Unexpected Love

By Tracy Nolker

Please Note: This book is currently under revision

After loosing her parents at a young age, Annie Masters grows up working in a zoo where she has an uncanny ability to communicate with the animals. Only the calls from a stalker threatens the lives of everyone she loves, including her precious animals. She wants to protect her loved ones, and would do anything to keep them all safe, include risk her life. The stalker could be anyone. Who can she truly trust besides her animals?

Her godparents call in the help of their private investigator nephew, Mack Anderson. Knowing how Annie feels for cops, his occupation is kept secret. Will he be able to figure out who the stalker is without risking Annie's life and giving himself away?

Please note, this book is the original, without edits or proofing. The rewrite is in the process now and will be updated as soon as it is completed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tracy Nolker
• Release date: Jan 27, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301134687

Tracy Nolker

Tracy lives in the country of a small US town with her husband, 5 children, 4 dogs, and a cat. She grew up in a small town, where using imagination was the only form of entertainment. At the age of 12, she discovered she enjoyed writing stories. Over the years, she has enjoyed it more, and her imagination has grown. She writes in her free time and as a way to relax. When not spending time with her family, or writing, she enjoys photography and reading. Let her know what you think of her books and encourage her to finish more and post them for you!

Book preview

Unexpected Love

By: Tracy Nolker

Published by Tracy Nolker at Smashwords

Copyright 2012 Tracy Nolker

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this free ebook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied, and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form. If you enjoyed this book, please return to Smashwords.com to discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or any places, events, or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are products of the author's imagination and used fictitiously.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

About the Author

Chapter One

The phone call that morning still had Annie dreading to go home even though it was now late in the evening. The thought of the man’s voice over the receiver sent chills down her spine even hours after actually hearing it. It was the first one she had received in a little over a week.

Annie had begun to think that maybe the mysterious caller had moved on and was done trying to make her fear for the lives of everyone she loved, and her own. Now, as she set inside the tigers’ grounds, she realized that she had thought to soon. He hadn’t moved on, and he wouldn’t, she couldn’t get that lucky.

The large orange and black striped cats playfully teased each other only a few short feet away from where she had seated herself among them. Her father had always told her that she had an extraordinary gift with animals, but she had never thought it was strange that a wild beast could be at peace around her. Annie could charm her way into a lion’s den if she wanted to.

It was nothing to her, something that she always remembered being able to do. It was after her parents past away and she began working full time at the zoo that she began to realize the power she possessed. She found that she could enter any grounds that she wanted, no matter how fierce the animal inside may be, and remove herself without a scratch anywhere on her body. It was seldom that she received any kind of injury. It was only when she played or wrestled with the ones she most cared for... the tigers and wolves.

It was with those wild beasts that she found peace from the world and felt the most safety. She would live there with the animals if she could, never leaving the safety of the zoo’s high gates. She sat there now, trying to let all the bothersome thoughts escape her head and leave her peaceful. She longed to be taken to a world far beyond this one, to forget all of life’s demeanors and travel off to her very own never-never land.

The phone call returned to her mind as she peered at the felines. Tyranny rolled slowly and gracefully out from under her mate standing over her, despite her swollen belly and the cubs inside. Annie smiled at them, trying so hard to focus only on them, and failing miserably.

The hauntingly deep voice still stung at her ears, and she could feel the roll of fear it brought up deep inside of her small body. His threats boiled her blood and made her wonder if they would be followed through or not. Threats towards herself didn’t bother her so much. It was the ones directed upon her loved ones that made her heart grow cold and hard. Nothing had happened yet, but she knew all too well that it didn’t mean anything.

She had spoken of the calls only a few times to Luke, the owner of the zoo and the man that had raised her from the age of fifteen up. He had been full of fear and worry also, but not for him, it was fear for Annie. He had fiercely questioned her of every word and detail of the conversation, vowing to find whoever was behind the unwanted calls. She hadn’t wanted her parents’ life-long friend, and her own father figure, to put himself in what she thought was useless danger, so she spoke no more of the calls to him.

Luke and his wife, Sandy, were not blind or stupid though. They never let on, but Annie knew in her heart that they knew the phone calls had not stopped. They knew Annie to well; they could read past the face that she had begun to wear around everyone to hide her thoughts and feelings. She kept it hidden from everyone, except the childless pair. They had their own worries, with the up keep and running of their zoo that she hadn’t wanted to inflict more worries for them to ponder over.

Most of all, it was her way of protecting them.

She tried to shut them out, just not completely. She needed the loving pair in her life, and didn’t ever want to lose them. They had become her parental figures along with being her best friends, especially since her parents had passed on. She had known each of them her entire life. She couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to them, especially if it happened and had anything to do with her. She couldn’t fight the need to protect them, no matter what the cost may be to her.

They had been the ones who had kept her going in the last few years, helping her through her heartbreak and loss of her parents. They helped her through her remaining teenage years, and even through college. They always provided her with never ending support and loving care. She wouldn’t be able to handle going through that again, not by herself. Simply, she owed them her life, though they wouldn’t look at it that way.

She tried to pretend that everything was fine when they were around or had called to check up on her, which came to be quite often these days. Luke had begun to peer at her with a wondering and curious eye. He seemed to appear around the zoo when he wasn’t needed, as if to be checking up on her. Sandy, with her sky blue eyes, gazed at Annie sympathetically, and with wonderment of what she could do to help.

The pair seemed to have become more careful around her, and when speaking to her. Though she knew they wanted to, they never asked if the calls continued or not. It bothered Annie to have that distance between them, but she knew she did it for their protection, and simply because they would worry. She didn’t want them to worry about her, though she knew they would never stop. She had become the child they wasn’t able to have themselves. They had always been that, her personal second pair of loving parents.

The air around the zoo basically stayed the same though. Especially when around the other employees, no one wanted them to suspect anything was out of sorts. No breath was breathed of the caller to any of them. Annie had only spoken of it to Luke and Sandy, no one else. For almost a month now, she hadn’t breathed it to even them. Her animals knew. The tigers and wolves knew of every word that had been spoken to her and the way it had made her feel. She spoke to the quiet listeners every day. There was no doubt that they would all remain faithful to her and not tell another soul of the secrets they shared.

A smile spread across her barely tanned face at the thought. Annie didn’t know if the wild animals could actually understand her words or not. Maybe the response was from the tone of her voice. Whichever it was, she couldn’t understand their languages, only their body movements and feelings.

They were all wonderful listeners, content and happy, seeming to hang on to every word she spoke. She always enjoyed every minute she spent with them. They were the ones that she completely trusted; they wouldn’t hurt her or let anyone cause her harm if it could be prevented. The animals were her soul mates. They were the ones she was destined to spend the rest of her life with.

Startling Annie, Tyranny and her mate, Lucky, both went quickly to their bellies, a low warning growl released from their large mouths. The large, pearly white fangs barely showed as their huge black eyes stared up towards the railing on the other side of the tall fence opposite the trees. Annie knew that the three could barely be seen where they sat, hidden by the tall over-grown trees.

Tigers have keen senses, and now they sensed someone, whichever they are, good or bad. It was them being protective. People looked at them every day and they paid no notice or care. It was when Annie was in there with them that they didn’t want any one around. It was then that they would pace and circle her until every set of eyes were gone.

The air suddenly grew chilly against her bare shoulders where the tank top didn’t cover. She slowly stood, removing the red Virginia Zoo logo-ed jacket from where she had tied it around her waist. Now she pulled it over her arms and onto her shoulders to provide warmth. Her dark green eyes found a figure standing at the railing where her companions stared. The low growl could be felt almost completely throughout her own small frame.

It’s okay, Annie whispered to comfort the beast. Her words making the growls fade, but their eyes and heads never flinched. They remained implanted on the intruder.

The zoo was closed for at least an hour now and Annie couldn’t understand why anyone would still be around, besides an employee. But the large figure now leaning on the railing wasn’t an employee. He didn’t wear the red uniform shirt that had the white lettering of Virginia Zoo printed on the back. Annie couldn’t recall ever meeting this distinguished looking man before, from what she could tell from where she was standing. She took pride in knowing everyone that worked here.

The sun was slowly setting behind the high walls of the zoo as Annie quickly made her way over to the gate that would bring her out into the walkways that ran between the animals’ homes for the workers to be able to provide for them easily. She slid the key easily into the lock of the doorknob of the fenced gateway. She had every key memorized and didn’t have to think much about which one belonged to who.

Closing the gate behind her, and returning the keys, with the rabbit’s foot dangling from them, to the pockets of her jean shorts, Annie glanced back towards where the man would have been standing. She couldn’t see him from where she stood at that side of the set, but he’d be in a perfect view once again in only a few steps.

She couldn’t help but wonder who this man was that had forced her back into the reality of the world she had so badly wanted to escape. She no longer felt peaceful. Her body had seemed to tense as soon as she stepped outside and away from her precious friends. Now as she slowly walked towards the man, coming into view, her body tensed more as she thought of whom he could be without her having realized it a moment before. The fact that she could be walking herself into danger was implanting itself into her thoughts.

Fear swept over her, making her want to turn and run away. She had left her safety, and was now in the harsh reality of the world where anything could happen. This could be the man that made the horrible calls to her, that left those unwanted messages on her answering machine.

She had to be brave, what was the likely-hood of that being true anyway? Anyone she met or went past on the street could be the caller. Besides, if this mysterious visitor was him, he could have shot her dead with a gun through the trees while she was still setting with the tigers, and she was still breathing now, wasn’t she?

Her green eyes fell upon the intruder as she went around the corner. He was closer now and he had moved to a standing position, turning to peer back at her while each step she took brought her nearer to him.

He looked harmless enough, but looks could also be very deceiving. The faint smell of his cologne tickled her nose as it came to her on the breeze. The scent was masculine with a hint of sweat, making her realize just how lonely she was for human companionship. Her eyes and mind suddenly noticed just how good looking the man was.

He was dressed casually, wearing tennis shoes, a dark blue T-shirt, and a pair of blue jeans. His long arms tucked his hands into the pockets of the pants. The jeans hugged his legs perfectly, showing off the firm curves of the muscles hidden underneath. The shirt was neatly tucked into the waist of the jeans, leaving hints of the hardened chest to tease her eyes. He was tall and lean, muscular and strong. His body was easily twice the size of hers.

His short brown hair of softly rumpled curls fell down over his tanned forehead. They tempted her to reach out and brush them gently out of his eyes. His eyes were hidden under a dark pair of sunglasses, even though they were no longer needed with the settling in of dusk. Still, he was roughly handsome with his neatly shaven square jaw and the well defined cheeks. The glasses rested atop a smooth sloped nose, his lips were curving in a crooked grin at her. The bottom one slightly larger than the top one, tempting her to nibble at it while kissing him.

She knew that she shouldn’t be thinking the way she was, but there was something about him… something that she couldn’t put her finger on. It felt as though he had stepped out of her deepest desires of her heart. She couldn’t stop her mind from flowing with thoughts, and her eyes from taking in every delicious detail of his perfectly shaped body.

She could virtually feel the strong arms wrapped around her waist, holding her small body against his large one.

She found herself longing to see the eyes that were hidden underneath, they seemed to burn into and through her soul, even from behind their shield.

Her steps continued to keep bringing her closer to him, as if she was in a dream, and she could feel her body temperature rising as she did so. If by some chance this was a dream, she wasn’t entirely sure that she wanted to wake up.

Then he reached up, with the long tanned fingers of his large left hand, he slowly removed the items that were hiding his eyes. Their deep blueness caught Annie off guard and she felt her breath catch in her throat.

Her heart suddenly seemed to pound against her chest.

…oooOOOooo…

This woman was far more beautiful than his Uncle and Aunt had described, and more so than the pictures he had seen. She was truly breathtaking. Better looking than any other woman Mack had ever laid his eyes on, and he had seen many, many women.

Annie’s body was small and thin. Her head would possibly only reach just his shoulders if she were to stand right up next to him. Her bare legs were long and slender as they came out from under her shorts. Covered with a gentle tan, you could see the most delicate curve of her muscles. Hidden under the large red jacket, was a hint of a perfectly smooth, flat stomach, and rounded apple-sized breast. Mack instantly wanted to pull the jacket from her shoulders, to better the vision of her shapely body.

The black hair was pulled into a bun on the back of her head, strands having found their way free over the course of the day, and hints of red showed when the sunlight hit it. The shortest pieces falling to a teasing curl just below her chin, framing her face intimately. The loose strands hanging from the back of her neck, taunted him to come and kiss the bare curve of her neck to her shoulders. The pale rose colored, slightly puffy lips seemed to whisper to him, inviting his more slender ones to press against them. Her small nose curved perfectly with her oval shaped face, under her piercing emerald green eyes. Though piercing, they also taunted him, making his heart melt as they watched him full of curiosity.

Eyes always seemed to have an effect on him, good or bad. They were the window to one’s soul. These seemed to hold the window to Heaven.

This was going to be a whole new experience for him that could already be told. He could feel it in his bones. For starters, with every other client, they had known who he was from the very beginning. This lady did not. She didn’t know a single thing about him. With the others too, he had known exactly what he was up against, now he didn’t.

This lady was clearly a mystery, and from what he had been told, she would be a challenge all on her own. His blood boiled with excitement. He loved a good challenge, especially if it was going to involve a beauty like the one he was looking at now. Without even speaking to her yet, Mack already got a feeling from deep inside that he was getting himself into a battle of life... and for his heart.

She was already cluttering his thoughts and his mind. Enabling him to be thinking of what he needed to be focusing on. His mind was already centering itself, and memorizing, the way she looked when she walked, wondering how she would feel under his fingertips.... He couldn’t wait to hear the sound of her voice. He wanted to feel her body pressed against his skin. He wanted to feel his lips on hers, and to taste the wonderfulness of her mouth.

Now she was almost to him. Her body getting closer and closer with every graceful, careful step....

Can I help you? The voice was sweet and smooth. It enticed his ears like a nursery rhyme does to a child.

Actually I found what I was looking for, His smile turned jesting, as he struggled to keep his mind on the right track.

Annie struggled to keep her posture upright as she felt her fear grow a little inside her, her voice, she hoped, remained even, What's that?

You.

His eyes pierced to her soul as her heart leaped into her throat in fear. But she still returned, swallowing the hard lump, Why would you want to do that?

Mack could see a hint of fear in her eyes, though she held her posture and her voice well. His own eyes went soft as his heart went out to her, realizing that it was him that was scaring her. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her. The first goal was to gain her trust. That feat, he knew, would be a challenge. Attempting to ease her fear, he softly returned, Luke sent me.

Between his softened eyes and the mention of Luke, some of the fear subsided inside her. Luke would never send someone to her that would be dangerous, that in its self was a relief. But then another thought jumped into her mind: What if he was lying? That was a possibility too. She knew he wouldn’t have been able to get in through the entrance now, but he could have hid until the zoo closed and everything began to slow down. But why would someone go to all that trouble just to talk to her? They wouldn’t. This was too much of a risk for someone that wanted to hurt her. She swallowed the lump that had formed once again by her own thoughts, How do you know Luke?

He’s my uncle.

The answer was simple and quickly given, as if he was waiting for the question. Still her question remained, was he telling the truth? Despite the fact that Annie had known Luke and Sandy for her entire life, she did honestly know very little of their families. It was very possible that they had a nephew she couldn’t recall them ever mentioning. She did know that they both had siblings, but other than that she knew next to nothing. That made this response not totally out of the question. She wouldn’t know enough to be able to figure out if this stranger was lying or not, I didn’t know he had a nephew.

He watched as she carefully put her small, slender hands into the pockets of her jacket. My mother married Sandy’s brother, Shawn, many years ago. He couldn’t help but wonder if she was even close to believing him or not. He hoped that she was, it was the truth after all. She was the one that needed to believe