Page 42 of Smut Lovers

Chapter Four

Moorely

A new moon in a dark sky community meant the best views in the world.

I finished brewing my tea, grabbed my e-reader, turned off all my lights, and headed onto the small deck of my tiny house.

I loved this plot of land more than anything.

When our grandpa had died, he’d left his fifteen acres to Aspen and me.

I’d gotten the smaller share with five acres, and Aspen got the ten acres with some good hunting land.

While Aspen still lived in town, I’d saved up for my little house and moved here as soon as I could. Of course, that meant I was the one monitoring as much of both properties as I could. Even with the fences and signs, there were still people that wandered onto our property from time to time.

As if thinking of guarding the properties had conjured her, my large German shepherd ambled onto the porch.

She’d been the runt of the litter when I’d picked her from Wick’s K9 training facility.

Dad had forced my hand that if I was going to insist on living out here on my own, I needed security.

Not being big on guns, I went for protection of a different sort.

In time, Scully had outgrown all her littermates, and her skills were top-notch. Dad was satisfied, and my whip-smart dog kept me company in my little bubble. Scully set her head on my knee, giving me a sideways glance. One brow raised as if she was judging me.

“What? I’m going to enjoy the stars, then read.”

The quietest high whine hit my ears.

I smirked at her. “Why do I always forget your nose is sharper than anything? Fine. You want a treat?”

Scully lifted her head and dipped it in an action eerily similar to a nod.

“Gib küsschen.” I leaned forward to accept the lick on my cheek. Wick trained her, like all his dogs, in German. They trained half her litter for search and rescue, but trained the other half to be guard dogs. “Braver hund. Here you go.”

She took the offered hunk of dehydrated sweet potato as gently as anything, then flopped to the deck to chew on it.

I took the opportunity of her distraction to lift my gaze upward.

The Milky Way stretched across the clear sky.

A gossamer, glistening strip of light dancing across the heavens.

Isolated here, I swore I could see every star in the night sky.

So many I could spend the rest of my life counting and not get to the end.

This is what I loved so much about this valley. I’ve gone on vacation elsewhere, but nothing compared to a dark sky town. There’s hardly any light pollution, even with the town not very far.

All the tension of my week released from my shoulders.

The first week at the new job hadn’t gone well, and for the rest of the time, I’d been doing my best to avoid spotting Briggs anywhere.

In a small town, avoiding the town hockey hero was difficult as everyone was gushing over his return.

Like the second coming or something. He hadn’t been home in five years, but no one cared about that.

“Damn it.” I noticed Scully’s curious gaze over my outburst. “Sorry. Super annoying to have someone making their way into your thoughts without you wanting them there.”

As expected, Scully turned her attention back to her sweet potato.

“Right, then. I’ll get back to what I was doing.

” I took a long sip of tea. The expanse of land before me drew my eye even in the dark.

I’d often imagine the home I dreamed of building there.

A huge hidden library full of actual books instead of the e-books I’d settled for with my small home.

It was a pipe dream a long way away from where I was at.

For the time being, I was seriously considering getting a big shed to convert into a library-slash-reading nook.

I could envision the walls lined with shelves; a good, cozy chair tucked in by a window.

A little mini bar so I wouldn’t have to head back to the house for any treats while I got lost in my books.

I could have a very enlarged version of one of Aspen’s night sky pictures papered onto the ceiling.

The roar of an engine pulled me from those blissful thoughts. It was a distance away, but still close enough to be on my property. I rose. Beside me, Scully got to her feet. Her back was level with my hips, and I set my hand there. Her low growl brought me comfort.

In the distance, I saw an ATV’s headlight crest a hill before disappearing. Several minutes later, the engine noise died out and the faint glimmer of the headlight disappeared.

“Aus,” I muttered to stop Scully’s growling. “Komm.”

We left the deck together, heading off toward the hill where I’d seen the ATV. I didn’t have to tell Scully to heel. She did so automatically. She remained close to my side without so much as another peep.

The surrounding land remained hushed and still, not even a breeze to rustle the branches of the distant trees or the tall grasses on the land. Almost as if the entire incident had been a figment of my imagination.

Scully tensed beside me, her steps slowing. She still didn’t growl after my earlier command, but her ears pricked forward, her nose twitching.

It took a few moments for me to spot the figure in the dark. The dark silhouette of what appeared to be a man on the next hill. When we reached the bottom of the hill he stood on, I tapped Scully’s back. “Sitzen. Bleib.”

She obeyed, only a lick of her lips to show any impatience at being held back. I left her behind to climb the hill myself. The closer I got, the more familiar the figure. The one person I’d been avoiding all week. Fuck my luck.

Briggs didn’t appear to hear my approach. He stared up at the sky I’d been admiring just a short while ago.

I cleared my throat. “You’re on private property, you know. I could have shot you, just like the posted warnings.” I didn’t have a gun, but he didn’t need to know that.

Briggs dropped his gaze from the sky down to me. His brow pinched together. “This is Aspen’s land.”

“Nope. Mine. His is over that way about two hundred yards.”

“Fuck. Sorry. I’ve spent all damn week surrounded by people. I knew tonight there’d be no moon thanks to all the posters around town and thought I’d find somewhere private to get some quiet and enjoy the night sky. Aspen’s land seemed the best place.”

Warmth flooded my heart when his head turned immediately to stare at the sky again, as if he couldn’t stop. I tried to grasp onto my previous annoyance. “I’ll bet you can’t see a damn thing in Chicago.”

“No, I can’t.” His voice carried such sadness. It wore through my limited guard. “Wait. Moorely, did you know it was me?”

“No, I-“

“What the hell are you doing approaching a stranger in the dark like that?”

He certainly made it easy to irritate me all over again. I glared at him, adding a huff in case he couldn’t see my face well. “I can take care of myself.”

“There could be any sort of person—”

“I said I can take care of myself. Scully, Komm.” I didn’t move as Scully padded forward to my side. With a scratch between her ears, I murmured, “Gib laut.”

Briggs took a step back at Scully’s rather impressive bark. “What’s that?”

“Her name is Scully, and she’s my protection. One word from me and she’ll latch onto you and not let you go until told.”

“She’s scarier than Geordi.”

“I know. Geordi’s a meathead, but Scully’s a killer.”

“No shit.”