The receptionist had a point, but Hilda would fight Martha every step of the way. “I’ll get her there earlier, but could you make the appointment for this evening, please? Just in case I can’t make it.” Martha made the appointment and ended the call. “Why don’t I get you a nice hot drink? And maybe something to eat.”
“That would be lovely. I’d like some of my herbal tea.” Hilda’s eyes came into focus as she looked at her daughter. “I’d love some bacon, too. There’s plenty in the refrigerator.” Hilda slipped back down into a lying position as the fire in the grate died out.
“I’ll see what I can do.” Martha went to the kitchen and filled the kettle. Setting it on the stove to boil, she went to the fridge and inspected the scant contents. No wonder her mom looked so frail, there was hardly any food in the fridge and certainly no bacon. As Martha methodically checked all of the cupboards, she found they were not much better either. A stale loaf of bread had been shoved to the back of one of the cupboards where Hilda usually stored her canned fruit.
When Martha lived at home, she always remembered the cupboards being filled with staple foods which her mom loved to turn into delicious meals. Even when Martha had returned for her once frequent weekend visits, everything seemed just the same and Hilda would busy herself in the kitchen making dinner for them both.
Something had changed. Was it just her lack of enthusiasm at cooking for one? Martha could certainly understand how difficult it could be to find the energy to cook a good healthy meal when you lived alone. Martha often resorted to take-out for that very reason. But Martha had been living and working away from her hometown for years now and Hilda had never let things slip before.
The kettle whistled and Martha shut the cupboards with a worried sigh before she took two cups down off their hooks and placed them on the counter. Picking up the pretty container decorated with various garden herbs, Martha pulled off the lid and took out two of her mom’s favorite herbal tea bags and put them in the cups. She poured on the hot water before adding a dash of honey and giving them a quick stir. It wasn’t the coffee she longed for, but since Martha’s quick search of the cupboards had revealed none, she’d have to make do with herbal tea.
“Here, let’s drink this and then I’ll pop along to the store for some bacon,” Martha told her mom. Although, she planned to do a big shop and restock up all her mom’s cupboards. While she was here, Martha also intended to fill the freezer with nutritious meals that her mom could heat up if she didn’t want to cook.
“There is bacon,” Hilda insisted. “It’s in the fridge.”
“I couldn’t see any, Mom.” Martha’s concern spiked. Was this the onset of dementia? If so, Martha needed to totally reevaluate her life and move back here to Cougar Ridge.
“I bought some...” Hilda put her hand up to her head. “Maybe I ate it already.” She looked up at Martha. “Did we have it for breakfast this morning?”
“No, Mom,” Martha said gently. “I wasn’t here this morning. I’ve only just arrived, remember?”
“Yes.” Hilda didn’t look too sure. “I remember.”
“Drink your tea. Then I’ll go to the store for some groceries and I’ll make you something nice to eat. If you’re feeling stronger, we can go in the car to the doctor’s clinic.”
“You’re so good to me.” Hilda clasped the teacup in her hands and took a sip. “This will make me feel better.”
“I hope so.” Martha sat down in the chair across the room from her mom. It was so hard watching her like this. For the longest time Hilda never seemed to change and then one day she got old.
It started with a fall, which Hilda neglected to mention on the phone when Martha asked her how she was. Hilda sprained her ankle so badly that when she eventually saw Dr. Lake, he sent her straight to the hospital in Bear Creek for an X-ray. She hadn’t broken a bone, but the swelling took weeks to go down and the injury took its toll on her health.
“Will you be all right on your own for twenty minutes while I go and get the bacon?” Martha asked after Hilda had drained her cup.
“Of course.” Hilda handed the cup to Martha before pulling the blanket up under her chin. “I’ll just take a little nap.”
“Okay.” Martha chewed the inside of her cheek as she stood, watching over her mom. Just as her mom had watched over Martha when she was a child woken by a bad dream.
Stepping closer to the sofa, Martha leaned down and kissed her mom on the forehead. As she straightened up, a tear rolled down her cheek and plopped on the floral carpet that had covered the floor in the living room for as long as Martha could remember, just like the rest of the house. After the death of Martha’s father, it was as if time stood still in the house.
Not just the house. With the death of her husband, time had frozen for Hilda, too. She never really moved on with her life. A sob bubbled up inside Martha and she swallowed it back down. It was as if her mom was just going through the motions, living one day to the next because she had to. Not because she wanted to.
Martha shook her head. She was being melodramatic. After a long period of mourning, her mom had made sure she got out of the house and saw her friends. She’d even volunteered at the local library until she’d hurt her ankle, and found it difficult to stand for long periods.
Dwelling in the past wouldn’t help either of them. Martha grabbed her purse, took one last look at her mom who was sleeping peacefully on the sofa and left the house.
Pulling the front door closed behind her, Martha took a moment to appreciate the clear cool mountain air that filled her lungs and ignited her senses. Deep inside, her cougar stirred as if from a long winter sleep. She longed to burst free and run over the mountains but they both knew taking care of Hilda was their first priority.
She’ll be okay, her cougar said as she stretched her legs and flexed her paws. She just needs to rest and see the doctor.
We always think Mom will be okay because we can’t bear the thought of her not being okay, Martha replied. But at some point, that will not be the case.
Her cougar fell silent, her head hung low as she considered Martha’s words. They had lost their father and one day they would lose their mother. Since they had no siblings and never found their mate, they would be alone in the world.
We have friends in the city, Martha tried to cheer her cougar up, but there was nothing to say that would brighten either of their moods. Coming home, which she’d always enjoyed, was now tinged with bittersweetness.
“Martha!” Elmer Keswell waved from across the street.
“Morning, Elmer. How are you?” Martha carefully checked that the road was clear before she stepped off the sidewalk. Hurrying across the road, she gave Elmer a hug.
“I’m okay. The old bones don’t like this weather very much.” He hugged Martha tightly before he let her go. “You look as if life is treating you well.”
“Thanks. I think it is.” She turned to look over her shoulder. “At least it was.”
“Your mom not well?” Elmer asked with genuine concern. He’d been one of Martha’s father’s closest friends and was a frequent visitor to the house when Martha was a child.
“No. She’s not good at all. I’m trying to get her to see the doctor, but there are no appointments for a home visit until this evening.” Martha forced her troubled expression from her face. “I’m going to the store to buy some groceries.”
“I’ll walk with you.” His eyes slid over Martha’s shoulder and fixed on her mom’s house. “Unless you want me to go and sit with Hilda while you are out.”
“I’d appreciate the company. Maybe you can fill me in on any news.” She smiled softly as a look of disappointment slid over Elmer’s face. “Mom is sleeping or else I’m certain she’d love to see you.”
“Oh, I see. The best thing for her. A good sleep does wonders.” Elmer slipped his arm through Martha’s as they walked to the store. “How bad is she, Martha?”
Martha hiccupped and put her hand to her mouth. “I do
n’t know. She’s got no energy. I thought it was the flu, but then she said there was bacon in the fridge and there wasn’t...”
“You’re afraid she’s losing her memory?” Elmer asked.
“There isn’t much food in any of the cupboards and she insisted she’d bought some bacon...” Martha shrugged. “Maybe she’s got a virus.”
“I should have knocked on the door and checked up on her,” Elmer muttered. “I haven’t seen her around as much the last couple of weeks. Last time I spoke to her, I gave her my cell phone number and told her to call me if she needed anything. She never called.”
“She always likes to be independent. When I call, she never says if anything is wrong.” Martha shook her head. She should have been more attentive and visited more. “Thanks for being there for my mom.”
They reached the grocery store and Elmer stopped in the doorway and turned to face Martha. “I’ve always admired your mom.”
“You were good to her after my father died. After I went to the city, she often wrote and told me that you took her out for dinner or a walk in the mountains.” Martha looked down at her feet as tears pricked her eyes. “Thank you.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
“I don’t deserve any special thanks. I did what any friend would do.” Elmer looked away as he spoke, and Martha sensed he was leaving something unsaid. “I should go and let you get your grocery shopping done. There’s a storm brewing, I can smell it on the air. It’s going to be a bad one. Good thing the guys from the local sawmill are coming out today to fell some trees that are in danger of coming down under the weight of the snow.”
“That’s why I drove home today, I got up early to make sure I got here before the storm hits.” She cast a worried look toward the distant mountain peaks where heavy gray clouds gathered.
“Get your mom to give me a call if she needs anything.” Elmer took a step away from Martha. “And you let me know if she gets any worse.”
“Why don’t you come around for dinner when Mom is feeling better?” Martha asked. “Although, my cooking is not as good as my mom’s.”
Elmer hesitated. “I’d love to as long as it’s all right with your mom.”
“I’m sure it will be.” Martha watched as Elmer walked away. His legs were stiff with age and his shoulders hunched as he disappeared around the corner of the street and out of view. But she could still sense him. He was familiar to her, a part of her life since she was a child and he and her father would take her fishing down in the creek. Elmer was like a second father to her. Particularly since he’d never married or had children of his own.
Elmer couldn’t even blame his lack of a wife on not finding his mate, her cougar mused.
True. Is it unusual for non-shifters to never find someone to marry and have kids with? Martha asked as she walked past a truck with Winter’s Sawmill written on the side.
And you expect me to know the answer to that? Her cougar rolled her eyes.
Martha giggled as she pushed the door open and entered the grocery store, but as soon as she stepped inside, her thoughts of Elmer were gone as something else hit her in the chest and robbed her of her breath. Her mind went fuzzy as she held onto the door and Martha had a terrible feeling she’d caught the same virus that was afflicting her mom.
But her cougar had other ideas. This one I do know the answer to.
Chapter Three – Hex
“This is it.” Henry Mathews, the owner of the Cougar Ridge Grocery Store, pointed at a tall tree that sloped at an odd angle. Or maybe it was Hex who was at an odd angle since the world seemed to spin around a little faster than normal as he stared up at the tree. “Hex?”
“Hmm.” Hex looked at Henry, although his eyes didn’t want to focus on his face. Instead, they wanted to stare at the building, or through the building at something on the other side.
“Are you okay?” Henry asked. “You didn’t hit your head or something, did you?”
“My head?” Hex put his hand to the back of his head and felt for a lump.
You’re the only lump around here, his bear told him tartly. You know what this is, so go get her.
“Go get her?” Hex asked as he took a stumbling foot forward.
“Go get who?” Henry asked as he followed Hex away from the lopsided tree and in through the door at the rear of the store.
Hex didn’t answer as the desire to keep putting one foot in front of the other and close the distance between him and his mate overwhelmed him. Mate. He shook his head, trying to wake himself from the trancelike state that was propelling him forward. Leading him to her.
The voice inside his brain was yelling at him to turn around and run the other way. Run as fast and as far as he could. Not because he didn’t want to meet his mate. But because if he did, she would end up in a watery grave.
As he pushed his way through the back of the store, knocking over a display of potato chips and sending a soda bottle bouncing across the floor, he could no more stop himself from going to meet his mate than he could stop the sun rising in the morning.
There. He stopped in his tracks as he entered the main area of the store. She was beautiful, a red-headed temptress with green eyes that searched for him as a lighthouse searches for a ship on a stormy sea.
Snap out of it, his bear said hotly. Get a grip and get over there.
Hex stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. There was still a chance he could turn and run and never meet her. Never bring down the curse on her.
“Hello.” Too late, his mate opened her mouth and spoke. There was no way out now.
“Hi.” He lifted his hand and waved.
Good first impression, his bear said in his head.
“Hex?” Henry came up behind him. “Oh.”
Oh indeed, his bear said. Oh, dear would sum this up. His bear shook his head in dismay at Hex’s lame actions.
Hex stepped forward. Henry stepped to the side. His mate didn’t move. She just stood there staring at him.
Raising his head, Hex inhaled deeply. She was a shifter, a cougar if he wasn’t mistaken.
Of course, she’s a shifter. Why else would she be standing there staring at you like that? His bear’s confidence in Hex’s ability to cope with the situation plummeted.
“Why don’t you two come with me?” Henry stepped forward and hooked his arm under Hex’s mate’s arm. As he turned around and headed to his office, he grabbed hold of Hex’s jacket and pulled him along, too. “You can have some privacy while you recover all brain functions.”
Henry let go of Hex while he opened the office door and stepped inside. “There’s coffee in the pot and a couple of chairs. Call me if you need anything.” With that Henry left. Hex was alone with his mate.
“Sorry.” She put her hand to her head as if she’d just woken from a dream. “I’m not sure what happened there.” She approached him with her hand outstretched. “I’m Martha Jewson.”
“Hex.” He frowned as he slid his hand into hers. This seemed a little formal for the meeting between two mates destined to be together forever. However, he slid his hand into hers, because what else was he supposed to do?
A jolt of recognition passed between them as they held hands. Warmth flooded along his arm and spread out through his body and he was filled with a sense of peace. She looked down at their hands but luckily didn’t pull away. “So this is what it feels like to meet your mate.”
“I guess it is.” He stared at her, drinking in every line, every fine wrinkle on her face.
She was beautiful with flaming red hair and eyes as green as the finely cut emeralds the dragon shifters hoarded with their treasure.
Our mate is more valuable than any treasure, his bear told him. As if he didn’t know.
“Have you stared enough?” she asked, although she was looking at him in much the same way.
“No, never enough,” Hex answered.
Smooth, his bear told him with a hint of admiration. There were not many times his bear complimented him. S
o if he thought Hex was smooth, then he must be smooth.
“Do you work here?” Martha asked. “I don’t think we could have met before.”
“No, I don’t work at the grocery store. I was looking at one of Henry’s trees.” He pointed toward the rear door of the store. “We’re working around town trying to prepare for the coming storm.”
“Oh, yes. Winter’s Sawmill. I heard.” She nodded and then ran her tongue along her lower lip. She was nervous.
She’s not the only one, his bear nudged Hex. It’s okay. Now that we’ve met her, we can’t walk away. Especially since she is a shifter and knows we are her mate.
Our fate, and hers, is sealed, Hex thought sadly.
We don’t know if the dream is real or not. We can’t live in fear, his bear told him. We have to live in hope.
Hex nodded, only then did he realize Martha was watching him with a bemused expression on her face. “Sorry. I was talking with my bear.”
“I figured. I hope you weren’t discussing how disappointed you are in your mate.” Martha’s mouth curled up at one corner. She was unsure of herself and he was being rude.
“No, the opposite.” He smiled. A smile that grew wider as he allowed himself to celebrate the fact that he’d finally found his mate. “Do you want to grab a coffee, or something?”
“Oh.” She jumped as if she’d suddenly woken from a daydream. “No. No, I can’t. I have to get some groceries and get home.”
“Home.” Hex jumped to grab the door as she strode toward it. Turning the handle, he yanked it open and stood back. As she passed him, he inhaled, her scent was incredible and unique, just as Martha was incredible and unique and all his. “Where do you live?” He followed her out of Henry’s office.
“I live in the city,” she told him. “I moved away ten years ago.” She stopped walking and turned to face him. “But I guess home is still my mom’s house. She lives in Cougar Ridge.”
Hex Winter Shifter Seasons Page 2
