by Jane Jamison
She eyed Jackson even though she was very touched by the gesture. “Hardly anyone comes in during this time of day. What makes me think you had a hand in this?”
“I’ll plead the fifth on that.”
Shannon seemed to be the leader of the group that had followed her inside. “What’s this about you leaving, Milly? You know you can’t do that. We won’t let you. I won’t let you.”
Hearing a challenge in Shannon’s voice, Milly’s inner wolf jumped to life. She pushed it down, ignoring her primal instincts since she knew Shannon’s threat was an idle one.
“Look, everyone, this is awful nice of you. But I need to find my own way.”
“I was just telling her to take some time off from this place and think about it.”
“That sounds like a great idea, Jackson,” interjected Sandy.
Milly couldn’t help but smile at her. The girl had a big heart.
“Okay. Sure. Why not?” She placed the end of her finger to her temple. “Hmm. Let me see. Where would you like to send me? Vegas? The south of France? Ooh, how about the Bahamas? I think I could do some really good thinking lying on a warm, sandy beach.”
Oh, my God. They’re actually considering it.
Sandy was about to speak, when she interrupted her. “No, you don’t. I know you guys would do anything for me, but to spend your hard-earned money to send me on a vacation? That is so not happening.”
“Then why don’t you spend a week or however long you want at one of my rentals?”
She hadn’t expected that. Had, in fact, thought her tongue-in-cheek suggestion to send her on a vacation had stymied the group. But not Jackson. “It’s nice of you to offer, but I can’t afford to pay rent while keeping up with all my other expenses.”
“You wouldn’t have to. It’s my gift, hell, my bribe to keep you in Forever. And like I said before, I don’t need the money.”
“Maybe not, but that’s not getting away. I’d still have to come into the diner every day. I’d just end up sleeping at your place, which is something I should stay here and do.”
“I could watch the diner.”
They pivoted as one toward Mack, who stood at the entrance to the back room. Gertie met him halfway to the counter then tugged him along with her. “Mack’s right. We can handle the diner.”
“I don’t know.” She shook her head, but the idea did appeal to her.
“It’s a win for you and maybe a win for them.”
“How do you figure, Jackson?” She could use time off since she hadn’t taken any vacation in years. And she did need to think. Leaving Forever was a big decision and not one to make in haste.
“You win by having a nice place to relax and think without dealing with the distractions of the diner. Gertie and Mack can handle it just fine. And if they have any problems, the rest of us will help out so they don’t have to contact you.”
The idea grew more appealing. “So how do you figure that Mack and Gertie win? I’d be putting more work on them.”
He leaned forward, getting into his plan. “Let’s say you do the insane thing and leave. Are you going to let the diner sit here closed up and depressing the hell out of the rest of us?”
She rolled her eyes. “Dramatic much? Of course I wouldn’t let it sit empty. I’d probably sell the place. Who knows? You might get a new owner who would cut prices. Then everyone wins.” She cast Mack a funny look, knowing that if he bought the place, he’d never cut prices.
“Fat chance of that happening.” Jackson wasn’t letting her get away with her bluff, either. “But if you do leave, then you’ll give old Mack here first shot at buying, right?”
“Of course. It would make me happy to know the place was in good hands.”
“Which makes it a win for Gertie and Mack.”
“Naw, it won’t.” Mack scowled, making him look even more like a bloodhound. “Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to own the diner. But losing Milly isn’t worth it.”
“Shit, Mack. Don’t go getting all mushy on me.” She swallowed the lump in her throat.
“And if you stay, which is what you should do”—Jackson was talking to the rest of them as much as he was to her—“then the time you’re away won’t be wasted. It’ll give Mack and Gertie a taste of how it is to really run the place. And, should you ever want to take another vacation, you’ll know they can step in and take over.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.” Gertie eased behind the bar to take Milly’s hands. “Do it Jackson’s way, okay? Do it for us and do it for yourself. I promise I’ll keep Mack from eating up the profits.”
“Hey,” protested Mack as he wiped a crumb from the corner of his mouth.
Kate pressed her palm against her chest. “We couldn’t stand losing you, Milly. Surely you know that? We’ll do anything to get you to stay. Isn’t that right, everyone?”
They all agreed, either nodding their heads or murmuring encouragement for her to remain in Forever. Milly had to bite her tongue to keep from asking if they could find her the mates she so desperately wanted. She had no doubt that if she asked they’d do their dead level best to find her men. But that wasn’t the way it was supposed to happen.
“Will you stay at the rental house? Mmm? Pretty please?” Tucker adopted a hang-dog expression that did the job it was meant to do by making her laugh.
How could she resist them? She loved each and every one of them along with the rest of Forever. “Okay. You’ve talked me into it.”
A cheer broke out as she faced Jackson again. “So when do I move in?”
Jackson’s grin spread as he pulled a key out of the hip pocket of his jeans and smacked it down on the counter. “Here you go. Move in anytime you like.”
“You really did have this planned right from the start, didn’t you?” She pointed at the rest of them. “And you were all in on it, weren’t you?”
Mack lost his usual dour expression and slapped on one of his rare smiles. “Yep. We sure did. Now get moving. You’re on vacation, boss lady.”
Chapter Two
Milly had to hand it to the Carr men. They had a few rental homes located around their ranch, and each one was better than the last. Of course, their mate, Emma, had put her touch on the place, adding nice curtains and splashes of color to the otherwise neutral and very masculine furniture. Emma had also had the men add a pretty white picket fence across the front of the yard, giving the home a quaint cottage appeal. June Cleaver would’ve loved it.
The open concept of the house was perfect with the large living room flowing into the small, but nicely equipped kitchen. Not that she planned on cooking. She was on vacation and planned to do little else but eat pre-made meals, run under the moonlight, and think about what to do about finding her mates.
She’d settled into the master bedroom since that had an en suite bathroom. Although she’d peeked into the two bedrooms across the hall, she hadn’t gone in again. Why bother messing up two more rooms she’d have to clean before she went back to her home?
She hadn’t done much else in the two days she’d spent there, but that was okay. Tomorrow, she’d think about doing some laundry. Until then, work would have to wait.
After leaving Mack and Gertie last-minute instructions, she’d hurried out of the diner, packed a quick bag, and then hopped into her rusted old car that had over a hundred thousand miles on it and lit out for rental house. Adding to the knowledge that she’d been ambushed into taking him up on his offer, Jackson had already stocked the refrigerator and pantry with food as well as wine and beer. The man had thought of everything.
She uncorked one of the bottles of wine he’d left for her in the wine rack and took it out to the porch. Taking the closest of the four rocking chairs, she pushed back and set it to creaking with every forward and back motion it made. The wine slid down her throat, and she let out a sigh.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d taken a vacation. Unless she could call visiting family in Oklahoma a vacation. But that was okay.
She loved her life in Forever and working in the diner. Somehow her little place had become the focal point for the town and drew in every stranger that happened to pass by. A few of them, like Emma and Sandy, had wound up staying after finding their intended mates, falling for them, and going through the transition to becoming werewolves.
How did they get so lucky? Is that it? Am I just plain unlucky?
Humans would say that being attacked by the rogue werewolf of a traveling pack when she was a little girl had made her very unlucky. She’d never told anyone how she’d been changed, instead letting them think she’d been born a werewolf. After all, it was nobody’s business but her own.
Still, as far as she was concerned, that had turned out to be the luckiest day of her life. She loved being a werewolf. The strength, the agility, and the absolute freedom she felt whenever she was in her wolf form were amazing. She wouldn’t trade that for the world.
Okay, maybe I’d trade it to find my mates.
Or was she destined to be one of those women who were unlucky in love? A woman who lived her life surrounded by loving couples who cared for her but would never find love for herself? She shivered as a chilly breeze whipped over her. The sun was starting to set behind the horizon, giving her a dazzling display of purples and reds.
It’s going to be a good night to run.
Shaking the chill off—werewolves didn’t get cold easily anyway—she kept up the rocking and pushed the decision to leave away for now. She let her mind drift to wherever it wanted to take her.
Maybe I’ll dream about them.
A soft smile came to her lips as she let slumber take her.
* * * *
She wasn’t sure if she’d dozed off, but she came alert with a start. Sloshing wine in the glass that she still held, she put it on the floor of the porch and squinted into the darkness that had fallen while she slept. She wondered how late it was, but she knew one thing for certain.
Someone’s out by the gate.
She sat up and stared harder. Forever was a friendly place for the most part, but every once in a while the werebears or vampires would cause trouble. There was no love lost between the two were animals and even less with the cold undead ones, but they tried to maintain a peaceful coexistence.
She sniffed, catching the faintest scent, but it wasn’t enough for her to recognize what she smelled.
Could it be a vampire?
Most of the vampires lived in nearby Shatland and kept to themselves. Lately, however, she’d heard about a few problems. Reports had surfaced that someone, no doubt a vampire from outside the area, had broken the rules that forbade them from changing anyone who wasn’t an adult into a vampire. Vampires were only made and never born. Whoever was turning them was either insane or wanted young vampires he could control.
Worse yet, rumor had it that the newly made vampires, most of them teenagers, had started delving into the ancient traditions, traditions that included animal sacrifices.
The older vampires had long ago forsaken the bloody rituals, but that didn’t mean they’d tell Jackson Carr or any other representative of Forever about the youngsters’ dabbling in them. As usual, the vampires said they’d take care of any problems by themselves. At least, that’s what they said they’d do when questioned about the dead, mutilated cattle some of the town’s ranchers had found on their lands.
Milly’s inner wolf raised its head and howled, ready to fight at a moment’s notice. She shoved the beast back down.
It’s probably just one of them stretching his fangs.
She’d hoped she was right. At any rate, Jackson and the others would handle any problems. As far as she was concerned, her rental house was an island and no one and nothing could bother her.
She sniffed again, confused when she couldn’t get a better read on the aroma. Although vampires didn’t have much of a smell, she wasn’t picking up the usual tingle of danger that she felt whenever one of the undead came around.
Standing, she took a few steps off the porch. If only the moon were fuller, she might see better. Instead, she shifted enough to bring out her wolf’s heightened sense of sight.
As she started toward him, the figure changed, morphing and dropping to all fours.
It’s a werewolf.
She relaxed a moment, thinking that the wolf was someone she knew. Could it be Jackson checking up on her without wanting to get caught at it? That sounded like something Emma would ask him to do. Or maybe it was one of the other Carr men?
“I’m okay, you know. You don’t have to keep tabs on me. I’m not planning on skipping out of town without telling anyone. If I decide to leave, that is.”
The handsome dark-furred wolf cocked his head to the side, exposing a white, diamond-shaped patch on his throat. She moved closer. She knew everyone who lived in and around Forever, and had seen most of them in their wolf form, but she didn’t recognize him.
She stopped, trying to decide whether to change into her wolf body or not. Most werewolves wouldn’t attack each other without provocation, but she couldn’t be sure. If he was a rogue wolf or perhaps a scout from another pack that wanted to move in on their territory, then she wasn’t about to back down. It was her duty as part of the community to find out who he was and what he wanted.
“Who are you?”
She moved closer, shifting a little more so she could drag in a deeper scent of him. The aroma she picked up was unfamiliar. He was definitely not from around Forever.
She stopped, deciding she’d gotten too close already. If he wanted to attack her, he’d get the fight of his life. She drew in another breath. Unless he wanted something else from her.
Her lips pulled back into a snarl. “Change back. I want to see who you are.”
If she wasn’t a werewolf herself, she would’ve never noticed the slight shake of his head.
“Who are you? Where are you from? Why are you here?”
She took another step closer. He backed up and gave her another slight shake of his head.
“My name is Milly, and this is part of the Carr ranch. Are you looking for someone? Are you passing through?”
She moved even closer.
It hit her then, an irresistible urge to shift and pounce on him. Not in anger or to defend her home, but to play and roughhouse. The kind of play that would end up with him taking her from behind.
Her body trembled as she took another two steps. She’d been attracted to other men before, but this was different.
She sucked in a breath as the realization hit her.
Is this it? Is this the connection?
He lifted his head and howled, the plaintive sound floating in the air and sizzling over her skin. Then, crouching down, he burst away from her, his body disappearing into the dark of the night.
She couldn’t wait to get undressed. Instead, she let her clothes rip from her body as she shifted. The world around her grew amber-colored, and the darkness lightened as her wolf nighttime vision took over. Fur spread over her skin as fangs and claws erupted. She hadn’t even completed shifting when she hit the ground on all fours and took off at a run.
She no longer noticed the chill of the night as she bounded after him. His scent drifted back to her on the breeze, and she drew in large gulps of air. Even as her human mind was pushed to the back, her wolf mind, part instinct, part intellect, filled with questions.
Why is he running? Didn’t he feel the bond between us? Could I have been wrong?
She sniffed again and caught his aroma, stronger now, closer.
No, I’m not wrong. He’s my mate.
Finally!
But why is he running away? Didn’t he feel it, too?
Her heartbeat pulsed in her ears as her tongue lolled out of her mouth. They ran over the pasture, through a crowd of cattle, and then down to the bunch of trees that separated the pasture from a small valley up ahead. She sped up, the fear of losing him spurring her on.
Narrowing her eyes, she saw him, a dark spot against the bl
ackness of the night. She wanted to stop and howl at him, to call him to her side, but she couldn’t. Losing him wasn’t an option.
His sharp bark splintered the air just as she rounded a group of bushes after him and almost barreled straight into three dark figures bent over a calf lying on the ground. She yelped even as the dark wolf darted around the group. Throwing her body to the side, she slid into one of the figures.
“Fucking werewolf!”
She scrambled away, furtively looking for the other wolf, but he was nowhere in sight. Whimpering at the thought of losing him, she turned and faced the teen vampires. Her gaze dropped to the bloody body of the calf lying at their feet.
So it’s true.
“Get her!”
Snarling, she whirled away, just barely getting out of their reach. Her claws dug into the ground, digging up dirt as she used her strong muscles to push her body forward. She heard their shouts to each other to get her, to drag her back to them, and fear coursed through her. Bolting away as fast as she could go, she raced toward the rental home.
She was dead tired and panting when she dragged her body past her shredded clothes and up the front porch of the house. Shifting, she fell against the door and into the house.
The rumors of young vampires performing ritualistic blood rites were true. She hadn’t wanted to believe it. The rites were bad enough, but the realization that another vampire had changed ones so young, youths really, tore at her gut. She’d never heard of vampires claiming anyone who hadn’t reached adulthood. To their mind, it was an abomination. Not even they wanted the uncontrolled nature of a teen with vampire powers and strength. But it was obvious now that at least one vampire had done just that.
She grabbed her phone lying on the kitchen counter and dialed Jackson’s number. He picked up after the third ring.
“Has the hot water heater gone out again? If it has, don’t worry. I can be there in thirty minutes.”
