When her father passed, the family land had become her possession, as she was his only child. At least, it was hers according to a handwritten note Merlin Davis had written a week before his death. Skylar had lived in the house until shed moved to Duluth for college. Eventually, shed made her way back to the town of Checker Hill and set up shop as the resident veterinarian. Shed never gotten much business. The townspeople were leery of the name Davis. Now this home felt too big for one person, but it was a comfort to nestle onto the aged leather sofa in the evenings, blanket wrapped about her shoulders, and admire the photos of her and her dad that she kept on each and every wall.
You want something to drink? Ive got lemonade.
Joe grabbed her by the upper arm to stop her from fleeing across the open floor plan living area and into the kitchen.
What is it? She shrugged out of his grasp with a huff. He looked concerned now. Too much so. She didnt want any mans pity.
Seriously? Skylar, Im not here for lemonade. Im here to make sure youre okay. And not bleeding. He looked from her head down to her shoulders and all the way to her feet, then back up again. Andwhere did the shots come from? Do you know who it was? How long has it been? I should go outside and take a look around. Its this way, right?
He headed through the living area and skirted the long quartz kitchen counter. Toward the back of the house sat the screened-in sunporch that stretched the width of the cabin and overlooked the lake. Once before, hed been in this cabin. When her father had been dying, hed come to pay his respects. But how dare he traipse on through
Skylar stopped herself from reprimanding him. He was here on duty. And she had called the police for help, much as her better judgment had screamed for her not to. Would she hear about this from her uncle? On the other hand, maybe Malcolm Davis already knew about the incident. And, yes, that thought sickened Skylar.
Just through the sliding doors, she called to Joe. You can take the deck stairs down to the backyard.
After grabbing her cowboy hat, which rested on the back of the couch and which she wore like any other woman might wear earrings or a favorite necklace, she followed the mans bowlegged pace out to the deck.
Standing on the high wood deck, which was stilted ten feet up due to the slope of the ground below, Joe took in everything. The perimeter of the yard was round, echoing out from the firepit in the center. Surrounding the yard were striped hostas that grew thick and lush in the shade provided by the paper birch and sugar maple.
He took the stairs down to the ground. Where were you? Were you burning a fire?
He walked over to the fire pit and peered over it. Burnt cedar lingered in the air. As well, the grass was speckled with gray ash flakes from her hastily dowsing the flames with the garden hose after calling the sheriff.
Skylar cringed when she noticed the wedding dress was only half burned and melted among the charred logs. She hadnt thought to cover up what shed been doing. It had been a personal moment. A much-needed ritual of release. A reclaiming of her power.
Joe scratched his head. Hands at his hips, head cocked downward, he stared at the remnants of the dress. Skylar didnt want to answer the question that must be lighting all the circuits in his brain right now.
Tell me everything, he said. Then he stretched his gaze around the backyard and out toward the lake. Did you get a look at the shooter? Were they on your property? Cruising by in a boat? Partyers out for a spin on the lake?
I dont know. Skylar walked over to the smoldering fire pit and stood beside the hitching post, which she utilized as a stand to hang roasting sticks and an emergency water bucket she always kept filled when she was burning.
I was burning a few things. And I was about here. She stepped to the right a few feet and Joe turned to eye her intently. Dark stubble shadowed his jaw. The golden evening light, beaming through the tree canopy, granted his eyes a rich emerald cast. Everything about the man was intense, dark andwaiting on her.
Yes, here, she decided, stomping her boot toe into the grass. I was talking to Stella
There was someone else here?
Stella, my wolf.
Yourwolf? He hooked his hands in the back pockets of his pants and looked about. What the? You took in a wolf cub?
Stella has been with me a few years. I found her in a snare trap when she was a pup. I hate it when hunters call those things humane. They are anything but. I took her to the office in town and had to amputate her back leg. Since then, shes flourished. Shes not around right now.
Skylar scanned the area. The wolf must be off with the half-dozen chickenssurprisingly, her best friends. Stella was protective of Skylar, but she always left the immediate area when visitors or company arrived. She was a little skittish until she could scent out the newcomer, and then she would eventually put in an appearance.
I do rehabilitate animals, Skylar pointed out to Joe, who nodded.
Right. I just thought keeping a wolf as a pet
I have a permit.
Sure. Still, they are a wild animal. He gave her a side glance that dripped with judgment.
She had nowhere else to go. I tried to get her to return to the pack, but they wouldnt have it.
Uh-huh. He wasnt having it, either.
Yes, wolves were wild and should never be kept as pets. Skylar agreed with that wholeheartedly. But when injured and abandoned by their pack, the wolfs only future was living as a loner. And for a pup living out in the wild populated with predators, the fate was most certainly a cruel death.
It didnt matter to her what Joe thought of her choice to keep Stella. Skylar loved her like a family member.
So you were standing right there and? he prompted.
I was watching the flames, talking to Stella andat first I felt something on my ear. Thought it was a wicked mosquito bite.
She touched her ear and Joe stepped forward. It was well past the supper hour, and the forest edging her backyard filtered the setting sun, turning it into a hazy twilight. He dug out a small flashlight from a back pocket and shone it on her ear. The man stood so close she could smell his aftershavesomething subtle yet masculine with a hint of lemony citronella.
He examined her ear, which had been nicked on the top and had bled minimally. Of course, shed gasped at the sight of it in the bathroom mirror. Shed never been so close to being killed in her life. And that had angered more than frightened her. What would have become of Stella and the other animals she cared for if she had died? The thought of them being relocated, or worse, was heart wrenching.
As Joe looked her over, she studied his face. There were three Cash brothers, all born and raised in Crooked Creek, a sister town to Checker Hill. There wasnt a female in either of the two close towns who didnt know who they were, because those boys were genetic anomalies, fashion models roughed up by the wild. Sinuous and muscular. So sexy. And Joes deep green eyes were a thing to behold.
If that bullet had been half an inch closer The man suddenly bowed his head and winced.
Skylar was taken aback by his reaction. Joe? Whats wrong? Im okay.
Right. He lifted his head and his jaw pulsed with tension. You always were able to take care of yourself.
Right. He lifted his head and his jaw pulsed with tension. You always were able to take care of yourself.
Hed learned exactly what shed hoped to teach him about her. Regrettably.
Skylar lifted her chin bravely. Still can take care of myself.
Being shot at is no way to go about it, Skylar. If anything would have happened to you He winced again and looked aside, toward the fire pit.
Skylar found herself leaning forward in hopes of him finishing that sentence. Then again, she suspected how he would finish it. Hed never hidden his interest in her. And she wasnt prepared for such a statement right now.
If only hed said as much to her two months earlier. Of course, then hed been avoiding her like the plague.
It was well deserved on her part.
He placed his hands akimbo and scanned the lake. Do you know what direction the shot was fired from?
She pointed out through the gap in the bowed birch trees that shed always thought of as a sort of pulled-back curtain to the stage of the lake. I feel like it came from that way.
See anyone down by the shore?
She shook her head. Then she remembered, and turned to point out the bullet holes that had splintered and pierced the hitching post.
Two? Joe bent to study the post with the flashlight. These are clean, and one goes all the way through. He paused and glanced at her as if to temper his words for her tender ears.
Im a big girl, Joe. You can say the bad stuff without offending or scaring me.
I guess so. He returned his attention to the holes and tapped the post with a finger. I have some evidence bags in the truck. Im going to grab them, but I should also call in someone to take some photos and His attention veered to the ground behind the post. Heres a bullet.
He tugged out a black latex glove from his pocket, pulled it on and picked up the bullet from the ground. It was long, and Skylar leaned in to peer at it as he did.
Joe swore.
What is it? she asked.
My dad collects guns, and he taught me and my brothers a lot about the different types and their ammunition. This is most definitely from a high-powered rifle, Skylar.
I dont understand. Not the usual hunting rifle?
Nope. If that had been the case, that hitching post would be pocked with lead shot. As well as you.
Skylar sucked in a breath.
Sorry. Didnt mean to say that.
She nodded, no longer feeling quite as strong as she wanted to.
Joe turned and again cast a glance across the lake. I dont think the shooter was close. Could have been across the lake. Which means this is some serious business.
He turned to face her directly and asked, Whats going on? Why would someone be shooting at you? Skylar, is there something you need to tell me?
Chapter Three
Joe had rushed to Skylars home upon getting the call from Dispatch. Simply hearing her name had been all hed needed to become immersed in those old familiar feelings he always got whenever he thought about the tall, sexy blonde. Feelings he wasnt prepared to let emerge right now, because then hed have to struggle with what had once felt like heartache.
Hell, who was he kidding? It had been, and still was, heartache.
Save for occasionally spying her walking into the grocery store or out of the local café, he hadnt spoken to her for almost a year. That had been a purposeful avoidance.
Long, tawny blond hair spilled over her shoulders. And that cowboy hat she always wore shaded her blue eyes, but in the rich evening twilight, a flash of sun from across the lake created glints like sapphires in those irises. And when she parted her soft pink lips to speak, Joes heart thundered.
I dont know what you think I should know, Joe, she said. How can I know who was shooting at me?
Drawn back to the moment, he briefly met her gazeand almost fell into that heartache again. But he managed to snag a grip on the present and pull himself up and into business mode.
Its standard procedure to ask a lot of questions after an incident like this, he said. Any details you can provide that might help me figure this out? He cast his gaze across the lake again. It had to have come from across the lake.
Really? That far away? Its a good three-quarters of a mile to the other side.
Sniper rifles can hit a target miles away. My brother, Jason, used to be one of the best when he waswell. Jason didnt like his family to talk about the fact he used to be a CIA agent. And most didnt know that he had been. Not that it was such a rifle. Nothings been confirmed yet. But whoever made that shot
It wasnt right to be impressed at a moment like this, but that was some distance to the other side of the lake. Had to have been a boat driving by.
Skylar blew out a breath, but it had a nervous vibration to it. She suddenly stepped to the side and wobbled. Joe caught her arm and shoulder against his chest and hugged her. The scent of pine and lemons teased his nose. He slid a hand down to her waist and across her back to offer her a sturdy hold.
You okay?
She nodded, but her expression indicated she was far from okay.
Lets get you inside. I dont think its wise to stand out here.
You think they could still be out there? Its been over an hour.
Unlikely. He helped her walk toward the deck. But you could use a cup of tea or something.
Brandy, she said, then laughed. Oh, Joe, I guess it did throw me. I was fine after I called the police. But now
As they approached the deck stairs, a dog came padding out from the forest that edged the north side of the house.
But wait. That was no dog.
Stella has finally decided you pass muster. Skylar gripped the deck railing and sat on the second step from the bottom. Just give me a minute, will you?
Of course. While Skylar sat to settle her nerves, Joe whistled to the approaching animal. A timber wolf.
Shes my rescue sweetie. Hey, Stella.
The beautiful wolf approached on light footsteps, her gold eyes and coal nose aimed for Joe. Her tail was held slightly erect, with a bit of a kink to it. Warning, but cautiously optimistic. Hed known that Skylar had found a wolf pup in a trap a few years ago, and thought shed rehabilitated it and sent it off to its pack. But to keep it as a pet?
By instinct, he dropped to one knee and bowed his head as Stella neared. One thing a human should never do was look a wolf directly in the eye. It was a sign of challenge and authority that he dared not risk with this unfamiliar wolf. He noticed a slight hop to her step. She managed very well on three legs.
Raising his head, Joe held out his hand but did not stretch toward the curious animal. She would sniff him out, decide what she thought about him. As she had likely been doing when shed been hiding in the woods. A wolfs sense of smell was far superior to that of a dogs. Stella had already decided whether he was friend or foe. Because of that, he felt honored that shed come out to greet him.
The wolf approached on careful footsteps, stretching out her neck to sniff at Joes fingers. Her tail unkinked and waggled slightly.