Willow Point 17

  His Little Impala

  [Siren Publishing: The Lynn Hagen ManLove Collection: Erotic Romance, Contemporary, Alternative, Paranormal, Shape-shifters, Werewolves, Romantic Suspense, MM, HEA]

  Maynard Dario never thought he would have to uproot his life. He is a new deputy in Willow Point and doesn’t trust anyone. He’s been there two months and still refers to his boss and coworkers by their formal names. When he responds to a call at an isolated house, he realizes the occupant is his mate.

  Luke Teufel doesn’t want anything to do with the outside world. He’s nursing an old injury that leaves him limping, and everyone can just leave him alone. Until he meets Maynard. They slowly become friends, enjoying each other’s company, but when Maynard tells Luke they are mates, Luke rejects the idea.

  Maynard has no clue what to do except walk away, but even though Luke is confused, he refuses to let Maynard put distance between them. Maynard’s past comes back with a vengeance, and although Luke is human, he puts his life on the line to save his little impala shifter.

  Length: 28,500 words

  HIS LITTLE IMPALA

  Willow Point 17

  Lynn Hagen

  Siren Publishing

  a subsidiary company of Siren-BookStrand, Inc.

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  His Little Impala

  Copyright © 2022 by Lynn Hagen

  ISBN: 978-1-64637-700-8

  First Publication: October 2022

  Cover design by Emma Nicole

  All art and logo copyright © 2022 by Siren-BookStrand, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book or print book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at legal@sirenbookstrand.com

  Siren Publishing

  a subsidiary company of Siren-BookStrand, Inc.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Lynn Hagen loves writing about the somewhat flawed, but lovable. She also loves a hero who can see past all the rough edges to find the shining diamond of a beautiful heart.

  You can find her on any given day curled up with her laptop and a cup of hot java, letting the next set of characters tell their story.

  For all titles by Lynn Hagen, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/lynn-hagen

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  HIS LITTLE IMPALA

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  HIS LITTLE IMPALA

  Willow Point 17

  LYNN HAGEN

  Copyright © 2022

  Chapter One

  Maynard sat at his kitchen table that morning, nibbling on a piece of toast as he thought about Luke Teufel. It had been a week since officers had been called to Luke’s home because Deputy Dante Mykel and his mate had been in trouble and had run to Luke’s for shelter until help could arrive.

  It had been a week since Maynard had laid eyes on the handsome man who lived in an isolated area with a large dog named Diablo. The dog had taken one whiff of Maynard and started to growl. Diablo hadn’t done that with the other deputies. Dante was a cheetah shifter. Deputy Mitch Lennox was a black panther. Sheriff Tate was a bear shifter.

  Diablo hadn’t reacted to them. Just Maynard. And now Maynard sat at his kitchen table wondering what excuse he could come up with to go back to Luke’s. There was no denying how handsome the human was. Maynard had wanted those light gray eyes on him when he’d been at Luke’s that night.

  Unfortunately, Luke hadn’t looked his way. Much. A cursory glance a time or two, but Luke had looked at the other deputies, too. Hadn’t he felt the pull? Hadn’t Luke felt something toward him? As soon as Maynard had gotten close enough to listen to Luke talk to Mitch, he’d felt it. That instinct that said they were mates, that he needed to be close to Luke, to touch him, to wrap himself in the human’s muscled arms.

  But Maynard couldn’t think of a good enough excuse, so he put his plate in the sink and got ready for work. He’d been with Willow Point Police Department for two months, and he was still feeling out his coworkers. After what had happened at his last job, Maynard wasn’t trying to jump into friendships so quickly. He’d lived in Colorado, and he’d been tight with the men he’d worked with.

  So when he’d blown the whistle on Sheriff Tom Moody and a few of his coworkers for extensive corruption, police brutality, bribes, and the fact that Sheriff Moody had been involved in a meth lab, things had never been the same. The other cops who hadn’t been arrested treated Maynard like a leper. No one had wanted to work with him, and he’d even gotten death threats for being a snitch.

  But Maynard hadn’t been able to stand by and watch as the people who’d sworn to uphold the law, to protect the citizens of their small town, had used that power in such a corrupt way—shaking people down, roughing up the town junkies and alcoholics, telling business owners that they could be better protected if they greased palms.

  It had gotten so bad at work after the arrests that Maynard had put in for a transfer. The new sheriff had gladly given it to him just to get Maynard out of there so he could try to restore peace.

  Luckily Willow Point was looking for more deputies. Maynard had jumped at the chance. But after all the bad seeds disguised as good guys, he wasn’t so quick to trust anyone. He was still watching his coworkers for any sign of corruption, but so far, they seemed like good guys.

  The only person who knew what had gone down where Maynard used to work was Sheriff Tate Weston. He was Maynard’s new boss, and a nice guy, but Maynard still reserved judgment. It wasn’t easy to trust when he’d been working for Sheriff Moody for over ten years and then discovered how corrupt the man truly was.

  Maynard blamed himself for letting it go on for so long. He should have seen the signs. He should have known what was going on in his town. He hadn’t, and he wasn’t sure if it was because they’d been that good at hiding it or he hadn’t wanted to believe his friends, the men he worked with, the men he depended on to have his back, were that evil.

  Maynard headed into work, still blank about a reason to show up at Luke’s. At work, Maynard was assertive and confident. That went against an impala shifter’s nature, but he loved what he did. But on a personal level, he was a nervous wreck when he thought about Luke.

  No way could he just show up and tell Luke the truth. He actually felt panicked thinking of going to Luke’s just for a “friendly” visit. What if Luke didn’t feel the attraction and wasn’t into him?

  How would Maynard be able to live down the rejection?

  As luck would have it, or maybe it was his lack of luck, as soon as Maynard got to work, he was sent to Luke’s house because Luke had called in and said someone had been messing around in his shed.

  Maynard was a bundle of nerves by the time he arrived. One, he wasn’t sure how his mate would act toward him since it would be just them. No other people would be there. Two, he didn’t want Diablo to attack him. Maynard probably smelled like straight-up prey to the dog.

  He pulled down the dirt driveway and parked. Before getting out, Maynard took a few deep breaths. He’d been waiting all week for a reason to visit his mate, and now that he was there, Maynard hesitated.

  The front door opened, and Diablo bounded out, heading straight for Maynard’s car. The dog barked, and even though Maynard was tucked inside, he cringed back.

  “Diablo, give the man some room.” Luke was on the porch, looking so good that Maynard prayed he wasn’t drooling. He whistled, and the dog came back to him, but Diablo kept eyeing Maynard like Maynard was his next meal.

  Luke walked toward the car, and Maynard noticed a slight limp. “Sorry if my dog scared you. He’s not too keen on strangers.”

  It hadn’t been like that the night Maynard was there with the other deputies. The dog hadn’t looked happy that everyone was there, but he hadn’t growled, either. Now he sat on the porch licking his chops.

  Maynard slowly opened the door. “Are you sure he isn’t going to attack me?”

  “Not unless I tell him to.” Luke gripped the top of the car door then opened it fully. “I swear you’re fine.”

  Maynard had a service weapon on him, but he felt sick to his stomach thinking about using it on a poor dog. He would, though, if it came down to him or Diablo. Finally, Maynard got out but eyed Diablo before turning to Luke. “What seems to be the problem?”

  Now that they stood so close Maynard noticed their size difference. Luke was a good six inches taller than him. “Someone has been in my shed. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you.”


  Maynard eyed Diablo before he followed Luke. He couldn’t keep his gaze away from Luke’s ass and was dying to ask why his mate was limping, but that seemed too personal. Since they didn’t know each other yet, Maynard felt it best not to ask.

  “The lock.” Luke pointed at the padlock that was hanging open. “I know for sure I locked it the last time I was in there. I normally don’t call the cops about something like this, but this is the third time I’ve found it that way.”

  “Is anything missing?” Maynard asked.

  “That’s the crazy thing. Someone keeps breaking in, but they don’t take anything. I can’t figure that out.”

  The shed was set back aways from the house, butted up against the woods. Far enough away that Luke wouldn’t have been able to hear someone tinkering with the padlock.

  “May I?” Maynard waved toward the shed.

  “Go right ahead.” Luke crossed his beefy arms. “Be careful. Sometimes racoons get in there through some worn wood at the top. I don’t want any of them attacking you because you startled them.”

  With a nod, Maynard opened the shed door. It wasn’t a very big space, enough for a workbench to house tools and Luke’s riding mower but nothing bigger than that. The walls were unfinished, exposing the beams used to construct the small space. There was an overheard light fixture, and Maynard turned it on. The light gave just enough for him to see. Although there were two windows at the back, the woods kept sunshine from seeping inside.

  He looked around, thankful he didn’t spot any wild animals, but he did scent something else. He took a deep whiff and swore it was a scent that didn’t belong to Luke.

  He would know Luke’s scent. Pine and leather. A heady combination.

  The tools on the workbench were neatly placed, and the floor was spotless. It seemed Luke liked order and cleanliness.

  Maynard came back out. “I’m sorry, but I don’t see any evidence anyone was in there. I can write up a report, but I’m afraid there’s not really anything I can do since nothing was taken.”

  Since Luke had said this wasn’t the first time, and he was Maynard’s mate, Maynard decided he would come back later tonight in his impala form. He already had the stranger’s scent. He just wanted to follow it to see where it led or if it led anywhere at all.

  “I knew it was a longshot.” Luke rubbed his nape. “Sorry to have you come all the way out here for nothing.”

  “It was no bother.” Maynard closed the shed door. He stopped in his tracks when he saw that Diablo had joined them. They stared at each other, and then Diablo cocked his head to the side. Maynard moved closer to Luke out of fear.

  “Are you really afraid of him?” Luke scratched his chin. “He really is a good boy. He was abused before I found him, but he’s the sweetest dog.”

  Not from where Maynard was standing. “I’m not big on dogs. He looks like he wants me for a snack.”

  Luke chuckled, and Maynard became quickly addicted to the sound. “I promise not to let him snack on you.”

  Maynard wasn’t sure if Luke was flirting with him or not. His eyes had grown slightly darker, and he looked Maynard over, but that didn’t mean his mate was flirting. Maynard had a bad habit of misreading people and making a fool of himself. He wasn’t going to embarrass himself with Luke.

  “Um, thanks.” With nothing else to say, Maynard headed back to his patrol car. He gave one last look to his mate, who was standing on the side of his house, his arms crossed, before he got back into the cruiser and reversed down the driveway.

  * * * *

  A twink with a gun. Luke was in love. “Did you really want to nip him?”

  Diablo looked up at him before cocking his head.

  Luke rolled his eyes. “If you’ve got plans on biting him, you better get that out of your head.”

  Luke took a seat in one of the rattan lounge chairs on his back lawn. The evening sun provided some warmth as Diablo lay down at his feet. Luke reached down and stroked the shottie’s fur before settling back with his bottle of beer. He was still thinking about how Deputy Dante Mykel and his boyfriend, Jason, had shown up at his door, trouble on their heels. Luke had helped take down one of the guys, but the other one had gotten away.

  But Dante had stopped by to let him know that the second perp had been arrested. All was well with them. Luke wished he could say the same about himself. Their intrusion had shaken something inside of him, reminded him that there was a world outside his door. He’d been living in Willow Point for nearly two years now, and he really didn’t know anyone.

  That was his fault for closing himself off, for refusing to go into town except to buy groceries. Luke was still dealing with a lot of shit in his head, and he felt it best that he kept to himself.

  He had Diablo, though. His rottweiler-German-shepherd mix. He’d found the dog tied up in the yard of an abandoned house. The dog had been rail-thin with a lot of scars, which had shown because a lot of his fur had been gone.

  If Luke ever found the owners, he would beat them to within an inch of their lives.

  The dog had tried to bite Luke when he’d first tried to free him. But Luke had been patient, talking softly to him, letting Diablo know that he was safe now. After Luke had spent an hour talking to the dog and feeding him pieces of his leftover lunch, he’d taken Diablo off that leash and brought him right to the vet in Willow Point. Dr. Reese Freeman had been appalled at Diablo’s state.

  The vet said losing his fur was from his horrific life, and he’d been right. Now that Diablo had been with him for a year, his fur was fully grown in and his dog was happy.

  Now Luke and Diablo were best friends. There wasn’t anything Luke wouldn’t do for Diablo, and Diablo had kind of saved Luke, too. He’d been spiraling down a dark road after getting out of the marines and having a pet had helped tremendously. Luke looked at Diablo as one of those therapy dogs. He sure as shit was one, whether that had been the intention or not.

  Diablo’s head rose from the ground, and he sniffed the air. Luke always carried a gun with him, and one was tucked right next to his thigh. He put his hand on it as he listened to something rustling around in the woods not fifty feet from his backyard.

  Luke’s house was isolated, just the way he’d wanted it when he’d bought the place.

  Diablo cocked his head to the side, which made Luke edgy. “What is it, boy?”

  Luke sat perfectly still when a deer came out of the woods by his shed. No, it wasn’t a deer. He studied the animal and thought it looked more like an antelope or an impala. There were horns on its head that sloped backward. Luke had never seen anything other than deer, skunk, possums, racoons, and groundhogs. He thought one time he had seen a wolf, but it had run off as soon as it spotted Luke.

  “Don’t growl at it,” Luke said softly to Diablo. “It’s harmless.”

  As if the dog knew what Luke was saying, he lowered his head back to the ground. Luke sat absolutely still, taking in the creature’s beauty. Its ears and tail twitched a few times, and then it turned its head and stared directly at Luke.

  “Hey, beautiful thing,” Luke said. He might have had trouble with people, but he loved animals. There was something soothing about them, and he liked the… Luke pulled out his phone and looked up pictures of antelope and impalas, and he saw that the creature in his backyard was definitely an impala. It was a gorgeous brown with a white belly, and its horns were simply beautiful.

  Luke held his breath when the impala moved a bit closer. It lowered its head slightly, still watching Luke.

  “I’m not gonna hurt you, gorgeous.” Luke smiled when the impala tilted its head to the side, as if listening to him. “Diablo isn’t going to hurt you, either.”

  For reasons Luke couldn’t understand, Deputy Maynard Dario popped into his head. He was one of the deputies that had come that night when Dante and Jason had shown up, and he’d been there this morning. Luke had felt an instant attraction to the guy and honestly wondered how anyone that slim and short could be a cop.