Page 68 of A Curse On Black Lake
“You’re like the bad boy of Black Lake.”
He throws his head back, laughing, and I smile as we head for the ranch.
“I don’t care about those women.” Then he grabs my hand, his face sobering.
“I knew they were mean to you, but I didn’t realize it was like that. I’m sorry,” he says, squeezing my hand before releasing it.
I wish he had kept it there.
“It’s nothing new,” I sigh and look out the window.
What I don’t say is that this time itwasnew.
Hewas with me.
Chapter twenty-three
Eliana
Thenextmorning,mybones ache as I get ready for the day. At least I slept all night. Killian and I had to move two herds and do it twice as fast since we started later.
Tiny shoves his nose under my arm, begging for some bacon off my plate. I slip it to him, and I swear the dog smiles at me. I pat his head and rub his soft ears as he stares up at me, while drool drips from his mouth.
“You know I only have so much bacon, and I’ll feed you as soon as we get to your daddy’s house.”
He shifts as if to say,yes, but I’m hungry now.
I roll my eyes and grab him a hard-boiled egg I had left in the fridge. He swallows it whole and looks up again.
“You’re going to eat me out of house and home if you keep this up,” I tell him. I should probably have a bin of his food here. Killian wasn’t going to let him come, but the dog followed the truck nearly to the property line when we were headed back to my house. So Killian gave in.
I smile remembering how Killian grumbled to himself, and put the dog up into the truck bed, anyway. And I didn’t miss when hetold Tiny to take care of me before he left for the night. The sore ache turns into a new one the more I think about him.
“Where is he?” I ask myself and Tiny. It’s fifteen past five, and he’s usually here by now.
Sipping my coffee, I look out the window, and Tiny barks. Then wood creaks outside of the house like someone stepped onto the porch, then a knock echoes through the house.
I don’t know why he bothers knocking. I thought we’re past the pleasantries at this point.
Grabbing the handle, I yank open the door, ready to say something sassy to him about the niceties, and the words die on my lips, finding him squatting in front of a small box that’s beautifully wrapped.
He glances up at me and then back at the box, inspecting it. “Did you get me a gift?” I ask him. Even though part of me knows he didn’t because why would he be looking at it like it’s a bomb?
“No, but someone did.”
I frown and bend over to grab the box. He grabs my wrist and wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me back behind the threshold of the house. “Wha—”
“I know you have enemies, but would you have enemies that would go as far as to hurt you?” he asks.
A quiver of fear hardens my stomach. “I don’t know,” I rasp.
He grunts and studies me for a moment.
“Do you have any … admirers?” he asks.
My eyes meet his, and I swear I see a ‘I sure hope not’in them. I shake my head, and his shoulders drop.
“We could call the police,” he says.
