He had Tony put someone on her so that she constantly felt as though she had a shadow. Right now, they were outside discussing the best security system for the house, leaving her inside to place family pictures on the mantel.
“You okay, baby?”
Startled, she turned around almost dropping the picture frame in her hand. “Jesus, you scared me!” Looking around, she asked, “Where’s Tony?”
“He’s got what he needs so he and his crew will be back tomorrow to get things set up.”
Nodding, she looked at him, desperate for him to talk about what he was feeling. “Are you hungry?”
“No, babe. We can order something in a little while. You don’t need to cook.”
Walking over to Shane, she put her hands gently on his chest. “Honey, I wish you’d talk to me. Please. I know you’re upset over Rochelle. I get that. She meant something to you and …”
“What are you talkin’ about?” he asked harshly, holding her hands still from rubbing on his chest.
“You. This closed off, not talking very much, brooding YOU. I know you cared about her and it’s okay if you need to talk about it. I get that you can’t be very happy now over our new house. I get that, Shane. But I’m not used to you closing me out. My untamed man will shout, curse, and get angry but at least I know what he’s thinking.” Her voice hitched as she tried to hold back her tears. “This man,” she moved her hand back to his chest, “I don’t know how to help.”
Shane dropped his head for a moment before lifting it back up to hers. Taking a deep breath, he clutched her hands to his. She’s worried about me. Pure, fuckin’ sunshine.
“Baby, you got it wrong, but that’s on me ‘cause in tryin’ to protect you, I’ve kept you in the dark. And that’s got you mulling things over in your head and comin’ up with the wrong idea.”
“How can I know how to deal with this Shane if you don’t tell me? I didn’t know Rochelle, but she came to warn me and now she is dead. You’re exactly right if you think I’ve been mulling things over in my head.”
“I don’t want you to worry about anything, Annie. That’s my job.”
She looked at him incredulously. “You’re kidding, right? I’m supposed to just go about my job and this move and act like everything is normal because you’re going to worry about it all? Newsflash Shane, it doesn’t work that way. You worry therefore I worry!”
He lifted his hand to cup her face, rubbing his thumb over her cheeks. “I got this, baby.”
Annie just looked at him, not having an idea of what he meant. She allowed him to lead her to the new sofa and was pulled down onto his lap.
Wrapping his arms around her small frame, he tucked her in tightly, one hand stroking her back and the other hand cupping her head. “Baby, I’m sorry. I was shocked by Rochelle’s death, but my quietness on the subject wasn’t due to my grieving over a lost love. I can’t even say we were friends. We were both in a dark situation and took advantage of it. That was all. So I hate like hell that a fellow officer has fallen. And yes, I hate that a young woman was killed. But she knew the risks and knew what she was doin’. When I saw her, she admitted that she could have sent her intel to her contact or to me, but she broke cover when she went to the clinic. And she did that just so she could see you, meet you. She broke cover for somethin’ that didn’t matter. That was fucked. She risked her cover and she’s now put you back in the light. That doesn’t make me harsh, just real.”
Allowing his words to have a chance to slowly sink in, he continued to rub her back in silence. After a moment, she leaned up and looked into his eyes and he gently moved his fingers over her cheeks.
“So if you haven’t been grieving over someone, what has you brooding?”
“Baby, it’s you I am worried about. I wanna make sure you’re safe. I wanna make sure that nothin’ happens to you.”
She sat on his lap staring into the blue eyes that reached inside her, his love wrapping around her as tightly as his arms wrapped around her body.
“Sunshine, those family pictures you’re puttin’ up on the mantel – Baby, that’s what I want you thinkin’ about. Decorating in family. I don’t want you worryin’ about all this. That’s the man I am. I wanna take this away so you can focus on just being sunshine.”
Bringing both hands up to his face, she kissed him softly. “What bothers you, bothers me. What concerns you, concerns me. Shane, I can’t be sunshine if I am worried about you.”
She leaned in to kiss him again but soon found that he took over the kiss. Even so, it was slow. Soft. Full of promise. Full of love. Full of light.
* * *
Shane and Matt were driving to one of the animal shelters on the outskirts of the city, checking more leads about puppy-mills in the area. So far their efforts were coming to dead-ends. The registered breeders went into great detail about their disgust of the amateur breeders and especially the cruel treatment of the people running puppy-mills. And while they were able to get some names to follow up on, they still had not found what they were looking for. So now they were checking out the animal shelters, both registered and some that were a lot less reputable.
“Somebody at one of these places has got to know something. How can you have a facility that has a shit-ton of dogs running around and no one knows about it?” Shane growled in frustration.
Matt looked over, “How are you and Annie doin’?”
Shane grunted in response. “House is great. Timing is shit.”
Matt said nothing, letting Shane have some space.
Sighing, Shane continued, “Love the new house. It’s got room for Sarge and her cats. With the holidays coming on, Annie is already planning on decoratin’. We’ve got the furniture in and I should be fuckin’ happy but with everything that has been goin’ on, I feel like somethin’ is always draggin’ me down.
“We had an argument the other day about it all. She thought I was broodin’ over Rochelle when all I can think about is makin’ sure she is safe.”
Matt asked, “Have you been able to find out more about why Rocky thought Annie was in danger?”
“Nah. Said she’d overheard someone talkin’ about a vet who had worked on a couple of the dogs and she made the assumption they were talkin’ about Annie. But there was no overt threat. Problem is, when Rochelle came to the clinic just because she was fuckin’ curious about who I was with, she brought that shit right back to Annie’s door.”
“What did you tell Annie about Rocky?”
“Told her the truth. She knew Rocky was in my past, was nothin’ more than a way to pass the time to hold up our cover. Makes me sound like a dick, but Rocky and I were up front with each other. There were no promises of anything other than physical. And she was fuckin’ married at the time. I had no idea she’d gotten it in her mind that we coulda been more.” Rubbing his hand through his hair, he shook his head. “We were fuckin’ livin’ wild then just to survive. I got out and glad of it.”
They pulled up to the animal shelter, seeing the concrete buildings holding the dogs’ runs. A middle-age woman walked up to them smiling. “Howdy! How can I help you?”
Introducing themselves to Maude, they began to question her about her facilities and what she may know about any other facilities in the area.
“Well, I run this facility with mostly funds I get through charity work. Lots of people like to give, but my books are clean. Lordy, with all the red tape I have to jump through with the county to keep this kennel going, believe me, every penny is accounted for!”
They wandered through the area looking at the dogs running in the clean area. “What we are really lookin’ for is any information you may know, or even have heard of, about non-reputable facilities. Like puppy-mills.”
“Come on in detectives and I’ll get us something cold to drink and we can talk.”
Following her into a crowded but neat office, they settled into folding chairs next to her desk as she handed them sodas.
“I’ve been doing t
his for years. My late husband and I started our first rescue kennel about thirty-five years ago. It didn’t take long for us to grow, but we realized that we needed the backing from the county. We became licensed and took care of the animals that came to us the best we could. Herbert died four years ago, but I keep going.” She looked out of the window for a moment before bringing her gaze back to them. “I’ll never get rich doing this, but these dogs are my family.”
“What do you hear in the community about other facilities? Ones that perhaps do breeding in massive amounts with no regulations?”
“I’ve never heard of anything specific. But there would have to be some clues to where they are.” she said.
“These dogs eat and they eat a lot. Now, I get a lot of my food from volunteers and donations, but someone who has a large number of dogs would have to be getting a lot of food. Also, these dogs make noise. That’s why I’m out here where I have a couple of acres. Even with this space I got a few neighbors that complain about the barking. Facility like what you are talking about, especially if they are trying to fly under the radar, is going to need a lot more space. Lots of acres to make sure no one is bothered by the barking.”
Shane finished up taking notes and then he and Matt took their leave after thanking her.
While Matt drove them back into the city, Shane pulled out a map. Richland was bordered by farmland and forests leading toward the mountains. “Jesus,” he said looking at the area around the city. “This is like lookin’ for a fuckin’ needle in a haystack.”
* * *
Pulling into the driveway that evening, Shane sat for a moment looking around. The yard was neat, flower beds dormant in the winter, the light in the front windows sending out a warm glow. A wreath on the front door. Home. Our home. Sarge must have heard his truck pull up because he saw him jump up and look out of the window, followed closely by Annie peeking out as well. Beautiful. Six months ago I would have never thought this was possible. A woman I love who lights up the fuckin’ world. A house. A home. Right then Boo jumped up in the window too. A cat. Laughing as he swung out of his truck, he jogged up the front porch steps.
Sweeping Annie up in his arms, he twirled her around the front foyer, carrying her toward the living room where the fire was roaring.
“Hey honey, what’s up?” she asked as he set her down.
“Just glad to be home. Glad to have a home. Glad you’re the one waitin’ when I get home.”
“Wow, what brought that on?” she asked, smiling up into the blue eyes that held her captive.
Shane walked over and sat down on the rug in front of the fireplace, pulling her down with him. Holding her close, he breathed her in. Her hair shown like a new penny in the firelight, her green eyes soft and warm.
“Baby, I’ve been a dick for a couple of weeks, and that stops now.”
Seeing the confusion on her face made him love her more. I’ve been a dick and she’s already forgiven me.
“I’ve been pissed about this case for a long time. I met you and decided to wrap things up and thought the case was over.” He paused for a moment. “I’ve been so pissed about Rochelle bringin’ this to your doorstep, but the reality is that I’ve been at war with myself. I’m the one who brought this to your doorstep to begin with, so it doesn’t make a lot of sense to be pissed at her.”
Annie cupped his face as she spoke, “Shane Douglas you listen to me. If you had never brought Sarge to me we wouldn’t have this. I wouldn’t have this house with the man I love. It’s been a couple of weeks and nothing bad has happened. You’re making sure I am safe. I’m being careful, so stop worrying. I want you here with me, body and soul.”
They lay back on the rug, kissing gently as he slowly ran his fingers though her hair. The fire crackled in the background and for the first time Shane found himself relaxing. Truly relaxing. I could fuckin’ lay here forever with her in my arms.
Just then her stomach growled and she giggled. “Come on honey, I’ve got dinner ready.”
Pulling him up, she led him into the kitchen where she set dinner on the table. Looking over at him, she wanted to ask him a question, but hesitated.
“What’s on your mind, baby”
“How did you know I had something on my mind?” she asked.
“Sunshine, I’ve had my pulse on you since the first night we met. You got somethin’ to talk about, we talk.”
“Well, I was wondering about the case. I know you can’t tell me much, but I was just curious how it was going?”
Shane looked over at her, seated at their table in their house. Smiling back at him. Wantin’ to share in his life.
“We’re still tryin’ to find the dog connection, baby. Lookin’ at puppy-mills now.”
Annie screwed up her face in distaste. “Oh honey, those places can be really awful. Crowded, dirty, no room to run. And that doesn’t even begin to describe the diseases.”
“We talked to a lady at a shelter that said they would need a lotta room so that no one notices the barkin’.”
“Or the smell.”
Shane halted the progress of his fork to his mouth as he looked at her, still eating.
She continued, “I mean they don’t always clean up after the animals so the smell of feces would be overwhelming I would think. Who knows what they feed them, so they would have diarrhea. The flies would be awful too. Without medical care, they would have open sores as well.” Looking up, she noticed that Shane had stopped eating.
“Do you not like the dinner?” she asked.
“Baby, you just talked about a whole lot nasty stuff. Do you vets always do that?”
Blushing, she just laughed. “I’m sorry honey, I’m so used to talking about animals and what is going on with them that I don’t even realize it isn’t appropriate.”
Shaking his head, he laughed too. “Well, I asked.” Looking thoughtful for a moment, he said, “So, if you wanted to have this kind of operation and have it fly under the radar, what would you do?”
She pondered his question then replied, “The lady at the shelter was right. You would need some acreage. Out somewhere private. Preferably with woods around.”
“Why woods?”
“The trees would act as a natural sound barrier so the barking of the dogs would be heard less. Also, near a possible water source would be good, so that you could use that to at least have water and do whatever cleaning you are going to do. Or well water. Just not city water or the bill would be too high. They probably order the food. There are cheap discount online food stores they could get it from.”
Impressed, Shane stood to clear the dishes bending to kiss her lips. He watched her lick her lips and he dove in for another. Deeper, wetter. The dishes clattered to the table as he arms circled around her, pulling her up. Leaning back, he stared into her face overwhelmed with the emotion he was feeling. This untamed man was home. “Love you, sunshine.”
That night he showed her just how much he loved his home with her.
Chapter 24
Annie sat in the lab area of the clinic working on computer searches during a break between clients, trying to find more information.
Leon looked over her shoulder, then exclaimed, “What the hell are you looking up puppy-mills for?”
Suzanne and Carl came from the front at that moment and circled the computer as well.
Annie glanced over her shoulder at her staff with a grimace on her face. “These places are disgusting.”
Suzanne echoed Leon’s question, “Why are you looking them up?”
“I’m just trying to find out more information to see if I can help Shane.”
Carl chimed in, “Help Shane with what?”
“Just a case he is working. It may involve dogs that come from a puppy-mill in the area so I thought I would see what I can find.”
“Now don’t you think he should do the detective work since that is his job, doc?” Leon said as he and Suzanne took an older cat over to the table to draw blood.
&n
bsp; Carl, still staring at the horrible conditions on the computer screen, asked, “Are you finding anything? I mean, wouldn’t Shane have the same info, if not more, than you can get?”
Smiling at the group, Annie said, “Well that’s where I think I have an advantage. I know a couple of vets in the rural areas outside of the city and in the state. I’m sending out messages to see if they have heard anything. I’m also looking into some of my professional sites to see where there may have been some extra or unusual requests for dogs in this area. I might be able to find something that I can offer to Shane.”
Carl smiled at Leon over Annie’s head as he exclaimed, “We’ve got our own personal Nancy Drew right here in this office!”
Suzanne, finished with the blood draw, ended the group discussion when she announced, “By the way, the Richardson family is bringing in their snake today. They think it may have eaten their hamster.”
Annie just hung her head and shook it as the other laughed.
“Never a dull moment,” Carl said as he headed out front to the next appointment.
Later, Annie called Shane to tell him of her latest findings. His response was similar to Leon’s.
“Baby, what the fuck are you doin’? I don’t want you anywhere nearer to this case then you already are!”
“Honey, I’m just checking on some things.”
“Well, stop. You vet and I’ll detect. Got it?”
Huffing, she agreed, then hung up.
“Clinic is ready for tomorrow, chief,” Carl reported as he and Suzanne walked into the room. Leon was checking the stock in the lab cabinets finishing up the clinic’s orders.
“So,” Suzanne said, plopping down in one of the chairs, “What did Shane say about your research?”
Love's Taming (The Love's Series) Page 20