He was detached from them and always had been.
This is our chance to make our own memories and make sure the cubs we raise have the best childhood. One filled with family, friends and lots of furry friends, his bear told him. The past is the past, we need to all look to the future.
His bear was right, it would soon be Christmas and then a new year would roll around and they would make their new lives together wherever that might be. This was time for change, for a new adventure.
“There you are, we thought Lucas had kidnapped you and taken you off into the mountains.” Sage stood in the doorway, her hands clasping her arms as if she were hugging herself. As she spoke, her breath came in large puffs of vapor. “The temperature is dropping rapidly. At least if it snows you can leave the truck and travel back to the shelter on four paws.”
Ronni looked up at the sky and sighed resignedly. “I made a deal with Kevin to buy the land for a certain price by a certain date. I did not factor snow into those plans.”
“It’ll be fine.” Lucas ushered Ronni inside as snow began to fall in lazy flurries. “We’ll raise the money somehow.”
“Ronni is right, the weather could really hamper the auction.” Sage handed them a glass of wine as the aroma of roast chicken and garlic assailed his senses. “My mouth is watering already.”
“Come and sit down, it’s ready.” George pulled out a chair for Ronni.
“Thanks. It does smell good.” She glanced up at Lucas. “You’ll have to come home for your homemade dinner. Or go to my parents’ house. My mom is an excellent cook, too. Unfortunately, I was not bestowed with that gift.”
“You might find it easier if you had a nice kitchen of your own to cook in,” Marcus said as he sat down at the end of the table. His wife was on his right and his two adopted children, Reece and Winnie, were on his left.
“No, that wouldn’t help,” Ronni insisted. She placed a hand over Lucas’s. “Sorry.”
“That’s okay, we can make extra and freeze it for you,” Nana said as she placed a large roast chicken on the table.
“You missed my hint,” Marcus said.
“Perhaps you need to be less subtle,” Joanna told him.
Lucas yanked his attention away from the food on the table. “Or pick a time when there isn’t a table full of food.”
“Does that mean you don’t want to hear the news?” Marcus asked coolly.
“I want to hear.” Ronni sat up straight, her face expectant, and Lucas wished he’d kept his mouth shut on the ride over here. What if this wasn’t about Will and the house they would love to build?
“We went over to see Will,” Marcus began but then was sidetracked by the plate of food set down in front of him.
“You are drooling,” Joanna told her mate. “Close your mouth.”
Marcus placed his hands by the side of his plate and composed himself. “Will has agreed to build a house for you both. He’ll use it as a showcase for the skills his guys have learned. It’ll promote the project and also the shelter.”
Ronni sagged forward. “That’s an amazing idea. His project helps so many people, too. This all makes so much sense.”
“We’ve also agreed on the final details for the corporate event here at Chance Heights. We’d be excited and delighted for you to auction it off for the shelter.” Nana clasped her hands together as she spoke.
Lucas reached for Ronni’s hand. “I think I can safely say we are both incredibly touched by the response of everyone. Not just you guys, but everyone we’ve spoken to. So many people have agreed to give their time and resources to help the animals.”
“Thank you so much,” Ronni swallowed hard and stared down at her plate. “I’m a little overwhelmed.”
“Then let’s eat,” Marcus picked up his knife and fork. “Because believe me, you are about to be even more overwhelmed.”
Ronni laughed and dried her eyes. “I’m starving. It’s been a long, long day.”
“Let’s make a toast,” Joanna said, picking up her wine glass which was filled with water. “To the people in our lives who show us with big or small gestures that they care.”
“To the people in our lives.” They all touched glasses and drank a toast.
“Is this a good time to ask if we can have a kitten?” Winnie asked as they all began to eat.
“A kitten.” Joanna locked eyes with Marcus. “It’s not something we’ve talked about.” She rested her hand on her swollen belly. “And with the baby so close.”
“I can help look after it,” Marcus told his mate.
She cocked her head on one side. “I thought you might not like the idea.”
“I think it’s important for kids to learn to take responsibility for another living thing.” Marcus forked chicken into his mouth and savored the taste.
“I feel bad that you never had pets,” Nana admitted.
“Why? We learned about responsibility in other ways.” Marcus chewed slowly and swallowed down his food. “This is amazing.”
“You don’t think you had too much responsibility?” Nana asked with concern.
Marcus paused, his next forkful of food halfway to his mouth. “Our circumstances were different. We did what we had to do to keep this place and stay together. Thankfully, for our children, that’s never going to be a problem. We’re family. And with each of us finding a mate, our family has grown and evolved. We’re stronger than ever.”
Marcus looked lovingly at his wife and then at the two children he’d welcomed into his life.
“Marcus is right,” Lucas assured Nana. “We owe you so much. And we owe each other so much. We’ve stuck together as families do. I think we’re about to enter a new exciting chapter in the history of the Chance family.”
Nana glanced at George. “This is going to be the best Christmas ever. I can feel it in my bones.”
“And your bones never lie.” George grinned at Nana and raised his glass to her.
“You might tease, but we’ve all been blessed this year. The Chance family has experienced love and luck and I’m thankful for that. Truly thankful.” Nana’s eyes misted up as she looked at the radiant faces around the room.
“I hope Santa knows I’ve been good,” Reece said. “And that we moved to a new address.”
Joanna laughed. “He knows. Both that you have been good and that we moved.”
“And we have a chimney!” Winnie exclaimed excitedly. “We never had one back home.”
“If it snows real hard, Santa will still be able to get here, won’t he?” Reece asked.
“He sure will,” Marcus said enthusiastically. “He will fly down over the mountains and the reindeer will run across the snow.”
“They won’t sink?” Winnie asked with concern.
“Nope, they are very experienced with snow,” Joanna added.
With her children smiling happily at the thought of Santa coming down the chimney with gifts, Joanna exchanged a tender glance with Marcus. His brother had changed so much since Joanna came into his life. He’d mellowed. He was content.
Lucas turned his attention to Ronni who was talking with George and Nana about the shelter. His family was happy, they were complete. Next year he hoped that he too might have a child to buy gifts for. If his dream came true, he’d never want any other gift for the rest of his life.
Except for the happiness of those he loved.
And that was something he was going to work to make happen every day of his life, not just at Christmas.
Chapter Seventeen – Ronni
Ronni woke up on the sofa, the smell of coffee pulling her from her dream-filled sleep. “What time is it?” They’d come back to the shelter after dinner with Lucas’s family. A sense of expectation coupled with anticipation filled her as she swung her legs from under the thick blanket that covered her and got to her feet.
After a quick stretch, she propelled herself forward, the kittens needed their feeding.
“It’s a little after seven,” Lucas announc
ed as he thrust a hot mug into her hand. “Here, you look like you need this.”
Ronni eyed the kittens who were contentedly snuggled up with a very patient Jessie. “The kittens woke twice in the night.” She sighed and took a sip of hot coffee and let the caffeine do its work. “I wish they had their momma.”
“No news from Harrison?” Lucas asked.
“Nope.” She shuffled across the room, noting her hair, which had been silky smooth last night, was back to looking like a bird’s nest. She sighed again. Some things could not be tamed, and her hair was one of those things.
“I like it.”
Ronni turned around to face Lucas. “My hair?”
“All of you. But particularly your hair.” He cocked his head on one side as he drank in her appearance.
Her eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out if he was joking. “I needed to hear that.”
“I promise to tell you every day.” He reached out for her hand and as she slipped her small hand into his large one, he pulled her toward him. “I promise to kiss you every day, too.”
“Starting now?” She put her coffee down on the counter and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Starting now.” Lucas brushed her hair back from her face and cupped her cheek in his hand. Warmth flooded her veins, and fire erupted in her belly. She wanted him. Right here, right now, she wanted him.
Ronni pressed her body against his, his hardened length jutting against her hip told her he wanted her, too. With the kittens still asleep they could give themselves five minutes to enjoy each other. Or longer. She wanted this to last a lot longer.
Lucas slid his hand under her T-shirt and cupped her breast in his hand, his thumb rubbing against her nipple until it hardened into a taut bud. The sensations flooding her body grew in intensity and she grabbed Lucas by the front of his sweater and pulled him toward the sofa. Sliding his hand down over her bottom, he lifted her up and positioned her on the sofa, his body slotting between her thighs as he rested his weight on his elbow.
Ronni wrapped her legs around him and inched her body up and down, trying to relieve some of the pressure building inside her. Lucas smiled down at her, rubbing her cheek as he kissed her tenderly on the lips. Driven by a need to have him inside her, she threaded her hand down between their bodies and unbuckled his belt. Lucas helped, pushing his jeans down over his butt while she curled her hand around his hardness.
He lifted his head and looked toward the door leading to the reception office. It was closed, no one outside could see in. Not that anyone else would be around at this time of the morning but you never knew. Sometimes people turned up on the doorstep with stray cats or lost dogs...
Ronni guided her thoughts back to the matter in hand. Which right now was Lucas.
Trailing his hand along her thigh, he inched toward the center of her need. She throbbed and ached for him. Ronni wriggled her body, trying to encourage him to hurry up. Didn’t he know what he was doing to her? Inflicting his own unique kind of torture on his mate was not fair.
At last, he pulled her panties to one side and slipped a finger into her. Deep into her. She pressed down, needing more, needing all of him. Lucas pressed his finger against her inner walls, using just the right amount of pressure to drive her wild. Her hips bucked against him, her breathing increased until she felt as if she were running a race, while her heart hammered in her chest.
She was going to come. Her orgasm rushed toward her like a storm raced over the mountains. Intense and unstoppable. Her muscles tightened, and her inner walls contracted around Lucas’s finger. Ronni bit down on the sensitive skin of his neck as her body tensed.
As the pleasure rushed away from her like a wave sweeping away from the beach, she kissed his lips and curled her hand around his hard length. She wanted more, she wanted all of him. Lucas didn’t object.
A small smile crept across her lips. “Will you make love to me every day, too?”
“Whenever you want me to.” He kissed her lips, and she guided him into her. The head of his cock brushed against her outer lips, then he thrust forward, his strong lean thighs levering his body forward as he fought to keep his balance on the sofa. They really did need a bed. But for now, the old comfy sofa, which she’d spent many nights sleeping a restless sleep while she watched over a sick or injured animal, would do.
Lucas moved in and out of her, his body finding a rhythm that she matched stroke for stroke. Ronni was not a passive person, she was not the kind of woman who lay back and let her man do all the work. With fingers that stroked and probed, exploring every inch of his body, finding his most secret places that even he might not know were his erogenous zones, she teased and tempted him. Her lips trailed kisses across his skin as her teeth nipped his flesh, biting just hard enough to make him tense.
Together they made love, deep passionate love, with a need to satisfy their hunger for each other. They were one, joined by a mating bond and now joined by their flesh. Soon they might be joined by a ring on her finger and a baby in her belly.
Ronni raked her fingers down his back and urged him to thrust harder and deeper, until his whole body tensed and he came. His seed spurted deep inside her as he jerked harder, faster. She kissed his neck and sucked his earlobe into her mouth, raking her teeth along the soft flesh, driving him wild. Lucas slid his hand beneath her bottom and held her tightly against him as the last of his essence passed from him to her.
Completely sated, Lucas collapsed down on the sofa next to her. “That is one way to start the day.”
Ronni snuggled up to him, her hand on his chest. “It sure is one of the nicest ways to start the day.”
“One of the nicest?” he asked as he stroked her back.
“Uh huh.” She sat up and looked down at him. “I need to get these kittens fed.”
“Wait a minute. What’s nicer than making love to your mate first thing in the morning?” he asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. Waking up to a new litter of kittens or puppies. There’s something about being the first person to see a creature take its first breath that makes me so happy.” Her eyes misted with tears and she wiped them away. “I’m a sentimental fool.”
His fingers entwined with hers and he levered himself up and kissed her lips. “I don’t think that’s a bad thing.” He pushed her hair back from her face. “In fact, I think it’s incredibly sexy.”
Ronni cupped his face in her hands. “I love you, Lucas Chance.”
His head snapped back as if he’d been slapped. “I love you,” he answered without pause.
Silence existed between them. What more was there to say?
“I should feed the kittens.” Ronni ducked her head and got up from the sofa.
“And I should let Jessie outside, she deserves a little time alone before she resumes her motherly duties.” He patted his long lean thigh. “Come on, girl.”
Jessie got up and carefully maneuvered herself out of the bed she shared with the kittens. They immediately tried to follow her but flopped back down again. Ronni cornered them while she fixed their milk and then began the lengthy task of feeding each little kitten and ensuring they were clean. All the things a mother cat would do.
She looked out of the window. They had avoided the snow so far, but the weather had turned bitterly cold. If the mother cat was out there, did she have food, was she looking for her babies?
“Perhaps we should go back and have one last look around the abandoned farm where we found the kittens,” she said as she placed the fourth kitten down on the bed and picked up the next one.
Lucas came inside and shut the door. “We could. If you think there’s a chance she might be out there.”
Ronni placed the tip of the syringe in kitten number five’s mouth. She hadn’t named them since four of them already had homes to go to. It would be better for their new families to name them. Which reminded her, she ought to try to find homes for the last two kittens.
“You’re going to miss them when they’re gon
e, Jessie.” Lucas gave Jessie her breakfast. They had decided to allow Jessie to stay with the kittens, which meant her move to Chance Heights had been suspended. Not that Lucas had spent a night at home since the kittens arrived.
“She’ll have plenty to occupy her when they’ve gone,” Ronni assured him. “She’s going to love meeting your family. I expect she’ll particularly like Winnie and Reece.”
“And they’ll like her. A lot.” Lucas sat down on the sofa next to Ronni as she finished feeding the last kitten. “I think they’ve talked Marcus and Joanna into giving one of these kittens a home.”
“Great, that leaves one more.” She placed kitten number six down on the bed and then took a moment to watch them playing with each other. Six little bundles of fluff on short stubby legs rolled around with each other. “They are so cute.”
Ronni got up and began washing out the bowl and syringes. She’d just finished drying her hands when her cell phone rang. As she looked down at the caller ID, her heart leaped to her throat. Lucas was on his feet and by her side in an instant.
“Are you okay?” he asked with concern.
“Yes. It’s Harrison.” Hope laced her voice as she tapped the screen and answered her phone. She should know better than to allow herself to believe the kittens might get their own happy endings. But she was a sucker where hope was concerned. “Hello, Harrison.”
“Ronni?” The excitement in Harrison’s voice must mean he’d found the kitten’s momma.
“Yes.” Ronni waited for the reason for his call with her fingers and toes mentally crossed.
“I think I’ve found her,” Harrison blurted out.
“You think you’ve found her?” Ronni asked.
“Yes. There’s a cat here that seems to be searching for something. But I can’t tell if it’s a male or female. For all I know, it might just be looking for mice.” Ronni could hear the same hope she held in her heart echoed in his voice.
“We can come over and collect her. Or him.” She frowned as she cleared her head, which was filled with images of reuniting the kittens with their mom. “Does the cat have a collar on?”
Animal Rescue Bear Page 13
