Protector: Doms of Mountain Bend Book 1

by BJ Wane

  It was Shawn’s turn to step away from her, that wild thought and the image it put in his head too distracting, not to mention ill-suited for the situation. Hell, he hadn’t even asked her name. “Ed’s the only mechanic in town, but a damn good one. He’ll get you fixed up, Miss…?”

  She hesitated before answering with her first direct look. “Halldor, Lisa. Thank you, Sheriff.”

  The name didn’t ring any bells, and Shawn let it go, his interest obviously muddling his head. “Take the first right up the road and that will take you into Mountain Bend. Welcome to Idaho, Miss Halldor.” With a farewell tip of his hat brim, he pivoted and returned to his cruiser. By the time he slid behind the wheel, she was driving past him with a wave, that wary expression still on her face.

  ****

  Lisa gripped the steering wheel, glancing in the rear view mirror. She kept driving until she saw the last of Sheriff Shawn McDuff’s taillights, then pulled over until she could calm her racing heart. Nothing could have prepared her for that unexpected encounter with the man she was sure had rescued her that night twenty years ago. She’d recognized him right away, not from the grainy newspaper photo but from the impact of looking into those piercing gray eyes again. Only this time, his astute gaze slammed into her with the same jarring force as the jolt of heated awareness that went through her when their hands touched. She floundered with uncertainty over how to deal with coming face-to-face with him again, and her unforeseen, adult reaction to that simple touch. The sexual longing he had reawakened inside her was even harder to understand.

  When her application for the substitute teaching position was accepted hours after she’d submitted it, she’d given her principal the rundown on her situation and he hadn’t hesitated to grant her a leave of absence until the fall. As she’d packed in a hurry to get away from whoever was out to get her, her only goal had been obtaining a sense of safety. Worse than the threatening phone calls from her stalker had been his silence the last few days before she’d gotten on the road with her car packed to the hilt. The last threat of the dead cat had scared her into moving quickly, whether she’d gotten the job or not.

  Playing it safe, she had withdrawn enough money from her meager checking and savings accounts to pay cash for gas and lodging since leaving Arizona. Lisa doubted this person could get access to her credit card transactions and track her whereabouts, but she wasn’t taking any chances after going to such extremes to get away from him. She’d counted on her sudden disappearance to discourage her stalker, and knowing her one-time rescuer would be close by had inadvertently helped her make the decision. She hadn’t planned on meeting any of them and never imagined she would get hot and flustered from the light brush of her rescuer’s fingers against hers and the penetrating astuteness of his eyes. The craving to submit to that focused gaze still trembled deep inside her, reminding her of the way she used to respond to the Doms at the club before becoming a victim had turned her cold inside.

  I didn’t move here for an affair. That thought had never entered in any of the talks she’d had with herself whenever common sense intruded and tried to change her mind about coming to Mountain Bend. The nagging voice that kept insisting this was a stupid idea was speaking loud and clear again as she resumed driving.

  Despite her lingering stupor over that chance meeting, Lisa was well aware Shawn had shown no signs of recognizing her. She’d never expected any of them would, but admitting the one who mattered the most didn’t help to quell the spark of arousal still warming her inside and out. By the time she reached the Mountain Bend city limits sign and mammoth welcome billboard, the hypersensitive nerve endings throughout her body had returned to normal. Too bad she couldn’t say the same about the conflicting chaos still filling her head.

  She was more grateful now than ever for Master Wade’s written referral to Spurs, a nearby private club, that he’d given her before she’d left. At least she would have a venue to escape to when she needed relief from her taut nerves, or if she wanted to take her mind off the one man she had no business lusting after. With luck, the change of scene and Doms would be enough to break through the ice that had prevented her from responding ever since the first threatening phone call from a stranger had brought about a return of her childhood nightmares.

  After living her whole life in Phoenix, the country’s fifth largest city, she’d assumed adjusting to life in such a small community would take some time. Instead, as she drove through town and spotted just one restaurant attached to a reconstructed brewery, three fast-food joints, and a two-street combined business and shopping district, she realized the conveniences were all a bike ride from several rental options.

  Following the owner’s directions, Lisa found the Miner’s Junction Bed and Breakfast with no problem. Making reservations for a week at the quaint wood-planked, renovated nineteenth-century home seemed the fastest way to get here and then scout for a small temporary rental. The corner lot offered parking in the rear, and after grabbing her toiletries suitcase and purse, leaving her larger bags for later, she followed the sidewalk around to the front entrance. The rush of a gurgling river reached her ears, and she wondered how close it was to the established, tree-lined neighborhood.

  Opening the ornate front door, she stepped inside where a dark-haired woman behind a short counter greeted her with a beaming smile. “Welcome to Miner’s Junction. You must be Lisa.”

  “Yes. You’re Ms. Zimmerman?” Lisa set her bag down and held out her hand.

  “Jen, please. You’ll learn quick enough we don’t stand on formality around here. How was your trip?” Jen turned the register around for Lisa to sign.

  “Good, other than taking the wrong exit off the highway. I found you, though, and the detour at least gave me a mini-tour of the countryside.”

  “Oh, you should have called. I could have driven out to get you. It’s easy to get turned around on our country roads and find yourself smack dab in the middle of one of the surrounding ranches. Not that any of our neighbors would mind. Well, maybe crotchety old man Sanders who owns the Bar S. I can see why he never married. He…oh, I’m sorry. I tend to ramble on. It’s a good thing Drew isn’t here, or he’d give me ‘the look.’” She wiggled her fingers in a mime of quotation marks.

  Lisa chuckled, enjoying Jen’s sense of humor and envying the spark in her eyes when she mentioned her husband. She wished she could boast about someone special enough in her life to make her that happy. Instead, there was now someone who wanted to hurt her, or worse, and she couldn’t even contemplate getting that close to anyone. She refused to let her current circumstances ruin her upbeat mood and picked up her bag as Jen grabbed a key off a pegboard and came around the counter.

  “I don’t mind you telling me about the people here. Anything you can share about the town will help me get acclimated to a new place. This is the first time I’ve lived anywhere except Phoenix.” She hesitated as Jen turned toward the staircase that hugged the wall, then broached a touchy subject that needed clearing. “I appreciate you taking my reservation without a credit card to hold it.”

  Jen glanced at her with her hand on the bottom newel post of the staircase. “To be honest, there was something in your voice that prompted me to take that chance. Whatever you’re fleeing from back home, I hope you’ll find solace here. It’s a great community.”

  Her astuteness reminded Lisa of Shawn’s intense focus on her and the warm fuzzies his attention had generated. Given how much calmer and more relaxed she was already, maybe this escape would work out for her after all.

  “I hope so, too, Jen.”

  ****

  By the end of her first week teaching in Mountain Bend, Lisa had discovered the vast, end-of-March weather difference between Arizona and Idaho. Back home, she could count on the temperature soaring into the upper eighties and low nineties during the onset of spring and start of the last term of school. Her classroom of eighteen second graders didn’t seem to mind slipping on jackets before going outside for rece
ss, but it had taken her the first few days to remember to remind them when they wanted to dash out the doors.

  Going down the row where they were lined up at the door for dismissal, she made sure each little seven-year-old had his or her book bag and jacket before opening the door. “Have a good weekend,” she said when the final bell rang.

  “Bye, Ms. Halldor.”

  The chorus of farewells was followed by the thunder of small feet hitting the wide hallway from all the grade school classrooms at once. The middle and high schools were in separate buildings next to the elementary school, each class significantly smaller in number than the least populated grades in the Phoenix district. It hadn’t taken Lisa long to get to know her students, or to discover the benefits of working with fewer kids.

  She waited until she saw the last of them connect with a parent or designated pickup person out front before returning to her room. Watching the time, she straightened up the desks then filled her satchel with papers to grade before locking her desk drawers and turning off the lights. The staff had welcomed her on Monday, and she’d enjoyed lingering after school to visit and get to know them better in the last few days, but she didn’t want to keep Jen waiting. Lisa was looking forward to moving into the vacant unit in the duplex Jen and Drew owned a few streets over from their bed and breakfast, and was grateful for the money renting it would save her.

  Lisa waved goodbye to a few teachers as she walked out to the staff parking lot, the sun warming her face despite the upper fifties temperature she was still acclimating to. Her head was in the clouds, wondering if she’d be safe by the time she returned home in August, before the much colder months of winter, and she wasn’t paying attention to others in the parking lot until a deep, amused voice startled her into jerking around to the right.

  “Hello again.”

  With her heart thumping overtime, Lisa gazed at Shawn McDuff over the hood of her car. He regarded her with a quizzical expression, and her mouth went dry, her palms turning clammy as she took in the late-day bristles darkening his jawline and the tilt to his head. She couldn’t help thinking about him this past week, recalling his potent stare, broad shoulders, and imposing height, and wishing she’d impacted his life as much as he had hers.

  “Sorry. I didn’t notice you. Hello, Sheriff.” Lisa waved her hand toward the schools. “What brings you here?”

  “Deputy Sheriff. A tussle between two high schoolers that revealed the pot they were fighting over. Their parents just picked them up.” He strode around the car and reached past her to open her driver’s side door, his thick forearm brushing her hip. Ignoring her hasty sidestep, he leaned on top of the open door and asked, “How are you liking it here?”

  Lisa took a deep breath, forcing herself to get her act together. She’d never stuttered over a man before, and usually enjoyed getting to know new people. Even though they’d met before, they’d been so young, and it was such a long time ago, and under difficult circumstances. It was dumb to be hurt he didn’t remember her, and likely not in her best interest if something she said or did reminded him. His stay in that foster home must have been longer, and worse than the few hours of her memory. She doubted he would appreciate the past showing up on his doorstep.

  “I love it. Everyone has been so nice, and welcoming, but I really need to get going. I have an appointment to look at a rental.”

  Shawn nodded, stepping out of her way. “That would be the Zimmermans’ place, right? I ran into Drew yesterday.”

  She stood close enough to glimpse his eyes under his hat, warming from his intense focus. “How did you know I was staying at their B&B?”

  He shrugged. “I asked about you. You’ve made quite a change with your move from Arizona, Ms. Halldor.”

  Her shoulders went rigid at hearing that, the thought of someone, anyone, prying into her life rubbing her wrong after all the grief she’d suffered from picking up a crazed stalker. “Yes, well, sometimes change is good, or necessary. If you’ll excuse me.”

  Shawn tipped his hat, his tone a shade rougher as he said, “I hope it’s a good move for you. Get those tires replaced soon.”

  Lisa slid behind the wheel, her eyes following Shawn as he walked over to his cruiser. She bristled at his parting order then stifled her irritation. He wasn’t privy to her low finances, at least she hoped his checking up on her hadn’t gone that far. Between the travel expenses, staying at the B&B, and now the deposit and first month’s rent she assumed Jen would ask for, her cash wouldn’t stretch to include tires until she got paid next week.

  Growing up in a big city hadn’t prepared Lisa for the closeness of small-town living, and, in her haste to get away, she never thought about what she’d do if they came face-to-face again. She would either have to get a grip on her response every time she saw Shawn, or consider telling him where and when they’d met before.

  Lisa hoped a new place with new Doms would help break through the block she’d suffered with the last few months but had planned to wait a little longer before visiting the private club, Spurs. But maybe she would go tonight and seek a distraction from thinking about Shawn. She wasn’t sure what to expect when she met her anonymous childhood rescuer again, but it wasn’t the instant heat conjuring up all kinds of hot fantasies that took her mind off the threats of a crazy person. It wouldn’t do to let her guard down, even this far from home, despite feeling safer than she had in a long time.

  ****

  What the hell was it about the new teacher that kept bugging him? Shawn waited until she drove away before heading back to the precinct, the wariness in her gaze still bothering him. That look in eyes the same emerald green as the little girl he’d carried out of Atkins’ house was eerily similar, and he figured that was why she seemed so familiar. Unlike that much younger girl, Lisa didn’t appear happy to see him the two times they’d met. Her frigid tone when he’d admitted prying into her life couldn’t have conveyed her displeasure any better.

  The flash of irritation that crossed her face just now and the kick she’d delivered to her flat tire last weekend revealed a quick temper lying beneath the soft-spoken cautiousness she portrayed. He wasn’t sure what it meant admitting he enjoyed poking at her to ruffle her feathers, but she was a nice distraction from his recent moodiness.

  “Monday is the deadline,” Lyle announced the minute Shawn entered the office.

  “I remember and plan to discuss it with Clayton and Dakota this weekend,” he replied, crossing to his desk with a nod toward Andi, their dispatcher.

  Shawn still hadn’t decided whether or not to campaign for sheriff over the summer. He supposed he could toss his hat in and drop out if he didn’t care for the politics that came with the job.

  He scooped up a handful of sunflower seeds from the drawer as he sat down behind his desk. Lyle leaned a hip against the corner and said, “You’re a better choice than Roberts or Sandusky.”

  “Thanks, but I have an obligation to the ranch to consider, and, right now, a report to write up.” He gave his boss a pointed look, refusing to discuss the job further, and didn’t want to hear any more compliments calculated to influence his decision.

  “You’re a stubborn son of a bitch,” Lyle muttered.

  “Funny, that’s what Buck always said.” Hearing the familiar gripe stated with a note of humor brought up the grief of losing the gruff rancher who had taken them in and made them a family.

  “They don’t come better than Cooper, that’s for sure.” Lyle straightened with a sigh. “I won’t push you, but please give it some thought this weekend when you discuss it with the boys. Like I’ve said, there’s no one I trust as much as you to fill my shoes.”

  “You could always stay on.”

  “Trust me, I’ve thought about it, if you don’t run. Anyway, I’m headed out. Have a good weekend.”

  “You too, boss.”

  By the time Shawn finished his paperwork it was after five and he was eager to clear the cobwebs out of his head with a rigorous ride. L
eaving the precinct, he walked next door to Clayton’s office, surprised to find he’d already left for the day. Then he remembered that tonight potential new members could check out Spurs for free, and the three of them were supposed to meet there early. He strode to his cruiser to head home, his enthusiasm for socializing at what used to be his favorite extracurricular activity still at a low. Clayton loved the law and holding lawbreakers accountable as much as he did arresting them for their criminal activity, but unlike him lately, both of his friends were happy to set work and their evening down time aside for time with a willing submissive.

  After getting through their rebellious stage without the Coopers giving up on them, he, Clayton, and Dakota had left to attend college, remembering what it was like to be a victim. For Shawn, whose father had taught him to always stand up for the underdog, choosing a career in law enforcement had been easy. But he’d come to love the ranch just as much, which made it difficult to choose between the two. As deputy sheriff, he enjoyed more time off, fewer responsibilities, and less stress, leaving him able to work both jobs.

  His thoughts switched gears as he drove by the spot where he’d changed Lisa Halldor’s tire. Shawn didn’t care for puzzles, and the tugs on his memory banks the schoolteacher kept prompting were bugging the heck out of him. If he didn’t know better, he would think she was the same girl he’d rescued all those years ago. Since the odds of that were on par with winning the lottery, he discounted that possibility as soon as it popped up. Father Joe would have given him notice if that were the case. There’s no way the priest had forgotten how he’d pestered him for information about the frail child who had clung to him with such trust.