Her Druid Desire (The Amber Druid Series) Read online

  Her Druid Desire

  ≈

  Book One of the Amber Druid Series

  Published by CAJUNFLAIR PUBLISHING

  Praise for Trish F. Leger’s writing…

  “It is dangerously sensual and the story simply mesmerized me. Author Trish F. Leger could not have written a better teaser for her AMBER DRUID series than HER DRUID TEMPTATION.”

  Pamela @ Romance Junkies (4 ribbons)

  ~

  Amber Druids, dangerous men, an investigation, hostility, and sexy, steamy love scenes are all rolled up in Trish F. Legers “Her Druid Temptation”.

  InD’Tale Magazine (4 ½ Gold stars and a Crowned Heart)

  ~

  “I really enjoyed reading Liana and Trevan's story...the characters are likeable and their sexual chemistry is smoking hot! ”

  Amazon Reviewers

  Also by Trish F. Leger

  Scorching and Sensual Romances…

  HER DRUID TEMPTATION-prequel to the Amber Druid Series (e-book only)

  HER DRUID DESIRE-Book One of the Amber Druid Series

  HER DRUID FANTASY-coming Summer 2013

  Sweet Romances…

  SEASONS OF LOVE: Hearts, Hearths & Holidays (Anthology)

  THREE WEEKS BEFORE CHRISTMAS

  Connect with Trish:

  [email protected]

  Facebook: Trish F. Leger-author

  www.trishfleger.webs.com

  Copyright © 2012 by Trish F. Leger

  CAJUNFLAIR PUBLISHING

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. This story is a complete work of fiction.

  Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely

  coincidental.

  Dedication…

  To those out there who have the courage to hold out hope for the things they want most of all.

  Acknowledgments…

  I would like to thank my husband, for putting up with me sitting in front of my computer, ALL THE TIME. See babe, me being on the computer does have an end result!

  For family and friends, always.

  For the most awesome book club ever!

  To Kim @ The Killion Group, for the great cover, thanks!

  And thanks to everyone for being so patient with me while readying this book for publication.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 1

  Anger, rage, pettiness-those were things she could deal with. This…this pain-that by all rights she shouldn’t even feel, was something so very new to her.

  Nadia Morales gripped the steering wheel tightly between her fingers. The weather matched her mood, wild and unmanageable. Wind buffeted the Land Rover, causing the powerful vehicle to lurch, which of course caused Nadia to focus on staying on the road instead of swimming in the ditch.

  Hated tears burned in her eyes, causing her focus to haze. She longed to hang her head against the steering wheel and give into the absurd female emotions that were pulling her under, but she couldn’t. She needed to get home. She needed the cozy, inviting retreat of her cottage to soothe her shock, and bring her peace of mind back. Nadia needed to calm down, but saying that was easier than doing it.

  Another bright flash of lightning was instantly followed by a sharp, threatening clap of thunder. Nadia jumped as the sound receded to a mere rumble. Trying valiantly to steer the large vehicle in the blinding rain was becoming increasingly hard.

  “Breath, just breathe, and keep calm,” she said out loud, hoping to quiet herself with the sound of her voice.

  Bad weather had always been her Achilles heel. Ever since she was a young girl, storms had pricked her curiosity and her fear. Hiding in her bed with pillows and blankets over her head was the norm. Living in southern Texas hadn’t helped one bit. The weather was always unpredictable and ferocious.

  The rainstorm, the emotions of the moment, and the fear that slid through her veins like slick black oil, all coalesced together. It took everything inside Nadia to bully through the moment as if nothing bothered her, when that was a lie.

  There was only about a mile to go and then she could let go in the privacy of her own home. Then a black blur ran out in front of the truck.

  “NO!”

  She jerked the wheel to the right, but it didn’t help. She felt, more than heard, the sickening thud of the blur hitting the left front of her bumper. Ever so slowly she pumped the brakes, not wanting to risk slamming them and sliding off the road.

  Hands trembling, she glided the large vehicle to the curb and put on her flashers. A glance in the rearview mirror showed a distinct black mound lying against the rain drenched blacktop. Through the rivulets of rain, she determined the shape to be that of a small dog.

  “Why?” she whispered to herself.

  As if the past hour hadn’t been hard enough on her, and now she might even be the murderer of some innocent dog. Nadia peered through the rain-distorted glass on the back of the Rover, but she couldn’t make out movement. She adamantly refused to leave an animal out there in the elements, especially if it wasn’t dead.

  She grabbed a bat that was under the back seat of the Rover, then opened the door and cautiously went to check on the injured animal. It might be injured, but living in the country had prepared her for animals infected with rabies, and wild, half-crazed, hungry dogs that roamed freely when she was young. She felt remorse, but she wouldn’t be a chew toy for a vicious dog, half-crazed or not.

  Cool raindrops slid under the collar of her shirt as she cautiously moved her way towards the black mound. Steam rose up from the hot pavement as the cool rain hit the blacktop. Dark woods on each side of the road teemed with wildlife that chattered amid the noise of the now-dying storm.

  Wind whipped her long black hair into her face, but she heedlessly shoved it away, and noticed the rise and fall of the animal’s torso as she approached. In some macabre, weird way she could thank this small animal for running out in front of her because the spotlight was off of her pain for one second.

  She stopped about three feet from it when it lifted its head in her direction. Even though the wind blew rain and hair into her face, she could clearly see large brown eyes peering at her wearily. Her heart all but melted, and then she heard a soft whine, followed by a slow wag of the dog’s tail.

  “Oh, poor baby, I’m so sorry.”

  The black and white fur of the Border Collie was matted with rain and blood, and the more she looked, the more she knew what needed to be done. Another soft whine cemented her decision.

  “Baby, you are going to be fine. I’m going to get you some help.”

  She spoke softly to the dog and moved closer. It seemed to understand her, which Nadia sensed was odd. Tentatively, she reached out to stroke its fur, gripping the bat tightly in the other hand in case she might need it. To her astonishment, the dog didn’t seem to mind being touched. She then placed the dog in the back seat of the Rover, feeling the warmth curling through her system at having been able to do something right toni
ght.

  For one moment something else needed her attention, and it wasn’t her problems; for that, Nadia was grateful. She pulled out her iphone and scrolled through listings for twenty-four hour vet services. When the list came up with Safe Haven Animal Shelter and Clinic among the names, her heart stopped. She glared at it for a few seconds, long enough to still her beating heart and then realized she was closer to the clinic than she first thought.

  Thirty minutes later she was pulling into the parking area. As a large, state of the art facility on the outskirts of Beaumont, Safe Haven came about more than twelve years ago. Local man Drake Thompson, business owner, investment guru, and the guy with an all-around lucky touch with everything in life, started this place to do exactly what it is called. The haven also included a vet’s clinic. At the moment, the whole place was dark, except for security lights on all sides, and around back where the large pens were. A heart-wrenching whine echoed from the backseat.

  “I know baby, I’m trying to get you some help.”

  She opened the door and dodged fat raindrops to bang on the door. That was when she noticed the hand written sign taped to the door. When lightning flashed, Nadia jumped, but she held her phone up to the door to read the sign.

  Emergency on ranch outside of town. Call 555-3927 if in need of assistance.

  Why in the world would the vet leave a contact number belonging to the owner of the shelter? Nadia itched to know, but kept her questions to herself. “Damn it,” she muttered, thumbing through the list of numbers on her phone, because she already had his number stored. Then she ran back towards the Rover, wondering what in the world she had done to piss God off this time. This run of bad luck was turning legendary already.

  On the third ring, she realized God’s twisted sense of humor, as a deeply accented, Texas drawl slid over the line. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Nadia calmed her rapid breathing and tried to remember what she was calling for, instead of her reaction whenever she heard this man’s voice.

  “Drake, this is Nadia. I have a dog here and I believe it needs medical attention. I found your number taped to the Safe Haven clinic door for use in an emergency. What should I do now?” She hoped she sounded calm, cool and collected, but she highly doubted it. After having the worst surprise of the year, hitting an adorable dog, and now having to hear his voice, she had come to the conclusion that her night couldn’t get worse.

  “Nadia, do you know how badly the dog is hurt?”

  “I’m no vet, but I think that she has a broken back leg. She appears to be breathing normal, if a little fast, and there is a small bit of blood. I didn’t mean to hit her,” Nadia added in a low tone.

  Sounding completely businesslike, he said, “Do you know where Ridgeland Lane is?”

  Her heart sped up in her chest. Of course she knew where it was, half the town of Beaumont knew where he lived. A couple of years ago he’d built a massive, sprawling log cabin out along the quiet banks of Ridge Lake, and from then on it had been like a mad house of crazy females to see who would be the woman to tie down the infamous Drake Thompson. The property was gorgeous, the house was amazing, and the man was Croesus rich. So far no woman had been successful.

  “Yes, I can be there in ten minutes.”

  After telling her he would have the gates open and waiting, she hung up and glanced to the backseat of the Rover. Large, hypnotically beautiful brown eyes stared back at her. A piteous whine came from the depths of the female Border Collie. She turned back around and reservedly put the vehicle in drive. She would get this dog some help, no matter where she needed to bring her for that to happen.

  ***

  A little over ten minutes later the lights of her Rover were bathing the trunks of his trees with a lazy circle of bright blue halogen. The blue picked up everything, including a large handsome sign that proclaimed this to be 118 Ridgeland. The beat of Nadia’s heart told her she was close. She didn’t even need to see the damned sign.

  Large indigenous trees, oak, sugar maple, silver maple, pine and dogwood, all vied for attention as the wind whipped their healthy foliage around. The rain finally stopped, and just like he told her, a large wrought iron gate was left open.

  Nadia drove for what seemed like another ten minutes, until she found a clearing and got her first full glimpse of Drake’s house in the moonlight as she cleared the opening. A huge, sprawling log and natural stone affair took up a large amount of space. The place was at least four thousand square feet, with rough timbered logs and natural paving stones that led to the front doors. Lights spilled out from the massive windows, illuminating people milling around inside.

  She parked her Rover right next to a silver Tesla, a big black Hummer, a low slung Audi and a new model Chevy pick up then stepped out, murmuring to the dog the whole while. Seconds later, she stepped out and gently grasped the dog in her arms.

  Please be okay, she muttered to herself, as she made her way along the meandering flagstones towards the front door. The last thing she wanted to do was walk up to Drake’s front door like a guest, when she resembled nothing more than a drowned rat, but she didn’t have time to waste on looking for another entrance.

  Looking down into the dog’s sorrowful brown eyes caused her throat to close up. But at least she was here getting her some help instead of leaving her to die in the road.

  Nadia made it up to the large double oak doors whenever the Border Collie started shaking in her arms. “Shit, shit, shit…” Tightening her arms around the shaking dog, she began kicking the door, praying for someone, anyone, to open up and help her. Just when she was about to start shouting, one of the large doors opened.

  Drake Thompson stood in the opening, as imposing as Nadia remembered him being in person. Before she had the chance to drool over him, he immediately leaned over to scoop up the shaking dog into his arms. She didn’t hesitate to hand over the poor animal. It was a well known fact that even as the owner, Drake spent just as much time at his business as his vet’s did. Nor did she have the chance to soak in his voice when he told at her to follow him. When she cleared his foyer and got a good look at the people in his living area, she remembered exactly what she must look like at the moment. The past two hours of her life had been more than emotionally draining, especially with her running around in the weather. Well, needless to say, it hadn’t helped her appearance one bit.

  There were four men and three women standing around a counter between the living area and the monstrous kitchen. It was clear to Nadia that these people were the crème de la crème of society. Wealth dripped from huge diamonds that adorned the women and the clearly tailored lines of the men’s clothes. After giving Nadia a dismissive glance, they turned back to their conversation, clearly telling her without words that she didn’t belong here, even if she could buy her way into their clique with her new money. To them, it didn’t matter if she’d inherited the Rockefeller’s assets, she was still a newcomer into their elusive and highly critical world.

  She shook off the feeling that she truly didn’t belong, and got a brief glance at the imposing ruggedness and masculinity of the house before having to run and catch up with Drake as his long-legged strides led her through his house and then into a mudroom of sorts.

  The dog stopped seizing and was now lying still on top of a long counter covered in various garden tools and lawn care spray bottles. Her liquid brown eyes were closed now, but Nadia could see the rise and fall of her labored breathing. She took a deep breath and thanked God that the seizure hadn’t harmed the dog anymore than necessary.

  Drake’s body was huge beside hers, which was nothing new for Nadia. When you are 5’2” it is almost a foregone conclusion that you will meet an adult in the eye. Not only was he tall, he was just all around big.

  She sensed something, some kind of powerful ripple in the air around her, as his hands ran over the dog’s body. The instant connection between this massive man and a small, wounded dog was clear to Nadia. No wonder he had started the shelter and
clinic; it was obvious to anyone with eyes that he was an animal person. He was gentle, thorough, and within minutes he was finished checking the dog. He immediately grabbed his cell from his pocket and dialed a number.

  Nadia just stood there, still wondering if the dog was okay or not. Instead of blurting out questions, she let Drake do what he needed to do. He knew more about this than she did anyhow.

  “Chase, how’s the mare?” Drake questioned, while one large hand stayed firmly on the dog in case she decided to bolt. To Nadia’s untrained eye it seemed as if the female was more than happy to stay right where she was, regardless of her injuries or pain, and with her eyes closed she seemed extremely relaxed.

  “Good, look, I have an injured dog here,” he stopped for a minute, his light brown eyes leaving the dog, and spearing her where she stood, “Possible broken back leg, multiple cuts, but she is alert and comfortable right now.” Drake looked back to the dog, and Nadia was immediately relieved to have those intelligent, all seeing eyes off of her. “Ten minutes? Alright, we’ll be here.”

  Keeping his hand on the dog, he ended his call and looked back at Nadia.

  “Chase Williams, he’s the vet on night duty this week, just finished up with a mare out on the Circle T Ranch. He should be here in ten minutes.”

  “Good, I was so worried and I needed to make sure that she would be okay. Do you think that any of her injuries are life threatening?” Nadia asked, trying to ignore how intimidating and wholly masculine he was. The harsh, fluorescent lights threw him into stark relief. With his broad forehead, low slashing brows and beautiful bone structure, it was like staring at a sculpture, all except for his penetrating brown eyes which bored holes into Nadia.

  Thick, dark russet colored hair was cropped somewhat close to his head, but it still managed to look unruly and wild. His body was muscled, without being overblown, and his overwhelming height made him seem much larger. He moved with a grace, a slow as molasses saunter, that had given Nadia warm flutters more than once.