Page 16 of Shadows of Obsession

As the trees closed in around us and the clearing faded behind me, my thoughts churned. His gruff demeanor and outright hostility had left me unsettled and, admittedly, more than a little pissed off.

Choco's ears flicked back toward me, sensing my agitation, and I forced myself to take a deep breath, to relax my grip on the reins and let some of the tension drain from my shoulders.

"Sorry, boy," I murmured, reaching down to pat his neck. "Not your fault some people are just assholes."

Still, as the main ranch buildings came into view and I guided Choco toward the barn, I couldn't quite shake the encounter from my mind. Those intense blue eyes. The tattoos that told a story I didn't know. The way he'd looked at me, not with the kind of attention I'd learned to fear, but with pure suspicion. LikeIwas the dangerous one.

What had brought him to that isolated corner of the ranch, so far from everyone else? What secrets was he hiding beneath that hard, defensive exterior?

I chastised myself for even wondering. The man clearly wasn't interested in making friends, and I had more than enough on my plate without adding him to it.

But the ranch wasn't that big. Sooner or later, we were bound to run into each other again.

And when we did, I was determined to get some answers.

With the barn finally in sight, I exhaled in relief. I was ready to put that confrontation behind me. To unsaddle Choco, brush him down, and maybe grab something to eat. My stomach was already reminding me I'd skipped lunch.

I cast one final glance over my shoulder in the direction I'd come from, not seeing any sign of him. The encounter might have been unsettling, but something told me it was far from over.

CHAPTER 5

Anna

"There you are!" Connor's voice rang out in relief as I pushed through the front door, his frame unfolding from the kitchen table where he'd clearly been waiting. "Where were you? I looked all over but couldn't find you."

I made my way to the sink, tossing a reassuring smile over my shoulder as pleasant memories of the afternoon replayed in my mind. "I went out on a trail with Choco," I replied breezily, completely missing the look of shock that flashed across Connor's face.

"You should've waited for me," Connor countered immediately, worry tempering his tone as he leaned against the granite countertop a few feet away. His honey-colored eyes swept over me, searching for any sign of injury. "Just in case something happened while you were out there alone."

A low chuckle slipped from my lips as I shook my head, already working the taps to scrub away the dirt from my ride. "It was completely fine, Connor. More than fine, actually," I assured him, my eyes sparkling with the memory of that freedom I'd felt. "We just explored one of the trails through the woods for a while, and it was... well, itwasgreat."

My smile faltered, pulling into a scowl as I scrubbed at the grime on my fingers with more force than necessary. The echo of stormy blue eyes and arrogant dismissal flashed through my mind, dousing my earlier euphoria.

Connor's brow furrowed at the sudden shift in my mood, his gaze silently demanding elaboration as it continued to assess me, stubbornly hunting for some hidden injury to justify his protective instincts. "What do you mean? What happened out there?" When I didn't immediately answer, his frown deepened. "Did Choco give you some trouble?"

"God, no—don't be stupid." I huffed out an exasperated sigh, rolling my eyes as I turned off the tap with a dramatic twist. Snagging a clean towel, I dried my hands and whirled to face him, every line of my body radiating pent-up frustration.

"Choco was an absolute angel. We just went out on one of the trails, wandering through the trees..." My words trailed off with a sneer, my features twisting in contempt. "Well, right up until we reached the end and apparently wandered onto someone's 'private property.'" I raised my fingers in derisive air quotes, the memory of that boorish, arrogant man reasserting itself with infuriating clarity.

Confusion flickered across Connor's face, but then understanding dawned. A slow, amused smile crept across his lips, and I knew immediately he'd figured something out.

My eyes narrowed as I watched that Cheshire-cat grin take form. Planting my hands on my hips, I fixed him with a piercing look. "What? Why are you making that face right now?"

Connor simply chuckled, the sound rumbling from his chest as he shook his head. "Well, it sounds like you had the pleasure of meeting my best friend, Jaxon Mercer, on your little trail ride today," he said, sinking back into the kitchen chair and propping one boot on the adjacent seat. He regarded me with a thoroughly entertained air. "You'll see him around from time to time. He may not work here officially, but the man practically lives on my couch most nights while we drink beer and demolish frozen pizzas."

He paused, brows bouncing impishly as he gave me an assessing once-over, clearly searching for visible scars from what must have been a memorable encounter. "I've gotta say, I'm kinda surprised you came out of that particular introduction still swinging." Another chuckle escaped him. "Jax definitely has his rough edges, but the guy's not so bad, really. Just a total introvert who keeps to himself most of the time."

"Not so bad?" The scoff that burst from my lips could probably have been heard all the way out to the back forty. I couldn't believe him. I rolled my eyes skyward and shook my head, utterly disbelieving that the decidedly unpleasant man I'd encountered could ever be considered "not such a bad guy."

"I'm going to go shower," I said, tossing the words over my shoulder. "Did you want me to figure out something for dinner when I'm done? I am the guest here, after all." I threw him a pointed look, silently reminding him of his role as host.

Connor seemed to mull over the question, tapping his finger against his chin as his eyes danced with barely concealed mirth. Then, as if he could no longer contain whatever devilish idea had taken root, his lips curved into a decidedly foxlike grin.

"Don't worry about dinner, Anna," he chuckled, not bothering to look up from where his thumbs were flying over his phone screen. "I've got an idea already brewing on that front."

A tendril of reluctant curiosity wormed its way through me. What did he have up his sleeve? And why did that impish grin suggest he was taking far too much delight in it? I shook off the nagging unease as I climbed the stairs to my room.

My mind wandered back to the afternoon as the hot spray of the shower sluiced over me. Specifically, to my unsettling encounter with Connor's so-called best friend. Try as I might, I couldn't shake the imprint of Jaxon's blatant hostility. The unbridled disdain blazing in those startling blue eyes as he'd confronted me, coiled power and gruff arrogance, had been more than a little unnerving.