by Eileen Green
The scene had drawn the attention from store employees and tourists up and down the main street of Passion, everyone gawking to see what was going on. It wasn’t a good welcome for the tourists, but at least they could see something besides the burnt mountains.
Jasper turned toward Cole. “You okay?” he asked.
Cole nodded. “Yeah. He’s lucky there were tourists around,” Cole responded as he dragged his hand through his blond hair. “I was getting ready to shift. I would have enjoyed ripping him apart.”
Jasper clasped his hand on Cole’s shoulder. Jasper was a big man. He stood a couple of inches taller than Cole, and Cole was six-two. Jasper was solidly built, just like Cole and Cade, his muscles coming from the same place as the twins’. Running through the forest. Well, lumbering through the forest since he was a grizzly bear shifter.
“Well, thanks for the restraint. As much as I’d like to tear into him once in a while, I have to refrain.” Jasper looked at Marlowe’s car. “Do you know what set him off?”
Cole looked at the battered vehicle. Marlowe wasn’t going to be leaving the same way she came. “It’s Marlowe’s. Danny saw her, said something to her, and she fell off the top of the Jeep.”
“On top?” Jasper asked incredulously as he looked to the top of the vehicle.
“Yeah. She was taking pictures.” It was then Cole spotted the camera on top of the Jeep. The rails from the racks up top had kept it from falling to the ground when she did.
Grabbing the camera, Cole began looking through the pictures she had taken.
Jasper peered over his shoulder and said, “She has a good eye. They’re professional quality.”
“Yes,” Cole agreed, his eyes still on the small screen.
“Where’s Marlowe now?” Jasper asked as he glanced up and down Main Street. He was a vigilant cop, always looking for trouble, and around here, it was easy to find.
Half the population were shifters, and while most residents knew about them, there was still quite a few that didn’t. Besides the tourists, there were other shifters that came through looking for mates or to cause problems, some of them wanting to take over the town. Cole had to admit that there wasn’t a dull moment in Passion.
“Cade is with her at the clinic. She needed a quick fix. I think she broke some bones when she fell.” Cole tried to cover the worry in his voice, but Jasper looked at him, his dark brow raised questionably.
“Then what are you doing here? You should be with your woman. I’ll come see her in a bit to get her statement.”
“Thanks.” Cole looked at the beat-up Jeep. “Can you contact Denton and ask him to tow this to our place?”
“You think she’s going to go home with you after being gone so long?” Jasper asked.
Everyone speculated on why Marli had left town in such a hurry, and many had concluded that it was Cole and Cade’s fault. Cole wanted to prove that they were wrong, but he wanted her at their place so they could hash out what had happened.
“Well, if her car is at our place, she’s going to have to go with us to get it.”
Jasper shook his head as he walked away. Cole heard the man’s chuckle.
Yeah, it’s going to get interesting, fast!
Cole made his way back to the clinic, anxious to see his woman, even though she would argue she wasn’t. He and Cade had held on to the hope she would return one day. Of course, they hadn’t expected to wait twelve years. He was bound and determined to find out what Marlowe had been doing in that time, and he hoped there wasn’t a man in her life, for he didn’t want to have to fight to get her back into their lives permanently.
Several people were rushing to get back into the various businesses in the immediate vicinity. He knew people had come out to see what the ruckus was, and now they needed to resume what they were doing. As he entered the clinic, he noticed several people sitting back in their chairs as if they didn’t want to be caught being looky-loos. He hid his smile.
Cole’s breath caught in his throat as he stepped back into the exam room. He had forgotten how beautiful Marlowe was in her cat form. Her coat shone from the sun shining in through the window along with the fluorescent lights above her. Her mouth seemed to have a smile on it, even though he knew that wasn’t the way it was.
She looked so uncomfortable laying on the exam table for it wasn’t made for an animal her size. She was favoring her two hind legs, which he avoided as he moved around to get closer to his brother. Keeping his back to her, he stood before Cade and whispered, “She’s going to need us. Don’t let her run.”
Cade nodded as he kept his gaze on Marlowe though a crease appeared in his forehead. Cole turned and picked up the clothes she had shed when she shifted. She wouldn’t be able to wear them again, but there maybe were things in her pockets she would need. With them in his arms, he sat in the chair that was in the corner, and he, too, watched her. They were going to have a fight on their hands once she changed back and wanted to leave. He and Cade needed to figure out what they were going to do.
* * * *
“You have no right to hold me!” Danny shouted as he twisted in Dirk’s and Jacob's hold as the latter pushed Danny toward the jail cell. He didn’t deserve to be incarcerated. “I am a fucking citizen of this town. This is police brutality!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Dirk muttered behind him as Jacob released his hold. “If you acted like a human being, you wouldn’t be going to jail.”
Danny put his foot out against the edge of the cell entrance to keep from being pushed inside, but he failed. Pain ran up his leg as Dirk pushed him in and then closed the metal door behind him. Danny stumbled before he landed on the cot, the smell of BO strong.
“The least you could do is clean this place up once in a while! It stinks!”
“No one’s been in there since you last night,” Dirk shot back. “That’s your own stench. You may want to clean up yourself.”
Throwing himself on his back, Danny slid his arm over his eyes to hold out the light. He wasn’t quite over the bender from the night before, and his head hurt.
“Why did she have to come back?” he whispered to the walls. “She should have just stayed away, and we’d all be happier for it. I dare her to come by the house. She’ll be sorry if she does. The little bitch owes me for running away.”
Her mother was gone, had been for ages. Marlowe was supposed to stay in Passion and cook and clean for him. She was supposed to go out and work to make money so he could spend time at the tavern on the highway and drink with his friends.
Desertion. That was what it was. She’d deserted him. Bitch!
“Where’s the fucking sheriff?” he called out, cringing slightly at the pain that stabbed at his brain.
“He’s making some phone calls, Sanderson! Now, just relax and get settled in. You’re probably going to be here for a while.” Dirk closed the door that separated the four jail cells from the front office area.
Danny didn’t mind a few days in the slammer for his drinking, but he had a funny feeling in his gut. Now that Marlowe was back in town, his life was going to take a nasty turn.
Chapter Two
She woke with a start. Looking around at the white walls and medical equipment, she was confused at first, trying to figure out where she was. However, once she laid eyes on Cole and Cade, her memory came rushing back. She must have dozed off while her body healed.
Two sets of amber eyes watched her intently, the ring around the retinas nearly gone but their pupils large. She loved those eyes at one time, was fascinated with how they seemed the same when the two men shifted into their cougars. They were beautiful as men and as beasts.
Their hair was blond and long, down to their shoulders. They had scruff on their cheeks and chin, adding to their intriguing good looks.
Marlowe glared at the two men for a minute before she bared her teeth at them. She wanted them to leave the room so she could shift back to her human form and then get the hell outta Dodge.
Wel
l, Passion.
Damn! My clothes are shredded, and my bag is in my car.
Releasing a growl, she had both men on their feet, concern written on their faces. As they got closer to her, she growled long and low for she didn’t want to scare any other patients in the office.
“What’s wrong, baby girl?” Cade asked as he placed his hand on her front right leg. “Are you still in pain?”
She rolled her eyes. Men were so dense. An animal growled at them and they thought they needed to fix the problem.
Cole stepped around his brother to kneel near her face. “Kitten, we’re here for you. Just let us know how to help you.” He reached out and stroked her neck as a lover might.
But they weren’t. They’d lost that right twelve years ago.
She snarled and then snapped at him, not coming too close to actually biting him. Both men pulled away quickly, watching her with disbelief.
What the hell. They’ve seen me naked many times before we ever fucked. Besides, if they see me now, this will be the last time.
A shudder coursed through her, and she felt her body decrease in size while her bones snapped and relocated in her body. Her fur receded, and her claws disappeared. The chill of the room kissed her nude body, and Marlowe quickly curled up on the exam table to hide herself from the Younger men.
The pain in her legs was gone, letting her know her shift had healed her bones, though a slight ache remained. Now, it was her pride that was hurt.
“I need my backpack,” she said quietly, keeping her gaze away from Cade and Cole. “My clothes are in it. Can someone get it from my Jeep, please?”
She could feel their eyes on her body the same as she’d felt their hands oh so long ago. The memory of their touches, their kisses, never left Marlowe. The memory of what they shared as children, and then as young adults and the one-night stand, would never leave her. It was all a part of her, but she would never go back to being friends or lovers with them for the hurt and the shame had been too much.
Childhood in Passion had not been kind to Marlowe. Her father was a raging alcoholic. Her mother deserted her. And the two boys she had been in love with had humiliated her. Marlowe’s heart was closed now, unable to open to anyone. She didn’t even have a plant to talk to back home in San Francisco.
Lifting her head, she glared at the twins and then cleared her throat to get their attention. Both had the grace to look embarrassed.
“Sorry, kitten,” Cole said as he dragged his amber gaze to meet hers. “That’s going to be a little difficult.”
Here it comes. What excuse are they going to use to try to get me to stay?
“Why?” she ground out.
Sheepishly, Cole dipped his head. “Your father…” He cleared his throat nervously. “Your father beat the crap out of your Jeep with a tire iron.”
“What?” she exclaimed. Forgetting about her state of undress, she sat up too quickly. The room began to spin, and both men were instantly by her side, their hands on her shoulders.
The warmth that flowed between them was hard to ignore. The zap of electricity was too. It went straight to her pussy. Cream escaped her, and she knew they could smell it because she could too. Damn!
Trying to ignore what had just happened, she went on, demanding, “Where’s my Jeep?”
“I had Jasper tell Billy to tow it out to our place. That way you have time to put a claim into the insurance and have a place to stay until it gets fixed.” Cole spoke softly.
Marlowe raised her hands to her face and sank her face into them. A small cry sounded from her for she knew she never should have let her boss talk her into coming. Within ten minutes of her setting foot in town, her life had fallen apart.
* * * *
Every day since Marlowe had disappeared, Cade prayed he would be able to have her back in his and Cole’s life. The absence of her addictive smile, her empathic heart, and her rockin’ body had affected him deeply. He had gone into a deep depression when they found out she had disappeared. She had been a big part of his and Cole’s life from a young age, and it had felt as if his heart had been ripped out of his chest.
Their mother, Coraline, had extended her motherly ways to Marlowe once the girl’s mother had disappeared into thin air, Marlowe spending endless nights at their house when her father went on a bender. Their mother had extended her motherly expertise to help Marlowe grow into a woman, offering personal advice and love.
Now that Marlowe was back, he was bound and determined to keep her here. He and Cole would have to talk to their mother to see what she could suggest about getting Marlowe to talk about why she had run away.
Heat blossomed in the hand he had on his woman’s shoulder and shot straight to his cock. Her sweet honey filled the air, driving his senses crazy. He tried to ignore the fact that all the blood in his body seemed to be pooling in his groin, causing his dick to lengthen and throb. His jeans were getting uncomfortable, and a glance at his brother told Cade that Cole was in the same boat.
“I don’t care how smashed up my car is,” Marlowe said, her words dripping with irritation. “I am leaving this town, and I’m never coming back. So, just get me my damn car here now!”
Cade had been as confused as he was the first time Marlowe had run. He glanced back at Cole, and his twin’s face mirrored his own. Neither one of them knew what was going on with her, but they knew that Marlow was beyond upset, and it was time to find out why.
Moving in front of her, Cade straddled her legs to cage her in. His heart ached when she pulled back from him yet kept her defiant posture in her shoulders and head. He bent slightly so his face was inches from hers.
“You are going to go home with us, and when we get there, you will explain yourself. We worried about you when you left without an explanation. You didn’t let anyone know where you were going, not even your father. You deserted us, Marlowe. You deserted our mother after all she had done for you,” Cade ranted. The years of what had happened to her had hurt so badly that he couldn’t help himself.
“Mom took your leaving really hard, baby girl. She thought of you as her daughter, and you hurt her. She went through a period of depression that we thought she would never come out of,” Cole said as he stepped closer to Cade’s side. “If not for us, at least come and see her. She would appreciate it.”
Guilt crossed Marlowe’s features at the mention of their mother. Coraline really did look upon Marlowe as the daughter she never had, especially since Marlowe’s mother had run out on her and her father. Coraline had lamented for years about why, if Marlowe was in trouble or hurt, she wouldn’t come to talk to her about it.
Cade could tell thoughts warred within Marlowe, showing on her face. He would give anything to know what she was thinking.
God, please let her come to her senses and come home with us.
“Fine,” she finally said after nearly a minute. “I’ll go with you to talk to your mother and then get my car.”
Cole had said her car wasn’t drivable since the lights were destroyed, along with the windshield and a couple other windows. They weren’t going to tell her that it would probably be a few days before it would be fixed for parts would most likely need to be sent in. Being located where they were, the next biggest cities to get parts would take nearly a full day to retrieve.
Western Montana was mountainous and not very populated. Thomas Passion had happened upon this area way back in 1854 after making his fortune in California in the gold fields. There was gold here also, along with a natural gas field.
Thomas had been born in England but had been a scoundrel. When he had gotten caught sleeping with a man’s wife and daughter, he made his way to the States. He found New York City didn’t offer enough wide, open spaces for a shifter, so he went to California when gold was discovered. After making his fortune there, he knew it was time to settle down. He had been heading to Canada when he had come across this area, a nice-sized valley and plenty of mountains surrounding it so he had plenty of room to str
etch his legs.
Over time, he married and built the town and provided a trust for the family and its descendants so they would always be provided for. Investments were made, and even now, everything was good. At least for the most part. The fire had dug into the lumber industry, but everyone knew they would be all right.
The only problem with where they were located was the isolation. The last few generations had gotten discouraged as new technology showed them there was a bigger world out there that they could explore. Everyone hoped that, one day, those who had left would find their way back home.
At least Marlowe had. Now, they had to convince her to stay.
* * * *
The town hadn’t changed much in twelve years, Marlowe thought as they drove down the streets. Some new paint here and there. A few new shops and some remodeled storefronts. The town hall had gone through a major renovation, as had the bank.
She enjoyed seeing the town for it was dressed up for Halloween and the fall season. Halloween was just two weeks away, and there would be a fall fair with festivities for everyone. Games, hayrides, food, vendors, and a haunted house. Those were all things she missed. She had missed the holidays the most.
Houses had been built on the west side of town. The few streets closest to town were older homes, mostly Victorians, bungalows, and cottages. She had seen, as she came up the highway, some fancier homes were now lining the hillside that overlooked the valley, the river and lake, and the western mountains.
They were secluded here, offering plentiful terrain for the shifters that lived here. Thomas Passion had created an oasis for those who were different from the norm. Wolves, bears, foxes, and cougars abounded, and they all got along.
Sure, the town had its issues. Kids got drunk on the weekends. Drugs had made their way in as they do in most places, but it wasn’t a major issue as it was in bigger towns and cities. Most kids found that drugs weren’t a shifter’s friend. It messed with the ability to change and left them in a half-shift until the drugs wore off. That was why everyone was warned by the doctor that painkillers and antibiotics had to be taken with care and not when the patient was knowingly going to shift while taking them.
