“The city.” Hex’s disappointment showed on his face.
“The city. I have a life and a career there.” She looked down at her feet and sighed before she raised her eyes to his. They sparkled and glistened as tears filled them. “Fate isn’t always kind, is it?”
“No.” Hex fought to keep his mind focused on Martha and not allow the sensation of water filling his lungs to take over and render him paralyzed with fear. Fear of losing his mate when he’d only just found her. “Fate is not always kind. But perhaps it has reasons of its own.”
She nodded then turned away from him and walked back into the main area of the store. “I really need to get going. My mom is sick. And she has nothing in her cupboards. Or her fridge.” Martha grabbed a cart and began piling items into it. Cereal, rice, pasta, bacon.
“Why don’t I help you carry this back home?” Hex asked as he followed her around like a little lost puppy.
“No, you have your work to do.” She grabbed milk and eggs and added them to the other groceries in the cart.
“I can spare ten minutes to carry these home for you,” Hex insisted. He couldn’t just leave her. He couldn’t just let her walk out of his life.
“Hex, there you are.” Mac’s voice came from the other side of the store. “I thought you were looking at Henry’s tree?”
Hex swung around. “I got...distracted.”
“So that’s what I am?” Martha asked. “A distraction.” But the twinkle in her eyes told Hex she was amused rather than offended.
“This is my brother, Mac.” He smiled sheepishly and strode toward Mac. “I... This is Martha.” He didn’t want to introduce her as his mate because he was afraid of Mac’s reaction. Mac knew of Hex’s dreams, he knew their portent, what if he spilled the details out to Martha right here in the middle of the grocery store?
“Hi.” Martha waved from behind Hex.
“Martha.” Mac nodded and then his gaze slid back to Hex, his left eyebrow raised in question.
“Martha and I are...” He couldn’t say the words. He closed his eyes and Mac reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. He squeezed it hard and then dragged Hex into his arms.
“Mates. You and Martha are mates.” He clapped Hex on the back. “I’m so happy for you. For both of you.”
Hex took a moment to compose himself as a ragged breath tore through his body. He and Martha were mates, bound together by fate, yet also destined to be torn apart by that same fate.
“Thanks.” Martha watched the two brothers for a moment before she pushed her cart along the aisle. “I have to get going.”
“I offered to carry Martha’s groceries home for her.” Hex wiped a hand across his eyes as he stepped away from his brother.
“You do that.” Mac nodded, his voice rough with emotion. “We can manage for half an hour or so.” His expression turned to one of pity. “Or maybe take the day...”
“You need me,” Hex replied.
“We’ll manage.” Mac ducked his head. “I’ll get back. Good to meet you, Martha.”
“Good to meet you,” Martha called.
Hex nodded his thanks to Mac and then hurried to catch up with his mate. “That was my brother.”
“You said.” She glanced sideways at him. “Is everything okay? I can manage the groceries if you need to get back to work.” She gripped the cart tighter, the whites of her knuckles showing. “And...” She hesitated.
“And what? Say it,” Hex prompted.
“And you should go back to work.” She paused. “I didn’t want to say in front of Mac, because I didn’t want him to think I was pushing you away. But…”
“But?”
“But my mom is pretty sick. I need to get her to the doctor’s clinic, but I don’t think she’s strong enough.” She swallowed hard. “I don’t know if I want to tell her about us right now.”
“I understand.” Hex watched as fear and worry transformed her features. “Is there anything I can do? You said you needed to get her to the doctor, can I help with that? I can carry her to the car...”
Martha nodded and looked down at her hands as the whites of the knuckles showed. “I’m scared.”
Hex wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned into him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. As if they had known each other since forever. He held her as she wrapped her arms around him, and her fingers gripped his jacket so tightly he thought she might tear the fabric. “It’s okay. I’m here for you now. I’ll be there for whatever you need.”
“Thank you.” She buried her face in his chest before she took a deep breath and righted herself. “I need to get back.” She dashed her hand across her eyes and sniffed loudly.
“Come on, I’ll push the cart while you grab whatever else you need.” Hex took his place at the helm of the cart while Martha darted down the aisle picking up cookies and coffee among other things.
Good choices, his bear said.
As they reached the checkout, Hex had to stop himself from offering to pay for the groceries.
He didn’t want to offend Martha by implying she couldn’t afford the groceries when she obviously could, but he also wanted to do something nice for her, something to help her or cheer her up.
The cashier totaled the items while he and Martha packed them into a couple of bags and a box, then his mate paid for the groceries and they left the store together. As the store door closed behind them, Hex glimpsed Henry and Mac at the back of the store talking quietly, but their expressions were full of excitement.
Hex smiled, he was about to become the talk of the sawmill, since none of the people who worked there, including Mac, had found their mates. All except Duane and Amy who had been mates since they met at college. Now in their late thirties, they had a couple of kids and lived in a cabin on the edge of the forest where Mac felled most of the timber.
“It’s a good thing I met you,” Martha said as Hex heaved the box laden with groceries into his arms. “I wouldn’t have been able to carry all of this stuff. I should have brought the car, but it was such a short distance.”
“Glad to be of service,” Hex replied. “And if there is anything else that you need, Martha, just let me know.”
“I will, thank you. But right now, my mom just needs to see a doctor. That’s pretty much all I need.” She smiled softly. “Except my mate, of course. I didn’t mean to sell our relationship short or make you think it doesn’t mean a lot to me.”
She meant a lot to him, too. She meant everything. And he was willing to do whatever it took to make sure his dream, or premonition, or whatever it was, never came true.
Now that he’d found her, he was not going to lose her.
Chapter Four – Martha
“Your mom means a lot to you.” Hex had the softest eyes and the warmest smile. She was so damn lucky she could barely breathe. His concern for her and her mother was heartfelt and genuine, and she loved him a little bit in that moment.
One day we will love him a lot, her cougar said.
We will. But we need time. Martha couldn’t let go and allow herself to fall madly and deeply in love with Hex on their first meeting. Even though that’s how her mom described the first time she met her dad.
And mom is not a shifter, her cougar reminded Martha.
Perhaps it’s because we’ve spent too much time around non-shifters, Martha suggested. I’m worried what people will think.
Then we need to get back in touch with the real meaning of being a shifter. Her cougar liked that idea a lot.
“Mom does mean a lot. She’s all I’ve got left,” Martha told Hex. “I’m scared of being alone.”
“You’re not alone anymore,” Hex reminded her.
“I know. I get that. I’m just afraid of letting her down. She’s always been there for me, always helped me through life’s crises and now I’m supposed to be there for her.” She juggled the two bags of groceries in her arms, thankful that she’d met Hex at the store. After meeting Hex, she’d piled every
thing into the cart and forgotten she hadn’t gone to the store in the car and that she had to carry everything home.
It’s a good thing Hex has big strong arms, her cougar practically drooled.
“Don’t worry. I completely understand. My dad passed away a number of years ago and my mom was left alone. Mac quit college so he could earn enough money to keep us all together. But my mom is our lynchpin, she’s the one who is the center of our family. It’s scary to think that one day she won’t be there for us.” He grinned as he side-eyed her. “That makes me sound like a complete momma’s boy.”
“Not at all. It’s good that she means so much to you. My mom does to me.” Her expression faltered and a lump of emotion formed in her throat. All she wanted to do was sit in a corner and cry. Her emotions over her mom and now meeting her mate had left her overwrought, which was completely out of character for Martha. “I should have been here for her. Instead of trying to fight for a promotion at my job, I should have visited more often.”
“Hey, it’s not your fault. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.” His grin widened. “It’s true.”
“Yeah, but she’s getting old and I’m an only child so the responsibility rests solely on my shoulders.” Martha looked around at the houses and the trees which shielded the view of the mountain from the road. “I asked her to come and live with me in the city, but she said this was her home. I’d forgotten how beautiful it is.” Perhaps the nearness of her mate made everything seem better. Martha’s ambition had forced her to leave Cougar Ridge and its lack of good job prospects. Now she was thinking how much she longed to move back to the people she loved and the places that were familiar to her.
We want to settle down and put down roots, her cougar said.
Meeting her mate had changed her wants and needs in an instant. Her biological clock was ticking, and she wanted to raise a family here in the mountains.
“I always like coming here,” Hex admitted. “There’s so much more freedom for shifters. You don’t have to hide away like the rest of us do.”
“I certainly hide now,” Martha admitted as her cougar fought for release. “My cougar spends so much time shut away.” She shivered with excitement. “When my mom is feeling better, we’re going to run across the mountains as if our lives depend on it.”
“That I’d like to see,” Hex admitted. “Although I have no chance of keeping up with you. A cougar can outrun a bear any day of the week.”
“But you are strong. So we each have our strengths and weaknesses. Like honey. Isn’t that a weakness for a bear?” She arched an eyebrow.
“It might be. But no more than a ball of yarn is a weakness for a kitty cougar.” He laughed as she looked at him, mouth open in mock indignation.
“That is not true. No self-respecting cougar would chase a ball of yarn,” she insisted.
“Then catnip?” he asked as she stopped outside a small house nestled in a row of identical other houses.
“This is it.” Martha opened the gate and walked up the short pathway leading to the front door. Hex followed her to the front door and waited while she fished the key out of her pocket. As she slipped the key in the lock and opened the door, she turned to him and said, “Come in.”
“I thought you didn’t want to tell your mom about me.” He stepped inside the house, noting the old peeling wallpaper and the yellowed paint.
“My mom hasn’t done anything to the house since my dad died,” Martha told him quickly.
“Oh. Wow.” His expression clouded. “Is your mom a shifter, too?”
“No. Thankfully,” Martha answered. “I think if she was, she’d have passed away not long after my dad.” She kept her voice low as they walked along the hallway to the kitchen. Her mom’s slow and steady breathing told Martha she was still asleep. “Coffee?”
“Yes, please. If it’s not too much trouble.” He didn’t want to overstay his welcome when Martha had her mom to care for.
“No trouble at all. I was going to make some. I haven’t had coffee since this morning when I set out from my apartment. Mom drinks herbal tea and she didn’t have any coffee in the house.” She dumped the bags of groceries on the kitchen table and Hex did the same. “Thank you so much for carrying these.”
“You’re welcome.” Hex pulled out a package of cookies and looked around. “Do you want me to unpack the groceries?”
“No, I can do that. Sit down.” She nodded toward the chair. “And open the cookies. I need sugar. I don’t know about you, but meeting my mate was more stressful than I anticipated.”
“It’s not just you,” he admitted. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous. I was so scared you would see me and turn and run.”
“Same.” She began taking various items out of the bags and putting them neatly away in the cupboards until the coffee was ready. Then she set two coffee mugs down on the table and poured the dark aromatic liquid before adding milk. “Sugar?”
“No, thanks.” Hex accepted the mug and leaned back in his chair. “This smells good.”
“Well, smell away while I go check on my mom.” She placed her hand lightly on his shoulder as she walked past, and he tensed as the same shock of recognition she’d experienced at the grocery store took over. Was that ever going to change, or would the intense sense of connection always exist each time they touched? It sure would make their sex life electrifying.
Her cougar chortled. Keep that thought to yourself, she advised. Or maybe you should share it with him. In the name of experimentation.
I think we should get to know each other a little better before there is any kind of experimentation, Martha replied as she crept across the living room to the sofa. Crouching down, she listened to her mom’s steady breathing before she touched her forehead with the back of her hand.
Hilda was hot. Martha moved her hand down to touch her mom’s cheek which was flushed as if fire heated her skin. The room was hot, but this looked more like a fever.
She really needs a doctor. Her cougar was right. Perhaps she should give the doctor’s clinic another call or ask Hex if he could help her take her mom down to the clinic. Although, Martha didn’t want to move her mom and take her out into the cold air. What if it made her worse? What if she caught a chill?
If there was one thing she hated, it was not knowing what to do. She watched her mom for another couple of minutes. She didn’t seem too feverish. Her breathing was steady and maybe her fever would break by the time she woke up.
Going back to the kitchen, she was met with a questioning look from Hex. “How is she?”
“Still sleeping.” Martha sat down slowly and lifted her coffee cup.
“I can help you get her to the doctor. Or drive you to the hospital if you are that concerned,” Hex offered.
“Thanks for the offer. I’m going to let her sleep for a while longer. She had some painkillers that should help bring her temperature down. I’ll give them a chance to work.” She sighed. “I’m worried about taking her outside.”
“We can wrap her up warm and I can carry her,” Hex suggested. “If the meds you gave her don’t work. Or if she gets worse.” His concern was palpable, and her heart ached for him. What a way to spend his first meeting with his mate, listening to her fears over her mom instead of the joy she felt inside at finding him at long last.
“Sorry I’m not better company.” Martha sipped her coffee before reaching for a cookie. “We should be celebrating finding each other.”
“There’s time for that later,” Hex replied. “For now, I’m happy to just sit here with you and bask in the warmth of your company.”
She smiled despite herself. “You are a charming man, Hex.”
“I learned that since my brother had the looks and was good at sports, I needed something going for me.” He winked and her smile widened. “I’m glad my time was well spent.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” she countered. “I’ve met my fair share of charming men and none of them were keepers.”
“I think I already do.” She bit into her cookie and switched her attention to the other room where her mom was stirring.
“I should go and leave you to sit with her. If you need me, just call.” Hex stood up, leaving Martha with the sudden realization that she didn’t want him to go. She wanted him to stay and keep her company and hold her hand and tell her everything was going to be okay.
But he couldn’t promise her that. No one could. Not even the doctor.
“Thanks.” Martha added his cell phone number to her contacts.
Should we add him as mate or Hex? Her cougar thought she was being funny. She wasn’t.
They walked to the front door, but they were halfway along the hallway when they both stiffened. Someone was at the front door. Martha pushed her senses out further, trying to see who it was. Maybe Elmer had come around to check on Hilda.
Not Elmer, her cougar answered. But it is someone familiar. Or someone who used to be familiar.
Martha rushed forward with a surge of relief and opened the front door. “Dr. Bradford.”
“Ms. Jewson.” He bowed his head and grinned before he pulled her into his arms. “It’s good to see you.”
“Not as good as it is to see you.” She glanced down at his doctor’s bag. “You have come to see Mom?”
“I have. I’ve been picking up a couple of extra shifts at the clinic since they are so shorthanded. This flu has hit the area hard. Then I met Elmer in the street, and he told me about your mom. So here I am.” Shawn Bradford let her go and she stepped back, almost bumping into Hex who was at her shoulder, bristling with what could only be described as jealousy.
“Hex, this is Shawn. Shawn, this is Hex.” She paused, the words he’s my mate refusing to come out of her mouth. Not because she wanted to deny that Hex was her mate but because they just felt foreign. She needed time to adjust to the monumental change that had occurred in her life on meeting Hex. And it was monumental. Nothing would ever be the same again.
Hex Winter Shifter Seasons Page 3
