by Leela Ash
And because of Leonard. Because his drinking had spiraled out of control… again… and she suspected that, this time, meth was fueling the chaos. Nine years she’d given him. Time to clean himself up. To do right by her and marry her. To become the father… the man that her son needed.
Well, she was done with waiting. The night he came home covered with another woman’s lipstick was the breaking point. They’d left the next morning, all of their worldly belongings packed in two suitcases, while Leonard snored away on the couch surrounded by empty bottles.
“Mommy had her reasons.” Adult reasons, ones a child wouldn’t understand. “But it will work out. I promise. It’s just going to take some time.”
The waitress slunk over and quietly set the boxed cake on their table. Paige slipped her a credit card. Play Time wasn’t going to refund her money just because no guests arrived.
Another bill I can’t afford. And all I did was hurt him.
“Tell you what. Why don’t you and I do something special? Just the two of us. We can….”
The notes of her ring tone interrupted. The happy little song stirred something dark and furious in Paige’s heart.
If that’s some deadbeat mom, telling me–45 minutes late!–that they won’t make it, I will lose my shit. Completely.
“Hello?” Voice neutral, she steeled herself.
“Heya Paige!”
Judy Darling. Her neighbor, not some delinquent parent. Relief washed over her, though it was frosted by disappointment. Some furious, hard part of her soul really wanted to chew someone’s head off right now.
“Hi, Judy. What’s up?”
“I’m in Denver!”
“Nice.” Paige gritted her teeth and waited for the shoe to fall. When they first arrived, Judy was a bundle of joy and welcome. A promise from heaven that things would be different here in Colorado. Friendlier. Kinder. Safer. Yet, as the weeks rolled by, she noticed that if her neighbor stopped by to visit, it usually meant she needed something.
Eh, that was unfair. Judy watched Jake every day while Paige worked. Sure, her neighbor expected to be paid, and the cost of sitting took a huge chunk out of her paycheck. But the rate was far lower than what she charged her other clients. For cutting a single mom a deal, Judy earned a right to the occasional favor.
Unaware of her inner debate, her neighbor prattled on. “I know, right? Dave and I are having a blast!”
“Dave?”
“This really cool guy I met at a party last night.”
So, you met last night… and now you’re in Denver with him.
Okay, she was not touching that with a ten foot stick. God knows, her own taste in men wasn’t perfect. But that was just foolish.
“Anyway, I was wondering if there was something you could help me with.”
Of course. Paige sighed. “What’s up? It’s not a good time. It’s Jake’s birthday.”
“Oh, hey! Wish the little dude Happy Birthday for me!”
“Sure.” She waited, but Judy seemed to have forgotten why she called. “What do you need help with?”
“Oh, right! I totally spaced. I was supposed to babysit today, and I totally forgot.”
And now Judy was in Denver, on the other side of the state. That was a significant problem–for somebody else.
“I’d love to Judy, but like I said, it’s Jake’s birthday and….”
“It’s only for five hours. And it pays thirty bucks an hour.”
A hundred and fifty dollars? For five hours of sitting? Paige’s jaw dropped. Hell, that would just about cover the cost of this horrible ‘party.’
“That’s… amazing. But I don’t have anyone to watch Jake and−”
“Take the little dude along! Rex has four kids of his own. Nobody’ll notice one more.”
That might work… and she could really, really use the money….
“Okay. Sure.”
“Thank you! You are a life saver!” Judy crowed. “It’s Rex Fairburn. 125 Dry Gulch Road.”
That name set off alarms in her head. “Hang on. This isn’t the Rex Fairburn that owns Ancient Ways, is it?”
“Yep. That, and about six more resorts. Plus a couple of ski lodges too.”
Paige gulped. “He’s my boss.”
“Oh, cool! So you know him already!”
“Uh, no. Not really.” Owners didn’t fraternize with housecleaning staff like her. She’d never even seen the man.
“Oh, that’s okay. He’s totally cool. You’ll love him.”
‘Cool’? Judy, Paige decided, seriously needed a few more words in her vocabulary. “When do I need to be there?”
“Eleven thirty.”
“Tonight?”
Her neighbor giggled. “No, silly. 11:30 am.”
“Judy!” she wailed. “That was fifteen minutes ago!”
“Was it? Oh, wow.”
‘Oh, wow’? That was all she could say? “I’m already late!”
“I told you I spaced.” A sulky note crept into Judy’s voice.
Dammit, this was the last thing she needed!
A sick feeling swept over her as she glanced about the festive, empty, room.
No, the last thing I need is to not be able to buy groceries next week because I blew all my money on this failure of a party. My supervisor turned down my last request for an advance on my paycheck.
“Fine. I’ll do it.”
“Thanks so much, Paige! I knew I could count on you! And say hi to the little dude for me!”
With that, she hung up.
Jake watched her, glum and hopeless.
“Judy says Happy birthday.”
“Is she coming to my party?”
“No, she can’t. She’s in Denver.” The last tiny spark of hope died from his eyes. “Look, baby. We need to do a favor for Judy. We have to spend the afternoon at someone’s house. Is that okay?”
“I guess.” Jake slipped his party hat off and set it down carefully beside his clean plate.
What a horrible birthday. A no-guest ‘party’ and then work with your mom. Guilt and shame set Paige’s stomach roiling.
This day was going to be a horror story from beginning to end.
Chapter 3.
Her first glimpse of 125 Dry Gulch Road nearly sent Paige fleeing for the hills.
Stone walls, six feet tall, lined the road. After passing through its great wrought-iron gate, the driveway curved a quarter of a mile back to the house. Admittedly, the land was scrub and brush, not manicured lawns. But still, that was a huge tract of land for one man to own! Plus, the house at the end of that drive was anything but normal. Two stories tall, it swept along the crest of a small rise. One entire wall of the house was glass, giving every room a sweeping, panoramic view of the desert. A lake-sized pool lounged off to the side, complete with sauna, slides, and an Olympic diving board.
Well, Mr. Fairburn is a developer. Of course, he’s got a nice house.
Jake gaped at that sky-high diving board. “Can I go swimming?”
“We’ll see, honey.”
Four cars sat in the detached garage. A black Ford Expedition, a Humvee, a battered Jeep and some sleek sporty car Paige didn’t recognize.
That was a lot of cars for one person!
Carefully, she pulled up in front of the mansion. “Jake, could you wait here for a minute? I want to make sure I’ve got the right place.”
Not true. But if Mr. Fairburn lost his cool over her tardiness, Jake didn’t need to hear it. Not today.
Under the hot June sun, the tar of the drive burned straight through her cheap sandals. Paige clutched her purse like a safety blanket and hurried across to the shadowy arch of the front door.
As soon as she pressed the doorbell, heavy footsteps thundered down the hall. She had one moment to think, Oh, that does not sound good… Then the door was yanked open, violently.
The man within towered over her like an enraged grizzly. Broad shouldered, tall, he was the largest man she’d ever seen. Stretched
to its limits, an ‘Ancient Ways’ t-shirt struggled to cover his barrel chest and muscular arms. Despite his size, there wasn’t an ounce of fat on his enormous form.
And he wasn’t happy. On a better day, he could be the poster boy for the Southwest. Weathered, craggy features, hardened by the desert. Rich brown eyes to soften the harshness of his features.
Eyes that, today, blazed with fury.
“This is a miserable time to be late, Miss…”
For one second, that scowl wavered. “Hang on. You’re not Judy Darling.”
“No, I’m her neighbor Paige Hall. Judy couldn’t make it today and asked if I’d cover for her.” She held her hand out.
He didn’t take it. “Where is she?”
“She… got called out of town last night?” Heavens, here she was, lying to her employer to save the neck of her useless neighbor.
“And what made her think that I would entrust my children,” he spat, “to some woman I’ve never met?”
Under his furious gaze, Paige’s heart hammered. She forced herself not to lick her lips. “Actually, sir, I work for you. I’m one of the house cleaning staff at Ancient Ways.”
“Sadly, that’s not much of a recommendation,” he snorted. “My head of house-keeping is an idiot. She can’t do a background check to save her life. She’s hired three felons and a swarm of petty criminals.”
Well, that was one thing they agreed on: Mrs. Gordon had her head up her ass. But that didn’t seem like a good conversational gambit to Paige.
“And I can see that Miss Darling recommended someone as tardy and thoughtless as herself.”
Okay, there was a limit to the abuse she’d take for $150 bucks! “For your information, sir, Judy called me fifteen minutes ago. I got here as fast as I could. If you don’t want me, just say the word and I’m gone.”
A glance at his watch set the big man seething. “Dammit, I am already late!” Still, he hesitated, scowling at her, until a movement drew his eye to her car. “Did you bring your child with you?”
“Yes. Jake. I didn’t have anyone to watch him and Judy said this was an emergency.” Maybe that would push him over the edge. At this point, Paige just wanted to go home.
Instead, his frown softened. “Most criminals don’t bring their children along, I admit.”
How ‘generous’ of him. She waited, stewing, until he sighed.
“Fine. You can’t be worse than Miss Darling.”
One hundred and fifty dollars, Paige reminded herself as she gritted her teeth. I need this.
“I have a very important meeting, for which I am already late. I should be home before dinner. Micah!” he bawled. The unexpected shout made her jump.
At the end of the hall, a gangly boy stuck his head around the corner and scowled at his furious father. “Yeah?”
“This is your new babysitter for today. You’re in charge of introductions. I have to go.”
“Sure. Whatever.” The boy gave her a speculative look. One that didn’t bode well to Paige.
Let me guess. Once poppa’s out the door, he’s going to tell me that normally, they have ice cream for lunch. And oh, Judy always lets them play video games all day long.
Well, she’d deal with that. Kids would be kids. Paige waved her son over.
He scrambled out, eyeing Rex nervously. “Mommy? Should I bring the cake?”
“Um….”
For the first time, her employer noticed the balloons in the back seat. “You dragged your son out of his own birthday party for this job?” His face lit with outrage.
That look, that disdain, was the last straw. “Listen, you!” Paige hissed, poking him in the chest with a stiff finger. “I just threw a birthday party that nobody came to. Now, I get that this meeting is important to you. But my son is having one of the worst days in his life. If you do anything–one single little thing!–to make him feel worse, I am out of here. Screw you and your stupid job!”
Too late, she remembered who she was talking to. Rex Fairburn didn’t control just this babysitting job–he owned the resort where she cleaned. One word from him and her world collapsed.
At that moment, she didn’t care. Her life, this town, these people… they all sucked. She’d be damned if she’d let Jake suffer for her miserable choices.
To her shock, her furious defense didn’t drive him into a frenzy. Instead, he suddenly seemed to truly see her. To realize that a human being, not a misbehaving robot, stood before him. “Of course,” he muttered, his voice dropping to a bass growl. “I would not wish to upset the child.”
The pause that followed was awkward, though a relief. “Can your children have birthday cake? I don’t want to take leftovers home. I want Jake to forget this day as quickly as possible.”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Thank you.” Turning to her son, she forced herself to smile and call out, “Sure, bring it, sweetie!”
Another glance at his watch, and Rex winced. “Forgive me. I have to go.”
“Okay.” As soon as she stepped out of his way, he hustled for the Jeep. Strange choice for an important meeting! “Um, any dietary restrictions? Rules?”
“No. Well, there are rules, but I don’t have time. Just don’t let them do anything crazy!”
Jake sidled up to her as the Jeep tore away.
Four children watched her now. All fairly young, she was pleased to see. Jake might have a good time after all. “Hi! I’m Paige. Judy couldn’t make it today and she asked me to sit for her.”
“I’m Micah,” said the oldest boy. “This is my sister, Eden. And these are Nate and Sam.”
How odd. Why didn’t he call them his brothers? Also, little Sam looked as nervous as her own son. “Nice to meet you. This is my son, Jake.”
‘Hi’ got muttered several times.
“So…,” Micah began.
Here comes the request for the ice cream lunch.
“Do you like Totten Reservoir? Because we go there a lot. With Judy.”
Okay, that was a reasonable request. Though Paige had a better suggestion. “Totten?” she let her nose wrinkle. “It’s okay. Pretty crowded on weekends, though. Have you ever heard of Sweetwater Creek?”
Micah shook his head.
“You have to walk to get to it, but there’s never anyone there. It has rocks you can slide down and a little pool at the bottom for swimming. Plus, the best part is that there are some old ruins right there.”
She had them at ‘sliding down rocks’. Four little jaws dropped.
“If you want, I can pack us a picnic lunch. We can eat beside the creek and spend the afternoon swimming and exploring.”
“Cool!” Micah breathed. Delight lit the faces of all his siblings.
Even Jake smiled and Paige felt the first knot around her heart unravel.
Maybe something could be salvaged from this terrible day after all!
Chapter 4.
Of course, today was the day when everyone arrived promptly.
Except Rex.
By the time he jogged into the Hohokam Conference Room at Ancient Ways, an hour late, he expected to find the room empty. Maybe with some obscene graffiti spray-painted on the walls by a Pack of Wolves pissed off about driving twelve hours for a no-show Bear.
Instead, he found the room filled to the brim with the Shifters of the Four Corners area. Grumpy, surly… but still here. The buffet table was demolished; staff bustled in and out, refilling the trays and beer coolers. Looked like the only ‘revenge’ he’d earned was people trying to eat him out of hearth and home.
Well, let ‘em. Plenty more where that came from.
Quickly, he surveyed the crowd. A couple dozen Bears from all across the southwest. Representatives of six different Wolf Packs. They handled the delay worst, pacing about the room like it was a zoo cage. In their midst stood a surprise: Lilianna King, daughter of Aaron King.
Nice to know King’s kid doesn’t obey any better than my little ones.
“Fairburn. Finally decid
ed to show up, huh?” Brown hair cropped in a shaggy bob cut framed a delicate, Elvin face. Between that face and her pretty name, many men treated her like a fragile flower.
Once. Then she taught them how wrong they were.
Rex never made that mistake. He’d seen her pound mortal men into the ground in the cage fights out behind Scrub’s Bar.
“Sorry, Lily.” He gestured at the bottles scattered around her table. “Though at least it looks like my people didn’t let you die of thirst.”
Drunk Wolf Princesses. Greaaat. Just what every community gathering needs!
Over in the corner, a handful of desert Rats huddled together. Bulging backpacks surrounded them. Either they’d come prepared to camp for a month–or they were pilfering as much food and drink as they could carry. Rex’s money was on the latter, though he didn’t mind. The woman in their center, a wizened old hag who looked like the world’s skeeviest grandmother, was SueSue Mint. She’d tipped him off to the extent of his ‘problem.’ So, if the Rat wanted a week’s groceries as a reward, she could have them.
A score of Witch Hares had commandeered the window tables. Most were loners, women who kept to themselves and worked old, traditional magic. Rex also spotted six Hares from the Sedona Warren, the region’s most prestigious coven. Good. If anyone could solve his problem, it would probably be one of those women.
But where was the guest of honor? There was supposed to be a Dragon here….
Looking closer, he spotted two, not one.
A shadowy stranger sat in the corner, watching the crowd with a steely, disapproving gaze. Black suit, black hair, and brown eyes so dark they almost seemed to match his funereal clothes. Rex started toward him–then hesitated. One Shifter could often catch a glimpse of another’s animal soul. This guy was a Dragon. Yet two slender horns crowned the head of his Dragon, curving down along its neck.
Snow Flight. Those were the only Dragons with that distinctive crest.
I guess Aaron King wasn’t right about anything!
Rex didn’t recognize this guy. The Flight laired in the Sierra Nevada’s and he rarely had cause to travel up there. King’s Sand Pack had ancient ties to the Flight. Other than that, the Dragons didn’t have much use for other Shifters.
