Page 76 of Shephard

“I know, baby. I know. We’re going.” I’d found myself enjoying time with Maggie, even if it had been difficult to pull my mind off Shephard and the dance. Or the feel of his hard body pressed against mine.

I’d darted looks in his direction when he thought I wasn’t looking. But he always was. At least that’s what it had seemed like from across the bar. I’d even been stupid enough to head to the restroom in hopes he would follow.

I was such a child, the games we were playing getting ridiculous.

Pepper was more than eager to do her business before bed. As soon as I opened the door, she rushed out, squatting and peeing near the cabin. The night was beautiful although chillier than I’d thought it was supposed to be. I remained on the porch for a few seconds, staring up at the bright moon. There was just enough cleared land surrounding the cabin to allow me to gaze at the stars.

It truly was beautiful here and very safe. Even with the murders from before. My gut told me they had nothing to do with the townspeople or the typical crimes I’d seen before. But it would appear I’d never know. I felt my pocket, more than eager to jump into whatever Maggie had put on the drive. The fact the drug had been present in at least one of the victims led me to believe we did have a revenge killer in our midst. The person responsible was settling a score with someone he knew, a betrayal.

That didn’t make the horrible nature of the crimes any more palatable.

A sudden low growl somewhere in the woods instantly put me on edge. “Pepper. Come.” The one thing that Pepper remained curious about was other animals. Bears included. Her first encounter had scared me to death and helped me realize the big brown creatures were as much a part of the scenery as the hiking trails. However, her training usually prevented her from acting on her curiosity.

When my pup didn’t come right away, I moved off the porch. The floodlight I’d installed was high in wattage, but the light disappeared in the trees almost instantly.

“Pepper.”

Her growl was followed by a strange bark then a sharp cry. Something was terribly wrong. I raced in the direction of the sound, my pulse skyrocketing.

“Pepper!” The next sound nearly tore my heart into. She was injured.

I didn’t care that it was dark or that I’d been stupid enough to walk out of the house without some kind of protection. I wouldsave her. I flew through the trees, batting away what few limbs I could see.

A cracking sound forced the hairs to stand up on the back of my neck. Stopping short, I was angry that some horrible animal would dare hurt my baby.

“Pepper.” I said it quietly. I was no bear expert, but I was in a dangerous position if the creature was as close as I believed him to be.

Suddenly, Pepper was right there by my side. She nuzzled against my leg, her body shaking. What in the hell had happened? From what I could tell, she hadn’t been injured, just terrified. But I needed to get her inside.

Raw fear trickled up my spine from my recklessness.

“Come on. Let’s get you home.” I would never leave my house without a weapon again. I took quick steps, but could tell something or someone was following us. The moment we stepped into the light, Pepper growled all over again.

“You should keep that bitch on a leash. I’ve told you that before.”

There was an odd sense of things at that moment. The past had come to haunt me in one of the most beautiful places on earth. I grabbed Pepper’s collar to prevent her from lunging at the asshole. As I turned around, I realized exactly what had happened to her.

The first horrible thing Jameson had done was to drive a hard punch into Pepper’s throat when he thought I wasn’t looking. That was the first time we’d argued. It was also the day I should have left him. All the apologies and promises in the world hadn’tchanged things in the three months after the incident. The only thing I could say was that I hadn’t waited any longer.

Yet three months seemed like a lifetime.

“If you ever lay a hand on my dog again, I will kill you.” The words were easy to say for me. I meant them too.

“I’d like to see you try.”

“What are you doing here, you son of a bitch?” He’d found me. It wasn’t as if I’d changed my name, but the fact he was hundreds of miles away from his beloved fiancée put a little fear of God into me.

“I think you know what I want.”

“Do I?”

When he took a step closer, fisting both his hands, I was certain Pepper was going to free herself from my hold.

“I think you better leave.”

As Shephard stepped from the shadows, a gun in his hands, the intense light provided a glow around him. It was almost surreal, just like him showing up out of the blue.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Jameson snorted. I’ll be damned if the jerk didn’t act like he was going to get into a fight with someone five inches taller and sixty plus pounds heavier.