Page 32 of Rugged Fox

This was starting to feel like deja vu. Sleepless nights full of tossing and turning as I thought about the same man. Only this time my imagination had some material to work with. One steamy kiss to be exact. And the way Easton insisted he needed to take me out before things progressed any further? Swoon-worthy. Stuff like that only happened in movies or romance novels. Not real life, not in this day and age.

I checked the time on my phone. I had lay in bed long enough. Despite it being a Saturday morning, Lucien would be awake by now. He was a bear during the week, but for some strange reason, come the weekend, his ass was up and beaching out on the couch. He said it was because he didn't want to waste any of the relaxation time he could get. It made no sense to me but what did I know?

Since I’d left a certain guest to sleep on the couch last night, I spent a few extra minutes in the bathroom making myself look presentable. Not overly done up so that it was obvious I was trying, but just enough not to look like a hag who just rolled out of bed. I brushed my teeth, fixed my hair, and opted to throw a sweatshirt over my tank. I didn't mind Easton seeing my nipples but I wasn't looking to scar my son.

One last glance and I felt confident that I pulled off the look I was going for. With a deep breath, I left the security of my room in search of coffee. I could hear Lucien and Easton talking in the kitchen, so I picked up my pace as pieces of the conversation hit my ears. The two of them didn't sound happy about something.

"What's going on?"

Lucien practically jumped off his stool when I spoke, and Easton's expression screamed that he was ready to go to war.

"Mom." Lucien cleared his throat. "I think you're going to want to read this."

Lucien slid the newspaper my way. I glanced down at the offending piece of paper, but quickly shoved it back across the island. No wonder Easton looked ready to maim someone. I could only imagine what was written about me this time.

"Nope." I met Lucien's gaze and then Easton's. "I don't care what the anonymous journalist has to say. I refuse to allow them to ruin my wonderful Saturday."

Screw them. They aren’t bursting my happy bubble.

"How the hell does a town like this have an anonymous journalist? Everyone seems to know everyone's business," Easton grumbled.

I hopped up and headed straight for the coffee maker nestled on the counter between the sink and the fridge. My favorite cup was turned upside down in the drying rack, right where I left it after I washed it yesterday morning. After pouring myself a cup of coffee, I walked back over to my stool and waited until I had the first sip of my morning necessity before I answered.

"It's Willow Creek's greatest mystery. Three years ago the original journalist who had worked for the paper for forty years retired and everyone in town thought they would close up shop. Then all of a sudden, the editor-in-chief started receiving anonymous articles to be printed. Fact-checkers verified the information written and found everything to be accurate, so he printed it. This has continued now for three years and still no one has any idea who the journalist is."

The fact that neither Ms. Daisy nor Mrs. Jacobs could determine who it was, was a testament to how well the journalist was able to hide their identity. It was normally kind of fun watching people try to figure it out, but now that I was on the receiving end, I understood why so many residents wanted the identity known.

"What about this blog that the journalist likes to promote at the end of these articles?" Easton asked.

I wrinkled my nose at the mention of the blog. "Now that's a different story. Same person, but where the newspaper articles are factual, the blog is nothing but gossip. It's why most of the people in town assume the journalist has to be a long-standing resident. There would be no way to know some of that information if they lived elsewhere."

Easton leaned both elbows on the island and came down to my level so that we were eye to eye. I didn't realize it until now but at some point he had changed his shirt. Today it was a black short-sleeve that showcased his muscles. Arm porn was a real thing and I wasn't ashamed to admit that Easton's did something to me.

"And no one can figure out who this person is that just so happens to be in all of these places that stuff is happening?"

That made me laugh so hard I nearly spit my coffee across the counter. What a damn shame that would've been, a waste of the perfect nectar.

"Do you really think the person needs to be in every place? With the way the gossip tree works in this town, it only takes mere minutes and half the residents know what’s happening. Whoever the journalist is, they only have to listen to what people say throughout town to have enough material to fill the blog to the brim. Not a single thing posted hasn't already been spoken by half the residents. The journalist just writes it in black and white."

Easton hung his head and rolled it side to side. I gave him time to come to terms with what I’d said. Willow Creek wasn't an easy place to live unless you were used to small-town living. It took time to be comfortable with everyone knowing your business and thinking they had the right to have a say in it. Fortunately, most had your best interests in mind, but not all did.

I looked over at my son and the worry on his face. This wasn't how I expected the morning to start. I woke up running off the high from my kiss with Easton. Now we were back to reality and, if I was being honest, it kind of sucked.

"Hey." I brushed my fingers down Lucien's arm. "It's fine. We've got nothing to hide and it doesn't matter what was reported. It has always been the two of us. We can get through anything together."

I would definitely read the article later, merely because it stressed my son out so much, but it would change nothing.

"Yeah. You're right."

I rubbed his arm in comfort but turned my attention back to Easton. "So! Who has the pleasure of spending the day with us?"

I didn't mean for the question to sound sarcastic, but by Easton's pinched mouth, that must've been how it came across. As much as I hated that our freedom was being restricted, I understood the necessity of it. Someone was out to use my son and it didn't pay to be stubborn about the help offered.

"You'll have Hendrix. Owen was scheduled, but the receptionist who was supposed to come in for the interview still isn't responding. Owen believes something might be wrong, so Maverick agreed to let him follow up."

"Maybe she's just no longer interested and blowing you guys off."

Easton shrugged. "That's what I said, but Owen insists she was excited for the chance to start over. We haven't had any other inquiries, and since we're just getting started in town, we don't have a lot going on yet. There was no reason he couldn't take a couple of days and see what shakes out."

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