry was beginning to look a little ratty and worn – one of the plates on his back had come off once and Natalie had had to stitch it back on, but she wasn’t much of a seamstress and it had been crooked ever since. Micah didn’t seem to mind, however, and if anything, he had treated Barry with even more care after his unfortunate misadventure.

  He’d find friends, Natalie thought as she watched him begin his activities under Barry’s bead-eyed gaze. These things took time. But soon, he’d forget he’d ever been the new kid in class.

  “You want a glass of milk, honey?” she asked, going to the fridge. “Might even make it chocolate, if you’ve been extra good.”

  Micah looked up, eyes shining. “I’ve been good! Look!” He held up last night’s home activities sheet. A bright gold star had been stuck to the bottom of it. “Mrs. Jarvis wrote ‘excellent’ on it. See?”

  Natalie smiled. “Well, I think that definitely deserves a chocolate milk.”

  Micah grinned, his earlier discouragement disappearing from his face.

  He’ll be fine, Natalie told herself as she fixed the chocolate milk. He was smart, and he was thoughtful and sweet. Surely, even in their circumstances, that would be enough to give him a decent shot in life?

  Setting the milk down by his elbow, Natalie ruffled her fingers through his hair.

  God, I hope so.

  For a while, Natalie stood next to Micah as he sipped at his milk and began work on his activities sheet. It was too easy for him, she could see that right away – he was zipping through the simple math problems and spelling tasks without even having to think about them. She’d never wanted to be one of those mothers who insisted her child was the smartest, most brilliant child who ever existed, but in Micah’s case, she wondered if he might really be too smart for the work his class was doing. He often came home saying he was bored, but he always did his work, so it was clear he was paying attention.

  Natalie bit her lip. Maybe, if she had more time – and more money – she could get him tested, and find out if he really was an advanced learner –

  She was startled out of her thoughts by a sudden knock at the door.

  “Who’s that, Mommy?” Micah asked, looking up.

  “Probably no one, honey,” Natalie said. “Maybe just a salesman – you know not to answer the door when I’m not here, right?”

  “Yes.” Micah nodded, eyes serious. “We learned about stranger danger at school too.”

  “That’s good. Sometimes Mommy doesn’t want to answer the door either.”

  “Because of stranger danger?”

  Natalie swallowed. “Sometimes. But sometimes it’s just best not to.”

  Micah nodded, seeming to accept what she said. Natalie didn’t have any reason to be frightened – but she always thought being overly cautious never hurt anyone.

  She was about to return to the kitchen when the knock came again, louder this time. Then it came again – strong enough to rattle the door a little on its hinges.

  “Mommy?”

  Natalie pursed her lips. If it was a salesman, it was an irritatingly persistent one. Maybe it would be better just to tell them to clear off.

  “Wait here Micah, okay?”

  She walked by him and out into the hall, before lowering her head to peer out the peephole.

  There was a man on the other side, wearing a neat suit and holding what looked like an iPad. Natalie frowned. He definitely looked like a salesman – but then again, maybe he was from the water or gas company. Maybe it was something she should know about after all.

  Cautiously, she opened the door.

  “Yes?”

  The man glanced down at his iPad, before looking up at her face again.

  “Are you Mrs. Walker? Mrs. Natalie Walker?”

  Natalie almost flinched at the words.

  “No,” she said, truthfully. At one time, she had thought she was going to be. But that had been before Ken had walked out on her and Micah. In her grimmest moments of black humor, Natalie had thought that the clue should have been in the name.

  “Ah,” the man said. “But you do know a Mr. Kenneth Walker, don’t you? You were in a domestic partnership with him at one time?”

  Natalie swallowed, feeling her throat clench. What the hell is this about?

  “Yes. But not now.”

  The man nodded, and seemed to be entering some information on his tablet. “Do you know where he is?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine. Better, probably.”

  “Ah. Well. That’s a shame. I was hoping you might be able to get a little something sorted out for us.”

  Unease coiled in her stomach. “What kind of thing?”

  The man cocked his head. “Mrs. Walk – I mean, ma’am, were you aware of the fact that your husb – I mean your partner gambled?”

  Natalie sucked in a shocked breath between her teeth. “No. I wasn’t.”

  It wasn’t a lie. Not completely. Obviously, she’d known his money was going somewhere, but every time she’d asked him it had ended up in a fight. So she’d stopped asking. Stupidly.

  The man regarded her coolly, head tilted, eyes narrowed. If she hadn’t known better, she would’ve sworn she saw his nostrils flare slightly, as if he was smelling her.

  “I see. In that case, you’d also be unaware of the significant debts he’s accumulated.” He smiled, showing too many teeth. “Debts that are now overdue.”

  Natalie’s head spun. “Debts? What kind of debts? To who?”

  “To us.”

  That wasn’t particularly enlightening. But Natalie didn’t need things spelled out.

  He’s a loan shark. And he’s come to collect.

  “Well, I don’t know where he is,” she said, her voice shaking a little. “So you’ll have to go looking for him elsewhere.”

  The man scrunched up his face, as if he were pulling a rueful expression. “Well, see, that’s just the thing. This is the only address we have for him. So if you see him, if you could just tell him –”

  “I won’t see him.” Natalie realized her voice was shaking, but she couldn’t stop it. “I already told you – I have no idea where he is. Maybe you should tell me if you see him.”

  The man laughed. The sound was soft, but it was full of menace. “Mrs. Walker – believe me, you won’t want to see him if we find him first.”

  Natalie opened her mouth to say her name wasn’t Mrs. Walker, it wasn’t Mrs. Anything, but closed it again.

  Fear gripped her. She prayed Micah couldn’t hear the conversation, and would stay exactly where he was at the kitchen table.

  “I don’t know what to tell you,” she said, desperation creeping into her voice. “I really don’t know where he is. He left two years ago and left us flat broke. I swear. I had no idea about any of this.”

  “Hmm. That’s a pity.” The man lowered his head, and Natalie was suddenly reminded of a bull about to charge. “Because, well, we have to get our money – principal and interest – back somehow. And if we can’t find Mr. Walker… well then.”

  Natalie licked her lips. She felt lightheaded. “I can’t help you. You think I live in an apartm
ent like this because I have tons of cash just stashed around?” She laughed. Bitterly. “Believe me, there’s nothing to take.”

  “You’d be surprised.” His answer was immediate. “We can usually find something. But in the meantime, it might be good if you could dig up your husband’s location for us. Or some cash. Whichever you think would be easiest.”

  “He’s not my husband, I told you –”

  “Like I said, Mrs. Walker. Whichever is easiest. We’ll be back again next week. You won’t make this harder than it needs to be, will you?” He paused, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a business card. It had nothing on it but a cell phone number. “To discuss your payment options, you can call this number – day or night. Ask for Pritchard. They’ll know what it’s about.”

  Natalie automatically raised her hand to take the card, feeling numb.

  Without waiting for an answer, the man turned and sauntered away, leaving only the smell of expensive cologne behind him.

  Natalie stood, frozen, watching as he made his way downstairs and into the parking lot, where a huge Mercedes was waiting for him. As he opened the door, he looked up at her and smirked, and Natalie jumped inside, slamming the door shut.

  Oh my God. Oh my God.

  She knew Ken had been a bastard, but she’d never thought he’d do this. She’d always thought that once she scratched the surface, she’d find a heart of gold – but she’d been scratching away for a long time, and never found anything but crap.

  But this – this was beyond anything she’d ever thought he’d do.

  Vaguely, she wondered if this was why he’d left them in the first place.

  “Mommy?” Micah appeared at the end of the hall, looking worried. “Who was that?”

  “It was no one, honey,” Natalie said, trying to keep her voice from shaking, her knees from knocking together. But her legs felt like Jell-O and her stomach was twisted up in knots. “Just some… guy. He was selling things. Don’t worry about it.”