Beauty and the Beastmaster (Mystic Springs Book 3)

by Linda Winstead Jones, Lisa Childs

  It was a sad way to live, with no animals in your life. He felt sorry for young Gabi. Judge would be good for her, and for Mia.

  He stood, stretching out, making his own mental list. “I’ll be back in a bit with the dog food.”

  “I’d appreciate it.” Gabi stood, too, seeming to unwind and unfold in the most sensual and natural way possible. Looking at her, he remembered the way her hands had felt on his head and shoulders as she’d cut his hair. He remembered the feel of her, the smell, the energy, as she stood close behind him.

  He nodded in her direction and left more abruptly than was necessary.

  Walking down the road, he already missed Judge. He cared for a lot of animals, they were all his, for a while, but Judge had been around for longer than most and dammit, he’d gotten accustomed to the dog being there.

  But Judge had found his home, and that was what mattered.

  For now. If and when he ran Gabi out of town, would she take the bloodhound with her?

  Chapter 3

  As much as she’d resisted the idea of taking on the responsibilities of a pet owner Gabi had to admit, Mia loved that big, ugly dog. How could she even think of separating them?

  After a short nap Mia and Judge took over the living room floor, rolling around and laughing, nudging one another with noses, hands, and paws. Mia stroked the big dog gently, lovingly. Judge responded in kind, in his own way.

  Gabi forgot for a moment, or two, what had brought her here, why she had to hide from the world. She forgot that this would all be more difficult as Mia grew older. Enrolling Mia in school was going to be a nightmare. She’d managed a decent workaround for regular doctor visits, thanks to a clinic in Eufaula that was willing to do a bit of cash business, but if anything out of the ordinary were to happen, if Mia was hurt or seriously ill, what would she do? Hospitals were a sea of paperwork. Computers were not her friend, and they never would be.

  If she allowed her mind to wander to too many “what-ifs” it just made her crazy, so she stopped and simply enjoyed the scene before her. There was so much joy in the room, she dismissed all her earlier reservations about having a dog.

  One day at a time. That was how she lived, how she would always live.

  As usual, deciding not to think about the past and actually doing it were very different. Would Blake ever give up? If he did, if he wasn’t searching for her, if he’d moved his attentions to another woman, how would she know? He’d never struck her as the kind of man to give up, especially not on anything he considered to be his. Men like him considered everything they wanted to be theirs by default. Assholes.

  She’d tried to fix the marriage, to fix him. It had taken her far too long to learn that some people couldn’t be fixed. Blake had hurt her, physically and emotionally. He would not hurt their child.

  After watching the new friends play for a while Gabi heated up a pot of soup she’d made a couple of days ago, Mia and Judge taking turns being underfoot in the small kitchen. She didn’t mind. It had been just she and the baby for so long, forever it seemed, that having anyone else around was strange. Even a dog. But she liked it. The house seemed more like a home with Judge in it.

  What an odd thought for her to have! She’d never wanted a dog. Had actively not wanted one when Silas had mentioned it to her. But now…

  Judge seemed to know what she was thinking. He walked past, rubbing against her leg, and looked up at her. She could almost swear the bloodhound was trying to tell her that everything was going to be all right. She wished she could believe him.

  The soup was simmering on the stove when Silas stopped by with Judge’s food, which he placed in the walk-in pantry; the list Gabi had requested; and a big, soft doggie bed. Without asking where she wanted the bed placed, Silas carried it into Mia’s bedroom and arranged it on the floor between the window and the crib. It’s not like the nursery was hard to find. The house was simply laid out, with a living room, small dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms and one bath.

  There were matching water and food bowls, a leash, and two toys, a red ball and a stuffed moose that had seen better days.

  When all that was done, Gabi well and truly had a pet.

  She was full of questions, being a novice dog owner. “Does he bark?”

  “Only when he wants something.”

  “How often does he need to be bathed?”

  “I’ll take care of that for you.” At that, Silas looked down at Judge. “He’s usually not cooperative, but he does need a good bath now and then.”

  “Shots?”

  “I’ll let you know.”

  Gabi was reluctant to let Silas go. He and Judge were a pair, a team. It didn’t seem right to separate them. Who was she kidding? Bad date aside, she liked Silas. She liked him more now, when he was acting naturally and was in his element, than she had when they’d both tried to force the issue. If she could afford to consider romance he’d be at the top of her list of possibilities. That was why she didn’t want him to go.

  Several men from Mystic Springs had asked her out in the past year, and she’d managed to shut them all down in a way that assured they wouldn’t ask again. That one date with Silas had been it for her, socially speaking, since coming to town. Whenever she foolishly thought of men and sex and companionship and love, she remembered where it had gotten her last time and all thoughts of having any of that in her life again quickly vanished.

  She didn’t need or want a man, and all that came with one.

  Maybe that was the reason her one date had been so awkward, maybe that’s why everything had gone wrong.

  As she watched Silas Hollister walk to the curb and the pickup truck he’d parked there, she couldn’t push back the thought…

  She hadn’t wanted or needed a dog, either.

  Silas stopped at the café for dinner. Eve waited on him, chatted a bit, but seemed to sense that he wasn’t looking for company and soon moved on. Travis Benedict sat at the counter, where he could talk to Eve as often as possible. Eve tried to ignore the police chief but did a poor job of it. As if there was anyone left in town who didn’t know they were sleeping together and had been for months.

  Silas had almost finished his catfish and coleslaw when Tyler Milhouse slid onto the bench seat on the other side of the booth. None of the Milhouses were known for their manners. Maybe it was a werewolf thing. Then again…

  “How’s it going with Gabi?” Tyler asked. He narrowed one eye as he asked.

  So much for his appetite. “Did Donnie send you?”

  “Jenna. She says you’ll get it done, but she’s nervous about your part in this.”

  “No need to be. I’ve been in favor of separation for years.”

  “She knows that. She also knows your bad experience with a Non-Springer makes you perfect for this job. Her worry is that you’re moving awfully slow.”

  There were times Silas thought Harry’s middle son was awfully slow himself.

  “She cut my hair and I gave her a dog. It’s a start.”

  “A slow start.”

  “What do you want me to do, hit her over the head and drag her out of town? It’s just been a week since Jenna mentioned her plan to me.” He was beginning to have doubts about his part in it, but it wouldn’t be smart to say so out loud, especially not to a man who would go straight to Jenna with the news.

  “You’ve been dragging your feet,” Tyler said in a lowered voice. “It’s time to get busy. Tag got rid of the activities director at The Egg in just a couple of days, and Lilian has just about run off those old folks who bought the house next door to hers. The guy at the grocery store won’t be a problem. He’s already decided he doesn’t like it here. That leaves Gabi Lawson. If you can’t do the job, I will.”

  A brief but strong sensation of what could only be called protectiveness swept through Silas. Not that he let that unexpected response show. “I can handle her,” he said casually. “It won’t take more than a couple of weeks.”

  “You have two and a ha
lf, but that doesn’t mean you have to take all that time. That’s the deadline, but we’ll all feel better when the job is taken care of. No need to cut it close.”

  The too-short hairs on the back of Silas’s neck stood up. He’d not only initially agreed to the plan, he’d been excited by it, for a while. It was true that he had no love of Non-Springers, and the idea of closing off the town once and for all held a lot of appeal. So why was he suffering so many doubts?

  Judge’s new habit of stopping at Gabi’s place of business as they ran through town suddenly made sense. There was danger in the air, a danger to Gabi. And to Mia. The dog had a connection with the kid, perhaps as strong as the one Silas had with his favorite bloodhound.

  Was it a coincidence that Judge had shown up about the same time Gabi and Mia had arrived in town last year? What if the bloodhound hadn’t been drawn to the springs, but had instead been drawn to the kid? He didn’t believe in coincidence, but he had no logical explanation, either. Maybe the timing was just a fluke.

  Whatever the reason, the dog was protecting Mia and Gabi. From him? Or from whoever Jenna would give the job to if he failed?

  “There’s a complication,” Silas said.

  “What kind of complication?”

  He started to speak, but an instinct stopped him. Until he knew more, until he was sure, Tyler Milhouse didn’t need to know anything. Neither did Jenna, or Donnie, or anyone else. And they all needed to stay away from Gabi.

  “Don’t worry about it. I can handle Gabi.”

  Tyler made a harrumphing sound and leaned back. “Sounds like you actually like her. I’m surprised. I wouldn’t think she’s your type.”

  She wasn’t his type, not at all. Gabi was a Non-Springer who would freak out if she knew what he could do. They came from different worlds; they wanted different things from life. She was focused on her kid. He didn’t much like kids. He hadn’t spent a lot of time around children, but they seemed to be unnecessarily noisy, demanding, and sometimes stinky.

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ll do what needs to be done.” Silas threw a few bills on the table and stood. He had a stop to make before he headed home. He’d been mulling on it all day, and he couldn’t wait anymore. He had to know if what he’d heard from Mia was a figment of his imagination, or an indication that she had Springer blood and could stay when the spell was cast. Gabi would have to be told, she could no longer be ignorant of the magic around her, but from everything he’d seen she didn’t mind being cut off from the world. In fact, she seemed to cherish her isolation.

  Why? Mystic Springs was not exactly the kind of exciting town where pretty young women might like to live.

  He didn’t care why she’d ended up here, he couldn’t care what had driven her to hide in this small town. If he did, how could he do his job and get her out of Mystic Springs before the equinox?

  Gabi was washing dishes when Judge popped up and seemed to go on alert. A moment later, the doorbell rang.

  No one visited her. Not after dark, anyway. She knew almost everyone in town, thanks to her business, but even those she considered friends didn’t drop by without warning. And since she had no phone, any visits were always planned well ahead of time. Something must be wrong.

  Having Judge beside her as she walked to the front door was reassuring. Mia toddled along behind them, chattering happily. Gabi looked through the peephole before opening the door. The relief that washed through her at the sight of the man on her porch was strong and unexpected. She shouldn’t be happy to see any man!

  “Change your mind?” she asked.

  Why was Silas here? If he wanted Judge back, Mia would be devastated. What then?

  “Can I come in?”

  Her heart hitched. “Sure.”

  Silas walked in, leaned over to scratch Judge behind his ears, then sat in the same place on her couch where he’d been this afternoon. He always seemed to be wound a bit tight, but at the moment he was really tense.

  “What’s wrong?” She sat across from him, in her favorite chair, while Judge and Mia plopped down in the middle of the floor. Mia had her raggedy doll; Judge nosed at his stuffed animal, the mangled moose. They were both winding down, getting ready for bed.

  Silas started to speak a couple of times, then shut his mouth. Whatever had brought him here, he was having a hard time finding the words.

  “If you want Judge back…”

  “No,” he said quickly.

  “Good. Because you can’t have him.” She smiled.

  He looked at Judge, and the bloodhound glanced up. She couldn’t quite decipher the expression on Silas’s face.

  “Maybe we can have joint custody,” she suggested.

  “Maybe,” he responded, only half paying attention.

  Mia made her way to her feet and toddled over to Silas. She stood before him, her little hands on his knees, and chattered away. Gabi couldn’t understand a word her daughter said, other than an oddly clear and very excited “doggie.”

  Silas’s eyes narrowed. “In a couple of weeks Mystic Springs will have a spring festival. For years we’ve thrown a shindig the weekend before the equinox, unless the equinox falls on a weekend, of course.”

  He was rambling a little. She’d never met a guy who knew what or when an equinox was. If they did, they hadn’t bothered to mention it.

  “I think you were here for it last year,” he added.

  “I was, but I hadn’t been here long and only knew a couple of people. Mia and I were living above the beauty shop then. I watched from the front window and it looked like fun, but…”

  “But you didn’t attend,” he finished for her when she faltered.

  Gabi shook her head.

  “You know everybody, now. You should come this year.”

  “Maybe,” Gabi said, already planning to stay in. Social media wasn’t a big thing among the people of Mystic Springs, not that she’d noticed, but the younger ones took pictures at these town festivals, and those photos might find their way to the internet, one way or another. Damn internet.

  “Come with me,” Silas said. “I’ll show you the ropes.”

  Gabi tried to ignore that her heart skipped a beat. Had he read her mind? She’d just been thinking about him, wondering what she’d do if he ever asked her out again. She’d decided it was a thought she could not entertain, but she couldn’t deny that she was tempted. “I’ll think about it.”

  Silas’s smile was a little crooked, and a little wicked. She liked it. “You do that.”

  He stood, easing Mia aside and placing a hand on her head as he leaned down and did the same to Judge. “They’re a pair, these two. They should be there.”

  And of course if Mia was there, her mother would have to be, too.

  “We could start easy, before we plan to spend an entire day together,” Silas said as he reached the door. “Dinner, tomorrow night?”

  The invitation took Gabi by surprise. Her response was an inelegant, “Uhhh…”

  “Something early, before Mia’s bedtime and before Eve’s closes. It’s been a while. I think we need to try again.”

  She hadn’t dated in years. Hadn’t wanted to, since she’d come to Mystic Springs. Her one date with Silas had been under protest. No wonder it had all gone wrong.

  If she was honest with herself, she hadn’t wanted to have anything to do with any man since she’d found out what the one she’d married was really like.

  Silas was different. Maybe he would be a complication; maybe he’d be a nice addition to this new life where she was effectively hidden away from the rest of the world. Would it be a date with Mia — and likely Judge, too — along? Yes, yes it would.

  Well, it seemed so to her. Did Silas think it was a date? Was she making too much out of the invitation? She didn’t think so. The way he looked at her…

  Life was simple. It was safe. She continued to tell herself that she was perfectly happy with no one in her life but her child. Most days she didn’t need or want anything or an
yone else. But now and then, she wondered. Silas made her wonder.

  Her body was telling her that it might not be such a bad idea to expand her horizons. Her brain was screaming run.

  Secrecy had ruined her life, had turned her world upside down. Blake had lied to her about who he was, what he wanted. For too long, she’d protected him by covering up the truth. She’d protected him, until she couldn’t protect him anymore. These days she kept plenty of secrets of her own, out of necessity, but there was no need to add to the pile of lies.

  She took a deep breath. “I’m not interested in a long-term relationship.”

  Silas didn’t seem at all surprised. “Neither am I.”

  “I’ll have dinner with you tomorrow night. One more date, if it can even be called a date, will probably be enough for both of us. We might not get along at all, beyond haircuts and bloodhounds.”

  “We might not,” he agreed with a slow grin.

  Oh, that smile. It was real, honest, and much too appealing.

  She should say she’d changed her mind, she should turn down his offers of dinner and the spring festival, but one look at his face and she choked the words of refusal back. Silas Hollister was looking at her as if he wanted to eat her up. The big, bad wolf came to mind. His smile was honest, but his dark eyes were full of mystery.

  For the past year, and more, she’d dedicated herself to being Mia’s mother. Nothing else mattered. She had no time for anything or anyone else. But when Silas looked at her this way she remembered that she was a woman, too.

  Chapter 4

  Gabi wasn’t exactly what he’d expected, when he’d told Jenna he’d play her game. She was more open than she’d been before, and he’d seen an intriguing mix of strength and vulnerability. He hadn’t noticed the strength before, but today he had. When she’d looked squarely at him and said she wasn’t interested in a long-term relationship, she’d had the fierceness of a tiger in her eyes.

  Silas smiled a little as he drove away from downtown. That smile died long before he reached home. He could back off, tell Jenna he couldn’t do what she wanted, but she’d just assign someone else the job. Then what? There were many ways to run Non-Springers out of town, and most of them weren’t pleasant.