Healing Cathy
Page 1
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Healing Cathy
Copper Creek Pack Series
Book 3
By Kasey Belle
Copyright © 2016
(Wolf Shape shifter, Second Chances, Law Enforcement Heroes Romance, MF, HEA)
Two years ago, Catherine O’Brien took her son, Luke, and ran from her abusive husband. Now her ex is out of prison and looking for them. Her only option is to run, again. Cathy turns to her friend Fiona for help and heads to the one place her ex will never find her, the Double C Ranch.
When Copper Creek County Sheriff Paul Creed, envisioned his mate, he foresaw a trained submissive, in need of his brand of dominance. He never imagined the Fates would choose the gorgeous, curvy red-head, with haunted, violet eyes, who suffered years of abuse, at the hands of a violent ex. A mate who fears his lifestyle. In order to win her heart, Paul must earn her trust, show her, that her submission is a cherished gift.
Cathy wants Sheriff Paul Creed, but his need for dominance scares her. Paul swears she will only experience care, love, and pleasure, under his hands. Can she trust him or would accepting Paul mean exchanging one hell for another? Is it possible for an abuse survivor to heal and find love under a Dominant? Does she have the courage to find out?
Warning: Contains adult subject matter and scorching scenes of a sexual nature, including BDSM. Contains violence against the heroine at the hands of her POS ex. This book is not suited for readers under 18.
Thank you for not sharing your copy of this book. Your purchase allows you one legal copy for your own personal reading pleasure on your personal computer or other electronic device. All rights reserved. With exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without permission from the author. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior permission of the publisher and copyright owner of the book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to any file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this-e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden.
If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer or electronic device.
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Healing Cathy
Copper Creek Pack Series, Book 2
Text Copyright © 2016 Kasey Belle
First E-book Publication: April 2016
Cover and art copyright © 2016 Anna Josey
Digital Formatting by Kasey Belle
ALL RIGHT RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Acknowledgements
A special thank you to the BDSM community for your openness and honesty regarding the lifestyle. For believing as I do, as well as many others, that all forms of sex and love (as long as safe, sane, and consensual) are beautiful.
For Cathy, the original sassy, sarcastic, self-rescuing princess. Thank you for your friendship and support.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Thank You!
About The Author
Other Works
Coming Soon!
Chapter 1
The chime sounded over the door indicating Cathy had a customer. She looked up from the book she was reading and was shocked to see her former brother-in-law Jamie coming through the door. His expression told her something was wrong. Icy fingers of dread ran up Cathy’s spine. She gripped the counter to keep her knees from buckling.
“Hey, Cat.” He gave her a grim smile. “You look great.”
“What are you doing here?” She cringed. “I’m sorry that’s rude. How are you Jamie? What are you doing here?”
Jamie gave Cathy a genuine smile this time. “I’m good. Stacy sends her love as does Abbie.” He let out a deep sigh. “I would like to say, I came all the way out here to tell you good news, but we both know that’s not true.”
“Just tell me, please. I’m seriously freaking out right now.”
“Bud is out.”
Her legs gave out. Jamie lunged over the counter and grabbed her arms to stop her from hitting the floor.
“Oh, god, he’s out? How can he be out? He’s not due for parole for at least two years.”
“I’m not sure. I have a call into the District Attorney Office and the Parole Board. They were supposed to notify us if he was eligible for early release. Needless to say, I will have a few choice words for them once they call me back.”
“He’s only been in jail two years. That’s all, just two. Oh, god, what am I going to do? Where am I going to go? Wait, if you weren’t notified, how did you find out?”
“He came to see me and wanted to know where you were. Of course, I told him I had no clue, but I guarantee you he didn’t buy it. We’ll figure something out. But, you can’t stay in Houston anymore. He’ll find you, eventually. I’m sorry I thought we had more time. Is there anywhere you can go, temporarily? Just for a few days, a week at the most, until I can get identification for you and Luke.”
“I have no idea. I can’t think right now. I can’t afford to go away for a few days right now. I have some money saved up, but not enough to start over, Jamie.”
Jamie pulled an overstuffed legal size manila envelope from his inside jacket pocket and handed it to her.
“What is this?”
“Open it.”
Cathy did as he ordered, pulled up the two metal prongs, and peered inside. She looked at the contents and gasped. She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, all she could do was stare in shock; the envelope was stuffed with cash. Several bundles of brand new one-hundred-dollar bills, to be exact.
She looked up at Jamie. “Where did you get this? Did you rob a drug dealer or something? The evidence room? Cop or not that’s a felony.”
He smiled. “Glad to see a bit of the old Cathy, sassy girl.”
He snickered when she blushed. Damn her gingerness!
“I always loved that sassy smartass attitude. No, I didn’t rob anyone or steal evidence. That fifty grand should be yours and so much more.”
“Where did you get it?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
She narrowed her eyes and glared at him. “Where?”
He gave her a half smile and shrugged his shoulders. The fact that he wouldn’t tell her spoke volumes. She had an idea how he obtained such a large sum of cash. “You sold the Mustang.”
He shrugged, again.
“Jamie, I can’t take this. You and Stacy loved that car.”
“We love you more. It was just a car. Stacy and I will get another. I’ll find another junker and fix it up. I need a new project, anyway. Honestly, I wish I would have sold it earlier, you could have been long gone by now.”
“Luke would have missed you too much and so would I. Please tell me you sold that car for more than a measly fifty grand. Jamie, that-”
Jamie pressed finger to her lips to stop her protests. “Don’t worry, that’s only a quarter of the money. I’ll keep the rest until I can get the ID’s and line up a place for you to go. I’m not sure how much it will cost. I’ll give you whatever is left. Don’t argue, it’s yours. We want you safe. You need to get out of town before Bud finds you. I’m sure he will start in Bryan, but it’s just a matter of time before he branches out. You are only a couple of hours away, that’s not far enough, not now. Take a week and go the beach or maybe north to the mountains, it doesn’t matter. You have plenty of cash. Don’t use your credit cards. Don’t choose any place you may have mentioned to Bud you wanted to visit.”
“I won’t. I never told Bud anything, anyway. He didn’t care.” The only time she had ever been dumb enough to mention wanting to go somewhere, was a few weeks into their marriage. She mentioned wanting to visit the Grand Canyon. He beat her, accused her of using him for his money, called her greedy, and selfish. God, she wanted to cry, but there was no time for that. She had to figure out where the hell she was going to go.
“I’ll lose my job if I just take off or request time off on such short notice. Luke will miss school, and he’s doing so well. He loves it there. Damn it!”
“You can’t keep the job. You. Can’t. Stay. Here. Luke will be okay missing a few days of school. He’s too smart for his own good, anyway.” He smirked.
Cathy smiled and agreed, her boy was a smart one. “Do you think I should get him out of school early?”
“It wouldn’t hurt. I doubt Bud will be able to find you or him that fast. In all honesty, he probably won’t start looking right away. He’ll need resources and for that he’ll need money. I didn’t give him any, so that means he’ll have to hit up some of his old buddies. Doing all that will take time, which is good for us. While you are away, I can get everything set up for you, new identities, new job, and a new place to live. You two will be long gone before Bud even comes close to figuring it out.” He grabbed her hands and held them in his. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll get you out of here and to somewhere safe. I am so sorry, honey.”
Cathy sniffed. “I hate living that way. I was getting used to living without being afraid all the time. Now I’m right back where I started.”
“No you aren’t. You’re not fighting Bud alone this time. You aren’t keeping that horrible secret. You have us. You are so much stronger than you were two years ago.” He looked at his watch. “I have to go. I will make it back to Bryan just in time for my shift.”
“Be safe driving back. I’ll call Becky and ask her to come in early. Once she relieves me, I’ll go pick Luke up from school.”
“Leave here, go straight to the school, and then home.”
“I dread telling him.”
“But, you have to. It’s the only way to keep him safe. Call me when you get home. Lock the doors and don’t go anywhere. What time will you get home?”
“By noon.”
“I’ll talk to you in a few hours. If I don’t hear from you by twelve fifteen, I’m sending a black and white to your doorstep. Don’t make me think something happened to you. Call me the second you walk in your door. Got it?”
It still amazed her how opposite Jamie was from Bud. He was so caring and protective, not violent and mean like his brother. She gave him a small smile. “Got it. Thank you for coming out here to tell me, Jamie.”
“I wouldn’t tell you that kind of news over the phone. We are family, always have been, always will be. We look out for each other. I’m outta here. Love you, kid.”
She smiled at the old nickname. He was only three months older than she was. “Love you too, old man.”
The rest of her shift was busy and uneventful. Every time the door chime went off, she would tense up. Ready to either run or fight.
Cathy breathed a sigh of relief when she walked through her front door without incident. She locked the doors, checked and rechecked the windows, and still she felt unsafe. Her tension hadn’t lessened, even now, when she had Luke safe with her, behind those locked doors and windows. Bud was out there, walking around free, and she was once again a prisoner in her own home. She waffled between pure terror to white-hot anger.
The sound of her cellphone ringing pulled a startled screech from her. She looked at the caller ID and saw it was her next-door neighbor and friend Laura.
“Hey, Laura.”
“What’s wrong? I saw you come home with Luke. It’s too early for him to be out of school.”
“Uh, we are leaving town for a few days, so I got him out early.”
“Really? Where are you going?” Laura didn’t sound like she was buying the story. It shouldn’t have surprised Cat; Laura was an abuse survivor herself. She had learned the hard way, like Cathy, to hear the lies and meanings behind the words.
Cathy looked around her kitchen as if someone was going to pop up give her the answer. Her eyes landed on the refrigerator and the purple invitation and the brightly colored drawing sent to her from soon to be four-year-old Emma Grace. It was a picture of Emma Grace, Cathy, and her blue sucker.
“My friend’s daughter is turning four we are going to her party. I told you about that.”
“Yes, you did. You also told me you weren’t going to go.”
Damn! She sighed.
“Talk to me Cathy. What’s going on? You looked scared when you got out of the car and you were scanning your surroundings.”
“Jesus, who are you Mrs. Cravat’s?”
Laura laughed. “Nice redirect. I’m coming over.”
Laura hung up the phone before Cathy could argue. Less than a minute later, she was knocking on Cathy’s door.
“Talk, girl.”
Cathy walked over and sat on the couch, feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders.
Luke came racing out of his bedroom. “Hi, Ms. Laura.”
“Hey, little man, how you doing?”
“I’m okay. Mom, don’t for get to call Uncle Jamie.”
Cathy’s eyes shot up to the clock on the wall. It was twelve fifteen. If she waited another minute to call, every member of the Hou
ston Police Department would be breaking down her door. She grabbed her cellphone off the cushion beside her and quickly dialed Jamie’s number.
“I was getting ready to call out the entire Houston Police Department, Cat.”
“I knew it.” She snickered. “Sorry. My neighbor called and barged over here and I got off track.” She stuck her tongue out at Laura.
“Any problems?”
“No.”
“Have you decided where you are going?”
“Yes. I have a friend, whose little girl is turning four next Saturday. She invited me up, anytime. I’m going to head up there.”
“I’m not sure that will work, Cat. Bud could ask the store where you went.”
“I didn’t tell them where I was going, just that I had a family emergency. I wasn’t planning to go to the party, but I guess I am now. She’s a new friend. I didn’t know her when I was with Bud. He’ll never find me there.”
“How new?”
“You remember the dirty cop involved with that Matranga fellow in New Orleans? Fiona, the woman who brought them down, she came into the store all beat up. I helped her. We’ve become friends since then. We talk every couple of weeks. She and her family live up in Hill Country on a ranch.”
“I’m not sure about this idea, Cat. Did the detectives on the case question you? Does anyone else know about her and where she lives?”
“Yes, the Chief of Police in Austin, um, Farris, he questioned me. He had me send him the pictures I took of Fiona and her injuries. Before I did that, I told him about my situation and he said, he wouldn’t put my name in his reports. The only people that know other than Fiona and her men, are you, the Austin PD Chief, and Laura. She won’t say anything.”
Laura shook her head in agreement.
“Wait, did you say, men?”
“Yes, Fiona’s married to two men, brothers. I’ve met them. They’re good people. They saved her life. Their cousin is the sheriff there.”
“Sounds like a cult.”
“That’s awfully haterish of you. Just because they are three in a relationship and not two, doesn’t make them weirdos or freaks. As long as they are consenting and good to each other, what does it matter? Who are they hurting?”