Kiss of the Winter Moon

by Amanda LeMay

  The rooster crowed again.

  “I think your rooster is broken.”

  “Yeah,” Dad said, “I used to think that, too.” He laughed and startled the little colt.

  “I’d better get breakfast on.” Maygan put her arm through mine. “Wanna give me a hand or stay out here?”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but ended up yawning again.

  “Guess that’s a ‘no’.” Maygan laughed, and nodded to DJ. “Congratulations, DJ.”

  I tried to meet his gaze, but his flickered away. “Congratulations, and it was nice to meet you.”

  “Uh...yeah, thanks.”

  I was cold and tired, and it was obvious I made DJ uncomfortable for some unknown reason, so when Maygan turned to leave, I followed along.

  “Did my dad ever tell you I’m not much of a cook?”

  “No, he told me you make delicious homemade flour tortillas and green chile soup.”

  “Okay, that one dinner I do really well.” I laughed because tortillas and soup were the extent of my culinary expertise and I’d learned how to make those from Jules.

  “GW.” Maygan nodded at the silent man guarding the barn door.

  “Mrs. Maccon.” He lifted his chin my direction. “Jessy.”

  I smiled back. “GW, nice to meet you.”

  “Same here.” He blinked slowly, flashing his dark blue eyes. He had a strong jaw, a slight cleft in his chin, and a tiny, brown birthmark about an inch to the left of his Adam’s apple. He had a sort of strong-silent type sex-appeal, not that I was interested.

  Once Maygan and I hit the back porch, it seemed I had to drag my feet up each step. “I’m wiped out. Too much running last night, I guess. I am so out of shape. Freaking city life.”

  “Well, you go crawl on back to bed and I’ll save you some breakfast.”

  “Yes, please.” It nearly killed me to pass up one of Maygan’s hot meals, but as tired as I was, I was afraid I might fall asleep in my coffee.

  THE ROOSTER SOUNDED off again, singing the song of his people.

  Dumb bird.

  I wandered off down the hall toward my bedroom cussing that dumb bird every time he opened his beak. Lying there in the soft, warm bed with piles of handmade quilts on top of me, if that rooster would shut up for five whole minutes, I was sure I’d fall right to sleep from sheer exhaustion.

  But noooo.

  Soon, the mouthwatering smell of bacon, potatoes, and onions frying drifted up the hall and my stomach reacted by adding to the steadily rising noise of the oncoming day.

  Well, crap. Maybe I could catch a nap later.

  I swung my legs off the bed as I caught the whisper of nearly silent footsteps stopping in front of my bedroom door. Dain’s fresh, clean skin and soft-blanket scent overpowered the breakfast smells. Not only did my mouth water and my stomach growl, other parts of my body came to life quite nicely, too. Without knocking or saying a word, he turned to walk away.

  “Dain?” I called out.

  “Jessy.” He sounded so close, as if he’d leaned his forehead against my door and whispered my name through the wood. “Breakfast is ready, if you’re feeling up to it.”

  I didn’t reply. For a second, I couldn’t even think. I simply sat there and enjoyed the way my skin tingled when he spoke.

  “Jessy?”

  I jumped up, ran to the door, and yanked it open to find him still standing there. Close. Extremely close.

  “Uh...yeah.”

  Great. Now I sounded like an idiot. He smiled and those eyes of his made my already-tingling body shiver.

  “Might want to put a robe on or something. Kitchen’s nice and warm, but the walk there may be a little chilly for your bare legs.”

  “Uh...yeah.”

  Crap! I really do know more than two words!

  I didn’t say that, though.

  And how he knew I had bare legs I didn’t know. I could’ve sworn he never took his eyes from my face.

  He smiled and tilted his head to the left. His long hair slipped to the side and flowed off his wide shoulder in a silky, black sheet. His gaze traveled up and down my body and for the briefest moment, stopped at my breasts. That hungry gaze of his rekindled the little fire deep inside of me. He didn’t need to see my bare legs to get the idea I had a chill. With the painfully full feeling in my breasts, I was sure my nipples were giving him a good-morning greeting all on their own.

  His broad chest expanded with his next breath. His eyes widened a hair as a blush rose high on his tanned cheeks. He stepped back from my door as if he were about to run for cover like a frightened rabbit.

  “Hey, y’all,” Maygan’s voice called out. “If you’re gonna eat, get in here and do it already. You’re not the only animals on this ranch that need feedin’.”

  I stepped out of my door into the hallway and Dain stopped me with a look.

  “Robe.” He choked on the word before clearing his throat. “Slippers, if you have them.”

  “Oh, sure.” I cringed. See? I know three words! I turned back and by the time I’d thrown on my robe and shoved my feet into my slippers, Dain had disappeared.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  MAYGAN STOOD AT THE kitchen sink, one hand on the faucet as bubbles billowed up with steam, filling the room with the clean fragrance of lavender dish soap. No plates or coffee mugs littered the big, oak table. Apparently, I was already late to breakfast.

  “Did the guys inhale their food or do a drive-by and take it to go?”

  Maygan turned and smiled. “They did a drive-by.”

  She grabbed a clean plate from the cupboard, piled fried potatoes on the side and heaped fluffy scrambled eggs on the other side. Next, she uncovered a basket of large, round biscuits and placed one in the center. I scooted in my chair as she set the plate in front of me. She grabbed a plate of crispy bacon she had kept warm in the oven and set it on a hot pad in front of me.

  “Have as much as you’d like.”

  This female would spoil me for sure.

  And...it was okay.

  I didn’t resent it as I knew I would have when she first mated with my dad.

  I’d been such a bitch.

  The blue and white of the plate blurred into the bright yellow-orange and dark brown of my breakfast feast. Blinking away tears of shame, I croaked out a “thank you” as I reached for something—anything—and my hand landed on the butter dish.

  “You are so welcome.” Her smile was genuine as she poured a cup of coffee and set it next to my plate. “Here you go.”

  I couldn’t help but smile back at her. In the two years I’d spent in San Francisco, I’d become so used to the shallow faces that surrounded me on a day-to-day basis. Each smile represented a question: what do you have that I want, and how can I get it from you for nothing. I always tried to be as friendly and approachable as I could be, but I didn’t dare drop my guard. The few pack members I spent time with, I never called friends, and the few males I’d had sex with always had other, ulterior goals. Manipulative and cruel, they used sex not to enjoy the simple, intimate act, but to work out the overly aggressive behavior that came from being locked up in a cage of bright lights, glass walls, and steel buildings.

  “Jessy?”

  I heard my dad say my name as if he were miles away. Something squeezed my heart. Love? Longing? Need?

  “Jessy? Are you okay?” Maygan’s pretty face came into my line of sight. “Honey, why are you crying?”

  “Baby girl?” A warm arm went around my shoulders while a gentle hand wiped my cheek.

  He smelled of hay and dirt and horses, and, sweet heavens, I’d missed that smell.

  “I can’t go back there.” A lump of pent-up emotion clogged my throat and I fought to swallow it down. “I can’t go back there. I hate the city. Just hate it. I’m moving back to Albuquerque.” My crazy-empty hands needed something to hold to, so I reached for my coffee cup and concentrated on not spilling the hot liquid all over myself. “Dad, I’m sorry, I can’t live there any
more, not without...”

  Not without Dain.

  I shook my head and squeezed my eyes shut to stem the flow of tears. Dain’s handsome face flashed behind my eyelids. Images of him had tumbled through my mind the entire flight from San Francisco. Somehow, I’d lumped him in with all the other things necessary to my survival like clean air, sweet water, soft grass, and miles of earth to sink my claws into. And my family. I looked up into my dad’s face and exhaled a heavy sigh.

  “Okay. When you’re ready, we’ll pick up whatever you want to bring with you and I’ll make sure you get settled back in Albuquerque.” He smiled and kissed my temple. His eyes sparkled with happiness. He knocked his knuckles on the oak table. “Now, eat.”

  “Jessy, if you haven’t already made living arrangements, you are always welcome to live here, if you’d like,” Maygan offered. “We don’t have a large pack, but it’s old and loyal and we look out for each other.” She reached out and patted my hand. “Just think about it.”

  Dad gave me another squeeze around the shoulders. “Heaven knows we sure would enjoy having you here.”

  “Thank you, but,” I wiped my cheeks and cleared my throat, “I already sold my car, packed all my stuff in a POD and had it shipped home. It’s there waiting for me. I leased a little two-bedroom house on the outskirts of town, not too many miles from my new job.” I sipped my coffee and took a big breath.

  “A new job? That’s great, Jessy.” Dad said as he ran his warm hand up and down my arm.

  “I hope you don’t mind. I had to call in a favor at the Downs.” I cringed, remembering what I’d done to gain my new position. “Name-dropping is not usually my style, but I was desperate at the time.”

  “Of course I don’t mind! Maccon is your name too. It’s a good name, an old name. A trusted name. I’d have taken it as a personal insult if they didn’t hire you.”

  “Yeah.” I chuckled. “As soon as they found out I’m your daughter, two people from HR flew out to San Francisco to interview me. I was shocked. It’s a great opportunity and they gave me all the time I needed to, you know, leave my other job, find a new place to live, pack up, and even have this time off to spend here with you and Maygan.”

  And Dain.

  I didn’t say his name. I couldn’t. Speaking his name aloud almost felt like an admission to that little flame that constantly flickered deep down in my belly, simply from being in the same house, hell, the same state as Maygan’s son.

  “So what do they got you doing at the Downs?” Dad asked.

  “Same thing I did in San Francisco—event coordinator.” I scooted my empty fork around my plate and stabbed a chunk of soft, well-browned potato. “Which is great because I’ve made tons of contacts and I’ve worked with so many vendors already, and I won’t be...you know...” Lonely anymore.

  The words stuck in my throat. I sighed, ready to spill out the apology I should have made long ago. But, before I could open my mouth again, Dad squeezed me one more time and finished my sentence with his own words.

  “You won’t be so far away. And I couldn’t be happier, baby girl.”

  He got up from his chair, gave Maygan a short but passionate kiss, and then he left the kitchen through the back door.

  I listened to the sound of dishes clinking together under soapy water as I scooped forkful after forkful of delicious food into my mouth. I picked up my coffee, poured in a good helping of cream from the little pitcher Maygan had set on the table, and took a few sips. Heavenly.

  “It’s been two years since I had a real cup of coffee. Isn’t that the saddest thing you’ve ever heard?” Both Maygan and I laughed.

  “What in the world were you drinking?” She rinsed the soap bubbles from her arms and hands, picked up a towel, and dried off.

  “I couldn’t tell you. It sure didn’t taste like yours.”

  “Well, thank you.” She smiled as she took my plate from the table and placed it in the sink, then turned and leaned against the counter. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure.”

  “What did you think of Rule’s pack?”

  What did I think? I took a sip of my coffee before I answered.

  “Well, they’re not like any pack I’ve ever visited before. Most packs welcome you in, like part of their big extended family. That pack is...weird. Extremely secretive, even between pack members. Almost clique-ish. The few males I’d seen with their shirts off all had a capital R branded into their chests, like they were part of an exclusive club. They’re all built the same.” Maygan nodded and I went on, “It’s not as diverse as other packs I’ve visited. They’re also a little too thin—I’m talking thin—like a bunch of pale-skinned, ebony-haired models. The females were unfriendly and stuck up, and the males were just...” What were they? “Manipulative, sex hungry, douches.”

  Maygan laughed. “We’ve established that fact already.”

  I finished off the rest of my coffee while I considered the other things I found odd with the San Francisco pack.

  “In the two years I was there, I never once saw Rule. He seemed to have a group of lackeys running most of the business. It was strange. Every other pack I’ve visited, the alpha always had a big presence, particularly in their business dealings. One of the other things I noticed was they don’t hold celebrations—no birth or mating ceremonies. Well, if they did, I wasn’t invited and no one ever talked about them. They don’t hold Moon Dance celebrations, either. The few wolves I spoke with acted like they didn’t have a clue what I was talking about. If the pack ever got together, I wasn’t included. It’s almost like they’re in their own little world.”

  I shook my head and sighed.

  “I was the new girl in school—the females rarely spoke to me and the males wouldn’t leave me alone. But I never once felt accepted as a member of the pack, which, I guess, is part of why I left.”

  “Well, each alpha may run his pack a certain way, as long as they don’t break our laws. From what I understand, Rule has been their alpha for over a hundred years and before him, it was his dad.” A little smile crossed Maygan’s lips. “I did some research on that pack when you moved. Not that he’ll ever tell you, but your dad was worried because he’d heard they were a little different.”

  “A little different is an understatement.” I laughed.

  “Well, you’re out of there and that’s all that matters.”

  “Yep.” And sweet heavens, I was so happy. “So what’s on the agenda for today?” I didn’t have a clue what I would do on a ranch for two weeks. It certainly wouldn’t be like spending two weeks at a spa on the beach. “And what the heck is it with guys and going by their initials, huh? Those two guys here this morning, GW and DJ, what does that even stand for?”

  Maygan laughed. “Gilbert Witherby and Danby Junker, and I only know because they’re both named after their dads. You won’t catch anyone calling them by anything other than GW and DJ, though.” She shook her head and smiled. “And agenda? You’re on vacation and you sound like you’ve come here to work on an assignment.”

  “Sorry.” I ran my hands over the rough tabletop, traced the grain with my fingertips. So natural, so real, and so different than the pieces of molded plastic usually held between my fingers. “It’s a habit. I’ve spent the last two years planning out each minute of my day, and a slew of other people’s time, with a phone in one hand and an iPad in the other.” And because I needed to hold on to something, I wrapped my hands around my empty coffee cup again. “I never dreamed unplugging would make me feel so lost. And even though I know I don’t need to be anywhere, or need to call anyone, or need to arrange anything, I can’t help looking around for a clock every other minute just to see what time it is. I swear I’m suffering from withdrawals.”

  “I get that. Those damned little devices are like crack. But I think we can find something around here to keep your hands busy.” Maygan’s eyes sparkled as she laughed. “And like I said before, a lot of animals need feedin’ around here. You’re
on vacation, so you can do as you like. Rest. Run. Eat. Run some more. Whatever. If you’d like to tag along with me, I would sure enjoy the company. Your dad and Dain will be off feeding the cattle and horses, but you’re welcome to tag along with them if you’d rather. Do you ride?”

  “Well, I sat on a horse once. When I was six.” I gave her my most eager smile then broke into giggles. “Even though I tagged along with Dad to the track, it’s true...I really was only interested in the cowboys.”

  Maygan shook her head and laughed her sweet, husky laugh.

  “Yep. Well, until the horses get used to your wolf scent, it would be safer if you rode with Dain or your dad. As soon as the horses are used to you, you can run with them as a wolf. Make sure you watch out for their hooves. The last thing you want is a thousand pounds of horseflesh on your paw or your back.”

  “Yeah.” I cringed.

  Still, even though I avoided horses, I would make an exception. The thought of my arms wrapped securely around Dain’s waist as my cheek rested on his broad back was well worth the risk.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “WE’RE GOING FOR A RUN.”

  Through sleepy eyes, I looked up at my dad and Maygan, and nodded.

  “Okay.”

  Both of them were barefoot. Dad had on a pair of running shorts and Maygan wore an extra-long T-shirt and probably nothing else, seeing that once they were outside, they’d strip out of their clothes anyway.

  I slumped farther into the warmth of the cozy, overstuffed chair in front of the blazing fire Dain had built up before supper. My belly was full and my cheeks flushed from three glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon. I had never worked so damn hard while on vacation. After the first five hours, I had seriously wondered at my decision to tag along with Maygan on my first day here. Though the work wasn’t that strenuous, I was so not used to being on my feet for hours on end and we didn’t take a break until lunch.