a little bit of distance from him. "I teach the legend because too many young women fall in love with men they think they can change and vice versa. I teach the legend to make the students realize that the nature of the beast can rarely be changed."
"And what beast did you try to change?" Once again those dark eyes of his held her captive, making it difficult for her to draw breath. He moved across the room and sat next to her on the sofa, close enough that he was invading her personal space.
"It wasn't a beast I tried to change. It was a beast who tried to change me, and we're getting way off the subject here," she protested.
There were some areas of her past life that were far too personal to share with a man who was merely investigating disturbing incidents in her present life. "And I have another name for you to add to the list."
He pulled the notepad and pen from his pocket once again. "Who?"
"Charlie Tamer. He's seventeen, a good student but with some emotional problems. I think he's on some medication for bipolar disorder. Perhaps he's stopped taking his medication recently."
"I'll check him out. I'll check them all out, and I'll call Jeb Tanner to remove the deer from your porch as soon as possible."
"Thank you, I appreciate it." Again she noted the lines of exhaustion that seemed to have taken possession of his handsome features. Even though she knew it would be dangerous, she had a sudden desire to stroke her hand down the side of his face, run her fingers across his creased brow.
All business between them appeared to be at an end, but he seemed in no hurry to leave. "Now, I'd take a refill on the coffee," he said and leaned back into the sofa cushion.
"Sure," she said in surprise. She set her water on the coffee table and picked up his coffee cup, then returned to the kitchen.
A moment later she returned with his coffee. Again he surprised her by patting the sofa next to him. "Please." He took the coffee from her, then she sat on the other side of the sofa, wondering what he was thinking and why he was still here.
"So, tell me again why I don't remember ever seeing you in town when we were growing up."
"My parents and I lived on a small farm about twenty miles outside of Cherokee Corners. When I was a child I came into town for school, then back home again. By the time I was a teenager and could drive, there wasn't much point in my coming into town except for something I'd need to buy."
"No Friday night hang with the girls, or cheer-leading practices?"
Tamara laughed. "Definitely not. I wasn't the cheerleading type." Her smile faded as she thought of those teenage days. "As to hanging out with the girls, you have to understand something about girls. Friendships and cliques are usually formed in junior high, and during my junior high school days I wasn't in town much."
"So, you missed out on being part of a clique?"
She smiled. "Unless you consider being a nerd as a clique."
He raised a dark eyebrow and one corner of his lips curved upward. "I thought I was the only nerd in high school."
She laughed again, this time in disbelief. "I can't think of anyone less like a nerd than you."
"It's true." He paused a moment to take a sip of his coffee, then continued. "Like you I didn't do any of the school activities, didn't belong to any clubs or play sports."
She leaned toward him, intrigued by the glimpse of a younger Clay. "Why not?"
She would have thought it impossible for his eyes to grow darker, but they did. "I already knew what interested me and it had nothing to do with clubs or sports."
She nodded in understanding. "It was the same for me. Art was everything to me, but my parents made me realize that if an art career didn't pan out I needed something else to fail back on, something to pay the bills. I decided to get my teaching degree, but knew my parents didn't have the money to send me to college, so I started working at an early age to make sure my grades were good enough for a full
"And what beast did you try to change?" Once again those dark eyes of his held her captive, making it difficult for her to draw breath. He moved across the room and sat next to her on the sofa, close enough that he was invading her personal space.
"It wasn't a beast I tried to change. It was a beast who tried to change me, and we're getting way off the subject here," she protested.
There were some areas of her past life that were far too personal to share with a man who was merely investigating disturbing incidents in her present life. "And I have another name for you to add to the list."
He pulled the notepad and pen from his pocket once again. "Who?"
"Charlie Tamer. He's seventeen, a good student but with some emotional problems. I think he's on some medication for bipolar disorder. Perhaps he's stopped taking his medication recently."
"I'll check him out. I'll check them all out, and I'll call Jeb Tanner to remove the deer from your porch as soon as possible."
"Thank you, I appreciate it." Again she noted the lines of exhaustion that seemed to have taken possession of his handsome features. Even though she knew it would be dangerous, she had a sudden desire to stroke her hand down the side of his face, run her fingers across his creased brow.
All business between them appeared to be at an end, but he seemed in no hurry to leave. "Now, I'd take a refill on the coffee," he said and leaned back into the sofa cushion.
"Sure," she said in surprise. She set her water on the coffee table and picked up his coffee cup, then returned to the kitchen.
A moment later she returned with his coffee. Again he surprised her by patting the sofa next to him. "Please." He took the coffee from her, then she sat on the other side of the sofa, wondering what he was thinking and why he was still here.
"So, tell me again why I don't remember ever seeing you in town when we were growing up."
"My parents and I lived on a small farm about twenty miles outside of Cherokee Corners. When I was a child I came into town for school, then back home again. By the time I was a teenager and could drive, there wasn't much point in my coming into town except for something I'd need to buy."
"No Friday night hang with the girls, or cheer-leading practices?"
Tamara laughed. "Definitely not. I wasn't the cheerleading type." Her smile faded as she thought of those teenage days. "As to hanging out with the girls, you have to understand something about girls. Friendships and cliques are usually formed in junior high, and during my junior high school days I wasn't in town much."
"So, you missed out on being part of a clique?"
She smiled. "Unless you consider being a nerd as a clique."
He raised a dark eyebrow and one corner of his lips curved upward. "I thought I was the only nerd in high school."
She laughed again, this time in disbelief. "I can't think of anyone less like a nerd than you."
"It's true." He paused a moment to take a sip of his coffee, then continued. "Like you I didn't do any of the school activities, didn't belong to any clubs or play sports."
She leaned toward him, intrigued by the glimpse of a younger Clay. "Why not?"
She would have thought it impossible for his eyes to grow darker, but they did. "I already knew what interested me and it had nothing to do with clubs or sports."
She nodded in understanding. "It was the same for me. Art was everything to me, but my parents made me realize that if an art career didn't pan out I needed something else to fail back on, something to pay the bills. I decided to get my teaching degree, but knew my parents didn't have the money to send me to college, so I started working at an early age to make sure my grades were good enough for a full
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