Read Dream Shadow for Free Online Page B

for her. Jacobs rarely allowed them close enough to voice them.
    That suited her fine. There had been too many years where she was forced to endure the prodding of the curious. Now that the powers that be had their file on her, she rarely needed to endure interrogations from anyone other than her immediate commanding officer. A few of her previous C.O.s went out of their way to ensure they didn’t need to do it very often.
    Artificial light announced their destination. Grace surveyed the log structure that Brice Campbell called home. The outer walls were in fact large logs. The bark had been stripped from the wood and it was sealed to keep out the weather but no paint had been applied. It wasn’t small. Large multi-paned glass windows were set every eight feet along the front of the house. There was a porch that ran the entire length of the house. The roof extended to cover it, and support beams were spaced between the windows.
    The trees grew right up to the porch line. The only part of the forest that had been cleared, besides the logging road, was the small gravel road that gave access to the garage sitting twenty feet behind the house. Grace stopped before stepping onto the porch.
    Sheriff Brice Campbell was waiting for them on a porch swing. He shook out his frame and straightened up as his eyes caught them approaching his house. One hand reached for the brim of his hat and tugged it gently while his eyes held hers.
    “Good evening.”
    This was his territory and pure confidence was carried in his voice. The challenge was clearly written in his eyes. Grace stiffened her spine and stepped up onto the porch. She was not afraid of the man, but the urge to hesitate was strong. Grace made it five steps into the large family room before she went rigid. Her senses rioted. Every corner of this house was his. His scent was drifting in the air. She lifted her head and tried to identify it, but it was too elusive. Turning on her heel, Grace eyed the door.
    “Leaving before dinner is rather rude, sweetheart.” Brice folded his arms across his chest, making him appear more overwhelming than he already was.
    “Social customs are time consuming as well as distracting.”
    “Someone really should teach you what the phrase off duty means.”
    Grace simply raised her eyebrow. If she didn’t respond, he couldn’t have a conversation with her. The thought didn’t give her much satisfaction and it was childish. Grace considered both men before shaking off that small bit of guilt. There was nothing immature about being tired of interrogation.
    But Brice Campbell made her…sensitive. Pressing her lips into a firm line, she moved to one of the windows to consider the view. Fine. She was in the house. Both men moved off in the face of her dismissal, making her smile. Grace took a slow breath into her lungs and tried to calm her surging emotions.
    Now that she was farther into the house, Grace caught the scent of dinner in the air. Whatever it was, it did smell good. The rattling of dishes reached her ears as well as bits of the men’s conversation.
    Left to herself, she wandered about the house. It was dark, but she preferred it that way. Next to the living room there was a dining room. It had a beautiful wood floor. The room was bare except for a large oil painting. It depicted a scene of a huge black stallion rearing up on its hind legs. Strength radiated from the creature, despite the fact that it was only a creation of paint and canvas.
    A hallway was next to the dining room. The first door led to a bedroom. It was a guestroom. The bare essentials furnished it. The floor was wood again. In fact, the hallway had a wood floor with a length of carpet running over it. A bathroom was next. Grace stopped in the next doorway. It was another guestroom.
    The next room caught her interest. All the pieces of furniture were antiques of some sort. There was a large wooden chest with a domed top. Grace stepped in and slowly ran a hand over it.