“Sounds like a good plan,” the sheriff said, sitting back at his desk.
“Tell Natalie I’ll talk to her later,” Brody said, walking out of the room.
He went back to his office to find more information about the Mathews’s ranch and to wait for the formal search warrant to come in. He wanted everything to be done to the letter because whoever pushed Chris had done it from Mathews’s ranch.
As soon as he received the search warrant, a fax started to run through his machine. It was the medical report from Millie.
The thought of her made his heart jump to attention. In a perfect world, claiming his mate would be all that mattered. But this wasn’t a perfect world. This was a world where humans hated shifters just for living. There were people all over the country and all over the world committing horrible crimes against their neighbors, and Brody was on the forefront of putting a stop to the madness.
He stood from his desk and took the report to Sheriff Charles’s office. “This is the report, sir,” Brody said, setting it on his desk. Sheriff Charles was on the phone and just gave Brody a slight nod before Brody left to go outside.
He climbed into his warden’s truck with the Montana game wardens’ logo emblazoned on the side: a sheriff’s star with a grizzly bear at the center. Montana game wardens had been dominated by grizzly shifters for generations.
In Montana, it was the equivalent of Irish cops in old New York. But it wasn’t like the grizzlies kept other shifters or humans out. It had just been a tradition for a long time.
Brody loved his job. But today, he wouldn’t be protecting the forest like he’d signed up for. He would be investigating the death of his best friend.
He drove up the ridge to the Mathews’s ranch, stopping at the big gate made of roughhewn logs with the ranch’s logo arching over the top.
It read Ridgeline Ranch and had a drawing of a jagged ridge below the words, burned into the wood.
Brody pulled up to the gate and looked at the high-tech latch keeping it closed. That wasn’t a traditional wooden gate. On the fence to his left, there was a communication box, blinking yellow.
He rolled down his window and squinted at the box. Then he looked up again and noticed a camera focusing on him.
“Welcome to Ridgeline Ranch. How can I help you today?” the voice asked.
“I’m Brody Oberon from the sheriff’s department. A man fell from the cliff at the edge of this property. I’ve got a search warrant to go check it out.”
“Come on up to the house. Someone will take you out there.”
The double gates slid open and Brody drove his raised pickup truck down the well-maintained gravel road into the Ridgeline Ranch. Anger swirled in his brain. He was looking for someone to blame and he knew it was clouding his judgment.
He pulled up to the front of the house and got out as a woman in her fifties with dark black hair and wearing a red flannel shirt and jeans emerged from the house.
“You’re the sheriff?” she asked as she approached him.
“I’m with the sheriff’s department. Warden Brody Oberon,” he said, reaching out to shake her hand.
“Emma Slone. I’m the housekeeper and general manager for the Ridgeline Ranch. I’m shocked at the news that a man fell from the ridge.”
“Is the owner, Steve Mathews, here?”
“Mr. Mathews arrived two days ago for the party.”
“I’d like to ask him a few questions if I could,” Brody said, putting his hands on his hips.
“I’m afraid Mr. Mathews is on a conference call at the moment. But I’m sure something could be arranged.”
“Great. Let’s go take a look at the cliff then,” Body said.
Emma hopped into the passenger seat of his truck and she directed him through the property to where it led out toward the cliff. The place was a maze of homes and outbuildings. A large barn and paddock dominated the center of the ranch. Beyond the construction were acres of open fields where cattle grazed. It was all fenced in with a high voltage electric fence line.
They bumped down a rough road and parked where it dead-ended into the forest. “We’ll have to walk from here,” Emma said, getting out.
Brody followed her through the trees, looking around for signs of clues. The trees opened onto a rocky ledge that ran the span of the property. Below, in the shadow of darkness, was the spot where Chris had fallen to his death. Brody cringed just thinking of it.
He pulled his cell phone from his back pocket and began to snap pictures. “Is there any way a vehicle could get out here?”
“No. Definitely not. It’s all blocked off by dense forest and most of the ledge is far too narrow to drive a car.”
Brody stopped at the exact spot where Chris had fallen. He knew it because he could see the rocks piled at the bottom where he’d found Chris. Looking down, he found a faint tire track print in the dusty ground. Squatting, he snapped pictures of the imprint.
“This is a tire track,” he said, pointing.
“What? That’s impossible.”
“Look,” he said. Emma stared down at the tire track and then back at Brody.
“The only thing that could get out here would be a four-wheeler.”
“Those things don’t have enough power to push a bear off a cliff.”
“Well. I don’t know. I’d think not though.”
Brody kept snapping pictures. They continued along the ridge until it opened onto an open pasture with short grass. Brody could see the outline of tire tracks in the grass, leading up to where the forest opened up to the ridgeline.
He took several more pictures, following the impressions in the grass until they disappeared in the gravel driveway leading off to more guest cabins.
“I need to get back to main house, but I’ll have Mr. Mathews give you a call to set up an appointment to ask some questions. You’re welcome to search the rest of the property before you leave.”
“Is anyone in those cabins?”
“No. A few people stayed after the party the night the man fell. He wasn’t on the guest list at all. We didn’t even know he was here. He must have come with one of the other guests.”
“I’m going to need your guest list.”
“Yes. I’ll send it over. Most of the guests have already left. Most were from out of state.”
“I’ll still need to see the list.”
“Of course. I’ll email it to you. In the meantime, I need to get back to the house. Can you find your own way out?”
“Yeah. No problem. Thanks for your time.”
She hurried up the gravel road to the main house. It was a huge, three-story log mansion with massive windows that looked out on the glorious view of the mountains. Steve Mathews must be loaded to afford a place like that.
Someone at that party pushed Chris. But why had Chris been up here? Was Mathews involved? How did he know Chris? There was one thing that made men like Mathews tick. Money.
Chapter 5
It had been a long day for Millie. Being one of the only doctors in the hospital made the workload erratic. Sometimes there was hardly anything to do, sometimes there was far too much to do.
She said goodbye to the nurses at the nurses’ station and walked out into the front hallway of the hospital. On her way out through the sliding glass doors, she almost smashed into Brody Oberon.
“Hi,” she said, with a wide smile. She hadn’t expected to see him back at the hospital so soon. “What brings you here?”
“I noticed something in your report I wanted to ask you about.”
“Can we talk about this over a few drinks?” she asked. “It’s been a long day.”
“Yeah, that sounds great. There’s a bar right across the street if you’re interested.”
“That’s exactly where I was headed.”
They went out into the cool evening air. The clear sky was turning pink and yellow as the sun plunged behind the mountains on the horizon.
Across the street at the local bar, Brody
held the door for her and she smiled up at him when she passed. How sweet was that? Men back at home never did that kind of thing.
She’d been a high-powered important doctor not long ago, and men tended to see her as too tough and alpha to do things like open the door for her.
They went to sit at the bar and ordered a few beers to take into a private booth. They sat facing each other over the sticky table. Country music played on the jukebox.
Because it was a Thursday night, the place wasn’t hopping. Millie liked that. She liked to go out for a beer or a glass of wine after her shift. It was better than going straight home after work to be alone. At least that way she felt like she had some kind of social life.
She took a sip of beer and gazed at the strapping man in front of her. Light blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a body like some kind of Greek god. No. Not a Greek god. Not even Greek gods were built as big and muscular as Brody Oberon. He was huge.
She bit her lip just thinking about what he must have going on under his clothes.
“So, what did you want to ask me about?”
“I was looking over the report.” He took out his phone and scrolled through it. “I found this imprint on Chris’s skin. What do you think that is?”
“I don’t know. If I had to guess, based on the pattern of his injuries, I’d say it was the logo of a vehicle.”
“What kind of car logo do you think it is?” he asked, pulling the cell phone back to himself to inspect it further. He flicked his fingers over the screen, making the picture bigger then smaller.
“I couldn’t say.”
“I’ll do an internet search tomorrow. Oh, shoot. I have rounds tomorrow.”
“Rounds?”
“Yeah. I’m a game warden. My main job is to check people’s hunting licenses and make sure the public is following hunting and fishing laws. Since shifters came out, Montana game wardens have been deputized and we work on any crime committed against shifters.”
“I could look into that logo if you want,” she offered. “I might be able to get a better picture of the pattern. Chris is still in the morgue.”
“That’d be great,” he said, running his eyes up and down her body. His gaze made her shiver with excitement. Hot damn was Brody Oberon one sexy man.
She had a fantasy of him taking her in the forest at night while the moon rose full overhead, and it made her squeal under her breath and squeeze her legs together.
Millie hadn’t had a boyfriend or even a good lay in a long damn time…too long, considering how wet she was getting just looking at Brody.
His cryptic behavior the first time they’d met had attracted her to him in a way she never would have expected.
After everything she’d been through, she wondered if she didn’t deserve to break off a piece of that man meat. Maybe after a couple more beers the answer would be a firm yes.
She giggled and ordered them another round, watching Brody as he smiled over at her.
“You’re a very beautiful woman,” he said in a low voice, his nostrils flaring.
Could he smell her arousal? This guy was a shifter, from what she’d heard from the nurses. Damn. Maybe he could smell it.
Millie suddenly felt hot all over. Most of all in her underthings. Well, no use acting like it wasn’t happening.
“Thanks. You aren’t so bad yourself,” she said, smiling. A good song came on the jukebox and she sprang from the table.
“Want to dance?” she asked, reaching out her hand to him.
He growled and took her hand, following her out onto the dance floor. Brody pulled her into his arms and began to lead her in a two-step.
Surprised, she followed along, looking up into his handsome face as he moved her effortlessly across the floor. She’d expected to go out there and wiggle around like a dork, but this guy was doing a real country western dance with her.
His strong arms and commanding hips moved her through the dance as the songs played on the jukebox. Beginning to break out in a sweat, she was relieved when a slow song came on. Instead of taking her back to the booth, he held her closer and waltzed around the room with her tucked in his arms.
Her heart jumped in her chest, pounding in her ears. She felt giddy and lightheaded having Brody’s arms around her. It was like a dream come true to have a man like him hold her so close.
She could feel the muscles of his chest relax and flex as he moved her across the floor. The smell of his skin intoxicated her senses, and she was lost.
He leaned into the crook of her neck and took a long breath in through his nose. A low growl rumbled in his throat and Millie felt his shaft harden.
Her eyes opened wide with excitement. Just when she was about to ask him if he wanted to go back to her place, he pulled away and led her back to the booth.
“I need to get going home tonight. Need a ride anywhere?”
“No. I’m fine.” She was disappointed. She knew he was attracted to her. Why had he pulled back? Oh well. He had his reasons. She wouldn’t take it personally. “I’ll look into the logo tomorrow and we can touch base after your rounds.”
“Sounds like plan. Can I meet you at the lodge?”
“Sure,” she said with almost too much enthusiasm.
“See you then,” he said, leaning in to give her a soft kiss on the cheek. “Night Millie.”
“Bye,” she said, feeling like a teenager with a crush. Dang. He really did it for her.
She watched Brody walk out of the bar, his gorgeous, high ass stuffed into his tight, dark jeans. What she wouldn’t give for a taste of what he could do.
Chapter 6
Brody listened to country music on the radio and drove the hundred miles he had to cover that day checking new spots and old spots for any infractions of the law. On his way back home, he drove into a public park that didn’t get a lot of action from tourists or locals. It was exactly the kind of place that poachers would use for their illegal activity.
When he parked, he noticed a red pickup truck with wide wheels and an empty gun rack in the gravel lot. Getting out of his car, he made a note of the license plate and grabbed his rifle. He moved up the trail, opening his bear senses for any signs of hunting in the area. He could usually smell the blood, even in human form. Being a shifter helped him in his job almost every day.
Quietly, he made his way into the forest. When he made it up a steep hillside, he looked down into the ravine below. The scent of blood wafted up in the air and he could see movement down below. Two men were kneeling over a recent kill. A mountain lion. It was not season for mountain lions, but hunters sold their pelts and teeth as novelties. Brody growled. The bear inside reared up, wanting to lash out with his strong claws.
While he wouldn’t let his bear out to handle a couple of poachers, they did need to be dealt with. The tricky part of being a game warden was that the criminals he met were most likely armed. They could also scurry off into the forest so that he had to give chase. He really wasn’t in the mood to track them down in the thick underbrush in this part of the forest.
The men lifted the lion on their backs and began to heft her out of the forest. They didn't see him when he followed. As the trails began to converge, Brody heard them talking.
“Mathews said he wants a lion for his collection.”
“Steve is a real jackass. I don’t know why we’re out here doing this,” the second man said.
“Because he’ll pay us. That’s why.”
“With all the talk of shifters coming out to the world, it feels weird to be hunting anymore. You’d never know if these animals were people.”
“Good riddance, I say,” the second one said.
“Do you have a problem with shifters?” the first asked.
“Well. Yeah. Who doesn’t?”
“You heard about the shifter who died right?”
“How could I not hear about that?”
“I think Mathews wants all these trophies to prove he’s at the top of the food chain.”
> “Like I said, Mathews is a jackass. He’s a guy with too much money on his hands.”
As they broke out into the parking lot, they opened the camper shell of the pickup and started to shove the lion inside it.
“It’s not mountain lion season, so I’m pretty sure you don’t have legal tags,” Brody said, holding his rifle loosely pointed in their direction.
“Warden,” one of the men said, jumping.
“This cougar isn’t for us,” the second man said.
“Doesn’t matter who it’s for. You’re in possession of it. You shot it,” he said.
“We just found it like this,” the first man said.
“So, if I check the bullet holes against the caliber in that gun, they won’t match? Is that what you’re saying?”
“We did it. But we were doing it for someone else.”
“Who?” Brody asked, knowing that the men had been talking about Mathews the whole walk.
“Steve Mathews.”
“And why would a man like Steve Mathews have the likes of you two out doing his poaching for him?” Brody asked skeptically. If there was a connection between this and Chris’s death, he’d find it.
“He keeps a room full of stuffed animals. Wanted a new female mountain lion for his collection.”
“Why would I believe you? I should just arrest you.”
“Mathews is the big fish, sir. You don’t want us.”
“Possibly. I’m not going to arrest you today. But… I am giving you a ticket for a thousand dollars and confiscating that lion. If you don’t pay the fine, you’ll do time. Got it?”
“Come on, at least let us keep the kill.”
Brody shot him a look and the man backed down. They even helped him load the lion into his truck as he wrote their ticket. “If a rich man like Mathews really is giving you orders to poach animals out of season, I’m sure he’ll pay the fine for you.” Brody handed the ticket to one of them and he snatched it out of his hand, frowning deeply. “Have a good day,” Brody said, tipping his cowboy hat.
After the men had left, he grabbed a shovel from the back of his truck, and buried the cougar deep in the ground.