liked it. Made his solar plexus stir with energy.
Before he got lost staring at her one more time, he turned and silently walked the direction of her house. The night air was already freezing, and it helped remedy his blurred thoughts.
He didn’t know what it was about her, but he liked her, like the way she looked, the way she talked, the way her huge eyes gazed at him. Liked all of it. And he wasn’t too sure what to do about that, about how his body wanted to touch her, keep touching her, kiss her neck...
Jesus, focus, he reminded himself.
He stayed close to the copse, letting it camouflage him, while he studied the ground. The frost was thick and fast, making his own boot prints standout like a red lantern in a city. A few feet from her porch, he stopped and saw dark skid marks along the pale frozen grass. Someone had tried to walk sideways, as if more concerned with looking into her house than making tracks.
God damn it. He knew it. Meredith wasn’t mad. Someone had been after her.
He crouched low and listened intently. The first noise entering his consciousness was something moving in her barn. Taking three quick breaths, he sprinted across her front garden, now dead from the season. Then he sprang open the barn’s door.
Two black kittens arched their backs, hissing and then scurrying away from him. A cow mooed, then another. Chickens began to squawk. Ah, hell.
He finally took another breath when he was sure he was the only human in the barn. Extending a hand, he gingerly crouched low, approaching where the little black cats had hidden behind some haystacks.
“Sorry, little ones. Sorry.”
One of the tikes immediately came out and twirled around his hand, easily forgiving Jake for the fright. The other stayed behind the hay, glaring at him.
Jake nodded, as if to comrades. “You see a man here, peeking in the windows?”
The forgiving kitten swiped his whole body along Jake’s hand. Without thinking, he scratched the cat along his feline jaw. After a beat, he stood and walked back toward the barn’s yawning door. A black shadow zipped in front of him, and stopped right where Jake would have kicked the kitten if he weren’t paying attention. He couldn’t help but laugh at the lovable black fur ball.
Stepping over the kitten, then beginning a dance where the cat kept trying to trip him, and Jake kept trying to get out of the barn, he finally saw the horse tracks. The bastard who had been watching Meredith had tied his horse close to the barn. After inspecting a little more around her drive, with a black shadow accompanying him every step of the way, he saw tracks. One set. Man’s boots. The tracks ran along the front garden and over the porch. The man had stood in front of a window for an extended moment, ensuring no frost where’d stood, transfixed by Meredith, Jake presumed. That confirmed it, damn it. Someone had been spying on her. The lurker also had walked several times around a large contraption on her porch, more than likely the shower she had spoken of.
Then Jake followed the prints back to the barn, where the man had obviously taken his horse and ridden...west. Back toward town or Great Falls, or, hell, anywhere but here, Jake hoped.
Yes, Meredith was definitely not mad and a prickle of fear tickled down his spine, making him worry about her in the trees yonder.
Picking up the tripping kitten, he opened his waistcoat for the fur ball, then strode toward Meredith at a clipped pace.
He caught up to her quickly. She sat still on the horse, her eyes so wide, her face so pale, even in the moonlight Jake could easily see that. Through it all though, she was bonny, and he couldn’t help but like the fact that she’d snuggled into his coat and plaid.
But as he neared, her head cocked, some of her rich brown curls poured over to one side. He noticed she was staring at his chest, where the kitten had decided to make a pincushion out of him. Wincing, he extracted the cat and handed it
Before he got lost staring at her one more time, he turned and silently walked the direction of her house. The night air was already freezing, and it helped remedy his blurred thoughts.
He didn’t know what it was about her, but he liked her, like the way she looked, the way she talked, the way her huge eyes gazed at him. Liked all of it. And he wasn’t too sure what to do about that, about how his body wanted to touch her, keep touching her, kiss her neck...
Jesus, focus, he reminded himself.
He stayed close to the copse, letting it camouflage him, while he studied the ground. The frost was thick and fast, making his own boot prints standout like a red lantern in a city. A few feet from her porch, he stopped and saw dark skid marks along the pale frozen grass. Someone had tried to walk sideways, as if more concerned with looking into her house than making tracks.
God damn it. He knew it. Meredith wasn’t mad. Someone had been after her.
He crouched low and listened intently. The first noise entering his consciousness was something moving in her barn. Taking three quick breaths, he sprinted across her front garden, now dead from the season. Then he sprang open the barn’s door.
Two black kittens arched their backs, hissing and then scurrying away from him. A cow mooed, then another. Chickens began to squawk. Ah, hell.
He finally took another breath when he was sure he was the only human in the barn. Extending a hand, he gingerly crouched low, approaching where the little black cats had hidden behind some haystacks.
“Sorry, little ones. Sorry.”
One of the tikes immediately came out and twirled around his hand, easily forgiving Jake for the fright. The other stayed behind the hay, glaring at him.
Jake nodded, as if to comrades. “You see a man here, peeking in the windows?”
The forgiving kitten swiped his whole body along Jake’s hand. Without thinking, he scratched the cat along his feline jaw. After a beat, he stood and walked back toward the barn’s yawning door. A black shadow zipped in front of him, and stopped right where Jake would have kicked the kitten if he weren’t paying attention. He couldn’t help but laugh at the lovable black fur ball.
Stepping over the kitten, then beginning a dance where the cat kept trying to trip him, and Jake kept trying to get out of the barn, he finally saw the horse tracks. The bastard who had been watching Meredith had tied his horse close to the barn. After inspecting a little more around her drive, with a black shadow accompanying him every step of the way, he saw tracks. One set. Man’s boots. The tracks ran along the front garden and over the porch. The man had stood in front of a window for an extended moment, ensuring no frost where’d stood, transfixed by Meredith, Jake presumed. That confirmed it, damn it. Someone had been spying on her. The lurker also had walked several times around a large contraption on her porch, more than likely the shower she had spoken of.
Then Jake followed the prints back to the barn, where the man had obviously taken his horse and ridden...west. Back toward town or Great Falls, or, hell, anywhere but here, Jake hoped.
Yes, Meredith was definitely not mad and a prickle of fear tickled down his spine, making him worry about her in the trees yonder.
Picking up the tripping kitten, he opened his waistcoat for the fur ball, then strode toward Meredith at a clipped pace.
He caught up to her quickly. She sat still on the horse, her eyes so wide, her face so pale, even in the moonlight Jake could easily see that. Through it all though, she was bonny, and he couldn’t help but like the fact that she’d snuggled into his coat and plaid.
But as he neared, her head cocked, some of her rich brown curls poured over to one side. He noticed she was staring at his chest, where the kitten had decided to make a pincushion out of him. Wincing, he extracted the cat and handed it
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