Returning to Her Master

Gazing out her wide front windows affording her a view of Main Street, she watched him smile as he ambled next door to the gift shop. Standing behind the glass-enclosed display case holding the day’s concoctions, she thought about how much she enjoyed the side benefit of conversing with the residents of Bear Creek throughout her day. It had been a week since she’d opened for business and Cassie loved her little bakery. She’d kept the original name, Ye Olde Bakery. Although she’d liked teaching, the constant politics and dealing with parents who either didn’t show enough interest in their child’s education or who were too consistently opinionated and demanding had detracted from the experience. Working her way through college in the bakery department of a large grocery store, she had discovered how much fun she could have with it. She liked sinking her hands into a mound of soft dough, working it with her fingers then shaping it into whatever she wanted, like pie crust, cookies, or tarts. Coming up with new recipes and playing with spices and fillings kept her engaged and stimulated, and hearing daily compliments and seeing the look of pleasure on her customers’ faces as they bit into a purchase was all very rewarding.

She didn’t know there were any small, individually owned bakeries left, thought they had all disappeared along with quaint towns like Bear Creek. When her constant research of the Denver area and the small mountain towns surrounding the metropolis led her to the sale ad of Martha’s place, she couldn’t believe the opportunity being handed to her. Escaping the problems plaguing her in Omaha had become crucial for her peace of mind, seeking the one man she couldn’t forget essential for any future relationships. Disillusionment with her job coupled with signs she had attracted a stalker pushed aside the last small thread of hesitancy keeping her from looking up Marc again after the way she ran from him.

The bright swath of sunlight brightening her shop failed to keep her mood uplifted after Ed’s departure. It had been two weeks since she’d seen Marc and she was trying hard not to let his silence get her down. She realized showing up on his doorstep unannounced after

months of no communication had to have been a shock to him. For a short time that night he seemed open to having her here, and he proved he still desired her to the point of leaving her aching for more. She had hoped he’d stop in sometime this past week after she opened, if for no other reason than to sample her treats, but it looked like she would have to come up with plan B to get another chance with him.

With a sigh of regret, she shoved aside the urge to call him and picked up her mail. After thumbing through the ads and setting aside the water bill, she came across a plain white envelope. Her palms dampened with nervousness as she slit open the envelope and withdrew a single sheet of paper. As she feared, the message from cutup newspaper was similar to ones she had received in Omaha.

You Are Mine Come Back To Me And I’ll Forgive You For Your Betrayal

Those words jumped out at her, had her stomach churning with nausea as she wondered how he found her so soon. For the first time, she felt true fear of her unknown stalker, not realizing how much she had hoped she would leave him behind when she moved. She wasn’t one of those women who could run a successful business while taking down a bad guy single-handed without even breaking a fingernail and admitted she needed advice. The closest, most qualified person was the sheriff who had stopped in a few times to check up on her.

Grabbing the note, Cassie locked the bakery and walked the short distance down Main Street to Scott’s office. With the number of full-time residents calling Bear Creek their home less than eighty-five hundred, the town remained a small, quaint, close-knit community of people who looked out for each other. The constant bustling activity of tourists, both summer vacationers and winter skiers, drove the population up exponentially during peak months, and provided the income for most of the residents, but she had been told during even those busier times, she could expect the same friendly ambiance as when the townspeople had their town to themselves.

To her relief, Sheriff Tyler was in his office and the attractive dispatcher and receptionist sent her right in to see him.

“Cassie, come in. Is everything all right?” he asked as he rose to greet her with a wave toward a chair.

His welcome smile went a long way toward calming her nerves and Cassie took a seat hoping she wasn’t wasting his time by overreacting. “I’m sorry to just drop in on you, sheriff.”

“I’ve told you to call me Scott. You should know by now we don’t stand on formalities around here.”

Why couldn’t she respond to the deep command in his voice like she did to Marc’s? With his collar-length, wavy dark brown hair and piercing gray eyes, he’d draw any red-blooded woman’s attention. While her body stirred when she pictured herself submitting to him, her mind and heart just wanted Marc.

“Okay, Scott.” Handing him the letter, she said, “I was wondering if there was a way to find out where or who this came from.”

Scott took the letter, his eyes turning flint gray as he read it. “When did you get this?” he asked, his tone brusque and all business.

“Just now, in today’s mail. About two months ago, I got a couple of similar notes in the mail, but since I was already planning on moving from Omaha, I ignored them.” Looking back, she realized that had been a mistake.

“You didn’t contact the police, show them to anyone else?”

Cassie shook her head, feeling like an idiot for not getting advice back when the notes first started.

“I don’t suppose you still have them?” Scott noted the pallor of her face and her clenched hands. She was trying to hide it, but the note shook her up, as it was meant to.

“No. When I moved, I threw them away.” Another dumb move, she thought.

“I’ll try to get fingerprints off it, but odds are whoever it is used gloves. I’ll make sure my deputies are aware of this and between us we’ll keep an eye on the bakery and around town for anyone suspicious. But, Cassie, this is a tourist area and strangers are the norm here. Have you told Marc about this?” Scott knew Marc continued to struggle with Cassie’s sudden appearance and the best way to proceed with her. This incident may have just settled that dilemma for him.

“No, of course not. I wouldn’t bother him with this, especially when he’s made it clear he’s none too happy I’m here.” She didn’t like that Scott witnessed the humiliating way Marc ushered her out of his lodge, and hoped he didn’t know of their past, but knew she couldn’t let embarrassment keep her from getting help.

“You came as a surprise, sweetheart, give him a little slack.” Rising, he came around his desk and took her elbow. “Come on, I’ll walk you back to the bakery and check out your locks for you. For now that’s all I can do other than keep an eye out. Make sure you keep your phone on you at all times. I’ll give you my office number and my cell number and you can enter them in your phone.”

His calm, take-charge attitude revealed he handled his job with serious intent and had her feeling better already. Walking beside him, she felt small next to his larger frame, as small as she did next to Marc. Both men were a little over six feet and had muscled, lean builds; both could set her pulse to racing and cause her happy places to sit up and take notice. But it was only Marc who aroused a need in her so strong it made her want to drop to her knees and do anything he demanded just to please him. She was just sorry it had taken her so long to come to that realization.

After Scott checked her locks and promised to return with better ones, Cassie started her baking for the weekend rush and tried to put both her stalker and Marc out of her mind for now since she couldn’t do anything about either situation at the moment.

* * *

Marc parked his Tahoe in front of the bakery and took a moment to give himself an attitude adjustment. When Scott called thirty minutes ago and told him about the threatening note Cassie received, he responded with a spate of curses, his first instinct to get pissed because she went to Scott and not him with her fears. Of course, his friend was only too happy to remind him he sent her away without a hint she would be welcomed back. Guilt had replaced anger, but the frustration of staying away from her the past two weeks made him irrational, had him swearing again when he realized his actions were the reason she hadn’t turned to him and he had no one to blame but himself.

He didn’t know what brought her to Bear Creek, or to his lodge, his mind rejecting her claim she was here to start over with him even though his body welcomed her back with a surge of lust he hadn’t experienced in two long years. It’d be insane to start over, crazy to think she had changed and now wanted everything he had been foolish enough to push her toward when he knew she wasn’t ready. But he wanted to. He hadn’t realized how much until he got Scott’s call and the thought of someone stalking her, tormenting her, or possibly doing her harm twisted his insides into a tight ball of fury.

Damn it, he swore. With the constant turnaround of summer guests booked into their cabins, he didn’t have time to unravel the knots her sudden reappearance in his life had him tied up in. Waiting until he saw the last of the late afternoon customers leave the bakery, he stepped inside and turned the sign to Closed before shutting the door behind him and locking it.

“Cassie, where are you?” he called out when he didn’t see her behind the counter.