Elle James - Beneath the Texas Moon

Nestled in the hill country, it’s the kind of town where no one locks their doors, where neighbors stop and chat. At least that’s what most people think. But there are secrets lurking in this tiny town. Secrets that harken back decades to unnatural events, unmentionable evil. And now that evil is about to be unleashed again.

In between potluck suppers and harvest festivals, people go missing. From behind ranch fences, livestock are found slaughtered, as if by an angry wolf. And in the cedar brush, strange chants echo in the moonlight. Is it the work of feral four-legged creatures, as they say, or fearless humans?

As the evil comes closer, centering on the good folk of Spirit Canyon, who will live to tell the tale? And who will believe it?

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To my parents Charles and Phyllis Hughes

For always being there for me and showing me that hard work

and perseverance pays off. Thanks for loving me unconditionally,

teaching me to care about others, to laugh and play and to go after

what I want with all my heart. Thanks, Dad, for being the rock in

my life and a man I’ll always look up to. Thanks, Mom, for being

my sounding board and my best reviewer. You two helped to make

me who I am. I’ll love you always.

2004 Golden Heart Winner for Best Paranormal Romance, Elle James started writing when her sister issued the Y2K challenge to write a romance novel. She managed a full-time job, raised three wonderful children and she and her husband even tried their hands at ranching exotic birds (ostriches, emus and rheas) in the Texas hill country. Ask her, and she’ll tell you, what it’s like to go toe-to-toe with an angry 350-pound bird! After leaving her successful career in information technology management, Elle is now pursuing her writing full-time. She loves building exciting stories about heroes, heroines, romance and passion. Elle loves to hear from fans. You can contact her at ellejames@earthlink.net or visit her Web site at www.ellejames.com.

Eve Baxter—A woman who moves to Spirit Canyon in hope of getting her son’s life back on track. Has she derailed into a terrifying nightmare?

Joey Baxter—The traumatized four-year-old who witnessed his father’s mauling death by a vicious dog.

Mac McGuire—A battle-scarred ex-soldier determined to protect his home and the people he cares about.

Clinton Logan—Local attorney and mayor of Spirit Canyon. He rose fast in local politics. Is he too good to be true?

Toby Rice—Spirit Canyon’s bully who’s not above hitting a girl, but is he mean enough to kill?

Art Nantan—The man who loved Mac’s mother and would have done anything to have her. How far did he go?

Addie Shultz—General store owner and grandmother Eve never had. Is there any truth to the stories she tells?

Daniel Goodman—Ranch foreman who took care of the ranch while Mac was away in the army.

Molly—Mac’s Australian shepherd who protects those who can’t protect themselves.

Prologue

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

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Thirty years ago

“Thanks for bringing me home, Addie.” Jenny reached to open the door to the pickup. “I’ll see you tomorrow to finish the cleanup.”

“You sure you don’t want me to take you all the way up to the house?”

“No, thanks.” Jenny patted her friend’s hand and smiled, then she stared out at the night through the windshield of Addie’s old truck. “George will be expecting you home soon. Besides, with the moon so full it’s almost like daylight out here. And I could use a little fresh air after the festival.”

Addie’s face creased in a frown. “I’m gonna have a talk with Art. He had no right to be so rude to you. He knows you and Frank are crazy for each other. Even though he owns the notes on every piece of property in town, he doesn’t have the right to be so rude.”

Jenny sighed. “Don’t worry about it. Go home. That’s where I’m headed.” She climbed down from the truck to stand in the caliche gravel and waved as Addie backed out onto the highway, easing her truck back toward town.

With a deep breath, Jenny inhaled the pungent scent of scrub cedar and dust. Although she enjoyed the clear, dry warmth of the night, she knew if it didn’t rain soon, many of the ranchers would be devastated. Which would play right into Art Nantan’s hands. He’d gone too far threatening her with foreclosure on her husband’s ranch. But to threaten his Indian spirit magic was utterly ridiculous. Just because Art was of Apache descent, didn’t make him any more intimidating in Jenny’s mind. Nor did his magic talk scare her one iota.

As far as she was concerned, a man who threatened a woman wasn’t much of a man. And why couldn’t he understand that she was happy with her family? She was completely in love with Frank and her little boy, Mac. Her feet moved of their own accord, carrying her down the half-mile road to the house that had been part of her husband’s family ranch for over a hundred years. Forward to her husband and son. Mac would be asleep already, but she still wanted to kiss him good-night.

After only a few steps Jenny sensed, more than heard, something in the scrub brush lining the gravel road. The hair on the back of her neck stood at attention and she strained her hearing to pick up even the slightest movement. Perhaps she’d been too quick to dismiss Addie’s offer to drop her at her door.

Hadn’t the ranchers been complaining about missing animals? Speculation had ranged from coyotes to wolves, and even the possibility of a mountain lion.

Her pace quickening, Jenny tried to shake off the uneasy feeling threatening to overwhelm her. She only had a half of a country mile between her and her family. She’d walked this road many times before in the moonlight.

As she rounded a bend on the gravel road, a dark shape leaped from the bushes, blocking her path.

Her heart clogging her throat, Jenny had to gulp in air before she could scream. Then she was running through the scrub cedar, the prickly branches tearing at her skin, slapping her in her face. But she ignored the pain. She had to get away. She’d never seen anything like this creature. And she knew beyond a doubt that if it caught her, she’d never see her family again.

Present

Black, billowing storm clouds churned the western sky, crowding in on the small town of Spirit Canyon. With a sigh, Eve Baxter parked her SUV next to the building with the words General Store etched into the stone facade across the top.

The surrounding shops and homes reassured her that, despite the threatening skies, this town was exactly what she’d hoped for. Clean sidewalks, white limestone structures and window boxes filled with purple and yellow pansies welcomed her. If the pansies were wilting and the paint fading on the store signs, she didn’t care. At least she was away from the coastal storms of Houston and tucked securely in the Texas hill country. Spirit Canyon was a place Eve could feel safe—a place to call home.