Dad had been short of stature. She hadn’t realized it until she began to hang around the McCray men. All of them were taller than six feet. Jilly thought her dad had only been about five foot six or seven. Certainly not any more than that. He had also been very slim—too thin, she thought. But not her mom.
Mom was taller than Dad had been, but not by much. She was forever on a diet, it seemed. Something that would have her lose weight for a while, then she’d plump back up. Jilly only just realized her mom would go out and buy long gowns at those times—when her body was at the weight she wanted it to be. Which wasn’t all that often.
“Did you hear me?” She shook her head at Cybill. “I asked if you wanted to get in the pool. The others are gone now—they have to get some work done. Did you know that Ian makes computers? I’m going to ask for one for Christmas.”
“I’ll go up and change and meet you here in a few minutes.” Jilly stood up and thought she must have been thinking very hard if she missed her sister changing into her suit already.
Laughing at herself, Jilly made her way up to her room, a room that was becoming something she loved. There had been no stipulations on how they decorated their room, nor on what sort of furniture they had in it. It was their space, both Ian and Lucy had told her and Cybill, but to remember that the room couldn’t change again for a year. That seemed to her not too long of a time frame. However, when she started looking at furniture and how she wanted it to look, she made herself remember that rule over and over.
Deciding to go with just plain white walls in her room made it seem like she could do anything else with colorful furniture. It hadn’t turned out the way she had thought it would. Colorful prints at the store looked pretty cool to her, but thinking about having to wake up to the large bright blots of color made her rethink it all.
Keeping the walls white had been a good choice. She liked the freshness of it, the way it seemed like a new day—a clean slate, so to speak. Jilly looked at things for her room that would be just as fresh to her. A good way to wake up in the morning and have a wonderful morning. Deciding on the light oak furniture as well as a pretty tiny print on her bedspread and curtains looked just exactly like she wanted it to look when she was finished. Then Demi came over and gave both her and Cybill a painting.
Jilly hadn’t asked if it was a real piece of art. She could see the name of the most famous painter she’d ever heard of in the corner. The flowers were just the right colors of blue, the sky, another shade of the hue. Knowing just what she wanted after that, Jilly picked out a shade of blue that didn’t take away from the painting, but she thought it brought it all together. Her room, she thought, was both calming and fresh. The colors, even though there weren’t that many, made her smile every time she entered or left her room. Cybill asked for her help to do the same to her room, and they both had rooms that not only did they love, but were all theirs.
The pool was perfect. As they played in the water, Jilly thought of something else. Instead of letting it simmer in her head, she asked Cybill about it. They’d had a pool at their other home. Did she remember ever using it?
“Now that you mention it, I don’t remember ever using it. It was there for Mom and Dad’s parties, but no one seemed to want to get in and have some fun.” Cybill got out and sat on the edge of the pool to talk to her. “I’ve been comparing our life with Ian and Lucy to Mom and Dad too. They didn’t do much, did they?”
“You mean like vacations and such?” Cybill said out to dinner with them. “Yeah, we didn’t do that either. Unless it was some kind of business thing. Then we had to sit quietly and not speak to anyone unless they spoke to us first. But I loved them. You know?”
“I did too. I just never thought about how strict they were until now. But that’s not right either. It’s how they were never there, even when they were home.” Cybill looked around at the woods they were situated in, at the pool house, and the greenhouse too. Jilly asked her what she was thinking about. “I don’t know. I’m just letting thoughts go around and around in my head. Like the day Mom and Dad left on the trip that got them killed. Neither one of them said goodbye. If I’d not seen the car leaving when they left, I doubt we would have even missed them for a few days. They were forever leaving without saying anything. That’s really sad, don’t you think?”
“I didn’t mean to make you sad, Cybill. I was just thinking to myself.” Cybill said she’d been thinking too. “Is it because of the McCrays? I think Lucy is different now too. I mean, doesn’t she look like she’s going to burst with happiness? I know she’s having a blast with the other women. I am too. They’re not related to us at all, but I still call them my aunts. I noticed you did that as well.”
“They make you just feel. Like everything. The other day I was on the deck just watching the trees when I realized what I was doing. I swear to you, Jilly, they were singing to me. I mentioned that to Grandma Cindy, and she told me they more than likely were. All of earth will speak to you if you’re quiet enough to listen.” Cybill laughed. “She wasn’t even scolding me to be quiet then either. She meant it.”
“Hey, girls.” Jilly was so happy to see Lucy that she felt her face stretch into a huge smile. She looked better too—all of them did now that they were eating better and sleeping in a real bed. “You don’t have to go with me, but I’m headed to the bakery. I’m supposed to see what sort of ingredients I’ll need to order, as well as any equipment. The other women will be there too. You want to go? I’ll treat you to lunch.”
Both she and Cybill scrambled to get ready to go. Not that having lunch with their sister was the best part of it for her. Jilly would have gone anyway. But to be in the bakery while they were working on it made her want to grab up a tool and work too. Jilly wanted to make things with her hands so badly that she shook whenever she was near things like that.
Putting on her most casual clothing, hoping against hope that she’d be able to drive a nail in or something equally fun, she was downstairs waiting when Cybill joined them. She, of course, was dressed in a summer dress and sandals. Unlike her, Cybill enjoyed dresses. Jilly wanted to be pretty but comfy. Just like her big sister.
~*~
Ian worked on the computer while keeping an eye on his family. Mostly it was Jilly. She seemed to be itching to get herself into trouble. He wasn’t worried about her getting hurt with the things she would pick up, but he knew she was going to convince one of the workers to allow her to use the nail gun—he just knew it. As soon as the thought entered his mind, Jilly was holding the gun to the wall with help.
“It’s got a little kick, so you have to put all your weight against it to make sure you don’t misfire.” She nodded, pulling on the safety glasses as she listened. “Now, we’re shifters, so we have a little more muscle than you might have, so when you pull the trigger, make sure you only pop it once. More than that, and we’ll have to pull the second nail out.”
He watched her do it and realized she’d done a good job of it. Keeping an eye on Cybill was easier. She had absolutely no desire at all to get dirty. It was kinda cute, really, how she was able to avoid touching anything with either the dress she had on or her hands. Jilly was already sporting a fine sheen of sweat and dirt on her hands.
Lucy was going over the list of equipment that had been left at the bakery when Demi purchased it. Lucy and Melody were going to be partners in the bakery. Lucy was going to do the baking, and Melody the cook for things like soup and sandwiches. He thought it was going to be very busy once they were opened. Even Lucian expressed a desire to be the taste tester for all the things they made.
“I’ve made some different kinds of breads to see what it is you wanted me to make.” Melody told her she wanted them all. “You’ve not even tasted them. For all you know they could be crap.”
“No. I can smell them. If that’s the way crap smells, then we should put a bow on it and put it on the market too.” Cybill m
ade a gagging sound. “Come here, kid. You need to pull out some of the paper plates so we can slice this up and have everyone trying them.”
Cybill did it in her most dainty way. Jilly was still using the nail gun on the wall while two men put up drywall they were using. The difference between the two girls was vast, and funny to him. Ian made his way to the sample table too. Even though he’d already had several slices of the bread at home, he was never going to pass up more of it. Not if he could help it.
The brown bread was his favorite. He did understand it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Also, with it being so sweet, to him at least, he could see where someone might not want it as a sandwich bread. He thought ham on the bread would be just the thing.
With several slices of bread on his plate, he went back to the computer. Mom came in then, sad that she’d missed the tasting, and offered up some of her jam for next time. Everyone turned to him, knowing he had some stashed under his work station.
Sharing his bread was harder than he thought it should have been. Perhaps because he ended up with less than a slice of the yummy treat when he’d had as many as four full slices on his plate. His wife called him selfish, and his mom told him to behave. He smiled at them both as he shoved the piece in his mouth with some of his mom’s black raspberry jam spread out all over it.
Jilly asked to hang around with him and the workers while the others went to buy some of the supplies still needed. The Gathering Place was set to open in a week, and everyone around town was excited. He was too. The things that Lucy had been making at home for them was going to make the entire town overweight. Even her things like small cookies were so sinfully good that he could and would eat all of them without someone taking them from him.
“Do you think I could work with the construction company?” Ian told Jilly she’d have to ask Demi. They all worked for her. “Do you think she’d have a problem with me working? I mean, I am a girl and all.”
“First of all, so what if you’re a girl? Do you have it in your head that girls can’t do the same job as well as if not better than a man?” She smiled at him and told him no. “Good. Because if you say crap like that to Demi, you’re going to be in deep shit. And I’m not going to bail you out of it. For that matter, I’d not say that to any of the women in this family. Even my mom would be upset with you for thinking along those lines. If you want to work in construction, then I’d work at it in the summer months. They’ll be busier then, and you will be able to make some cash while you’re at it. You take your test for your license soon, don’t you?”
“Yes. Very soon. And since you gave me your car, I think my sister is happy too. She doesn’t want me stranded someplace with a beater, she called it.” Ian asked her about gas and insurance. “I don’t know. I guess I just figured she’d give me that too. Or you would.”
“I’ll give you what you’ll need for traveling back and forth to school and help you with insurance, but I’m not planning on paying for your party life.” Jilly said she didn’t have a party bone in her body. “Not yet. You’re not out free with a car. Nope, not going to pay for that crap. You’ll need a job, if for no other reason than so you can pay for things you’d like to have. Like, I don’t know. I guess it would be girl stuff. Since I’ve never had a sister until recently, I haven’t any idea what sort of gooey stuff a girl would want.”
“Gooey stuff? I don’t even know what that would be.” She turned and looked at the work going on behind her. “Since I watched a company come and build shelves in my room, I’ve wanted to be a builder. Then as I got older, I realized it was much more than that. I wanted to learn to create. You know, make a design and then build it. It’s been my deepest dream.”
“Then I will go out of my way to make that happen for you, Jilly.” She looked at him, and he saw hope was there. It was tangible. Then it disappeared with the next blink of her eyes. “Who is it that told you that you couldn’t do that? Your mom or dad?”
“Both.”
Ian nodded. “You can count on me, Jilly. I will do as I promised, and make sure you can at least try and achieve this dream of yours.”
“Seriously? What will Lucy say?” He said he’d talk to her. “She’ll turn me down. I know she’s nothing like our parents, thankfully, but she’ll think it’s manly too.”
“No, I won’t.” Lucy came up behind Jilly and hugged her. “I forgot to measure the bins I’m going to be using. But I couldn’t help but overhear what you want to do. Go for it, Jilly. There are just too many people out there in this world who think just because their gender isn’t the usual one who does a job, they can’t either. If Ian can’t make it happen for you, then together, we will. Even if I have to make some heads roll. I want you to be whatever you want. Both you and Cybill. I’d not count on her working in construction, but you never know.”
They were all three laughing as Lucy measured the six bins that had been found in the building. They’d been cleaned and sanitized, the seams sealed up and ready to be used. Ian thought they were perfect for the rest of the place. This place was beginning to look more like a bakery every day he was there.
“Would you like a job here?” Cybill asked suspiciously what the job would be. “Waiting tables. Taking orders on the phone. Ringing out customers. Things like that. No dishes, if that’s what you’re thinking. I don’t know who was hired for that job, but the man is going to be living above the shop. He’s going to be keeping an eye on things.”
“I think I’d like that. I don’t know how to do any of those things, but I think I can wing it.” Lucy told her she’d have to wear an apron. “Good. I don’t want to ruin my clothing. You won’t fire me the first day, will you?”
Lucy and her sister talked about Cybill waiting tables as they left again. Jilly went back to work with the other men. She was the only female in the place, and the guys were falling all over themselves, trying to make sure she didn’t get injured. Finally, just like her sister, she told them to all just do what they normally did. She wasn’t a delicate flower as her sister was. After that, it was loud and dirty again. Jilly took it with stride and concentrated on making sure she learned the job she was doing.
So how old is Jilly? Ian had to smile. Of course, one of the women would have told Demi that Jilly wanted a job. He told her she’d be seventeen on Christmas Eve. That’s old enough so long as she doesn’t cut off a finger or something. I mean, she’s not supposed to be working in that sort of environment at all, but I think we can fudge that up for her. What do you think about her working around a bunch of jackasses?
She can hold her own. Jilly has already told them to stop treating her like a wilting flower. Demi laughed. For all I know, she might not enjoy this after a month or so. However, it has been a dream of hers to create, she told me. Not just that, but to design and create. I think she’d love it.
I’d love to help her with her dream. She’s a good kid. They both are. When she paused, he took his hand off the work he was doing. He wanted to devote his full attention to whatever she had to say to him. He’s made bail. I’m not sure how, but he’s out and about. I know he’s gone by the house to try and get in but didn’t have any luck. I have a feeling he’s going to be a problem that won’t soon go away. Also, you asked me to look into him having anything to do with the deaths of their parents, and I didn’t find anything. And you know me well enough to know that I looked.
Cybill and Lucy are with you, so I’m not worried about them. And Jilly is here with me, so I’ll keep a closer eye on her. What do you think he’s going to do now? Other than try and hurt one of them to get back into the house? She said it was hard to say what he’d do. I agree. I wish we knew a little more about him. I mean, is he a violent person? Does he carry a gun? Has he done any prison time?
Violent? I haven’t any idea. I would say he could be if pushed. All I could find on him was that he’s spent a couple of nights in jail. Mostly for drunk driving on t
he lesser charges. Once because he was trespassing. Believe it or not, that wasn’t his family calling them on him. Though I have run across the restraining order that Lucille, the girl’s mother, had against him. I can’t find the reason why, but there was one in place when she was killed. Ian asked her what she thought they should do now. I really have no idea. I’d not flaunt being out and about when you see him. I think, and this is just me, I’d wait until he makes a move. He won’t be long in doing that either. Josh got used to having money.
His brother, Donald—do we know how their relationship was? I mean, obviously, his wife didn’t care for her brother-in-law. Demi said they didn’t get along at all from what she’d heard from other people. I guess there will be a court hearing soon about him falsifying the will and stealing from the girls.
Yes. I’m pushing for it to be sooner rather than later. She laughed. Your little wife is a hellion. Someone cut us off, and she’s about ready to jump from the car and do him in. I’d not mess with her if I were a bad guy. I think she’s had a taste of being safe, and she doesn’t want anything to take that away from her. Oh, your adoption paperwork has been finalized. All the girls have to do is sign that they weren’t forced to have you as their father.
He was a dad. It hit him every time someone brought it up. After Demi told him where they were, they closed the connection. Keeping an eye on Jilly, he was happy to see that she’d progressed from using the nail gun to using the plaster to butter up the seams on the drywall. Why it was called that he had no idea, but she seemed to be having a good time while paying attention to detail.
When it started to get close to dinner, he decided he and Jilly would go out too. She was all for it but didn’t want pizza. He’d noticed that about all three of the sisters—pizza wasn’t high on their list of foods. As they were seated in a steakhouse, she told him what had happened to turn them off the usual treat for teenagers.
Ian: McCray Bruin Bear Shifter Romance Page 7
