The manager stammered, his bravado instantly evaporating under the weight of Caleb's stare. The stalker, realizing he was outmatched, quickly faded back into the dark woods.
Elara froze. The terror that had haunted her for months paralyzed her. She couldn’t run. She couldn't scream. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Later that night, sitting by the fireplace, Elara finally felt her heart slow down. Caleb was looking at her, his eyes warm again, but filled with a new protective intensity. Tail Me by Ava Hunter
"You're not going anywhere, Elara," he said gently, reaching across the gap between them to take her hand. "They won't come back."
Would you prefer to hear about their first date in the small town? Ava Hunter - Books - Romance.io The terror that had haunted her for months paralyzed her
Caleb was the opposite of everything she was used to. He was quiet, rugged, and smelled like pine needles and diesel fuel. He worked the surrounding acreage, and his eyes were the color of the old hickory wood in his barn. When Elara accidentally drove her SUV into a ditch on her first rainy night in town, Caleb was the one to pull her out.
Caleb stepped forward, his massive frame shielding her completely. "You’re on private property," he said, his voice quiet but carrying more threat than a scream. "And you're bothering my woman." Caleb showed up regularly
For a few weeks, it worked. The town of Oakhaven welcomed her, treating her like just another resident. Caleb showed up regularly, "checking in" on the fence line, but he was always sitting on her porch. Their connection was instant, a quiet comfort in the chaos of her life. She found herself watching for his truck every afternoon, the way his heavy boots sounded on the wood planks bringing a sense of safety she hadn’t felt in months. But the past is a jealous thing.