That was just one of the things that was so confusing about Carlise’s stalker. From what he could tell, she wasn’t the kind of person who would incite such . . . fury from someone else. She’d broken up with Tommy and moved on. Chappy didn’t know if Tommy had moved on, but whoever was sending the messages obviously hated Carlise.
Whoever this stalker was, they were less than stable. That much was obvious. Many men had the mindset that if they couldn’t be with a woman, no one else could either. He’d never understood that kind of thinking. If a woman didn’t want to be with him, why the hell would he ever fight to keep her? It made no sense.
His mind swirled with all the things he needed to do, but first and foremost was getting back to Carlise. It was an odd feeling, being so desperate to be by someone’s side. To want to know what they were doing at all times. Not because he was being overbearing or possessive, but because he wanted to make sure she had everything she needed or wanted.
Before stopping to turn on her phone, Chappy had also checked her CR-V. She’d been extremely lucky when she’d driven off the road. Yes, she’d hit a tree head-on, but it was clear she hadn’t been moving too fast at the time. There were also two other trees close by that were twice as big and would’ve messed up her car even worse, no matter the speed.
Still, the small SUV would need some fixing before she’d be able to drive it. As he’d suspected, the battery was dead. And from the way the car was leaning, he had a feeling she had one, maybe two, flat tires.
Carlise may not like it, but Chappy wanted to tow the car into town to have someone look it over. Maybe put some snow tires on, give it a tune-up . . . things like that. Maine was extremely tough on vehicles, and he wanted to make sure she was safe. Carlise was now the most important person in his life, and he’d do whatever was necessary to keep her healthy and alive for years to come. Including making sure her car was in tip-top shape . . . and ending the threat from her stalker.
He drove slowly back toward his cabin. Toward Carlise. Bob’s plow had done a great job of clearing the two-track to his place. It wasn’t perfect, hence the need to drive slowly, but he was a confident driver, and his Jeep had navigated worse conditions.
Still, when he pulled into the small one-car detached garage he’d built near his cabin, Chappy let out a sigh of relief. If something had happened to him while he was out and about, it would have left Carlise by herself in his cabin, which was unacceptable. He’d left her his satellite phone, just in case, but he was relieved to be back.
Looking around the property as he walked toward the cabin, he made mental notes about expanding the garage to fit her CR-V. It was unlikely they’d take two vehicles up here, but just in case, he wanted to be sure to have a place to shelter both cars at the same time.
He walked into the cabin and opened his mouth to call out a greeting but stopped himself in the nick of time.
Instead, he stared at Carlise, who was sleeping on the couch. Her head was resting against the back cushion, her mouth open slightly . . . and she had one hand resting on Baxter’s head. The dog was sitting next to her, curled into a ball.
His eyes were open, watching Chappy, but he didn’t move from Carlise’s side, which Chappy fully approved of.
“Hey, boy. It’s comfy up there, isn’t it?” he asked quietly as he put Carlise’s phone on the counter. He couldn’t keep himself from going to her, as if she was some kind of magnet, pulling him in.
He walked slowly, not wanting to alarm Baxter, but the dog looked perfectly content to stay where he was. Chappy knelt at Carlise’s feet, balancing on his haunches as he stared at her.
He was a lucky son of a bitch, and he knew it. She was so beautiful. He took in her long blonde hair in disarray around her face, remembered running his hands through it while she slept in his arms, how it looked against his pillow. She was a dream come true. His dream come true.
As if she could sense his intense gaze, her eyes fluttered, then opened. She blinked in confusion for a moment before her lips curled in a lazy, sleepy smile. “Hey,” she greeted him.
“Hey,” he returned.
When he didn’t say anything else, she asked, “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s good,” he reassured her. “I just got back. You tired?”
Carlise shook her head. “Not really. But I sat down, and Baxter joined me”—she smiled at the dog at her side—“and I didn’t want to disturb him by getting up to get my laptop. I guess I fell asleep. Someone tired me out this morning,” she said with a shy grin.
Chappy smiled hard. This was what he’d always dreamed about, but never thought he’d have. Coming home and finding the woman he loved waiting, smiling at him happily.
“You want me to grab your laptop for you? Do you want something to drink? Are you hungry?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m fine. What time is it anyway? How long were you gone? Oh! Did he message?”
It was obvious she’d just remembered where he had been and why. Chappy mourned the loss of his sleepy, oblivious woman.
“I wasn’t gone that long. Maybe an hour. And yeah . . . he messaged,” he told her.
“Was it . . .” She paused, then said in a rush, “Was it bad?”
“Let’s just say leaving didn’t make your stalker forget about you,” he said grimly.
Carlise’s shoulders slumped, and she looked down at her lap.
Chappy put a finger under her chin and gently lifted so she had no choice but to look at him. “We’re going to get to the bottom of this,” he said firmly.
“I don’t even know what I did to piss him off so much,” she whispered. “I mean, I’m just me. I’m hardly a model. I’m nobody special. Why is he doing this?”
Chappy moved slowly so he wouldn’t disturb Baxter, sitting on her other side. His hand slid from her chin to her nape, the other gripping her waist. “You are special,” he insisted. “You’re smart and funny and beautiful and so damn sexy, it’s all I can do to keep my hands off you pretty much at all times.
“You just being you is the reason I fell in love so fast. I know without a shred of doubt that without you, I was only half the man I could be. Since leaving the service, I was just existing. Now? I feel as if I have a renewed purpose in life. Like all the things I’ve seen and done, that time I was held hostage . . . it was all worth something. I’ve made it through because it was my destiny to meet you.
“Honestly? I have a feeling this guy’s stalking you because he knows he let a good thing slip through his fingers. He screwed up, and he’s desperate to get you back, to have you under his thumb. But it’s not going to happen. I won’t let him snuff out your light . . . because it’s mine now. And I don’t mean that in a weird, psycho way. It’s mine to protect. To keep safe. To help you shine.”
Carlise’s eyes teared up as he spoke.
Chappy had no idea where the words were coming from—he wasn’t exactly known for having much of a romantic soul—but somehow, she brought it out in him.
“Riggs,” she murmured.
“We were meant to be,” he said simply. “I can’t imagine that some higher power led you to Baxter, who led you to me, only for you to disappear from my life now. We’ll talk to the police chief in Newton. We’ll tell my friends what’s going on. We’ll tell your mom and Susie to be careful, that someone out there might try to use them to get you to come back to Cleveland. We’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you’re safe, and the people you care about are safe, so we can live happily ever after.”
“You think he’ll go after my mom or Susie?” Carlise asked, alarmed.