Jasper
Isip my coffee and open up my computer. I haven’t had shit for sleep and I called my mom and asked her if she could keep an eye on Claudia for awhile this morning. It’s not my shift but my nerves are tingling and have been since last night.
Willow Wilder had been absolutely wrecked last night. So shy and quiet. Defenseless and fragile. My whole damn body ached to pull her to me and dare anybody to come near her. I want to kill anybody that even looks at her funny.
That’s not me but I can’t seem to make myself stop.
And as soon as I punched Willow Wilder into the system, I knew exactly why she is a wreck. The police report came up immediately. It’s only been a year. But the information was enough to give me chills.
Crazed stalker fan. Shy little writer at a book signing. The words on the screen blur until all I see is a red haze of fury.
Somebody hurt her. Badly.
I scroll through pages of interviews and reports. There were a ton of witnesses to it. He didn’t even try and hide what he was doing.
But nobody managed to stop him until it was too late.
I go to the damn search engine and start looking up newspaper reports and the lurid details are so much worse than the police report.
They’re saying it’s a miracle that she survived. They have pictures of her tiny figure lying there on the ground surrounded by blood and ruined books.
Her eyes are closed and she’s pale and lifeless. My hands shake as I scroll down the page, reading each story, looking for anything to add to the story. To find out who the hell I have to kill.
But he’s in jail. Or he was.
I pull up the current incarcerations and immediately my blood freezes in my veins.
He’s out. For at least a month. And of course they didn’t actually let her know.
Because they think he’s sane. But when I look at the pictures I can see the wild, insane look in his cold eyes.
And he might be here. He might have been in her house, outside her bathroom door and turning that damn knob, trying to get in.
“Fuck this shit,” I growl under my breath.
I’ve got to take care of this immediately. I grab my keys and don’t even pause when Cal glances up at me. “Finally going home?”
“Something like that,” I growl under my breath. He just grunts and goes back to his paperwork. We’re not busy this early in the morning but there’s always something to do even with our small town.
The hardware store is open already. I push through the doors and grunt at the owner. He grins. “Need something, Sheriff?”
“Lock. Security cameras. Deadbolts. Everything.”
He nods his head. “Check the back of the store. The last aisle.”
I nod at him and head for the back, grabbing a cart and filling it up as I go. I need tools and screws and who the fuck knows what else. I’m not in construction but I can damn sure follow instructions if it’s going to keep Willow Wilder safe.
My hands shake as I toss more stuff into the cart, barely seeing any of it.
I just see her wide eyes with the sooty lashes staring at me. Terrified.
Nobody gets to put that look in her eyes.
It takes about half an hour and an obscene amount of money that I’m sure there’s going to be gossip about shortly. But I don’t give a shit. I have stuff to do.
I stop by the diner and barely grunt at Bev. She’s used to it by now though and she immediately heads to the back to get me my usual. An egg sandwich and hash browns on the side.
“To go, Bev. And can you add another breakfast sandwich and hash browns and blueberry pancakes and maybe a platter of scrambled eggs and bacon too.”
Her eyes widen but she doesn’t say a word. She knows I won’t answer her. She also knows that the gossip will catch up to her sooner or later. Probably from my own mother.
“Shit. Add another platter of blueberry pancakes, Bev.”
She nods at me and rolls her eyes.
I sit down in the seat right by the door, my toes tapping in my boots. But I can’t sit still and I stand up to pace around.
The town is starting to wake up and there’s a slow stream of customers heading our way.
Luckily, Bev hands me my bags and takes my card as I pace by her. “You okay, Sheriff?”
Jerking a nod, I take my stuff and head for the door. “Thanks, Bev.”
She sighs. “Yep. Have a good day, Sheriff.”
It takes me fifteen minutes to get to Willow’s place and I leave the bags and head for the door, my hands clenching at my side.
Banging on it, I rest my other hand on the door jamb until those soft eyes peer out the little window. “Open the door, Willow.”
“Why?” She asks me, breathless and a little hoarse. Like she just woke up.
Now I’m picturing her lying in bed, her curls like flames across the cream sheets and pillowcases. Her eyes would open up and she’d smile at me, her soft arms reaching out for me.
Shaking my head, I jerk my ass back under control. This woman fucks me up so quickly. I can’t go for more than five minutes without thinking about her.
“I need to take care of something I missed last night.” I missed her. What the fuck is wrong with me?
The door creaks open slowly and she eyes me like I’m a bomb about to go off.
“Good, you’re dressed. Get your shoes.”
Her red brows lift and she stares at me, her mouth hanging open. Pink and pretty. A little cupid’s bow at the top that my tongue wants to lick.
Shit!
“I’m gonna take you back to my place for awhile. I need to take care of some extra stuff here.”
Her shoulders stiffen and she bristles like a little kitten. She’s damn adorable in her pretty, soft green sweater. It makes her hazel eyes look more green.
“What exactly do you need to do?”
“I’m gonna change your locks.”
Her head rears back and her full lips tighten. “Is that something the Sheriff does around here?”
I love the little suspicious note in her voice. It’s so cute.
“Not all the time,” I growl.
She huffs and goes to shut the door. “I don’t need your pity, Sheriff. I’m guessing you looked up the reports for the incident and now you feel sorry for me. I don’t need it.”
“I do not feel sorry for you. But I want to do this for you.”
“Why?” She huffs again.
“Because…” I run my fingers through my auburn hair and wince. “I don’t fucking know. I just need to.”
I don’t want to tell her that he’s out. Don’t want to see her little spark of indignation hidden under fear again.
I like the spark.
But that doesn’t mean I’m gonna let her sass me like this.
She turns to shut the door and I catch it with my hand. She just glares at me.
I fucking love it.
“Get in the car before I put you in the car, little sprite.”
Her brow crinkles at me. “I don’t like pet names.”
“Too bad. Now get in the car.”
“Or what, Sheriff?”
“Or I’m gonna put your little ass in it and you’re gonna go anyway. So if you want to stay on your own feet, get your shoes and let’s go.”
Her shoulders stiffen but she grabs her shoes and locks the door. For all the good that broken lock’s gonna do.
I open the front door and she slides inside with one last glare at me.
My lips curl. Dammit, she’s cute.
“Buckle up, sweetheart.”
Rolling her eyes, she buckles herself in and then stares out the window without even glancing at me once.
That’s alright. She’ll get over it and once I get that house locked tight, she’ll be a helluva lot safer.
I can live with her being pissed at me.
I drive to my house and once I stop, I get out and smile when a tiny little missile with my auburn curls barrels out the door and leaps into my arms.
“Hey, kiddo!” I kiss the top of her head and she giggles.
“Where have you been, Daddy?”
The woman just getting out gasps and I can almost feel her glare over the hood of my car.
I try not to grin.
My mom steps outside the door and hollers, “Jasper Lockhart! You better have breakfast for that poor girl with you. I’ve raised you better than to leave a lady standing around outside and hungry.”
Nodding, I grin at Willow. “Yeah, mom. I’ve got a bunch of food for everybody.”
Claudia grabs my cheeks. “Pancakes?” She asks breathlessly.
“Absolutely, baby.”
“Yay!” She struggles in my arms and when I put her feet down, she races for the house past my mom.
“Wash your hands, young lady!” No response except a hand that could be saying yes or flipping us off.
I choose to believe the former.
“I hope that I’m not bothering your wife,” Willow huffs.
Grinning at her angry red cheeks, I reach in and grab the bags. “I’m not married, little sprite.”
“I didn’t ask that,” she growls, her cheeks red, her eyes darting left and right.
“Come on, baby. Time to eat.”
She follows along behind me, huffing angrily. My mom eyes me and raises a brow.
But she doesn’t say a thing.
“You’re staying to eat, right?”
Shaking my head, I grab a sandwich and hash browns and some silverware. “I’ve got to get Willow’s house fixed. I’ll be back later.”
I kiss my mother’s pale cheek and she sighs. “You’re going to explain this later.”
I grin at her cheekily. “I’d expect nothing less from you.”
Then I take one last look at my little sprite and head back to my car and pull out.
Time to get that damn house fixed up so the next stalker doesn’t think he can break in and touch my girl.
Unless he wants to go home in a bodybag.