Page 11 of Trapped (Sheppard & Sons Investigations #6)
Ashley
I can’t believe we have a cat. According to the vet, Prince was in good health and not chipped. He recommended notifying the local animal shelter in case his parents were looking for him, so we did. Well, I did. Gran said it was unnecessary because she believed Prince chose us.
“Gran, we should wait before buying so many toys.” Or treats.
“Ashley, Prince needs something to do while I’m resting,” Gran all but whined. God Lord, it’s like dealing with a child .
My hand instinctively went to my belly. Thankfully, Gran was too focused on shopping for Prince to notice that I was panicking because it’d be just my luck that my kid would be just like her. Like us.
Time for a new tactic. “Gran,” I whispered. “We’re on a budget, so let’s not go too crazy.”
“All right, dear.” She patted my arm, her eyes full of sympathy.
We bought more than necessary but not as much as Gran wanted.
After unfolding Gran’s walker and helping her out of the car and I carried Prince into the house in his new carrier. He vocalized his displeasure, loudly and without interruption, from the car to the kitchen.
While Gran used the bathroom, I washed Prince’s cute new cat bowl. The red and white fish painted on the bottom of the blue ceramic bowl made me smile.
Prince clawed at my legs while I opened the can of food.
“Give me a second, would ya?” I asked, knowing he wouldn’t.
He rewarded me with an impatient meow.
“Let me put it down,” I huffed at him, hoping he’d let me walk the five steps to his feeding mat without tripping me.
He didn’t.
I took two steps before he raced between my feet. Losing my balance and not wanting to step on the little fucker, I grabbed the counter for support. Unfortunately, my face slammed into the corner of an open cabinet door.
Which hurt like hell.
“Fucking cat.”
At least I didn’t drop his food and make a mess or break his new bowl . After putting his food on the floor, I went to my room to inspect the damage.
I had a scrape on my cheekbone and would likely have a bruise under my eye before dinner.
“Is everything okay?” Gran asked from the hall.
“Yeah, the stupid cat tripped me, and I slammed my face on a cabinet door.”
“How bad is it?”
“A scrape and I’ll probably have a black eye.”
“You know, you really should close those doors,” she said, turning towards the kitchen.
“Thanks for the sympathy, Gran,” I called out as I followed her.
“It’s a scratch; you’ll be fine.” If I were hurt, she’d be at my side as fast as she could push her walker, helping me.
I would be, but would she be as lucky if the demon cat tripped her?
“That’s a good boy,” Gran praised the demonic cat like he hadn’t just tried to kill me.
My phone buzzed with a text alert.
How’d it go at the vet?
We have a cat. crying emoji
I bet Gran is thrilled.
She is. But he just tried to kill me.
I’m sure that’s not true.
He tripped me, and I hit my face on a door.
I’m sorry.
Go ahead, laugh. I would.
It was true; I was like that. Not because I didn’t care, but because humor helped. As long as no one was seriously injured, which I wasn’t.
Emily sent a laugh emoji.
Any thoughts on the job offer?
I’ll take it. I’ll call Mary later.
Working part-time was better than being unemployed. I’d have a paycheck, and employed applicants looked more attractive to potential employers. Working with Blake and Mary was an added bonus.
Good, I’m glad. I’m still volunteering to revamp the website, so we’ll get to work together.
Cool! Gotta run. Doorbell.
Maybe it’s Prince’s owners . I felt bad for wanting Prince to have a home, knowing it’d break Gran’s heart, but it would be for the best. I’d consider finding her a new cat after I found a job and she was more mobile and stable.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t check the peephole before opening the door.
And coming face to face with Finn.
“Hey, baby,” he said, with an arrogant smirk on his face.
“What the—” I cut myself off before grabbing my keys off the nearby table.
I pushed him away and closed the door behind me. Gran didn’t need to see or hear us arguing.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I hissed.
“Is that anyway to greet your boyfriend?”
What?
“Finn, we broke up. Remember?” I asked.
“Ashley, I let you have your little tantrum. Now it’s time to come home.”
My little tantrum? Holy shit. Red Flag Finn was delusional!
“I’m not going back to Dallas.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“You have to,” he insisted. “I miss you.”
I glared instead of answering.
“I didn’t think you’d move so far away. I don’t like it.” He paused. “If you come back, I’ll get you your job back.”
I’m sure he thought he sounded charming, but to me he sounded nasally and whiny.
“I don’t give two flying fucks what you like.”
“Don’t talk to me like that.” He stepped closer.
I should’ve stepped back and created space, like John taught us in the women’s self-defense class; instead, I held my ground so Finn wouldn’t know I was afraid.
“You need to leave,” I ordered, but my voice wavered.
“I’m not leaving until you agree to come home.” He reached out and grabbed my wrist.
When I pulled it away and stepped back, I ran into something hard, unyielding, and growling. Growling?
Not something. Someone.
Scott. No, Nathan, I corrected myself. I still wasn’t used to his name change.
“Is there a problem here?” Nathan said, stepping beside me.
“Mind your own business, freak.” Finn wasn’t a small guy, but Nathan dwarfed him. “Baby, tell this jerk to go away.”
Nathan looked at me, his eyes narrowing when he noticed the bruise forming under my right eye.
Nathan slowly turned back around to face Finn, squared his shoulders, and glared. It was like he was daring him, inviting him to try something. “You have two seconds to walk away.” Nathan stepped between us, blocking my view of Finn. “Before you can’t.”
The chill running through my body was a mixture of fear and lust.
I was afraid of what Nathan might do to Finn, worried Gran would see it, but my traitorous body thought a growling Nathan defending me was sexy as fuck.
Finn hesitated, but only for the second it took for Nathan to step closer. Then he turned and marched back to his car, mumbling the entire time.
Nathan spun on me. “Did he do that to you?” He pointed at my face.
Still shocked he was here, and dealing with my traitorous, horny body, I just stood there blinking at him as my mind raced.
Not happy with my non-answer, he grabbed my chin and barked. “Who did this to you?”
I probably should’ve been afraid of him and his giant hand tilting my face up, forcing me to look him in the eye, but I wasn’t.
When I found my voice, I said, “No one. It’s nothing.
It was an accident.” It wasn’t a lie, but the expression on his face made it feel like one. How dare he act like he cares!
“If he—”
“The stupid cat tripped me, okay? Not that it’s any of your business.” I went from grateful and turned on to angry in under two minutes.
He stared at me, his eyes roaming across my face and down my arms.
“What is his name?”
“Does it matter?” I spat back with as much sass as I could muster.
He growled through gritted teeth. “Ashley, if you’re in danger, I need to know.”
Why? What right did he have showing up on my doorstep and butting into my life after ghosting me?
“I’m not. You can go now. Casper.” I waited half a heartbeat before turning and stomping back to the house.
He was staring; I could tell from the prickly feeling covering my skin. Fighting the urge to turn around, I ignored him.
After closing and locking the door, I went to the living room and plopped onto Gran’s floral couch. Thank God Prince kept Gran busy, and she hadn’t looked outside to see the evidence of the train wreck that was my life. She knew about Finn, of course. But I’d never told her about Nathan.
His real name still feels weird on my tongue .
Ten pounds of black fur jumped into my lap. Green eyes stared at me as tears filled mine. Without thinking, I ran my hand down Prince’s silky smooth neck and back.
He reached up, placed one paw on each shoulder, and tucked his head under my chin. Maybe he’s not so bad, I thought as I hugged him back. His purr calmed me as much as the repetitive motion of petting him.