Meant To Be: A Malsum Pass Novel

by Kimberly Forrest

  Jeremy followed. “But we’re out in the country. There’s lots of space for a dog here.”

  Elizabeth scanned the shelves. “We’re just here for the summer, baby, and a dog is a full-time responsibility. What would we do when it was time to leave?”

  “Our place sucks.” Jeremy mumbled sullenly and Elizabeth sighed. She scanned the shelves again and saw that the store had placed coolers, sun umbrellas, and box fans on top of the shelves. A fan or two was an excellent idea. Standing up on tiptoes she reached but her fingertips just barely touched the bottom of the box.

  “Let me get that for you.”

  A heavily tattooed arm came into Elizabeth’s line of sight before she turned to smile her thanks at the man. He was tall, over six feet. His hair was a dark red, clipped close on the sides but left long on top. Hipster hair, Elizabeth mused. His eyes were brown and twinkling with amusement as he lowered the large box easily to her cart. The lower half of his face was covered with a long, if well maintained, dark red beard. Add to that the abundance of tattoos covering the arms left bare by his white tee shirt and he gave off a rugged appearance, possibly even dangerous. A bad boy; Trouble with a capital T. He may be handsome, and he may appeal to her physically, but she avoided men like him.

  She shot him a grateful smile. “Thank you so much. Could I trouble you to take a second one down for me?”

  The man returned her smile, his eyes moving down her form in open appreciation. While she wasn’t actually interested in the man, she was still vain enough to be glad she had changed into a clean pair of shorts and a pretty, sleeveless, yellow top before she’d left the cabin.

  She watched as he reached up to grab another box and noticed that he flexed his arms. She almost chuckled knowing full well that the box wasn’t that heavy and the flex was merely to show off. She cleared her throat to make sure the bubble of laughter didn’t escape. “Would you happen to know if someone in town sells sleeping bags or perhaps an air mattress?”

  “L.J. carries camping stuff over at The Powder Keg, so you should be able to find something.” His eyes moved over her face for a moment and then he frowned. “You’re not staying at the Cedars here in town?” He asked, one dark red eyebrow raised. She had always been a bit jealous of people who could do that. She had thought she could move her eyebrows independently of each other, had even done it often until she had seen herself in a mirror and realized that her eyebrows weren’t actually moving much at all. Instead, she was merely opening one eye wider than the other so half of her face looked surprised while the other half looked suspicious. It was not a good look and she wished someone had told her sooner.

  “No, not in town, but this is the closest store.” She answered.

  He looked a little disappointed and she had to tamp down her pleasure at his obvious interest. She had no business being pleased about that when she didn’t return the sentiment.

  “Mom, can I get some Ding Dongs?” Jeremy asked. He had moved around to the endcap and was shooting her a hopeful look as he held up the box for her to see.

  She grimaced but nodded. Ding Dongs didn’t have nutritional value but they were fun and that was the whole point of this adventure – fun. Besides, she’d already had to tell him no once. When it came to Jeremy she was a complete pushover. There was no denying that.

  “Your son?” The man asked and she turned her attention back to him and smiled as she nodded. He held out his hand, “I’m Conner Pierce.”

  “Elizabeth Larkin” she said, stretching out her own hand.

  She wasn’t exactly sure what happened next. Their fingers had barely touched when Conner Pierce had snatched his hand away as if he’d been burned and fell backward into a display of assorted canned goods and boxes. His rugged face held a look of horror as he skittered backward on his hands and feet like a crab, sending the spilled cans rolling further down the aisle.

  Elizabeth moved forward, her arm extended to help him up, but that seemed to only put him into more of a panic. She withdrew it. “Are you okay?” She asked.

  Just then, a man with a nametag who Elizabeth assumed was a store employee rushed over. “Conner, what happened?”

  Conner Pierce, the rugged bad boy, just stared at her for a moment in shock and horror before he shook his head, scrambled to his feet, mumbled “Sorry” and then took off like he was being chased by the hounds of hell.

  Elizabeth just stood there staring in confusion while Jeremy pushed an entire Ding Dong into his mouth before saying around a gob of cream filled chocolate cake, “Weird.”

  Chapter Three

  A human! Conner couldn’t fathom it. He’d run from the store, abandoning his truck in the parking lot. He’d run until he was deep into the woods, practically tore his clothes in an effort to remove them, and then shifted to fur. He’d barely been able to contain his wolf in the store. It had been a tiny touch, the smallest of connections, but his inner wolf had gone wild; clamoring to be released.

  The wolf knows. He’d heard the stories all of his life. A single touch, sometimes even just a glance, and the wolf would know when it had found his mate. Not all males wait for the connection since doing so may result in never finding a mate. Instead they choose a mate based on attraction, compatibility, even love.

  Conner growled. He’d always had a clear image of what he wanted. Physical attraction was a given, but she would also need to be strong, a leader, an alpha. That was why he’d been so reluctant to mate with Constance Tully and ultimately decided against it. Connie had made her desire for him clear, but though she was gorgeous, she wasn’t an alpha; she wouldn’t be able to stand strong at his side in defense of the pack. But at least she was a wolf.

  He wanted to howl. He had never expected to experience the mating bond, but to have experienced it with a human? This couldn’t be happening. Not to him. He was Conner Pierce! Eldest son of Tarvahl Pierce and an alpha born from a long line of alpha males. His grandfather had told him many times, before he’d passed on, how important it was to keep the bloodlines pure. Sure, his sister Tara had been born from a non-shifting mother, but that mother had at least been a half-blood. The woman in the store had been pure human. She was ignorant of lycanthropes… a human genetically coded to be weak, and weakness was unacceptable.

  Conner stopped, panting from both his exertions and the heat. He had been running without direction, yet found himself on the rise overlooking his sister’s house. Riley Cooper had felt the mating connection with Tara when he’d first met her. He would be able to tell Conner what to expect, but now was not a good time. Coop would sense his agitation and not allow him anywhere in the vicinity of their infant twin daughters.

  His gorgeous nieces had both been born strong and healthy with a shock of bright red hair on their little heads. He’d teased Coop that Pierce genes were the strongest. It was why all of the Pierce children looked so similar. Strong enough even to mate with a human and still have strong, shifter offspring. The thought snaked through his mind and he pushed it away. No. He could not allow himself to make excuses to try to justify taking her. He’d been attracted to her, yes. He had contemplated asking her out to dinner even, but she was not mate material. The connection was wrong. In this instance the wolf knew shit. Conner Pierce did not mate a human. With a snarl he took off running again.

  Once he’d run off the bulk of his agitation, Conner returned to where he had left his clothes, dressed and then jogged back to the store to retrieve his truck. He looked around but saw no sign of the human and her son. Not surprising considering how much time had passed. That was another thing. She had a son, yet he’d seen no wedding ring, and he’d definitely looked. But the boy obviously had to have a father somewhere. She must have been extremely young when she’d given birth. Conner was twenty-six and she looked to be about the same age as him, yet the boy looked like he was at least ten if not older. Teenage pregnancy then? Possible, but that didn’t mean the father wasn’t still around, visiting his son on weekends and the like. He frowned. An
other reason to make her unacceptable. Oh, not that she had a son, he had no problem with that, but his mate would have to be loyal to the pack. As would the boy. A father that could ask questions or pry information from one or both of them could not be allowed.

  Pulling his truck into his parking spot behind The Stag, the bar he owned and lived above, he glanced across the street to The Powder Keg. Had she gone there after grocery shopping and found what she needed? He was tempted to go over there and question L.J. She may have told the man where she was staying. He resisted the urge with a growl. She and her son were not his to protect. He would reject the bond and that would be the end of it. Simple.

  He stomped up the back stairs and pushed through the door to his apartment. Going straight to the refrigerator he yanked the door open and then snarled. He’d left the store without buying his damn steaks he had been craving. Already a mate was making his life crazy and he hadn’t even claimed her yet. He slammed the door shut with a thud.

  Where was she? He felt an itching under his skin like he needed to shift again. What was she doing right now? He pictured her in his head as he’d first seen her. He’d come around the endcap of the aisle and she had been standing on tiptoes, reaching high above her head toward the fans. Her dark hair was pulled up high in a ponytail and was liberally streaked with thick bands of gold. He had wondered if she colored her hair or if it was naturally occurring from the sun. Judging by her skin tone, she spent plenty of time outdoors. Her face had been in profile, the lines smooth, graceful, and extremely attractive. She’d been wearing a sleeveless yellow blouse thingy that buttoned down the front and she had enough of a rack on her to make the front placket spread a bit as she strained upward in her reach. The maneuver also lifted her top enough to leave a band of smooth skin exposed to his gaze. It had been an extremely pleasing sight, but what really captured his attention were the long, tan legs on display. The woman had great legs. He may have stared for longer than he should have before he offered his assistance.

  He’d known immediately by her scent that she was human. She also smelled a bit like lilacs – which he loved – but it hadn’t been strong enough to be a perfume. Most likely, it was her soap. He’d grabbed the box for her and she’d turned to smile at him and that smile had set his libido jumping. Fully facing him, he’d seen that she had rich brown eyes flecked with gold, and a wide smile. He had every intention of asking her out on a date. After all, dating a human, even having sex with a human (and he’d really been hoping that a date would in fact lead to sex) was no big deal. Then they’d touched. It had been such a shock and he knew he had made an utter ass out of himself. He should apologize. His neck started to itch and he scratched it absently. Where was she staying?

  He looked out a window over main street and across to The Powder Keg. L.J’s truck was still there. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the window sill. Was she staying at the campground? That was the most likely option though most campers chose to do their shopping in Rochester since it was closer. She had said Malsum Pass was closer, but she may have just been mistaken or had gotten turned around somehow.

  “Fuck it.” He growled heading for the door. He’d satisfy his curiosity and maybe that would be enough for his wolf to settle down.

  Unfortunately, L.J couldn’t tell him much more than he already knew. “Yup, they were here. Nice lady.” He said, his fingers stroking over the solid white patches on either side of his mouth in his salt and pepper beard. “The boy took a liking to some of my carvings.”

  “He has good taste.” Conner said, trying to keep it casual and not let how eager he was show on his face. He looked around the sales floor of The Powder Keg. There was a section set up for hiking and camping, one for fishing as well as hunting, and a wall of footwear, but the pride and joy of L.J’s shop, the true moneymaker, were his hand carved, custom rifle stocks. They were truly a work of art, and once L.J had branched out into the World Wide Web, things had really taken off. He now had customers from across the country on a waiting list.

  “Why the interest?” L.J asked, his eyes narrowed in speculation.

  Conner shrugged, not wanting to reveal too much or, God forbid, look desperate. It was bad enough he had made an ass of himself in the grocery store. He fully expected to be ribbed unmercifully about it by his brothers once they heard, but as long as the true meaning behind it stayed private, he could live with that. “I ran into them at the grocery store and she asked where she could find some sleeping bags or an air mattress. I sent her your way.”

  L.J nodded. “Got them set up with two of the twin mattresses and an air pump. She bought the sleeping bags as well just in case. Said it looked like some squirrels had made a nest in the mattresses at her camp.”

  “Camp?” Conner asked practically pouncing on the clue. He could feel his wolf coming to attention, straining, eager, and it was damn annoying.

  L.J nodded and started sorting through some of the handtied flies displayed on the counter.

  Conner swallowed a growl. This was like pulling teeth. “Did she, ah, say where this camp was?”

  L.J raised a brow, a mischievous twinkle lighting up his eyes but he shook his head. “Pretty gal like that makes an impression I suppose, but I can’t help you there. I didn’t ask and she didn’t volunteer.”

  Running a hand through his hair in agitation, Conner blew out a breath. Perfect. He’d found his mate, or at least his wolf thought he had found his mate, and then lost her. Even if he didn’t want this particular mate he should at least know where to find her. After all, one should really be one hundred percent positive before totally scrapping an idea. Right? Another meeting was definitely called for. Who knows? He may see her again, touch her and find out the wolf had been wrong. Stranger things have happened, surely. But this time he’d be prepared so he wouldn’t fall on his ass. The only problem was he needed to find her first.

  Chapter Four

  Elizabeth pulled off her reading glasses and threw them down onto the table. Blowing out a frustrated breath, she rubbed her tired eyes. Anticipating this trip she’d made sure the cabin’s internet had been turned on before they arrived. She’d cleared her desk of all appointments and made sure all fires were out. She’d also meticulously gone over everything with her assistant, Julie and assured her she could be reached by e-mail if Julie ran into a problem she couldn’t handle. Elizabeth glared at her laptop and then shut it with a bang. She had thought the message was clear: Attempt to handle the problem first. E-mail only if it’s something that she couldn’t handle on her own or by someone else in the department. Julie had said she was comfortable with it, could handle it, and not to worry. Thirty-seven e-mails. And she’d left Boston only that morning. Thirty-seven! And none of them were true emergencies in her opinion. It wouldn’t have been quite so irksome had she merely been cc’d or if the e-mails were FYI’s just to keep her in the loop, but that wasn’t the case.

  Inhaling deep to calm her nerves, Elizabeth glanced over at Jeremy. They had decided to set up the air mattresses in the living room with both fans blowing on it for the sake of optimum cooling. It seemed to be working since he was sleeping peacefully under the covers his mouth slightly open. Her face softened with a small smile. He looked like such an angel when he was sleeping. This was all for him she reminded herself for about the hundredth time.

  Not so many hours ago she was ready to bag the whole thing, pack up, and head back to Massachusetts. They’d finished their shopping in Malsum Pass and had driven back to the camp. Jeremy had bounded up the porch steps with no problem but when Elizabeth had stepped up, the wood had collapsed beneath her foot. Her ankle, shin, and calf had been scraped bloody when it went through, the knee of the opposite leg, which had caught most of her weight on what was left of the step, was also scraped and bruised.

  Then, as if that wasn’t enough, once she’d extricated her leg, she’d unlocked the door to get in only to find the door was stuck. Already frustrated from the step collapsing she’d taken her
agitation out on the door and jammed her shoulder into it – hard. The result was now a bruised shoulder and an aching arm.

  However, the final straw came when they tried to put one of the box fans into an open window. It hadn’t fit, no big deal, but when she pulled it loose, the raised window slid down fast and hard, the glass shattering all over the floor on impact. She’d stared at the bits of glass around her feet and almost cried. She was scratched, bruised, hot and sticky, and covered with mosquito bites. She’d obviously made a mistake in coming here. She’d even turned to Jeremy and said, “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. I’m sorry, we can head home tomorrow if you want.”

  Elizabeth had thought he would jump on the idea. Instead, he had looked thoughtful for a moment, shrugged, and then said, “I kind of like it here.”

  The window was now covered with a sheet to try to keep the bugs out and she had called the number on the card Edward had left by the phone to get the step fixed as well as the door and the window. The name Pierce Construction had reminded her of the incident in the grocery store. She was half expecting Conner Pierce to be the one to answer and immediately freak out and hang up on her when he discovered it was she on the other end. That hadn’t happened. She had spoken to a Jacob Pierce and he would be stopping by the next day to assess the damage.

  She was, however, still rife with curiosity over the incident in the grocery store. She had racked her brain trying to come up with a plausible reason for his reaction but came up empty. It was probably just as well. She had been a bit too attracted to him and she wasn’t here to date, or hook up, or whatever. She was here for Jeremy. Besides, dating never went well for her.

  For a long time after her husband, and Jeremy’s father, Thomas had died she hadn’t even thought of dating. She was too busy trying to care for a baby and then a toddler while trying to work. She had been lucky to have both her parents and Thomas’s parents to help, but there still wasn’t time to devote to any sort of love life. Once Jeremy had started school she had agreed to go out on a few blind dates, fix-ups mostly, arranged by Edward or some of her well-meaning friends. They had not gone well. One man had been a full head shorter than her. That wasn’t a deal breaker, but when he spent almost the entire date telling her how grateful she should be that he had agreed to date her… well, that was the end of that. Another man had spent most of their date listing off his many hospitalizations and medical issues. Perhaps she shouldn’t have asked him if he considered himself a hypochondriac, but once the words were out there she couldn’t exactly call them back. She’d excused herself to go to the ladies room and was immensely relieved to find out he’d left by the time she had returned, even if he had stuck her with the check.