CHASER
Sage West took a deep breath as she stepped out of the bus. She’d decided to run until she hit the mountains, and the small mountain town of New Loveland was definitely the end of the line. It meekly admitted to a population of only several thousand, but the tourists flocked to this town that enjoyed a breathtaking mountain view and a clear and clean river that ran straight through town. As soon as she had both feet on the ground, she knew that this could be home.
The small picturesque buildings were painted in bright colors, and the sidewalks were packed with people. Sage had read that this place attracted people year round from their annual autumn harvest festivals and Christmas decorations to their spring flings and summer exploring expeditions. She was ready to shed her old life, and there was no better place to sell her unwanted possessions than the eager town of New Loveland.
She pulled up the email on her phone and glanced at the address. The woman she’d been talking to was situated in the 400 block of Main Street, and the bus stop was on the 200 block of Main Street. Glancing at the numbers, she turned herself around and headed to the rental office.
“Welcome! Welcome!” a little old lady toddled out of the back and came to greet Sage warmly. “You must the lovely Ms. West. It’s been so exciting talking to you these past few weeks. I just love the idea of picking up and starting somewhere new! So adventurous!”
Sage cringed as the woman touched her. It wasn’t so much an adventure as it was a necessity. Her old life had nothing left to offer her. “It’s been a long few days. I’d like to go ahead and get my key so I can get settled,” she said softly.
“Of course! You’ll just need to sign the rental agreement. Even though the apartment and shop are in one building, Mr. Weathers used to loan it out separately, so you’ll need to sign both agreements.”
Sage picked up the pen and signed her name in big loopy letters. “Will I need to send you two separate checks for the properties?”
“That’s something you can discuss with Mr. Weathers. Since he lives next door, I’m sure you could just drop the money off with him. He probably won’t mind one check.” The woman hesitated for a moment. “He’s usually fairly agreeable, but if he gives you any trouble, you can simply do all of your transactions through us. He’s actually quite attractive. You might enjoy getting to know him!”
Sage denied herself the pleasure of rolling her eyes. “I’m here because of men,” she said. “I’m not really in the mood to get to know a new one.”
The rental lady clicked her teeth sympathetically before handing her the keys. “Okay, you’re all set. You can, of course, walk to it from here, but there is a car rental place just down the street.”
“Walking is fine. I wanted a place where I could walk everywhere.”
“Excellent! Well if you’ll just walk towards the mountains until you get to Sara Beth’s Diner, and that’s where you’ll fine the best meal around, take a left, you’ll find your street just another block or two past that. If you have any questions or you get lost, don’t hesitate to call! We’re always excited to get some newcomers moving in here!”
Sage nodded. She wanted to shy away from any warm welcomes, but she needed a presence within the community if her shop was going to be successful. “Oh! One other thing. I had some boxes shipped here. Do you know if they’ve arrived?”
The woman’s eyes widened, and she nodded quickly. “Yes. Mr. Weather was…erm…gracious enough to keep the boxes in your new place. That’s quite a bit that you had shipped over.”
“Inventory,” Sage said with a smile. “Okay, well thank you for all your help. I’m sure I’ll have some questions about the town as I get going.”
“Good luck settling in and let us know when the store is up and running!” The woman waved energetically as Sage stepped cautiously out of the office.
She exhaled slowly. Talking to new people was exhausting, and that woman would have kept here there for hours if she’d let her. She followed the woman’s directions until she finally came to a beautiful empty shop encased in glass that was two stories tall. She inserted the key into the store and felt herself shiver with excitement as she entered it. It was completely bare, but it was the right size for what she wanted. With a few shelves and display cases, this would make a great start.
She ran her fingers along the wall as she moved up the stairs to check out the apartment. There she found a man lounging in the hallways, studying her.
She shrieked. “Christ. You scared the shit out of me,” she accused him.
He had dark brown hair that curled at the nape of his neck and beautiful golden flashing eyes that immediately gave him away.
Shifter. He was a shifter. She felt herself stiffen, and she prayed that this wasn’t her landlord. She’d had enough experience with shifters to last a lifetime.
“Davis Weathers,” he said gruffly. “I’m your landlord.”
Crap. She tried to give him a small smile. “Sage West.”
“I know. Why did you send all your crap here before you moved in? I could have left it out on the street to rot,” he muttered.
Irritation flashed through her. “The lady at the rental office said my things would be taken care of if they arrived before I got here.”
“She doesn’t own this place. I do.”
“I didn’t have your number. I had hers,” Sage snapped back. “Are we going to have a problem here? All I wanted was a nice quiet place to live and set up a small store. If you’re unable to provide that, please let me know now before I get settled in. I hate packing.”
An amused smile played out on his lips. “Welcome to New Loveland,” he said softly. “Rent is due on the first of each month.”
“Thank you,” she said coldly. She turned and froze when she saw two doors. “Why are there two entrances to the apartment?”
“The one on the left is my apartment. The one on the right is yours.”
She whirled around. “You live above the store? They said you lived next door. I assumed they meant a different building.”
“You assumed wrong. Are we going to have a problem, Ms. West?”
Desire coiled like a snake slowly inside her as she stared at those lips. She didn’t know whether she wanted to slap that smile off his face or kiss him. Unnerved, she shook her head. “It’s fine,” she muttered. She shoved her key in the lock and felt a little relief when it swung open. She didn’t even say good night as she slammed it shut.
God. The gorgeous shifter shared an actual wall with her. But it didn’t matter. She was done with them. All she wanted now was to be alone.
She was tall. Davis normally found himself with shorter women, but he loved that fact that she could meet his eye. She had curves in all the right places, an ass that would nicely fit in the palms of his hands, and thick red hair that he wanted to twist his fingers in.
Damn. He hadn’t known that his tenant was going to be a knock out. Or that she’d come with such an attitude either. He’d felt the vibrations between them as soon as he laid eyes on her, and he had a sneaking suspicion that this woman might be more than just a pretty face to him.
Davis had been second-in-command of his lion pride five years ago, but when he’d bedded the alpha’s wife, he’d been kicked out. It wasn’t his fault. He didn’t know his alpha had brought a wife home from his vacation, and although he’d ousted the woman as a shifter addict, his alpha was still none to pleased.
Two years ago, his alpha had finally found and married his mate, and he’d reached out to Davis and asked him to come home. Davis had refused. It wasn’t that he was angry with his alpha, but here, he didn’t have to worry about being in charge. He had a sense of freedom that was rare for him.
He was unattached, and he loved it.
He wasn’t the only shifter in the community. There was a wolf, a cheetah, several owls, an otter, and even a bear, but they were all submissive. He was the only alpha shifter in the town, and he found it irritating when the other shifters came to him for advice. They needed a leader, and he wasn’t willing to step up to the plate. The community begged him to help control them. The shifters, away from their packs, were often temperamental and difficult. Davis was no different, but he wasn’t here for that. He was here to be free.
He should avoid Sage West. It was clear that the beautiful woman would probably cause trouble, and he didn’t want trouble. He should have kicked her out when the first ten boxes arrived, but instead he’d hauled them in and carefully stacked them so they wouldn’t get damaged.
Even their conversation just now proved that he should end this business relationship. She clearly had a chip on her shoulder, and he didn’t need to deal with that, but instead, he’d let it go. He’d even been amused when she snapped back.
People rarely talked back to him.
So he’d keep his distance. He didn’t need trouble. He certainly didn’t need trouble from a beautiful woman.