Page 8 of Chasing Shelter

Beth’s eyes cut to him. “If you weren’t such an ass, I’d get one for you, too. But it’s hard for a zebra to change its stripes.”

Frank Smith let out a guffaw at his desk as he patted his stomach. “Mine tastes mighty fine, Wright.”

I shook my head and moved toward my office. I didn’t have the energy to referee their antics. Besides, if I knew one thing for sure, it was that Beth could hold her own. And she wouldn’t take kindly to me stepping in on her behalf.

Entering my office, I came up short when I saw my friend and second-in-command, Gabriel Rivera, sitting in a chair opposite my desk. “If you stole my breakfast sandwich, we’re gonna have words.”

Gabriel looked up, but there was no amusement on his face like I expected.

The grin slid from my face as I shut the door. “What happened?”

He stared back at me, giving it to me straight, like always. “It’s your dad. He’s out.”

Blood roared in my ears, and my jaw clamped shut so hard it would be a miracle if I hadn’t cracked a tooth.Out.Not out of the hospital or a day spa. Out of prison.

Where I’d sent him at the age of twelve.

A sentence he’d vowed to make me pay for.

Now, he would get his chance.

2

ELLIE

I stepped on the brake,making my new little SUV jerk slightly as I stopped at one of the three traffic lights in Sparrow Falls. That was threetotal. In the entire town. Just a little different than the hardscape of Manhattan.

But as I took in the main street through town, I saw why my brother had fallen in love with the place. Mountains and forests encircled it like a ring of protection, the air had a crisp clarity to it that made you feel like it was clearing away your troubles with each breath you took, and the shops and restaurants lining Cascade Avenue were absolutely adorable and unique.

A soft honk sounded behind me, and I realized the light had turned from red to green. Even the honking here was gentler. I switched my foot from the brake to the gas, and my car lurched forward.

I winced. I’d gotten my license at eighteen but hadn’t needed to drive much in New York. I didn’t even own a car until two weeks ago when I purchased the RAV4.

Bradley would’ve hated it. He would’ve insisted on somethingunderstated but astronomically expensive. A top-of-the-line Mercedes or Maserati. Something in black or metallic gray.

At the dealership, I’d swapped white for Ruby Flare Pearl at the last moment. My hands had started sweating just saying the name. It felt like my first true rebellion in years. And it felt good.

My fingers wiggled on the wheel. I was still relishing the lightness of my left ring finger, where the diamond solitaire used to sit. The one that felt more like a chain than a promise of forever. The only remnant of it now was a faint tan line I was determined to erase, along with all memories of the man my father had all but picked for me to marry.

Heading down Cascade Avenue, I passed The Mix Up, my one-stop shop to feed my cupcake addiction; The Soda Pop, a diner with the best burgers around; and the sheriff’s station. I forced my gaze away from that building, images of dark green eyes that saw too much filling my mind.

Not today.

Today was for new beginnings and the first place that would be mine alone. I’d gone from my father’s penthouse to an apartment with Bradley, never getting to make a placemine. But that all changed today.

I flipped on my blinker and made a slightly too-wide turn onto a side street. I’d need some driving practice before the snow came. Thankfully, my new rental was close enough to town that I could walk if needed—or wanted. As I moved away from downtown, the streets turned residential with enchanting Craftsman houses on lots with yards that said the people who lived there took pride in their homes.

Making another turn onto Lavender Lane, I grinned. The houses were a bit more spread out on this street, the yards bigger. I’d looked at countless rentals. Apartments over shops, guesthouses on properties outside of town, and, finally, this one. It was perfect.

The house had been painted lavender, matching the street name. Nothing about it was cookie cutter, from the garden gnomes decorating the front yard to the stained glass hanging in each window. The outside was a riot of color that called to a part of me I’d shoved down for far too long.

Turning into the driveway, I pulled to a jerky stop and hoppedout, breathing in the Central Oregon air. I’d been to places with mountains before: Aspen, Vail, Tahoe, and even the Swiss Alps. But the air was different here, as if it had a scent all its own.

A horn sounded, and a familiar Range Rover pulled in behind my SUV. The passenger door was open before the engine was off, and a woman with dark hair and hypnotic eyes jumped out, her massive dog behind her.

Arden’s eyes twinkled as she crossed to me. “Move-in day. How do you feel?”

I grinned at my brother’s fiancée. “I’m excited. Ready to make this place my own.”

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