by Terry Spear
She smiled and kissed his chest. "So next Christmas—"
"Ted Weekum can wear it."
She laughed. "So he is an eligible bachelor."
"Yeah, for a gal who loves horses and can't get enough of them. When do we tell everyone the good news?"
"Maybe at the New Year's Eve party? I don't want to go calling everyone right this minute."
"Your sister?"
Nina sighed. She supposed she should tell her sister at least. "And your brother."
"Everyone will know then."
"All right. It won't matter. You're stuck with me because you promised."
"Thank God for that."
"Besides, I love you, you beautiful, hunky cat."
"Just for my body, I knew it."
"Yeah, and lots more. I love your house and your dogs too."
He laughed again.
"And you got me a job." Then she snuggled against him and she felt complete, well-loved, and happier than she thought a body could be.
Until Stryker's phone rang in the living room, and she groaned. She knew he had to get it in case they had any trouble. She moved off him so he could run and get his phone.
"Be right back and don't leave the bed."
"Aye, aye."
He dashed off and she heard him answering the phone, wondering if she should shift into her cougar if there was trouble, or get dressed, or just stay right here and take a nap with her sexy mate.
"Hey, I didn't think I'd hear back from you so soon," Stryker said to Chet, wondering if he had good news, or bad about the woman who may be his mother.
Still feeling the incredible afterglow of making love to Nina, he couldn't believe she had agreed to mate him and he couldn't have been happier, no matter what news he learned about Marybeth Hill.
"Uh, okay, I was trying to be careful, checking around from the street, sniffing at the mailbox, just to see if I could smell if a cougar had been around, but she, Marybeth Hill, had been watching out the window. Good thing she didn't call the police on me. Anyway, she came out of the house, asking me if I was looking for anything. She had her phone in her hand like a weapon, make a move in her direction and she was calling the police. But the thing of it was I already had smelled a female cougar's scent and I was pretty certain it belonged to the occupant of the house, not some passerby.
"I told her I was with the CSF, gauging whether she knew about the organization or not, to confirm if she was a cougar for sure. Not that everyone knows about it. She didn't look like she recognized it, so I told her the truth. I knew if she heard I was looking for you and your brother's family, she would give off some kind of reaction."
Stryker didn't know Chet all that well, but he didn't realize he was a storyteller at heart. He wanted him to get to the point, but he bit his tongue.
"I told her that I was searching for a Marybeth Hill who had birthed male twins in Cheyenne, but that they'd been raised by foster families in different parts of Minnesota. Her eyes widened, and then filled with tears. She was overcome with emotion and I hurried to steady her before she collapsed. She's one of us, and I told her that the CSF is a Cougar Shifting Force that her firstborn son Leyton works for and operates the branch out of Yuma Town, Colorado, and that her second-born son, Stryker, is a deputy sheriff in the same town. I had to help her into the house. I didn't smell any recent male scents in there. She seemed to be living alone."
"Okay?"
"Well, she's been looking for you forever. The two of you. She was afraid you'd both died. She was upset when she learned you were fostered by humans. Anyway, she wants to speak with you."
"She's there? Now?"
"Yeah. You want to talk to her?"
Stryker sat down hard on the couch. "Yeah, put her on." He looked over to see Nina coming to join him, wearing one of his robes and she had another for him to wear. He put it across his lap and reached out his arm to take her into his arms. This was one of the reasons why he loved her.
She cuddled against him and he said, "Hi, I'm Stryker. Do you mind if I put this on speakerphone? My mate, Nina, was the one who located you and she's here with me now." He couldn't believe the first person he'd be telling he was mated to would be his real mother.
16
Marybeth Hill explained to Stryker that she'd been looking for Henry Reynolds, the father of her twin boys, now that she'd been divorced recently and moved back to Cheyenne where she'd been born. But she'd had no idea how to track down her sons. "Henry and I had broken up because he’d assumed I was eighteen like him when I was only sixteen. I loved him and didn’t want to tell him the truth. I…I knew he would leave me if I told him. But I knew I had to. Henry was furious with me. He called me jailbait, and said that if my dad knew, he'd kill him. Henry joined the army then. I learned from his mother that he went for training and afterward, he was sent to Japan. I realized shortly after he left, I was pregnant with you boys. My dad was furious and wanted to get rid of you and your brother because I was an embarrassment to him and his military career. My mother always agreed with everything my dad said, though I knew she wanted to help raise you. I couldn't support you and live on my own. It's not like with humans who can find support systems for underage, homeless mothers. Not with me being a cougar."
Okay, so Stryker knew he wasn't having anything to do with his grandfather.
"When I had my babies, Dad paid an army buddy of his to take you both to live with a couple who would care for you. Dad was in the military also and was transferred out to Japan and Mom and I had to go with him. I thought I might see Henry in Japan and we could get our babies back and live together, but our paths never crossed. Not that he would have wanted to get back with me either. I was still only seventeen by then.
"On his deathbed, Dad finally told me that his army buddy sold you to a man who finds adoptive parents. I thought that meant I could never find you. I even registered my DNA with the genealogy site in the hopes that either one of you or both of you would search for your roots. I had no idea you were fostered by human parents. Though for ten years, to be on the safe side, I never shifted, just in case it would cause either of you to shift. I was fairly certain, you would be controlling your shifting by the time you were about five on your own. Still, without a cougar family to show you how to get along in a human world…" She sniffled. "It was the least I could do to protect you. I'm so sorry. I just didn't have any choice. And I…I can't believe you finally found me."
"Are you free for New Year's Eve?" Stryker asked, realizing he should have asked Nina first, but she nodded sagely at him. "We're going to the Watering Hole for a cougar party. Cougars run the town, if Chet didn't tell you. We'd love to have you stay with us."
"All right. Let me talk to Leyton first."
"Okay. Mom, can I call you that?"
She started weeping.
Nina rubbed Stryker's hand in a comforting caress, his own eyes filling with tears.
"Yes, I would love that." His mom sniffled. "I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. We'll be looking forward to seeing you. We're so glad to have found you."
"Okay, thanks, Stryker. I'm going to call Leyton now."
When they ended the call, Nina rose from the couch and pulled him to join her. "Bring your phone and we'll nap until someone calls back."
"Are you all right with my mother staying here with us? And coming to the New Year's Eve party?"
"Are you kidding? If my mom and dad could be here, I'd be over the moon. Absolutely I want her to come."
They returned to bed and were snuggling, though he couldn't stop thinking about what his mother had said. He couldn’t believe how rotten his grandfather had been. He wondered if they could find Henry, if there would be a chance of him getting back with his mother. Maybe they were two different people, worlds apart now, and it would never be. Maybe it was never meant to be.
He finally drifted off to sleep with Nina curled up against him when the phone rang. He realized a couple of hours had passed, surprising him. Nina moved aside so he co
uld grab his phone and then he settled back down with her.
"Hey, brother, why didn't you tell me you and Nina got mated. You did, didn't you?" Leyton asked.
Stryker smiled. "Yeah, hell, best thing I ever did."
"I agree with you there. Okay, so I had to hear it from Mom, and I had to learn from her that you knew about her also, already. I am the oldest, you know."
Stryker chuckled.
"Since you're newly mated, and I'm the oldest, I told Mom to come and stay with us to see her grandchildren. She was delighted. Chet's actually bringing her."
"Hot damn, yes!" Stryker had worried about whether she'd want to fly out to see them or could even book a flight at this late a date. He'd forgotten to mention to her that Leyton was also mated and had two little boys.
Leyton laughed. "I figured you'd want her to stay with us. She can meet her grandchildren, and Kate and I just figured that was best. I still can't believe you convinced Nina to mate you. Is the news free to share?"
"Yeah, far and wide. Though let Nina tell her sister first."
"And a wedding?"
Stryker asked Nina, "What about our wedding?"
She stretched out like a feline cat. "In the new year."
Stryker chuckled. "We'll discuss a date later."
"Okay, I'll let you go then. And…tell Nina thanks for finding our mom."
"I will." They ended the call and Stryker handed his phone to Nina. "Leyton is about to spread the word to the rest of Yuma Town. Did you want to tell Ava first?"
"Yeah, I sure do." Nina couldn't be happier for Stryker than she was, now that he'd found his mother and she was coming to see him and Leyton. She sat up in bed and called her sister. "Hey, Ava, before the word spreads—"
"You did it! I knew you would, just from all your cougar body language with the big cat. Congratulations."
"If you stick around, you can help me plan the wedding." Nina hoped that she would.
"You bet. You're the only sibling I have, after all. I have to tell you I got a job offer."
"What? Get out of here."
"Yeah, it's at the bakery. I'll be a full-time baker. Mrs. Fitz said she really needs the extra help because her regular baker is a reporter and is busy reporting the news. Never heard of such a thing, but, I hope you're okay with me sticking around."
"I'm thrilled. That's great. I'm going to be a deputy sheriff."
"Okay, so if I'm speeding just a little bit…"
"I'll ticket you. So don't."
Ava laughed. "Tell me your color scheme for your wedding and I'll look some stuff up."
"You know what, you were always great at color coordinating things. Why don't you be my wedding planner? I can pay you for that."
"Hmm, I might have a new job. Okay, I'm going to let you go. I can't wait to tell Bridget the news. I can just see little cougar cubs on the way."
"Not right away."
Her sister laughed and they ended the call.
"Well, my sister is staying in town and working at the bakery."
"That's great news. And she's happy about us, I take it." Stryker threw on a pair of boxer briefs and pulled on his navy robe.
"Yes, and she'll be our wedding coordinator."
"I can tell you right now," Stryker said, pulling Nina into his arms and kissing her forehead, "a lot of the ladies would love to be involved, if you want them to be."
"Yes! Every bit of help I can get will be welcome. I'll be busy making sure everyone in the county upholds the law in the meantime. Ready for steaks for an early dinner? I have bedtime plans."
"Yes. I have bedtime plans also."
She pulled on a pj set and his brown robe, then took his hand and led him into the kitchen. "So your mom said your dad was in the army."
"I can check on that. What did you need me to do?"
"Research and you can keep me company while I prepare the food."
"All right. I can certainly do that."
She started the steak in the oven. "Wait, how can your mom get here with the blizzard going on?"
"Let me check the weather. Look like it's clear in Wyoming." He showed her the weather map.
"Okay, good. So when they start their trek southward, they won't hit what we're getting for the last couple of hours during their trip down here."
"Yeah, and it's supposed to be moving out of our area in a couple of hours. It's a three- and half-hour trip, so depending on the road conditions, they'll be in this evening."
She began peeling potatoes. "Good. Sounds to me like you and your brother followed in your dad's footsteps, though you didn't know it, since he was army too."
"Yeah. Okay, I can access the database for retirees. State and federal government officials and immediate family members can search it for the name of family member. They're still open now. Calling now."
She really hoped he could find his dad too. Maybe Henry and Marybeth could get together again even. Maybe not. He might not even care about having grown sons. But she was excited about seeing his mom and the reunion between him and his brother. She began slicing up potatoes as Stryker was touching his phone's keypad, then saying his father's name, that he was his father, and that he had joined the army in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Nina poured olive oil into a frying pan and began setting the sliced potatoes into it when he said, "Yes!"
She turned and smiled at him. "Good news?"
Stryker thought the world of how Nina was really good at coming up with solutions and solving mysteries. "He retired from the army and his last home address is Cheyenne."
"Under the name Henry Reynolds." She continued to put the potatoes in the pan, and he called Chet, hoping that he and his Mom could ride with Chet down here before he left.
"Chet? Check and see if Henry Reynolds wants to join the party." Stryker gave Chet his father's address.
"We were about ready to leave. I'll check it out though. Call you back with any news."
Then they ended the call and he let Leyton know about it too. He put the call on speaker this time. "Did you want to put up our Dad too?"
"You found him?" Leyton asked.
"He retired from the army and returned home to Cheyenne."
"Well, I'll be. What if he and Marybeth don't get along? She's divorced, but what if he's married?" Leyton asked.
"Okay, well, we can wait to hear back from Chet then. Will there be enough room at your place with Kate's parents being there?"
"Yeah, sure, the kids are his grandkids too. He might not even want to come."
"Okay. If our mom and dad are too much of an inconvenience, they can always come here, if we have more people than we bargained for."
"All right. Putting the kids to bed, have to read them a nighttime story. Kate's weaning them off the breast and they want to breastfeed at bedtime, so I have the honor of putting the kiddoes to bed now."
Stryker laughed, figuring someday that would be him. He enjoyed being around the kids, he was their uncle after all, but having his own with Nina really appealed.
Chet called Stryker back. "Hey, I left a message on Henry's phone saying that Marybeth Hill's twin sons were looking for their biological dad, who is listed on their birth certificate. I did leave both of your phone numbers for him to call back. Anyway, not leaving anything to chance, I drove to his home out in the country, rang the doorbell and knocked, but there wasn't any response. I did smell cougar, so I'm sure he's one of us."
"Thanks, Chet. I sure appreciate it. Go ahead and bring Mom here then. Don't worry about Henry. If he wants to speak to us, he can call."
"Okay. I did tell him both of you had been in the army, you are a deputy sheriff, and your brother is with the CSF, just in case he knows what that is, and you're both now in Yuma Town, Colorado. That way he knows you're employed and not looking for a handout."
"Good idea. I never considered he'd think otherwise. Thanks again. We'll see you later then. Just drive carefully when you get here, and if you have any trouble at all, just give us a call." It
sounded like they'd found their dad, and he was glad for that, even if their dad didn't want to have anything to do with them. On the other hand, Stryker remembered Nina's vision and how she had seen her sister with him.
"Will do. Talk later," Chet said.
Stryker walked into the kitchen to help serve up the dinner. "Smells good."
"I'll say. So your dad isn't available?" Nina brought glasses of water to the table.
"No. We can try to make a connection with him later."
They had just sat down to eat when Ava called Nina. She put it on speakerphone, so Stryker could hear too, and he was glad for that.
"Bridget told me I had to call you," Ava said.
"Why? What's wrong?" Nina sounded worried that Ava was in even more trouble than they thought.
Not in the least bit surprised, Stryker was cutting up his steak and beginning to eat, thinking they might have to leave in a hurry. Nina started to cut up her meat too.
"Nothing's wrong. Just that I took video recordings of the pharmacist stealing the drugs. I knew I couldn't use it as evidence to give to the police, or he'd go to prison, possibly, and we can't have that happen since he's a cougar."
"True. Great that you have the video to clear your name though." Nina sounded proud of her sister. "But then you took the rap for his drug theft?"
"Yes, because I couldn't do anything else at that point. Not only that, but I'd texted him that I had several videos of him stealing and selling the prescriptions drugs. I planned to go to the Robinson's house and lure him there. Which is why I ran in the direction of Yuma Town. He knew we had relatives there and I made it known I was going there. I knew he would have to frame me and then kill me, because as a cougar, I couldn't go to jail either. Not to mention he had to make sure no one else saw the videos. I've given them to Bridget, and she's sending them to everyone who's helping with the case, including you two. That's why I wanted to give you a heads-up also."
"Good. That should clear you then," Nina said.
"I had planned on killing him and making it look like it was accidental, then turning the video recordings over to the police to clear my name. But then he ended up sending his cousins to kill me and you came to protect me. That screwed everything up."
