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“Soon, I’ll be wearing you, so you just think about that, Sheriff. I’ll talk to you later.”
He growled; it was a good sound. I disconnected the call, feeling satisfied he was feeling what I was. “Okay, boys, time for bed.”
We’d just gotten settled when Cooper and Max’s heads popped up. Even Lucifer stirred. They didn’t growl, and after a few minutes, they settled back down. The raccoons were back.
Heading into townfor lunch for the crew, I noticed the car on the side of the road not far from my house. I probably wouldn’t have given it a passing thought had I not seen the same car pulling up in front of the station house that day. Curious who was driving it, more so because the license plate was pretentious, I slowed as I approached and saw an older man behind the wheel. He had his phone out, glanced up at me and smiled.
Checking that no one was coming up behind me, I stopped and rolled down my window at the same time he did.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
His focus shifted to Cooper and Max, recognition stared back before he said, “Yeah, just some car trouble, but the truck is coming,” he said, lifting his phone.
“Okay, good.”
He smiled, studied me, before he said, “Sorry, I don’t recognize you. Are you new to town?”
I was a little surprised by his question because I had been around long enough for the town to know of me, but maybe he wasn’t from town. Which begged the question, how did he know Killian? “Yeah, I am.”
“How are you finding it?” he asked.
“I like it very much.”
“Good.”
Awkward silence settled, my time to go. “Good luck with the car,” I said.
“Thank you, young lady.”
I didn’t know what it was about that interaction that bothered me, but something about it seemed off.
In town, after placing the order for the sandwiches, I walked to the pie shop, because I had a houseful of hungry men. I wondered what kind of pie Killian liked. I could call, but I was here. The idea of seeing him had those butterflies, that had been dormant for years, flipping out in my stomach.
“What are you doing with Killian’s dogs?”
Abruptly ripped from the simmering lust I’d just been enjoying, my expression was dark when I glanced at that chick Monica, hanging out in front of the trading post. I wasn’t going to answer her because it wasn’t any of her business, but she kind of got in my face. Not too close because Cooper and Max started to growl, low in their throats. I’d never heard them do that. Monica was smarter than she looked when she took a step back.
“He doesn’t let people around them.” Had Killian dated her because I just couldn’t see it?
“I didn’t kidnap them if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Hey, Cedar.”
Natalie came up behind me. “Hey, you two,” she said, getting down to rub the boys down.
Monica had just gotten into my face about having Killian’s dogs, but she said nothing about Natalie petting them. Odd.
“It won’t last,” she said, twirling her hair around her finger as she cracked her bubble gum. “Tough nut to crack.”
Not surprising that she didn’t understand him at all.
A brute of a guy came out, saw her talking to me, and grabbed her arm so hard she cried out. “Shut up,” he snarled and dragged her down the street.
I guess it said a lot about me, but I didn’t make a move to help her. I was willing to put myself in harm’s way for animals, but humans…not so much.
“You came out here on purpose, didn’t you?” I asked Natalie, after Monica was out of earshot.
“After she waved that gun around at the tavern, yeah…not sure she’s playing with a full deck.”
