Free SHADOWLOVE--STALKERS by Claudy Conn Page A

standoffish. However, she supposed that first name basis didn’t mean it had to go any further, right?
    He inclined his head. “Very well, I do.” He looked up at the sky and then back at her with a happy grin. “What a glorious day for a hike.”
    “It is, and these rolling hills have given me just the workout I needed.”
    The squire used his walking stick and brushed away some of the tall grass as she fell into step with him.
    It occurred to her that when they met at the cottage he didn’t have a walking stick with him. Perhaps he used it only when he went hiking? A quick glance told her it was definitely an antique, and the carvings sketched throughout its length were, she thought, intriguing—no doubt a family heirloom.
    He looked her over without reserve, which surprised her. She remembered what Mrs. Carver had told her about the ‘playboy’ squire. Here was a quiet-styled bad boy? It was hard to believe. Her instincts weren’t on the alert, and she usually had a good sense for that sort of guy—she would not have thought it about him.
    His voice was soft, and his smile was charming. “You don’t look like you need a workout.”
    She laughed and waved this off. “I will after I get back to the cottage and devour every speck of food in the fridge. This wonderful Highland air has me famished.”
    He smiled and looked around. “Aye, the air will do that to you.”
    Shawna realized she was being friendlier than was her norm since she’d gone on the run six months ago. She hadn’t been in a position to extend herself in friendship to anyone and had even had to blow off some of the friends she had made during her university life. She shifted into retreat, and he noticed at once.
    “What? What have I said?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “All of a sudden, you vanished on me. There you were, bright and shiny, and then gone into somewhere dark and obscure.”
    “Obscure, is it? I can’t remember anyone ever calling me that.” She laughed and shook her head.
    A smile transformed his serious expression. “Ah Shawna, I have used the wrong adjective, haven’t I? Obscure indeed! You stand out like a single blue rose in a field of yellow…”
    “Oh boy—both ends of the spectrum here.” She laughed. “A simple hello, you are looking well, Shawna MacBay, would have done just fine, sir.”
    “Forgive me—and hello, you are looking so very well, Shawna MacBay.” He smiled widely. “Better?”
    “Hmmm, getting there,” she returned. Still wanting to keep the conversation light, she immediately interjected, “Taking a hike yourself, Kenneth—your manor house must be quite a distance from here?”
    “Oh, less than you would think. I have only to cross through the woods to my place.” He eyed her. “I should take you back with me and feed you. I am certain we can come up with something to satisfy your…er…hunger.”
    She saw the flirt in his hazel eyes and allowed him a slight smirk. “I am sure we could, but home I must go.”
    “Then I will take a promise from you to have tea with me soon.”
    “Tea—I would like that.” After a pause she regarded him seriously for a moment and asked, “Do you walk these trails alone every day?”
    “I do when in residence, yes, but today I got out earlier than usual.” He shrugged and then grinned conspiratorially. “Escaped you see.”
    “Escaped?”
    “I was having a hellish day with my attorney. He wanted me to attend to matters I haven’t any patience for today, so I excused myself and left him to fidget through the papers himself.” He regarded her meaningfully. “I am sure his mood is now worse, but I on the other hand am better—much better.”
    Shawna laughed. “Naughty boy.”
    “Hmmm. Don’t like paperwork.”
    “Yup—I feel that,” Shawna remarked absently as she scanned the edge of the woods. Whatever had been following her was presently gone.
    “Not just paperwork, but there were phone calls he wished me to make—appointments he