His hand was immediately gripped in a shake that bordered on too-tight. The kind a man gave another man when he needed to make his stance clear. “JD.”
“Good to meet you.” Craig nodded to the menagerie of animals filling the room. “You do all these?”
JD shook his head. “Naw. That’s all Danny. I’m shit at it.”
Craig squinted at a shelf lining one wall at the back of the shop. “Danny do those too?” He stepped around the counter to get a closer look.
Bad decision.
He stopped short. “Holy shit.”
A small-sized furry mammal stared out from the middle shelf with bugged eyes that hinted at possible demonic possession.
The rest weren’t any better. Possibly worse.
JD chuckled. “That’s our collection of bad taxidermy.” He pointed to a spot on the top shelf. “That one’s my favorite.”
Craig stepped up to peer at the display. “Is that one mole stabbing another with a sword?”
“Hell yeah.” JD leaned in. “That one’s not really bad. It’s actually pretty well-done.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
“You’re still here.”
Craig turned to the counter where yet another tall blonde woman stood, arms crossed, lips pressed into a frown. “I’m sorry?”
“Word travels fast.” She eyed JD, tipping her head toward the back room. “Junior Hawthorne just called. His wife hit a deer with her car and he wants it processed.”
JD turned Craig’s way, a grin on his hairy face. “That’s a happy accident, isn’t it?”
“Depends on what kind of car his wife drives.”
JD laughed, wagging one finger at Craig. “You’re funny.”
“Don’t get attached. He’s leaving.” The woman behind the counter’s attention was back on Craig, her clear blue eyes never wavering.
JD leaned in. “He says you two know some Lance guy.”
Craig almost choked on a cookie for the second time. He shook his head. “Daniel Karlson. He and I know Lance.”
The woman barely smiled at him. “There’s no Daniel Karlson here.”
Craig looked from the woman to JD. She might not be easy to read, but JD was an open book.
And that old man might have known at least a little bit of what he was talking about.
Just not the Daniel part.
“Danielle.”
She shook her head. “Nope.”
“It’s just Danny.” JD helped him along.
“Go.” Danny shoved at him. “I don’t need you making friends with the strays.”
“Not everyone who comes here is a stray, Danny.” JD’s tone carried an edge of irritation. One that most people would miss.
Not Craig. Right now he couldn’t afford to miss anything.
Because this whole case just broke wide open. Cracked by a big man with a big mouth who liked mole fencing.
Danny blew out an aggravated breath, her eyes closing for little more than a blink as JD disappeared into the back room. They flicked open to lock right on Craig.
“My sisters told you to go.” She pushed off the counter and prowled toward him, her body moving in a fluid way that was familiar as hell.
He knew a woman who moved like that.
“And yet you’re still here.” She stopped in front of him, not a trace of passivity in her gaze.
This was a woman who knew her power.
Who knew what she was capable of.
And owned it.
It was fucking stunning.
And a little terrifying.
Craig stood his ground. If Danny was who he thought she was then his job was done.
Lance’s family was found.
He could go on with his life.
Whatever that meant. There was no future for him in Greenlea, even if it’s where he felt most at home.
“Are you this welcoming to all your visitors?”
Danny nodded, a smile playing at her full lips. “Yes.”
“I came here to talk to you.”
“I don’t care.” Danny’s chin lifted. “Nothing you have to say interests me.”
“You have a brother.”
Her expression froze. She didn’t move at all. Not even to take a breath.
Two heartbeats was all it took for her to recover. “I don’t have a brother. Only sisters.”
“Maybe only full sisters.” Craig reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. “But you have a half-brother.” He flipped open the photo of Lance and held it up for her.
There was no denying the connection. The physical resemblance.
She saw it too. It was there in her eyes. The recognition.
Then the understanding.
“You share a father.” Craig waited for her eyes to come to his.
All the air left her lungs in a sharp exhale. “Shit.”
TWO
“THAT CAN’T BE true.” Danny pulled in a breath, fighting her spine as straight as it would go.
The man standing in her shop was many things.
Mostly unfortunate ones.
Handsome. Well-built. Slick as hell, obviously.
But he was also one other important thing.
He was wrong.
“If I had a brother I would know.” Danny said it slowly, taking the time to make sure it sounded like he hadn’t rattled her.
He gave her a soft smile.
Christ. He had dimples.
“It is true, though.” He stepped closer and the scent of clean masculinity came with him, reminding her how damn long it had been since something like that had graced her lungs. “His name is Lance.” The man’s eyes moved over her face. “And he sure as hell looks like your brother.”
It wasn’t the looks that were the issue.
“Looks can be deceiving, Mr.—” She hadn’t meant to fish for his name.
Mostly.
“Craig. Craig O’Neal.” His tone was softer now. Like he knew the burden he’d laid across her shoulders.
Her sisters’ shoulders.
But that would be impossible.
Secrecy was the key to survival for their family in so many ways, and if by some horrible chance this ma— Craig was right, then it would be just as important to her brother.
Hopefully.
“Breathe.” Craig stepped even closer. “In through your nose, out through your mouth.” His hand came to rest against her back, warm and solid as the room started to spin.
“I’m fine.” Danny squeezed her eyes shut, willing away the weakness collecting in her limbs. Pushing through the darkness trying to creep into her vision.
“Come sit down.” Craig’s hands shifted to her arms, gently gripping her biceps as he pulled her behind the counter. “Sit down, Danny.”
She immediately dropped to her butt. “I’m fine. I just skipped lunch.”
“Here.” Craig grabbed the box from Sam’s bakery off the counter and flipped it open. “Eat a cookie.” He held one out to her.
She wrinkled her nose. “Are those oatmeal raisin?”
He chuckled. A low, rumbly sound that was nothing she should notice. “JD says it’s a pretty good indication your sister hates me.”
She should take the same stance as Sam. Do whatever it took to get Craig O’Neal on his way out of town.
He already knew too much.
“You have to leave.” It was harder than it should have been to say it. How many men had come to Shadow Pine in search of something they knew nothing about?
Hundreds.
This man was no different.
“I appreciate you coming all this way, but it was for nothing.” Danny straightened in the chair he made sure she fell into. “I don’t have a brother. I can say that with absolute certainty.”
She held her breath, waiting to see if he believed the lie she fed him.
Craig’s dark eyes moved to the door JD disappeared through before coming back to rest on hers. “You’re wrong, Danny.” He dropped down to a cr
ouch in front of her. “And he deserves to know the truth of who his father is.”
Is.
“My father is dead.” The words came easily now. She’d said them for long enough they should. “He died over ten years ago.”
“Your brother still deserves to know the truth.” Craig didn’t back down. His tone might be soft, but this man was not like the others who came hunting something they didn’t understand.
He didn’t seem fazed in the least by her or her sisters. Being shut out by beautiful women was hard on an ego, and they’d all used it to their advantage countless times over the years, running any stranger out of town as fast as possible.
But so far this stranger had gone up against three Karlson sisters without batting an eye.
Not a good sign.
“Then you should find it for him.” Danny scooted the chair back, putting a little space between them as she stood up. “But you won’t find it here.”
Craig’s eyes lingered on her for a minute. Long enough it was clear he was doing his damndest to read her every move.
This man was definitely different from the others.
Finally, he stood. “That’s unfortunate.” His words were slow and measured. “Because Lance and his wife just had a daughter, and he was hoping to be able to introduce his girls to their family.” Craig’s eyes stayed on her as he laid out a truth Danny knew would one day come back to haunt her and her sisters.
“I hope that happens for him.” It took everything she had not to react to the knowledge that there was a little girl out there like them.
Like her and her sisters.
Wait.
“Did you say girls?”
The line of Craig’s mouth barely softened as he nodded, warmth edging the unwavering gaze he kept on her. “He has two daughters.” His eyes moved to the hair falling past her shoulders. “Blonde and blue-eyed. Just like you.”
“There are millions of women with blonde hair and blue eyes.”
Craig barely smiled as he moved closer. “I also said just like you.”
Her stomach dropped.
Was it possible that Craig knew—
“Where is the pecker now?” The sound of stomping boots came to a sudden stop as two of her sisters bounced off each other just inside the door to the taxidermy shop.
Sam straightened, eyes narrowing as she glared Craig’s way. “I feel like we made it pretty clear it was time for you to go.”
Alex stepped in beside Sam, mimicking their oldest sister’s rigid stance. “I told him.”
Craig’s attention went to her sisters, eyes pausing on each before coming back to her. “I appreciate your information, Danny.” He pulled a card from his pocket and held it out to her. “You should probably eat some lunch so you don’t get dizzy again.”
And then he finally did what she and her sisters had been telling him to do, turning and making his way to the front of the shop, pausing to peek at some of the more impressive work she’d done, before walking out the door, all three of them staring at him as he went.
“What sort of freaking information did you give him?” Alex rushed through the shop the second he was gone, the heels of her stylish booties banging against the wood planks of the floor as she went.
“Nothing.” Danny rolled her neck. Two minutes in and her sisters were already giving her a headache.
“He specifically said you gave him information.” Sam stood in place, arms still crossed. Her eyes narrowed. “And he knew your name.”
Danny’s head fell back. She didn’t have the time or the energy for this today. Spring turkey season was in full swing and they were already falling behind. “He already knew it.”
“Yeah.” Sam’s brows lifted. “I know.”
Danny rubbed her tired eyes. This was supposed to get easier as the years went on, but it wasn’t.
It was getting harder. The world they worked hard to keep at bay just kept edging closer.
And Craig knowing her name was one more reminder that it was happening. Would continue to happen no matter what they did.
Especially considering the small leap it would take to find out who she and her sisters really were.
And that could ruin everything they’d worked so hard to build.
Rip it away and leave them with nothing.
Like before.
Sam slowly stepped closer. “How did he know your name?”
“Hell if I know.” Danny fell into the chair behind the counter. She tapped her fingers against the surface, trying to decide how much information she should give her sisters. Their opinions on how to handle things were changing.
Sam believed they should continue on the path they were on. Keep pushing out anyone trying to get in. Fight to keep their tiny bit of the world the safe-haven it was.
Danny wasn’t so sure that would be a viable option for much longer.
But now wasn’t the time to bring that up again.
“He said we have a mutual friend.” She chose the words carefully. Upsetting Sam and Alex would only make this whole situation worse. “Some guy named Lance.”
Alex frowned, her gaze tightening on Danny. “Is that Jude’s—”
“No.” Danny shook her head. “I don’t know who Lance is.” She lifted her shoulders. “Maybe it’s just a mistake.”
Wouldn’t that be wonderful.
But this wasn’t a mistake.
All she could do was pray Craig O’Neal left Shadow Pine and never came back.
Because if not—
The door to the shop opened. “Where’s the closest hotel?”
Danny stood, coming shoulder to shoulder with her sisters.
It’s how they handled everything.
As a team. A united front against a world that had been anything but good to them.
Craig gave them an easy smile, his eyes resting on Danny. “Maybe a nice bed and breakfast?”
“Why are you still here?” Sam huffed out a breath as she turned to Alex and Danny, her voice low enough only they could hear. “I think we should offer him some tea.” Her eyes were wide as she stared at them.
“No tea, thanks.” Craig was suddenly much closer, moving through her shop on quiet steps. “Just a place to set up shop.”
Sam’s wide eyes moved to Craig. “Does this look like a thriving metropolis to you? Like some sort of resort town?”
Craig paused in front of the grizzly bear dominating the showroom, his attention staying on the large beast as he continued speaking to them. “Actually, you should probably consider it. I know of a place very similar to this, and their tourist business is booming.”
“We’re not interested.” Alex moved in, grabbing Craig by the shoulders and spinning him back toward the door. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, my sisters and I have work to do.”
Craig let her lead him back toward the door. There wasn’t a doubt in Danny’s mind that’s what happened. Ten minutes into knowing him, and it was clear Craig O’Neal wasn’t the kind of man anyone told what to do.
He tried to hide it with charm and a smile, but that man only did exactly what he wanted to do.
And unfortunately, it appeared he wanted to be a pain in their ass.
The door shut behind him once more.
“It’s a shame he’s so damn good-looking.” Sam smoothed down the white apron tied around her shoulders and waist as she eyed the bear in the corner. “When is the museum coming to pick that thing up? It makes me nervous.”
“Next week.” Danny glanced at the door. “Why is it a shame that he’s good-looking?”
“It’s easy to run the homely ones off.” Sam adjusted the elastic holding her long blonde hair back. “That one isn’t used to being shut out.”
Alex stood in front of the side window that showed one end of the small downtown. “That’s for sure.”
“What’s he doing?” Danny went to peek out beside her. Craig was leaned against a sleek car, cell phone pressed to one ear.
“We shouldn’t have fought
so hard to get service out here.” Sam scowled at him through the glass. “What in the hell are we going to do about him?”
“Maybe he’ll leave.” Danny watched as Craig smiled at the conversation he was having. The act displayed his straight teeth and the deep dimples cutting into both cleanly-shaven cheeks. Most men out here sported full beards that were wild as the hills. Not Craig. He was straight out of the pages of one of the glossy magazines from Charlie’s shop.
Alex glanced her way. “What’s he saying?”
Danny rested one hand on the windowsill, stepping closer. “I can’t hear.”
“He was talking to Jude earlier.”
Danny’s attention snapped to Sam. “What?”
Her older sister nodded. “I sent Jude home with cookies and went out to make sure he made it. Found him talking to Clark Kent out there.”
“Clark Kent wears glasses.” Alex narrowed her eyes on Craig. “And he probably doesn’t go around bothering people who just want to be left alone.”
Danny rubbed her arm with one hand. Knowing Craig was talking to Jude sent the staticy bite of awareness crawling over her skin.
Rage clawed at her insides at the thought of Jude being in danger.
“That son of a bitch.” Danny was out the door and across the street, advancing on Craig faster than she should.
But talking to her and her sisters was one thing.
Jude was another.
“Get him, Danny.” Sam goaded her from the door to the shop.
She didn’t need it.
Craig was leaving Shadow Pine and never coming back again.
Didn’t matter how nice his smile was.
How good he smelled.
Those damn dimples didn’t change anything.
He’d crossed a line.
He glanced up as she stalked his way. Men usually knew when they’d pushed her or her sisters too far.
And they ran like hell.
But Craig didn’t look anywhere close to running. If anything he looked—
Satisfied.
A little smug.
Which only shoved her anger into overdrive.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” She was on him, both hands fisted in the neckline of his shirt, ready to do anything required to get this man away from her and everything that mattered to her.
Danny (Big Northwest Book 1) Page 2
