Fairplay Shifters Boxset

by Serena Meadows

  Charlie looked around the barn realizing that she’d like nothing more than to help. “I wouldn’t mind, but only if you promise to tell me about Clarise and Gerome later.”

  Steven didn’t like the reminder of why Charlie was here, but they needed her small hands. “Okay, but not until we’re finished here.”

  It was way past dinner before they finally left the barn, Charlie looked like she was exhausted but there was a glow in her face that he hadn’t seen before. It stirred feelings inside him that he didn’t want and didn’t need, especially not for the sister of the shifters who’d caused so much trouble for his family.

  Determined not to give in to his weakening resolve not to like her, he walked a little faster to get away from her. He knew that it was childish, but he couldn’t help himself, the intense need to get away from his new feelings drove faster. When they got back to the ranch house, he headed straight for his room and the shower hoping that when he came out she’d be in her room and out of sight.

  Chapter 7

  ***Charlie***

  Charlie was sure that she’d never been as sore and tired as she was, nor had she ever been this dirty. But she didn’t care, it had been one of the most exciting days she’d ever spent and the three calves that she’d helped into the world were the cutest things she’d ever seen. It had been a strange afternoon, not only because she’d spent most of it with her hand up inside a cow, but because of the change in Steven.

  Had she not met him before that afternoon, she’d think that he was a great guy. He’d seemed to soften as the day went on and the cows began to safely deliver their calves and she was sure that part of it was relief but there’d been more to it. Several times, she’d caught him looking at her and when their eyes met she was almost sure that she felt a spark between them.

  But it was probably just her imagination, after all she knew very little about romance and what happened between men and woman. The boarding schools she’d attended growing up had always been all female and once she’d gotten to college she found that she had no idea how to interact with boys. So, it had just been easier not to, she didn’t mind being alone, she’d been that way for most of her life.

  That thought made her feel guilty, Clarise and Gerome had always been there for her, at least by telephone. She hadn’t been alone all this time, she’d just been lonely.

  Stepping into the shower, she turned the water up as high as it would go and let it wash over her sore muscles. After she’d washed her hair twice and scrubbed her skin until it was pink, she stepped out of the shower feeling like all her energy had been drained. She barely managed to wrap herself up in one of the huge puffy towels before she stumbled back into the bedroom and fell across the bed too exhausted to move any farther.

  She knew that she needed to get back up and get dressed, Daniel had ordered pizza, a treat after the long day they’d had. But she couldn’t make her body move, so she just laid there and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of the hard bed under her.

  A loud knock on the door startled her, but she still didn’t open her eyes or move. “It’s been a while since you came up here, I just thought I’d check to see if you’re okay,” a voice called through the door.

  Charlie smiled, Daniel was the definitely nicer of the two brothers she thought, then wondered why it wasn’t him that she was attracted to. “I don’t think I can move,” she said, her voice muffled by the bedspread.

  She heard the bedroom door open, “Do you need a hand?”

  Charlie smiled and opened her eyes expecting to see Daniel standing there but it was Steven grinning down at her instead. Instantly, she remembered that she was only dressed in a towel and began to scramble up off the bed, the towel slipped and she barely managed to catch it before it hit the floor.

  “I thought you were Daniel,” she said, her face flaming. Then she flew into the bathroom, slammed the door and shouted, “I’m fine, I’ll be down in a minute.”

  ***Steven***

  Steven walked down the stairs with a huge grin on his face, he hadn’t meant to surprise Charlie like that, but her door had been open just a bit, so he’d assumed that she was dressed. Twenty-four hours ago, he wouldn’t have even noticed her slim legs and rounded rear end, but after a day of being smashed up against her in the stalls, he’d become aware that she was a very attractive woman.

  He’d been planning on taking his pizza to his room and hiding for the night, avoiding Charlie and his mixed-up feelings for her seemed like the best plan. But when he got out of the shower and thought about Charlie alone in the living room with his brother, he found himself getting dressed.

  On his way to the living room, he tried to convince himself that it wasn’t jealousy that had him changing his plans, it was that he didn’t want to miss any clues she might give them. But deep down he knew the truth, he was beginning to believe Charlie’s story, beginning to feel things for her he shouldn’t.

  When she hadn’t been in the living room, he’d volunteered to go check on her, earning a set of raised eyebrows from his brother. Now standing in the middle of the room a stupid grin on his face, he knew that he was in trouble.

  “What are you grinning about?” Daniel asked, “Did you do something mean to Charlie?”

  He let himself remember the sight of the towel falling once more then said, “Not exactly.”

  Daniel got to his feet, “What does that mean?”

  “I scared her that’s all,” Steven said, the silly grin still on his face.

  Daniel sat back down, “She was a big help today, you should be nicer to her,” Daniel said, then added, “She didn’t have to do any of that you know.”

  Steven shrugged and sat down, “And she was really good at it, like she’d done it before.”

  “Are you saying you think she’s lying about her background?” Daniel asked.

  “No, I think she’s telling the truth about that, you saw her face when she first walked into the barn. She really did think that we were hurting that cow, unless she’s a good actress, that was real.”

  “So where does that leave us? Do we tell her the whole story yet, or put it off?” Daniel asked, looking toward the stairs knowing Charlie would be coming soon.

  “I think we should wait, put it off as long as we can, keep her close until we know for sure that’s she’s being honest with us.”

  “Is that the only reason?” Daniel asked, flashing his brother a big smile, “It wouldn’t be because you’re getting a crush on her?”

  Steven was saved from answering by Charlie who came down the stairs just then, dressed in sweats, her hair pulled back from her face she looked sweet and innocent. He felt a rush of desire but pushed it away only to have it come rushing back even stronger when she looked at him and blushed.

  Wanting to curse, he said, “I’ll go get your pizza, we put it in the oven to keep it warm.”

  When he came back into the room he had himself under control, but he didn’t miss the knowing look on Daniel’s face and promised himself that he’d deal with him later. “Here you go, nice and hot,” he said, handing her the plate then taking a seat as far away from her as he could get.

  Even from this distance he could smell her, a scent that reminded him of wild flowers and spices. Getting to his feet he began to pace the room afraid that one of them would notice the tightening in his groin. He paced back and forth while Charlie and Daniel talked about calving, a conversation that seemed to go on and on while he paced miserably.

  Finally, Charlie set her plate down and said, “I’m full and very sleepy but you promised to tell me what happened to Clarise and Gerome.”

  She looked so innocent sitting there in the big chair, her feet tucked under her that Steven found himself wanting to protect her. He stopped pacing and sat down across from her, “I think that can wait for morning, you’re tired and it’s only going to upset you.”

  “But I need to know, it’s hanging over my head,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.

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sp; “I know how hard this must be, but I think when you hear the whole story, you’ll understand why we wanted to wait to tell you,” Steven said, his voice soft. “Help us with the cows again tomorrow and then I promise you we’ll tell you everything.”

  Charlie looked like she was going to object but then she yawned so big that Steven was sure he heard her jaw pop. “I guess you’re right, but you can’t keep putting me off like this. I’m beginning to think that you’re hiding something and one way or another I’m going to find out what it is,” Charlie said, then got up and headed for the stairs.

  Steven heard the bedroom door slam and the lock slide into place. “Well, I bought us one more day, but I don’t think we’ll get any longer than that.”

  ***Charlie***

  By the time Charlie locked the door, she was already wishing that she’d pushed them for the answers tonight. But she was exhausted, didn’t really have the energy to fight, but tomorrow would be different, tomorrow she wouldn’t let them get away. They’d answer her questions, or she’d start working her way through the crew, asking over and over until someone finally told her what she wanted to know.

  Margot popped into her mind, and she realized that she’d missed her meeting with her that afternoon. Tomorrow she’d find time to go see her, leave the barn in the afternoon, it wouldn’t be that hard to slip away. Climbing into bed she thought back on the day, her mind instantly going to Steven and all the confusing signals he was sending her.

  One minute he seemed to hate her, then he’d be nice for a while. Tonight, he’d paced around the living room like it was the last place he wanted to be, but he’d been the one to come get her. For a while he’d reminded her of a caged animal, pacing up and down, needing the freedom it was being denied. Pushing the thought from her mind as ridiculous, she snuggled down deeper into the covers, glad for the soft bed and pillows.

  She tried to think of something else besides Steven, but her mind kept circling back to him and his strange behavior. When she closed her eyes, she could see his green eyes focused on her that first night, they’d had a strange glow to them, that night it had scared her, but now it only thrilled her. It seemed impossible that she could be attracted to him, but even she knew what the little thrill of excitement and pleasure she felt when he was around meant.

  Today, they’d been smashed together so many times, that she already knew the contours of his arms, the hard muscles and tendons that bulged deliciously under his shirt. Twice she’d been pressed up against his hard chest, and even now she could remember the feeling of his arms around her the one time it had happened.

  A trill of pleasure raced through her at the memory and she knew that she had to stop her silly crush. Steven was the enemy, at least for now, until they told her the entire truth, she couldn’t trust him. She needed to get refocused on her investigation, there was no guarantee that they’d talk to her tomorrow night as they’d promised.

  Deciding that she needed to make some notes about the day, she got out of bed and grabbed her little notebook and a pen. She found a clean page and wrote the date at the top and began to write, but her notes quickly began to blur on the page and she couldn’t keep her eyes open.

  The note book slid off the bed with a thud as she drifted off to sleep, her dreams full of Steven with his body pressed against hers. For the first time in months, she slept through the night, Steven keeping her company in the land of dreams.

  Chapter 8

  ***Steven***

  Walking behind Daniel and Charlie, Steven couldn’t quite get control of his emotions. It had been a perfect day, each cow that had come into the barn had delivered a fat calf with very little help. Charlie had been at his side the entire day, as eager to help as she’d been the day before, but clearly relieved that she wasn’t going to have to manipulate any calves that day.

  Instead she’d stood by his side and anticipated his needs, almost as if she was reading his mind. At first it was unnerving but once he got used to it, he decided that they made a good team. Now walking along the trail behind her, he felt desire stirring as it had been all day, and it was mixed with a need to protect her so strong that it scared him.

  But underneath all of that there was still some mistrust, the amulet hanging around his neck made sure of that. He’d seen what it could do and just because Charlie was a beautiful woman who seemed innocent, he couldn’t stop being careful. Tonight, would be the real test, her reaction when they told her about how her brother and sister had died would tell them a lot.

  There was a part of him that wished that they would never have to tell her, that things could continue as they were. He had a feeling deep inside him that if they did, Charlie might just be the one he’d been waiting for, but the reality of who she was made him distrust that feeling.

  Feeling an intense need to talk to someone about what he was feeling, he let them get a head of him, then took the path to the bunkhouse. With his mom gone, he headed for the only other person he felt he could talk to, Daniel would have just made fun of him and that was the last thing he needed in his state of mind.

  When he walked into the back door of the kitchen, Margot was standing at the stove, but the minute she saw him, she handed the spoon she was holding to one of her helpers and rushed over. “I’m so glad you stopped by, I was just coming to look for you at the barn.”

  Steven shot her a questioning look, but she shook her head, “Come on back to my office so we can talk.”

  When they were seated in her office with the door closed, she said, “I had a visit from Charlie today, she wanted me to tell her about her brother and sister.”

  “What did you tell her?” Steven asked.

  “Nothing just like you asked me to, but I did get her talk about herself. From what she said, almost as soon as her parents died, her sister packed her up and sent her off to boarding school. She said that she went to bed one night and they were there, but the next morning they were gone, and her sister was packing her things,” Margot said, shaking her head. “She said they fought a lot, like animals were her exact words.”

  “She told us almost that same story the night she showed up here, it sounded strange to me. She’s supposed to come from a family of shifters, wouldn’t she have known what she was hearing?”

  “I think deep down she does, but something terrible happened that night and she’s blocking it. Something so awful that her mind has shut it off and buried it,” Margot said, then added, “You need to be careful with her, she’s more fragile than you realize.”

  Steven let that sink in for a minute. “But if she’s a shifter wouldn’t she herself shift? This doesn’t make any sense.”

  Margot was quiet for a long time, “Well, I suppose it’s possible that she’s blocked her gift, found a way to shut it off to protect herself.”

  “Wait what do you mean shut it off? Is that even possible?” Steven asked, shocked.

  “I’ve never heard of it happening, but the mind can do amazing things to protect itself. But we also have to consider another possibility,” Margot said. “It’s possible that she’s human, that somehow or another she ended up with a group of shifters.”

  “She did say that her brother and sister always hid her when the fighting started, maybe they were trying to protect her from more than just emotional scars,” Steven said, the possibilities swimming in his mind.

  “Either way, she doesn’t know about shifters and you’re going to have to be very careful what you tell her. Take it slow and tell her as little as possible at first,” Margot advised.

  “I wish we didn’t have to tell her, I’m afraid she’s going to freak out and leave,” Steven admitted.

  Margot looked at him surprised, “I thought that was what you wanted.”

  “It was, but now I’m not so sure,” he said, hoping his embarrassment didn’t show on his face. “I mean, she’s been a big help around here with the calves and all.”

  Margot studied him for a second, “Is that the only reason?”
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br />   Steven looked down at the table, unable to meet her eyes, “No, it’s not.”

  “Do you want to talk about that?” Margot asked, reaching out and putting her hand over his.

  “No, I mean yes. Oh, I don’t know what I mean,” Steven said, throwing his hands up in the air. “Nothing has happened between us, but I feel like something could. I guess I’m just confused about what I’m feeling, I should hate her, but I can’t.”

  “Why should you hate her?” Margot asked.

  “Well, her brother and sister are the ones who caused all the problems we’ve had, they almost killed Justin and Penny.”

  “Steven, I don’t think she had anything to do with that, I don’t think she even knew that were here,” Margot pointed out.

  “I know that, but how can I trust her, there’s so much at stake.”

  “Well, I’m afraid I can’t answer that, you’re going to have to figure that out for yourself. But just remember that sometimes people are exactly what they seem to be.” Margot said, then got up. “I’ve got to get back to the kitchen, you and Daniel need to talk to Charlie, but remember what I said, she’s fragile, so go slow.”

  ***Charlie***

  Charlie and Daniel had been so deep in conversation that they didn’t notice when Steven slipped away from them. “What happened to Steven? He was right behind us,” Charlie said, when they walked through the kitchen door.

  “I’m not sure,” Daniel said, wondering the same thing himself.

  His brother had been acting weird all day, grumpy and crochety one minute, then smiling and happy the next. It was driving him crazy, but he had a pretty good idea what was bothering his brother and hoped he’d gone to find someone to talk to. It saddened him that Steven didn’t want to talk to him, but then again if it was his feelings for Charlie that were bothering him it was understandable.