Chapter 9 #2
With a heavy groan, I carefully pulled my foot free, breathing a sigh of relief that there were no bones protruding or blood spewing.
Ellie May was going nuts, scratching at the door, which was something she never did.
“Whoa. Mommy is trying.” I hadn’t been gone that long, had I? I struggled with getting the key into the lock and as soon as I cracked the door open by a few inches, my giant, muscular girl came bounding from the house, running smack into me.
She recovered quickly and without a whine, leaped off the porch and raced into the darkness. Jesus. I guess she had to go pee.
I was pitched backward, my butt hitting the exact same spot where my foot had gone partially through. I heard a single crack and I dropped by another two inches. I guess I didn’t need to worry about whether my foot had gone all the way through.
My butt had instead.
Just freaking perfect.
Maybe whichever goddess or mistress of the stars had been listening hadn’t liked my wish.
Ellie May’s barking continued, more incessant than before. The deep growl she emitted had nothing to do with needing to go tinkle.
Someone or some beast was on the property, quite possibly the same bear that had been seen in the area. Oh, hell, no. Ellie May thought she was a pit bull, not a lab, and would do her best to take the bear on.
I’d need something to shoo the animal away.
After a few seconds of fighting with getting myself from the hole, I finally tossed my purse and rushed around to the side of the house where I’d left the shovel.
I’d tried to do a little planting. That had failed miserably like almost every other outside project I’d started.
At least it was a perfect weapon to use.
I took off running, following the sound of her barking, slowing only when I drew near.
“Ellie May. Come here.” I don’t know why I was whispering. There was no chance she could hear me over her own barks.
Wait a minute. Why did it sound as if there were two dogs barking? A little flutter ravaged my stomach. Was it possible Viper had returned?
If so, where was his truck? And why was Ellie May’s barking more like someone was invading her space?
I continued moving closer, determined not to allow fear to paralyze me.
With no light fixtures until I reached the barn, only the moonlight was guiding my way. Even with the noise, the walk and the surroundings were creepy as hell.
My fur baby was jumping up and down, trying her best to get over the recently fixed fence.
“Whoa, Ellie May. Stop. Just stop.”
She was having none of obeying her mommy dog.
The utter chaos of constant barking was as jarring as the anxiety pooling in my stomach. Finally, the horses whinnied from inside the barn.
A clear indication.
There had to be an intruder inside. While I couldn’t see a vehicle, that didn’t mean anything. The bastard could have parked on the small access road that led to the back of the property. To another few acres where the fencing needed repair.
I lifted the shovel over my head, scanning right to left before unfastening the shiny new gate latch. Ellie May was even pushier than before, slamming both her paws against the gate. I moved closer to the barn doors, trying to keep my nerve.
Now the shovel was in both hands, every muscle taut like a drum. I was only two feet away when the barn door started moving. Stumbling backward, I took several scattered breaths and took a position just like a baseball player ready to hit the home run.
Only I was eager to knock the block off whatever idiot was stupid enough to invade my privacy.
Of course, I was terrified as I should be.
Only there was no stench of kerosene like a few months before, so I was hopeful the situation was different.
Fantastic. Now I was comparing a horrific crime scent to what could amount to nothing more than a bear sighting.
With another dog engaged in the fight. Ellie May wouldn’t quit barking. Neither would the other dog.
I was leaning more toward an attempted burglary of some kind. Although other than my laptop and maybe one of my mother’s antiques, there was nothing of value to steal. Besides, what kind of criminal brought their pup to a crime scene?
An idiot.
It seemed everything was at a dead standstill, enough so I could catch my breath. Then everything moved into slow motion, the hinges creaking on the wooden door.
Just like in a slasher flick.
As soon as I sensed movement, I took a step forward, swinging the heavy shovel.
“What the…” The voice was deep, dark, and highly pissed off.
Why the hell hadn’t the light over the barn come on? Had I angered every spirit in the heavens today?
Or was it all about my naughtiness from the night before?
Something stopped the swing in midair, the force and strength jarring every muscle and bone in my body.
At the same time, the inertia from being stopped in midair pitched not only me but also the person keeping me from cracking his head open to the ground with me landing on top of the intruder.
We both exclaimed, the air knocked out of us.
Stunned to my core, I couldn’t move for what seemed like a solid thirty seconds, although it couldn’t be.
Then I started to fight like a lion. With one hand still on the shovel, I fought with my fears and with the huge man wiggling under me to take full control. As soon as I managed to slap my other hand on the wooden handle, I jammed it against the intruder’s throat.
“The hell…” His voice was strangled. I’d caught him off guard. I guess he didn’t understand women were damn good at protecting themselves.
“Take that.” My words were ridiculous, but I didn’t have time to find the right ones.
Where was Ellie May and why wasn’t she helping her mama dog fight the attacker?
My momentary blip in paying close attention to what I was doing allowed my attacker to get the upper hand.
He rolled me over, his full weight crushing me into the dirt. Without missing a beat, he yanked the shovel from my hand, tossing it aside and doing the unthinkable.
Plastering his lips on mine.
My entire body began to melt, all the tension floating away. He was rock hard and solid, exactly as I remembered and I was unable to help myself, shifting back and forth not only for my enjoyment but for the bad girl inside of me who didn’t mind teasing him.
Until it dawned on me that he’d scared the hell out of me by breaking into my barn. Granted, it wasn’t locked, but that was totally beside the point.
I did what I could to push him off, kicking and gyrating until I managed to get my hands between us. Somehow, I found the superhuman strength to drive him off, scrambling to crawl out from under him. How was I certain my attacker and fabulous kisser was Viper, the mystery man?
Because of his incredible scent, the same musky testosterone that had lingered on my skin and in my bed until I’d showered and done a load of laundry.
Even then, I’d managed to gather a few whiffs of him from time to time throughout the day.
Oh, what was I thinking?
I finally jumped up and he did at the same time. My reaction was quick and without thinking or any regard to consequences.
My palm found its way to his rugged cheek, slapping the hell out of him.
Just as the overhead floodlight that was supposed to be a motion detector popped on.
“Ow!” he snarled. “Why in the hell did you do that?”
With a heavy glare at the light, I took a deep breath, blowing hair from my face and turning my heated, angry gaze on him.
“Why? Because my dog was going nuts, which made me think there might be a bear. Oh, no. Instead of finding a rounded furry creature with long sharp teeth, I discovered someone camping out in my barn. Of course I looked to see if by chance one of my friends had dropped by, which I’d know if there was a vehicle in sight. ”
“I can explain.”
“However, if a friend had stopped by and noticed I wasn’t here, they would have left, maybe calling or texting me later. Or they would have waited on the porch for me to return home. Not hidden themselves away in the barn. What were you thinking?”
My heart was still in my throat and while I was furious, it wasn’t with him.
Yet with the hard clenching of his chiseled and unshaved jaw, he didn’t seem in the least bit concerned he’d scared the hell out of me.
When he didn’t say anything, I couldn’t take his brutal stare any longer, taking even deeper breaths and noticing the dogs were romping together, running around like crazy animals doing the mating dance.
Meanwhile, I’d reverted to where the entire thing between us had started. I was sweating like a pig from the flashflood effects of momentary terror and the humidity.
“Well?” I threw out, more exasperated than before.
“You want to know the truth?” he asked, far too quiet for the rush of emotions I was experiencing.
“No. Lie to me. Of course I want to know the truth. It’s not that I’m not happy to see you, but not like this. I just… Well, it’s not cool.”
His huff was laced with an emotion that was unrecognizable. “Because I don’t have anywhere else to go. I parked the truck around the side so as not to disturb you and when I heard the horses, I thought I’d make sure they were okay and… And crash with Sailor for the night.”
“What do you mean you don’t have any other place to go? I thought you were staying at a motel?”
“I was. The guy kicked me out. He said it was because of Sailor. The fucking chief of police tossed me from the parking lot of some damn park, even though I wasn’t doing anything.”
The chief of police. Darlene’s father. “Why would he do that?”
“Evidently, he didn’t like my kind.”
“What?”
He snorted. “You heard me.”
“What motel?”
“The Super 8.”
Goddamn it. Now I was pissed.