Catamount Ridge (3 page)

The warm, comforting pressure of her father squeezing her hand helped ease her growing anxiety.

Jessie looked into her father’s concerned eyes and sighed. Remembering everything that happened up on Catamount Ridge wasn’t something she looked forward to. That psych ward was looking better and better. At least there she would get some damn good meds to help muddle her already frazzled mind.

3

A WEEK LATER, Jessie walked determinedly down the streets of Silverton, California. Located deep in the heart of gold country, the town’s history was rich in folklore and legends. In all the years she spent growing up in the small town, Jessie had never witnessed any sign that the bizarre tales held an ounce of truth. Lost miners supposedly haunted the forest. Claims being jumped and pickaxes were other staples of the countless campfire stories that had frightened the brave children who dared to sleep out under the stars.

Silverton, in gold country. An oxymoron Jessie could never resist citing.

She headed for the ranger station to check in for the first time since the mountain lion attack. Memories of that day plagued her dreams, but after seven full days, Jessie wondered if she would ever fully remember.

The official story about how she ended up in the hospital was far different from the one she recalled. Apparently, Derek Foster found her truck up on Catamount Ridge and tracked her up the side of the mountain. He found her bleeding and unconscious in a pile of brush about a mile away. The ranger supposedly cleaned and bandaged her arm with the supplies he always carried in his backpack. Then he heroically hauled her ass back to her vehicle and drove her directly to the hospital. Since he had called them on her fully functioning radio, the staff had been waiting for their arrival.

Evidence backed up his version of the story. There was no damage to her truck radio, and the fact that Derek used it to call the hospital had been confirmed. Jessie found her cell phone exactly where she left it in the glove box. Blood on the passenger seat suggested her presence, and the timeline indicated she had only been gone several hours. In addition, the body of her truck hadn’t sustained any additional damage. It had not been in any kind of accident, at least not that day.

A smudge of blood on the dashboard where she banged her forehead was the only piece of evidence she found that corroborated her version of the day’s events.

Where her imagination began and where it ended was still a mystery. Jessie was pretty darn sure she had sex with Derek Foster. His touch was too real, too sensual, and too powerful to be an illusion. The man had been inside her body. Now he was roaming around her head and dominating her thoughts. Derek had taken her in every sense of the word, and as much as she hated to admit it, Jessie wanted more.

The former gold mining town was bustling with activity. Patriotic bunting was in the process of being draped along the buildings lining Main Street. Tradition dictated that the county fair coincided with the Fourth of July. Each year, a friendly competition between the Town Council and Chamber of Commerce ensued, with each faction vying to outdo the other’s community spirit. The end result was more red, white, and blue than most people could stomach.

Her cousin was handing out refreshments to the volunteers who dedicated their time to decorate for the upcoming celebration. Sally smiled and waved her over, but Jessie declined. She had been absent from her job far too long and needed to get back to work.

She rounded the corner and her spidy-sense kicked into high gear. Someone was watching her. Without having to look, she knew it had to be Derek. She kept walking, but casually scanned the area hoping to get a bead on him. Jessie spotted him leaning against a lamppost on the other side of the street.

Despite her best effort, she gasped at the sight of him and her beating heart thumped a little faster. Derek was the epitome of a man. Tall, dark, and handsome was just the tip of the iceberg. His muscled chest rippled under his simple cotton shirt, and his thighs strained against the seams of his jeans. With his arms folded across his chest, his ample biceps flexed strong and powerful. Strength and sensuality radiated from him. The man was beautiful. With his slightly crooked nose, thin lips, and wavy black hair, he resembled a rugged English gentleman.

His piercing blue eyes held her. They were the eyes of a predator. The man frightened her, but he also filled her with intrigue. Jessie wasn’t ready for a showdown. At some point, charges would have to be filed against him, but proof was being an elusive bitch.

Jessie prided herself on facing her fears, but she turned away and scurried back to the shelter of her cousin’s hearty laugh and happy eyes.

“Hi, Sally. Can I get a cup of that?”

The large woman wrapped her up in a massive bear hug. “I’m glad you’re out and about.” Intuitive as ever, Sally sensed Jessie’s nervousness and turned to see what had given her cousin the willies. She glanced at the man standing across the street and shook her head with contempt. “Ice will make you shiver every time.”

“Ice?”

Without further prompting, Sally cleared up the confusion.

“That man is Isaac Foster, the cousin of the Foster boy who works for the Forest Service. Their nutty grandmother nicknamed this one IC and somewhere along the way he became known as Ice. A fitting name if you ask me.”

Jessie flipped the lever of the coffee urn and filled an eco-friendly disposable cup. She had been certain the man had picked her up on Catamount Ridge, and she was absolutely positive he had been wearing a Forest Service uniform. Unsure of how to continue the conversation, she commented on the obvious. “Ice is awfully handsome.”

Sally stepped back with a horrified expression on her face. She dropped a few pieces of ice in a baggie and pressed it into Jessie’s palm. “Here you go, darlin’. I don’t think the swelling in your head has gone down enough. You don’t see the man for who he truly is. Take a closer look. That boy has never treated a woman right in his entire life, including his grandmother. Stay clear of him. If you want a Foster, take Derek. He’s a million times better than this one. Better yet, keep away from them both. The entire Foster family is nothing but trouble.”

Her spidy-sense no longer tingled. Jessie peeked around Sally’s beefy shoulder to get another glimpse, but Isaac was gone. Feeling more confused than ever, Jessie took her cousin’s advice and pressed the makeshift ice pack to her forehead. “Are you sure that man did not bring me down the mountain?”

Sally replied with absolute certainty. “Yes.”

“But I recognized him,” Jessie protested. “The cousins must hold a strong family resemblance to each other.”

The large woman grabbed a folding chair and opened it up. “Take a load off, little cousin. They are about alike as you and me.”

Ten years older than Jessie, Sally had mid-length, graying blonde hair, and the lady outweighed Jessie by about seventy pounds. There was a soft Rubenesque quality about her.

Sally was the most delightful and generous woman in the county. When asked for a favor, she never refused. People constantly took advantage of her good nature, but her cousin didn’t see it that way. What she lacked in physical beauty was far surpassed by the beauty within. Jessie could comfortably state that Sally was beloved by everyone.

Jessie looked about ten years younger than her thirty-five years. Her jet black hair was long and straight and almost always pulled into a ponytail. Due to her looks, she became a popular high school cheerleader. Described as a born leader, she was self-confident and headstrong. When faced with a difficult decision, she never hesitated. That quality landed her back home and in charge of the local branch of the Forest Service. Changes were looming on the horizon and Jessie’s job was to carry out a myriad of unpopular mandates to their fullest.

To secure the promotion, Jessie had to leave her boys with her ex-husband. It was a temporary arrangement. The school year was finishing up and the kids’ baseball team was headed for the championships. It was the logical thing to do. As soon as things wrapped up on their side and Jessie found a home to call their own, she would send for them. Her dad insisted the boys were welcome, but it had been a long time since Cade had children underfoot. Her boys were challenging and Jessie didn’t want her dad to regret his generous invitation.

Her ex-husband took an enormous amount of pleasure in accusing her of abandoning her kids. As far as Jessie was concerned, it was a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Since the divorce, Scott had only seen their children a handful of times. The boys deserved more. This forced him to step it up and be the father he once was and he was doing surprisingly well. The boys Skyped every night, relating the day’s activities. Scott stayed on top of their homework, the kids appeared well fed, and neither child had been ill. Part of Jessie wanted Scott to fail, but he was coming through for their children in more ways than she ever hoped or expected.

Her mind drifted back to the time she spent at the cabin. She hated questioning herself, but she could no longer be sure who rocked her world. His touch was unforgettable, but she couldn’t quite grab hold of his face. Who was the powerful Adonis who set her body on fire and her juices flowing? Ice was dangerous, his eyes said it all. Apparently his cousin brought her down off the mountain, but his face eluded her.

Jessie looked at her dear cousin’s disapproving expression. Sally had one thing right. Ice made her shiver. Feeling a little weak in the knees, she took one last sip of coffee and tossed the crumpled cup in the trash. No longer up for putting in a full day at the office, she deemed herself unfit for duty, and headed back home.

•   •   •

THE HOT TUB Jessie relaxed in was a recent addition. The tranquil waters soothed not only her sore body, but also her troubled mind. The view from the new deck was glorious and showed off the entire length of the canyon below. As the sun began its westerly descent, a soft glow of pale purple washed through the oaks and pines. A movement in one of the larger trees near the trail caught Jessie’s eye. Squinting in the failing light, the figure snapped into focus and the anxious thumping in her chest grew louder. She grabbed a pair of binoculars from the railing and adjusted the focus. His sleek, graceful form was perched on the limb of a massive oak, and his tail lazily whipped to and fro as he watched her.

The blue-gray mountain lion had come to re-claim its prey.

Jessie jumped back and almost dropped the binoculars over the railing. Once again, she wanted to hide, but this time Jessie forced herself to stay and face him. She glowered at the monster and tried to understand what was going on. Animals didn’t hunt like this. They moved on and searched out other prey when they missed out on a kill. They didn’t track down the one they failed to capture, days later, and miles away from their hunting ground.

Cade Marcus stepped outside and found his daughter with a pair of binoculars glued to her eyes. “Are you bird watching?”

“Something like that,” Jessie murmured absently.

Momentarily giving up on the cat, she turned and gave her full attention to her father. Her handsome dad looked great in his pressed jeans and twill sport shirt. Jessie hardly ever picked up an iron, and never to de-wrinkle a pair of jeans. “Wow, look at you.”

“I’m going over to Gracie’s. I wanted to let you know I’m not coming home tonight and to ask when those grandsons of mine are coming for a visit.”

Grace was one of Jessie’s old elementary school teachers. She and Cade had engaged in an off and on relationship ever since Jessie attended her second grade class. After all these years, it still felt strange hearing her old teacher referred to by her first name. To Jessie, the lady would forever be Ms. Langston.

Jessie pointed down the canyon and handed her father the binoculars. “See that cat lounging in the trees? That’s the same mountain lion that attacked me.”

Cade took the glasses and gazed out into the distance. “I see a mountain lion. What makes you think it’s the same one?”

“It’s hard to remember everything about that day, but that cat has been burned into my memory. I know it doesn’t seem possible, but for the sake of argument, what would cause him to seek me out?”

Her dad blinked. “I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of such a thing. We’re in a drought. The local wildlife have been migrating closer to town in search of water. I imagine that cat has staked his claim on our canyon. It’s not safe with him out there. All the neighborhood pets should be brought inside. When I get to Gracie’s, we’ll alert them.” Cade pointed at her scantily clad body in the hot tub. “You shouldn’t be out here either.”

Jessie refused to run. She would be cautious, but she wouldn’t hide. For her father’s benefit, she reassured him. “I’m about finished here, anyway. Have fun and say hi to Ms. Langston for me.”

“What about the boys? This house is too quiet. Are you staying out of the dog house with Scott? I would hate for him to cancel another scheduled visit.”

Jessie sighed. She wanted to stay focused on the cat, but her father obviously wanted to talk. “The kids are supposed to come for the Fourth of July. Are you sure you’re okay with them staying here?”

“I miss the noise that only little boys can make.” Cade leaned down and dropped a kiss on the top of her forehead. “I will relish every single moment with them.”

She hated to disappoint him, but he had to be prepared for the worst. “I might be the one to cancel the trip.” Jessie nodded towards the tree. “That cat attacked me, and now he’s here, close to my home. I won’t put my children at risk. As long as he’s out there, I don’t want them around. It sounds paranoid, but I think that beast is stalking me.”

Cade leaned his tall, thin body against the railing. “Well, Pumpkin, you have to protect your babies. Lord knows you’re doing a better job than I ever did.”