Read Online Only By Your Touch by Catherine Anderson - Free Book Online Page A

he’d also forfeited his hunting privileges for two years, been fined five thousand dollars, and would serve up to twenty-four months in jail. The arresting deputy had been sporting a black eye and a bloody lip, which he’d received while trying to cuff the offender. Criminals didn’t happily surrender to arrest when they faced such stiff punishments.
    Chloe hadn’t lived here when Bobby Lee Schuck brought the game wardens to Cinnamon Ridge, but she’d heard stories. Half a dozen animals had been confiscated, and Longtree had received a hefty fine along with a warning that he would be arrested if he were caught breaking the law again.
    He didn’t strike her as being dim-witted, so why wasn’t he concerned about her seeing all this? An awful thought occurred to her. Maybe he had no fear of her turning him in because he didn’t intend to give her the chance.
    Chloe tightened her grip on her son’s hand. Behind her, a wolf and cougar blocked her escape. Yesterday,Lucy Gant’s allegations that this man had done murder and disposed of his victims’ bodies had seemed outlandish. Now Chloe wasn’t laughing. Normal people didn’t let an adult cougar lounge around like an ordinary house cat.
    “If you don’t practice as a vet anymore, what do you do for a living?”
    “This and that.”
    His reply did little to allay her concerns. This home had cost him a pretty penny. He had to be making money. The question was, doing what?
    “I’m a dispatcher at the sheriff’s department.”
    Chloe silently congratulated herself on slipping that into the conversation. Their chances of getting out of there would be much better if he realized she was on friendly terms with individuals who would search for her if she disappeared.
    He flicked the IV tube with his finger and readjusted the clip. His lips thinned, deepening the slashes that bracketed each corner of his mouth. “Jeremy mentioned that you’d just moved here. How do you like the new job?”
    His burning blue gaze started at her toes and traveled slowly upward. Chloe had sworn off men, and her sensual radar was definitely rusty, but she still recognized an appreciative once-over when she got one. She locked her knees to stop them from quaking.
    Oh, God . He was a very large man. If he was bent on keeping them here, she was in big trouble. His arms and shoulders rippled with strength every time he moved, and she’d seen how fast he was with his hands when he collared the wolf. She had pitted her strength against Roger’s more than once and always come out the loser. She still remembered how it felt to see stars and manage to stay on her feet by sheerforce of will. Even worse, she knew that even willpower wouldn’t keep her standing if a man like Longtree put his weight behind a blow.
    His examination of her person ended at her face. Arching one eyebrow, he met her gaze with an insolent challenge. In that moment—which seemed inexorably long—Chloe had the eerie feeling he knew what she was thinking. Even worse, the twitch of his lips told her he found her fear of him amusing.
    Today the Stetson was absent, giving her a better view of his face. Black eyebrows without a hint of an arch capped eyes as blue as the ocean on a summer day. His features had the hard, sharp edges of chipped granite polished to a high sheen. He wore his shoulder-length hair loose with a multicolored braided cord serving as a headband to keep the glossy strands out of his eyes.
    For the life of her, Chloe couldn’t remember what he’d asked her. Standing there, she felt numb yet excruciatingly nervous, trying to recall his last words. Her job, she finally remembered.
    “So far, I love the work.” She really, really wished her voice wouldn’t squeak. “I’ve never worked in a place where everyone’s so friendly.” She swallowed to clear her throat. “Frank Bower—one of the deputies—has a daughter, Tracy, who’s turned out to be the nicest sitter Jeremy’s ever