In Plain Sight (9 page)

Hell, they’d only really known each other for a week. Those instances in town meant next to nothing.

Serving a man coffee didn’t mean they knew anything about each other.

Except she knew his favorite color was yellow. He hated salmon but loved perch. He’d take Jason over Freddy any day of the week, and he had a thing for her lips, especially when she pressed them against his own.

Sarah sighed and dove through the air, her cabin in mind. No matter how she looked at it, both she and her bird were in love. She couldn’t, in good conscience, leave Cullen until she’d sorted this emotional mess out with him. She owed it to herself.

And if Cullen truly loved her, he’d leave with her.

And leave his family? His business? Yeah, that’s fair, Sarah. Force him to choose between you and
his family.

Another no-win situation, she realized. Because even if Cullen did love her, there was no way she’d stay in this town with the raptor clan. Not with the way the town perceived her.

She circled over her cabin, suddenly in sight, and landed easily. Shifting back into her human form, she hurried inside, only to find her house trashed. As she dressed in a pair of ripped sweats, her anger grew…until she saw the note tacked to the back of her front door.

If you want Cullen Whitefeather to remain in the clan, leave town and don’t ever come back. His
status as a town citizen depends on you to do the right thing. And if he’s kicked out, it’s a sure thing the
family business will fall as well. You tell anyone about this, and we’ll make sure the Whitefeathers are out
of Cougar Falls faster than the crow flies.

Sarah’s jaw dropped. She’d expected trouble for Cullen, but not this kind. If he was expelled from the clan, he’d have to leave town. He had a family here, a business, a place in Ac-taw society. Sarah had nothing. Nothing but Cullen, and that was iffy at best. Her leaving wouldn’t impact anyone but Mac, and he could get another waitress at the drop of a hat.

Not only that, the note implied that Cullen’s family would be at risk as well. No matter that none of them deserved it. Jenny Larsen and her friends had just that kind of pull in the community. As tough as Sheila liked to think she was, she needed steady clients to run a business in a town as small as Cougar Falls.

Cullen’s contributions to several art galleries notwithstanding, the family as a whole could only exist so long as the clan accepted them.

Did Sarah have the right to deny them their life in Cougar Falls? This mess was hers in the first place.

Jenny Larsen had been after her, not Cullen.

Handsome, honorable, talented Cullen.

57

She contemplated her situation for hours, torn by the possibility of happiness just within reach. But at what cost?

Heartbroken, Sarah knew what she needed to do. As much as she hated the thought of leaving Cullen, she’d do it for his own good.
Besides, he never said he loved me
,
she told herself.
That was supposition on
his mother’s part. So how can I sever ties to something that never was? As if a man like Cullen could ever
love someone like me.

Wiping hated tears from her cheeks, she packed what little of her things remained intact and headed into town to say her good-byes.

58

Cullen wanted to put his fist through the wall when he saw the destruction in Sarah’s house.

“Damn, bro. Your chick doesn’t have a thing for cleanliness, does she?”

“Fuck off, Sean.”

Sean huffed. “Come on, Cullen. She’s fine. Mom followed her into town, and yes, she’s keeping her distance. Sarah doesn’t know she has a shadow. But she has a suitcase, man. Open your eyes, Cullen. She’s leaving.”

Cullen couldn’t handle much more. Whatever his mother had said to Sarah had thoroughly spooked her. His family had done what he feared and driven her away. Then to find Sarah’s place trashed, her furniture scarred by talons and covered with feathers, the words “slut” and “whore” painted throughout her home… He was livid.

“Jenny Larsen’s going to pay for this.” He’d murder her and her husband. No one fucked with his mate. Not anymore.

“Now, Cullen,” Sean started, looking worried for the first time since they’d landed. “You don’t know who’s behind this.”

“Bullshit! You can smell her, can’t you?”

Sean sighed. “Yeah, I can. But you have to think straight. You can’t just barge into a clan leader’s home and— Damn it, Cullen! Wait up.”

Sean shifted and followed Cullen, already in the air and heading for raptor clan central. No matter how many feathers he had to ruffle, he’d make sure Sarah could hold her head high in this fucking town once and for all.

Sarah hugged Mac and left before his dry-eyed sorrow caused another round of tears. God, she didn’t have many fond memories of Cougar Falls. So why was it so hard for her to leave the damned place?

Cullen Whitefeather.

She sniffed and ran into a broad chest.

“Whoa there. Sarah?” Sherriff Ty Roderick stared down at her in concern. The silver fox gently took her by the shoulders and edged her away from prying eyes. He pulled her into an alleyway and dried her eyes with a handkerchief he pulled from the back pocket of his jeans. “Honey, are you okay?”

The sincerity of his concern made her cry harder.

“Those damned raptors. Want me to shoot anyone in particular?”

She choked on a laugh, understanding what her friend Julia saw in this man. He was handsome, as most of the Ac-taw were. Broad shoulders, slim hips, and piercing gray eyes that could look right through you made a body think twice about crossing him. When shifted, his fox was slight, but fast as a whip and as mean as a grizzly. Silver foxes were known for their quickness of thought, and Ty was one of their best.

“I’m fine. Just saying goodbye. It’s harder than I thought it would be.”

Ty nodded and tipped his hat back with one finger. He looked like a modern-day cowboy—sexy, rough, and ready. She mentally agreed with Julia. He truly was a
fox
. And nice as well.

“Well, you take care, Miss Sarah. Any time you need anything, anything at all, you let me know. And if you need a place to stay out there in the big bad world, I can help you with that, too.”

She saw the understanding in his eyes. As the sheriff, Ty knew what went on in town. He’d never condoned bullying, and he’d gone out of his way to put a stop to it, even in her case. Odd, she hadn’t thought about him much when she’d considered leaving. Nor had she thought about Millie at the ice-cream parlor, or Harry at the bakery. Then there was Sophie at the grocery, a newly arrived gray wolf not much more welcomed in town than Sarah. They might have become good friends.

A few more people than she’d thought who might actually miss her when she was gone. How about that?

“Thanks, Ty. I really appreciate that.” She sniffed then figured, what the hell? “You know, Julia’s in quite a mess out west.”

He stiffened. “What’s that?”

“She didn’t want me to tell anyone, but all those trips of hers to and from town... I think she might have more trouble than she can handle. She’s trying to help her sisters out, but I think a pack of hunters might have found her.”

“What the hell is that idiot thinking? Hunters?” he snarled. “
Shit.
Damn it
.” Apparently realizing he was swearing like a sailor in front of a female, Ty rubbed two hands over his face in disgust. “Sorry, Sarah.

But thanks for the tip. You make sure to check in when you get where you’re going. I don’t want to have to worry about two pretty females alone and on their own.”

Ty left her in the alley, swearing under his breath as he strode into the street, in the opposite direction of where he’d been headed before she’d run into him.

Before she could take another step, a familiar voice ordered her to turn around.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Sheila Whitefeather demanded, her arms crossed over her chest. “You going to break my son’s heart and leave town, just like that?”

Just what Sarah didn’t need—a loud-mouthed woman about to ruin her chances to set things right.

60

“That’s right, lady. Your son was fun, but now it’s time to go.” Her heart broke at the thought of never seeing Cullen again. Or worse, of him hating her. But at least he’d still have a place in town. “I have better things to do than hang around
a pussy
who can’t tell a woman what he’s feeling.”

That had to do it. She’d called Sheila’s son the worst kind of insult. A feline or female body part.

Nothing worse than demoralizing a male to his mother.

“Well said.”

Sarah shook her head.
“What?”

“Well said. Now what are you going to do about it? Let him get away with that?”

“But, I—you can’t… I’m leaving.” Sarah turned to go, but not before Sheila grabbed hold of her and swung her around.

The eagle shoved a note in Sarah’s face. The same threatening letter Sarah had hours ago crumpled and tossed into her waste bin.

Sheila gentled her voice. “You’ve got to do better than that if you want to scare away a Whitefeather.”

Sarah couldn’t help the tears that filled her eyes. “He’s a good-for-nothing raptor. A man with sex on the brain. Doesn’t know a thing about romance. Can’t say much without screwing it up.”

She cried, wishing things had been different. She’d give anything to try her new life with Cullen. Hell, she’d even consider staying here if she could spend the rest of her life with that man. Her bird cried similar tears, missing him so damned much.

Sheila held out her arms and engulfed Sarah in a motherly hug. The soft body and feminine scent made Sarah long for her mother, wishing for days long past.

“I’m sorry,” she said through sniffles. “I can’t let them hurt him. I won’t. Not for me.”

“Well, now. I don’t think that’s up to you anymore.” Sheila patted her back, holding her close and rocking her, the way her mother used to. “Oh, Sarah. You’ve been on your own so long you don’t know how to ask for help. Lucky for you, we golden eagles stick together.”

Sarah looked up from Sheila’s shoulder into clear acceptance. “No.” She struggled to get free, but Sheila had surprising strength on her side. “I can’t let you do this.”

“You can’t
let me
do anything. I do it, it’s done.” Sheila grinned, and fierce eagle eyes met her own.

“Honey, the Larsens don’t scare me. And neither do town politics. We Whitefeathers have lived in Cougar Falls since before the town had a name. The Salish Indians met our people, the Ac-taw, and promised to share the land, a land that was neither theirs nor ours. The town can put all the rules in place that they want, but no one and nothing is going to force me or my boys from our rightful home.”

Sheila wiped her tears. “Now gear up for the fight of your life. We’re going to bust into tonight’s clan meeting with an agenda of our own. That is, if you think you have something to fight for?”

61

Taking a deep breath, Sarah sought for calm, and that hidden well of strength that had given her the courage to ignore the Shaws and the Larsens for so long. “I won’t let you or Cullen fall prey to Larsen and that filth. It’s time I fixed something that’s been bothering me for a long time.”

“Amen, girl. Let’s get to it. I have a few ideas of my own. Let’s take a run over by the attorney’s office. Gerald owes me a favor or two.”

Cullen pounded Mike Shaw into the dirt. The man would be lucky to stand tomorrow, if he could walk within the next week. Rob Jenkins hadn’t fared too well in their small skirmish either. Both of his eyes had swelled up like balloons, and he’d spit out several teeth onto the bloody ground next to Mike.

“Two down, a few Larsens to go.”

Sean chuckled and walked with him toward clan central. On their way, Cullen passed Burke Chastell.

“You’re an asshole,” he said, glaring at the male. He still couldn’t believe Sarah had ever had a thing for the dumb cat, especially since the Shifter didn’t have the first clue about who Sarah really was.

Chastell straightened. “Excuse me?”

His wife walked out in front of him, pushing against his chest with one hand, forcing him to stop his advance on Cullen. “Cullen Whitefeather, right?”

“Yeah?” How did she know his name?

“You Whitefeathers decide you need a better place to roost, you look us up. I like what you did to Shaw’s face. We could use another decorator in the pride.”

Cullen grunted, liking Rachel a helluva lot more than her asshole husband. The pussy. “I’ll think about it. Have to talk to Sarah first.” Burke groaned and looked up at the sky. “Mike’s a loud-mouthed idiot. There, I’ve said it
again
. I’m sorry I ever listened to the rumors he spread.” He glanced at his wife.

“I’m never going to hear the end of this, am I?”

“No, you’re not,” Rachel snapped. She turned back to Cullen. “Sarah’s at the clan meeting. Tell her I said hey. And if she needs any help dealing with Jenny Larsen, to give me a call.”

“She won’t need any help, but thanks.”

As he left, he heard Rachel say, “I like him, Burke. And he’s almost as good-looking as you are.”

Which had the cat in an uproar, threatening to dismember Cullen and his entire family.

“Possessive breed, those catamounts,” Sean murmured. He surprised Cullen, who’d almost forgotten he was there.

“Assholes.”

“I don’t know. I like Grady, Burke’s younger brother. He’s fun to have around when you want to screw with the wolves. No love lost there, which makes you wonder what Monty, that damned gray wolf, is doing as part of their pride.”

62

“Whatever.” Cullen didn’t care to make small talk. He wanted to hurt some raptors. Will Shaw and Dennis Larsen in particular. “What time is it?”

“Time to interrupt a clan meeting, I’m thinking,” Sean said with a smirk in his voice.

“Damn straight.” Cullen charged past several silver foxes and a handful of raptor teens.

“Don’t look now, but I guarantee they’ll be expecting us,” Sean said. Overhead, several harriers flew like mad toward clan central.

“Good. The more the merrier,” Cullen snarled, remembering all too clearly Sarah’s beat-up cabin.

“Just remember to keep a clear head.”

Cullen was through listening to Sean. He picked up his pace, jogging toward the meeting. However, when he entered the large meeting hall, big enough to house a football field and then some, he found a multitude of surprises. Standing at the side of the gathering, like many of the other raptors, he had a full view of the center dais, upon which the clan leaders convened. But the raptors who should have been there weren’t, at least not where they usually sat.

A representative from every clan in Cougar Falls sat upon the raised dais, in lieu of the regular clan officers. In front of the dais in one grouping stood his mother,
Sarah
, Micah and Ian. Directly across from them stood the Shaws and the Larsens, as well as the other females who’d attacked Sarah.

“Speaking of Grady,” Sean murmured, and waved at his friend.

Grady Chastell, apparently sitting in for the catamounts, rolled his eyes and nodded at the mess around them. Cullen recognized Gerald Winters of the silver foxes, Rafe Sheridan of the gray wolves, Linda Rawlins and Rick Farley for the raptors, and Thomas Stovall representing the bear clan. A fair assortment of Ac-taw, each of whom had a reputation as fair and intolerant of abuse, with the exception of Farley and his questionable affiliation with the Larsens.

“What the hell’s going on?” He concentrated on Sarah, his mate, who looked extremely nervous. A fierce need to comfort her struck him, and it took Sean’s considerable strength to hold him back.

“Wait and watch. Momma’s always got a plan. Just let it play out.”

Linda cleared her voice and rapped a gavel, and the low murmuring in the growing crowd subsided.

“Please continue, Mrs. Whitefeather. Why exactly are you here?”

“I’m here because I’m sick and tired of the crap going on in my new clan. Had I known what a bunch of assholes you really were, I’d have taken myself and my boys into eagle country up north.”

Noise erupted around the large hall. Several of the non-raptor clan members openly grinned, while Larsen and the asses with him protested loudly. A few of Jenkins’ family, as well as Shaw’s buddies and Pat’s crowd, backed up the clan leaders in question.

“That is not the way we address the council,” Dennis Larsen sputtered.

“No, it’s not,” Farley said from the dais.

“Can it, Farley. Everyone knows you and Dennis are thick as thieves,” Sarah added with contempt.