After brushing the loose dirt off my yellow floral top and dark denim jeans, I grabbed my spade and the bags of bulbs, careful to not let any roll out. With my arms full, I stepped through the garden gate and headed towards the garage.
The shrill ring of the phone inside the house sounded as I finished putting the supplies away in the shed. Running inside, I picked up the pale yellow receiver on the fourth ring.
"Hello?" I said as I caught my breath.
"Heather? Everything okay? I thought you were coming over for dinner," Viv said.
I stomped my foot on the dull Formica floor of the kitchen. I knew I was forgetting something, I thought. I meant to call Viv and cancel our dinner plans, but I completely forgot.
"I'm sorry, Viv. I was in the garden–"
"No need to explain," she said, then lowered her voice. "Rick invited that guy I told you about from work. He really wants to meet you. I really think you should come over."
I held the phone with my hands and choked it before bringing it back to my ear. She knew the last thing I wanted was to be set up.
"I'd love to come over now, Viv, but I'm covered in soil and it's getting late. I just want to stay home."
"Come on, Heather. You promised me last night you'd come over."
"I'm sorry. I'll talk to you tomorrow. I need to clean up."
I hung up before Viv could start on her guilt trip and quickly washed my hands in the kitchen sink. I knew she was just trying to help, but it really was the last thing I wanted. I was happy to be alone. Not that I was really alone. I had Gavin; he just wasn't my dream guy.
I sighed as I thought of the man at Night Shift last night. Now he was my dream guy, literally. I couldn't tell Viv, but he looked exactly like the man who I had dreamt about for years. He even had the same dark wavy hair, bright green eyes, and that body. I knew the man in the bar had the same muscular, chiseled body as the one in my dreams.
The sound of a car driving down the street caught my attention. Drying my hands, I walked to the front of the house and peeked out the rectangular window next to the door. The moon hung low and large in the lavender sky. A few early stars were visible over the forest at the end of the block.
A long, dark car turned around at the end of the block, driving slowly. Something wasn't right. Cars rarely came that far down the street and when they did, they sped away quickly. Even the locals were wary of the woods despite them making up a big portion of Leeds Point.
The phone rang and startled me. I grabbed it and stretched the long cord and continued looking out the window. I made a mental note to replace the old phone with a cordless one.
"Hello?" I said.
"Now don't get mad," Viv said, "but I gave the guy your address."
"Are you crazy? You don't even know him."
"You need a real man in your life, not someone to waste time with. Besides, I think you'll really like him."
"So you tell some stranger where to find me?" I said, amazed. "What if he's a rapist or a serial killer?"
"Let's just say he's not really a stranger. Seriously, Heather, just this one time, trust me. I have a feeling you'll like him."
Looking out the window, I wondered what guy would be so desperate to go over my friend's house for dinner and then go to my house when I didn't show up. The car slowly made its way back up the road, and it dawned on me that that could be him. My Mr. Wonderful, the psycho who was going to use me as fertilizer in Pop's garden, was already driving on my street.
The crickets outside stopped chirping as the car parked in front of the house. The nearest neighbor was further up the road, so the car couldn't be for them. My mind went blank. I didn't know what to do so I just kept holding the phone to my ear as I looked outside.
"Heather? You still there?" Viv asked.
Frozen at the small window, I watched the driver get out of the car. Wearing a black button-down shirt and grey slacks, his clothing hung perfectly from his body. It gave me just enough of a hint at the muscular body beneath.
As my eyes moved up, they focused on his face and I let out a short gasp. It was my dream guy, the man from Night Shift who sniffed me.
"Yeah Viv, I'm still here. I'll talk to you another time."
"Is he there? I told you you'd like him. I can't believe he's the guy Rick wanted to set you up with. He's even more gorgeous tonight than last night, isn't he?"
"Mmm hmm," I said as butterflies filled my stomach. "I gotta go," I said before hanging up.
I tried to smooth my messy hair and wipe the dirt off my clothes, but it just smeared. It was useless. There was nothing I could do to fix myself up with him so close to the house.
As his long strides brought him to the door, I ducked from the window. My heart raced and thumped wildly, making the butterflies flutter even more.
Rubbing my moist palms against my jeans, I leaned against the door, unsure what to do. As the doorbell rang, my mind raced. Who is this guy? Why is he here? Has he been stalking me? Do I even care??
He chased the doorbell with a knock on the door. I wished I was anywhere other than hiding against the door. Why was I hiding? I felt foolish.
Looking down, I saw even more streaks of soil where I wiped my hands earlier to answer the phone. I was a mess. My heart sank with embarrassment into my stomach where the butterflies taunted it. This man, this stranger who had to meet me so badly, was too handsome of a man to not be repulsed by me. What if he sniffed me now? He'd run in the other direction. I couldn't answer the door.
"I know you're in there, Miss Heather Mather," he said. "Please open the door."
His voice was exactly like I remembered from my dreams. Deep and soulful, with a distinct accent I didn't know. British? Irish? Scottish? I only had movies to compare it to.
And he called me by my full name! What else did Viv tell him about me? Or did he just know? My mind spun even more.
Please say my name again. I want to hear your voice, I silently pleaded.
"How do you know my name?" I asked.
I wanted to say something else, something more, but I couldn't think. I would have said anything to hear his voice again. I turned to face the door as I thought of him standing on the other side. I put my hand up on the wooden door and cringed, seeing some soil from the garden still underneath my nails.
"Open the door," he commanded.
I stared at the door. It wasn't like me to do something I was told to, but there was something in his voice I couldn't resist. I could even imagine the look in his eyes that told me I didn't have a choice, I had to listen. Despite how bad I looked, something inside me was begging to be closer to him.
As I turned the knob slowly, my inner voice started yelling at me to stop. I didn't know this stranger, but he knew me. Why was I opening the door for this lunatic? I should have been afraid, but everything else told me to trust him.
As the door opened, he stepped forward and took my hand. I was so overwhelmed, I forgot that my hair was a mess and how dirty I was. With his eyes fixed on mine, he smiled and bowed before kissing the top of my hand. My breath caught in my throat. I wanted that single moment to last forever.
"Heather," he said, "I've spent lifetimes waiting to find you. You are mine, and I'll do anything to be yours."
Chapter Six
Callen
"I'm yours?" she said, her eyes wide.
It took every ounce of my being to control myself. Even the wolf inside me was whining to get closer to her. Being this close to her, touching her hand, her scent, everything was so overwhelming I could barely speak. My words came out almost as a growl, yet she somehow understood everything.
I needed to calm myself, but after following her to Night Shift and getting so close, I was having a hard time controlling myself. She made me feel exactly how I did when I saw her for the first time in that Salem cemetery. I didn't want to scare her away by coming on too strong.
"My apologies," I said, lowering my head. "I have been rude and pushed myself into your home."
"No, you didn't do anything. I let you in because...it's like I know you. You're familiar. Like someone I knew long ago."
I wondered if she had dreams of our past together like I did or if she had faint memories. Each time I found her, it seemed she remembered me a little more.
She stepped back from the doorway and let me further into the small house. The door made a loud thud as it closed, reminding me of the doors from long ago. I smiled to myself as I touched the smooth wood of the door and then turned the lock, which clicked into place.
As I turned around, Heather walked past the couch and through a doorway. I couldn't take her being too far from me, not when I just found her. Following her, I entered the small kitchen as she put a teapot on an old white stove.
I couldn't keep my eyes off her, and it shamed me. For as old as I was, I should have better control over myself. But she awakened feelings and desires that had been dormant for far too long. I wondered how I ever thought I could give her up.
With her back towards me, I admired the ample curve of her hips and how her jeans hugged her body. I imagined undressing her and taking her on the kitchen counter but had to stop myself. I had to go slow. I needed to remember she didn't know me.
I leaned against the counter to look into the face I first fell in love with three hundred years ago. Heather's face told me everything I needed to know. Her brows knitted and her eyes kept darting over to me. Whenever her gaze met mine, she smiled before quickly looking away. I was thankful that she didn't have any fear of me.
"Why are you here?" she asked.
"Because you are my one love, my mate."
"I knew you had to be a shifter," she said with a nervous laugh. "How am I your mate when I don't even know your name?"
"I'm so sorry. It seems I have lost all my manners. You're even more beautiful than I remember. My dreams don't do you justice. My name is Callen MacCulloch, but I think somewhere deep down, you already know that."
She tilted her head as she looked at me, then nodded slowly. "You're right," she said. "I feel like I'm having déjà vu." She looked a little confused for a moment. "Is this just coincidence that you're here? I mean I was supposed to meet you at Viv's tonight. You're Rick's friend."
"No, I'm not," I said. "He's easily bought and I needed a way to meet you so you would trust me. I thought if I just knocked on your door, you'd turn me away. I didn't want to cause a disturbance, but I've waited so long to see you that I couldn't wait any more."
She looked down shyly, her cheeks glowing. "Anyone else and I would have called the cops," she said. "You're different. There's something about you, I don't know what it is. I feel like I've always known you even though we just met. But there's something else. I can't pinpoint it."
I leaned towards her, my eyes on her full lips. I pulled her close, and as my lips met hers, a car drove past. She pulled away with a confused look on her face. Her eyes darted towards the door and without a word, she walked to the front of the house and peeked out of a small window.
I didn't need to look to know who was pulling up in front of the house. I recognized his stench in the air. She turned and looked at me, her eyes a little sad as she wrung her hands nervously.
I wanted to go outside and tell Gavin she was mine. Did she love him? Did she care for him? I didn't know those answers. I only knew my presence would make things more difficult for her. I needed to do what was best for her right now. I had to leave.
Chapter Seven
Heather
I looked out the window by the door and recognized Gavin's car parking at the curb. I wondered if I didn't answer the door if Gavin would turn around and go home. He never came over unannounced, and never at night.
What is he doing here? I thought.
Looking at Callen, I tried to figure out how I would explain this man coming to my home. Did Callen know about him? If he knew I had a boyfriend, would he have come over? Would he have kissed me? Dammit, Gavin, why are you here?
Turning back towards the door, I noticed Gavin was already out of his car. What was I going to do? The butterflies kicked into full gear, but this time out of nervousness.
Even though I had no reason to, I felt guilty seeing him walk towards the door. I should have broken up with Gavin a long time ago. I didn't know why I didn't. Maybe I was afraid of being alone, especially with my father gone. But I should have done the right thing.
As I tried to think of what to say to Callen, I glanced back towards the kitchen. My heart sank, seeing he was gone. I ran into the kitchen to look for him as Gavin rang the doorbell.
I crossed the room to the back door and found it unlocked. I looked into the yard, but there was no one there. The wrong guy left! The doorbell rang again and I huffed towards the door, annoyed.
I opened the door to find Gavin smiling at me as he held a small bouquet of flowers. Gavin was model handsome as he stood in front of me, but I didn't care. We didn't click. He was never the guy for me.
What does he want? I thought, annoyed. He's never brought me flowers before.
I couldn't help but be suspicious. Gavin was never impulsive or romantic. It was one of the many reasons we didn't work.
"Hi, I was thinking about you and figured I'd stop by," he said as he looked behind me into the house. "I got these for you."
I took the flowers from him and forced a smile. "Thanks. Well umm, I'm going to bed early so I'll just talk to you another time, okay?"
His face grew stern and his eyes flashed amber. He let out a low growl and flashed sharp teeth at me. I had never seen Gavin truly angry, and it frightened me. I took a step back into the house and pulled the door close to me.
"Where is he?" he asked. "I can smell him. I smelled him the night your father was killed."
"What are you talking about? There's no one here."
He pushed the door open hard, making it slam against the wall, and pushed me aside. I stumbled against the doorframe as he entered the house.
He stopped in the living room and sniffed the air. A low growl came from him then stopped. The ground rumbled and Gavin began laughing slowly, but it wasn't his laugh. A chill ran down my spine.
"Get out of my house," I said.
I stepped closer to him, pretending to be strong even though I was shaking as much as the ground. I didn't know who Gavin thought he was or what was going on, but I was done with it.
Gavin turned towards me. His eyes glowed as if he was about to shift, but then they turned red. I gasped and stepped back until I felt the wall behind me.
He lengthened his neck and back, standing straighter and making himself even taller. Tilting his head to the side, he looked directly at me and grinned. I covered my face and turned away, not wanting to look at him. He wasn't Gavin anymore.
With two long steps, he was standing before me. I was too afraid to look and I didn't have to, the strong heat that emanated from his skin told me how close he was.
"My, you're a pretty one," he said, his voice gravelly.
"Get out," I whispered.
He leaned towards me and inhaled deeply. "Oh, he was here. Your boyfriend does have reason to be jealous."
"He's not my boyfriend."
"No? He seems to think he is."
Through my fingers, I saw Callen running through the door as he tore off his clothing. His eyes were focused on Gavin then quickly changed to amber. I must have blinked because suddenly a silvery white wolf was in his place charging towards us.
Push him.
It sounded like my father's voice, but I knew only I heard it. I remembered him telling me that night to trust myself and what my insides were telling me. I was afraid of what all that heat coming from Gavin's body would feel like, but I trusted my father.
I pushed Gavin away and ran further into the living room, putting the couch between us.
"Cold!" he groaned as he turned towards me.
Gavin's eyes were now blue and even though he was trying to move towards me, he seemed frozen to the g
round. The white wolf soared into the house and toppled Gavin over.
The wolf stood between me and Gavin and bared his teeth. I had seen plenty of shifters in their wolf form before, but Callen was the largest. He planted his paws firmly on the floor and waited for Gavin to make a move.
Gavin moaned and shook his head. I could tell he was himself again. He rubbed his eyes and looked towards the wolf and I. His face fell and he briefly looked sad, then he clenched his jaw as he stood up.
"I knew it," he said. "I knew there was someone else. And after all I did for you."
"After what you did for me?" I said in shock. I couldn't believe he was going to ignore everything that just happened. He had to know something. "You never did anything for me."
"Who else was there for you after your father died?" he said.
"You want to know why you keep bringing that up? Because that was the one good thing you've ever done. You know we were never serious. I know you date other girls. What I don't know is why you always came back to me even though there was nothing between us."
"I tried, Heather. I really did," he said. "But you were always so much of a priss I had to go elsewhere."
"You're such an asshole. I'm glad nothing ever happened between us."
"I did care for you though. And I still do. Maybe I even love you. But one of the reasons I kept coming back was for him," he said, pointing to the wolf. "I knew he'd show up sooner or later. I refuse to let a crime go unsolved in this town. I know who killed your father that night. His was the only scent that mixed with Abram's. I just needed to be patient."
"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused.
"Why don't you ask your boyfriend? Ask him why he killed your father."
Gavin walked out of the house and got into his car. I rushed towards the door and slammed it shut behind him. How dare he say that! How dare he bring up my father!
I was furious. My face was hot and I shook with anger. I banged my fist against the thick wood door as I tried to let go of the anger, and then I remembered I wasn't alone.
Wolf at Her Door: BBW Paranormal Romance Page 9