Page 2 of Her Rugged Guardian

At least I could still laugh given my baby’s exclamation point placed next to my terrified statement.

“I know. I promised you excitement. Maybe everything will look brighter in the morning. Right, buddy?”

His silence meant he doubted my promise. I doubted myself as well. As I opened the driver’s door to my rental car, memories and fleeting images of my mother drifted into the back of my mind. I couldn’t help but wonder if I should have taken almost everyone’s advice and sold the place, even if that’s not what my mother had wanted. Still, I was in way over my head. I’d been in Depoe Bay, Oregon all of two hours and I’d come to that conclusion.

Time to seize the day.

Right. Maybe what I needed to do was to seize my sanity. I was a big city girl used to condo living. The thought of living in a bed and breakfast had seemed like the perfect step in a journey, a way of leaving my past behind. Now I suspected I’d gone cuckoo.

At least the air was fresh, the hint of salt from the ocean and the greenery of the dense forest surrounding the property a pleasant respite from living in the heart of DC. Just driving through town on my way here was a reminder of how small the town really was. Tomorrow I’d go exploring.

“Come on, bud. Time to go inside.”

Moose was reluctant to scamper onto the gravel drive. When he did, he immediately started sniffing. I grabbed a couple of bags before closing the door. The rest could wait until later. I’d sold a significant portion of my belongings including every piece of my beloved furniture. A fresh start. That’s what I’d told myself. The majority of what I’d brought with me had arrived the day before; the few boxes I’d paid a hefty fee to cart with me on the plane were the items I’d been terrified to lose.

As I headed to the porch, a strange, foreboding sense remained. I could swear I was being watched.

Now you’re being ridiculous.

I jerked my jacket around me as I headed for the porch, gazing up at the dark windows for a second time. They weren’t brighter. I could almost swear the devil was winking at me. “Come on, baby boy. It’s time to make this our home.”

At least his single bark held more enthusiasm.

Wind whipped through the trees, the chill in the air unexpected. I took a deep breath as I headed up the six stairs, trying to prepare myself for walking inside. After counting to five, I opened the storm door, trying to snag the keys from my purse. My entire body was chilled to the bone from the light jacket I’d worn.

“Fuck,” I cursed under my breath, dropping them three times before managing to slide the correct one into the lock. When I twisted the key, it acted as if it wasn’t the right one.

With no light on outside, the sliver of moon hidden behind thick clouds, I could barely see a thing and I hadn’t thought to bring a flashlight with me. I was lucky I’d remembered my brain at this point, the entire last four weeks a huge blur of activity and finalizing paperwork.

And sadness.

“Please don’t do this to me. Please.” I tried it again and groaned. The damn thing appeared to be stuck.

Moose whined as he nuzzled my leg, as eager to crawl into bed as I was. I prayed the cleaning company I’d hired had already been here. As soon as the lock clicked, I almost squealed in delight. Igrabbed one of the bags, the door sticking after a few inches. Of course it would. The slight creak gave me the willies. My mother had never said anything about the place being haunted, but at this point I wasn’t certain it wasn’t. My trepidation had to be all about the darkness.

If only the plane hadn’t been late. Then I’d been forced to wait until Moose was unloaded. The poor pup had drooled all over his cage. I couldn’t blame him. He was far too large to fit into a medium-size crate. He was a happy-go-lucky pup normally, but he’d used his big dog growl, terrifying the airport personnel, which thankfully had helped in getting him released quickly.

When he woofed a single time, I scratched him behind the ears. “Yes, I remembered the dog biscuits, buddy. That will be first on the agenda.”

Thankfully, I’d gotten a text that the few boxes I’d sent ahead had arrived earlier in the day. My mother’s attorney had charged me a fortune to handle the delivery, but I was thankful that I’d gone to the expense. I had a feeling I needed all the creature comforts around me I could have.

I tried to be careful with the door, but finally kicked it with my foot, lumbering inside. A light was on in the back of the house, the warm glow creating more foreboding shadows. Maybe the cleaning people had left it on for me. What a nice touch.

Hell, they should have left roses and a bottle of champagne for what they charged me. Still, it would be worth every penny if they’d tackled everything promised from their list. I lowered the bags to the floor, taking a deep breath.

Then I heard a noise.

A clang.

Swallowing hard, I grabbed Moose’s collar to keep him from reacting. Maybe it was nothing. Possibly the old pipes. No, my mother had told me all the plumbing had been redone.Okay, breathe. Just breathe.I took another step, convinced whatever I’d heard were normal house sounds when I heard an entirely different sound. I yanked out my phone, my fingers shaking. No reception. Shit. Maybe I should just drive away, heading toward the police station. It would be helpful if I knew where it was.

Wait a minute. I was taking the coward’s way out. Either what I’d heard was nothing or maybe the wind outside had loosened a board and it was hitting against the gutters. That made more sense than some intruder being inside the house. There were no vehicles, no other indication anyone was here.

Then Moose growled and I jumped, sucking in my breath as I slipped the phone into my pocket.Okay, you can do this.

“Stay, buddy. Right here. Be a good boy,” I whispered. His low growl was more terrifying than I’d heard in a long time. I had no implement of protection, not even mace. God, why had the plane been late? I eased toward the sound, constantly throwing Moose looks. I would unleash the beast if necessary, but not until I knew what I was dealing with. Granted, my big slobbering pup would do nothing more but lick the intruder to death unless the person was intent on hurting me. At least since he topped the scales at one hundred five pounds and was all black, he looked menacing, which terrified the majority of people he came in contact with.

When I heard a third sound, I bit my inner cheek to keep from yelping. That’s when I knew I had to grab something to protect myself with. I couldn’t become a victim in the first hour of being in a new city. Only a hint of light filtered into the kitchen, but I could easily make out all the wonderful small appliancespositioned on the counters. I snagged a toaster, holding my breath as I headed through a huge dining room toward the source of light.