Legacy Found: Legacy, Book 3 by N.J. Walters Read Free Book Online Page B

stiffened her spine and marched down the sidewalk, following the directions she’d been given.
    Sure enough, the shop was there. She could get what she needed and be back waiting outside the coffee shop before James got there. Excitement gave her butterflies in her stomach. For the first time in her life, she was going shopping for her own clothing.
    Pushing open the door, she stepped inside.

Chapter Four
    Impatience ate at James as he left the stuffy confines of the bank behind and headed to the coffee shop where he’d left Shelley. The meeting had gone well, but had lasted far longer than he’d anticipated.
    His legs ate up the distance. He was so intent on his destination, he barely noticed how people practically jumped out of his way. All he knew was he wouldn’t rest until he saw Shelley.
    His instincts rose to the fore, the skin on the back of his neck prickling as he entered the small eatery. He glanced around, anxiety eating at him. Shelley was nowhere to be found.
    Had she left him?
    His wolf began to growl deep inside him, denying the possibility. It took everything in him not to tip back his head and howl. Shelley was his. And she was alone and vulnerable in a strange city. He should have insisted she come with him.
    Frustration ate at him. No, he couldn’t have done that. Shelley was panicked enough just being around him without him going all alpha on her.
    Keeping his emotions on a short chain, James stalked up to the counter and pinned the older woman with a steely gaze. “Have you seen a woman with light brown hair, wearing a dress and a gray sweater?”
    The woman hesitated, obviously undecided whether or not she should tell him anything.
    He forced himself to relax a bit. His wolf was too close to the surface. The woman might not be able to see anything, but she could sense the predator inside him. “I was supposed to meet her here. I got tied up longer than I expected.”
    “She was here,” the woman told him, somewhat reluctantly.
    James nodded. “Yeah, I left her here. Told her to have something to eat. My meeting ran longer than I expected.”
    The older woman sighed. James figured she must have decided he was okay because she began talking. “She asked me if I knew of a place to buy used clothing. I sent her to the shop around the corner.”
    “Thank you.” James’s gratitude was heartfelt. He left without a backward glance and strode down the sidewalk.
    He turned the corner and thought he caught a whiff of Shelley’s scent. Wishful thinking or reality, he couldn’t be sure. But she was close. He could sense it.
    He scanned the store signs and found the one he was looking for—Second Time Around. The words “ gently used clothing ” were in smaller print on the large glass window.
    He pulled open the door, ignoring the tinkle of the bell above him. He scanned the shop. It wasn’t overly large, but it was packed with racks and shelves stuffed with clothing.
    Shelley wasn’t anywhere to be seen. But he could smell her. This time there was no doubt in his mind. He knew her unique scent now. It was a part of him.
    He sniffed and followed his nose, skirting several other shoppers. He was almost to the back of the store when Shelley stepped out from behind a change room door and stood in front of a mirror.
    He stopped dead in his tracks.
    She’d been pretty in her faded dress and sweater. Hell, she’d even been pretty in the awful pink polyester uniform she’d been wearing when he’d first seen her. But in jeans and a form-fitting turtleneck sweater she was a knockout.
    The faded denim cupped her heart-shaped bottom, making his fingers itch to touch it. Her legs were long and slender and seemed to go on forever.
    As if sensing someone was watching her, she slowly turned.
    When she saw him, she smiled. That smile of welcome slowly faded and her nostrils flared as he slowly walked toward her. The sweater was a deep chocolate color and matched her eyes to perfection. The soft wool hugged