He also looked as if he had no idea who the two people before him were.
O’Malley took two strides forward and caught hold of Hannah. Confusion covered her face as she stared at her brother. “Give him room.”
She swung her head around and looked at O’Malley, her forehead creased. “He doesn’t know us, does he?”
“I don’t think he does.” O’Malley took hold of her hand as the tall, upright woman with dusky skin came to meet them.
“Hello. You brought us here?” The hope in Hannah’s voice made O’Malley’s heart break. She’d spent weeks searching for her brother, living in the hope that she could find him alive and bring him home. Yet now, even though she had found him, her brother was still lost to her.
“I am Wiroo. We found Norton in the mountains several weeks ago. He fell and injured his arm and hurt his head.” The young woman looked at O’Malley. “We are mates.”
“Ah.” It all made sense now.
“You and Ka…Norton are mates.” Hannah’s expression changed, it was as if this made things better. Not right, but better.
“Norton has no memories of what happened or where he came from,” Wiroo explained quickly.
“And you never thought to alert the authorities or get medical attention.” Hannah’s tone was sharp, and Norton’s eyes narrowed as he looked at her. “I’m sorry.” She smiled gently. “I am Hannah Norton.”
Wiroo’s eyes softened and she reached out and put a hand on Hannah’s arm. “Sister.”
“Yes.”
“That is why you carry the scent of your brother.” Wiroo pointed to the T-shirt hooked onto Hannah’s backpack.
“Yes, I’ve been searching for him for weeks. When we lost contact, a search party was sent to find him, but they could find no trace.” A tear rolled down Hannah’s cheek as she looked at her brother. “I was scared he was dead.”
“He is very much alive.” Wiroo looked up at the sky as the rain began to steadily fall. “Come, be our guests while the storm rages.”
Hannah glanced at O’Malley who nodded, and they followed Wiroo and Karl into a small cabin. As O’Malley ducked under the doorway, he looked behind him, the other people had gone inside too, the enclave looked deserted as the storm approached.
“You must be hungry and thirsty.” Wiroo went to the fire burning in a pit in the center of the room and stirred something that was bubbling in an iron pot that resembled a cauldron.
“We are. Thanks.” Hannah took off her backpack and set it down on the floor. She couldn’t stop staring at Karl, even though her brother moved around the room as if he had no recollection of ever knowing her.
Hannah seems to be taking it well, his cougar said.
She’s hopeful that Karl will just magically remember her, O’Malley replied.
“This is quite some place you have here.” O’Malley steered the conversation onto basic small talk. They needed a place to stay and wait out the storm and he wanted to get to know their hosts. Once the storm had truly set in, they would be trapped here with a bunch of reclusive strangers.
“Our ancestors have lived here for generations. We go to the towns and villages when we need to. We are not completely cut off from your civilization,” Wiroo told him.
“And yet you didn’t report to anyone that you found a man in the mountains?” Hannah’s tone was a little accusatory.
“No, we did not.” Wiroo passed them each a bowl of meaty soup seasoned with herbs. “You know the path you walked?”
“The pilgrim’s path, yes.” Hannah sniffed her soup. “This smells delicious, thank you.”
“The people who walk the path come to let go of their old lives and forge new ones.” She looked directly at Hannah as she spoke.
“Yes.” Hannah swallowed hard and looked at her brother who brought them drinks. “And you believe that’s what happened to Karl.”
“Yes.” Wiroo smiled kindly. “If a man wishes to rid himself of his past and become something new, is it for me to go against those wishes? Is it for me to turn him from the new back to the old?”
“And so you showed him a new simpler life.” Hannah wiped a tear from her eyes.
“Are you walking the path to find a new future?” Karl asked.
“No, I was looking for my past.” Hannah reached out her hand and placed it over O’Malley’s. “But in my search, I did find my new future, a future I never thought I would find.”
Karl smiled. “I can see you are happy together.”
This was the weirdest thing O’Malley had ever experienced and he’d seen some weird stuff in his life. Talking to Norton was like talking to a man he’d never met before, but the two of them had history, history that was rooted in deep emotions.
How Hannah felt about the whole thing he could only imagine.
The question is, what happens now? His cougar was right. Would Hannah accept this new Karl Norton, or would she insist he went to the hospital and became the man he’d been trying to escape from?
Chapter Eighteen – Hannah
“How are you doing?” O’Malley asked his mate as she sat quietly staring at the fire. Wiroo and Karl had gone outside in the storm to check on the rest of their small community.
Not that the storm was too bad in the sheltered area the houses were situated in.
It was the perfect harbor in a storm.
“I’m okay.” She looked up at O’Malley and wanted to sweep the concern from his expression, but she wasn’t sure how. Hannah didn’t want to lie to him and tell him it was all going to be fine and she could just let her brother go as if he’d never existed. There had to be some middle ground where Karl could be both the man he was and the man he wanted to be.
It was going to take more than a walk across the mountains to convince her to give up on her brother.
“So, what’s the plan?” He spoke quietly, as if they were about to hatch some daring rescue of her brother.
They weren’t.
“The plan is to respect Wiroo’s wishes. For now. She is Karl’s mate which means she had his best interest at heart even if it doesn’t agree with mine.” She smiled at him, trying to look relaxed even though she wasn’t.
“I’m glad to hear it, because there is no way we are getting Karl out of here by force.” He stroked her cheek and pressed his lips to hers. “Karl is safe and happy and that is what we all want for the people we love.”
“Does that mean that if I hit my head and forgot who you were, you would be happy to let me go if I found happiness somewhere else?” she asked.
“Oh, that is not fair.”
“The answer is no, then?” Hannah knew it was a harsh question to ask and there was no right or wrong answer.
O’Malley stared into the fire for a moment. “I guess it depends on the context. If you were happy with a family and children, then I would let you go. It would rip my heart from my chest, but I would let you go.”
“Really?” She was surprised by his answer. “I thought we were meant to be together forever. Yet you would let me go to another man?”
“If you had a family, yes. If I thought you were happy then yes. I could never tear a family apart for my own selfish reasons.” He shrugged. “That doesn’t mean I love you any less.”
“No, it means you love me more.” She slid her arm around his shoulders and leaned on him. “I don’t know if I could do the same.”
“Really?” He lifted his head and looked down on her.
“I would fight like crazy.” She looked up at him through her lashes. “At least that’s what I thought but when you explain it like that…”
“If you love someone you have to be able to set them free.” He sighed. “Let’s hope that isn’t something we ever have to test.”
“I’m just trying to figure out what I tell my dad.” Hannah looked up as O’Malley stiffened. “They’re coming back?”
“Yes.” He glanced over his shoulder as the door opened and Wiroo and Karl hurried in before Karl pushed the door cl
osed, sealing out the wind.
“Is everything all right out there?” Hannah asked.
“Yes, the wind is savage out on the mountain, but we are protected here. Even the rain doesn’t fall so hard. There is an overhang of rock that takes the brunt of it, but it’s positioned in such a way that it barely blocks the sun.” She leveled her gaze at Hannah. “We are very fortunate.”
“I can see that.” Hannah glanced at Karl. “How do you like it here, Norton?” It seemed strange calling him by his last name. Wiroo had explained that Karl had been wearing his dog tags when they found him. So they had called him Norton because it was a link to his past, a thread that he could pull if he ever wanted to unravel his memories.
Wiroo and her people had done nothing to keep Karl from remembering. If he chose to.
“It’s hard.” Norton glanced at Wiroo, but there was nothing but love in his expression. “I thought I was fit but keeping up with a group of cougars on the mountain is physically demanding.”
“You certainly look in good shape.” O’Malley’s compliment was met with a small smile.
“I try. But you are a cougar yourself, Wiroo tells me, you know you are faster on two feet than four.” There was no animosity toward O’Malley in Karl’s words or facial features. It was as if they had never met, had never spent time together serving their country.
“Do you remember anything before you came here?” O’Malley asked. “Any faces of people you might have met?” He slipped a poker chip out of his pocket and flipped it between his fingers.
Smart. Hannah kept her breath steady as Karl watched the chip slide through O’Malley’s fingers.
“No. Not really. It’s the strangest thing. I remember how to talk, how to swim, how to cook, but the details of everything else are gone.” He tapped the side of his head. “Whatever is in there wants to stay locked away.”
O’Malley closed his hand over the chip and pocketed it. “I’m sure when it is ready to be unlocked, it’ll just pop back into your head.”
“There is something we want to tell you,” Wiroo blurted out.
She was nervous and Karl took her hand. The look that passed between them was tender, Karl loved this woman with more love than Hannah could ever have guessed he possessed.
With a nod, he looked at Hannah and O’Malley. “It’s more of an announcement. No one else knows but Wiroo thought we should tell you both before you leave.”
“I hope you are not planning on kicking us out in the storm,” O’Malley joked, but his expression was deadly serious.
“No, you are welcome to stay here. But I assumed now that you have found what you were looking for, you would respect the wishes of my people and go back to your lives.” Wiroo breathed out, her expression nervous. She was worried that if Hannah and O’Malley stayed too long that Karl might regain his memories.
Since they were mates, she needed him to stay but O’Malley’s words about how he loved Hannah enough to set her free must be the same for Wiroo.
“Once the storm has passed. Yes.” O’Malley glanced at Hannah. He was right. But the thought didn’t sit well with her.
“So, this news.” Hannah forced a smile onto her face.
“We are having a baby.”
Hannah opened her mouth, but her lungs refused to take in any air. “You’re pregnant?” she gasped.
O’Malley cracked a smile. “Congratulations.”
Wiroo’s cheeks blushed pink and she looked down at her belly, her hand placed over it as if she wanted to protect her unborn baby. From what? From Hannah. The sister of Wiroo’s mate who had come here to steal her child’s father away.
Hannah composed herself. Her brother had made his decision, he’d chosen to take the pilgrim’s path, a path that had led him to a woman who loved him unconditionally and who was now carrying his child. Perhaps, deep down that was what Karl had wanted but he’d never realized it, not subconsciously. Or, if he had, he certainly hadn’t spoken about it to anyone.
Any one member of his family at least.
“Congratulations, Wiroo.” Hannah went to her brother’s mate and hugged her. “I am pleased for you both. Really, really pleased.”
“We should celebrate.” Karl rose from his seat and went to the kitchen area.
“Thank you, Hannah. I hope that we will be as a family.” Wiroo caught hold of Hannah’s hand and said quietly, “I had no idea that you were searching for Karl. Please, believe me.”
Hannah’s fingers curled around Wiroo’s. “You want to protect your mate and now you want to protect your child. I might not have understood before.” She glanced at O’Malley. “But I do now.”
She turned around and went to O’Malley’s side. Quickly sitting down, she glanced briefly at Karl, who carried four glasses and a bottle of pale red liquid. “This looks interesting.”
“It is a blend of fruits and herbs. Nothing that will harm the baby,” Wiroo assured them.
“The child will be a shifter like Wiroo and her people. But I’ll be the best father I can.” Karl took hold of Wiroo’s hand. “I’ll tell our child how you saved me. How I let go of my old life and grabbed hold of a new life when you found me.”
Hannah brushed away her tears. She wanted to scream and ask Karl if his life before, why his family, her family, were so bad he’d wanted to forget them. Every single last memory was hidden away.
Deep down in her soul, she knew why. He couldn’t remember the pain of their mom dying, the heartache of living without her, of joining the Army to impress a father. Of leaving the Army and trying to figure out exactly who he was and where he fit into the world.
Here he had a new family, he had a mate, a woman who loved him unconditionally. And a child on the way. A baby to love and care for, a child who would make his life complete.
“This is a good place to raise a child,” Wiroo assured Hannah.
“Have you always lived here?” O’Malley asked when Hannah didn’t reply.
“I was born here. My father was born here. His father before him. It’s not always an easy life, the winters can be bitter. But then the spring comes, and the first flowers appear on the slopes of the mountain, clinging to life. Then, there is no place I would rather be.” She smiled as if imagining watching those flowers bloom. “Ours is a simple life. We hunt, we trade, we live, and we love.”
“Right now, I think I need to sleep.” Hannah lifted her head, her eyelids almost too heavy to keep open.
“Of course, you have had a long, tiring day.” Wiroo got to her feet, her expression unsure as she looked down on Hannah.
“Thank you for your hospitality,” Hannah said warmly. “You could have left us out there in the storm. It might have been easier for you if you did.” Hannah glanced at Karl.
“That is not our way. You were walking the pilgrim’s path. We rarely meet people, so it seemed as though it was a sign. Then we picked up the scent. It was too much for me to ignore.” She pressed her lips together. “You came here to seek something missing in your life. I hope that you have found it and are ready to move on.”
“I think I’d like to return. Perhaps to visit when the baby is born?” Hannah suggested.
“I’d like that.” Wiroo placed her hand on Karl’s shoulder. “We would both like to see you again.” She held out her arm indicating a bed in another part of the house. “Please, sleep here. We will stay by the fire and keep it burning. This is not a night for the fire to go out.”
“We can’t take your bed,” Hannah insisted.
“We won’t sleep tonight,” Karl said. “We are on duty.”
“On duty?” O’Malley asked.
“Yes, in a storm such as this, we take it in turns to stay up all night. We’ll patrol the area every couple of hours and if anyone needs help, they know where to come.” Karl was a proud member of this small community. Hannah had never seen him so happy. So content.
It was a shock to know that he had found happiness in the strangest of places. But then his partner in life w
as a shifter. A woman who was meant for him.
“Come on.” O’Malley took her hand, picked up the packs, and carried them through to the bedroom area, which was simply a curtained-off section of the same large room.
Hannah sat down wearily on the bed and pulled off her sweater before she changed into her sweatpants.
Her heart felt heavy in her chest as she lay down to go to sleep. She had gained a sister and would soon gain a niece or nephew, yet despite finding Karl, she could not help but believe she had lost a brother in the process.
Chapter Nineteen – O’Malley
“Karl looks happy.” O’Malley glanced at his mate who was sitting beside him on a huge boulder outside the enclave under the mountain.
“He does.” Hannah’s jaw flexed and she looked down at her coffee cup before taking a drink. “The coffee’s good.”
“You don’t want to talk about it.” The storm had passed over the mountains, but O’Malley was certain they were in the eye of a hurricane. Behind them was the fear and worry over whether Karl was alive or dead, in front of them were the recriminations and guilt that went along with not fighting to get her brother back.
“I don’t know what to say.” Hannah’s honesty was heartbreaking. “But I have to find the words since I have to go home and explain all this to my father.”
She dashed a tear from her cheek and took a long shuddering breath before she stared out into the distance. The wind and rain had battered the mountainside all night but now, mid-morning the next day the sky was washed clean, with no clouds in sight. However, the watery sun held little heat, leaving the air chill.
“You’ll find the words,” he assured her. “I know you will.”
She nodded. “And then I pick up the pieces again.” Another tear spilled down her cheek. “This is like losing my mom all over again and I don’t want to go through that.” She hiccupped and took hold of his hand. “I wanted us to be my fresh start. Instead, it’s like I’m trapped, unable to break away.”
“Hey, listen. I’m there for you. Your family is my family.” He thought for a moment. “Why don’t you come and live in Cougar Ridge and make a fresh start?”
O'Malley: Summer (Shifter Seasons Book 7) Page 13
