Stefan's Salvation(28)

helped that he'd had a few drinks before they'd left town.

Driving at breakneck speed, he'd been cursing her mother when the deer had

jumped into the middle of the road. Laurel Rose had screamed at him to slow down.

Silas swerved, but it was too late. Clipping the deer, he'd driven the truck off the road

and over the side of a cliff. Laurel Rose had been the only one wearing a seatbelt. Her

leg had been shattered, but she'd survived long enough for a passerby to notice the

wounded deer lying by the side of the road and the skid marks going over the side. Her

mother and Silas had not been as lucky. Both had been thrown from the truck, dying

instantly.

Laurel Rose had marked her eighteenth birthday in the hospital and when she'd

finally been released, she'd headed back home. Alone. She'd lived there by herself ever

since.

"Everything all right?" Stefan's voice, low and filled with concern, startled her back

to the present. She hadn't realized that he'd come to stand next to her while she'd been

lost in the memories of the past. Shaking off her melancholy memories, she put aside

the bowl of peas and stood.

"I'm fine."

"You sure?" He continued to study her intently, his green eyes practically peering

into her soul.

Reaching out, she stroked the side of his face, loving the slightly rough feel of his

skin against her palm. "I'm sure."

He gave her one last, long look before leaning down and dropping a quick kiss on

her lips, then heading back to the woodpile. His jeans were well-worn and cupped his

ass perfectly. Laurel Rose paused to admire the view before carrying the bowl of peas

inside and placing it on the counter.

Wandering back outside, she leaned against the porch railing and watched Stefan

work. With each stroke of the axe, the muscles in his back and arms rippled. Sighing,

she pushed a stray lock of hair out of her face. She could stand here and watch him

work all night long, except it was almost too dark to work for much longer--at least for

her--and the light from the house was not strong enough to penetrate the gloom. It

wasn't quite pitch black yet, but it would be within a matter of minutes. Laurel Rose

was contemplating turning on the porch lights when she heard the rumbling sound of a

vehicle coming up the dirt road to her house.

The sound of chopping ceased, but she kept her eyes on the road. She forced herself

to relax, but it was hard. She glanced over at the rifle that was propped up next to the

chair she'd just vacated, but she made no move to get it. Whoever was coming to visit

certainly wasn't trying to sneak up on her, but she was wary nonetheless. But this time

she wasn't alone. Stefan was with her, out there in the yard concealed by the darkness,

and that made her feel safe.

She relaxed slightly when a new luxury sedan turned the corner and drove into the

yard. Must be some lost tourist. She'd just started down the porch steps when both

front doors opened. She recognized Cyril Jenkins immediately as he climbed out of the

passenger side, but she didn't know the other man at all.

"Evening, Laurel Rose." Cyril waved as he called out his hearty greeting.

"Evening, Cyril. What brings you out my way?" She had to admit she was curious.

The mayor had never paid her a personal visit before.

"I was just showing Mr. Webster around the area and thought I'd introduce you."

Good manners forced her to walk forward to welcome the two men who were now

standing in front of the car. The other man offered his hand in greeting. "Richard

Webster, ma'am. Pleased to meet you." His suit looked expensive and that, along with

the fancy car, immediately marked him as a visitor and not a local.

Laurel Rose shook his hand, eyeing him questioningly. "Good to meet you, Mr.

Webster, but I still don't understand why you're here."

"Please call me, Richard." He glanced over at Cyril, but the mayor was looking

down at his shoes. "I represent RW Hotels, and as you probably already know, we're

planning on building a resort and spa in the area. I understood that you might be

interested in selling some of your land."

Laurel Rose stiffened immediately, withdrew her hand and crossed her arms over

her chest. "You heard wrong, Mr. Webster. I have absolutely no plans to sell my land."

She glared at Cyril.

Mr. Webster looked confused. "I'm terribly sorry, Ms. McCaffey, but I was under

the impression that you were reconsidering selling."

"Now, Laurel Rose," Cyril interrupted before she could speak. "I know you've been

having all kinds of trouble lately. You know it's not safe for a woman to be out here all

alone, especially since you've got a handicap and all." Laurel Rose almost choked at the

false sincerity in his voice. "It might not hurt to listen to what Mr. Webster has to say.

Their offer is more than fair and," he paused for effect. "You just don't know what

could happen to a woman living all by herself."

The whir of the axe split the night and the blade flashed a deadly silver as it flew

straight between the two men and imbedded itself in the large oak tree just behind

them. Both men jumped, their faces paling as they stared behind her. She could feel the

menace rolling off Stefan in waves as he stalked up to stand by her side.

"Sorry about that." Stefan crossed his massive arms over his bare chest and stared

at the intruders. "It slipped."

"You," Cyril sputtered. "You could have killed us."

"Yes, I could have," Stefan calmly replied. "If that was my intention."

Richard Webster recovered himself and looked at Stefan with growing respect in

his eyes. "Then what was your intention, Mr..." he trailed off, leaving his question

hanging.

"Dalakis. Stefan Dalakis." He took a step forward and slightly in front of her.

"Laurel Rose is not alone and her property is not for sale."

Mr. Webster nodded slowly. "It appears that I was misinformed and I apologize to

the lady." Laurel Rose was amused. Mr. Webster might have been apologizing to her,

but he hadn't taken his eyes off Stefan.

Stefan nodded as he sauntered forward. Cyril jumped out of his way, but Richard

Webster stood his ground, a watchful look in his eyes. The blade of the axe was buried

deep in the trunk of the tree, but Stefan gripped the handle with one hand and yanked

it out with one tug. Webster let out a soundless whistle of appreciation while Cyril's

face paled considerably more.

Laurel Rose shook her head at all the male posturing going on. The air was so thick

with testosterone she could hardly breathe. For God's sake, why didn't Stefan just piss

on the tree to mark his territory? He'd made it plain to both men that she was under his

protection. She cleared her throat. "Is there anything else?"

Cyril shook his head and glanced nervously at Stefan. "I'll talk to you another time,

Laurel Rose." Tugging open the car door, he practically jumped inside and slammed it

shut behind him.

Richard Webster surprised her by offering his hand to Stefan. "Sorry for the mix-up.

I hope my coming here didn't unduly upset anyone."

Stefan transferred the axe to his other hand before accepting the man's hand.

"That's fine, as long as it doesn't happen again." The implied threat was obvious. Next

time, someone would pay.

The corner of Webster's mouth turned up in a reluctant smile of respect. "I can

assure you that I never make the same mistake twice."

"Then there's no problem." Stefan released the man's hand and stepped back to her

side. They watched as he climbed back into his car, backed up and started down the dirt

road once again. She could see Cyril talking and gesturing, but the other man seemed to

be ignoring him.

"Has Cyril given you problems before?"

"Hmm," she answered, not really paying any attention to Stefan as she tried to

figure out why Cyril had brought the other man to her home. He knew she wasn't

interested in selling her land. Obviously he hadn't accepted that fact.

Stefan gripped her shoulders and whirled her around to face him. "Answer me,

Laurel Rose." His fingers dug into her shoulders as he shook her lightly, and she

absently noted that he'd propped the axe against the porch.

"Oh, no, I've really had no problem with Cyril before. I expect he thought he was

just doing his civic duty. He's the mayor and he's big on civic duty." Poor Stefan was

more upset by this than she was. "You can put me down now."

Stefan swore as he lowered her back to the ground. She could tell from his

expression that he hadn't even realized he'd plucked her clear off her feet. She rubbed

her upper arms lightly and he frowned. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine. Really," she added when he still looked concerned. "Let it go, Stefan.

It doesn't matter." He didn't appear to be convinced, but he reluctantly nodded. "Now,

I'm going up to get a bath before bed."

Stefan nodded again. "You go on. I'll be up in a bit. I just want to finish out here

and take one last look around."

She couldn't quite figure out his mood, but decided not to worry about it. A hot

bath was exactly what she needed. Stefan wouldn't be too far behind her.



The door slammed behind her, jolting Stefan from his thoughts. Laurel Rose might

not take the threats from Cyril seriously, but he did. Picking up the axe, he carried it to

the shed and put it away for the night. Making sure the shed door was locked, he