He despised the part of himself that contemplated giving up the hunt for Durchenko in order to stay here and spend the rest of his life trying to conceive children with Heidi. It was a betrayal not only to Isabela but also his brother and their sons if he let Durchenko live.
What if Heidi was his one? Isabela had been the mate for him and Juan, but since they were gone, was it possible he’d been given a second chance? Was Heidi his hope for a future?
Heidi made his blood sing. When they touched, the spark was undeniable. Tangible. His emotions tumbled. He craved not only Heidi’s touch, but her soul. Was he experiencing the call to mate as he had once before?
He thought if he had met her under different circumstances, if he was not seeking vengeance, that perhaps he would have recognized her as a mate.
Was it possible for there to be more than one woman for a lone shifter male?
Could he walk away from her, possibly never to return? He might spend the rest of his life hunting that Russian bastard. If that was how long it took, he owed it to his brother and mate. Asking Heidi to wait for him wasn’t fair.
“Here ya go.”
Javier jerked in surprise when Joe dropped a platter of food onto the table in front of him. He hadn’t realized he’d been daydreaming so deeply.
“Thank you. This looks very appetizing.”
“Of course it’s good,” Joe said with a frown. “Talks funny, doesn’t he?”
Heidi laughed. “He’s from Mexico.”
“Pretty big for a Mexican, ain’t he?”
Javier decided to stay out of the debate that sprang up around him, every man in the room seeming to have an opinion on the size of Mexicans.
“It’s the best steak and eggs in town, I swear,” Heidi whispered, picking up her fork and using the edge to cut her slice of ham. “Besides, they’re harmless. My mom and dads used to bring us here every Sunday for breakfast, and I swear every one of these men sat in the same seats then as they do now. Except—” she put a bite in her mouth and chewed quickly, “—back then Joe’s wife ran the counter, and getting something other than ham and eggs for breakfast was easier.”
Javier cut his steak into pieces, then scooped up a forkful of scrambled eggs. “She is gone then?”
Heidi nodded. “A few years ago now. Cancer. He’s never been the same, but he’s got a soft spot for us Falke girls.”
She ate quickly, and he realized she hadn’t been lying earlier when she said she was famished.
Sometime during the night, he’d shared a portion of the third sandwich she’d brought him, but she’d put out a lot of energy in the last twelve hours. That made him grin.
“What?”
“But you’re the only Falke girl, right?”
“Beth and Dakota. Once they joined the family, the town took them in as their own. All you have to do is flirt a little and show some sincere concern for his feelings, and Joe’s a total sweetheart.”
“Perhaps all you must do is flirt.” He winked.
“Yes, he is partial to us women.”
“Young, beautiful women, I think.”
Heidi’s cheeks turned pink as she dipped her head, smiled and concentrated on the remainder of her meal.
They finished in silence, Javier listening to the conversations around him, intrigued by the patrons.
They were elders, and Javier so wanted to talk with them, learn from them. He had lost his fathers when he was young. On their own for so long, he and Juan had learned their lessons the hard way, with no guidance. In the military, he found direction from his superiors, but to sit and talk with, learn from men who had lived so long...
Javier wanted to speak with Heidi’s fathers more. Especially now that his mind was clear of medication and pain. He was curious to learn about the Falke lineage, learn more about what they knew of their shared shifter races.
With the last bite of toast in his mouth, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.
“How much, do you think?” he asked Heidi, who was just wiping her mouth with her napkin.
“Hey, Joe,” she called, her voice carrying over the other men’s chatter.
“What?” he shouted from the kitchen.
“How much?”
“Ten bucks oughtta do it.”
Javier frowned. He’d just eaten a twelve-ounce T-bone, three eggs, a mountain of hash browns and toast. He dropped a twenty and a five on the table as he stood. “Thank you for breakfast, Joe,” he said when the man stuck his head out of the kitchen. “I much appreciated it.”
“Boy your size sure eats a lot.” Joe shook his head and then smiled at Heidi. “Come back real soon.”
She went to him and gave the old cook a hug. “I will. I’ll get my dads down here next weekend.”
“You see you do.”
It was obvious Joe had a tremendous crush on Heidi. When Heidi kissed his cheek, the little man fairly glowed. She seemed to have that effect on quite a few men, Javier realized, as she made her way through the diner saying her farewells.
“You bring Snooky in next week,” she said to the last elderly man near the door. “It’s time for her booster, and I want to check her arthritis.”
The bald man nodded. “Will do, Heidi. Will do.”
The air was warming as the sun rose above the treetops, dissipating the early morning chill.
“So, where do you want to start?” she asked. “You want to walk downtown? Though that’s usually better later in the day when the shops are open. I could take you out to the river. It’s really pretty there in the morning. Or we could—”
“Take me someplace special to you.” Javier held the driver’s door of the Land Rover open for her.
She climbed behind the wheel then turned and stared at him. “This whole town is special to me, Javier. The town and everyone in it.”
With a nod, he agreed. “I have seen that. But there must be somewhere you go that is extra special to you.” He wanted to know her better. Maybe if he did, he would find some flaw, something to make leaving her tomorrow easier.
“Okay,” she said softly. “There’s one place... But it’s a secret. You can’t tell anyone. Promise me.”
“I promise, chata. All of your secrets are safe with me.”
Chapter Eleven
Javier watched the scenery pass by the window as Heidi drove along the highway then turned onto a dirt track barely wide enough for the Land Rover. The trail was bumpy, and he placed a hand against the dash, the other on the door, to keep from bouncing.
“Just a bit farther. Are you up for a little hike?”
“Yes. It will do me good.” Today, the pain in his thigh was negligible. A dull ache that would most likely be gone in another day or two. Despite what he’d told Heidi, or the promise he’d made her brother, he could have left that morning. What was one more day? He’d been chasing Durchenko for two years and had come close a few times, but he always seemed to be a step or two behind him.
The road abruptly ended, a cedar tree standing tall in the middle of the track.
“Come on.” Heidi jumped out and slammed the door. Javier stepped out of the truck and breathed in the damp, earthy scent of the deep woods, cedar, pine and decaying leaves. He had the urge to change into his cat, to run, but he feared that was what had led to his current predicament.
Heidi came around the front of the vehicle and took his hand. “It’s up there.” She pointed up a fairly steep incline. “You think you can make it?”