to figure her out a step at a time. With that unexplained wariness of hers in place like a shield between them, Sloan knew patience was going to get him what he wanted. If she wanted anything to do with him, that is...
That was the great unknown.
Hell, did he really want to get involved with a woman? Again? Sloan’s brows lowered as he turned and headed down Moose Lake Road, condos sprouting up as tall towers on his left and a blocky three-story apartment building coming up on the right. The rain was worsening. No surprise there. It was going to be an all-day rain, too. It would turn yellowed meadows into lush green grass for the wild animals. All of them looked close to skeletons, their thick winter coats peeling off them now. The animals were looking forward to that nutritious grass peeking above the snow.
Sloan never lied to himself anymore. He’d lied to himself once, when married to Cary. He pretended her quixotic moods that always kept him off balance were just a natural part of her effervescent personality. Going home to her at night was like entering an emotional battlefield that never ceased. Sloan yearned for a woman like Dev to come into his life: someone who was thoughtful, stable, had a good sense of humor and shared some of what he loved, such as trail riding, having a dog at his side and enjoying the healing silence of nature.
Dev fit the bill so far. Did she have a significant other that she’d left behind? Maybe a long-distance relationship still between them? Maybe the guy was trying to get a transfer out here to be with her? Sloan’s head filled with all kinds of scenarios that would stop him in his tracks from getting to know Dev better. Rubbing his jaw, he slowed his truck as the turn came up for the unit-two apartment building in the crescent-shaped complex. Sloan didn’t feel any guilt about hoping Dev was completely free of any relationship obligations. But one look into her face and Sloan was sure that wasn’t going to be the case. She was young, pretty, fresh and confident. Any man worth his salt would be attracted to her.
Slowing, he pulled his truck next to an open parking spot so Dev could turn in beside him. The rain was constant now, the day turning a depressing gray. Depressing for some, but not him. Easing out, he kept Mouse in the cab and shut the door. He walked around her truck and opened the door for Dev. He then pulled up the dark brown corduroy collar on his coat to stop the rain from running down his neck. She had already pulled up her collar, grabbed her leather purse and pulled the strap over her shoulder. She told Bella to stay and the dog promptly sat down on the seat.
“This way,” Sloan urged, pointing her toward double glass doors to the left of them.
Dev nodded, slid out and hurried to get under the eave of the cedar shake roof. Waiting, she watched Sloan shut the door and trot in beneath the eave, as well. He moved around her and walked to the glass doors, opening one of them for her. She slipped in, thanked him and wiped her boots on a coarse mat before walking into an office where a woman sat behind a desk. She had red hair, with green eyes and a welcoming smile, and looked to be in her midforties.
“Hey, Sloan,” she called, grinning. “Wet enough out there for you?”
Sloan returned the grin, took off his Stetson and cupped Dev’s elbow, guiding her up to the desk. “Sure is, Carol. Hey, this is a new tenant, Dev McGuire.”
“Oh, yes,” Carol said, shaking Dev’s hand, “we’ve been expecting you, Miss McGuire. Welcome.”
Dev smiled. “Thanks. And call me Dev. If it weren’t for Sloan here, I’d probably have had trouble finding you folks.”
Settling his hat on his head, Sloan looked at the women. Pinkness had flooded Dev’s cheeks after he’d cupped her elbow. Why had he done it? Out of a desire to touch her? His body was growing tight against his zipper. Damn. “Gotta go, ladies. You’re in good hands with Carol,” he told Dev.
“Great...thanks, Sloan...”
“I’ll drop by tonight after I get home to see if you need anything.” Again, there was that wariness in her eyes. She tucked her lower lip between her teeth for just a moment. “Well,” he said, giving her a warm smile, “let’s do it the other way around. You know I’m across the hall from you. Just knock if you need anything.” Instantly, Sloan saw her worry disappear. He filed that reaction away and would chew on it later.
“That would be fine,” Dev murmured. “Have a good afternoon.”
Sloan headed for the door. “Hey, I’ll be inside a dry barn doing my shoeing. I’m a happy camper. See you two later,” he said, and he waved goodbye and slipped outside.
BART GORDON SAT at one end of the U-shaped counter in Mo’s Ice Cream Parlor in the main square of Jackson Hole. He was nursing his cup of coffee and noticed how the place was bustling with customers. At 9:00 a.m., tourists were filtering in for breakfast. He’d already eaten his eggs, bacon and hash browns, and was now content to watch the flow of traffic. One corner of his mouth ticked upward. Wouldn’t it be hilarious if Dev McGuire waltzed into this place? He wouldn’t want to be seen by her because it was far too early for that. Still, he relished the thought, his mind taking flight, imagining the shocked look on her face when she spotted him. A sense of satisfaction raced through him. All he had to do was see her face in his mind or say her name, and his body ignited with desire for her.
He was angry at her for getting him fired from his forest ranger job. Claiming assault with the attempt to rape her. The bitch. So he had been a little rough with her. The women he knew liked it that way. It made him feel manly. In charge. A woman should always be controlled, and he enjoyed it. Moving the cream-colored ceramic mug between his large hands, he tasted rage over her reaction to his wanting her. He’d been a forest ranger for seven years after coming out of the Army transportation command. At thirty, he was hanging his hat on doing his twenty years with the USFS and collecting a nice pension that would be the bedrock for his old age. But Dev had destroyed all his plans. Utterly. Revenge warred with desire for the woman.
Dev wasn’t just any woman. He liked black-haired women who had spirit and were confident. And he liked his women to be fighters, giving as good as they got. That turned Bart on. His mouth quirked and he scowled. How the hell could he have known Dev was going to take his advances like that? Every other woman wanted his strength, his mastery, and wanted to be tamed by him. They liked being subjugated. And they all liked rough sex. So did he.
This morning, he had an interview with Blake Rivas, owner of Ace Trucking. In the military, he’d been in transportation and had driven the big trucks. A semi truck was no different. He could call upon those four years’ worth of skills and convince Rivas that he would be a damn good driver for his huge company. Bart was desperate to get a job. He’d purposely come to this town because Dev was here. A hard anger congealed in his gut. He was going to make her pay for what she’d done to him. Only this time, she wasn’t going to live to go to the police and hang his ass a second time around.
Sipping his coffee, watching the sunlight dance through the large picture windows that showed the busy square, he smiled to himself. First, he’d get a job. Then he’d rent an apartment. Lastly, but most important, he’d begin to shadow Dev and watch in order to learn her habits. Then he could plan to kidnap her. It would take time, but he was patient. Above all, Bart didn’t want to be connected to her murder when someone discovered Dev’s naked body tossed into the woods. In fact, he was planning on learning the grizzly territory around here, planning on letting one of them use her dead body as food. His smile widened as he thought about how his revenge would be set in motion and getting even with Dev. He could hardly wait to see the look in her eyes when he caught her, took her somewhere private, had his way with her,
