Kodiak's Claim (7 page)

“Ever since I finished college. I took over from my mom, who was ready to retire. She’s spending the winter at some resort place in Florida.”

Sunshine and heat? Tammy couldn’t help but mutter, “Lucky.”

Jan laughed, and like the rest of her, it was a perfect sound. “Our short winter days and cold temps can take some getting used to. But, once you find the right man, you’ll see the advantage to cuddling in front of a roaring fire.”

Except Tammy didn’t plan to stay long enough to hook up with anyone. And she’d ditch the roaring fire. She preferred the less dangerous, artificial kind.

Jan showed her to an empty office belonging to an employee who’d chosen to work from his home office that day.

“If you need anything, let me know. But I imagine these log books will keep you busy for a while.” Indeed they would, Tammy thought glumly. She would have preferred listening to perky and perfect Jan instead. The files were exactly as expected, boring reading.

When an hour later she wandered out to find either a gun to shoot herself with or a coffee, Jan must have seen her desperate and silent plea for help because she sent her off with an older fellow for a tour of the facilities. Brief glimpses of the operation for the most part, a peek at the trucks, a few minor conversations with employees. As Tammy went through personal files, she’d set up more in-depth interviews. The one thing she didn’t get to see that she kind of expected—and hoped for— was the boss man. Reid proved elusive—or he was avoiding her.

As the workday drew to a close, and dinnertime rolled around, he still had yet to make an appearance. The perfectly efficient Jan was the one who drove Tammy back to the house in her all- wheel drive SUV.

Supper was with Ursula, and what a meal: pan-fried chicken steaks, mashed potatoes, gravy, and biscuits. Enough to make Tammy hum, but it was the chocolate brownies for dessert that made her drool.

Belly full, and shooed from the kitchen when she offered to help clean up, Tammy called it a day and dug out a book she’d brought, but its plot couldn’t hold her attention. Boredom sent her to bed early—and alone—as it should be, which didn’t explain her disappointment.

What a coincidence.

For some reason, the words kept ringing in Reid’s head. What were the chances someone would fire at him, and just before he was about to ride into a trap?

How fortuitous. How unlikely. It drove Reid crazy wondering. Was the wire just a prank, albeit a dangerous one? Yes, shifters healed better than humans, and the thick layers they wore outside would have buffered most of the damage, but still, to string a wire across a well-used path? That was more than reckless. It could have proven deadly.

Only the trail Reid used had a report of one, yet that didn’t stop Reid from ordering some of his clan out to check the others. He also had them spread the word that if the strung wire and potshots were the antics of bored residents they’d better smarten up or else. Personally, he doubted anyone in his clan was involved in either. He’d stake his life on it.

Which meant a stranger got close enough to do so.
A stranger on my land.
Grrr.

The question of who shot at him—and Tammy—plagued Reid, especially considering his reaction.

When the gunfire cracked, instinct, not one of self-preservation but one of protection, drove Reid. In a mere heartbeat, he’d hit the kill switch on his sled and flattened Tammy on the ground, his body acting as a shield. The bullets fired had come close. Too close.

Rationality dictated they were more than likely stray shots. Possible, but not likely. Who hunted in the dark? A shifter might, but Tammy’s coat was too bright for someone to have mistaken them for prey. Add to that the inhabitants of his town preferred to chase down prey on four legs, not two, and he couldn’t help but wonder who the target was and why.

A body shot, even from a silver bullet, wouldn’t have killed him. Pissed him off, yes. But he would have healed. Tammy, on the other hand…

It chilled him to realize how easily it could have hit her and taken her life. Humanity was so fragile that way.

Unless we changed her
, his bear thought to him.

Insanity.
For one thing, the risk of change wasn’t one to take lightly. It bore risks, deadly risks. Some humans made the transition well, others … yeah, those nobody liked to think or talk about. But the gamble still happened. Their birth rate was too low and their gene pool too small for them not to introduce fresh DNA.

Given that, and despite the deadly consequences to many, they changed humans, but only after careful consideration and if the human was in agreement. Understanding the process seemed to help, as did a strong personality and having a shifter partner with a vested interest in the outcome. Problem was, those in love suffered deeply when the human failed to transform. Another reason why the decision to change was never a light one.

Reid had never sought to turn anyone. Never wanted to. Never intended to. So why the hell was he even thinking about it? How about the even bigger question: why would he even contemplate turning a woman he just met?

Because I’m attracted to her.

More than attracted, he wanted her. Bad.

It irritated him. Reid wasn’t the type to covet things he couldn’t or shouldn’t have. And messing with a human girl who knew nothing of their kind, who was used to city living, and possessed the creamiest skin, didn’t make her a candidate. Not for the alpha of a clan.

When he mated, he would do so with a pureblood, what they called those born of a shifter-to-shifter union. This future mate would also probably belong to another clan and their joining would form a bond between two groups. Alliances were what an alpha looked for in a mate, not wild curly hair, or a lack of fear when someone shot at them, or the most delectable lips that, while sexy devouring sweet ice cream, would look so much better if pursed around his—

“Hey, boss, I just woke up and got the message you wanted to see me?” Brody walked into his office without warning, interrupting his train of thought.

Just woke up? Considering it was after seven at night, Reid had to wonder what time his second-in-command went to bed. “I take it you didn’t hear?”

“Hear what? Like I said, I got the voicemail and headed right over, although I’m surprised you’re still here. I would have thought you’d be at home entertaining the insurance lady.”

If by entertain he meant licking her from head to toe before having those plump legs of hers wrap around his waist, then yes, Reid would have preferred an evening at home. But, given he was trying to avoid such a scenario, he’d ignored his guest, left her to her own devices, and arranged for Jan to take her home. His grandmother was more than capable of ensuring she was fed and cared for. Tammy didn’t need him.

For some reason the very thought made his bear growl.

Stupid hormones. The winter blues were making him hornier than usual this year. He diverted his mind to the more important matter at hand. “Someone shot at me and the insurance investigator on our way into the office.”

“Shot? Are you sure?”

“No. I’ve gone deaf and imagined the crack of gunfire. Yes, I’m fucking sure. I had some of the boys out this afternoon checking, but as much as it pains me to admit it, you’ve got one of the best tracking noses around. I want you to come with me and check the trail between here and my house. See if you can find out who fired it. If it turns out the culprit is one of our own, then I want to know it. Everyone should know better than to fire that close to the settlement.”

“And if it turns out it’s an outsider?”

“Then I want them tracked down and brought to me.”

“In one piece I assume?”

“So long as they can talk, I don’t care what state you bring them in. Someone’s screwing with us, and I, for one, want to know who and why.” Forget masking his ominous tone. Reid had every intention of punishing whoever dared threaten him on his own lands.

“On it. But first, I gotta ask, is it true, is this broad the insurance guys sent over cute? Travis says she’s got some meat on her bones and quite the rack.” Brody held his hands out as if cupping a handful.

A low rumbling growl shook Reid. Not his, but his bear’s. It was him, however, who said, “Keep your hands off her.”
Mine.

“Sorry, boss. I didn’t know I was poaching.”

He couldn’t blame Brody for misunderstanding. His words did come across as possessive.
Oh say it like it is. You sound jealous.
And he was. It made no sense. He barely knew the girl and had no interest in pursuing a relationship, but the thought of Brody, or any man for that matter, laying hands on her made him want to crush something. “You’re not poaching. I simply don’t want any trouble. She’s here to do a job, and I don’t want anything to fuck with it. We need the claim to go through so we have the funds to replace those trucks and loads. Not to mention, Marie could use some money with the baby close to due.” Poor Marie, whose boyfriend, Jonathon, was one of the drivers currently missing. He knew she harbored a hope he still lived. Reid, however, just figured it was a matter of time before his body was found.

“No touching the human. Understood. I’ll pass the word along.”

And the men in the town better heed it. Reid cracked his knuckles, a sure sign of his agitation.
No denying it. I’m jealous.
Over a city girl he barely knew, but wanted. Good thing Reid wasn’t the type of man to give in to his every whim. It was why he’d stayed closeted in his office the entire afternoon. He didn’t once go seeking her, not to find out if she had any questions. Not to share his late afternoon snack that his grandmother sent over. He didn’t even drive her home. But that was because, when the search party returned and said they’d found tracks but no scent, he wanted to check it out for himself and, with Brody’s aid, hopefully spot something the searchers missed.

His bear could use the fresh air and exercise. If he was lucky, he might even find the culprit and work off some excess energy.

Tammy couldn’t sleep. The comfortable bed wasn’t to blame for her tossing and turning. The pillow top cradled her most comfortably. Nor did she shiver with cold, not with her warm flannel jammies and the layer of blankets. Hunger was a word she doubted ever got used in this house. Ursula made sure her belly was full. So why couldn’t she sleep?

I know what it is.
The house was quiet. Too quiet.

Used to traffic noise, the low hum of cars speeding by, the occasional siren, the hum of her furnace, she found the relative silence broken only by the occasional whistle of the wind outside disturbing.

Yet, there was a time, long ago, when just a little girl, she loved that lack of sound. But back then she had her dad’s snores to comfort her, the hunting cabin they owned was an open-plan affair with a bed for her parents and a pullout couch for her. Happy times until the incident.

Maybe some warm milk would relax her—with a shot of whiskey from the liquor cabinet she’d spotted earlier.
But this isn’t my house. I can’t just go helping myself.
Yet, hadn’t Ursula told her to make herself at home, to help herself to whatever she needed?
I could use her grandson, preferably naked.

Somehow, though, she didn’t think the old lady meant for her to debauch Reid when she made the offer, even if he was part of her insomnia problem. Hard to sleep when every time she closed her eyes she imagined a different ending to their tumble in the snow.

It didn’t take her long to push the shooting incident to the back of her mind. Shit happened in the woods. Give someone a gun and accidents were bound to occur. Luckily, this one didn’t have any consequences. Harder to forget was the weight of Reid, his male instinct to protect her with his own body. To a girl whose last few boyfriends led her to believe chivalry wasn’t just dead, but burned to a crisp and never coming back, he was a refreshing change. A man with a gruff attitude, hot body, and, gasp, actual courage.

Now that was hot. Hence the sensual fantasies that wouldn’t stop circulating, keeping her awake, yearning, and wanting something she couldn’t have.

Sigh. Well, if she couldn’t have him, then she could at least drink his milk and partake of a shot of whiskey. Maybe two.

A robe went over her practical and warm flannel pajamas—decorated in a moose wearing earmuffs because she’d not expected to stay in someone’s house. Even if she had known, though, she wouldn’t have packed something sexier. Tammy was all about the practical. Just look at her coup de grace. To complete her ensemble, fuzzy pink slippers with two floppy ears and cross-stitched eyes covered her feet. A true siren of seduction. Not!

She stepped into the hall, dimly lit by a nightlight, one that somehow magically appeared upon her return to the house. Courtesy of Ursula she had no doubt.

Down the stairs she tread, the silent home strange and yet not frightening. It had too much of a cozy feel for that. So much wood should have made her nervous, especially given what happened to her dad. Yet, despite the definite flammability of the surroundings, her rational side knew it was no more dangerous than her cinderblock-built townhome.

As she hit the main floor, she wondered if Reid was back yet from the office. She’d gone to bed without hearing a thing. Then again, given his ability to move like a silent ninja, he could have tiptoed behind her without her noticing. Yeah, she flicked a glance over her shoulder to check. There was no one there. And, no, the breath she released wasn’t filled with disappointment.

Entering the kitchen, she flipped on an overhead light, and it took searching through three cupboards before she located a mug into which she poured some milk before nuking it. She pulled it from the microwave before the timer was done so it wouldn’t beep.

Warm cup in hand, she bypassed the opening to the living room and the liquor cabinet to instead wander to the window overlooking the side porch. The light in the kitchen cast a glare, though, making it impossible to see outside unless she pressed her face against the window. Since she didn’t want to explain why she left a face print on the window, she flipped off the light and resumed her spot.