Across from her, she studied her brother as his voice rose and fell in a calming manner. Alex was leaning forward, speaking directly to Max about the alarm system. She’d grown up in a loving home. Every day she had known she was loved and her parents had doted on each of their children. Alex had become her parent after their real parents’ deaths in a car accident on an icy road. He’d just graduated from college and had returned to care for her and their younger brother Jacob.
While he had a business degree and did in fact make a lot of money at the gallery, she knew that it was the ranch, the horses that Alex truly loved.
The money that the family had, that Alex had made, always went to the animals first. Alex put everything he had, every free minute into the horses. Back when he’d first returned, Alex had been involved with a woman in college. Cassie had met her once. Right after the funeral of their parents.
She didn’t know what had happened between Alex and the woman, but she’d never seen her again and Alex refused to talk about it.
Instead, Alex spent his time trying to get her to settle down like Jacob. So far Cassie had managed to turn the tables on him about settling down, but now she wasn’t sure she would be able to anymore.
Chase picked up where Alex trailed off, getting into the security cameras and how more should be added.
At the moment, they only had cameras outside the house and stables. Chase wanted some installed in the interior of the buildings too.
“I don’t want cameras in my studio,” Cassie spoke up.
The three men turned to her.
“The studio was the target,” Chase responded. “It makes the most sense to cover that area.”
Cassie shook her head. “No, I can’t work knowing someone is watching me.”
“They will only be there for your protection. It’s not like we’ll be watching them all the time,” Alex assured her.
There was no way she could handle even that. “No, please.”
Alex opened his mouth, but beside her, Max held up his hand. “Let’s wait. We can go ahead and order some more cameras. If Cassie doesn’t want them inside maybe we’ll place them over the entry doors. We can work it out so everyone is comfortable.”
Relief washed over her. She was glad that Max seemed to understand. She nodded in acceptance.
“Let me look though the houses and I’ll make a map of where I think the new cameras should go. I assume we’ll do both the main house and Cassie’s?”
“Jacob’s too,” Alex added. “I want them covered.”
Max inclined his head. “I agree.”
Chase stood. “It seems like you all have everything under control. I need to stop back by the Alpha’s place and make sure the new shifts in town have been sorted out. I’ll update him on the situation here.”
Alex and Max both rose with him.
“I expect you’ll hear from the Alpha soon anyway. He’ll want to check on things himself.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Alex offered.
“If you’re ready to take me over, I’d like to see the studio.” Max turned to her.
Cassie placed her beer on the side table then wiped her hands down the legs of her jeans. Suddenly she was very nervous about having Max in her personal space. She spent the majority of her time in the studio. It was her heart and soul. Only a few people had ever been there.
“Yeah, sure.” She climbed to her feet. “Uh, thanks, Chase. We’ll see you later, Alex.”
She waited while Chase hugged his brother and he followed Alex out before she turned to Max.
“Ready?”
He nodded.
She led the way out the patio door and down the steps. Alex hadn’t wanted her to leave the ranch so he had been the one who had suggested that she take the guesthouse and make it her home. She’d been thinking about getting her own place.
He’d offered to have a house built like he’d done for Jacob and Peyton, but that hadn’t made sense since the guesthouse sat empty. Instead, they’d remodeled it to fit her needs.
It was only a few yards from the main house’s porch to the front of her place. Since the break-in she had been better at locking and setting the alarm whenever she left.
Alex still hadn’t forgiven her for forgetting the night before. But in all honesty, she was never the best at remembering.
She’d never been worried about someone breaking in. They would have to get into the canyon, go through the property then get in and out without anyone seeing them. And why would anyone want to destroy her art anyway?
All the questions that she just couldn’t answer, no matter how much she thought about it, weren’t really helping her not to worry either.
She unlocked the front door with Max staying close behind her. Her hand shook slightly, but she didn’t think he noticed.
After she pushed the door open, the long beep from the alarm alerted her it was still armed. She punched in the four-number code and turned to face Max.
“Who all has the code?”
“Me, Alex, Jacob and Peyton. Oh, and James.”
“James?”
“He’s been working as my assistant He just graduated and is trying to get his own showing. He’s very talented.”
“How long has he been working for you?”
“About six months or so. He applied at the gallery and Alex hired him for the reception desk. We met and started talking, and he now works part-time for Alex and part-time for me.”
“Last name?”
Cassie frowned at him. “James wasn’t involved.”
Max lifted a brow.
“Strut. His last name is Strut.”
“Is he part of the pack?”
“No, he’s not a shifter.”
Max nodded, but Cassie couldn’t let it go. “He’s a good kid. There is no way he was involved.”
The look Max sent her said he wasn’t convinced. “Then he has nothing to worry about.”
She sighed and figured he was right. She knew James was too dedicated to art for him to ever get involved in something like the break-in.
Max was glancing around and Cassie wondered what he saw. The entryway was open and painted a bright white. There were three wide archways that led farther into the residence.
“Through there is the kitchen.” Cassie waved a hand. He would be able to see the stainless-steel appliances from where they stood. She pointed behind her. “Living room and patio door.” Then she faced the hallway opening. “Back here are the rooms.”
He motioned for her to go ahead, so she stepped around him.
“The first door is the second bedroom,” she told him as she turned the knob. The room was sparse with only a bed, dresser and nightstand. “So I guess this is where you’ll be staying.”
Max walked in and placed his two bags on the bed. He spun in a circle. “Okay, show me the rest.”
Cassie didn’t respond right away. It had just dawned on her that she would have a man staying in her house with her. A very attractive man who she wouldn’t mind seeing naked. And just a couple of doors down from her bedroom.
When her palms started to sweat, she rubbed her hands down her thighs again.
Max’s presence was a big deal in her life. He would see everything she was. There was no way she could hide her quirks from him.
“Cassie?”
She jumped, not realizing he had moved so close. She tilted her head back to look up at him. Damn, he was tall.
“It’ll be all right,” he assured her with that deep tremble.
Cassie found herself shivering. She wanted to reach for him, have Max pull her into his arms. Have the press of his lips against hers. She swallowed and took a step back.
“Uh, I’m…uh…”
He smiled, his hazel eyes bright.
She was losing her mind. She whirled back around into the hallway and took several deep breaths to calm her racing heart.
“Okay,” she said. “Next door is the bathroom. Then the office.” She moved forward as she spoke. Then paused again. “My bedroom.”
That took care of the three doors that were on the east side of the house and left her standing in front of the large door to the studio.
She hadn’t been back inside since she’d first discovered the incident. Cassie placed her hand on the wood. “The studio,” she whispered.
“Has it been cleaned up?” Max asked behind her.
She nodded. “Alex took care of it.”
Max’s chest pressed into her back and she felt him lift his hand. “Deep breath,” he spoke softly, his mouth close to her ear.
She inhaled through her nose then let the air out.
“Good,” he said and opened the door.
In her mind, she could see the ripped canvases, the paint spilled over the floor and walls and her brushes in pieces.
Max held his hand down on her shoulder and she blinked.
None of that was there.
Alex had come through like always. The walls had been repainted the mint green that she’d had before. The hardwood floors were glistening and clean. The room was also restocked.
Slowly, she stepped forward, one foot in front of the other. Her easels stood with blank sheets, her paints were lined up in their holders along the walls and her desk held a variety of brand new brushes.
She made it to the middle of the room as tears filled her eyes.
It looked good, but it also reminded her of what had been taken from her. Months of work ruined. She’d put her entire being into each piece. Now there was nothing to show for it.
Cassie sobbed and Max wrapped his arms around her.
“Shh,” he cooed. “It will be okay.”
Sure, she knew it could have been worse, but her heart ached. She clung to Max, allowing him to rock her gently. He felt good pressed to her body. As she soaked up the comfort he offered, peace filled her. Closing her eyes, she rested her cheek against his chest and just breathed in Max’s spicy scent.
Her body started to respond and it was with regret that she forced herself to pull away. “I’m going to lie down for a little bit.”
He released her. Their gazes locked, causing her breath to catch. His sparkling eyes were kind and called to both the woman and wolf inside her.
She spun on her heel, escaping into her bedroom. She had a lot to think about, because all signs were pointing to Max being more than just a bodyguard or security for her. The connection was so strong between the two of them that Cassie was unsure how she would let him go when everything was resolved.
Chapter Four
Max woke up with sweat pouring off him and his heart beating frantically. He had been back in that house, the room where he’d thought he was going to die, where his best friend hadn’t made it out alive.
He clenched his eyes closed and tried to get control of himself and regulate his breathing.
Once his heart rate had slowed to almost normal, he knew he wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep, so he swung his legs over the side of the bed. A glance at the clock on the nightstand told him it was two in the morning.
It had been so long since he’d gotten a full night’s sleep. He should probably take one of the sleeping pills that the doctor had given him, but he didn’t like how they made him feel the next day. Needing to keep an eye out for Cassie and the Wilson family, he couldn’t very well be stoned during the day.
Max pushed himself off the bed then pulled on the jeans from earlier. He would get a bottle of water from the kitchen and look over the plans for the Wilson ranch. He’d already gone over everything with Alex the night before, but another look wouldn’t hurt.
He opened his bedroom door quietly, not wanting to wake Cassie, who slept only a few doors down.
There was no doubt he’d been shocked when he’d first seen her again. He wasn’t sure why he’d still pictured the young girl from his memories, but Cassandra Wilson was in no way a little girl.
She was a beautiful woman.
It had thrown him off balance when she’d looked at him with those expressive chocolate eyes. He hadn’t been prepared for the punch he’d felt from the pixie woman.
She was much smaller than his big frame. And every single part of him had wanted to wrap her up and protect her.
It had just about killed him when they’d entered her studio and he’d seen the devastation on her face. Yes, the room had been cleaned, but he could see that she was picturing the way she’d found it before.
With her in his arms, he’d wanted to kill whoever had hurt her. His normal quiet and calm wolf had not been any happier. The itch under his skin had been an experience he had only felt a few times in his life.
Since he couldn’t actually shift into his animal, he could sometimes pretend it wasn’t even there. But sometimes, when he was stressed or emotional, there was an extra awareness of his wolf.
Just as he’d started to wonder about his wolf’s response to Cassie, she had shut down.
She’d excused herself from the room and told him she was tired and wanted to lie down. A door inside the studio apparently led to the bathroom that then connected to Cassie’s bedroom.
Alex had shown up about thirty minutes after Cassie left him. When he asked about Cassie, Max explained what had happened. Alex had finished the tour and told him about the adjoining doors to Cassie’s rooms.
While Alex went and checked on his sister, Max had started drawing a map of where he wanted the extra cameras installed.
Cassie’s studio had a balcony door that linked to the sliding glass door of her bedroom. He made a note that both of those exits needed a camera above them. Cassie would still be able to open them when she wanted, but they would be able to see if anyone tried to enter that way.
He didn’t turn on any lights until he reached the kitchen. There, he flicked on the switch and saw a half-empty bottle of wine on the marble counter. So Cassie must have gotten up in the three hours he’d managed to sleep.
He pulled a cold bottle of water from the fridge and drank half of it down. He was starting to calm and felt better already.
Thoughts of the woman replaced the aftershocks of the nightmare.
Since Cassie had been holed up in her room, he’d had a simple meal of a burger and some chips with Alex earlier in the night. He wished he could offer the family more reassurance, but he still didn’t know what was going on.
The worry Alex had for his sister had been evident as they’d talked over dinner.