“Wait, what?” his brother asked.
Charlie knew that it was her chance to escape, she made it almost all the way out of the door before Steven grabbed her and pulled her back into the house. “You’re not going anywhere,” he said, then pushed her down the hallway. “You’ve got some explaining to do.”
He shoved her into the living room and into a chair, “Now tell us what you’re doing here and make it quick,” he said, glaring at her.
“I’m looking for my brother and sister, they talked about Fairplay and the Brook’s ranch all the time, said that someday we’d come here together, and they’d show it to me. I haven’t seen them in a couple of months, their phones aren’t working, and I don’t have any other way to get a hold of them,” she said as quickly as she could, hating the fact that her voice was shaking but unable to stop it. “This was the only place I could think of to look for them. If they’re not here and you don’t know them then I’ll go, I’m sorry I woke you.”
“You’re not going anywhere,” Steven growled, crossing his arms over his chest and staring hard at her.
“She doesn’t know,” his brother said, pulling him away from her.
When Steven just continued to glare at her, his brother grabbed him by the shoulders and gave him a little shake, “She doesn’t know,” he repeated.
Steven finally looked away from her and at his brother, “Are you sure?”
His brother nodded his head, “I’m sure. She doesn’t know anything.”
Steven turned back to her, “My brother Daniel here thinks that you don’t know anything, I’m not so sure.”
Charlie knew that he expected her to say something, to defend herself but she wasn’t even sure what she was accused of. “I came here looking for my brother and sister, I have no idea where they are or what you think I might have done. I’d like to leave now,” she said, trying to sound stronger than she felt.
“I’m sorry but I don’t think we can let you leave just yet,” Daniel said, “I’d like to ask you a few more questions if you don’t mind.”
Daniel seemed much calmer than Steven, so she nodded her head, “I guess that would be okay but then I’m leaving,” she said.
Steven stomped over to a chair by the door and sat down, keeping his eyes glued to her. She forced herself to look away from him and instead at Daniel who seemed the calmer of the two. “Why don’t you tell us a little bit more about Clarise and Gerome, that might be a little easier.”
Charlie wasn’t sure what they wanted to know so she started from the beginning, “Our parents died when I was twelve, the three of us were all that was left. Clarise and Gerome are a lot older than me, so they took care of me, put me in boarding school so I’d get an education, made sure I had everything I needed. When it came time for me to go to college, Clarise made it happen, I don’t know where she got the money, but she did. I only have one semester to go before I graduate,” Charlie said, then paused, her worry for her brother and sister welling up inside her.
She took a couple of deep breaths and continued, “When I didn’t hear from them for a while I began to get worried, we’re never out of contact for more than a couple of weeks and it’s been months. I was desperate, so I came here.”
Daniel looked at her skeptically, “I find it hard to believe that you knew nothing about your brother and sister, not even where they lived,” he finally said.
“I know it sounds strange, but Clarise didn’t want me to grow up the way she did, she wanted more for me. I don’t remember much about those years before my parents died, but I do remember being hungry all the time, and wearing clothes with holes in them. I remember my parents fighting, fights that lasted for days.” she explained. “She gave me all the things she never had, a full stomach, security, and most of all love.”
The brother’s exchanged a glance that she couldn’t read, then Daniel crossed the floor and sat down next to her, a sympathetic look on his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but Steven spoke before he could.
“Your brother and sister are dead,” he said, his voice harsh.
Charlie sucked in a breath, shocked by his words. “What? What did you say?”
“I said that they’re dead,” he repeated, then shut his mouth when Daniel gave him a dirty look.
Charlie looked from one to the other, too shocked to speak. Finally, Daniel took her hand and said, “We had some problems here last year and they were killed in the fighting. I’m sorry.”
“Killed?” she asked, her voice a whisper.
“Yes,” Daniel answered.
Charlie opened her mouth to ask another question, but the room began to spin as it sank in that her brother and sister were dead. They were the only family she had and now they were gone, she was totally and completely alone in the world with no way to support herself or anyone to turn to. It was more than she could handle and although she tried to take a few deep breaths to calm herself, it didn’t help, and the world began to fade to black.
Chapter 3
***Steven***
Steven watched as Charlie slid to the floor wondering if she was putting on an act, but when she didn’t move, he had to admit that her reaction might be real. Still, he had to be careful, the amulet was his main priority and he didn’t like her showing up here out of the blue when it was hidden in the house. It seemed like too much of a coincidence and he didn’t believe in coincidences.
“What are we going to do with her now?” he asked, watching as Daniel gathered her up in his arms.
“Well, thanks to you, we’re stuck with her for at least tonight. It doesn’t look like she’s going to wake up any time soon, I’ll put her in one of the bedrooms and let her sleep it off. I think she’s had a hard time of it, and your little announcement was more than she could take,” Daniel said, heading for the stairs.
Steven knew that he’d never get back to sleep, so he headed for the kitchen to wait for Daniel. When he came in he asked, “Did she wake up, I’m still not sure this isn’t a big act.”
Daniel shook his head, “I don’t think so, you saw her reaction. I think she’s completely clueless, didn’t have any idea what her brother and sister were up to, if she did I don’t think she’d show up here.”
Steven thought about that, “I still don’t think it’s a good idea to have her here in the house with the amulet, put her in the barn or something until we’re sure.”
Daniel sighed, “Now you’re just being ridiculous, I’m not putting her out in the barn,” he said, “Besides, you heard her, she’s their sister, that means she’s a connection to them. We might be able to find out something about them from her even if she thinks she doesn’t know anything.”
“Hmph, I still don’t like it,” Steven said, getting to his feet. “I’m going to go look for her car, see if she really ran out of gas.
Daniel watched him go, shaking his head, sure that he’d read the woman right. When Steven walked back into the kitchen, he brushed the water from his hair and said, “Well, her car is parked in the middle of the road about two miles away, and it’s out of gas.”
“Told you she doesn’t know anything, you’ll have to move it in the morning,” Daniel said.
“Why do I have to move it?” Steven asked, not liking his younger brother giving him orders.
“Because I’m afraid to leave you alone with her,” Daniel said, “I’m going to bed, I think you should do the same.
Steven watched his brother walk up the stairs, feeling like a kid who’d done something wrong, but instead of continuing to battle with his brother he headed back out the kitchen door, he needed to shift, to take his mountain lion form and roam around the hills for a while. It was the only way he’d be able to release the anger Charlie’s appearance had stirred up inside him.
When he got back he felt better, knew that he’d be able to sleep but he walked past the stairs he made himself a promise. He’d watch their guest very carefully, eventually she’d do something to give herself away, in the mean
time, he’d hide the amulet so well that no one would be able to find it.
***Charlie***
When Charlie opened her eyes, the sun was shining brightly and for a second she thought that she was back home in Florida and she’d just had a bad dream. But then she looked out the window and saw pine tress instead of palm and knew that it hadn’t been a dream, her brother and sister were dead. Her stomach sank and all she wanted to do was pull the covers back over her head and hide from the world.
Instead, she got out of bed, wondering how she’d gotten there, then remembered fainting the night before. She could feel the blush creeping up her cheeks and hoped that it was Daniel who’d put her in bed and not Steven, who seemed like a nasty man. He’d been so uncaring last night, almost as if he’d wanted to punish her which made no sense, they’d never even met before last night.
Her stomach began to hurt thinking about what kind of greeting she might receive when she went downstairs and she wished that she at least had a change of clothes. The last thing she wanted to do was face what was to come in torn dirty clothes, but then she noticed her suitcase sitting by the door and breathed a sigh of relief. At least someone in this house had some manners, she thought as she rummaged around for a clean outfit.
After she’d showered in the little bathroom connected to the bedroom, she opened the door and poked her head out. Relieved to find it empty, she followed the sounds and smells of breakfast cooking to the kitchen, hoping to find Daniel and not Steven in the room. When she came around the corner, she found a woman in the kitchen instead of either man.
“Well, good morning,” the woman said, “Come and sit down and I’ll get you a cup of coffee. I hope you slept well.”
Charlie didn’t know what to say, but finally managed to say, “I slept fine thank you.”
“Good, I bet you’re starving,” the woman said, handing Charlie a cup of coffee. “Cream and sugar are on the table if you want them.”
Charlie watched her making breakfast, sipping her coffee and wondering who the woman was, but too afraid to ask. Finally, the woman turned from the stove, two plates in hand, set one down in front of her and the other on the table across from Charlie. The food looked and smelled wonderful and she couldn’t help but smile.
“Thank you, this smells wonderful,” she said, picking up her fork.
“Nothing like a big breakfast to get you started in the morning,” the woman said, sat down and then took several large bites of her food. Once she’d chewed and swallowed she looked across the table at Charlie, “I just realized that I didn’t introduce myself, I’m Margot the ranch cook, Daniel asked me to come up here and make you breakfast.”
Charlie wasn’t sure what to say, last night she hadn’t felt very welcome but this morning someone was making her breakfast. Finally, she introduced herself, “I’m Charlie, thank you for going out of your way for me.”
“It’s no problem, but I can’t stay long, have to get started on lunch you know,” she said, finishing the food on her plate in two more bites.
“I’d be happy to help if you like,” Charlie said, unsure why she’d offered.
“Oh, I’m used to working on my own, but it’s sweet of you to offer,” Margot said, clearly pleased with Charlie’s manners. “I bet you’ve got plenty of things to do yourself.”
Charlie had the overwhelming urge to tell this woman the truth, that she had nowhere to go and nothing to do, that she was an orphan. But instead, she finished her breakfast and her coffee, then offered to clean up. Before Charlie could say anything, the back door opened, and Daniel came walking through followed by Steven.
Daniel had a pleasant enough look on his face, but Steven’s was covered by a frown that only deepened when he saw her sitting at the table. “It’s about time you got out of bed, we’re not running a bed and breakfast you know,” he sneered at her.
Chapter 4
***Steven***
Steven hadn’t meant to be so rude, but seeing Charlie sitting there in his kitchen hit a nerve. She was the sister of the two shifters who’d tried to kill both his brother and sister, innocent or not, it wasn’t going to be easy to get past that. Daniel seemed to be handling it much better, but then again ultimately, he wasn’t the one responsible for the amulet, so it was easier for him to be objective.
“Please ignore my brother, he’s not much of a morning person,” Daniel said, giving him a look that made him shut his mouth.
Daniel had made him promise to let him do the talking, was sure that they could get some information from Charlie if they handled her carefully, but Steven wasn’t convinced of her story yet, wasn’t sure that she was telling the truth. Unlike Daniel, he was far from ready to trust her, didn’t think she should be treated with kid gloves like his brother did.
Margot got up from the table and put their plates in the sink, “I’ll just be getting back to the bunkhouse kitchen, just ring if you need anything.” Then she disappeared out the kitchen door leaving the three of them alone.
Charlie looked very uncomfortable once they were alone but squared her shoulders and said, “I’m sorry I showed up the way I did last night. Thank you for letting me stay and putting….” she trailed off, too embarrassed to continue.
Daniel smiled at her, then went to the coffee maker and poured himself a cup, then sat down across from her. Steven grabbed a chair too, but he swung it around and sat down on it backwards, his eyes locked on her, his face hard.
“You had quite a shock,” Daniel said, “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Charlie swallowed a couple of times, “Thank you, I was wondering if you could tell me more, I think I’m ready to hear it.”
“I promise I will but first I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me,” Daniel said.
Charlie nodded, “I guess that would be okay.”
“You said that your parents died when you were twelve, do you remember them?” Daniel asked.
A look of surprise came over Charlie’s face, “Not really, they fought a lot and it was mostly Clarise and Gerome who took care of me. She’d lock me in my room when they got really bad, sometimes she’d take me out of the house and hide me too,” Charlie said, remembering the fights. “It was scary almost like two animals fighting, there was growling and yelling and….” she trailed off, clearly too upset to continue.
Steven looked over at his brother, who raised his eyebrows, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to upset you. Do you remember where this was?”
“We lived in St Augustine Florida, Clarise used to take me to the beach all the time, I still remember the sign we had to walk under to get there,” Charlie said, her lip trembling a little bit.
Steven hated to admit it, but he was beginning to believe her story, even though he didn’t want to. “When was the last time you saw your brother and sister?” he asked, earning a dirty look from Daniel.
“I haven’t seen them in months, since before Christmas. I knew something terrible happened to them, we’re never out of contact this long,” Charlie said, trying not to cry. “Can you tell me more about how they died, you said that there was fighting. Why were they fighting?”
Steven opened his mouth but closed it when Daniel’s head whipped around. “This isn’t going to be easy to explain, but your brother and sister were killed trying to take the valley from the people who live here.”
“I don’t understand, take the valley, what does that mean?” Charlie asked, confused.
Steven looked over at Daniel, who seemed to be searching for an answer, so he spoke. “Your brother and sister showed up here about a year ago claiming that our father was their father too. They wanted to take over the ranch, run it instead of us, and things didn’t go too well for them.”
Charlie began to go pale, all the color draining from her face and for just a second Steven felt bad for her. “I don’t understand, what did they do?”
Steven opened his mouth to tell her the entire truth, but almost simultaneously his and Daniel’s phones began to
buzz in their pockets. “That’s going to have to wait for another time,” Steven said, getting up from the table. “It’s calving season.”
“But I still have questions,” Charlie said, before they could get out the door. “You can’t just leave. What am I supposed to do now?”
“You can stay here or leave it’s up to you,” Steven said, then walked out the door.
“You’re welcome to stay, but this might take a while,” Daniel said, shrugging his shoulders and following his brother.
Chapter 5
***Charlie***
Charlie sat at the table for several minutes after they left trying to decide how she felt, part of her was devastated by what she heard, but another part was angry. Angry that they’d blown her off for some cows, left her with more questions than answers and no promise of when they’d return.
Exactly what she was supposed to do while she waited she had no idea, and it was beginning to feel like she was a prisoner here. That was when she remembered her car, she’d left it out in the middle of the road and that couldn’t be a good thing, someone was liable to hit it and it was a rental, a rental she hadn’t put insurance on.
Jumping up from the table she headed for the door, at least dealing with the car was something she could do. Once it had some gas in it, she wouldn’t be trapped here, which the way things were going seemed like a really good thing to her. But when she got outside, her car was parked in the driveway in front of the house, when she opened the door and got in, the keys were in the ignition and the gas gauge read full.
She sighed in relief and wondered what she should do next, her brain so overwhelmed by all that she’d learned that she couldn’t think clearly. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back against the head rest, trying to organize her thoughts, trying to make herself believe what she’d been told.
Fairplay Shifters Boxset Page 38
