He squatted to pet the cubs and twisted to scan the spectacular view of the Pacific. “Your mama chose quite a place,” he said to the kittens.
The vibrant beauty of the blue-green ocean possessed the power to distract him, and he forced his gaze away. Driven by a hefty measure of impulse and intuition, Connor took this rescue task seriously. He sat back, considering the possibility of successfully tracing with both cubs. It was risky but worth a try. Even though he was in a hurry to get out of town, he took his time preparing for the return ascent. Monty would have sent a note to the Davenports by now, as he’d instructed, so Connor might as well get this right.
He reached into the bag and withdrew the cougar-scented cloth. The cubs immediately wandered into his lap, and he proceeded to rub the sheet over them while they playfully nipped and snagged their teeth in the fabric, encouraged by the familiar scent of their mother. He grinned. “It’s nice to have something to remember her by, isn’t it?”
Maintaining perfect balance, he opened the leather sack he’d hooked over one shoulder earlier. He gently lowered one of the cats into it, rewarding the animal for being cooperative with a benevolent rub on the head. He did the same with its larger brother.
Facing the cave again, he prepared to leave when another kitten poked its head out of the cave entrance. His eyes widened in surprise. This one far more careful than its siblings, for it stopped well within the shelter.
Connor glanced back in the direction he’d come. The return would be twice as difficult as he’d anticipated, especially now that he had to clutch the third cat in hand. The sack was too small to fit all three cubs.
“We have company,” Connor crooned, extending his hand and letting the cub sniff. “Now for you,” he whispered as he reached into the opening. The kitten retreated farther into the cave. “You are going to make my life more difficult, aren’t you?”
Connor knelt, controlling a groan as his injured knee scraped against the hard rock. He inched into the space, which was barely broad enough to accommodate his crouched body. “Yes, I can see you’re trouble, just like a certain young lady who’ll be quite put out that I’m here with you when I should be with her.” Grabbing the protesting animal, he inched back. He cradled the cub in the crook of his arm, stroking it between its ears. The cat nuzzled closer. “See there? Trouble can be dealt with.”
~ ~ ~
The morning was half-spent and the day couldn’t decide its mood. One moment Stephanie thought the sun might peek out, the next she was certain they’d get caught by rain. She sat on the buggy seat and squinted, glancing over her shoulder, absorbing one more glimpse of the Langley estate before she left. Even though she still hadn’t laid eyes on Mr. Langley, she thought with livid irritation, the morning hadn’t been a total waste. Given what her father had conveyed in his letters, things didn’t seem right at the Langley estate.
Something was definitely off-kilter here. She was shaken and more confused than ever now.
She tilted her head, looking down at Mr. Smith as the servant said farewell. The pair of horses stepped forward slightly, causing the buggy to roll, despite Eric’s command to stay. In the driver’s seat, he pulled on the reins, and they stilled.
“Thank you,” she said with a forced smile.
Mr. Smith had been the perfect host in his employer’s absence, offering them tea and delicious pastries. He had explained with perfunctory detail how Mr. Langley was about the business of saving an animal. They could only assume the message regarding the change in plans had missed its mark, and Mr. Smith had apologized profusely, his face tinged red with embarrassment.
A mountain lion of all things. A cat that, when it was full-grown, might eat your livestock, or worse, attack a person.
Although she hated the idea of any creature suffering, at the same time she couldn’t understand Mr. Langley’s compulsion to play God, especially to the extreme of rescuing the dangerous animals. But that wasn’t the reason her nerves were snapping one delicate fiber at a time. Nor was it because of being so thoroughly annoyed by his neglectful behavior. No, it was far more complicated than coming second to silly animals. What made her apprehension escalate to the point that the hair on the back of her neck twitched was Mr. Langley’s homestead. Every glimpse of the structure mirrored what her father had described in his letters. Only Papa had proclaimed this property was his, not Connor Langley’s.
From the moment she’d set foot on the Langley estate her world had flipped upside down. Again. The house—an extraordinary architectural design of wood and stone—the surrounding yard, and the cliff all seemed eerily familiar, down to the bronzed lion-head doorknockers.
Try as she may, she couldn’t bring herself to believe her father would deliberately lie about something as important as owning the estate. So, how was it that Connor Langley possessed the property now?
The stable door clapped then. Collectively, the group swept their attention to the noise. Swaggering toward them, Mr. Langley emerged from the shadow-line cast by the barn, a spotted cub tucked in the crook of one arm.
The man apparently had a penchant for filth. Yesterday he’d sported mud, today smears of dirt. As he neared, she saw scrapes and cuts on his forearms where his shirtsleeves were rolled up. Tiny rusty-brown streaks—dried blood, she thought—slanted across his cheek, jawline, and neck. Her perusal ended as her stomach lurched at the torn, blood-soaked fabric at his knee. Her gaze slid up to his face. An obnoxious grin split his lips. If she hadn’t realized it before, then the delighted spark in his eyes drove home to her that Connor Langley was unlike any man she’d ever known. Not that you’ve known many men, an inner voice whispered.
“I see you located the animal, Sir,” Monty exclaimed, strolling over to Connor.
“Did you doubt I would?”
“Not really, Sir.”
All of a sudden, a feeling of foolishness washed over Stephanie, making her uncertain whether she and Eric should leave or remain. If they stayed, then the myriad questions gnawing at her might get answered. Yet, the commotion that erupted as Mr. Langley wrestled with the squirming cub led her to think her problems were definitely at the bottom of his list.
Monty clearly wasn’t interested in taking the kitten as it playfully bared its teeth, so he held his hands out to take the sack. “May I help you?” His expression turned panicky when the sack began to jump and move, but he didn’t pull back.
“Careful now, it’s fairly heavy,” Connor warned.
“And this is?” Monty questioned curiously, lowering the animated package to the ground.
“Two more cubs. They were well hidden. Danny wouldn’t have found them inside the cave?”
“Cave?” Eric questioned, sliding from the seat. Her cousin rushed over to get a closer look at the animal as Mr. Langley unhooked its claws from the front of his shirt, then set the cub on the damp ground.
Eric squatted. “You found them in a cave?”
“Yes. Their mama had them tucked away in one of the grottos dotting the cliffs. Little did they know that Mama wasn’t coming home.”
His words tugged at her heart. Little did she know, all those years ago, that Papa wouldn’t be returning for them. Only, unlike the kittens’ mother, he’d had a choice. What had made him stay away?
When Eric began petting the cub, Stephanie sighed in resignation. It would be awhile before she’d be able to drag her cousin away. There was no point in staying perched on the buggy any longer, so she hitched up her skirt with one hand and climbed down.
After circling the vehicle, she could see her cousin was smitten, his eyes growing rounder as Mr. Langley opened the sack, allowing the two other cubs to tumble out. She almost laughed out loud as Mr. Smith took a hasty step backward.
Danny must have heard the fuss, for he came running enthusiastically from the direction of the house. Connor handed the cub to the boy, and Danny handled the animal with ease and sureness.
“They’re adorable,” Eric exclaimed.
“Take
care, though. Their teeth and claws are quite sharp,” Mr. Langley cautioned with a rumbling chuckle. He knelt down to cup a cat’s head between both hands and massaged its dark-tipped ears with his thumbs.
Stephanie swallowed hard. For some reason, the loving gesture made her pulse skip and she involuntarily stepped closer. The cub squirmed free and pounced on some imaginary bit of something on the ground. Before she knew it, a spotted kitten was pawing at her skirts, trying to scramble up them. She went rigid, not at all wanting to unhook the creature.
Mr. Langley laughed at her reaction. “He won’t hurt you.”
“You just said he has sharp teeth and claws,” she replied.
“True. But he won’t do serious harm.”
Stephanie glared at him skeptically. “By your appearance, you obviously have a different definition of serious harm than I do.”
He shrugged, glancing at his injuries. “They’ll be gone tomorrow.” He stopped stroking the cat and strolled over to her. “Be still.” He pried the kitten from her skirt and began to lift the animal closer so she could inspect it. “You can hold him.”
She stepped back. It was a wild creature. Not meant to be touched. “I’m not fond of animals, Mr. Langley,” she admitted.
He reached for her hand. She flinched, but he grabbed hold of her, ignoring her unease. “Haven’t you ever owned a pet?”
“No,” she whispered, her voice shaky, as he moved her palm over the fur. It felt soft and warm. “When we were young, Papa moved often with his work―he was an ambassador back then―so pets were out of the question.” Which could explain why she felt so close to her cousin, she thought. They had only each other. Stephanie quit stroking the fur, hugging her arms across her ribs.
“That’s too bad.” He cradled the cub against his chest and straightened his spine. “I’m surprised to see you here. Didn’t you get my message?”
“Apparently there was blunder, Sir,” Monty interjected. “They never received the missive.”
“I apologize for the inconvenience, then,” Connor stated.
Eric stood, lifting the kitten with him. “I knew something unanticipated had happened. That’s why I convinced Steph to ride out here,” he said, taking credit for their presence.
She pursed her lips for a moment. “Which, if I’d had my wits about me, we wouldn’t have done. It was rude to impose upon you, Mr. Langley. We were just heading back to town.” And straight to examine property records.
He shook his head. “Since you’ve come all this way, after I clean up, I’ll be glad to begin filling you in on your father’s situation.” Then, as an afterthought, he added, “Although, your father’s will itself is at my office.”
“In that case, it would be best to wait to meet in your office. There’s no point if I can’t see for myself my father’s declaration.”
“Very well.” His face tightened. Obviously she’d struck a nerve. “I’m nearly prepared for my journey. I’ll be in town by two.”
He’d offered precisely the meeting she’d thought she wanted thirty-minutes ago, but now . . . now she wasn’t ready. She had too many unanswered questions, too many lies had somehow been told. And there had to be a way to differentiate truth from fiction, but she didn’t know what it was. She’d return to the hotel and dig out her father’s letters. Yes, that was it. She’d brought them along to back up her story, and it was a good thing she had. They may be her only proof.
Later, as they traveled back to town, Stephanie tried to explain her concerns to Eric. The buggy bumped across some washboard ruts, tossing them from side to side. Eric said little, which worried her. Was he being drawn in by Langley’s charm and charisma? She hoped not. She had no intention of settling for whatever crumbs the man dealt out.
Having always been suspicious and looking over her shoulder, but not knowing the origins of such wariness, Stephanie wasn’t about to give anything up without evidence. Certainly not on simply Mr. Langley’s word. Not the hotel. Not the bluff estate. Nothing.
Answers and understanding required research, that’s all. She brightened a bit. The sheer logic of the idea was convincing.
~ ~ ~
When she got back to the hotel, she went to her room, gathered a few important papers her father had left behind, and headed to the county seat without Eric. Among leather-bound ledgers, she set about combing over public records, one after another, only to leave disappointed. There was no real evidence that her father owned the house or the hotel . . . or anything else for that matter. All she had were the few scraps of paper covered with her father’s broken script, speaking of his accomplishments.
A glimmer of unease washed over her as she wondered if perhaps Papa had over embellished the facts. Something she hadn’t considered as a possibility until this very moment. Her stomach clenched. This was not how she’d imagined the trip would go.
Dear God, what would she do if his claims were false? She’d barely have enough money to return home. As the panic began to set in, she scrambled for a solution and swallowed her unease as best she could. She would not give up yet.
CHAPTER FIVE
In his hotel office, Connor saw his foreman to the door. He never thought he’d actually miss computers and cell phones and texting, but what he wouldn’t give to be able to contact the Sacramento mine and have what he needed shipped directly to him. Instead, he had conferred with the foreman and had been assured that the cobine he needed had been processed and stored as instructed on his last visit and would be available to him.
“Thank you,” he ground out as politely as he could to the foreman as a crusty miner directed his son in a pointedly wide path around Connor. He snickered at the action, half-tempted to pull his gun from his holster just to see the wiry old man jump. Yes, he was in that kind of mood: reckless, stubborn, and annoyed. He should be on his way to the mine and cobine and then home to the twenty-first century instead of dealing with a woman in whom he was growing more interested by the minute. He couldn’t ignore the way he reacted to her. Not with his fangs elongating and cock growing hard as they were.
The youngster unexpectedly stopped and the old man collided into the boy, then lost his balance. Connor took a giant leap forward and caught the man’s arm before he went down, hauling him back to his feet.
He looked over at the boy, whose jaw hung slack and eyes were wide as saucers. What was with the kid’s stare? Had he let his guard down and revealed his vampire nature?
“You a vigilante, mister?” the kid asked.
“No,” Connor said, puzzled by the question.
“Much obliged, sir.” The miner nodded, placing his hand on the boy’s nape, encouraging the lad to move on.
But when he returned to his desk, he glimpsed his reflection in the wall mirror and froze. The hard facial plains and furrowed brow of a vampire struggling to keep it together couldn’t be his. Could they? He had left that warrior image behind back in the Viking age, when he’d chosen a more civilized path to his existence on this planet
Then he thrust his thoughts way back through his memories, recalling vampire legend and what a woman―a certain “blood mate”—could do to him. And as much as he wanted to deny it, and fight it, and didn’t have the time for it, what he was feeling for Stephanie was more than passing infatuation. His heart beat faster, thumping hard against his breastbone. No, she was fated for him.
And as the mating practice went―within ninety-six hours, just four days, if they were within fifty miles from each other, their union would be consummated, his driving need for her would be undeniable.
He palmed the back of his neck and squeezed. No, this could not be.
Yet, the changes he experienced within his own body told him the truth.
Oh fuck.
He snapped his head around as Stephanie and Eric entered his office. He’d known it was her just by her scent. He was going to have to battle this attraction like the warrior king he was, because no matter what, he couldn’t keep her, couldn’t take her back with
him.
He spun on the heel of his boot and took his place behind the desk. “Have a seat,” he said tightly. There would be no preamble with his explanation. He intended to spell it out and be on his way.
Stephanie’s brows came together. She moistened her lips and then tugged at her lace neckline. Her gaze met his, but she couldn’t hold it for long and diverted to the stack of papers in front of him. Connor slid the small stack over to her, being very careful not to have any direct contact with her. Her touch may send him out of control.
He ground his teeth. “This can all be taken care of quickly enough. You will see I paid off all your father’s debts. He owned nothing. However, I am still willing to extend to you the amount I agreed to before.”
“Ten thousand dollars?” Stephanie inquired, surprise evident in her voice.
“Yes.”
“Why would you do that?”
Connor wanted this to be over and done with, so he didn’t hesitate. “Because your father married my half-sister and they had two sons. So I suppose it makes us family . . . sort of.”
Stephanie fell back against her chair, stunned. “No.”
“I’m sorry he never told you.” He watched the delicate vein on her neck pulse and swallowed hard.
“Oh, Steph,” Eric said. “That would explain why he never came home.”
She held up her hand to silence him, and it trembled. “Don’t.” Her eyes bore into Connor. “Where is this woman and her children now?”
“Still in Sacramento as far as I know.”
Connor rolled his shoulders and couldn’t take his eyes off her. He became lost in the sense of impending doom that hung over him as completely as the storm clouds that dressed the sky outside in bruised charcoal gray.
Stephanie stood suddenly, pressing her hands on the desk and leaning forward. “Then I will accompany you there and you will introduce us.”
Forever At Dawn: The Blood Keeper Series (The Blood Keeper Series, Novella Book 1) Page 4