Dalton (Fairplay Shifters Series Book 5)

by Serena Meadows

  He could tell that she wanted to protest but finally said, “Okay, you win. Let’s go pretend we’re normal people and have dinner.”

  Dalton was so happy she’d agreed that he didn’t even point out that he’d been right again. Instead he stood up and waited for her to shut down the computer. When she was done, they left the house and started down the path that led to the dining hall attached to the bunkhouse.

  He was looking forward to spending some time with Melody that didn’t include computers or shifters. Getting to know her better had suddenly become important to him, and this was his best chance. Visions of them sharing dinner back in a quiet corner of the dining hall were flashing through his mind when they walked in the door.

  But it was clear almost immediately that it wasn’t going to happen; before they’d even gone three steps, a man across the room called out Melody’s name and jumped up from his table. When he got to them, he enveloped Melody in a big hug, then stepped back to look at her.

  “Well, it doesn’t look like the city’s ruined you,” he said, giving her another hug.

  “I’m still a country girl,” Melody said, laughing, then turned to Dalton. “Have you met Dalton? He’s here helping me with some computer stuff.”

  The man looked at Dalton. “Sure, we met. Daniel introduced him around. What I really want, though, is to hear about what you’ve been up to.”

  “I’m a little bit busy right now, but as soon as I can I’ll come down to the barn and we’ll get caught up,” Melody said, gently brushing the man off.

  Dalton was relieved, but his relief was short lived. They did sit at a quiet table in one corner of the dining hall, but they were far from alone. All through their meal, one man after another came up to the table to talk to Melody, some hands she’d never met but wanted to meet her.

  She seemed to take their attention in stride, and one by one sent them on their way, but that didn’t stop the crazy feeling of jealousy that soon had him shifting uncomfortably in his seat and picking at his dinner. By the time they got up to leave, he was in a terrible mood, ready to bite someone’s head off.

  It was a relief to leave the dining hall and head back to the house, but his bad mood stayed with him as they walked. Melody seemed oblivious to his mood. “I was thinking that when we get back, I could fire up the computer and see if anything more has come in.”

  “I told you that we’re taking the night off; you need to rest and so do I. Do I have to remind you that I slept in that chair last night?” Dalton couldn’t hide the edge in his voice.

  Melody looked at him. “Are you giving me an order or making a suggestion? I don’t need your help with this part; go to bed and get some sleep,” she said, increasing her pace and leaving him behind.

  It only took him a few strides to catch up with her. “It’s only a suggestion but it’s a good one; you should take it,” he said, a scowl on his face, then he couldn’t help but add, “Some of your friends would probably be happy to entertain you tonight; they sure did seem happy to see you.”

  Melody stopped and looked at him. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at, but I’ve known some of those men since I was a kid; some of them are my relatives. I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but I think I’ll take you up on that advice and find something else to do tonight: something that doesn’t include you,” she said, then stomped off into the forest.

  Dalton watched her leave, wanting to call her back and apologize, explain that it was just jealousy talking. But he couldn’t do that, couldn’t come right out and say that he’d become jealous when he’d seen those men fawning over her. He’d never give her the satisfaction of knowing that she’d made him jealous, he decided when she’d gotten out of sight.

  ***Melody***

  Melody wasn’t quite sure what had gotten into Dalton; he’d always been a little overbearing, but he’d gone over the top tonight. Looking back over her shoulder through the trees, she saw him take the path to his cabin and felt a strange sense of loss. Pushing it away along with all her confused feelings about him, she headed for the deep forest.

  As soon as she was clear of the ranch, she shifted, feeling a bone-deep sense of relief as her body became sleek and muscular. Feeling her lungs expand with each breath she took, she let her senses take over. Picking up the scent of a doe in the air, she took off through the trees. She ran until her muscles began to burn, then slowed her pace to enjoy the night as one of the forest’s creatures.

  It was several hours later, at least midnight she thought based on the position of the moon in the sky, before she started back. But when she got to the ranch, she was reluctant to shift back to her human form, wanting to hold onto the feeling of freedom for just a bit longer.

  She made her way along the paths of the ranch, unconcerned that someone might see her since this was the one place no one would be shocked to see a mountain lion roaming around the property. When she passed the cabin where Dalton was staying, she couldn’t help but pause under his bedroom window and sniff the air, picking up just the faintest scent of him.

  When a wave of desire passed through her, she was surprised, had been sure that releasing some of her pent-up energy would have solved the problem. But the desire was still there, and just as strong as ever; in fact, it was nothing like anything she’d ever felt, and feeling it when she was shifted had her a little worried.

  Normally, the effect of her eyes could only be felt when she was in human form; feeling that attraction as a mountain lion was a new feeling and one she wasn’t sure she liked. Thinking back to her dinner with Dalton and the fight they’d had afterward, she wondered how much longer she’d be able to resist the feelings she had for him.

  He’d clearly been jealous of all the attention she’d gotten at dinner, and she wasn’t sure how that made her feel. Part of her liked the fact that he cared enough to be jealous, but the sane part of her knew that she shouldn’t feel that way, that it wouldn’t be long before that jealously faded, along with his attraction to her.

  She’d reached the back of the house and knew that she’d have to change and go inside. It was late, and they still had a lot of work to do tomorrow, so she took a deep breath and let her body shift, feeling a sense of loss when she was human again. Coming around the side of the house toward the kitchen door, she was so focused on her plans for the next day that she didn’t see Dalton standing on the porch.

  He met her at the top of the stairs. “Where have you been?” he asked, then when he saw the look on her face, quickly added, “I saw a mountain lion out there wandering around when I came over here.”

  “Why are you over here?” she asked, trying to keep the smile off her face.

  “Oh well… I... just thought I’d make sure you weren’t working,” Dalton finally managed.

  Melody didn’t know how she knew it, but she knew that he was lying. “Well, I’m not,” she said, pushing past him.

  “What were you doing?” Dalton asked, an edge to his voice she didn’t like.

  Melody stopped and turned back to him, “I don’t think it’s any of your business, but I was out running around in the woods.”

  Dalton stared at her for a minute, clearly not satisfied with her answer. “Alone?”

  “Yes, I was out running around in the woods alone,” she said, wondering if he was ever going to catch on.

  Suddenly, his eyes got big and he stuttered, “That was you? That huge mountain lion I saw, was you?”

  Melody laughed, “I took your advice and stayed away from the computer.”

  But Dalton was still staring at her. “You’re a shifter,” he said, stupidly.

  It was Melody’s turn to be surprised, “You didn’t know? Didn’t Daniel tell you that we’re cousins? My father and his father are brothers. My parents live in California now on their own ranch, but I grew up here.”

  “But you never said, I mean, I just thought you weren’t one of them,” Dalton was still stuttering.

  “Does it make a difference?�
� she asked, suddenly not sure at all about the man she thought she was getting to know.

  “No, I mean, that those old ideas are just that, old, but I just didn’t expect...” Dalton shrugged then said, “I guess I’ll be going back to my cabin; it’s late, and we should be up early in the morning.”

  Melody was disappointed in his reaction, and she felt a little of her desire for him fade. She’d known that he was a chauvinist, thought that women couldn’t do the same things as men, but she’d never dreamed that he’d have a problem with her being a shifter.

  She hadn’t expected him to be one of those witches, the ones who didn’t trust or like shifters, who believed that the two shouldn’t mix. But now that she knew the truth, it would be far easier to resist him, she thought as she watched him walk away. All she had to do was remind herself who he really was, and it wouldn’t be long before he was just another man who had once admired her.

  It made her a little sad to think that all it had taken was him discovering that she was a shifter; she’d been so sure that there was more to Dalton than she’d seen, but clearly, she’d been wrong. It was probably for the best anyway; now she wouldn’t be distracted by his teasing and flirting and she could concentrate on getting the talisman back.

  Chapter Ten

  ***Dalton***

  Dalton was still reeling when he got to his cabin, shocked because he’d been so blind to what should have been obvious to him. Melody was a shifter; not just a shifter, but a shifter who changed into one of the most feared predators in the Rocky Mountains. It had caught him off guard but explained so much about her.

  Now that he had a full picture of who she was, he understood the fierceness to her personality that so attracted him. It gave him a thrill now when he pictured her ghosting through the trees as she had been that night, her golden fur reflecting the moonlight.

  When he’d seen the cat that night, he’d been aware of its beauty, but fear had overridden his awareness. But now that he knew the cat had been Melody, he could appreciate what he’d seen, wanted, in fact, to see her again. He’d never been around shifters until his sister had gone off and married one, and now there were two in his family thanks to his other sister.

  He’d kept his distance, not out of fear or ignorance but simply because that was who he was; people didn’t really interest him. Now he wished that he’d taken a little more time to get to know Justin and Jake, to understand how they lived with the gift they’d been given.

  When he got to his cabin, he wasn’t ready to go inside, so he sat down on the little bench on the front porch and looked out into the night. He wondered what it felt like to run through those woods knowing that there was nothing bigger than you out there, that you were the top of the food chain.

  He realized then that he was a little bit jealous of Melody’s gift, a gift that didn’t have to be honed and practiced, but that just came naturally. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be a witch, but it was so much more complicated, spells and incantation, candles and herbs, so much to memorize and learn before a witch’s true gifts could be used.

  Suddenly he was full of questions about shifters, questions he’d never thought to ask, questions that now seemed important. He was also aware that his discovery that Melody was a shifter did nothing to squelch his desire for her; if anything, it had increased it, made him all that much more aware of her body and the power he now knew she held.

  He had no idea what he was going to do going forward, but he knew that he wasn’t going to walk away from Melody until he understood the pull she had on him. The attraction he felt was new to him, a deep pull that only seemed to grow the longer he was around her. But as tonight had shown him, there was still so much he didn’t know about her, and it was time to change that.

  The first thing he was going to find out was why she wore those stupid sunglasses, why she never wanted him to see her beautiful eyes. Eyes that were so unique he’d never seen anything like them, shot through with flecks of the brightest blue and green, their almost yellow color had startled him at first, then inspired something deeper in him.

  He’d never been the kind of man who listened to his instincts, but right now something deep inside him was telling him that Melody was the kind of woman he shouldn’t let get away. It didn’t matter if she was nothing like the woman he’d always imagined himself with; it didn’t matter that she was a shifter; all that mattered was that when they were together, some kind of magic happened.

  Thinking about magic reminded him of the talisman and all the trouble it had caused over the last year. But it hadn’t only caused trouble; it had spread love too, true and powerful love. Suddenly love didn’t seem like such a ridiculous thing, and he wondered if maybe he’d been wrong to think that he could live without it.

  It was getting late, and he knew that he was tired, that his mind was making connections that might not be there, so he got up and went to bed, sure that in the morning, some of his romantic thoughts would be replaced by reason. Melody was only a woman, an amazing woman, but still only a woman.

  But when he woke the next morning from a very erotic dream featuring Melody and her sunglasses, he knew that there was no fighting what had already begun. His only choice was to ride it out, explore what he was feeling, and hope that in the end, no one got hurt.

  ***Melody***

  Melody was sitting tensely in front of the computer, waiting for Dalton to show up. After nearly two hours of waiting, she’d begun to think that he wasn’t coming back, that finding out she was a shifter had freaked him out. But she knew that didn’t really make sense; he was a witch and had two shifters as in-laws.

  It shouldn’t have mattered to her how Dalton felt; they had a job to do and that was it: there was nothing more and wouldn’t ever be. But she still had that sense that she’d lost something and knew that she was going to miss his teasing and flirting. Taking a deep breath, she tried to relax, tried to tell herself that it didn’t matter if Dalton Simons liked her or not.

  When he walked through the door, she knew that she’d been lying to herself, that whatever spell was over them still had her in its grip. “Well, it’s about time you showed up. I didn’t peg you as a late sleeper,” she said, looking at her watch.

  “It’s only eight o’clock, the day has barely started, and we didn’t get to sleep until late,” Dalton replied. “Don’t you ever sleep?”

  “I don’t need much sleep,” she said, then blushed, remembering the night before; then to change the subject, added, “We got a few more files last night.”

  Dalton grabbed the chair he’d been sitting on the day before and brought it around behind the desk. “Anything interesting?” he asked, sitting down much too close to her.

  “Only about a hundred financial files; they date back quite a long time, but I think we might find out who the real Demetri is now,” she said, trying to quiet the thumping of her heart and the goosebumps rising on her arms when he got even closer to look at the computer screen.

  “Have you already looked at all of them?” Dalton asked, scooting even closer.

  Melody opened one of the files. “I’ve opened most of them, but they don’t make a lot of sense to me; most are long complicated contracts with a bunch of language I don’t understand.”

  Dalton leaned closer, then said, “Hmm, this is a contract creating what looks like a shell corporation, although for what, I’m not sure. I’d have to see more.”

  “You understood all that?” Melody asked, impressed.

  “Language is my business after all,” Dalton said with a big grin. “Guess we know why I’m here now.”

  Melody grinned back at him, unable to help herself. “Okay then, Mr. Expert language guy, these are all yours,” she said, getting up from her chair and gesturing for him to take it. “Do your thing.”

  Three hours later, Dalton threw his hands up in the air. “I can’t make any sense out of all this. I know it’s all connected, but I can’t find the original source,” he said, rubbing his
eyes.

  “I think we need a break, and maybe someone who knows more about business to help us sort this out,” Melody said, standing up and stretching. “We’ve been at it for hours; let’s go get some lunch.”

  Dalton jumped at the suggestion; looking tired and hungry and a little bit defeated, he followed her to the dining hall. “I should be able to figure this out, language is my business, but I don’t understand how all these corporations work, so we need a business expert.”

  “We just need to look at it differently,” Melody said, then added, “And to leave it alone for a while; sometimes when I can’t figure something out, getting some space from it helps. Don’t think about it during lunch, that might help.”

  Dalton sighed, “I hate unsolved problems, no matter what they are. I think that’s why I like old books so much; eventually their riddles and mysteries can all be solved.”

  “Computers are the same way, there’s no wiggle room with code; it does what it does and nothing else, nothing hidden,” Melody said, thinking that they were more alike than she realized.

  Dalton looked at her. “You know, sometimes we’re more alike than I’d care to admit,” he said, grinning at her.

  “I’m not sure if that was a compliment or not, but I’m going to say thank you anyway,” she said, grinning back.

  When they came out of the dining hall after lunch, Melody said, “I don’t think I’m ready to go back yet.” Then turned and followed a path that led away from the house, taking long strides.

  Dalton had to take a few running steps to catch up with her. “Shouldn’t we get back to work?” he asked but followed her.

  “Nope, we need a break, and I need to ride a horse. Do you ride?”

  Dalton hadn’t been on a horse for a few years but had grown up riding as everyone did in Simons’ Cove. “I haven’t for a while, but I bet I can pick it up again.”