Sheppard: Marshall’s Shadow – Jaguar Shapeshifter Romance (Marshall's Shadow Book 1)

by Kathi S. Barton

  After that, things were better for him and the rest of the people at the table. Even Heath, who was the shyest of any of them, broke out of his shell and began to tell them what he liked about each thing that he ate. Even after the night he’d spent in his new home, Dean still could taste some of the dishes, and wished he’d not made such a fool of himself. Now he might not ever be invited back, he thought.

  He thought of the conversation about the way things worked there over and over, and wondered if he could ever make it work here. He remembered what she’d told him about her father. Dean had been invited to stay as long as he wanted with each of the foremen to learn whatever he wanted. The dinner, he knew, and the way it had started out would be with him for the rest of his life. In addition to what she had said to him after the dinner was finished.

  “I don’t have a problem with that, but I can understand why you were feeling that way. Next time, just say something. I’m not going to shoot you unless you call me a snob again.” He hadn’t, but didn’t think this was a good time to point out that he’d not done that. Instead, he had himself another garlic knot with the creamy butter that had been churned there too. “We have about six hundred people that work here at any given time. In the summer months and during the fall harvest, there are more. My dad was proud of the way the land gave him back as much as he tried to give it.”

  Dean only had a few things that he had to replace in the house. He loved the big television that Shep had used here. As well as the tea maker. Making himself a list of things that he’d need, Dean figured that he’d pick those up after he was finished at the courthouse.

  Shep had given up his part of the land. The land that their mother had left them would be divided again, this time only five ways. And his brother Trenton was going to take his part so that he could finish the house that he’d started. Really, all he’d had done was the excavation of the land to put the house in, so it was like Trenton was starting fresh. He was too, Dean thought.

  He’d lived in the house that had belonged to their mother last. He’d been there when she got sick one winter and they all thought that she might not make it. But she did, pulling through and getting a little of her old pep back, they thought.

  Mom had a garden every year. She grew most of the vegetables that they ate, and canned or froze the rest. They’d never had time to raise beef or pork. They’d all gone to college locally, and she didn’t want to take up their studying time, making them do more work than was necessary, so that their grades didn’t fail.

  Walking to the garage that held his car now, he thought about the car that Mom had been driving the night that she’d been killed. It hadn’t been in the best of shape—all of them would agree to that—but it hadn’t been unsafe. The tires were almost new, and the engine, once it was going, would run all day without any more trouble. He moved around to the back of the garage to have a look at the wreckage.

  The towing company had brought it to the house after they’d pulled it from the ditch. He wasn’t sure what they expected them to do with it. The insurance company had totaled it, so there wasn’t any value in it. Not to mention, the entire driver’s side had been sliced open to get their mother out.

  Looking it over, he pulled out his cell phone and asked the towing company if they knew of any scrap places around town. He was given the name of three places, and he got someone to answer on the second ring.

  After talking to the man for fifteen minutes, Dean had a list of things that they’d buy from him for cash. Of course, if he brought it to them he’d make more, but at this point, he just wanted the car gone. But as he began looking around, he could see things that had been just lying around, not just collecting dust, but with tall grass around it where they couldn’t move it to mow.

  After going to the bank and the courthouse, Dean had a list of things that his brothers had that they wished to get rid of too. As he was pulling into his drive, he saw more things. Christ, he could make a killing on just this stuff. Instead, he made a call to the local Boy Scout troop, at Harris’s suggestion, and donated all the things they could pile onto the truck for the company coming to get the car, and they could have the cash.

  It took him six hours to gather all the things that were being scrapped. He had a truck, but it certainly made it much nicer to gather it with the extra hands of the kids. At dinner time, he was ready to call it a day when Harris and Shep showed up with pizzas and drinks for the kids. Mr. Bishop was taking the last load away when he handed the troop leader a check.

  “I had to pick up some things around town too. I was telling the households what I was doing out here, and they donated their things too. Mr. Carol said that you guys should do this once a year, and he’d surely chip in the things that are left at his lot.” Mr. Carol ran the mechanics shop in town. “You boys, I think you made short work of things out here for me, so I put in some for you too.”

  The check was for seven hundred dollars. They were so excited about it that he said that he’d match it. Of course, not to be outdone, Shep said he would as well. The troop really needed new uniforms, as well as their camping trip was coming up and they didn’t have all the nicer equipment that they needed. Trenton and Heath said they’d do that for them, and Oakley and Rodney donated the money to get their van fixed. All in all, it was a great day for everyone.

  After he mowed in the areas that were in dire need of it, he made sure that he had all the equipment to make his own compost area. His mom had a pile out back that she’d added scraps of food to and such, but he didn’t remember her ever using it. Harris helped him put it together and by nightfall, not only did he have his patch of ground ready for late crops, but his compost generator was up and running too. He couldn’t believe how much fun he’d had by working his ass off.

  Tomorrow he was going to spend the day with one of Harris’s workers. He was looking forward to it. Laying out his clothing with the notebook and pens that he wanted to make sure he didn’t forget, Dean went to bed. Yes, he thought, he was going to make this farm work, even if it was just for him.

  ~*~

  Shep loved the new bedroom set that they’d ordered before they’d fully moved in. They’d had to get not just a bed for the room, but a chest of drawers and other items that had been removed from the room the night of the murder. The crew that Harris had hired was turning the office that she was going to use into a safe zone for her, and she had several men working for her that would be around the place all the time. Armed men that would shoot before asking questions.

  Shep put the bed together and made it before going downstairs to the kitchen. Harris said that she had about two hours of work to do before she would be his for the rest of the day. He hoped so—one more night without having her was going to kill him.

  He supposed that he could have taken her anywhere, but that just seemed like a foolish thing to do. They were going to get married on Friday afternoon, and Grandda was giving her away. Not a big ceremony, but it would be held at the house. Shep didn’t care so long as she was his forever.

  “Sir?” He turned to look at Taylor. “There is a man here to see you. He said that he’s your father. I see the resemblance, but he is the most rude man I’ve met. Demanding that I fetch you like you were nothing more than a dog. He believes that you are working here for the young miss. What a thing to say about you.”

  “I’ll see to him. In the future, you can slam the door in his face and tell him to go away, or call the cops. He’s not a nice man at all.” Taylor said that he’d remember that. “Do me a favor, will you, Taylor? Invite him in and have him sit in the parlor for me. But don’t leave him. He would steal the pennies off a dead man if he could.”

  “Oh, yes, I can see this. Shall I bring in tea and scones too, sir? Just to show him that you’re much better than he is?” He and Taylor laughed, and it felt like they were making progress in becoming friends rather than lord of the house and butler. “I don’t normally condone showing off, sir, I want you to know that. But this ma
n is a horror, if you ask me. I’m sorry. I know that he is your father, but—”

  “Don’t be sorry, Taylor. He’s been like that my entire life. Used to knock us around until we got old enough that we frightened him. Mom too, but she started carrying around a ball bat and busted him up a few times before he got the sense to leave her alone too.” Taylor huffed and said that wasn’t right, and that he’d do what Shep wanted. “Thank you very much. Before you leave, can you tell me where the Parkers had their bed? I don’t think I’d want it in the same place, for Harris.”

  “You have picked a good spot, sir. It’s very nice indeed.”

  Thanking him, Shep finished up the bedroom before going downstairs. Meeting his father in the parlor, he was glad to see that Taylor hadn’t left him at all. As soon as he entered the room, Taylor said that he’d get them tea.

  “That man watched me like I was going to steal something. What did you tell him? Do you think you can get me hired on here with you? I sure could use some cash, boy. Do you happen to have any on you?” He told him no. “No what? I asked you a bunch of things.”

  “No to all of them. And I don’t work here, Dad, I live here.”

  Dad stared at him for several seconds before bursting out laughing.

  When the tea trolley was brought in, Harris followed, saying that she’d pour. Before sitting down, she kissed Shep on the mouth.

  “Dad, you remember Harrison, I’m sure. She and I are getting married Friday.”

  “What sort of fool do you take me for?” Harris said that she could list them, but Dad cut her off. “I wasn’t talking to you, bitch, I was talking to my son.”

  Harris got up and slapped his father so hard that he was knocked back on the seat. Then she sat down again, asking James if he wanted tea or not. He asked why she’d hit him.

  “You don’t know me well enough to call me bitch. But if you do it again, bitch or not, I’ll tear your fucking head off. Now, do you want tea or not? The sooner that you get whatever it is you came to ask out of the way, we can go about our day.” She poured him a cup of tea, then handed him a scone on a pretty matching plate. After taking a cup of her own, she leaned back in the couch. “Well, what is it, James? I can assure you that you’re not going to get it. So, ask so we can tell you no.”

  “You’re not the least bit nice. I want a job like Shep here has.” Harris looked at Shep, then back at his dad when he shrugged. “You can afford it. Just give me a job paying what he’s making, and I’ll be all right for a little while.”

  “Shep is going to be my husband, you moron. Even if he was working here, which he is not, I wouldn’t hire you if I needed something and you were the last man on earth.” Dad asked her why not. “You’re untrustworthy. A pain in the ass. You abused your poor wife and children, and you’re a piece of shit.”

  Dad stood up, and so did Shep. Harris didn’t move, just continued to sip her tea like there wasn’t a hostile cat standing in front of her. When she put her cup on the trolley and stood herself, she just stood there.

  “If you so much as lay a hand on me, I’m going to kill you. Then I’ll call the police, and since they know what sort of ass you are, they’ll just cart your body away and we’ll all be happy. I know I will.” This time his dad looked at him. Shep just smiled at him. “If you think that he’s going to mourn your passing, you’re stupider than I thought you were.”

  A cell phone rang, and his dad screamed like she’d really shot him. It was so funny that he started laughing so hard that his father threatened him. Shep let a little of his cat go, just enough to make himself bigger.

  “Touch me and they won’t have to come for your body. There won’t be a bit of you left when I finish with you.” His dad looked around the room, probably for something to hit him with. “Go ahead, Dad. I would love for you to try to hit either of us.”

  “This is no way to treat your father. I deserve respect from you, you little fucker. All I wanted was some cash to hold me over.” Harris asked him what he was holding over for. “What do you care, missy? I don’t like you one bit. And as for my son marrying you, that isn’t going to happen either. I rule them because I sired them. Now, you just get that shit out of your head right now.”

  Harris put her fingers into her mouth and let out a whistle that made his cat cringe away from it. As soon as the staff, it looked like nearly all of them, entered the room, the two security guards did as well, weapons out and ready.

  “This man is Mr. Sheppard’s son. He is also the father of my future husband. If he shows up here again, I want you to simply detain him. I don’t care how you do it, but if he breaches the front door again, I’m going to be pissed off.” Everyone nodded and said they would take care of him. “Right now I want him escorted off the property. Again, I don’t care how you do it, but I want him gone. Don’t kill him unless he tries to harm you, but get him out of our house.”

  When his dad was taken out of the house, Harris sat down, then put her head between her legs, and he went to her. She was pale when she raised her head and looked at him, and Shep asked her if she was all right.

  “I hate talking to someone like that.” She laughed. “Especially when I have no means of making sure that he understands that I mean business. Will he be back, Shep?”

  “Yes.” He sat down on the floor, rubbing his hands up and down her legs until she sat back on the couch. “He’s not going to be happy when he figures out that we’re getting married and— Holy shit, I forgot.”

  Digging into his pocket, he pulled out the little package that he’d picked up yesterday. It was the rings that he’d had cleaned and sized for her. Putting the first ring on her finger, he told her just what he’d done with it.

  “This is my mom’s engagement ring. It’s small, I know, but I had two more diamonds put on it for you. I’ve never seen it so clean and shiny. The guy who cleaned it for me said that the stains from the fruit that she put up had worked their way into the gold. I think this was my grandmother’s ring before Mom got it.” Shep slipped the ring onto her finger, and handed her the second ring.

  “It’s my mother’s ring. This is so much better than just having a single ring, Shep. It’s like both of the women that we loved will be with me all the time.” He nodded. “Oh, look at it. I’ve not seen it in years. I was afraid that they’d buried her with it.”

  “Taylor told me that he made sure that they didn’t. He also managed to get your father’s ring. I have it should you want to use it.” She said that she did. “I’ve had it cleaned too, and sized. I had hoped that you’d want to use it. Also, I put a small cut in the back—that way if I have to shift with it on, I can do so without losing a finger.”

  Shep handed her her father’s ring, and she put the two of them together. The smaller daintier ring of her mother’s fit nicely into the one that her father had worn. It was only bigger by a size for him to wear, so he thought they must have looked like the two of them when they’d been alive.

  “Taylor told me that my parents’ things were in the safe. I’ve not wanted to go and check it out yet.” She looked at him. “I’m not ready for that yet either. But these things, they mean a great deal to me. Thank you so much.”

  “You are so very welcome. On Friday we’re going to be husband and wife. I don’t think that I could have picked anyone more meaningful to me than you are.” They kissed, a long lingering kiss that made his head a little light. “I love you so very much, Harrison Parker. I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you, making you the happiest that I can.”

  “I love you too. I didn’t think I’d ever find someone like you either. Loving you has come so naturally to me. I wanted to say it to you for the first time when we were married, but this is so much better.” Shep told her he thought so as well. “I love you, Shep. Will you take me upstairs now? Show me just how much you love me too?”

  He didn’t hesitate, but stood up and picked her up in his arms. He was nearly up the stairs when the doorbell rang. Wait
ing for Taylor to come into the hallway, he said the elderly man’s name.

  “Whoever it is, the man and lady of the house are too busy to talk right now. We’ll talk to them tomorrow.” With a grin on his face, Taylor told them that he would tell them just that. “Thanks. And no supper tonight, but if you’ll leave something in the fridge for later, that would be fine by me.”

  He could have sworn that he heard his butler laugh before opening the door. Shep didn’t know who was there, but he sent them on their way. Just as he closed the door to their room, Shep heard the man laughing again. It was almost the best sound that he’d ever heard. Right now he was going to create the best sound by making Harris moan a few hundred times.

  Chapter 8

  Harris wanted to be sexy, but she wasn’t entirely sure how to do that. When Shep put her down on her feet, she made her way to the bathroom. She wasn’t even sure what she was supposed to do in there, but she did put on her nightgown, then took it off. It was one of those old fashioned ones that her grandmother might have worn.

  Looking in the mirror, Harris took a good look at her body. She had had scars on her, most of them from bullet wounds. A few of them were knife wounds too. But they were so tiny now that she’d taken Shep’s blood that she could hardly see them anymore.

  “Fuck it.” Opening the door, she stood there until Shep looked at her. The man was just too good looking for his own good. As soon as he looked at her, crushing the picture frame that had been hers, she laughed. Shep smiled back at her.

  “I hope that wasn’t anything too important.” She shook her head and started toward the bed. “No, we’re going to start this right here, with you standing up.”

  “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do. I know what sex is and how it works—it’s not like I’ve never had it before. But with you, Shep, I’m sure that it’ll be so different that I’ll think I’m still a virgin.” He told her that it would be mind blowing. “Says you. I’ve never even heard of anyone that has had mind blowing sex before.”