I looked at him with eyes wide. Could this be it? Was he really going to ask me to marry him? If he did, it would completely make up for the day I'd had at the office. It would make up for everything in fact.
“I remember,” I said.
“There’s something I’ve wanted to ask you.” He glanced down at the table and then back up and looked deep into my eyes. “I just haven’t had the time, and now with my parents coming, it’s important we talk about this now.”
I tried to hint at him with my eyes that I completely agreed with him and would say yes to whatever the next thing he wanted to say was. “Go on.”
He gave me his lopsided smile. “You know how much it means to me that my parents think as much of you as I do. And I wondered if you’d mind going ahead and making an appointment with this doctor, I know. I hear he does lots of good things for girls. With him and the gym membership, you’d end up being able to lose a few pounds by the time my parents came.”
The blood rushed to my ears, and my face grew hot—not from embarrassment but from the worst kind of anger. I glared at him. A small part of me had thought he wanted to propose. We’d been dating long enough. What the heck did I need a plastic surgeon and a gym membership for?
I shifted into my tiger every morning and ran to work off my excess energy. Not that he knew it, though. Mark had never run with me.
I knew there were conversations going on around me in the restaurant, and I even knew that my boyfriend's lips were still moving. But I didn't hear anything else that he said after he fished back into his pocket and handed me a card for the doctor to perform a procedure for me to lose weight.
Today had been one of those epic days where nothing had gone right for me. But I knew one thing in that instant. I wasn’t going to sit there a moment longer and let my boyfriend, the one that I’d thought would at least provide some form of encouragement and support after having a hard day, push me to do something that I didn't feel was necessary.
So I gained a few pounds in the last few weeks. Who wouldn't? My job was stressful and a lot of the time I spent with Mark was too. Well, I never had been one to keep my large butt anywhere it wasn't appreciated.
I saw that now. I shook my head and slowly backed my chair up.
“Augusta, where are you going?”
More than anything I wanted to be anywhere but here. As I looked at him, I suddenly hoped he would break into one of his goofy smiles and tell me that he was just joking. I wanted this to be a dinner where we talked to each other for once and not him talking at me.
As I thought about all of these things, I had only one question. Why was he even with me anyway? I shook my head. In fact, why was I even with him? Guess I had two of them—questions that is.
I got up and put some money on the table.
“Come on be reasonable. What are you doing?”
I pointed at the money. “That’s for my salad. Bye, Mark.”
****
My phone beeped in the car on my way to the small town of Shadow Falls. I looked at the number that flashed on the console and answered it using the car’s speakers so I could keep my hands on the wheel. I took a deep breath. It was my mom and most likely my step dad somewhere close by.
“Augusta? Where the hell are you? Get over here so we can all talk this over like the adults we are.”
Nice to speak to you too, Mom. “I’m not doing it, Mom. I’m not pretending I didn’t break up with Mark so that he can pretend what he did was all right.”
“You’re being unreasonable. Do you know how hard your dad and I worked to get this merger? We think he was asking you to meet his parents because he was going to ask you to marry him.”
I was quiet as her slip-up sank in.
“Darling, I didn’t mean your marriage is a business deal,” she said, her voice silky, like her gorgeous titanium hair was. I imagined she sat without wrinkling the custom made Nyra Sutter dress, she most likely had on. The designer, a shifter who commanded the wealthiest clientele, was my mother’s favorite.
It was out of the realm of my giving a damn. She’d arranged for my older sister to marry the charming Alpha of the Tennessee Tigers. What more did she want? Yet, when I’d mentioned I didn’t want to marry, my mom had told me, I’d better take what I could get.
Apparently, that was a judgmental guy who didn’t think I was good enough as I was to meet his parents. According to her, no one had come running when she hinted to the single tiger shifters that her younger daughter was available with fine, baby-making hips.
She really did say that.
I sighed. “Could you have told me when you first introduced Mark to me that everything was contingent upon me losing weight?”
“But darling you wouldn’t have agreed—”
“Right.”
“We needed you to agree to date him,” she said. “Just tell me where you are. We all want you to come back home.”
I stared at the phone, and in that moment, I made a decision to leave for a while. Blinking to keep the sting in my eyes from becoming true tears, I said, “I won’t be available, Mom,” I said. “As soon as we get off, I’m tossing the phone.”
“Augusta, you tell me where you’re at right now, or so help me I’ll send every law enforcement agency I can think of after you.”
“Thanks for letting me know. If I see anyone in uniform, I’ll avoid them.”
She grew silent and then hung up.
CHAPTER THREE
*Augusta*
THIS IS IT, AUGUSTA. HOME for the next three weeks.
Not surprisingly, city tiger shifters weren’t expected to run in the wild. I’d never gone hiking before. But how hard could it be? Avoid undomesticated animals. Watch where you walked. Keep an eye on the sky and an ear out for danger. Piece of cake.
The weather-beaten cowboy stepped over broken logs and pushed aside branches. “You’ll need to walk your fair share around here—if you want fresh water.” He pointed through the opening he’d made to a distant, covered well. “It’s over yonder.”
I peered at it. “Thought you had a running source, Dalton.”
“Sure do. But I’d reckon it’s a lot safer for you to stay away from it. More than one sightseer's gotten swept away in the river. Heck of a way to go.” He paused for a respectful moment of silence. Then he grinned at me. “Besides, this here water, you don’t need to boil.”
I looked around and bit the corner of my lip in worry. “I meant like a tap.”
Dalton waved for me to scoot out of the way and let the branches whip back. “Nah. Follow me.”
All right. I released my lip from between my teeth, wondering in a moment of anxiety if I should go home. Out of the corner of my eye, wings fluttered and a monarch butterfly danced on a leaf. Wow. The beauty of such a creature that fearlessly traveled so far entranced me. I needed to be more like it.
I shook my head in determination, refusing to let anything sway my decision to stay. So, I wasn’t familiar with some of the accommodations. Nothing I can’t handle.
He continued on, and I trailed behind. All I had was a backpack full of clothes and necessities, a pair of binoculars for sight-seeing, and a camera for pictures.
Normally, roughing it for me was trying to concentrate with only three hours of sleep at an early morning marketing meeting, filled with stuffy old men with nothing served but stale coffee and old donuts.
This is what you wanted. No turning around. No looking back.
I grimaced at the memory of what no longer waited for me at home. Who I’d left and why. My ex-boyfriend, Mark, for one. And my job for a while. Plus, I thought this place was a perfect way to introduce myself to Slade. His dossier said he vacationed here.
Mark. I thought about him and scowled. It was beyond me why he’d called me that night and yelled I was being unreasonable. Then he’d shown up at my place. He’d stomped, pleaded, and finally mumbled there were plenty of more willing women, more co
mpromising ones who would appreciate what being seen with him did for them.
I sighed. He was a beta shifter for a pack that had done well by doing business with non-shifters while they maintained the pack’s secrecy.
Mom had told me she’d done the best she could do by arranging my eventual marriage to Mark, and I’d better not mess it up. Someone should have told him that he was planning on marrying me.
Were her efforts done for her or for me? I didn’t know which one. My sister’s marriage would solidify my parent’s pack power and social standing. My marriage would’ve ensured wealth beyond my family’s wildest imaginings and a whole lifetime of mental anguish for me.
I still couldn’t believe Mark had considered going out with me in public high on his list of sacrifices. I grunted. Or why I’d accepted it for so long. But his wild-eyed tantrum revealed the man he truly was.
Sometimes, I still replayed in my head the stunning sounds he’d made. Bleats and mewls. Hilarious.
A day later, I called my brother, who was always looking for a place to crash. Gave him the keys. Gave him permission to do anything he wanted—just leave the apartment standing.
He gave me the name of his best friend’s dad who lived in solitude in the woods. Then I called my job and explained this year, I would take the vacation I normally didn’t. That afternoon, I began the drive to Shadow Falls.
Left it all behind. The world, my problems, communication, transportation, and I think my common sense. This was definitely out of my comfort zone. But I wouldn’t give up now.
I jumped over rotting underbrush and pushed my short legs to keep up with Dalton’s longer ones. This would take getting used to. I was much more comfortable burying my toes in warm sand and wading in the ocean.
Our boots crunched over mounds of dried leaves until a small clearing revealed his cabin. I widened my eyes. It was roughly the size of the master bathroom in my apartment back in the city. On the other side of it were rolling fields as far as the eye could see—separated from the cabin by a pen.
Dalton ambled up to the pen enclosing the bulls. His thick elbows hung over the iron as he leaned on it. “Well, this is as close as you ever want to stray to this here. The area beyond is off limits. For good reasons, too.”
I’d say. Those animals looked dangerous. A sudden breeze rustled some branches and blew my ponytail. Escaped wisps of my long hair tickled my face.
He shoved a hand in the animals’ direction. “Those prize steers yonder can never get excited.”
Yeah, someone would get hurt, if they did.
He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “Worth too much damn money.”
I glanced at him and then to the animals—I guessed there was that too. I shrugged and then squinted as a glint of sunlight flashed off a far-away rock canyon. What is over there? With a short intake of breath, I dug out my binoculars and brought them up to get a better look. Yep, that’s what I thought it was. A waterfall. Right beside a cabin. In the distance. Complete with a pool. Well beyond the bullpen. “Magnificent.”
He’d latched his eyes onto the animals. “Yeah, they are.” Then he shook his head. “Certain town folk have tried to get pictures with them. Suckers get to clicking fast and next thing you know a bull is out and someone’s jumping fences to keep from getting penned.”
“Such beauty.”
He slanted a sideways look at me under heavy, grey brows. “Don’t you dare be so senseless. You ever find yourself tempted to cozy up to a bull—think better.”
I blew some hair out of my eyes, furrowed my brow, and blushed. Steer clear of the bullpen. Sure, I could do it. My ex-boyfriend had seen to that.
But I heard Mr. Dalton’s warning and I decided to give him some peace of mind. “Who would want to go under a fence for pictures?”
“A damn fool, that’s who.”
The corners of my mouth lifted in a faint smile to put him at ease or maybe just to calm myself. I’d never been to a real ranch before.
I almost hadn’t carried through with my decision to stay here with Mr. Dalton for such an extended period of time, but my brother said it’d be good for me. I agreed. This would help me get my head straight.
“I’m usually more of a chicken kind of girl.”
He didn’t crack a smile. Instead, he sniffed and motioned his head to the cabin. “Let’s walk.”
Tough crowd.
I wanted us to get along since it’d be just the two of us. “You’ve got a lot of land.”
“Ain’t mostly mine. Them there animals over in that field are my neighbors’. All you see in front of you is his.”
“Your neighbor’s?”
“Stay off his land. He’s a private fella.”
I'm sure he doesn’t mean it the way it sounds. I squinted at him. “For some reason, when my brother said I could stay here, I thought your place would be the only one around for miles.”
“Don’t worry none. He hires people to look on his animals but hardly ever comes down here himself. You’ll be alone.” He gave me a wicked smile and led me inside. “I’ll be gone for the three weeks you’ll stay here.”
Is he leaving me completely alone?
“Why?”
He shrugged. “Ain’t much of a people person.”
This isn’t part of the original deal. My hands started to shake as panic washed over me. I looked down at what I wore. Jeans, an over-sized white shirt, not nearly thick enough for the weather, a light coat, and leather boots. It was the only outfit like its kind I owned.
My other clothes consisted of short dresses, shorter pants, and flip-flops. I'd assumed that my outfits would help me to blend in. Upon arriving though, I’d discovered no other place I’d ever been to was as cold as it was here.
That’s what you get for being impetuous, Augusta.
The clothes had come right off my racks. But looking at him and looking at me, I realized I'd missed the mark by a lot. Am I in over my head?
“I’m taking my truck,” he said.
“At least I have my car.”
Dalton scratched his beard and chuckled, showing tobacco stained teeth. “Don’t drive your car. It’s not fit for these roads. If you need to go anywhere, drive the all-terrain four-wheeler and take that road.” He pointed to a dirt path. “It leads right to town.”
“When are you leaving?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Got three coolers stuffed with enough food for at least a month. Welcome to help yourself. I got a first aid kit back at the house and other than that, you really shouldn’t need anything else. Your brother said you wanted to get away from it all. Now you have.”
He left an hour later.
While I unpacked inside the sparse cabin, the quiet, late afternoon was upset by the sounds of Dalton’s old truck as he sputtered away. I sighed and looked out the window as I unfolded my clothes. What should I do?
I looked around. There wasn’t an internet connection or a television…did I want to stay in? Maybe I’d take a shower and eat something. I ran to the bathroom and checked it out. Oh, wow. How entirely interesting.
So that’s what plumbing must have been like in the early part of last century. I admired Dalton for keeping it simple by avoiding upgrades and contemporary modifications. I really did. I just had no idea how I was supposed to use this thing. Also, if no shower, where was the tub?
A shade hid the tiniest corner of the bathroom, and I decided to pull it aside…and quickly closed it and backed away. Found the tub. But it appeared it wasn’t the preferred method of washing—if the rust on the bottom and around the edges was any indication.
After I decided to forget using the bathroom, I remembered the waterfall and the pool. But first, I would go for a little visit. Then, I would find a way to get to that other cabin by walking through Dalton’s forest and bypassing the bullpen.
I grabbed my backpack and locked up behind me. Exploring it is.
CHAPTER FOUR
ALL OF MOYNA’S CHILDREN RAN out the moment I’d come to their house. I got to experience their excitement, hopeful eyes, and all-consuming joy. It was apparent they all loved Christmas and were already planning what they would do with the sleigh. I disliked the holidays. For me, it meant long nights, frantic mornings, and exhausting days.
I was grateful she’d liked my description three days ago and that she’d agreed to see an actual model of one a few days later. I shivered. These visits were awkward but at least she’d finally seen my three-dimensional, mock design.
Patiently, I withstood each of her children hugging me before I got back in my truck and took off. Thankfully, with this being the last consultation, I wouldn’t have to drop by again until I’d completed the actual sleigh.
On my drive home, the road to Slade’s holiday cabin came up on my right side. I beat my hands against the steering wheel as I drove, trying not to slow down.
Just keep going, Cade.
Was it my imagination, or did the tall pine trees move together almost mournfully, and beckon me to at least check his cabin out. From the sound of it, Agent Ramsey had good reason to suspect these two deaths shouldn’t have been closed as a murder-suicide, and yet it was no longer officially open.
Damn it, Cade, you don’t need to get involved at all.
I found myself turning onto the old dusty road that led to his cabin, shaking my head as I did so. It’d just be a quick look around, and then I would go home, and rest my sore nerves.
Easing my old Dodge truck down his dirt road, I drove through all the trees and the brush and over fallen sticks to get to his cabin. He’d told me once that he liked the old feel of his lodgings. Though he'd had enough money to re-do it, he’d left it just the way it was when he purchased it.
His brother and sister lived on a piece of land in side-by-side cabins a bit down the main road. He’d also told me he didn’t want to live near them.
I think he’d hoped he would’ve won people over to his idea of purchasing all of the surrounding land and the rest of the cabins around here, but it never happened. Slade had said that when he expanded his creamery, he wasn't going to change much in the way of how things were in this town. He was going to bring more people to this quiet little community. That’d been his dream. Ice cream in the woods.
The Vampire's Alpha Mate: A BBW Tiger-Shifter Romance (Arcane Affairs Agency) Page 3