Keeper of the Golden Dragon's Heart (The Cedar River Series) (8 page)

I was stunned. “So now what?” I asked.

Lance shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I guess maybe friends are all we can be.”

“Do friends still get to hang out on occasion?”

Lance laughed, “Of course.”

For tonight, the mood was ruined so we decided to skip the movie and went back to the woods at home instead. Snow covered the ground, but the smell of earth was still there. The earth smelled sweetest here, in my own little piece of heaven. It soothed my soul. My pride was hurt a little bit that Lance’s dragon didn’t desire me like the man did, but I could cope with it. We walked hand in hand for quite a while, in complete silence. I was lost in thought as we emerged from the woods. Lance released my hand and let me walk deep in thought. It was only as the snowball connected with the back of head that I realized that I was under attack.

Colin and Callum had been lying in wait for us when we left the forest cover. Lance was attacking the twins as best as he could, but they had been packing snowballs for the entire time we’d been walking. I attacked with reckless abandon. I pounced on the nearest twin which turned out to be Callum. I sat on him and rubbed snow in his face while he struggled to get up, laughing. Colin came to his brother’s rescue with Lance hot on his heels. Breathless, I surrendered as a handful of snow was stuffed down inside my jacket. No one would admit to who did it, though I suspected Lance had done it. We stopped playing and went into the house where Mama would be sure to have some hot cocoa waiting for us. Callum put his arm around me as we walked.

“I’m sorry, Annie, but none of us want to see you get hurt.”

I slugged him…hard. “I know and I love you all, but you have got to back off and let me live my life. I’m grown up, you know.”

He replied by hugging me tighter to him.

Mama sent the twins to change their clothes. I managed to get a quick hot shower to warm up before changing into my flannel pajama pants and sweatshirt. Lance was sitting at the kitchen table, wearing some of Brady’s clothes and sipping cocoa with Mama. I could smell the freshly frosted sugar cookies as I came down the stairs. My mouth was watering when I stepped into the kitchen. We shared a plate of cookies and a pot of hot cocoa, picking on each other the whole time. Lance finished his cocoa and got up to leave.

“Thank you, Mrs. Golden. Dinner was delicious. You’ll have to give Ma your cookie recipe though. I only get cookies this good when there is some sort of community celebration.”

Mama hugged Lance and tucked a recipe card in his shirt pocket. Handing him a plate of cookies, she said, “Wish your family a happy holiday from us, okay? Tell your mom that I’ll try to get to the Community Center early to help her decorate.”

I stood to walk Lance to the door. We stepped out on the porch and I closed the door behind us.

“I wish we could be more than friends, Ana, because I love hanging out with you. But I’m not going to be treading on Bowie’s territory. He’s the alpha dragon around here and he knows it.”

When I opened my mouth to protest, he said, “If I’m misreading the signals he’s sending out then we’ll give a romance another shot, but I’m not going to even attempt to take what he believes is rightfully his.”

I looked at Lance, my green eyes spitting fire, “I’m not a piece of property, Lance. I’m a woman who deserves to kiss whomever I wish.”

Lance kissed my forehead, “Yes, you most certainly do, but I don’t like waiting in line behind the dragon who usually gets what he wants. And that’s what Bowie would have me do. Wait my turn.”

My heart broke a little as Lance climbed into his truck to leave. I stepped back into the warmth of the house.

“So, my baby isn’t good enough for him?” Mama asked with a hint of anger in her voice.

“It’s not that. He thinks Bowie has feelings for me and Lance doesn’t want to step on Bowie’s toes.”

Mama looked at me, “And how do you feel about that?”

I shrugged because it was better to not put my feelings or thoughts into words for now. I was pissed off, but I’m not sure which part I was more pissed off about. Was it because Bowie acted like a dog marking his territory when Lance was around, or was it because Lance didn’t desire me enough to fight for me? I was having a hard time believing that Bowie wanted me for himself. Especially after the way he’d been acting lately. I was pretty sure Bowie didn’t even like me anymore.

****

Lorelai watched the daughter of her heart walk away. Her heart ached for the child she had loved for years. Nothing would make her happier than Anastasia and Bowie finding their way to loving one another. Ana’s mother had predicted it years ago, but Lorelai had laughed it off. She
had
noticed Bowie watching Ana with a man’s eyes. She had figured the day would come where Bowie and Ana would fall in love eventually, but she hadn’t given a thought to them falling in love with each other. Now, she was left hoping that Bowie wouldn’t do something so stupid that it would break this family apart.

Chapter Fifteen- Bowie

Lance stopped into the office as I was finishing up some paperwork. “I give up, Bowie. I’m done fighting with you and your brothers,” he said.

I set my pen down and looked at the young deputy. “Good. Do you care to elaborate?” I leaned back in my chair and crossed my ankles.

“Anastasia. I saw the way you watched her all through dinner tonight. The look on your face explained a lot of what has been going on since she and I struck up a relationship. So, we talked about it tonight. Ana and I are friends. That’s it. She’s all yours. But, dammit, Bowie, you better do right by her.”

I was speechless. I thought I’d been keeping my feelings a little more hidden than that, but maybe I wasn’t as good as I thought I was. I was more than amused at the threat he’s issued and the loyalty Ana inspired in the young deputy. The office door slammed closed behind Lance, hard enough to rattle the windows, and I sat in my chair thinking on this new development.

The following morning, I was drinking my first cup of coffee and still sitting, thinking about Ana when my cell phone ringing shocked me out of my thoughts.

“Cedar River Sheriff Department,” I answered. It was the DNR office. They’d found a mutilated carcass and thought maybe it had something to do with the poachers we’d been tracking through our forest. I grabbed my hat and coat, leaving any thoughts of Ana behind as I slipped into officer mode.

I arrived on the scene to find a female black bear with her paws missing. My first thought was that I was glad it wasn’t one of the shifters from the community. It was a gruesome scene. Blood had frozen in the snow and on the body. The DNR officers were recording their findings.

“Sheriff Golden,” the older officer said as I crouched down to take a closer look. “Her canine teeth are gone. Her paws are gone and it looks like her gall bladder was taken, too.”

I ran my hands over her fur. “Any sign of a camp?” I asked.

“No, sir. What we have figured is that while she was hibernating in her den, they went in and shot her, dragged her out and mutilated her.”

 I stood up and stretched. “They’ve been watching her for a while then.” Both officers nodded in agreement.

“This is got to stop,” I said.

“If you have any ideas, please speak up, Sheriff. We can’t establish a pattern. These assholes are baffling us. Concerning this mess here, do you know of any family who may need the meat this time of year? It’s a fresh kill.”

I thought on it for a bit, “You know what? I do know of a family who is struggling right now. The husband just lost his job. Help me load her into my truck and I’ll take it to them.” The three of us loaded the carcass and parted ways.

Disgust just couldn’t begin to explain my feelings. Humans can be so cruel. They are willing to destroy a life for their own personal gain. It doesn’t really surprise me. I’ve seen the awful things that humans do to one another over something as silly as a football game or a woman. Or to a child because the parent’s life didn’t turn out the way they wanted it to. Life just wasn’t as precious to some of them as it was to others. To some of them, an animal is just that…an animal. So few humans had any respect for the creatures of the world.

I dropped the bear carcass off to a wolf family who had fallen on hard times. Mike was happy to have some fresh meat for his family.

“Thank you, Sheriff.”

“Do you need any help cutting it up?”

“Nah, we can get it.” I shook his hand and wished him a happy holiday. I finished up at the station early. Then, I headed to the one place I should have avoided…home.

The smell of Mama’s roast beef drifted through the door when I stepped inside. There was the underlying smell of peach pie there, too. But, better yet, was the smell of green forest and running water that hit me full on. I turned to hang up my coat and hat. There Ana sat, curled up with a book, her hair pulled up on top of her head with a pair of fluffy cat slippers on her feet. Those goofy slippers had been a joke from the twins last Christmas and she loved them. Slowly, she lifted those green eyes to look at me. There was a look of confusion and uncertainty on her face.

“Hey, kitten,” I said.

She just kept studying me in that cat-like way she had. I chuckled as I walked into the kitchen. I snuck up behind Mama and hugged her tight.

“Wha-? Bowie!” Mama said as she swatted at me, smiling broadly. “You here for dinner?”

I kissed my mom’s cheek. “Of course. Where’s Papa?” I asked, pulling out a chair and sitting down.

“He is out shopping for his family.” My mouth fell open.

“That was my reaction,” Mama said laughing. “He said he wanted to go buy each of us something special for the holiday.”

I closed my mouth around a cookie and kept silent.”

“I’m glad you’re here, son. I want to talk to you about a situation that has been brought to my attention.” Mama stirred the pot on the stove one more time before she sat down across from me. “Is Ana still in there reading?” she asked.

“She was when I came in. Why?”

Mama took a deep breath. “I’m only going to say this once so listen closely. I’ve been noticing you looking at Ana for a couple of years now. Until now, I’ve kept my mouth shut. But now, others are noticing, too. Lance gave her the ‘let’s be friends’ speech because he noticed the looks. I don’t think it devastated her, but it stung her pride. You know how she can be, burying her feelings deep. I would love nothing more than for you two to make a life together, but I will not have you toying with her like you do the other girls you see. You will not break her heart.”

I looked at my mom. I should have known better than to believe she wouldn’t know about the women I’d been with, even if they were two towns over.

“I do feel differently about Ana, but I don’t know what it is. I feel jealous if she’s out with another guy. The thought of Lance kissing her just pissed me off, but I don’t want to ruin a perfectly good friendship over a little jealousy. I’ve thought of her as my friend for so long. You know…someone I needed to protect from the world’s cruelties. But then one day it hit me…she was all grown up and all woman. Feelings began to stir, Mama. I don’t think she’d have me. The feelings are one-sided.” Mama smiled that smile she has when she knows something you don’t know.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Bowie. When you aren’t looking at her, she’s looking at you. I think she’s just very confused right now. You’ve always been her best friend. Now? She isn’t sure.”

“She’s not the only one.”

“Just don’t start something with her unless you think it could be forever.”

I sighed heavily as Mama got up to stir her pot. I got up from the large kitchen table and walked into the living room. Ana had gone upstairs. Her scent lingered. I inhaled deeply, letting her scent take over my body. I followed her up the spiral staircase. She was sitting on her bed with her nose in a book. I leaned against the doorway and watched her. Her nose began to twitch. She stuck a finger in the book to hold her place and looked at me with those fiery eyes. “Can I help you with something?” she asked.

“Actually, yeah. I need to get Mama a gift, but I don’t know what to buy her. Do you want to go shopping with me after dinner?”

She sighed, “Bowie, when are you going to learn? You cannot wait until the week of Christmas to buy gifts for everyone.”

I laughed, “I’ve got everyone else’s gifts. I just can’t decide on something for Mama.” I walked into Ana’s sanctuary. “Do you have any ideas?” I asked.

She got off the bed and dug into her desk. Pulling out a box, she tossed it to me. Inside was the most beautiful bracelet. “Wow! She’s going to love this.”

Smug little shit answered, “I know. When Mama speaks, I pay attention. Have you not heard her hint about the pots and pans she’d like? Or the mixer, or the earrings and necklace at The Treasure Chest? Gods, Bowie are you really that self-centered?”

“I may have heard something about those things,” I replied.

“So you four are just rotten sons?”

I grabbed Ana’s foot and tickled. She was giggling and wriggling, but I held on tight, just like when she’d been little. Before I knew what was happening, I was lying beside her on her bed. She was breathless and sweaty. I brushed her tawny brown hair off her face. She licked those luscious pink lips, the tip of her tongue darting out. I couldn’t help it, I had to taste her. As I brushed my lips over hers, Papa bellowed up the stairs for Ana. She looked at me for a moment before she ran out of the room. Maybe it was hope on my part, but I thought I saw disappointment in her eyes.

Chapter Sixteen- Ana

The look in Bowie’s eyes had gone from playful to something else in a matter of moments; something that promised a lot of sinning and fun. That was not a look I was used to. The kiss was brief, but it held a side of Bowie I had never experienced. There was a side to the man that held darkness and a promise of passion. Papa’s call for me untangled me from a situation I was still trying to figure out. I was reeling with confusion when Papa dragged me into his office. On the sofa, desk and floor, shopping bags were scattered. I smiled broadly, “Did you go on a little bit of a shopping spree?”