Barb sat nodding and smiling as the two other women spoke, making a mental note of how many times Kate had checked her watch since she had arrived. It could just be a matter of not wanting to be late for her appointment, but it seemed like more. Barb wasn’t sure what any of it meant, but she was keenly aware of every nuance of Kate’s behavior. She was not surprised when Kate’s phone beeped and she glanced at it before suddenly standing to say she had to get to her appointment.
“Well, you’ll have to come by another time when you can stay longer,” Amy told her. “Be careful on the road into town. It’s raining so much there right now!”
“I will be. Thanks for the conversation. I will see you soon,” Kate replied. The women walked to the front door together to see her off.
“Did she seem a bit odd to you?” Barb asked.
“Odd? No, not really. I mean, I’m surprised that she stopped by. Owen and Aaron are good friends, but normally when I see her it is because they have made plans for us all to get together. She rarely just drops in like that.”
“You don’t really take to her?” Barb asked, wondering if there was some animosity between them she had missed.
“Oh, it’s not that, at all. She’s a lovely person. It’s just Aaron’s position here has landed a great many duties in her lap and then, there is the pregnancy. I think she might be a bit overwhelmed - too overwhelmed to be very social.”
“I see,” Barb replied, realizing that it might be this she was detecting from Kate’s behavior. She dismissed any further thought about it and followed Amy back to the den.
“You want to watch a chick flick with me? I’ve got several saved in my favorites, but Owen refuses to watch them with me.”
Barb laughed as she took a seat by her and motioned for her to start the show with a roll of her hand in the direction of the television. Dawn had passed out on the thickly carpeted floor, her head resting on the same stuffed toy lion she had been sparring with a bit earlier. Amy picked up a small blanket nearby and tossed it over her.
“You are just going to leave her on the floor?” Barb said, looking at the little girl sprawled out amid her toys.
“Sure. It’s clean,” came Amy’s nonchalant reply, causing Barb to laugh aloud again. It was funny how relaxed she had become with Dawn since her last visit here when she ran around wiping everything in the old cabin down like some sort of obsessive compulsive freak.
Their conversation fell by the wayside as they got lost in the movie Amy had picked for them, a tearjerker about a man who was deteriorating in a wheelchair and the attempts of his caretaker who had fallen in love with him to talk him out of assisted suicide. By the end, they were both practically in tears and trying to pretend they weren’t.
“No wonder Owen won’t watch the movies you select,” Barb teased.
“I know. Can you imagine that big lug crying in his boots? I know he would too. That’s the real reason he won’t watch them with me.”
They were still laughing about his perceived reaction when Dawn woke up and began to cry. Amy stood and retrieved her, hauling her out of the room as she called out behind her.
“Find something else if you like. I’m going to get this one dry and fed.”
“Okay.”
Barb flicked through the channels, but abandoned it after a few minutes. Instead, she went up to the guest room to retrieve her laptop. Looking out the window, she marveled at the heavy rain that continued to fall. The wind whipped wildly through the bank of trees that flanked the back of the house, sending dark leaves and light limbs spiraling toward the ground.
This weather was going to slow the dig down. Though Albert hadn’t called her, she knew that he would have put more people on to get the tent finished and get the remains inside, out of the weather. He would already be working on getting it moved to a more secure facility and the dig site would be covered to protect it from the downpour of rain until it stopped, which according to the weather report Barb was now pulling up would be several more days.
“You coming back down?” Amy asked as she passed by with Dawn and saw Barb was sitting in her room.
“Maybe in a bit. I need to do some research and maybe take a nap.”
“I bet you need a nap. Probably didn’t get much sleep last night, huh?”
Barb looked up at her, noting the amused look on her face. She shook her head at her as she looked over the laptop screen.
“You’re not getting any details. By the way, I may not be home tonight either. Just so you know,” Barb told her.
“Oooh la la,” Amy replied, sauntering down the hallway.
Barb could hear her footsteps as she made her way down the stairs to feed Dawn. A little laugh escaped her as she returned to the laptop, pulling up information on the immediate area surrounding the dig, though she knew it had nothing to do with where that dragon skeleton came from. Still, it is where Albert would expect her to start, so she began with it.
Before long, she moved on to the adjoining areas, getting a bit of background on the people in each area - general sociological type information about when the areas where founded and where the people there came from originally. Though she had expected Josh’s village to be cloaked in a bit of history, she found something fascinating. As far as public records were concerned, it didn’t exist. How could that even be possible?
A bit more digging lead her to a fascinating discovery, one that she wasn’t sure was known or not. It would appear that the entirety of the land on which the village sat was owned by one single person. She jotted down the name and continued looking into the public recordings that she could find online. Past that, she would have to go down to the land office and look up some things. How on earth could the same person own property for thousands of years? Even a dragon shifter would surely divest their property at some point, right?
The sound of her cell ringing in the quiet of the room caused her to jump. She took a deep breath as her heart beat loudly in her chest. Why was she feeling so anxious? Glancing at the clock on the nearby dresser, she noted that it was almost seven p.m. The rain was still coming down outside, but it was dark out. She had obviously lost complete track of time as she had done her research. She reached for the phone and accepted the call upon seeing Josh’s name on the display.
“Hey Josh,” she said.
“Is something wrong?” he said immediately, obviously noting the distance in her voice.
“Oh, no. Not at all. I was just doing some research for Albert, for what it is worth. I guess I was in another place still.”
“What kind of research?”
“Just background for the area. Nothing too intensive. Are you done with work?”
“I will be in about an hour. Can I swing by and pick you up?”
“I wish you would,” she replied, her voice softening at the thought of spending another night in his arms.
“Okay. I have to run, but I will see you soon,” he told her as a voice shouted at him in the background. She couldn’t make out what the other man was saying, but it sounded like they were waiting on him and hurrying him along.
“I’m looking forward to it,” she replied.
Ending the call, she sat looking at the phone for a moment. She had an uneasy feeling that she couldn’t quite put her finger on, but it lingered even as she shut down her computer and went to get a shower. When she came out, Amy was at the open bedroom door waiting for her.
“Going out soon?” Amy said.
“Yes. Josh called and is going to pick me up in about forty five minutes,”
“Okay. Just wanted to see if I needed to set another place for dinner. I would tell you to behave, but you should do anything but that. Have a good time,” she said, her smile spreading across her face like she was the Grinch just discovering the beauty of Christmas.
“I will,” Barb replied, returning her smile as she walked over to the closet to find something to wear. The wardrobe she had brought with her was limited, designed to work rather than play.
“Hey, Amy?” Amy was already halfway down the stairs when she stopped and called back up to her. Barb walked out into the hallway in her towel and looked down at her with a huge grin. “Do you have anything in your closet I might wear on a casual date?”
“You mean something sexy, don’t you?” Amy replied with a glimmer in her eye.
“Maybe,” Barb replied, returning her smile.
“Help yourself. Whatever is in there that you want to wear is yours for the borrowing,” Amy told her before turning to finish making her way downstairs.
“Thanks, Amy!” Barb called down to her, wandering down the hallway to the massive, master bedroom and walking into the walk-in closet that she had found herself envying the moment she had laid eyes on it when she first arrived here in the new house. She slid racks along the railing on the side with clothes belonging to Amy until she found a simple red dress with spaghetti straps beaded in tiny flecks of silver. It was perfect.
Thirty minutes later, she slipped downstairs in it. Her hair was pulled up in a loose bun, with carefully selected wisps of hair pulled down to give the appearance that it was all very happenstance. The look was topped off with a pair of simple summer sandals and a light covering of makeup that gave her a healthy glow, but not overly made up look.
“Wow,” Amy said as she stepped into the kitchen, where she was busy making dinner. Barb wondered if she ever got tired of being in the kitchen, as it seemed she always was, but the truth was that Amy seemed to embrace and truly enjoy her new domestic life more than she ever had being a radio powerhouse.
“It looks okay then?” Barb asked, always the self-doubter.
“Better than okay. It looks incredible on you,” Amy told her.
“You don’t think it is too much for just hanging out at his house?”
“Are you kidding me? Just tell him he better not tear it when he rips it off you,” Amy teased, slicing into a pile of vegetables she had laid out on the counter.
“I’ll make a note of that,” Barb joked, turning as the doorbell rang.
“That’s probably him. I’ll let you go give him an erection upon sight. I’d hate to take away that moment from him,” Amy said. Dawn giggled as if she understood what Amy had said and the two women looked at her, happily popping dry Cheerios in her mouth over in her high chair. Both of them shook their head as Barb went to answer the door, leaving with Josh after a quick goodbye shout back into the house behind her.
CHAPTER 12
“How did your meeting with Aaron go?” Barb asked as he opened the car door for her.
“Pretty uneventful,” he replied already walking around the car to get behind the wheel.
“That’s it?” she asked when he offered nothing further upon getting into the car.
“He will find a way to handle it. That’s all I know,” he said.
Barb could tell that he was bothered by something, but she suspected it was not anything he would feel inclined to discuss with her. As much as she would like to think he saw her as trustworthy, she had to consider that there were probably discussions he had at work that he must keep private per his oath to his leader. She was anxious to know what they had planned, but would just have to let him tell her if and when he could.
“I guess that is the burden of being in charge,” she replied as he settled into his seat behind the wheel and kissed her lightly on the cheek.
“So it is,” he replied, putting the car into gear and backing out of the driveway.
Barb watched the trees roll by as they drove down the road in silence. She was about to ask him if he was okay, as he seemed a bit out of sorts when he spoke first.
“I thought we’d drop by a place in the city center and grab some food. Do you want to eat there or get it to go?”
“Either is fine,” Barb replied, knowing it was a loaded question he had presented. If she said she wanted to eat at the restaurant, it would seem like she was in no hurry to be alone with him. If she said she wanted to get it to go, she looked like she was anticipating getting right down to other things. At least that was her perspective of how a man would interpret her answer if she made a choice.
“You don’t have a preference?” he asked.
“No. I’m just happy to get to spend some more time with you,” she replied, hoping that would send the right message. For all of her skills in anthropology and sociology, she wasn’t much at comprehending the male species as it applied to dealing with them on an intimate level. It was a weakness of which he had long been aware.
“Do you mean that?” he asked, casting a sideways glance toward her as he drove.
“Absolutely, I do,” she replied.
Barb reached over and ran her hand down his arm, reassuring him. What was wrong with her? She was making a perfectly good man feel unwanted. Was she really so afraid of getting close to someone that she had to make someone feel bad about himself? It wasn’t something she had intentionally set out to do, but she knew that she had, nonetheless. She had been in that same position with others, the one where you were torn between how much you felt for someone and feeling they didn’t return your affections wholeheartedly.
“In that case, we will get the food to go so we can kick back and relax while we eat. Cassi will be closing soon anyway, so we won’t be so rushed.”
“Cassi?” Barb replied, an eyebrow raised in his direction. What were the odds?
“Yeah. Cassi Baker. She has the best homemade food in town. It’s like she made it for you in her kitchen at home.”
“How old is Cassi?”
“Oh, who knows? Really old. She’s been around longer than anyone in the village.”
“She is a shifter?”
“Everyone who lives in this village is a shifter except Amy. Why?”
Barb chastised herself for being so obvious with her curiosities, but she quickly realized that she probably wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t already know.
“Do you realize that she owns every bit of property in this village?”
“Nah, that can’t be right.”
“She does. I was doing some research. It shows that she owns everything from the cliffs to each surrounding town and has for thousands of years. How is it that someone hasn’t noticed that by now?”
“I can’t honestly say that I know. We all have deeds for our property, so I hardly see how it could be owned by one woman, much less for that length of time.”
“Very strange,” Barb replied, still pondering how such a thing could possibly go unnoticed for so many years.
How could one woman own thousands of acres for such a long time and it not be brought into question at some point? The skeleton in the ground might be the biggest mystery around here to Albert, but this was far more interesting to her for some reason that she didn’t quite understand. She was definitely going to have to run it past Amy when she had more time. If she and Owen had just bought a house, how did they do so without owning the property?
“I’m sure there is some logical reason for it. You could always ask Cassi,” he said, as if there was no reason not to. He didn’t seem concerned with it at all, so perhaps she just wasn’t understanding something about the way real estate laws worked here.
“No, I don’t want to be offensive by prying into her personal business.”
“You mean you don’t want her to know you are prying into her personal business,” he laughed.
“Perhaps. It’s just part of my research into the area is all and I found it odd, so I thought I would ask what you knew about it,” she replied. She felt a bit awkward for bringing it up at all now, like some sort of busy body. Redness spread up her face, creeping into her usually pale complexion rapidly.
“Oh, don’t be embarrassed. It’s only natural to question things you don’t understand, especially when it is your job to do just that,” he told her.
Barb looked up to see him looking over at her with a broad smile on his face. He reached for her hand with his, stroking it softly as if to calm her. Oddly
enough, it worked. Barb felt such a sense of peace and calm come over her that she began to wonder if he had some special dragon powers she didn’t know about. She was surprised at herself for having such an unscientific thought, but things had changed a bit since she discovered that dragons do exist. Now, she was at least willing to entertain some ideas a bit more.
“We’re here,” he said, letting go of her hand to more easily park the car.
Barb started to open her door, but he was already out and around to hold it before she could finish opening the latch. It always overwhelmed her what a gentleman he was. There truly weren’t very many out there like him. Perhaps it was just something about the way men here were raised, as she had noted that Owen and Connor were impossibly well mannered too.
“Thank you,” she replied, finding herself pulled into a kiss that sent electricity sizzling through her system.
A shudder went through her at the effect it had on her, but in a good way. Josh pulled her closer and whispered, his hot breath tantalizing against her ear.
“Are you sure you don’t want to just skip dinner altogether?” he said.
“Hey, you two, are you going to come in for a spell or make out by the front window for us all to watch?” a familiar voice called out to them.
Josh and Barb jumped apart like two teenagers busted by their parents while making out on the front doorstep after a date. Josh laughed and took her hand, pulling her toward the restaurant even as her face turned a violent shade of red. She looked at Connor McCord with a sheepish grin, and walked past him as Josh punched him playfully on the shoulder and held the door open for her.
“I’ll catch you two love birds later. I’m on my way home with Emily’s dinner before she comes looking for me.”
“So glad we got to see you,” Josh said. His sarcasm dripped from his words like syrup on a stack of pancakes.
“I know, buddy. I know,” Connor shot back as he headed out.
They had barely made it inside when the brief reprieve they had from the rain ended and the skies filled with huge drops of rain that blotted out everything outside the window.
Desired by a Dragon: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (Exiled Dragons Book 3) Page 8