“Hi.” Shawn raised his hand as he greeted Hex. “Good to meet you.”
“Shawn.” Hex nodded, the tension in his arms and through his shoulders remained.
Shawn glanced at Hex and then back to Martha. “Is everything okay?” His eyes narrowed in suspicion at Hex who stood with his feet hip-width apart as if ready for a fight.
“Yes. Hex was just leaving.” Martha stood back, her lips pressed together in a firm line. She certainly didn’t need an overbearing man in her life, not now, not ever.
Hex hesitated, but then he stepped past her, his expression filled with pain as he nodded and said, “Call me if you need anything.”
Martha nodded and shut the door behind him. It was as if she’d severed a limb. She gasped and held onto the door, leaning her head on the cool wood.
“Hey, Martha, are you okay?” Shawn asked as he cupped her elbow and guided her toward the living room.
Martha nodded. “It’s just been quite a day.”
Shawn nodded. “Let’s get you settled in a chair and then I’ll take a look at you and your mom. While I examine her, you can tell me all about it.”
Chapter Five – Hex
What just happened? his bear asked as they stalked back to the grocery store.
I’m not sure, Hex admitted. Everything was going great until Shawn arrived.
And you got jealous, his bear added.
Of course, I got jealous, did you see the way Shawn looked at Martha? He obviously has a thing for her. Hex made his way back along the street to the grocery store.
So? his bear reasoned. She is our mate. And we are her mate. That won’t ever change no matter how many men make eyes at her.
Hex ran his hand through his hair and cursed his jealousy-infused reaction to Shawn. It was totally out of character. Hex liked a simple life, a quiet life where people just got along. Living at the sawmill with the other workers who passed through looking for work had taught him how to live and let live. He’d learned it was easier to go through life with a smile and a generous attitude toward his fellow men than to screw yourself up into a rage.
Maybe we should go back and apologize, Hex said.
Maybe you should go back and apologize, his bear answered. I did nothing wrong.
Point taken. Hex’s steps faltered and he swung around to retrace his steps to Martha’s house when Mac called him.
“Hex, there you are. Glad you’re back, we could do with a hand.” Mac was in the branches of the tree behind the grocery store. Dressed in his safety gear and with a safety harness attached to the tree, he was cutting off the top branches of the tree so that he could bring it down safely bit by bit and avoid the surrounding buildings.
“Sure.” Hex took one last lingering look over his shoulder and then headed around the back of the store. “Hey.”
“Hey, I thought you’d left us to do all the work,” Joey, one of the men who worked for Mac, teased.
“I thought about it,” Hex confessed. “But then I realized you wouldn’t cope without me.” He grinned as Joey rolled his eyes. “What do you need?”
“Cameron has gone down to check out a fallen tree in an old lady’s garden. We need to clear the branches that Mac is cutting down.” He looked around. “There isn’t much room for error here when the tree is tilted so close to the store.”
“I’ll get on it.” Hex ran out to the truck and grabbed his safety gear. After tying his hair back in a ponytail, he rammed his helmet down on his head and jogged back to Joey. “Okay, I’ll start dragging these out.” He tilted his head back and looked up at Mac. He was halfway through another branch, which gave Hex time to grab some of the already downed branches and pull them toward the truck.
Sweat broke out on his forehead as he worked tirelessly to clear the branches that Mac cut down. This was what he needed to rid himself of the pent-up energy that had manifested in his reaction to meeting Shawn. When he was done here, he’d head back to Martha’s house and apologize. He might even try to track down the doc and set things straight. Hex was not the kind of man who liked to go to bed on an argument. His mom had taught him that.
“Okay, I’m going to take the trunk down,” Mac called from above.
Hex grabbed the last of the branches and took them around to the truck while the sound of the chainsaw buzzing like an angry swarm of bees filled the air.
“Coffee?” A young woman leaned against the truck with a Thermos in one hand and a collection of mugs in the other.
“Thanks, but I’m working right now. Maybe after we’ve finished with the tree.” He smiled good-naturedly, aware of the predatory look in the young woman’s eyes.
“I heard there were some hot men in town.” She came closer and he inhaled the scent of sweet perfume.
Hex wiped his forehead. “It sure is hot work.”
“Maybe when you’ve finished your hot work, you could come back to my place and cool down. I have a nice big shower.” She licked her lips, leaving Hex in no doubt he was being invited back to her place for sex.
“Thanks, but I have a shower of my own.” He grinned and shook his head.
“Are you laughing at me?” Her temper flared and her eyes glowed amber. Hex could sense her cougar close to the surface, waiting to trade places and leap out and strike at him.
“No, I’m laughing at myself.” He fed the wood into the hopper and wood chips filled the back of the truck. “I apologize if I offended you.”
“No, it’s me, I take things too personally.” The empty mugs clattered against her thigh as she sighed. “I struggle to control my cougar, so I don’t leave town very often.”
“And you wanted someone new to talk to?” He raised an eyebrow since they both knew she didn’t want to talk.
“Yeah. Small-town life is dull as ditchwater most of the time.” She shrugged and leaned on the side of the truck, her eyes bright with amusement. “Do you think any of your friends might like some coffee?”
“They might.” Hex turned at the sharp crack as the first section of trunk peeled away from the rest of the tree. “I have to get back to work.”
“Just remember I’m waiting.” She held up the Thermos and jiggled it at him.
“I won’t.” He walked back around the side of the grocery store. Mac was cutting through the next section of trunk. Hex kept a safe distance away and took the opportunity to check his phone. No message or call from Martha. Tapping the screen, he sent her a brief text. Sorry about earlier. How is your mom? His finger hovered over the x. Should he add a kiss? He tapped the x and sent the text before he could talk himself out of it.
Pocketing his phone as the next section of tree trunk hit the ground, he joined Joey as Mac came back down to the ground. “It’s all looking good,” Mac said as he placed the chainsaw on the ground. “I just need to cut the last section of the trunk and we’re done.” He pushed his sleeve back as he examined his watch. “At least we’re done here. We still have a lot to do before we go home.”
“I’ll get these in the truck.” Hex stepped forward to grab one of the tree trunks as Mac climbed out of his safety harness.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you back today. How is Martha’s mom?” Mac asked as he rolled up the harness and set it down next to the rest of the tools beside the wall of the grocery store.
“I’m not sure. The doctor arrived just as I was leaving.” He heaved the trunk up onto his shoulder.
“What happened?” Mac asked, his eyes focused on Hex like lasers.
“I got jealous of the doctor and I think I made a fool of myself.” Hex shook his head. “I thought I was a together kind of a guy, but seeing Martha with this doctor, Shawn, it was as if someone had pushed the ignition button and my anger flared.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” Mac told him. “This is all new. There’s no manual as to how you are supposed to behave.”
“I know. But now I have to fix it and Martha looked pretty mad.” He turned away from Mac and took the trunk around the side of
the store. Joey was accepting coffee from the young cougar woman. That man sure knew how to flirt, but it looked as if he’d met his match in the cougar.
The hairs on the back of Hex’s neck stood on end and his brain went fuzzy as he threw the trunk onto the truck. Spinning around, his eyes widened as Martha walked toward him, her hands deep in the pockets of a warm woolen coat. Would she be as warm toward her mate after his earlier behavior?
“Hey.” She held up her phone. “I thought I’d answer your text in person.”
“I like the personal touch.” Hex peeled off his gloves and shoved them under his arm as he walked toward her.
“Polly’s getting to know one of your friends.” Martha nodded toward the cougar shifter who was topping off Joey’s coffee mug from her Thermos.
“Yeah, she’s direct, that’s for sure.” Hex switched his attention back to his mate. “I meant it. The apology.”
“I know. And I think I owe you one myself.” She averted her eyes, looking out into the distance. “I should have introduced you to Shawn as my mate.”
“No, don’t think you have to go around telling everyone we’re mates. It’s new, it’s still strange. I get that.” He reached for her hand, thankful when she didn’t pull away. “I just saw red.” He chuckled. “Well, I saw a red-blooded male who obviously likes you a lot. I didn’t know if there was any history there or anything.”
“Shawn? No.” Her brow furrowed. “He likes me?”
“You didn’t see it?” Hex asked and grinned as she shook her head a little, shocked at the insinuation.
“No.” Her eyes rested on Polly and Joey. “I suppose I’ve never really taken much notice of men. Not in that way. When you know your mate is out there and not next to you in bed it’s kind of a mood killer. So I focused on my career and since I did not ever want to be accused of sleeping my way to the top, I never mixed business with pleasure. In fact, I’ve gotten to the point where my whole life is about business. Coming back here has been a wakeup call.” She placed her free hand on his chest. “And I don’t mean just because we’re mates.”
“Your mom.” His eyes widened. “How is your mom, what did Shawn say?”
“That she has a bad infection.” Martha nodded to the drugstore on the corner. “I have to go and get her some antibiotics. Shawn has also made an appointment for mom to go to the hospital in Bear Bluff. He wants them to run some tests.”
“I’ll walk with you to the drugstore,” Hex offered.
“Thanks.” She fell into step beside him and as they passed the truck, Polly looked up, her expression unreadable.
“So that’s why you turned me down.” Polly eyed Martha up and down, as her eyes flashed amber.
Joey swung around to look at Hex, his mouth dropping open when he saw Martha. “You found your mate and you never said?”
“I didn’t want to make you jealous,” Hex quipped, and Martha tucked her arm through his and pulled him closer. “Are you being a little possessive?”
“I think I might be,” Martha agreed. “And now I do forgive you for being bullheaded when Shawn arrived. I think if Polly had turned up on your doorstep, I might just have scratched her eyes out.”
“Meow,” Hex raked the air with his fingers.
“You have no idea,” Martha told him. “No. Idea.”
Chapter Six – Martha
The warmth from Hex’s large, capable hands as he held hers spread through her body, chasing away the fear that she’d blown things with him.
There is no way you could blow it with him. That is not even possible, her cougar reminded Martha. This man would walk through fire and swim through floodwaters for us.
Her cougar purred at the thought of being rescued by such a handsome, broad-shouldered beast.
We can take care of ourselves, Martha chided.
A cat can dream, can’t she? Her cougar took herself into the corner of Martha’s mind where she sat down and proceeded to groom herself while still dreaming of being rescued like a damsel in distress.
“Will you come to dinner this evening?” Martha asked. “If my mom is feeling better, I’d like to introduce you to her. She’d like you.”
“I thought you didn’t want to overwhelm her while she’s sick.” Hex stopped outside of the pharmacy. “I don’t mind waiting. I think I’ve got a handle on the whole jealousy thing.”
“I thought it over and I think that this news might actually cheer Mom up.” She gave a low laugh. “My mom has always dreamed of having a bunch of grandchildren to dote over. I’d gotten to a point where I thought it would never happen.” Her cheeks flushed pink. “I’m not saying we have to have children right away or anything.”
Hex stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers before he leaned forward and kissed her lips. The touch was so light it was like a whisper on the breeze, but the effect it had on Martha was like the blizzard due to hit them in the next few days. He swept her off her feet in the same way the snow would sweep across the mountains and the surrounding towns. Her stomach clenched and her desire for Hex grew until she couldn’t bear to let him go even though she had to get the medication for her mom.
“I want children. I want a home with you. Wherever you want to live, I’m there.” He raised his eyes to hers. “You are my life now, Martha. You are my world.”
“Same.” She looked down at her feet, unsure of what else to say.
Same is pretty lame, her cougar told her.
“I’d love to come to dinner.” He took a step back and kissed her cheek. “Go get the prescription filled. I’ve taken up enough of your time.”
She nodded. “Come around whenever you are ready.”
He looked down at his dirty clothes. “When we’ve finished here, I’ll go home and shower.” He backed away. “I’ll see you later.”
“See you later.” She stood and watched him as he took a couple of more steps backward, neither of them wanted to break eye contact. “Go.”
He shook his head, grabbed hold of the gloves he’d tucked under his arm and then turned around. At a slow jog, he put some distance between them but the bond that connected them stretched out, like a long piece of elastic. Unbreakable and permanent.
Martha allowed herself to watch Hex until he reached the truck where Polly was still talking to Joey. Then she stepped inside the pharmacy and handed the prescription over to Mr. Regis who had owned and run the pharmacy since Martha was a little girl.
“Martha. Good to see you back in town. How is your mom?” Mr. Regis asked.
“She’s not so good.” Martha tapped the prescription. “This is for her. She has an infection. Shawn thinks there’s something else going on though, too, so we’re off to the hospital tomorrow for some tests.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Mr. Regis went into the back of the store. All of the shelves were neatly arranged and labeled just as they always had been. It gave Martha a sense of nostalgia, a sense of longing for her old home and her old life here. She hadn’t ever expected to feel homesick. She loved her job in the city, but her life had changed. Meeting her mate had thrown up big questions that she’d never allowed herself to answer.
If she was going to have children with Hex, and age was not on her side, then did she really want to raise them in the city? Or in the beautiful, wild mountainous area around Cougar Ridge?
“Is your mom taking any other medication?” Mr. Regis asked as he turned around. Wincing, he put his hand to his hip.
“No, she isn’t. Are you okay?” Martha asked as Mr. Regis walked stiffly back to the counter.
“My sciatica is acting up.” He set the drugs down on the counter. “I’m getting too old to be on my feet all day. I’m planning on retiring in a couple of years. But I’ve never been able to find anyone to take over here.”
“Well, you should look after yourself, you deserve to retire since you’ve been here for all of us.” She picked up the drugs. “I’ll be staying in town for the foreseeable future. If you need someone to help out, I’ll
give it a try. It means you can sit down and rest while I do all the running around. All you need to do is fill out the scripts.”
“That would be great.” Mr. Regis put his hand to his back again. “If I could rest for a couple of weeks, my sciatica will pass.”
“I’ll let you know as soon as my mom is on the mend,” Martha said. “I might only be able to manage a couple of hours a day.”
“Anything will help.” Mr. Regis leaned heavily on the counter as Martha left the pharmacy and headed back home. As she passed the grocery store, she let her senses roam in search of their mate, but he wasn’t there, and the truck had left. Pushing out further, she searched the town for him.
There, her cougar said. He’s by the library.
With a smile playing on her lips, Martha let herself into her mom’s house and was met by a, “Martha, is that you?”
“Yes. How are you feeling, Mom?” Martha went to the living room where her mom was no longer lying on the sofa. She’d pushed herself up to a sitting position and was drinking the glass of water Martha had set down on the small table she’d placed beside the sofa before she’d left. Hilda looked much brighter already.
“I’m feeling a bit better.” She took another sip of water. “I don’t feel so hot and my head is clearer.”
“You look better.” Martha held up the bag containing the antibiotics. “You need to take these, but you have to eat first. Shall I cook that bacon now?”
“Yes, please.” Hilda put her glass of water down on the small table and pushed herself up to a standing position. “I need to use the bathroom.”
“Can you manage?” Martha crossed the room to her mom, scared she might fall over.
“I’m fine.” Hilda put her hand to her head. “Just a bit woozy, but I expect it’s because I’ve been sitting or lying on that sofa all day and half the night.”
“You slept in here?” Martha asked in surprise.
Hex Winter Shifter Seasons Page 4
