He hoped you’d ducked into a cave.”
Brianna nodded.
The sheriff spoke up then. “I’ll drive you into town.”
“Thanks, Hardin. I really appreciate your help in this matter. I don’t know how you did it, but I’m grateful for your assistance.” Wilson took Hardin’s hand. Then he turned to Jaxon. “Are you the one who found her?”
“I am.” Jaxon shook the captain’s hand next.
“Jaxon is one of the best trackers I have in this area. If he can’t find someone in my mountains, they aren’t there.” Hardin beamed with pride. His explanation was a little lacking to her ears, and Wilson eyed Jaxon with a furrowed brow, undoubtedly wondering how a man in jeans and a T-shirt made it into that cave. He didn’t say anything else just then though. His radio beeped, demanding his attention.
“Gotta run. I’ll see you tomorrow. Get some sleep. Long day expected.” The captain stepped back around his car, his radio up to his mouth. He was already barking instructions before he pulled away.
“How many people know about you?” Brianna questioned as the three climbed into the cruiser.
“Very few.” Jaxon ducked into the back seat next to Brianna. “Don’t worry. James will come up with an explanation for your boss. He always does.”
Hardin glanced at them both in the rearview mirror as he started the engine. “Sure. Leave it to the human…again. Why do I always have to do the dirty work?” The sheriff shook his head, but he was grinning. Obviously, this wasn’t the first time he’d concocted some sort of story to keep the wolves’ existence a secret.
“Where to?” Hardin turned the cruiser around and got back on the main road.
“My place.” Jaxon didn’t even glance at her as he controlled her next destination. Was he always this domineering?
Brianna didn’t have the strength to argue with him. Now that she sat down on the leather seat, her muscles relaxed and she was grateful for the rest of the day off. Besides, she wouldn’t admit it out loud, but the idea of going to Jaxon’s cabin didn’t exactly turn her off.
Jaxon squeezed her hand. Of course. The man was reading her thoughts.
The sooner she learned to control her ability to selectively project her thoughts, the better.
Keeton McKinney watched the scene unfolding from a great distance. His vision was excellent, but when he added high-power binoculars, he could practically read lips.
He smiled. “Perfect.” He spoke to the forest at large. No one was around to hear him.
When he’d returned to the Smokies last week, his intentions had been clear—kill the wolves and take back his mountain range. The fucking wolves had been in his territory for over ten years and frankly they were on his last nerve. Especially after their antics in the spring when they’d stolen the woman he’d intended to own right out from under him.
He’d licked his wounds and returned now with a vengeance.
The fire hadn’t been in the bargain, but Mother Nature had a mind of her own even Keeton couldn’t control. Lucky for him, circumstances had drawn the wolves out to play. Damsel in distress always did it. And, as it turned out, the fire was the perfect distraction. The wolves were so concerned with the flames, they weren’t paying any attention to Keeton.
Of course, even with his binoculars, Keeton hadn’t realized the trapped firefighter had been a woman. Bonus.
He smirked as he watched the female get into the patrol car alongside the wolf.
This twist could come in handy. The women these wolves fell for tended to be excellent bargaining chips when necessary.
The police cruiser drove away, leaving Keeton with his thoughts. Fire wasn’t his thing. He abhorred the substance. But if that female could help keep the wolves out of the house and separated, he’d take the good with the bad.
It was only a matter of time…
Chapter Six
Brianna’s jaw dropped as they pulled up to Jaxon’s
He turned to face her and squeezed her hand. “Yes?”
She didn’t look his way, but she sensed him grinning next to her from his tone. “This is not what I would call a cabin.”
“Well, it’s home to us. Cabin. House. Whatever.”
“It’s so…big.” The cruiser pulled to a stop and Brianna dipped her head to get a better view out the window. A sprawling ranch-style home sat tucked away in the mountains. Sure, it was made of logs, but the resemblance to a cabin stopped there. Cabins were tiny structures with one room where a person might go away for the weekend to get a rustic vacation.
Suddenly she understood better how so many people could live here together.
“Come on. I’ll show you around.” Jaxon opened his door and tugged her toward him.
Brianna followed, awestruck by the surroundings. With no neighbors and only trees and animals for company, this elegant home was truly secluded.
Sheriff Hardin twisted around in the front seat and tipped his hat at them. “I hate to run, but I’ve got to get back to the station.”
“No problem. We’ll talk later.” Jaxon patted the hood of the car with one hand as Hardin drove away.
Jaxon didn’t release Brianna’s hand. His thumb grazed repeatedly over her palm, distracting her from everything around her. She had to yank her hand free so she could take it all in.
To the left of the main house was the barn. “Thoroughbreds you say?” She took a few steps in that direction. “I don’t know a thing about horses.” She could see a few of them in the corral outside the barn. Gorgeous majestic beings. She was drawn in that direction and ambled toward the fence.
Jaxon followed her. She could sense his presence right behind her even without glancing back. It made her shudder. What if there was more to his story than she currently believed? They did most assuredly seem to have a connection beyond just telepathy she couldn’t deny.
When Brianna reached the fence, she leaned against it, folding her arms over the top and resting her chin on her hands. Even the fence was perfect for the scene. Natural wood rungs nestled together to blend with the environment.
Jaxon laid a hand on her back. “They are beautiful, aren’t they? I guess I don’t stop and admire them often enough. I’m glad you like the farm.”
“I didn’t—”
Jaxon set his chin on her shoulder and kissed her neck. His breath on her ear made her melt beneath his gentleness.
“My brothers are coming out of the barn to meet you. Then we’ll go inside and you can meet Juliana.”
Two figures emerged from the barn at that moment.
“This telepathy thing is weird.” Brianna turned toward the man who insisted he was her mate. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to it.”
“You will, baby.” His words caressed her in sync with his hand running up her spine. “Juliana said the same thing and she’s doing fantastic now.”
“That’s Sergius’s wife, you said?”
“Yep.” Jaxon nodded toward his approaching brothers and tugged on Brianna’s hand. “Come on.”
The men coming toward her looked amazingly similar to Jaxon. There was no doubt they were brothers. They could have been triplets.
