“I see. I hope you come up with something.”
“It’s good to have you on the case, McCloud. Your insight has been invaluable. I know this isn’t your area of expertise, but you’re a good man, and I don’t know much about shifters. I know you know a lot more about bears than I do.”
“Bears and bear shifters are two distinctly different things,” Wyatt said. “I’m going to ask the sheriff to take me off the case. It’s distracting me from my regular work.”
“Well, I sure could use your help. I hope Sheriff Jefferies changes your mind.”
Wyatt went to the sheriff’s door and knocked, waiting to be invited in. He found the sheriff hunched over a stack of papers with a frown etched on his face. Wyatt closed the door behind him and sat down to face his boss.
“What do you have for me, McCloud?” Sheriff Jefferies grumbled.
“Sir, I’d like to be taken off the murder investigation. I don’t think that it serves anyone particularly well. This isn’t what I do. I was not trained for this kind of detective work.”
“Deputy Morris was just in here a minute ago telling me how much he appreciated your help.”
“That’s not the only thing. I’m embarrassed to say this, but there may be a conflict of interest. The woman who witnessed the homicide, Candice Gray, she’s been staying up at my cabin.”
“It’s good that you’ve been protecting her after what she’s been through. What’s the conflict of interest?”
“You see, sir, Candice Gray and I have become… romantically involved. And I’m not willing to give up on her for this case. It may sound insane, but I’m willing to lose my job over it.”
The sheriff looked up at him for the first time, and a smile broke over the rugged man’s ruddy face. He laughed out loud.
“I’m not going to fire you for that, McCloud. These things happen. There’s not really any conflict of interest here. The woman didn’t do anything wrong. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Usually I’d give you a slap on the wrist for this kind of thing, but I’m asking you to go above and beyond, so I’m willing to overlook it. Congratulations. Now get out of here and go do your job.”
Wyatt stood from the chair and sighed, shaking his head. As he opened the door, he said “Thank you, sir, I appreciate it.” Sheriff Jefferies waved him away, not looking up from his paperwork. Wyatt turned and went to go, his heart bursting with excitement. He had the go-ahead to be with Candice, and he wasn’t even going to have a problem at his work over it. He couldn’t have asked for better news.
He went through the rest of the day doing his normal activities with a song in his heart and pep in his step. He couldn’t wait to get home to Candice and tell her the good news. Wyatt had never had anyone to come home to before, and the thought of her waiting for him gave him a sense of peace and fulfillment he never could have imagined.
Wanting to take her out to celebrate, he called ahead to the nicest Italian restaurant in town and made a reservation for that evening. They hadn’t been on a real date yet, which didn’t seem quite right. Wyatt was falling hard for Candice. Even if his bear hadn’t sensed that she was the one, the man in him was beginning to feel things he’d never felt before. Warm, fuzzy things that made him want to come home early at night and stay in on weekends, things that made him want to be a better man.
Now all he needed to do was find a way to tell her about his bear.
Chapter 16
When Wyatt called her to tell her the good news, Candice could barely contain her excitement. They’d been given the go-ahead by his boss to be together. They wouldn’t have to wait, and they wouldn’t have to worry anymore. But that didn’t keep Candice from feeling insecure about the whole thing.
Wyatt was a gorgeous, exciting cowboy with an important job that kept him busy all the time. Candice was just a curvy office drone who hadn’t had a boyfriend in two years. She didn’t know what she had to offer a man like Wyatt McCloud, or why he would want her in the first place.
It wasn’t that she didn’t believe he liked her curves. It was because her life was so goddamn boring. She was so goddamn boring. Wyatt lived a life of excitement, and she just didn’t know how she compared to that. If only she could be the artist that was really in her heart, maybe she would feel like she deserved a man like him.
All her life, Candice had been too scared to go after what she really wanted. Wyatt was the first thing that she had ever truly wanted that she had had the balls to go after. When she set her mind on Wyatt, he’d actually felt the same way. Maybe she could have other things in her life that she wanted. There was no real reason she couldn’t.
She kept the thought in her mind as she prepared for their date. She put on another pretty dress that she had purchased at the dress shop. Shorter than the first, it showed off her shapely legs. It was a navy blue print with spaghetti straps. She paired it with a burnt orange, cropped cardigan and a chunky necklace.
It was hipper than she usually dressed, and it made her happy to see herself looking trendy and cool. She promised herself that she would start dressing more artistically, to show off who she really was on the inside.
Candice hurried out to meet Wyatt at the truck when he arrived. He’d already changed into a pair of dark denim jeans and a green flannel shirt that brought out the devastatingly sexy color of his eyes. He got out of the truck and held the door for her to climb inside, putting his hand at the base of her spine. The feeling of his hand on her body sent a spark through her, and she shuddered in anticipation for the next time they would be together.
They drove into town, listening to country music on the radio. Candice smiled broadly, watching Wyatt’s lips move as he sang silently to the music. When they pulled in front of the Italian restaurant, Wyatt helped her step down from the high truck.
She plopped down to the ground, smiling like an idiot. She couldn’t help it. It felt so good to hold Wyatt’s hand and be close to him. She enjoyed the experience of being with Wyatt, in his world, letting him spoil her and hold her close.
Inside, they were quickly seated at a private table in the corner. A candle flickered in the low lit room, making for a romantic environment.
“What exactly did you tell your boss?” Candice asked.
“I told him that I wanted to be taken off the case. When he insisted stay on this case, I informed him of our relationship, and that I was willing to lose my job over it.”
“You said that?” Candice asked, a lump forming in her throat. The idea that Wyatt was willing to lose his job over their fledgling relationship made her a bit nervous. Maybe it was moving a little too fast.
She took a deep breath, reminding herself that this was what she’d wanted all along. Settling down her anxiety, she focused on Wyatt as he explained to her what was happening with the case. They hadn’t learned much, but he had some information about the victim and an actual suspect. He wouldn’t tell her more than that, saying it was classified information.
She didn’t care. She didn’t need to know. As long as they caught the bastard who did it, that was all that really mattered. What Candice wanted was to be able to start figuring out her life with Wyatt, to understand what it meant for them to be together, and if this thing she believed was the most beautiful, valuable thing in her life was real.
She wanted her relationship with Wyatt to be real more than anything in the world. When Candice loved, she loved hard. Her last boyfriend had been proof of that. She had been ready to spend the rest of her life with him, but when Candice found out he was cheating on her, it had almost broken her.
It had taken her two years to open her heart up again to anyone. She hoped that Wyatt proved himself to be the kind of man she believed him to be. If she had to live through another betrayal, it would destroy her.
The waiter brought them an expensive bottle of wine and poured their glasses. They sipped while eating crusty French bread slices with sweet, creamy butter. He came back later with hot plates of crispy chicken Parmesan
and bubbling meat lasagna.
The food was absolutely delicious. As good as anything that you could get in Seattle. When they were done, Candice was stuffed, a little bit tipsy, and as happy as a clam.
After Wyatt paid, they went for a walk down the street, looking in shop windows as they strode along the sidewalk, hand-in-hand. They came to the art gallery window, and Candice looked at the beautiful paintings displayed there.
“Let’s go inside,” Wyatt said, pulling her towards the door. “I have a surprise for you.”
“What?” she asked.
“Just wait,” he said, pulling her into the gallery.
Inside was bigger than it appeared from the outside. The crisp white walls were covered in beautiful paintings that captured the magnificent natural wonders all around the area. Candice was lost in awe, gazing at a large oil painting of the mountains. She didn’t see what was right in front of her until Wyatt tugged her toward it. She gasped at the sight of four of her watercolors, framed and displayed on the gallery wall.
She took a few steps back, blinking in disbelief. “How did this happen?” She felt panic bubbling in her belly, and she wanted to double over and throw up. Candice never showed her artwork. She’d never taken it to a gallery. She barely even let her friends see it.
“Is this the artist?” A pretty, middle-aged lady, wearing a pink, gauzy dress asked as she walked out from a back office and into the gallery.
“This is Candice Gray,” Wyatt said to the woman. “Candice, this is Jessie Simmons. She owns this gallery. When I showed her your work, she was eager to display it.”
Candice felt her face burning and her skin pricking with anxiety. She could barely breathe. How could Wyatt do this to her? It was such a betrayal of her trust and privacy, she didn’t know how to react.
“I can’t believe you did this, Wyatt,” she said below her breath.
“It was no trouble at all. I believe in you.”
Anger surged in her brain, and she didn’t know what to do with the gallery owner standing there staring at her. She rubbed her hands over her face and tried to compose herself.
“The paintings really are lovely,” Jessie said. “I love your style. It’s whimsical. Very original. I know these will fly out the door before the end of the week. We take a 15% commission here. I’ve set them at $400 apiece. Does that seem fair to you?”
“$400 apiece?” Candice said blankly. She had never thought her paintings were worth the price of the supplies, let alone $400 apiece. She gulped. “That sounds fair,” she managed.
“I’ll get the paperwork.” Jessie hurried off to the back office, leaving Candice simmering as she stood beside a beaming Wyatt.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she lied. She was fuming. She had trusted him with the most important thing in her life, and he had betrayed that trust.
“I can tell something’s wrong. Are you upset about this?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she managed to grind out. The gallery owner arrived a few moments later with a short contract outlining the nature of their business relationship. Candice hastily signed all of the papers and bid the gallery owner good evening before she hurried out the front door.
Standing in the cool night air, the mountain breeze blew over her exposed legs, and she shivered. A tear slid down her cheek as Wyatt wrapped his warm arm around her waist. She pushed away and strode to the truck, yanking open the door without waiting for Wyatt, who was about to help her. She climbed in, and he closed the door behind her.
“I don’t need your help,” she said in an irritable tone as he sat behind the wheel.
“I like to help you. The truck is so high, and you’re wearing heels.”
“I’m not talking about opening the truck door. I’m talking about everything. What you pulled back there was totally unacceptable. You betrayed my trust, Wyatt. How could you?” Tears began streaming down her face. She saw Wyatt’s shocked expression right before she squeezed her eyes closed.
“I had no idea. I was just trying to help.”
“I don’t need your help,” she said through her sobs.
“Honey, what’s wrong? This can’t just be about me taking the paintings to the gallery. Jessie loves them, and I’d hoped that you could find a way to sell your work. You could stay with me.” He took her damp hand in his warm one and squeezed, pulling her shuddering body close to him.
She wanted to push him away, but the lure of his strong chest and warm arms was too much to deny. She let him enfold her in an embrace, and slowly, her tears began to subside.
“It’s just that I never show my work to anyone. My last boyfriend was an artist, and he used to tell me that my work was boring and predictable. That I had no style or talent. He ended up cheating on me with a girl from his art school who made sculptures with found objects. She was so much cooler than me. She had tattoos and dyed black hair. She looked like a pinup model,” Candice said, sobbing again.
“Why do you care what that jackass said? He obviously had no idea what he had. That idiot missed out on being with the most breathtakingly beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on. Not to mention talented, and sweet, and kind, and everything a guy could ask for. Forgive me for taking your paintings to the gallery, Candice. I was just trying to help.”
“Oh, Wyatt,” she said, sniffling. He handed her a clean handkerchief for her to dry her eyes, and she sat up straight, feeling like a dork for crying over such a silly thing. Wyatt patted her knee, and she started to feel a little bit better, sitting beside such a supportive, sweet, sexy man.
“I’m sorry for getting upset at you. It’s just one of those things that I’ve always been really sensitive about. I never thought I was any good. I can’t tell you how amazing it feels to have anyone believe in me and my work.” She thought about the amount of money that the gallery owner was willing to charge for her paintings, and she laughed. “I can’t believe Jessie is going to sell them for $400 apiece.”
“They’re worth it, sweetheart. But you’re worth much more than that. Infinitely more.” He leaned forward and claimed her lips with his, making her blood run hot and her body dampen with need.
“How about I take you out for some ice cream before I take you home and get you out of that dress?” he said, eyeing the exposed flesh of her thigh.
“That sounds wonderful.”
It was a busy Saturday night, and the ice cream shop was filled with customers. Wyatt and Candice held hands as they walked inside and ordered double scoops at the counter. They sat at a blue, wrought iron table, with the smell of caramel and sugar cone filling the air. Smiling at each other lovingly, they licked their delicious desserts.
The voices of the other patrons echoed through the room, and Candice quietly listened to the gossip and conversations going on around her. The two women sitting right behind Wyatt were talking fairly loudly about a mutual friend named Bethany. Candice didn’t want to be rude, but it was almost impossible not to hear their entire conversation.
“Colin came out as a shape shifter. I don’t think Bethany knew,” the first woman said.
“Of course she knew,” the second woman said. “She told me she was going to marry him. Like they were fated mates or some crazy thing like that”
“Bethany was engaged to Tim Lawson a month ago. The two of them just broke up. How could she possibly have already gotten involved with Colin and agreed to marry him?”
“I don’t know, I guess it’s a shifter thing. They know their soulmates or something like that. I don’t really understand it, but that’s what Bethany told me.”
“I bet she’s devastated. I didn’t even know she and Colin were dating. They were engaged, and now he’s dead. God, that’s terrible.”
“Yeah, but he was a shifter. It’s kind of gross. Like, doing it with an animal man. Yuck.”
“Are you like, one of those shifter haters or something? Colin was hot, and he was a total sweetheart. Poor Bethany. I wish I’d known they
were together.”
“Nobody knew. I’m the only one she told. She was out of town visiting friends when he was killed, and she hasn’t come back.”
Wyatt looked up at Candice, his eyes dark and hooded. “We’ve got to go,” he said, standing. He took her hand and headed towards the door.
Chapter 17
When Wyatt heard the women talking in the ice cream shop, he knew it was crucial information to the investigation. Why the woman hadn’t come forward to the sheriff was anyone’s guess. Perhaps it was a sense of loyalty to her friend. Perhaps it was simple cluelessness. What mattered was that Wyatt now had a missing piece of the puzzle.
Tim Lawson was Reginald Lawson’s son. If Reginald was a shifter hater, there was a good chance his son was, too. Not to mention the fact that the woman, Bethany, had left him for Colin. Questioning Reginald had come to a dead end. The man had an alibi for the day of the murder, and the murder weapon still hadn’t been found.
When Wyatt got Candice home and safely in bed, he told her he had to go back to the station to do some work on the case. Candice was disappointed, covering him in hot kisses before he left. That didn’t make it exactly easy for Wyatt to pull away from the curvy sex kitten in his bed.
Wyatt had an important job to do, no matter how much he wanted to stay with Candice and feel her sexy curves moving under his hands. He arrived at the sheriff’s department and filed a quick report on what he had heard at the ice cream shop. Nobody else was there this late at night except the night dispatcher, who did dispatch for late night highway patrol.
With the new information, Wyatt didn’t want to wait until morning. He had the sinking suspicion that Tim Lawson was his man, and he wanted to be sure of it before the rest of the team came back in in the morning.
He looked up Lawson’s place on the computer and then went back out to his truck. If he parked far off on one of the service roads and trekked in towards Tim’s place in bear form, he could use his bear senses to sniff out the identity of the killer.