Page 133 of Shadows of Obsession
Posing as a guest by booking one of the cabins seemed obvious, the most direct route. But the listings were brand new, probablypublished just that day, based on the account activity timeline. Arriving as an immediate guest, especially alone, might raise suspicions. Ranch people were likely observant, the kind who noticed strangers and asked questions.
Daniel needed a cover, a way to blend in.
Lost in thought, discarding possibilities almost as quickly as they formed, Daniel grabbed the room's plastic ice bucket from atop the mini-fridge. The walk to the ice machine would clear his mind, give him space to think without these four walls pressing in.
He stepped out into the balmy Nevada evening, the heat still radiating from the asphalt of the parking lot below, even as the sun dipped in streaks of orange and purple. The motel balcony overlooked the lot, a depressing vista of cars, dumpsters, and the highway beyond.
As he traversed the balcony toward the ice machine at the far end, Daniel nearly collided with a man in a business suit made of expensive fabric, silk tie loosened at the throat, wedding band glinting gold in the dying light. The man was followed closely by a woman in a too-tight dress and heels too high for walking, her makeup thick and her demeanor one Daniel recognized immediately.
Prostitute.Obviously.
He stepped aside quickly to avoid contact, his nose wrinkling slightly at the cloud of cheap perfume that followed them. But his eyes tracked them, watching as the man fumbled with his key card at a room three doors down from Daniel's.
The woman's laugh was high-pitched, artificial. "Don't worry, baby," her voice drifted back clearly in the quiet evening air. "I'll do everything you want. Whatever you want. You're paying, so you're in charge."
The man's response was too low to hear, but the door opened, and they disappeared inside.
Daniel stood frozen mid-step, the ice bucket forgotten in his hand.
An idea struck him like lightning, so perfect in its simplicity that a slow, malicious smile spread across his face, the kind of smile that never reached his eyes, transforming his features into something predatory and cold. That's it. That's how.
He didn't need to show up alone. He didn't need to look suspicious or out of place. He just needed someone to go with him. Someone who could play a role, who wouldn't ask questions, who could be controlled with money.
Someone who would do everything he wanted because he was paying.
And what he wanted, what he wanted more than anything in this world, more than his next breath, more thanhis own sanity, was Anna.
CHAPTER 36
Anna
The last two weeks had flown by in a whirlwind of activity that left me both exhausted and exhilarated. Between managing the cabins, teaching riding lessons, and leading trail rides, I barely had time to catch my breath, but I loved every minute of it. This is what purpose feels like. This is what building something means.
My Airbnb listings had barely been live for three days before the reservations started pouring in. I'd been sitting at Connor's computer, refreshing my email obsessively, when the first notification dinged. Then another. Then three more in rapid succession. My hands actually trembled as I clicked through each booking request, hardly believing this was real.
Connor, when I'd shown him with barely contained excitement, hadn't seemed the least bit surprised. He'd just smiled that knowing smile of his and said, "You did good work, Anna. People can see that." And maybe he was right. The professional-quality photos, the carefully crafted descriptions highlighting the ranch's best features, the thoughtful touches I'd added to each cabin, it had all paid off in ways I hadn't quite dared to hope for.
Jaxon, ever the supportive partner, found himself happily buried in work alongside me. The demand for riding lessons and trail rides surged beyond what I'd anticipated, attracting not only our overnightguests but also curious locals from Warren who'd heard about the new venture through the small-town grapevine that always knew everything before it was officially announced.
With my days filled to the brim with horse-related activities like teaching a nervous first-timer how to hold the reins properly, leading a family of four through the forest trails, helping a young girl brush down her favorite mare after a lesson, Jaxon readily stepped in to help with the housekeeping duties.
One afternoon, I came back from a trail ride to find him vacuuming one of the cabins, country music playing from his phone. The sight made my heart squeeze with affection. He looked up, caught me watching from the doorway with what was probably a dopey smile on my face, and grinned.
"What? I can vacuum," he said defensively, though his eyes danced with humor.
"I know you can. I just… thank you."
He turned off the vacuum, crossed the room in three long strides, and kissed me thoroughly enough that we were almost late getting the cabin ready for the next guests. He does this because he wants to. Because he believes in what I'm building. In what we're building.
He even led a trail ride once, his natural charm and easy manner with both horses and people shining through while I stayed behind to give a lesson to a group of teenagers from a local youth program. When he returned, he was laughing with the guests, completely in his element, and I realized this life we were creating wasn't just mine—it was ours.
Despite the lingering heat of the late summer sun that still beat down relentlessly during the afternoon, turning the barn into an oven and forcing me to keep a cooler of ice water nearby, there was a subtle shift in the air. A hint of the approaching autumn whispered through rustling leaves and drifted on the gentle breezes that swept across the ranch as evening fell.
Mornings were cooler now, requiring a light jacket when I went out to feed the horses before dawn. The light changed too. Sharper and clearer, with that golden quality that only came in late August and early September.
I'd set my sights on making the remaining three cabins available for rent in the coming week, just in time for the Labor Day rush. The prospect of having all six cabins fully booked filled me with a mix of excitement and trepidation that fluttered in my stomach like nervous butterflies. Can I handle that much? Six cabins, multiple lessons, trail rides?
But Jaxon's unwavering support, his insistence that I could absolutely handle it, that I should seize the opportunity while demand was high, that he'd be there to help with whatever I needed, helped to quiet my doubts.