Loe raamatut: «Beneath the Texas Moon»

Welcome to Spirit Canyon, Texas

Nestled in the hill country, it’s the kind of town where no one locks their doors, where neighbors stop and chat. At least that’s what most people think. But there are secrets lurking in this tiny town. Secrets that harken back decades to unnatural events, unmentionable evil. And now that evil is about to be unleashed again.

In between potluck suppers and harvest festivals, people go missing. From behind ranch fences, livestock are found slaughtered, as if by an angry wolf. And in the cedar brush, strange chants echo in the moonlight. Is it the work of feral four-legged creatures, as they say, or fearless humans?

As the evil comes closer, centering on the good folk of Spirit Canyon, who will live to tell the tale? And who will believe it?

Beneath the Texas Moon
Elle James

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To my parents Charles and Phyllis Hughes

For always being there for me and showing me that hard work

and perseverance pays off. Thanks for loving me unconditionally,

teaching me to care about others, to laugh and play and to go after

what I want with all my heart. Thanks, Dad, for being the rock in

my life and a man I’ll always look up to. Thanks, Mom, for being

my sounding board and my best reviewer. You two helped to make

me who I am. I’ll love you always.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

2004 Golden Heart Winner for Best Paranormal Romance, Elle James started writing when her sister issued the Y2K challenge to write a romance novel. She managed a full-time job, raised three wonderful children and she and her husband even tried their hands at ranching exotic birds (ostriches, emus and rheas) in the Texas hill country. Ask her, and she’ll tell you, what it’s like to go toe-to-toe with an angry 350-pound bird! After leaving her successful career in information technology management, Elle is now pursuing her writing full-time. She loves building exciting stories about heroes, heroines, romance and passion. Elle loves to hear from fans. You can contact her at ellejames@earthlink.net or visit her Web site at www.ellejames.com.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Eve Baxter—A woman who moves to Spirit Canyon in hope of getting her son’s life back on track. Has she derailed into a terrifying nightmare?

Joey Baxter—The traumatized four-year-old who witnessed his father’s mauling death by a vicious dog.

Mac McGuire—A battle-scarred ex-soldier determined to protect his home and the people he cares about.

Clinton Logan—Local attorney and mayor of Spirit Canyon. He rose fast in local politics. Is he too good to be true?

Toby Rice—Spirit Canyon’s bully who’s not above hitting a girl, but is he mean enough to kill?

Art Nantan—The man who loved Mac’s mother and would have done anything to have her. How far did he go?

Addie Shultz—General store owner and grandmother Eve never had. Is there any truth to the stories she tells?

Daniel Goodman—Ranch foreman who took care of the ranch while Mac was away in the army.

Molly—Mac’s Australian shepherd who protects those who can’t protect themselves.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Prologue

Thirty years ago

“Thanks for bringing me home, Addie.” Jenny reached to open the door to the pickup. “I’ll see you tomorrow to finish the cleanup.”

“You sure you don’t want me to take you all the way up to the house?”

“No, thanks.” Jenny patted her friend’s hand and smiled, then she stared out at the night through the windshield of Addie’s old truck. “George will be expecting you home soon. Besides, with the moon so full it’s almost like daylight out here. And I could use a little fresh air after the festival.”

Addie’s face creased in a frown. “I’m gonna have a talk with Art. He had no right to be so rude to you. He knows you and Frank are crazy for each other. Even though he owns the notes on every piece of property in town, he doesn’t have the right to be so rude.”

Jenny sighed. “Don’t worry about it. Go home. That’s where I’m headed.” She climbed down from the truck to stand in the caliche gravel and waved as Addie backed out onto the highway, easing her truck back toward town.

With a deep breath, Jenny inhaled the pungent scent of scrub cedar and dust. Although she enjoyed the clear, dry warmth of the night, she knew if it didn’t rain soon, many of the ranchers would be devastated. Which would play right into Art Nantan’s hands. He’d gone too far threatening her with foreclosure on her husband’s ranch. But to threaten his Indian spirit magic was utterly ridiculous. Just because Art was of Apache descent, didn’t make him any more intimidating in Jenny’s mind. Nor did his magic talk scare her one iota.

As far as she was concerned, a man who threatened a woman wasn’t much of a man. And why couldn’t he understand that she was happy with her family? She was completely in love with Frank and her little boy, Mac. Her feet moved of their own accord, carrying her down the half-mile road to the house that had been part of her husband’s family ranch for over a hundred years. Forward to her husband and son. Mac would be asleep already, but she still wanted to kiss him good-night.

After only a few steps Jenny sensed, more than heard, something in the scrub brush lining the gravel road. The hair on the back of her neck stood at attention and she strained her hearing to pick up even the slightest movement. Perhaps she’d been too quick to dismiss Addie’s offer to drop her at her door.

Hadn’t the ranchers been complaining about missing animals? Speculation had ranged from coyotes to wolves, and even the possibility of a mountain lion.

Her pace quickening, Jenny tried to shake off the uneasy feeling threatening to overwhelm her. She only had a half of a country mile between her and her family. She’d walked this road many times before in the moonlight.

As she rounded a bend on the gravel road, a dark shape leaped from the bushes, blocking her path.

Her heart clogging her throat, Jenny had to gulp in air before she could scream. Then she was running through the scrub cedar, the prickly branches tearing at her skin, slapping her in her face. But she ignored the pain. She had to get away. She’d never seen anything like this creature. And she knew beyond a doubt that if it caught her, she’d never see her family again.

Chapter One

Present

Black, billowing storm clouds churned the western sky, crowding in on the small town of Spirit Canyon. With a sigh, Eve Baxter parked her SUV next to the building with the words General Store etched into the stone facade across the top.

The surrounding shops and homes reassured her that, despite the threatening skies, this town was exactly what she’d hoped for. Clean sidewalks, white limestone structures and window boxes filled with purple and yellow pansies welcomed her. If the pansies were wilting and the paint fading on the store signs, she didn’t care. At least she was away from the coastal storms of Houston and tucked securely in the Texas hill country. Spirit Canyon was a place Eve could feel safe—a place to call home.

When she opened her door and slid to the ground, a blast of wind whipped her hair into her face. She stretched her road-weary muscles and opened the rear door. “Come on, Joey. We’re almost there. I just need to get the key from Miss Addie.”

She wrapped a sweater around her son’s thin shoulders and lifted him out of his booster seat. Once she’d set him on his feet, she tucked his hand in hers and gazed down into his face. She willed him to feel the hope, the chance to start over.

He held tight, his expression guarded—too intense for a four-year-old child.

“This is our new town, Joey. What do you think?” Eve smiled.

Joey crowded closer to her legs and didn’t answer.

With effort, Eve forced herself to keep smiling. She’d give him time. Maybe in this new environment, Joey would snap out of his long silence and she herself could forget the dreams.

When she pushed open the rusty screen door, a bell jangled, the cheerful sound echoing through the building. Eve ushered Joey across the threshold into the store, standing for a moment to gain her bearings.

She inhaled the musty smell of ancient timbers and the dust of a century. She felt as if she’d stepped into another time.

The hardwood floors were worn with age, and rows of shelves held everything from canned goods to bolts of cloth and fencing nails. Against the back wall stretched a long counter with an old cash register, three old bar stools and candy jars filled with jelly beans, gumdrops and licorice sticks.

She’d been right about Spirit Canyon. Her chest swelled with optimism.

“Don’t just stand there, come on in.” A white-haired woman, whose face was etched with a road map of wrinkles, counted change into the hands of a teenage girl. With a friendly flap of her hand, the older woman waved Eve and Joey toward the back where she stood.

A dark-haired, burly young man dressed in black, with silver chains draped from his pockets, stepped out from an aisle, grabbed the girl by the elbow and jerked her toward the door. “Let’s go.” He pushed past Eve and Joey, dragging the girl behind him, without a word of greeting or acknowledgment.

The girl smiled weakly and hurried to keep up.

Okay, so maybe her quaint new town had a dark side.

“I don’t know what she sees in that boy. He’s always up to no good.” The older woman’s frown followed the pair out the door. Then she looked up and smiled at Eve.

“Addie Shultz?” Eve asked as she tugged Joey past rows of dry goods.

“Yes, ma’am. You must be Eve Baxter.” The older woman looked at Joey and her gaze softened.

Eve cringed. She hoped Miss Addie wouldn’t mention the jagged, red scar slashed across her son’s face from his eyebrow up into his hairline.

Addie’s short perusal shifted into a broad grin and she planted her fists on her narrow hips, staring down at the little boy. “And you must be Joey.” She leaned over the counter and swept her hand in front of the treasure trove of sweets contained in old-fashioned jars. “Would you like some candy?”

Joey’s eyes widened. He looked to Eve in mute appeal, his expression nervous but questioning.

Eve smiled and patted his hair. “Go ahead, baby.”

“What will it be? Licorice, gumdrops, jelly beans…” Addie stopped listing candies when Joey pointed at the jellybean jar. “Good choice. Can’t go wrong with a pocketful of jellybeans.”

With a small metal scoop, she measured a generous portion of candy into a paper bag, twisted the top and handed it to Joey. “There you go, young man.” She waved her hand to the left. “Why don’t you sit by the game board while your mamma and I talk?”

Joey clutched his candy to his chest and shook his head violently, reaching up to grab Eve’s hand.

“It’s okay, sweetie. I’m not going anywhere without you.” Eve led him to the table. “I’ll be right over there. Sit and eat your candy while I talk with Miss Addie.”

Eve stood next to Joey until he opened his bag and selected a bright red candy to pop into his mouth. While her son fished for another jelly bean, Eve slipped over to the counter.

“What a sweet little guy.” Addie clucked her tongue. “Why does he look so sad and scared?”

Eve stared at her son, her thoughts on another day, not so long ago. The day the police had shown up on her doorstep. Even now the memory made goose bumps rise across her skin. Almost scarier than the police were the images she’d seen prior to the accident. The mauling had happened in her nightmares, and yet she had scoffed at them, thinking they were nothing more than aberrations.

“I’m sorry, it’s none of my business.” Addie ran a rag across the wooden counter.

With a shake of her head, Eve dragged her gaze back to Addie, her lips curving upward slightly. In a hushed voice she hoped Joey couldn’t hear she said, “No, don’t be sorry. The images are so vivid, sometimes I feel as if I’m still standing at my front door when they told me Joey and his father were at the hospital.”

“Goodness.” The hand pushing the old rag across the counter paused and Addie glanced up. “What happened?”

“A dog mauled them.” Eve glanced back at her son’s scarred forehead. “Joey only had superficial wounds and a few stitches.”

Addie’s eyes widened. “Dear God.”

Her voice dropping even lower, Eve continued. “Joey saw his father mauled to death by the dog.”

“You lost your husband? Bless your soul.”

Eve shook her head. “My ex-husband. We’d been divorced for almost two years.”

“Your decision or his?” Addie asked, then waved her hand. “That’s too personal. Forgive an old lady’s curiosity.”

“No, that’s okay. It was my decision.” Eve shrugged. “He loved his dogs more than his family, and I had a son to raise.”

The older woman picked at a button on the front of her shirt, her brow furrowed. “How long has it been since the mauling?”

Joey chewed quietly, his deep green gaze never leaving his mother’s face.

“Six months.” Eve smiled reassuringly at her son, although the strain of forced cheerfulness made her face hurt. Six months of pain. Six months of silence. Since the attack Joey hadn’t spoken a word.

“The therapist said it’d take time.” Eve turned her weak smile to Addie. “Speaking of which, I’ll need to find a psychiatrist closer to Spirit Canyon.”

“Should be some to choose from in Johnson City or Fredricksburg. If not, you could go to Austin or San Antonio.” For several moments, Addie stared across at the little boy, tears welling, but not falling. Then shaking back her shoulders, she reached into her apron pocket and handed Eve two sets of keys. “I—” Addie cleared her throat and started over. “I went over earlier to open windows and air out the house. The place sure needs some work.”

“I know.” Eve swallowed past the lump blocking her vocal chords. She liked the way Addie had of getting back to business. The woman didn’t wallow in the past. Thank goodness.

“What are your plans for that old house? Isn’t it a bit large for just two people?” Addie sprayed furniture polish on the counter and rubbed a shine into the smooth wood.

“I was thinking of turning it into a bed and breakfast.” Eve stared down at her purse. “I don’t really need the money. My ex-husband left me as beneficiary to his life insurance policy. But I need the activity.”

“You could work for me, just to keep you busy.” Addie said.

Tears sprung into Eve’s eyes. “You don’t have to do that, Miss Addie. Besides, you hardly know me.”

“Oh, fiddle.” Addie waved her fingers. “We’ve talked so much on the phone, you’re like one of my own younguns.”

A lump rose in Eve’s throat. Family was what she and Joey needed most. Eve twisted her purse strap. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ll be busy fixing up the old place. If you know anyone who could help with the heavy stuff, let me know.”

“Sure will.” Addie slid the cloth further along the counter. “You know, our annual Harvest Festival is only a month away. If you get the bed and breakfast up and running by then, you shouldn’t have any problem filling it.”

Eve grimaced. “That’s pretty close. I’m sure renovations will take longer than a month.”

“I suppose that is a bit too soon.” Addie tapped a pencil to her chin. Then her eyebrows rose and she smiled. “Since you won’t have the place opened by the Harvest Festival, how about helping with the preparations for the event?”

Eve hesitated. Being new to town, she’d hoped to ease into a quiet existence. “I don’t know.”

“I’m sure you’ll have your hands full setting the old house in order,” Addie continued, “but you’ll have a chance to meet some of the townsfolk.”

Eve hated to disappoint the woman when she’d done so much to welcome her. “You’re sure I wouldn’t be in the way?”

Addie waggled her fingers. “Not at all. And Joey is more than welcome. Other young mothers bring their little ones to the meetings. Joining the group will give Joey a chance to meet a few of the local children.”

Eve glanced at Joey, his serious expression cutting through her reservations. He needed to learn how to be a child all over again. How better than to meet others his own age? Spirit Canyon was her new home, and she might as well get started by becoming a part of the community. “Addie, I’d love to help. Somehow I’ll make the time.”

“Good,” Addie said. “I’ll tell Sandy Johnson and she can let you know when the next meeting will be.”

The bell over the door jingled. Eve turned toward the sound.

A tall, broad-shouldered man stepped across the threshold. Poised in the doorway, with his face cast in shadows, he looked like the devil in a black Stetson.

“Mac? Is that you?” Addie called from beside Eve. “Better get inside before the heavens open up and dump on you, son.”

“Yes, ma’am.” His voice rumbled deep and resonant, filling the rafters of the store as he strode across the room.

Now that he’d moved into the light, Eve had to adjust her first impression. He wasn’t the devil, especially when he smiled at Addie, with full lips, a rock-hard chin and eyes the pale blue-gray of a summer sky.

But the smile was short-lived. As he turned to face her, his penetrating gaze seemed to read her most intimate thoughts.

A chill stroked her spine.

He broke his eye contact and looked back out the screen door. “When did Cynthia start seeing Toby?”

“A couple weeks ago,” Addie answered. “More’s the shame.”

The cowboy shook his head, turned and strode across the floor, closing the gap between himself and Eve.

She took a reflexive step backward.

“Mac, say hi to our new neighbor,” Addie said.

He pulled his Stetson from his head, revealing dark brown hair with a hint of red, the rich color of molasses. He held out his hand. “Mac McGuire.”

“Eve.” Her voice faltered as she grasped his outstretched hand. Strong, work-roughened fingers engulfed hers, sending a startling jolt like an electrical current throughout her body. What was wrong with her? He was just a man.

Without his hat, he wasn’t quite as intimidating. Until Eve saw the ragged scar slashed across his forehead.

Just like Joey’s.

She dropped his hand.

Mac shifted his hat to his other hand. Besides the slight narrowing of his eyes, he didn’t display any other indication that her reaction fazed him.

Eve stared around the room grasping for something to say, coming up with a blank. Then a gentle tug on her jacket changed her focus.

MAC GAZED DOWN at the little boy, whose fingers snuck into the hand of the auburn-haired woman. Eve. A woman with troubled green eyes.

With the same colored hair, the boy had to be hers. A sharp stab of disappointment raced through Mac until he noticed her naked left hand. She had a child, but no ring. Interesting.

The woman glanced down at the top of the little boy’s head, brushed a hand through his hair and smiled. “Mr. McGuire, this is my son, Joey. Joey, say hello to Mr. McGuire.”

Joey shook his head and buried his face against her legs.

Mac squatted next to Joey and spoke in a quiet tone. “Hi, Joey. Nice to meet you. You can call me Mac.”

Joey peeked around his mother’s leg and his eyes widened, his gaze zeroing in on Mac’s scar. The boy moved toward him, instead of shrinking in fear. As one hand loosened its grip on Eve’s jeans, he reached out to touch the mark on Mac’s forehead.

Mac resisted the urge to flinch, holding steady while the little guy leaned toward him. When Joey’s face cleared the fabric of Eve’s jeans, it was Mac’s turn to be startled. The child had a matching scar on the same side of his forehead.

A flash of memory assaulted Mac. Young men under his command moving through the darkened streets of Fallujah. Mac closed his eyes, shutting out what had come next. When he opened them, Joey was staring at him as if he could see what Mac had seen. Mac frowned. What would a child know about the terrors of war?

While Joey ran his fingers over Mac’s scar, Mac touched a finger to Joey’s. “I see we have something in common.”

He and the little boy had more scars in common than just the visible ones. By the serious look on Joey’s face and the dark circles beneath his eyes, Mac knew the child had suffered.

With a grave but gentle nod to the boy, Mac straightened and looked at Joey’s mother, noting the worry in her eyes. A long silence stretched between them. He sensed she was sizing him up while he did the same.

“Eve’s looking for someone to help renovate the old Felton house.” Addie sliced through the tension with her cheerful tone. “How about it, Mac? Could you spare time away from the ranch?”

Mac shifted the hat in his hand, staring at the broad brim. He had enough ghosts to chase without taking on more. What good would he be around this woman and her child who looked like they had their own problems to overcome?

With “no” poised on his lips, he looked up, his gaze meeting Eve’s.

Her expression was wary and she hurried to say, “Oh, please, don’t worry about it. I’m sure I’ll find someone.”

Although he’d been prepared to tell her he couldn’t help, her quick rejection struck him in the gut. “Daniel and I could help her.” Mac jammed his hat on his head. “He’d appreciate the break from ranch work.”

“Great idea.” Addie turned to Eve with a wink. “His foreman, Daniel, is so good with his hands. I swear he’s renovated practically every house in the county at some time in the past forty years. He’d make a lot more money if he’d move to a bigger city. Not that I want him to leave. Just seems a waste.”

“He claims he doesn’t want to leave the ranch,” Mac said. “And I couldn’t function without him.”

Addie sighed. “What’s he gonna do when he runs out of houses to fix up around here?”

“Don’t know. I guess he’ll figure it out,” Mac said. “Can I get some shotgun shells?”

Addie turned to a shelf behind the counter, calling over her shoulder, “What size?”

“30.06” he said.

“Ain’t huntin’ season.” Addie placed the box of shells on the counter. “Got varmints? Huckabee and Leider said they’ve been losing some of their young livestock lately. Think there might be a coyote or something pickin’ ’em off. Funny thing is they ain’t finding the carcasses.”

“Yeah. I heard.”

Eve’s brows furrowed. “Should I be worried about…” She nodded toward Joey.

“Since we don’t know what’s doing it, I’d say it doesn’t hurt to keep an eye on him.” Mac stared down at the little boy who stared back at him, his look guarded.

“I will.” Eve scooped Joey’s hand into hers. “Well, I have a lot to do before bed tonight. I better get to it. Addie, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Eve waved and tugged Joey toward the door.

As the woman and the little boy walked away, Mac noted the view and couldn’t help his instinctive tightening in reaction to a beautiful woman.

Before the door closed behind them, Addie cleared her throat. “Do you want these shells or not?”

“Huh?” Mac shook his head and dragged his gaze back to Addie. “Oh, yeah.”

“She’s a pretty little thing, isn’t she?” Addie said, ringing up the purchase. “She and that little boy have been through some hard times.”

When he handed her a twenty, he couldn’t help asking, “What happened?”

Addie shook her head and sighed. “Little Joey and Eve’s ex-husband were mauled by a dog. That little boy watched the dog kill his dad.”

Mac turned back toward the door as if he could still see the little boy. He knew the pain of watching the people you cared about die. Worse, the guilt of being the only one who survived.

Mac shook his head and tried to imagine what Joey had gone through watching his father be killed by a dog.

Dog.

Mac dropped the shells on the counter and raced for the door.

“What’s wrong, Mac?” Addie asked.

Just as he grabbed the handle of the door, an earsplitting scream rent the air.

Too late.

Without slowing his pace, Mac flew through the door and toward the cries. After rounding the side of his pickup, he ground to a halt. His forty-pound Australian shepherd, Molly, lay on the ground with her chin touching the pavement, a worried expression on her wolfish face.

Standing between the dog and her SUV, Eve clutched Joey to her chest. The boy’s body shook with the force of his screams.

Mac rounded the vehicles, scooped Molly into his arms, jerked open the door of his truck and deposited her onto the floorboard. He pointed a finger at her and ordered, “Stay!”

After shutting the door, he turned back to Eve and Joey, his heart hammering in his chest.

“It’s okay, sweetie. The dog’s gone. Mamma’s got you. It’s okay,” Eve crooned, her voice wobbling. With her arms hugging Joey close, she backed away from the truck and hurried into the store, whispering words of assurance as she went.

Mac took a deep, steadying breath and ran a hand through his hair, then followed Eve. At the rear counter, he found Joey surrounded by the two women as if they shielded him from further attack.

Although Joey had stopped screaming, his eyes were red and puffy, and his body shook with silent hiccups and an occasional sob.

With a compelling need to make things right again, Mac removed his hat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Eve looked over the top of Joey’s head and smiled bleakly. “It’s not your fault. There’s nothing you could have done. He’d have seen a dog sooner or later. I had hoped it would be after we settled in.”

“I’ll keep Molly away from Joey in the future,” he said.

“No, don’t do that,” Eve said. With her hand rubbing in steady strokes down her son’s back, she stared into Mac’s eyes. “He needs to get used to dogs. He can’t avoid them forever.” She rested her cheek against Joey’s hair, a tear easing out of the corner of her eye.

The single tear slipping down to Eve’s chin caused a meltdown in Mac’s insides. For so long, he’d been plagued by self-recriminations, regret and sorrow.

Enough.

He straightened his shoulders, nodded and turned to leave. Maybe he could help Joey. And perhaps by helping the boy overcome his demons, Mac could shake a few of his own.

THE HOUSE WAS LARGE, the lighting dim, and it needed a heck of a lot of work, but it was hers. Eve pulled the sheet up to Joey’s chin in the queen-size bed she’d share with him until his room was painted and ready. The air conditioner was on the fritz, and the night temperature was only a few degrees lower than the sweltering heat of the daytime.

Eve slid the window a little higher hoping to catch the breeze she’d enjoyed earlier that day. But the overcast night air was still in the Texas hill country, shrouding the terrain in deep shadows. Shadows that could hide a coyote bent on preying on small animals.

Eve stared out the window. Her room faced out onto open scrubland and a nearby ridge, but the darkness was so dense, she couldn’t make out anything past the light cast by the lamp in her bedroom.

When she pushed aside the sheet to lie down next to Joey, an eerie cry drifted in through the open window. Was it a coyote, a wolf or just a lonely dog?

Thank God, Joey didn’t wake from his sleep. Even a dog’s bark sent him into hysterics. Eve could imagine his reaction to howling in the night.

Inside her house, tucked safely behind sturdy walls, Eve couldn’t stop the tremor that ran from the base of her skull down the length of her spine. The conversation she’d overheard between Addie and Mac McGuire about the missing animals resurfaced, settling like a knot in her belly. With a full day of work ahead, she lay still, willing her eyes to close and dreamless sleep to come.