Toni Blake - Whisper Falls

WHISPER FALLS

A Destiny Novel

TONI BLAKE

Dedication

To Lindsey Faber

Loyal reader turned cheerleader turned publicist,

lunch/dinner companion, marketing strategist,

plotter extraordinaire, shoulder to cry on

or celebrate with, all around Girl Friday

and, most importantly, my cherished friend.

Contents

... I looked at his features, beautiful in their harmony,

but strangely formidable in their still severity...

Charlotte Bront, Jane Eyre

M eow.

Tessa Sheridan frowned at the gray-and-white cat perched next to her on the sofa. What do you want now ? I put your dumb Fancy Feast out, and your special little ball with the bell inside. And your litter box is by the door.

Meow , he said again, an insistent look on his furry little face. In fact, Mr. Knightleywho didnt strike Tessa as being nearly as debonair as the Jane Austen character he was named forstared at her as if she were... a cat psychic or something. But she had no idea what his problem was and didnt feel particularly tolerant. Shed agreed to cat-sit for her close friend, Amy, who was gone for the weekend with her mom seeing relatives a few hours drive away. And shed originally planned to do the job at Amys place, but she wasnt feeling well, so it had just made sense to pack up the spoiled kitty and bring him here to her cabin. Only now he wouldnt leave her alone.

What is it, you silly cat?

Meow .

Tessa simply rolled her eyes at him, then hugged a throw pillow to her chest. Blegh. Nausea. Not a lot. Just a little. Just enough to make her feel slightly off-kilter.

But she refused to focus on that. So she cast the pillow aside, pushed to her feet, and said to Mr. Knightley, Im going to check the mail. Eat your expensive food while Im gone. She didnt bother putting on shoes because it was nice out for early Marcharound seventy degreesand the sun was shining bright; the warmth of the concrete driveway would feel good beneath her feet.

The cabins inside door already stood open, so she pushed through the screen dooronly to see a flash of gray-and-white fur go darting past her feet! Oh God. Knightley! You get back here right now!

Of course, this went much like her previous attempts at communicationhe ignored her and promptly scampered around the corner of the small log house, out of sight.

Mr. Knightley! She let the screen door slam shut and gave chase, soon running over cool grass instead of warm concrete, and hoped she wouldnt step on anything unpleasant as she bounded around the cabin and behind it.

Anduh-oh. Mr. K. was nowhere in sight. That fast. The realization brought on a fresh wave of nausea. This couldnt be. If she lost Amys cat... well, it was unthinkable. She frequently teased her friend for her intense attachment to him, yet she could scarcely imagine Amys life without her beloved pet. Her chest went hollow.

But dont panic. Youll find him. You have to. Here, kitty! she called in a high-pitched voice. Here, kitty kitty.

Her head swam, more from fear now than anything else, as she scanned the area behind her cabin. Beyond the backyard, the land sloped upward toward a small white ranch house with a large garage to one side. Well, at least her new neighbor wasnt out and about. She hadnt seen himor heryet; all she knew was that the new occupant seemed to have very loud friends with very loud motorcycles and that this was no time for any awkward introductions. And given that shed moved out here in the woods seeking peace and quiet, the frequent motorcycle noise presented yet one more problem in her life. And now shed lost Mr. Knightley on top of everything else?

No, she couldnt have. She refused to believe it. Knightley! she snapped impatiently. Where on earth are you?

But as she padded onward through the soft spring grass, she heard no annoying meows and saw no signs of cat life. And then she started thinking about exactly where she lived. There were so many trees here. Her log cabin and the neighbors house were the only two homes for half a mile in either direction, both built on the hilliest stretch of Whisper Falls Road. The shadowy, narrow stretch of pavement twisted past on one side of the houses and Whisper Creek ran along the other, probably fifty yards away through the trees. So many places for a cat to hide. Or get lost. Or hurt. Not that she thought Mr. Knightley would fling himself into the current or anything, but stillhow would she ever find him here? Here, kitty kitty! Her heart was in her throat by the time she reached the side of her yard that led toward the stream and the small descent of Whisper Falls in the distance. She peered off into the woods, fairly dark already even though it was only late afternoon. Please , kitty kitty.

Nothing moved in the forest, but she could hear the shush of the falls from where she stood. She began to walk upward, into the yard above, still staring into the trees to her right. Mr. Knightley, if you can hear me, Im sorry I havent been very nice. Just come on out and lets go home. Ill feed you with a spoon if thats what it takes. Ill throw your little ball for you and scratch under your chin and all the other stuff Amy told me to do that I havent been doing.

In the shade now, a breeze chilled her and she hugged herself. She wore only a tank top with jeans, and her bare feet had officially become cold. Mr. Knightley, please dont do this to me, she begged, staring off into the wooded gloom. Desperation tinged her voice, but she couldnt help it. Please come back and well work out our differences. Well play and cuddle together, I promise. She knew it was silly to try to reason with him, but she felt at a loss, not sure how to proceed or what to do.

When she heard a masculine throat-clearing sound directly behind her, she nearly jumped out of her skin. Whipping around to face the noise, she found... Oh Lord. Surely this wasnt her neighbor. At the intimidating sight of him, she almost jumped again, but forced herself to stay on the ground this time. He stood at least six foot three, with long, dark hair that fell past broad shoulders. His black Harley Davidson T-shirt molded to his body, and his tan, muscular arms sported numerous tattoos. She sucked in her breath as her skin prickled.

You lose somebody? he asked, his voice as deep as she might have expected. His expression said he suspected she was a little crazy, though. Probably since shed been staring into the woods having a conversation with someone who wasnt there. About playing and cuddling, no less.

My friends cat, she said. But did that make the situation any better? Given that shed been saying dumb things about working out their differences? He ran away. Im cat-sitting, she added. Something about this guys deep brown eyes on her was unnerving. He possessed... shockingly pretty eyes, framed by thick, dark lashes. Their warmth contradicted everything else about him, all of which was definitely hard, rough, and even a little scary. His names Mr. Knightley, she added dumbly.

Weird name for a cat. His voice came flat, devoid of emotion.

Yeah, she agreed. Shed considered saying more, explaining the whole Jane Austen connection, but in the end had decided to just keep it simple. Have you seen him? She was nervous nowsuddenly speaking around a disconcerting lump in her throat.

And even as the brawny guy gave his head a shake, saying, Nope, I just now came outside, she realized that besides looking sort of menacing, he also seemed... familiar in some way. Was it his voice? Those eyes? Something more subtle in his tough-guy stance? Then it occurred to her that he looked like... a Romo; the Romo family had roots in the town of Destiny going back half a century.