“Great,” Gemma said. “Has she been here long?”
“The last five years. Rosita had a fall and couldn’t stay in her own home.” He gave a sad smile. “It broke her heart to leave. Some of our residents struggle with giving up their independence.”
“I can sympathize with them,” Simon said.
“Okay, here we are.” Keith knocked on the door lightly and when a female voice answered, he opened the door. “Hi, Rosita, you have some visitors.”
He stepped in the room and Gemma craned her neck to glimpse her grandmother. She was an old, frail-looking lady, who was sitting at the window, looking out at the mountains.
“A visitor?” Rosita asked in surprise. “Is it Sylvia?” she asked in a cracked voice.
Gemma’s locked eyes with Simon’s. This was the right person, it was too much of a coincidence for it not to be Gemma’s grandmother. But how would she take the news?
Would she be pleased to know she had a family? Or upset that her son had never told her about the child he’d conceived?
Simon suddenly remembered the reason they were here and reached into his pocket, cupping his hand around the necklace and earrings. “Gemma, show her these.”
He handed the jewelry to his mate and she took them, before entering the room. “Hello, Rosita, is it okay if I sit with you for a while?”
Keith smiled reassuringly. “This is Gemma, and this is Simon.”
“Do I know you?” Rosita asked as she peered at them both. “Are you Sylvia’s daughter?”
“No, I’m not a relation of Sylvia’s,” Gemma said. “But I think I might have something that belongs to you.”
Gemma took hold of Rosita’s hand and placed the diamond and ruby necklace in it. Rosita closed her hand and took a look at the jewels. She stared at the necklace before drawing it closer to her eyes. “Where did you find this?” She looked up at Gemma with her watery blue eyes.
“My father gave it to my mom.” Gemma waited for the news to sink in, but Rosita didn’t see the significance.
“Where did your dad get it from? Did he buy it from a pawnbroker?” Rosita asked bitterly.
“No,” Gemma shook her head. “My father was Tyler.”
“Tyler? My son?” Rosita looked at Gemma as if seeing her for the first time. “You are Tyler’s daughter?”
“I am.” Gemma nodded, her hand going to her belly as her body tensed.
“Oh, you are having a baby.” Rosita placed her hand on Gemma’s belly. “I can feel the baby kicking.”
“There, did you feel it again?” Gemma asked.
“This is my great-grandchild?” Rosita’s awed expression was incredible.
“I think so.” Gemma wiped a tear from her cheek. “I never knew my dad, but he gave this necklace and matching earrings to my mom. But then he left, and she never saw him again. He told her he came from Bear Creek, and I thought he’d come back here.”
Rosita shook her head. “He left because he thought life would be better, more exciting. I always hoped he’d settled down somewhere and had a family.”
“He had a family, but he didn’t settle down.” Gemma reached out for Rosita’s leathery hand. “Did he steal the jewelry?”
Rosita’s sad smile gave Gemma the answer. “He always was a wild boy. Perhaps it was a good thing he didn’t stay around.”
“My mom loved him.”
“And he must have loved her if he gave her the only thing he had of value.” Rosita patted her granddaughter’s hand.
“Rosita, do you have any photographs of you wearing the jewelry?” Simon asked.
Rosita looked past Keith, who was still hovering in the room, listening to the conversation with avid interest. “In the photo album. On the shelf. There, Keith, make yourself useful.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Keith saluted Rosita.
“He’s a good boy, but you have to keep an eye on him or he sits around drinking coffee and gossiping with Gabbi all day.” Rosita winked at Gemma who looked radiant as she held hands with her grandmother.
“Here we are.” Keith passed her the photo album.
Rosita’s frail hands reached out for the album and she placed it on her knee, her hands smoothing over the cover as if it were an old familiar friend. “Thank you, Keith.” She flicked it open and turned to a page where a young man and woman wore formal clothes to a wedding or some other occasion. “Here. Your grandad gave them to me on our tenth wedding anniversary. They belonged to his mother.”
“Then you should have them back.” Gemma offered the earrings to Rosita, who still held the necklace in her hand.
“No, they belong to you now. I would have passed them down to your mother who would have passed them down to you. And you will pass them down to your child.” Rosita sat back in her chair, looking tired.
“Can we come to see you again?” Gemma asked, realizing it was time to let Rosita rest.
“Yes, please. I would love to see my great-grandchild.” Rosita sighed heavily.
As Gemma got up from her chair, Simon moved forward. “Do you have my cell phone?”
Gemma reached into her pocket and handed it back to him, her expression confused until he tapped the screen and asked, “Rosita, could I take a picture of your photograph?”
“Of course.” Rosita held the photo album up and Simon snapped the picture.
“Thank you, Rosita.” Gemma leaned forward and hugged the old lady.
“Call me Grandma,” Rosita instructed, her voice catching in her throat.
“We’ll see you real soon, Grandma,” Gemma said and then they left the room.
They had come here for the evidence they needed to clear both their names, but they were leaving with so much more. Gemma had family, people who could anchor her to Bear Creek.
Chapter Thirteen – Gemma
Gemma had family. A real blood relative. One who could tell her all about the family she came from. When her mom passed, she hadn’t realized how alone she’d felt. Finding herself pregnant had given her another person to care for, even if that person wasn’t born yet. Meeting Simon had given her the chance to make a real family again. But meeting Rosita anchored her, made her feel as if she belonged here in Bear Creek. The place she wanted to call home.
“Where to now?” she asked as she slid carefully into the car. The weight of the baby was pressing down and odd twinges in her stomach told her she needed to rest. Yet she sensed they were so close to finally clearing this whole mess up. If she could rid herself of Gianni, she would rest much more easily.
“I have to find Gus from the hardware store.” Simon drove away from the retirement home and turned toward Bear Creek. Snow clouds hung low over the mountain, obscuring the view. A rush of fear swept over Gemma. What if it suddenly started to snow so hard, they couldn’t make the rest of the journey? They’d be stranded in the car. What if she went into labor?
“Gus from the hardware store?” Gemma asked, not dwelling on what-ifs.
“Yes.” Simon didn’t take his eyes off the road as he continued. “After Brad came by, I took a look at the necklace and earrings.”
“And?” Were they fake after all? Gemma was certain they were not, but something was wrong.
“No, they are the real thing.” He paused. “There was something on the clasp. Carefully hidden.”
Her blood ran cold in her veins and she shuddered despite the heat in the car. “A tracking device?”
“I believe so.”
“And where is it now?” Gemma asked.
“Gus was delivering Christmas trees, so I put it in his truck.” Simon risked a sidelong look at his mate, who cracked a wide smile. A bubble of laughter rose inside her and erupted out of her mouth. She loved his quick thinking, she loved his resilience.
She loved him.
But she wasn’t ready to say the words yet. Something held her back, as if her tongue was attached to the roof of her mouth if she even thought of saying, “I love you.”
“That was some smart thinking
,” she complimented him.
“I thought so.” He nodded and turned the car toward town.
“So if Gianni is following the truck, why are we going to find him?” Gemma asked. “We agreed a fight was our last resort so shouldn’t we avoid him?”
“I wanted to retrieve it and set a trap.” He pulled the car over to the side of the road and took out his cell phone.
“And who is going to help us with this trap?” Gemma asked.
“I am going to get Brad to help, since that is the only real way to clear our names.” Simon tapped his phone. “Hi, Gus. Could you deliver the tree now, please? Yes, the sheriff’s office.” There was a small pause. “I can attach it to the roof of my car and take it home after we’ve done some shopping.”
“You lied so smoothly,” Gemma said half-accusingly as Simon ended the call.
“I didn’t exactly lie. We are going shopping, for liars and blackmailers.” He raised an eyebrow at her and drove on into town.
“I’m just sorry Gianni’s girlfriend has gotten mixed up in all this.” That didn’t sit well with Gemma. How could Gianni have gotten her to lie like that?
The things you did for love. Her father had given her mother the necklace and earrings that were meant to fund his new life. Had he truly loved her? But if so, why had he moved on and not kept in contact with her? After the baby came, she could always ask Thorn and George to dig a little deeper and track him down.
Or perhaps she should respect his wishes. He’d moved on and not looked back. There was a chance that Tyler might have made a new life for himself elsewhere and might have a new family who had no idea of his past.
“Here we are.” Simon parked the car along the street by the sheriff’s office and looked in the rearview mirror, watching everyone in the street. “Do you see Gianni or his girlfriend?”
Gemma ducked her head and looked out of the car windows. It was late afternoon and the light was beginning to fade. “I can’t see them, no.”
“Okay, you stay in here with the doors locked.” Simon was about to open the door, but she reached out and grabbed his arm.
“Why don’t I come, too?” Gemma asked.
“You look tired. And I don’t want you in danger.” He gave her a tight smile. “They’ll track the tracking device. They won’t think to look in the car.” He glanced out of the window. “There’s Gus.”
“Please be careful,” she told him lamely. He would do whatever it took to make her and the baby safe. “Before you go...”
Simon turned around and looked at her, his expression filled with love and longing, yet there was a strength of will, a steeliness that said he would lay down his life for her if he had to. Simon was a primal beast, his wolf lurking under his skin as he looked at his mate. “Gemma?”
“I love you.” The words spilled out of her mouth, as natural as breathing.
His mouth curled upward in a half smile. “I will be back.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “I love you two.” He placed his hand on her stomach and winked.
Then he was gone, running across the road to meet Gus. Gemma sat back and absently soothed the baby with her hand, feeling relieved when a small hand or foot pushed back at her. “This will soon be over, and you will be born, and Simon will be a good dad.” Yet a wave of sadness swept over her. Gianni was the child’s biological father and it was a pity they would never know each other. Because surely Gianni would go to prison for what he’d done.
As she stroked her stomach, her eyes became unfocused as she made a mental list of all the things she needed to do before the baby arrived. When they got home later, she would check her bag, the one she’d packed last night with all the baby paraphernalia she’d bought in Bear Bluff yesterday. Then she’d likely check it again.
Nerves fluttered in her belly. What if she’d forgotten something?
“Oh.” Her abdomen tightened as if in a vise as a contraction swept over her. She breathed through it, this one lasting longer than her usual Braxton Hicks. But as it subsided, she reminded herself the baby was not due for another couple of weeks. “Or are you going to surprise us?” she asked her unborn child.
With a soft smile on her lips she looked up...and locked eyes with Gianni’s girlfriend.
The tall, slender woman turned around and walked away. This was Gemma’s chance to warn her about Gianni. Gemma wanted to give her a chance to distance herself from the trouble about to visit her boyfriend in the form of an irate wolf shifter and a sheriff.
With a quick check to make sure Gianni wasn’t around, Gemma opened the car door and got out. Placing her hand on the roof of the car, she steadied herself, her legs ached and so did her back. But this was more important, and she pushed herself to move. Walking along the sidewalk, she searched ahead for the woman. There she was, blonde hair bright in the afternoon gloom.
Then she was gone. Gemma kept walking. When she reached the spot she’d last seen the girlfriend, she turned down an alleyway. There she was. The woman was around twenty feet ahead. Gemma followed.
The alleyway bent around to the right and for several minutes Gemma lost sight of her quarry. Until she rounded the corner and came face to face with a cougar.
“What the hell?!” Gemma wished she could cover her baby’s ears. “Gianni?”
Gemma cast her eyes around the alleyway, there was no sign of the blonde woman. Only this fierce beast who did not look too pleased. Its tail twitched from side to side and it raised its paw, ready to swipe at her.
“Calm down, Gianni. We have proof of what you have been doing. It’s time to let it all go. This baby is staying with me.” Gemma suddenly realized she might be talking to a wild animal. This might not be Gianni at all. Instead, she might truly be about to die at the teeth and claws of a cougar.
All of this had been for nothing. If she didn’t fight back, and she certainly couldn’t run away, then no one would ever know her baby or see its beautiful face. Gemma was not willing to let that happen. But how the hell did you deal with a cougar?
With a wolf. Of course.
A snarl from behind her made her jump and the baby kicked her, hard. She placed her hand on her belly and tried to calm them both down, but when you came face to face with an angry wolf, that was easier said than done.
All she could do was flatten herself against the wall as the wolf took on the cougar.
They stood around five feet apart, circling each other, each looking for the advantage as Gemma watched on, horrified that her wolf would get hurt. And he was her wolf, she could see the shadow of Simon in its eyes. The same deep amber flecks that were ablaze as he lunged at the cougar. The cougar ducked and leaped to the side, its teeth bared as it hissed and mewled in anger.
Gemma stared down the cougar, willing it to run, but it wasn’t going anywhere. “Gianni, please.”
“Please what?” Gianni’s voice came from along the alleyway as he came running toward them with the sheriff by his side.
“Wait. You are not the cougar?” Gemma asked as the creature twitched its tail, saw its advantage and leaped onto the wolf’s back.
Simon turned his head and caught hold of the cougar’s leg, yanking it down awkwardly, leaving the feline beast sprawled across the ground.
But before the two creatures attacked again, Gianni stepped in and grabbed hold of the cougar. Gripping it by the scruff of the neck, Gianni scolded the cougar like a naughty pussycat.
“What the hell are you doing?” Gianni asked in his smooth Italian accent.
In reply, the not-so-fierce kitty flattened its ears and its eyes widened, imploring Gianni not to scold it anymore.
The wolf moved to Gemma’s side and pressed his body against her thigh. She placed her hand on its head and stroked its soft fur while he panted, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth like a big playful puppy. But she’d seen the other side of the wolf. The side that would protect her, and she was thankful to him.
“Shall we all calm down and take this back to the sheriff’s
office?” Brad asked calmly.
This was not his first shifter scrap and would not be his last. So this was the surreal world Gemma had entered. A thrill of excitement rattled up her spine. She could not wait to delve deeper into the world of shifters and the town of Bear Creek.
“Evie, you must comply with the officer.” Gianni gave the cougar one last shake and then let her go.
Simon’s wolf tensed, his eyes fixed on the smaller, but more nimble cougar. In return, the cougar hunched its back and bared its teeth. But a disapproving tsk from Gianni made her shift her gaze to him. Her mate.
Gemma’s world turned on its axis. Gianni wasn’t a shifter. Evie was.
The cougar shifted. It was something out of this world. The air shimmered and for a moment neither cougar nor human existed in the alleyway. Then the form of the tall, slender blonde Evie appeared, at first a dull shadow of a woman, but then the features coalesced and there she stood, her expression not too different from the scolded cat’s.
“Simon.” Brad gave the wolf an understanding look. The wolf sighed heavily and then shifted in the same way as Evie. Gemma felt the air pop and crackle as the wolf dematerialized to be replaced moments later by Simon. “Okay, let’s go.”
Simon wrapped his arm around Gemma’s shoulders as they walked back along the alleyway, with Gianni talking to a mute Evie in Italian. Gemma could not understand his words, but they all got the meaning behind them.
“I am sorry about this,” Gianni said as soon as they entered the sheriff’s office.
“Which part?” Simon asked tartly.
“The attack in the alleyway. Evie is a little, how do you say? Possessive.” Gianni gave Evie a smoldering look, but Evie ducked her head.
“And the rest of it?” Gemma asked hotly.
“The rest of what?” Gianni asked.
“My ruined life.” Gemma got the feeling Gianni had no idea what she was talking about as he looked down at her baby bump.
“You are with child.”
“Okay, let’s back up a little here,” Brad said. “Evie, you came here earlier and accused the animal shelter, and Simon in particular, of stealing a necklace and earrings meant for the charity auction.”
The Wolf Wants a Wife (A Second Chance Christmas in Bear Creek Book 2) Page 9
