Joshua_The Whitfield Rancher_Erotic Tiger Shapeshifter Romance

by Kathi S. Barton

  “I’m sending you the link to your email.” When he said he had it, they both went over the pictures. “There is sixty plus acres that come in the price, but there is an additional fifty that can be purchased for a song that butts up against Mom and Dad’s place.” He noticed that Waldo had some land there too, and tried to remember who had told him that. “There’s a long drive to the house that has a guard shack out front. You’ll need to be using that soon, if I were you. You being a big shot, that could be unsafe for you.”

  “I love that it has an inground pool too.”

  They talked about all the things that were in the house, as well as some of the improvements that would need to be made. Security from Dylan’s men would have to be done as well.

  “Can you get me a better price?” He said that he probably could; the house had been sitting on the market for three months. “Have you really decided to quit your job? I mean, you seemed to have loved it when you did it.”

  “I did, but now I feel as if I’ve got better things to do with my time. Carter is not demanding my time, but I do love spending time with her and just sitting around the house. I’m sure that I’ll be bored soon enough, but for now, I’m happy.” Adrian told him he could come by his place anytime he wanted. “I’ll do that. If you hang on a second, I can make them an offer right now. They have it set up on the page to do that.”

  Josh noticed that the house had been on the market for three months with the realtor that they had now, but over a year before that with someone else. He thought that was a long time to be selling a house, and the price had been reduced several times already. Putting in what he thought was a reasonable price for the house, he told Adrian what he’d done.

  “I went by Evan’s home this morning. That garden out back is a showplace. I’ve never seen so many flowers and vinery things in my life. Flora is doing a fantastic job, and she loves the place too.” Josh said that she was going to help him with the herb garden in the back of his house, as well as help him pick out things to put around the house for the faeries. “I might have her do that for me if I get the house.”

  His email dinged that he had a new message and he laughed, telling Adrian that he had the house. He asked if they had wanted a counter offer or anything. Josh told him that they were more than likely glad to have it off their hands.

  “Now all you have to do is sign the paperwork and move in. Well, it’ll be a little more than that, but you have a home you can be proud of.” He knew the house; he’d shown it a couple of times recently. But the house was mammoth, and people didn’t want houses that big anymore. The one that Blake had bought was almost as large.

  After telling him that he’d get the paperwork to him in a couple of days, he closed up his computer and went out on the deck. It was still pretty out, but would be cold soon. He was going to be an uncle too, he just remembered. Sunny was big with hers and David’s baby, and he couldn’t have been more happy for them both.

  When arms wrapped around him from behind, he held Carter to him by holding her hand. When she came to stand in front of him, he kissed her and asked her how she’d slept.

  “Pretty good, as a matter of fact. What have you been doing?” He told her about the house and what his brother was going to be doing. “I’m happy for him. Having a house is a lot nicer than I thought it would be.”

  “What would you like to do now?” She looked away, then back at him, and he felt his heart clench up. “Honey, don’t cry. Whatever it is, we can handle it.”

  “The funeral home called. They want me to come and make arrangements for my parents. I talked to Rachel, and she said that they could rot in a hole for all she cared. I feel the same way. I’m just sad that this turned out the way that it did. So many people died today.” He said it was what they deserved. “I knew you were going to say that.”

  “Have you an idea what you want to do with them? And I’ll have someone looking into their records at their home. Perhaps there is a will or something there that can be used.” She told him what she wanted to do. “That’s probably for the best. Having them cremated, then a small family service later is what I’d do too.”

  “It’s not like they knew anyone around here. And I’m sure that no one would care that they’re dead where they lived either. They had some things at the hotel that I’m having shipped here—I hope you don’t mind. The hotel was very polite about it when I called and asked. I thought we could just use something they had in their bags to take care of them in.” He nodded and said that was good too. “Rachel wants me to come by and see her. I guess they’re keeping her overnight just to be sure. She said that she feels great, but she did bump her head.”

  “Tanner gave her a little of his blood, so she’ll be fine in a couple of days if not sooner. All the people at the diner are concerned that she won’t be coming back to work. Shirley said that she’s the best thing that’s happened to her little place since she bought the new mixer for the mashed potatoes.”

  “Well, that’s high praise if you ask me. Her mashed potatoes are to die for.” They were both laughing when George came in to ask if they wanted to have a light snack before dinner was started. “Yes. I would love something. Do you have any more of those scones that you served me yesterday morning? They were blackberry, I think.”

  “They were berries of all sorts, ma’am. I think there are one or two of them left. Coffee or tea, mistress?” She told him tea, and then he asked Josh what he wanted. When he was gone, she sat on the couch with Josh.

  “I could really get used to this, I think.” He told her that he was already loving it. “Me too. Just one more jackass to take care of, and we’re going to be just fine.”

  He was still laughing about that when their scones and tea were brought to them. There were three of them left, and she managed to eat two before Josh finished his one. Suddenly, she was starving.

  ~~~

  Carter read over the email three times that had come to her. And each time she read it, she was no less dumbfounded by what it said. When Josh joined her in the little room she’d taken as her own, she had him read it over.

  “It’s from Henry. I did tell you that he was a good friend of the family’s, didn’t I?” She said that he had, but this was her personal email. “I’m sure that he has ways about him to get your email address, honey.”

  Okay, there was that. Him being the leader of the country, he’d have access to all sorts of things. But he had congratulated her on her upcoming wedding, and told her how helpful she’d been in the capture of arms being sold to other countries. And that he was sending her a gift that he hoped she’d cherish as much as he did her.

  “How did he get the info...Dylan. Okay, that explains a great deal. But I wasn’t all that helpful in the capture of those men. Dylan was the one that went there and gathered up the mastermind. You know, I had no idea that she was the one moving things around to suit herself.”

  Winthrop had not just been the mastermind of the entire thing, but she had several off-shore accounts, money all over her home, and cash out the ass in her office drawers. It all amounted to several billion dollars.

  “Dylan said this would go down as Henry’s greatest victory, and no one would know that you and she played any role in it whatsoever.” Carter told him she was fine with that. “Yeah, Dylan said that same thing. She’s like you in that, a behind the scenes sort of person. But I’m to understand that she’ll get a promotion, as well as a bonus.”

  “That’s good for her. It was a pleasure working with her.” She looked at Josh when he sat down on the little love seat that was in her office. “She didn’t try and take over, ever. When we had to change plans, I was sure that she was going to tell me that she’d take over. But the first thing out of her mouth was what did I want to do. I felt like I was really part of something huge.”

  “You were. And the people that know you were are very proud of you.” She felt her face warm in embarrassment. “Speaking of people proud of you, our wedding is in the m
orning. Are you ready to become Mrs. Joshua Whitfield for real?”

  “I am. More than you can guess. However, I’ve been called that so much lately, it’s almost like we are married already.” She went to him and sat on his lap. As far as she was concerned, it was the best place to be. “Josh, do you think you could teach me to drive?”

  “Really? You don’t know how to drive?” She told him that was on her list of things to do when she ended up in prison. “Oh. Yes, I’d love to teach you to drive. However, I can’t. I want us to stay happy, and teaching someone you love how to drive is a good way to argue. And you can’t learn from Dylan either. For as bad assed as she is, she drives ten times worse. Taking a curve with her driving is like riding on roller blades.”

  “Then who do you suggest? Your mom is afraid to teach me. She said that she doesn’t drive all that much anymore, and has more than likely forgotten more than she ever learned about it. Your dad is just too busy.” He asked her about Grandda. “You think he’d do it? That would be fantastic. And I love that old man.”

  “Yes, well, he loves you as well. And I think he’d be really good at it. He’s not one of those older men who drive like they’re afraid to use the gas pedal, and he’s been driving for as long as I think there have been cars.” She laughed with him, and thought of learning to drive from Ollie. “You should ask him at dinner. I’m sure that he’ll love to do it.”

  She sat there thinking of all the things that had happened in the last few days. Rachel was doing so much better that she had already returned to work. Rachel loved waiting tables, it seemed, and she was really good at it. And Shirley just loved her.

  She’d taken care that her parents were cremated. Rachel didn’t want anything to do with their service, or anything else that happened to them. Carter was just fine with that and told her that she’d take care of it. There wasn’t anything put in the local paper; no one would have known them, and she only put a small obit in the paper where they had lived.

  Reed Hunt had been taken to military prison, along with the others that were involved with the selling of arms. Even though he’d not been a part of the ring, because he’d been in the plane that was carrying the weapons meant for selling, his name was put on the list of people who had committed treason as well. That way no one but them would know that he’d been a part of something that had to do with her.

  “We’re going take care of Waldo tonight. It’s the night of his big deal, I guess. And from what I’ve heard, his clients aren’t very happy about their accommodations. They’re all the way in Columbus, which is a good hour from here. And there isn’t that homey feeling that he promised them.” She said good, it served him right. “We are also having a little trouble finding out who he took from the shelter. There are six men missing, but we don’t think he could have handled that many at once.”

  “You guys don’t think he’s gotten himself help?” Josh told her that they’d been watching him coming and going for two weeks now, and it appeared to be just him. “Did you find out anything about Tommy? You said that he just disappeared.”

  “He’s dead. One night about a week after you came here, Tommy came upon Tanner when he was feeding. Tanner said that he’d been very careful, shadows pulled around them so that no one would know. But as soon as he was finished putting money in the man’s pocket, Tanner came at him with a ball bat.” Carter asked if Tanner had been hurt. “No, not really he told me. But he couldn’t get the man to back off—it was like he was crazy possessed or something. He ended up killing him by tearing his throat out. Then he took him home to the address on his driver’s licenses. Tanner had no idea that it was the same man that we’d been having trouble with.”

  “It’s probably just as well, I guess. One less person that we have to concern ourselves with over this thing.” Josh told her that’s what the rest of them had said too. “I’m looking forward to going on our honeymoon. Going away for real, not holed up in our house waiting for a madman to come along and try to kill another human being.”

  “I have been thinking the same thing. After this is done, as you said, we’re going to spend about a month touring Ireland and all the other regions around there. Tanner said that we could use his homes while there, and he’d pay us to see if things are in working order.” Carter asked him if he’d turned him down on the money. “I did, but you know how he can be. Anyway, he’s made us reservations at restaurants while we’re visiting his homes. All paid for. I think that’ll be fun too.”

  She just wanted things to be normal. However, for as much time as she’d spent in prison, she had no clue what normal would entail. Carter asked Josh if they thought this thing with Waldo would go as smoothly as they were hoping it would.

  “The police have it under control here. And we have a lot of extra people here too that are going to be watching out for the townspeople. I don’t know that it will go without a hitch, but there shouldn’t be any major issues. Waldo comes onto our land and we have him arrested, along with the men that paid him to kill a person. That’s premeditated, and that is going to get their sorry asses in a lot of shit.” She knew that as well. But she wasn’t to help them in any way.

  “Dylan said that these men will go to jail, and that if they see me doing anything odd or out of the ordinary, they’ll tell someone who could make it so that we’ll have to look over our shoulders for a long time.” He said that’s what she’d told him as well. “I hate not being able to make sure that they’re all right.”

  “I know you do, honey, but this is for the best. I don’t want to have you hurt any more than I do Dylan and the rest of them. But you have to see that she’s right on this. We’re just lucky that the men who came to get you in the first place are all taken care of. That way, no one knows what happened here but you and a few others.”

  They were right, but it didn’t make her feel any better about any of this. They were to sit tight and let anyone know when they saw strangers on their land. The pack was out wandering around too, and knew to be extra careful. Idiots with guns were no one they needed to be around.

  At about four-thirty, they were told that a car had pulled onto the property that Waldo had purchased. When six men got out, they’d been a little worried. They were only counting on five, including Waldo. But one of them was the driver, and Dylan told them that it wouldn’t be long now. They saw the first man darting by their house not ten minutes later.

  Evan and the other brothers were out roaming the property too. They were going to get the men who had been captured as prey and take them into the shelter that they’d put up for them. The first man, they’d heard, had been found, and they were looking for the next prey, as they were calling them. The men walked by their home with their rifles over their shoulders like this was a big game hunting trip. She was so mad that she wanted to go out there and shoot them a few times and see how they liked it. Josh called the police and told them that there were four men on his land with guns.

  Josh went out on the deck just as Waldo came running back from the wooded part of their house. He’d been bitten, it looked like to her, and he was being chased by a group of the pack. She was laughing so hard at him running and holding up his pants that she had to sit down. The police were at his home waiting for him. And after that, Tanner would take care that he died either in the jail or soon after. It was sort of anticlimactic after all the preparation that they’d gone through to make this happen. And when they gathered up the other men, all treed by wolves and tigers, it seemed, they found that not only did they have the sitting governor of their state, but also a few more that should know better.

  She wondered if any of them remembered that they had a gun while up in the tree waiting for someone to rescue them. Carter told Josh that if these men were to take care of the state, she was more worried now than before about how things were going. They were laughing as the police came by and told them that they’d caught them all.

  Chapter 11

  Adam didn’t even know that anything wa
s going on around Josh’s house. He’d been so buried in his work that he’d barely had enough time to take a shower, much less keep up on the news. When he put the tractor away for the last time this year, he felt a sense of accomplishment that he did every year at this time.

  The hay was all bailed and sitting in the barn. There were rolls of alfalfa, too, that they would give to whoever needed it during the winter. It was something that his family had been doing for years to help out their neighbors. The garden that he put in every year was all finished, and all he had left to harvest was the pumpkins that he loved growing.

  Adam grew an entire field of the small pumpkins for the kids to come out and pick at no cost. The buses would start coming around in about a week, and he’d have kids all over the place. He thought that was why Halloween was his favorite time of the year. The kids made all his hard work so worth it.

  He saw Blake coming in from the other field about the time he was getting off the tractor. They were going to hang out at Adam’s house tonight like old times.

  “I heard that that guy, whatever his name was—all I can think of is a striped red shirt—was caught.” Adam laughed with his brother, then he told him his name. “Yeah, that’s it. Anyway, I just heard from Mom that they’re all finished up and that they’re going to Josh and Carter’s house for some dinner. We were invited too, but I told them you and I had plans.”

  “Good. I’ve been looking forward to this all day. And the thought of just taking off my boots and sitting down with my feet propped up, I can’t tell you how excited I am about that.”