Taking a deep breath, Sloane let it out slowly. She didn’t want to scare him, but maybe he needed a stronger command for more direction. Snapping her fingers, she said, “Shadow, come.” The dog stood right away and moved toward them. Stopping at Sloane’s side, he leaned heavily against her leg. She sank her fingers in his thick fur, gently rubbing his neck.
“Shadow?” Creed asked from beside her. “I like that much better than Tank.”
Shrugging, she responded lightly, “I used to want a dog. One that would protect me from all of the evil in the world. In my dreams, I called him Shadow.”
Slipping an arm around her waist, Creed said, “It’s perfect. I’m glad you will have him around when I can’t be.”
Hearing Cassie’s giggles coming from the front of the clinic, Creed and Sloane walked in her direction, Shadow following closely behind. She was sitting in the middle of the floor in the waiting room, two little puppies crawling all over her lap. She glanced up when they approached. Seeing Shadow behind Sloane, her eyes widened. “Tank came out of his room, Uncle Caiden,” she said in awe. Shaking her head, she told Sloane, “Tank never comes out of his room. He’s too scared I think.”
“Actually,” Sloane said as she crouched down beside Cassie to pet the puppies, “Tank’s name is now Shadow. He’s coming home with me.”
Cassie smiled, her dimples peeking out. “That will make him happy.”
“I hope so,” Sloane responded softly as she rose to her feet. “I know it will make me happy.”
“So,” Caiden said from where he was leaning against the front counter, “Shadow has finally found a home.” Straightening, he walked over to a shelf where there were items for sale and chose a collar and leash for him. Coming back, he knelt in front of Shadow and slipped on the collar, then clipped the leash to it. After gently patting the dog’s head, he handed the leash to Sloane. “I would give you directions on how to care for his wounds, but since you are staying with us, I will take care of them.”
Sloane gasped. “I didn’t even think about that,” she said as she clutched the leash in her hand. “What if your parents don’t want Shadow in their home? Do you think I should stay at my apartment?”
“No way in hell,” Creed responded as he stepped forward and took her hand. “Mom and Dad have always had animals around the house. They aren’t going to care if Shadow is there. And you aren’t staying anywhere right now without me.”
Looking at Shadow, Sloane whispered, “If you are sure they won’t mind, then we will stay at the ranch. But I’m not leaving Shadow here by himself tonight.”
“They won’t mind,” Creed promised. Grabbing a large bag of dog food and two bowls from another shelf, he nodded to Caiden. “We have to go. I’ll pay for these later.”
“No problem,” Caiden told him. “I have some salve to put on his cuts that I will bring home after work.”
“Sounds good,” Creed said as he hefted the bag of food onto his shoulder and made his way to the back of the clinic and out the door. After thanking Caiden, Sloane followed with Shadow.
When they reached the truck, Creed opened the back door and Shadow jumped in like he belonged. Smiling, Sloane hopped into the front seat and put on her seat belt. “Thank you,” she told Creed as he slid in the driver’s seat.
Turning to her in surprise he asked, “For what?”
“For introducing me to Shadow,” she said as she reached out and touched his cheek. “For helping me move on with my life. For loving me.”
Slipping his hand into her hair and tangling his fingers in the long strands, he said, “Thank you for accepting me for who I am, for letting me protect you, and for loving not only myself, but my daughter.”
Pulling her close, Creed slowly licked at her lips. Groaning, he sank his tongue into her mouth. Sloane jumped at the sound of a horn honking and giggled when he pulled back. “I suppose we better save that for later,” he laughed as he put the truck in gear and pulled out of the parking lot.
When they reached Sloane’s building, Creed parked in front of the store. Taking the keys Sloane offered him, he unlocked the front door while Sloane got Shadow out of the back seat. Sloane waited by the door while Creed did a quick sweep of the store. He was back within minutes to let her know everything was fine.
As she and Shadow walked into the store, Sloane glanced around and grinned. Her store was almost ready to open for business. Tomorrow she would start sorting and logging in the books on her new computer with a system she’d bought for it. She would easily meet her personal deadline of opening the store next month.
After Sloane unhooked Shadow’s leash, he slowly limped around the store. When he was satisfied with his investigation, he found a place by the counter and curled up, asleep within minutes.
Creed brought in the bag of dog food and filled one of the bowls with food. Taking the other bowl, Sloane filled it with water from the bathroom sink in the back of the store. Satisfied that Shadow was taken care of, she said, “Should we go up to my apartment? I want to get my gun.”
“Sounds good to me,” Creed responded after placing the bag of dog food in the back of the store. “I’ll have Caiden bring home some more food for Shadow so we can leave that bag here.”
Creed did a quick sweep of her apartment before allowing Sloane in to retrieve the 9mm she had hidden in the bedroom. After packing another bag with clothes to take back to Creed’s parents, Sloane shouldered it and made her way to the living room where Creed waited. “I’m ready,” she said as she moved to the door. Locking it behind them, they went back to the store.
“You need to get to work, Creed,” Sloane said when Creed hesitated in the middle of the store. “I’ll be fine. I have Shadow and my gun. You’ve checked out the store. The doors will be locked.”
“I know,” Creed responded as he walked over and pulled her into his arms. “I just don’t like the thought of leaving you alone.”
“I’m not alone,” Sloane teased him softly. “I have Shadow.” Kissing him gently on the lips she smiled. “Go to work, Creed. I’ll be waiting when you get done.”
Sighing deeply, Creed held her tightly for a moment before letting her go. “You call me if you need anything,” he demanded. “I don’t care what it is.”
“I promise,” Sloane agreed readily. “This shouldn’t take me long. The painting should be done in a couple of hours, but I can keep myself busy until you’re ready to go.”
Tugging lightly on one of her curls, Creed turned to go. “Lock this door behind me. Don’t let anyone in except me.”
Following him to the door, Sloane locked up after him, waiting until he was in his truck before turning back to the empty store. It was somewhat daunting to be in the large room alone after everything she had been through lately. But she refused to hide from the bastard terrorizing her. Taking one last look around, Sloane headed to the back of the room to start painting.
Creed slowly made his way to work, fighting the urge to turn his truck around and drive back to Sloane. He hated to leave her alone, but he’d done a thorough sweep of the building and found nothing out of place. She also had Shadow with her now, which helped to ease his mind somewhat.
Parking his truck in front of the station, Creed got out and looked casually around the area. He had a strange feeling he was being watched, but nothing looked out of place.
Entering the building, Creed nodded his head in greeting to the receptionist before going straight to his office. Sitting down at his desk, he turned on his computer to check his email. As he was reading through them, Jace poked his head through the door. “I thought I heard you come in,” he said as he took a seat in front of Creed’s desk. “I wanted to tell you that we found a partial print on the last note. Our man got a little sloppy this time.”
“Do we have a name?” Creed asked leaning forward intently, bracing his elbows on the desk.
“It’s being run through the database now, but no hits, yet.” Leaning back in his chair, Jace said, “You kno
w what I don’t get, Creed? Sloane hasn’t been here that long. Not long enough to attract someone’s attention like this. It has to be someone from her past. But the only person that comes close to fitting this guy’s MO is her ex-husband and he’s sitting in jail. Hell, if we don’t get a hit on that partial print, I’m not sure where to go from here.”
“Me neither,” Creed sighed. “The best I can do right now is keep Sloane as close to me as possible to protect her.”
“Where is she now?” Jace asked as his phone rang. “Hold on,” he said as he answered the call. A few minutes later he was scowling when he hung up. “Shit, so much for the print. Our stalker is not in the database.”
“Of course not,” Creed grumbled. “That would be too easy.” Taking his hat off and placing it on the credenza behind him, Creed said, “I’m going to get some paperwork done and then get back to Sloane. I dropped her off at the bookstore, but I don’t want to leave her alone for too long.”
Pushing back his chair and standing, Jace turned to the door. Stopping in the doorway, he looked back. “Let me know if you need anything. I’m going to take the late shift tonight since Katy’s gone right now.”
“I’m going to advertise for another deputy,” Creed said absently as he started going through his emails again. “There are adequate funds in the budget to support at least one more salary, maybe two.”
“Sounds good, Boss,” Jace responded before leaving, shutting the door quietly behind him.
Three hours later, Creed shut down his computer and slipped his hat back on his head. Paperwork was a necessary evil, but he was finally caught up.
Leaving the station, Creed went to pick Sloane and Shadow up. Tonight was a night for cheeseburgers on the grill, a walk down by the lake on his parents land, and then bedtime for Cassie because Monday morning would come early bringing school with it.
Chapter 21
Rising early, Sloane was awake, showered and dressed before Creed stirred. Deciding it was her turn to make breakfast, Sloane slipped quietly out of the bedroom. Down in the kitchen, she quickly mixed up some pancake batter and made pancakes, eggs and bacon.
Half an hour later, everyone was up and eating. Sloane laughed to herself when she caught not only Cassie, but also Creed, slipping Shadow a piece of bacon as they walked by where he lay on the kitchen floor. He hadn’t left her side since the day before. To Creed’s amusement, Sloane made him stop at the store on the way home the day before to get some treats and two large dog beds; one for the house and one for the bookstore. She knew Shadow was in pain by the way he walked gingerly favoring his left front leg, and she wanted him to be comfortable.
While Sloane cleaned the kitchen, Cassie ran back upstairs to change into her school clothes. Ryder went out to feed the animals and Caiden left for work. As she washed a pan in the sink, Sloane felt Creed’s arms slide around her waist from behind. Nuzzling her neck, he kissed it softly before whispering, “I missed you when I woke up.”
Sloane leaned her head back against his shoulder, tilting it to the side to give him better access to the soft skin he was nibbling on. She moaned as he teased the sensitive area with his tongue and then bit down gently. Turning her head slightly, Sloane’s lips connected with his in a gentle kiss.
Hearing Cassie’s feet coming down the stairs, Sloane straightened and started washing the pan again. Chuckling, Creed nipped at her neck one last time before letting her go. “Are you bringing Shadow to the store with you again?” he asked as he sat back down at the table to wait for her.
Looking over at Shadow sleeping peacefully, Sloane shrugged. “I’ll leave it up to him. If he wants to come with us when we leave, then he can.”
“I’d like it if you brought him,” Creed said softly. “I feel more comfortable knowing he’s at the store with you when I can’t be.”
Smiling at him, Sloane responded, “I’m sure he will go, Creed. He hasn’t left my side since we got him yesterday.”
“Good,” Creed replied as he held out his arms to Cassie for a quick hug. “You ready for school, Cass?”
“Yes,” she said yawning tiredly. “We are getting new books at the library today. Mrs. Harmon said they will be ready to check out in a couple of days. I can’t wait to see what she got for us!”
“How exciting,” Sloane said as she dried the last pan and put it away. “I have some new ones coming in today, too!”
Leaving the house, Shadow following closely behind, Creed and Sloane got into the front of the truck while Cassie and Shadow jumped into the backseat.
After dropping Cassie off at the school, Creed drove Sloane to the bookstore. Parking in the front of the building again, Creed entered the store first to do a quick sweep, then let Sloane and Shadow come in.
His phone rang as he unlocked the back door. Answering, he froze after listening to the voice on the other end of the line. “How many injured?” Sloane heard him ask. A moment later, he hung up the phone and quickly asked, “Do you need anything from upstairs?”
“No,” she said. “I have everything I need for a few days.”
“There was a multicar pileup on the freeway,” he told her as he shut the door again and made sure it was locked. “Some teenagers were jacking around on the way to school. It sounds like several were hurt, one severely.”
“Oh, no!” Sloane gasped, her hand going to her throat. “Go ahead and go, Creed. I’ll be fine here.”
Giving her a quick kiss, Creed left, locking the front door behind him. Looking around the large, open space, Sloane grinned in delight. Everything was cleaned, painted, and ready to go. Now all she needed to do was organize the books. She was so excited. This was her favorite part.
For the next three hours Sloane logged in books and put them on the shelves. Lost in her thoughts, she flinched when there was a knock on the front door. Rising from where she was kneeling on the floor in front of a stack of books, she went to the door. Seeing the UPS driver, Sloane quickly retrieved the keys from where she had left them on the counter and unlocked the door. “Ma’am,” he said as he looked around the store. “I love what you’ve done with the place so far.”
“Thank you!” Sloane grinned as she surveyed what she’d managed to get done that morning. She had spent a lot of time in the children’s section, and it was coming along quite nicely. She was very excited about some ideas she had for the children.
“If you will sign here, I will bring in the boxes,” the man said as he held out the electronic device that required a signature. Signing her name, she handed it back to him and waited patiently while he brought in several boxes of books. After he left, Sloane glanced at the boxes in confusion. She didn’t think she had ordered ten boxes of books. It should have been maybe half that.
Walking over, she started unstacking the boxes. The top ones had her name on them, but mixed throughout the stacks were boxes for Serenity Springs Elementary. The driver had accidentally brought all of the boxes of books to her bookstore instead of taking the school’s books to them. Sloane could understand the confusion, because somehow all of the books had come from the same distributor.
Remembering the excited look on Cassie’s face that morning, Sloane decided she would take the books to the school. The only problem was that she didn’t have her car with her. It was back at the ranch. Taking out her phone, she called Creed hoping she wasn’t interrupting anything. He answered on the second ring. “I’m sorry to bother you at work,” Sloane said as she leaned against her counter looking at the boxes of books at her feet. “But the UPS driver dropped off the school’s books here on accident. I want to deliver them, but I don’t have my car.”
“How about I bring you lunch and then you can borrow my truck?” Creed asked. “I think you will be fine just going to the school.”
“Sounds good to me,” Sloane said, excited at the idea of lunch with Creed. “When will you be here?”
“Give me twenty minutes,” Creed replied. “I’ll grab something from the diner and be right there.�
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True to his word, Creed knocked on the door almost twenty minutes later. Opening the door, Sloane took the drinks from him and placed them on the counter. Setting the food down, Creed pulled her into his arms for a kiss. “What happened with the accident this morning?” Sloane asked when he stepped back and started taking lunch out of the sacks. “Is everyone going to be okay?”
Shaking his head, Creed told her, “It was poor judgment on the kids’ side. They were racing. It ended up in three cars wrecking. There were no fatalities, thank God, but all of the kids involved landed in the hospital. I hope they learned their lesson.”
Creed and Sloane talked through lunch and then Creed helped Sloane load up the boxes into his truck. After letting Shadow out to go to the bathroom, they locked him back in the store. Helping Sloane into the driver’s seat of his truck, Creed cupped her cheek, kissing her gently. “Don’t break my truck,” he teased softly.
Tempting His Heart Page 15