I realized what I'd said, and the implication of it, as soon as the words left my mouth. I swore quietly, hoping she wouldn't hear me, and made a face. I scratched behind my ear nervously, worried I'd given her the wrong impression. “Yeah, he and I met at a bar in Texas.”

“Uh-huh,” she said from the kitchen, her voice a little confused.

Dammit. I was digging the hole even deeper. “But, I mean, Peter's a great boss. And a friend. And, uh, you know, that's it.”

“Oh,” she said, her voice slightly higher in surprise as she plopped the dogs’ food down in their bowls. “Okay. I just, um, didn’t know how close you two were.”

I laughed uncertainly. “Yeah, we're just like family, that's all. Like brothers, more than…”

She laughed. “It's okay. I get it, Richard. You can stop backtracking.” She moved around in the kitchen, prepping coffee and getting it brewing.

I breathed a sigh of relief and ran a hand back through my hair.

Then I shook my head. Here I was, being nervous around this woman I just met and losing focus of what I should be doing. I was suddenly more concerned about whether or not she thought Peter and I had a thing going with each other than I was about her safety.

This was about me doing my job, not getting a date, I reminded myself. I needed to keep my head in the game.

I went into the kitchen and glanced around. “While that's brewing,” I said, “I'm going to go take a walk around the area. You gonna be fine in here alone?”

“Yeah,” she said, glancing back at me, brushing a strand of dark hair behind her ear, “of course. Coffee should take a minute anyways.”

I nodded and went out the back, the dogs too focused on their supper to even think about me.

Dogs and shifters had a special relationship, it seemed. For whatever reason, probably one that Peter could explain in greater detail over a couple beers, we had a certain affinity with domesticated animals. They didn't treat us like humans or like wildlife. Instead, they were even friendlier than normal. Maybe it had to do with our knowing how to treat them? The way we smelled? I wasn't sure one way or another, I just knew I'd never had a problem with dogs, or even cats, before.

I stepped out onto the back deck and let out a low whistle. It was quite the view from back here. The mountains rose just a short distance away on the other side of the valley, majestically poking their heads through the pine trees. A swath of green and yellow grass lay between the cabin and the mountains.

I couldn’t lie, I missed Texas' big open sky, where the azure heavens seemed to stretch endlessly above you. But there was still something to be said of the awe-inspiring Rockies, and their peaks that dwarfed every living creature on the planet.

I stepped off the deck and began to stroll around the area. The marks of a hundred wild animals and their nightly passing filled my nose. Had I been in my wolf form, it'd be a sensory overload, like staring into a Pollock painting you could somehow discern the madness from. But now, in my human form, it was just curious and intriguing. Over it all, of course, I could smell her scent. Jessica's.

I shook my head, trying to get my attraction out of my head. “On a job, Richard,” I muttered as I walked down to the little creek at the back of her property, out into the yellow and green grass. “On a job.”

The sun would go down soon. Not the official sunset, of course, but behind the mountains entirely. I still needed to discuss with her where I should park the Jeep for my watch. Did she know of a place I could park it up the road or on the property where I could leave it without drawing attention? I'd seen a spot when I came up the driveway, but I wanted to know if it was stable before I parked the Wrangler there.

With my head a little clearer, I turned back from the creek and began to head back up to Jessica's house, with her two dogs and all her turtle paintings and statues. “Of all the things to have in the middle of the mountains,” I muttered, laughing a little. “Turtles.”

She had a cup of coffee waiting for me when I got back inside the house. “Wasn't sure how you took it,” she replied, pressing the mug into my hand.

“Black's fine, thanks,” I replied, taking a sip. It was good coffee. Not over the top, or anything, but definitely not Folger's.

“How's this going to work?” she asked as she headed into the living room and took a seat on one of the couches, the one with the turtle blanket on the back. She curled up around her own mug of hot coffee. “Tonight, I mean.”

“I was about to ask you the same thing. I saw a spot out next to the driveway, sort of shielded by a pine tree. Is it stable enough to park my Jeep there?”

She nodded. “We used it for extra parking during my housewarming a few years back, so it should be fine. But you can, you know, sleep on the couch if you'd like. It'd be more comfortable.”

I chewed my lip, considering it, but shook my head as I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “To be honest, Peter might not like it. He'd probably prefer I stuck to protocol.”

“Well,” she said, taking a sip of her coffee, “you can just tell your boss screw protocol.”

I blinked in surprise.

“Look,” Jessica continued, “you and Peter both warned me this might escalate. I don't want you parked out front if that escalation happens tonight. Where would that leave me? What if they decide to just come through the back?”

“I'd still be able to get inside,” I assured her.

“But what if it’s too late? I would sleep more soundly if I knew you were out here, even while your boss was taking the second half of the watch.”

I leaned forward and set my mug on the coffee table. “Let me call him and see if he's okay with it. If he is, I can just stay in here. No big deal. I'd appreciate it, actually.”

She nodded. “Good.”

As I headed out back, I could feel Eli, Wallach, and Jessica's eyes all following me. I pulled my phone from my pocket and called Peter.

“Frost here.”

“Richard,” I replied. “She wants me to stay in the house all night tonight, even while you’re taking watch outside. I know it's against protocol, but I think–”

“Do it,” Frost said, cutting me off. “Just don't get too comfortable. You have any problems, you know where to reach me.” Then, just like that, he hung up. I barely even had a chance to react, the conversation happened so quickly.

“Well,” I said, pocketing my phone again, “okay then.” I went back into the house and Eli and Wallach jumped to meet me, tails wagging. “Boss says it's fine by him if I stay in here instead of out front.”

“There you go, then,” she said, grinning. “Told you I'd get my way.”

I chuckled. I was pretty sure she was used to that happening.

“Now, onto dinner,” she continued. “Are you hungry? You fine with spaghetti? Because it's what I have ingredients for.”

I shrugged. I wasn't used to a home-cooked meal. Most of the time I just ate at Dixie's or at one of the other places around town. “Sure, I guess.”

She laughed and got up from the couch. “Great!” she said. “Because I'm getting tired of not having anyone to cook for.”

I smiled a little, enjoying the moment. I was getting a home-cooked meal from a beautiful woman. Why shouldn't I smile?

Just then, I heard tires slowing as a car pulled off the highway and onto the drive outside.

She shot me a startled look.

“Were you expecting someone?” I asked, frowning.

She shook her head. “No. Were you?”

“No.”