by Unknown
Cam crouched, tensing to spring. Now that she was safely out of the away, he could focus. He needed to keep his head, think smart. If he could manage that, he just might survive. The bear’s hide quivered. It lifted its front paws from the ground, slammed them back down, emitting a thunderous roar. Cam’s claws dug into firm soil, seeking traction.
The crack of a handgun pierced the night, spraying dirt in the bear’s face. Startled, the bear snorted and backed up a pace. Instinct flattened 137
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Cam to the ground. Bellowing, the bear advanced, only to be driven back by a second shot and another shower of dirt and grass. Cam didn’t dare peek his head up and around for fear of having it blown off.
Damn it…did she actually know how to use that thing? Or was she just getting lucky? Was she missing the bear by accident…or hitting the ground on purpose?
The bear hesitated, eyeing its quarry. Both of them. A dark growl ripped from deep in Cam’s chest as he took up his defensive position again, praying now that she wouldn’t shoot him too. The bear must have decided the meal wasn’t worth the effort. It wheeled around and lumbered back into the undergrowth, wailing his disappointment, disappearing from sight and smell.
Cam waited, just to be sure. His sides heaved as adrenaline coursed through him. His nostrils flared, but the bear’s scent grew weaker by the moment.
The bear’s bulky crashing grew fainter. Slowly, Cam turned to face her. His great head first, then his massive body.
JJ was a sight to behold. She stood at the bottom of the stairs with a Springfield Armory XD
Subcompact in her hand, her hair a wild tangle around her shoulders. Her eyes were wide, glittering blue. Her chest rose and fell in quick spurts.
When he didn’t immediately move to attack, she tentatively lowered the muzzle to point at the ground. A good sign. Her finger remained on the trigger. Maybe not so good after all. Should he run away now? Should he go to her…or let her come to him? Would she come to him?
The very idea excited him. Tilting his head to the side, he relaxed his stance and tried to make himself look as nonthreatening as possible. She didn’t move, just stared at him, tense and expectant.
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Desperation grew. The need to gain her acceptance—in this form—was overwhelming.
Maybe, if she could see he wouldn’t hurt her, then…
Then what?
He didn’t want to consider the ‘then what,’ but he couldn’t resist the urge to gain her trust either.
But how? He could try approaching her, slowly…but the way she held that gun made him doubt the wisdom of that idea. Like as not, she’d put a bullet in his stupid ass for his efforts.
A thought occurred to him then, and he almost snorted aloud. He couldn’t believe he’d even think about stooping this low, but she wasn’t moving. He focused on the woods for a moment, and breathed a sigh of relief. Sending up a silent thanks no one else was around to see this, he plopped his ass on the ground, offering her as close to a harmless grin as he could muster, given the circumstances. He even let his tongue loll out the side of his mouth, heaven help him. She’d better come around soon. He didn’t think his pride would suffer him to lift a paw. He wasn’t some domesticated retriever, damn it.
No, he definitely drew the line at shaking on command.
An eternity seemed to pass before she finally expelled a long whoosh of breath and tucked the gun in the waistband of her jeans at the small of her back. Sexy. If he’d been capable at that moment, he’d have whistled like a pack of New York construction workers.
JJ took a hesitant step forward, then another, one hand outstretched. Her voice was quiet, the tremor barely detectable. “Come here, pretty boy,” she crooned, clucking her tongue, crouching a little at the waist. “Come here, beautiful. I won’t hurt you.”
He did roll his eyes this time. Pretty boy?
Puh-leeze…
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Shifting to his feet, he loped forward, and she froze. Her eyes widened the closer he got.
“Okay, big pretty boy,” she murmured, edging a cautious foot back half a step. She left her hand out for him, but her words betrayed her fear. “What say you don’t hurt me either, huh?” He really shouldn’t do this. It was setting a bad example. But he couldn’t seem to help himself. He nuzzled his cheek along her palm, nudging her hand until she scratched behind his ears. A shiver of pleasure rippled down his spine. Cautiously, she sank the fingers of first one hand, then the other into his coat. A long, slow smile broke over her face, one that was mirrored on his heart. Why couldn’t she smile at him like that when he was in human form?
“Oh, you’re a sweetheart,” she breathed, going down on one knee before him. He smirked as this actually put his head above hers. Then her words robbed him of his dignity. “Are you tame? Huh, sweet thing? Do you have an owner? Where’s your collar, baby?”
Despite her demeaning words, her gentle hands felt like sumptuous sin, smoothing over his neck and shoulders, down his sides. Her silky voice did funny things to his insides. Temptation, thy name is JJ
Frost. If he were in human form, he’d have her naked and writhing beneath him faster than she could fire that sexy little gun of hers again.
The pull was too strong. Cam edged closer, careful not to frighten her. He pushed his face against her collarbone, snuggling his wet nose up the side of her neck, startling a giggle from her. She smelled so incredibly good, better than anything he’d ever scented in his life.
“Playful, aren’t you?” She giggled again, pushing his head back when he slathered his tongue along her jaw. “You saved me from that bear, didn’t you?
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Didn’t you, big boy? Are you hungry?” If she only knew how much…
“The least I can do is offer you something to eat,” she coaxed, rubbing his head.
Oh, yeah, that sounded good. He’d start with a thigh, and work his way to a breast…or two. Then he’d—
“I don’t have any kibble…how about some hamburger?”
Kibble? Hamburger?
Oh, hell, no…
Shaking the fog of lust from his head, he backed up a step. Her hands fell to her sides, her expression so disappointed his heart ached. “Are you leaving me now? Will I see you again?”
He surged forward, knocking her off balance.
She landed on her butt, gasping as she clutched at his fur for balance. He licked every inch of her face and neck, savoring her flavor, as she fell back, laughing. Then he froze. She was right where he’d wanted her…under him, and he couldn’t do a damned thing about it. This was too much. He’d gone too far, and he was just torturing himself now.
With a low growl, he spun around, racing into the woods. Mile after mile flew by as he struggled to contain his baser instincts. Without warning, her scent caught him again. He’d circled back and hadn’t realized it. Dropping to his haunches, he peered through the dense foliage at her as she climbed the back stairs and disappeared inside the house.
His gaze flickered to the kitchen window, and he watched as she moved around the room, storing food, wiping counters, filling the teakettle. She’d begun humming again, the gentle melody drifted to him from the small opening in the window. Once the teakettle whistled, she poured the steaming liquid into a large mug, dropped a tea bag in, and shut the light off.
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A few moments later, a muted light in the next room blinked on. Curious, he crept around the side of the house, and plopped down in the shadows to observe her through the window. She snuggled into a rocker, tucking her feet beneath her. Pulling a blanket around her shoulders, JJ settled back in the chair, clicking the TV remote on. She wrapped both hands around her mug as the soft wash of color from the TV bathed her face.
He should go now. He didn’t have any reason to linger, and yet he couldn’t force himself leave. She’d shocked him ear
lier. He’d never expected her to go for a gun. Then again, he hadn’t expected her to approach him once the bear left either. She was a walking contradiction…fearful of man, yet brave enough to lavish affection on a wild animal of disproportionate size.
A mate?
His mate?
Could it be true? If it was, just because he’d found his mate didn’t mean he had to be weak, like Ed…but he still wasn’t convinced. Not entirely.
He lay down on the cool grass, resting his head on his paws, and stared up at her through the window. Heaven help him, what he wouldn’t give to be able to walk inside that house and lay his head on her lap, feel her fingers run through is hair again.
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Chapter 11
The Apostle leaned an elbow on the counter, benignly watching the elderly lady hobble through the door, past the storefront and out of sight. Bells jingled against the glass, announcing her departure.
Ginny’s cheerful voice called out to him from behind—and beneath—the counter. “What time does the school board meeting start?”
“Seven.”
“Where do you find the time? I don’t know how you can stand to sit in on all those meetings…the school board, city council, church council…” Ginny grunted as she hefted a large box to the checkout counter and brushed the back of her forearm across her brow. “Doesn’t it get to you after a while?”
“Sometimes, I guess.” He slid the box over as she plopped two rolls of blue paper shop towels beside the cash register. “But I just keep telling myself it’s for the greater good.”
“The greater good would be to put up some new damned equipment on the playground,” she grumbled. “I dug a splinter the size of Noah’s Ark out of Tanner’s palm last week.”
“I’m really sorry about that, Ginny.” He shifted his weight from one elbow to the other, peering into her eyes. “We tried, but we just couldn’t get enough votes.”
“I know,” she assured him, reaching out to pat his hand. Then she moved on to pull a plastic bag from beneath the counter. “You do what you can.” He nodded, holding one edge of the bag as she dropped his purchases inside. Ginny was a good 143
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woman, a good mother. Her son was well behaved, and she conducted herself with dignity, as befitting a widow with a small child. It was sad she had no one to rely on now that her husband was gone. Todd had been a good man. His accident had been a real shame. Just as well not too many knew the truth of the situation though. The poor hunter who’d shot Todd swore up and down he’d thought he’d shot a huge wolf.
Closer to the mark than he’d realized.
He handed her his money and gathered the bag in one hand as he reached for the box.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” he murmured, easing the corner of the box back onto the laminate countertop.
“I need batteries, the eight-pack up there, please.” She snagged the package he indicated from a hook high on the wall behind her, and dropped them into the bag with a smile.
“How much do I owe you for them?” He made to juggle the box, but she waved him away.
“Don’t worry about it, that box is heavy. You can take care of it the next time you come in.”
“Thanks. Tell Tanner to keep practicing his curveball,” he called over his shoulder. “That boy of yours is a natural, Ginny.”
“He is, isn’t he?” Her pride in her son was a joy to see. Too often, parents didn’t appreciate what a blessing their children were. “Thanks for giving him the pointers, by the way. I haven’t been able to pry that baseball you gave him from his hand till he falls asleep at night.”
Grinning, he nodded and pushed the door open, maneuvering the box through the doorway. He wasn’t exaggerating when he’d told Ginny that Tanner was a natural. That boy had an arm on him that would make someone important sit up some day and take notice. Children were such a wonder to him. So innocent. So pure. Unblemished by the sins 144
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of adulthood. They deserved to be protected, given every chance to grow and bloom.
Free of the sins of the father.
He glanced across the street to the Sheriff’s Department as he crossed the sidewalk. Speaking of sins of the father… He’d done Cam a real favor with his last mission. Maybe now that Ed Whitlock was out of the picture, Cam would be able to focus on clearing the rest of the trash out of town. It was a real shame Ed hadn’t lived up to anyone’s expectations. Poor Cam had suffered so many years in silence. Well, he didn’t have to suffer his shame any longer. God had seen fit to ease his burden.
A muffled cry, a muted slap, and an angry hiss jerked his gaze a short distance down the street.
Angie Berg cuffed her teenage son on the side of his head, shoved him inside their family minivan. The boy’s shamed gaze darted around, and he ducked his head, buckling his seatbelt.
The Apostle’s brow creased as he pushed the box onto his passenger seat and closed the car door. He felt that slap himself. Remembered, all too well, what it was like to be humiliated, degraded in front of others. The memory of the belt, administered in private, tensed his back even now.
Squaring his shoulders, he stepped forward, calling out to Angie. He would stand up for the boy, as no one had cared enough to stand up for him.
It was his duty now.
“Angie, I think, perhaps, he might be better dealt with if you…”
“You don’t have children, do you?”
“Ah,” he paused, taken aback by her tone. “No, but—”
“Until you have children of your own, don’t you dare stand there and take that holier-than-thou attitude with me. He’s my goddamned kid and I’ll discipline him how I see fit.” 145
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She spun away and climbed into the van, slamming the door behind her. The engine revved, the tires squealed as she backed out of the parking stall. He watched her taillights with narrowed eyes until she rounded the corner a few blocks away.
And so says the Book of Psalms, ‘They repay my kindness with evil, and my friendship with hatred’.
Children were to be protected, cherished.
The Apostle turned away, but he would not forget. God had spoken. ****
Cam stepped through the gym’s doublewide doorway, reaching for the mike clipped to his shoulder of his uniform. “Emma, the board meeting ended late. I’m stopping off for supper at Maggie’s.” The scratchy reply chirped, “Sure thing, boss.” Before long, Cam found himself seated at the horseshoe counter at Maggie’s, a pile of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and homemade bread in front of him, Jim on his right, and the quiet, aging veterinarian, Doc Templeton, on his left.
“You ought to stop down Saturday for the little league game, Cam. The kids would get a kick out of having the sheriff showin’ an interest in them.” Jim shoveled in a gravy-laden spoonful of potatoes, and nudged him with an elbow. “Better still, I have an assistant position open. Best way to pick up votes come the next election. Schmooze some parents.” Ignoring the barb, Cam scraped up a healthy bite of roast. “I have enough on my plate right now.
Maybe next season…”
Unfazed, Jim swung his focus to Brandi. She topped his coffee off with a tolerant, if immune smile, and turned her attention to Cam’s cup as Jim lined her up in his sights. “That’s all right, Cam. You ain’t pretty enough to be my assistant. Now, young Brandi here…she’d be just perfect.” His smile was a mile wide, and as lecherous as the day was long.
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“I don’t know the first thing about baseball, Jim,” she hedged, slipping the coffee pot back onto the burner. “You’d be better off talking to Dr.
English, or Red, for that matter. Good heavens, you’d have better luck with Noah Simpson or Mike Becker…that is if you could catch ’em when Noah wasn’t chasin’ a girl, and Mike wasn’t chasin’ a dollar.”
“Oh, now, sweetheart,” Jim coaxed, wiggling an eyebrow. “I could teach you everything y
ou need to know…and then some.”
“Ease off, Jim. I’d hate to have to haul you in for harassing Brandi.”
“Aw, Cam,” Jim grumbled. “You wouldn’t be such a tight ass if you had a pretty little thing to snuggle up with at night.”
Cam lifted another bite of Maggie’s mouthwatering roast to his mouth, chewing it with unnecessary precision. He grimaced as it began to take on the unappealing flavor of sawdust.
Maggie chose that moment to make an appearance, catching the tail end of Jim’s ill-advised comment. “He’s got a point, ya know.” Oh, hell. Here we go…again. He should’ve picked up a pizza and headed back to his office. Then maybe he could have enjoyed his meal. Behind locked doors. With Emma as his watchdog.
Maggie wasn’t happy unless she was motherin’
somebody. Unfortunately, her idea of motherin’
entailed marrying off every eligible bachelor stupid enough to stumble into the wrong end of her hunting scope to any unsuspecting female she could toss in his path.
“Speaking of pretty young things,” Brandi chimed in a moment later, joining Maggie’s Matchmakers-R-Us club, “That new artist that just moved to town wouldn’t exactly be taking home second place at any beauty contest, if you catch my 147
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drift.”
“Brandi—”
“Now, Cam, don’t go gettin’ your boxers all in a twist,” Maggie cut in. “A man your age ought to be thinkin’ about settlin’ down. You ain’t getting’ any younger, ya know, and I’d say you about got to be scrapin’ the bottom of that pail of wild oats, boy.” Eyes tearing, Cam sputtered into his coffee. Jim obligingly pounded on his back as Brandi and several others around the diner chortled with glee.
“A man my age…” he wheezed. “I’m only thirty-one, Maggie. For the love of—”
“My point exactly.” She took a rag from Brandi and slapped it on the counter, scrubbing the shine off the laminate with work-reddened hands. “Wait much longer, and you might as well head on out to pasture. You get set in your rut much more, ain’t no woman in her right mind gonna wanna hook up with the likes of you.”