Page 8 of Trapped (Sheppard & Sons Investigations #6)

Ashley

W hen I woke up in my childhood room, I had to remind myself where I was. The pale pink and green, colors I loved as a teen, were a harsh reminder I was no longer a self-sufficient adult. It wasn’t my choice, but that didn’t mean I felt any better about it.

I’d applied to every job advertised between Dallas and Weatherford, and even a few that weren’t. Crickets.

It didn’t make sense. I had a strong resume, a great portfolio, and my clients loved me. There should’ve been interest by now.

My phone alarm beeped. The screen reminded me it was Wednesday when I picked it up to silence it.

Wednesday. The day Nathan returns from his job in Dallas.

I washed my face in cold water before joining my grandmother in the kitchen for breakfast. As I came around the corner, I almost tripped over a black cat walking between my legs.

“What the hell?” Gran didn’t have a cat.

“Language, dear.”

“Sorry, Gran, but this stupid cat just tripped me.” I looked around to see where it’d gone. “Give me a sec and I’ll shoo him outside.”

“There’s no need for that.” I looked just in time to see the cat’s head poke above the table, his green eyes staring at me as he sat on Gran’s lap.

“Meow.”

“When did you get a cat?”

“Last night. This handsome fella was meowing outside the patio door, so I gave him some tuna.” Outwardly, I raised an eyebrow. Inwardly, I thought, what the fuck.

Gran knew better than to feed a stray. Or so I thought .

“What?” She shrugged as if it were no big deal. “He was hungry.”

She stroked the cat’s head as she explained how he’d rubbed up against her leg, begging for attention, before devouring the food.

The cat looked healthy, and he was friendly. “He probably belongs to a neighbor. We need to ask around.”

“He doesn’t have a collar,” she countered. Honey-brown eyes, so much like my own, stared at me, daring me to argue.

I sighed and poured myself a cup of coffee. After adding a generous portion of vanilla creamer, I tried again. “Gran, just because a cat doesn’t have a collar doesn’t mean he’s a stray. We should take him to the vet to see if he’s chipped.”

“But he likes it here.” No argument from me. I could hear the damn cat purring across the small kitchen island.

I tried to use reason. “Gran, his owners probably miss him.” A well-fed, friendly cat must have a family who loved him. Gran wouldn’t want to deprive them.

“Fine, we can take him to see if he’s chipped, but if he’s not, I’m keeping him.”

“Thank you.” I sighed.

“His name is Prince.” As if on cue, Prince meowed.

Great. We have a cat. As if I didn’t have enough problems.

“Gran, try not to get too attached. He looks healthy, so he probably has a home and a family.”

“Nonsense! He adopted us.”

Knowing it was a lost cause, I gave up. If the vet found a chip, we’d have to return him to his family. If Prince didn’t have a chip, we’d have a cat.

“Emily’s coming over after breakfast. We’ll take the cat to the vet after she leaves,” I said before asking what she wanted for breakfast.

“Just eggs and toast for me.”

After breakfast, Prince followed Gran to the living room, where she settled into her favorite comfy chair to read. I could hear her talking to him, asking him what type of toys he wanted.

I prayed he had a chip. Not because I didn’t like cats, but I lacked the energy for the added responsibility.

And what if he tripped her, like he almost did me this morning?

Gran could end up a lot worse off than she already was.

I didn’t want to think about her needing another surgery or, worse, dying because she fell and hit her head.

Emily didn’t help matters by gushing over the damn cat when she greeted my grandmother.

“Your cat is so cute.”

“He is, but I doubt we can keep him,” I said.

At the same time Gran said, “His name is Prince.”

“Why not?”

“Look at him Em, he’s probably someone’s pet.”

“I didn’t think of that,” Emily said. “Maybe Gran can adopt a different cat if Prince has a home.” Not helping Em .

I wasn’t against Gran having a cat but I wanted to make sure she was safe and could handle caring for it. “Maybe.” Maybe I could stay longer than I originally intended to make sure she was steady on her feet, so she’d be less likely to get tripped by a playful cat.

“Let’s move to the kitchen so we don’t disturb them,” Emily said, tearing her eyes away from Prince, who was happily playing with a ball of yarn Gran had rolled on the floor.

“Coffee?” I asked, then immediately apologized.

“It’s okay. It’ll take time to adjust.” Emily put her hand on her belly. She looks so damn happy . My hand twitched, wanting to touch my belly, but I refused to draw attention to it. I didn’t want to talk about it until I’d taken the test.

“I can make some decaf if you want, or some herbal tea.”

“Tea sounds good.”

Our conversation started with bad news. Emily’s company wasn’t hiring, but she suggested I send in my resume anyway.

When she asked if I wanted to return to Dallas; I couldn’t answer.

I loved Dallas, but after Finn, I felt like I wanted a change of pace.

No, I’ve wanted it longer than that . I loved the city life, but had been visiting Weatherford more often.

My phone buzzed with a text alert. Speak of the devil . Not wanting to read it, I turned my phone screen side down.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just Red Flag Finn. I’ll read it later.”

Knowing the full story of why I broke up with him, she let it go. “Have you heard from any companies you’ve applied to?”

“No, I’ve followed up, but no dice.” I sipped my tea. “Which is crazy. My reputation is great. I do good work, and my clients leave rave reviews.”

Just like it made no sense for my boss to fire me.

Though I reminded myself not to take it personally because my boss said the budget cuts made it necessary.

Which was weird; I thought the company was profitable.

The nagging feeling that Finn was responsible lingered, but I refused to believe his uncle would be so petty.

My phone buzzed again. I ignored it.

“Mary said she could give you some work, but it’s not full time.”

“For Grannie’s?”

“No, for the Wyatt Foundation. Now that Blake’s joined the board as their legal counsel, they’re ready to grow the foundation.” Blake passed her bar exam earlier in the summer and had the good fortune of landing her dream job before the ink was dry on her certificate.

“I don’t mind contract work,” I said, knowing it was better than nothing.

“Hey, maybe we should start our own company.” I said it as a joke, but it wasn’t a bad idea.

We both had marketing degrees. Emily’s skills were branding and website design.

My area of expertise was tying in and maintaining social media platforms. We’d make the perfect team.

Having our own company would require a lot of work, but it’d give us flexibility and full control.

“Maybe, but now isn’t the right time. Jamie wants me to take time off after the baby’s born.”

“More than the typical maternity leave?” I looked for signs that she didn’t agree, but it was clear she didn’t mind Jamie calling the shots.

“Yeah, but I don’t think my boss will approve the six months Jamie wants me to take.”

“I’m surprised he wants you to take that long, since you work from home.” She could set her own hours and work around the baby’s needs.

“That’s what I said. If my boss won’t approve the extended leave, I’ll ask to work part-time. I’m sure Jamie will be okay with that.”

I didn’t doubt it.

“Why didn’t Mary ask you to help with the Wyatt Foundation?”

“She did, but I’m not as good at the social media stuff, so I suggested you for the job.”

“Em, you didn’t have to do that.” I didn’t want her giving up the opportunity to work with her mother-in-law on a passion project.

“I know. But I’m pregnant and you’re out of work, so it makes sense.” She sipped her tea. “Say you’ll do it, please.” She drew out the ‘e’ while clasping her hands in front of her chest.

“I’d love to.” Working for the Wyatt Foundation would be more than just a paycheck; I’d be helping the families of fallen heroes. Plus, finding work was easier if you had a job.

The foundation began three years ago, when John and Mary Sheppard held a fundraiser to help Beth after her husband, a Weatherford cop, died in the line of duty.

Poor Beth was seven months pregnant. The small-town community got behind them, and they’d raised so much money they helped Beth and a second widow.

Wanting to do more good, they created the Wyatt Foundation and held an annual event near Halloween.

They raised a lot of money, and everyone had a good time.

And don’t even get me started on how fantasy-inducing it is seeing the SSI guys in chaps!

An image of Nathan in chaps flashed through my mind.

My phone buzzing again erased the drool-worthy picture from my mind. I imagined shooting daggers out of my eyes straight into my phone at the disruption.

“What if it’s not him?”

She had a point, so I turned it over. Nope, it’s him . I put it back on the table with more force than I intended.

“I’m sorry, Ashley. Want Jamie to tell him to back off?”

“No. He’s not worth the energy. Besides, I don’t think he’s dangerous,” I said, trying to convince myself as much as Emily.

I broke up with him because he started showing red flags for abusive behavior: self-centered, blamed me for everything, refused to apologize, jealous fits, and the final straw was when he tried to tell me I couldn’t come home to visit my friends.

“Okay, but if you change your mind, call. You know Jamie will help.”

I did. I also knew Jamie would tell his newest employee. And with my recent luck, Casper would be the only one available to help.

Hard. Fucking. Pass.