by Ellen, Jo
Now, how to tell Steph that she had brought company…Oh well, Stephanie was easy going and always came up with solutions to any problems. It was nice to have a friend you could count on.
The kitten settled down into Lisa’s purse and seemed to like the comfort and darkness at the bottom. Lisa was famous, or some would say, infamous, for carrying the biggest bag around that she could find and calling it a purse. She had everything she could possibly need in it. Even had a t-shirt rolled up in the bottom of her bag, just in case the occasion arose requiring one.
Her friends joked that she could go on that game show where they asked contestants for things they had brought with them. She would win, since she carried everything in her bag that they could possibly ask for.
She pulled up in front of Stephanie’s log cabin type house. It was a large home and the design fit perfectly into the forest coverage. The front door opened and immediately Sarah came running out, followed more slowly by little Amy.
They were excited to see their favorite honorary aunt. Behind the girls, Stephanie and Colin followed, smiling as usual.
“Glad you made it safely. As you can hear, the girls are thrilled to see you, and so are we,” said a grinning Stephanie.
Lisa climbed out of her car and the squealing girls and hugging surrounded her. Colin came over to give her a hug too. She scooped Amy up into her arms, giving her a big kiss.
“Glad you finally came to Wolf Creek, Lisa. Why do you smell like a cat? We’re canine people,” Colin said jokingly.
“How do you do that? I swear, you could sniff out anything, even if it was in an airtight baggie. And what does a cat smell like?” They all laughed, knowing his nose was an old joke between them.
Time to fess up, so she told them about finding the kitten and her decision to keep it, offering to stay at a hotel if the cat bothered them.
“No problem, the girls will love it. Just be sure to keep it inside so another animal doesn’t hurt it,” Colin said.
“No kidding,” Stephanie mumbled under her breath. He just gave her a quick glance.
Colin grabbed her luggage while the ladies went on inside, with Sarah holding Lisa’s hand to pull her along. She had to juggle Amy on her hip to make sure she had a good grip on her.
Once they were settled on the couch, Lisa opened her bag and took the kitten out. The girls immediately reached for it.
“She’s just a baby, so be very gentle,” their mom said.
While the girls played with the kitten, Lisa and Stephanie went to sit at the kitchen bar. They could observe the girls, as it was open from the living room to the kitchen area.
Colin came back from putting her bags in her room and got everyone drinks.
“Here’s your soda, Lisa. Stephanie made sure she got your favorite, since we didn’t want you to have withdrawal symptoms,” he said grinning.
“Oh, very funny, sad, but true,” Lisa said smiling.
“Colin has to go in and work for a couple of hours. He’s covering for one of his men who had something to do. Since his parents asked to keep the girls this weekend, I thought we could go to Charlie’s and enjoy a girl’s night out. Or are you too tired from your drive?” asked Stephanie.
Lisa assured them that she was just fine and looked forward to going out. She and Stephanie hadn’t been able to go out together in quite a long time.
“I need to run to a grocery or pet store, though, since I don’t have any food or a litter box for my kitten.”
They decided to go right then while Colin was still there to watch the girls. They ended up at the local grocery store, since it was the nearest one, and they got everything they needed. Since they were a small town store, they tended to carry more than just grocery items for the farming and ranching community.
“I’m so happy you’ve come. I can’t wait for you to meet some of our friends here.”
“Please tell me you’re not setting me up with someone. Wait a minute. Is that why we’re going to Charlie’s? Aw, come on Steph, you know set-ups never work,” she complained.
Stephanie laughed. “No, we’re going just for us. Although there probably will be a few cowboys hitting on you. Just be kind, I know most everyone in this town.”
“Hey, I’m not a mean person. Just no tobacco smoking or chewing cowboys, okay?”
“Don’t worry, you’ll be surprised how, hmm, what’s the word I want? Healthy? Yeah, that’s it. How healthy the men here are,” said a giggling Stephanie.
“You’re being sneaky. What are you not telling me? Now I’m getting worried.”
“You know I would never do anything too evil,” Stephanie said laughing. “Really, it’s just us. I was only teasing you. I know you’ll like the people that you’ll meet here. We’re like one big family in this town.”
“Now you really are scaring me. Ya’ll sound like a cult,” Lisa mumbled.
Chapter 4
When they got back to the house, Lisa went looking for her kitten so she could feed her and show her the water bowl. She didn’t have to search for long as the kitten came from the girl’s room meowing. After feeding her and showing her where the litter box was, she went to take a shower and get ready for her night out.
Colin had left to take Amy and Sarah to his mom’s house. His parents always loved having their grandchildren for a sleepover.
“Charlie’s is pretty casual. Just us locals hang out there, you know,” Stephanie said, as she went to shower.
Lisa put on her cute little blue jean shorts. Then she decided on a lime green tank top since the weather was so hot. Her favorite sandals would complete her outfit. She just hoped some cowboy didn’t step on her toes.
She brushed her hair back into a ponytail and put on big hoop earrings when Stephanie walked back in. Lisa thought the outfit looked good. Casual without looking like a tramp. She didn’t want to overdo it for a small country bar. She just hoped she hadn’t moved into the ‘slut zone’ with her short shorts. ‘At least my ass cheeks aren’t showing,” she thought.
“You look great, the guys will love you,” said Stephanie,
“Only if they like gingers with wide hips,” Lisa said.
She felt like she needed to lose about ten to fifteen pounds.
“Don’t even say that you look fat. Trust me, these guys just love curvy women,” Stephanie said.
“Curvy, huh? I guess that’s better than chubby,” she said laughing.
“So what happened with that teacher you were dating? Do any late night studying?” Steph said, wiggling her eyebrows up and down.
“You are pitiful. No, we didn’t ‘study’. I was afraid if I saw him naked, I couldn’t look him in the eye when we met in the hallway. It would have been just too weird,” she said, cringing.
“And here I was hoping to live vicariously through you,” Stephanie said with a big sigh.
“Trust me; your life is much more exciting than mine. I’ll trade you students for Colin anytime.”
She pretended to think about it. “Nope, I think I’ll keep him. I like drooling over his body,” she said smirking.
Rolling her eyes, Lisa grabbed her bag as Colin pulled up to give them a ride. He was dropping them off at the bar so they wouldn’t have to drive. It didn’t take long to arrive at Charlie’s.
“Ya’ll have fun. Wish I could go too, just to keep the dirty-minded cowboys in line. You make sure they keep their hands to themselves, Stephanie.”
“What fun is there in that?” she said as she winked at him.
He grabbed her and kissed her hard.
“Behave, little girl, I’ll get even later,” he said.
Lisa sighed, “Come on guys, single here, remember?”
They climbed from his SUV, waving as they went through the door.
“Call me when you’re ready to come home,” he yelled as he pulled away. He was on his way to patrol by the high school. Friday nights were notorious for the kids to race along the strip near the school.
Entering the bar
, they looked around for a table. Luckily, there was one available in the back. After they settled in, a waitress came over for their drink orders.
“Hi, Cindy, this is my friend Lisa. She’s staying with us for a couple of weeks. Lisa, this is Cindy.”
“Nice to meet you. You’ll love our little town. We all look out for each other.”
“Good to know, Cindy, thanks. I’ll just have whatever’s on tap.”
As Lisa reached into her purse for her wallet, she touched something furry. Oh no, her kitten was sleeping in the bottom of the bag tucked into her t-shirt.
“Um, Steph, I have a problem. My kitten has stowed away in my purse.”
Stephanie sputtered, laughing.
“You can be just like those famous people. Instead of a little dog, you carry a cat.”
They started giggling, picturing Lisa on the cover of some magazine with her cat. Since the kitten was fine, they thought they would just leave her there.
Trying to be heard over the music, Steph asked Lisa how her job was going. Since Lisa was an elementary school teacher, Steph was concerned with all the layoffs that she had been hearing about lately.
“You know, I love it. Kids that young are still sweet and just want to please you. I am worried about my job though. Since I’m one of the lower ones on the seniority list, I wouldn’t be surprised if I get my marching orders.”
“Have you made any plans, looked at another district?” asked Stephanie.
“Not yet, I do have a little money in savings. I’m just waiting to hear of any announcements before I start looking.”
“Hey, think about applying here, or in one of the towns close by. I really think you would like small town life and I would love having you closer.”
“I’ve never really thought about it. Since, I’ve always lived in Dallas, I just hadn’t considered it before, but maybe I will.”
A couple of guys that Stephanie knew came over and asked them to dance. They were soon out on the floor, two-stepping across the room. There was never a shortage of dance partners. After they had been dancing for a while, Lisa decided it was time for a break. On the way to the ladies room, she went by the table to grab her bag.
In the hallway, where the restrooms were located, she saw two very handsome men coming out of a door labeled office. They were both over six feet tall and the one in front had long dark brown hair with amazing green eyes. The guy following was golden blond and looked like he should be on a beach in California. Wow, Lisa thought. I like this town. She almost asked if they were football players, since both of them were built like linebackers. Yum, she thought, nice eye candy.
They were both wearing blue jeans with t-shirts and they filled them out very nicely. She noticed the guy in front had nice bulging biceps. She was a sucker for big, strong arms.
As Rafe went through the door, he saw a beautiful redhead going towards the ladies room. He immediately felt a pull. It was like a rope from his chest stretching to her. Finally, he thought, after all these years he’d found his connection. He couldn’t believe it. The one woman in the world meant for him. He’d never expected to find her at Charlie’s, of all places. Rafe came to a sudden stop and Chase ran into his back.
“Oomph, what the hell?” Chase said.
At that moment, they heard mewling sounds coming from the beautiful redhead’s bag.
“Ma’am, your purse is meowing,” Chase said with a straight face.
Rafe was still standing there stunned as Chase moved around from behind him.
Lisa was afraid they would kick her out, since they must work there as they came from the office.
“It’s my ringtone. I like cats, so I thought it’d be cool, you know, to have this ringtone,” Lisa rambled. They had rattled her. I sound like an idiot, she thought.
Rafe had gathered himself together now and moved forward to introduce himself, just as a kitten came climbing out of her bag.
“Um, your ringtone is about to escape,” Rafe said.
Lisa’s face burned with embarrassment.
“She climbed in my bag and I didn’t know she was there. I came with Stephanie, the sheriff’s wife, you know, Colin? I’ll just call him and take her home,” she babbled.
“No,” Rafe yelled, startling her.
“No,” he said again, softly. “It’s fine. I’m one of the owners here, so don’t worry about it. I’m Rafe and this is my friend, Chase.”
“Umm, Lisa, and it’s a pleasure to meet you both. Well, if you’ll excuse me, I was just…” she trailed off, pointing at the ladies room door.
She entered the ladies room and went straight to the sink to wet a napkin and cool down her cheeks. That was so embarrassing and strange, she was thinking. It almost felt like she was being pulled towards the one named Rafe. Lisa decided to hang in the bathroom for a while. She wanted to make sure they weren’t there when she went out.
“Man, you are just so smooth. I wish I had your way with the ladies. She barely noticed me. I think I must be losing my touch,” Chase said sadly.
“She’s my mate,” Rafe said in a quiet voice. He had a million thoughts going through his head. His wolf side wanted to claim her now, so he decided he would wait here for her to come out.
“Congratulations, Rafe, you are one lucky SOB. Let’s go find Stephanie, so you can pick her brains.”
“No, I’m staying here,” Rafe stated adamantly.
“You’re not thinking straight, man. If you lurk outside the ladies room, she’s going to think you’re weird, or maybe a stalker.”
Rafe didn’t want to leave without her, but realized Chase was right. Lord, he thought, this is really messing with my head. He was fighting the need to protect and defend her.
They both went into the bar area and saw Stephanie sitting alone at a table. Sitting down with her, Rafe promptly started asking about Lisa.
“Whoa, what’s going on? Happy to see you guys too,” she said sarcastically.
“Lisa is my mate,” Rafe said starkly.
Stephanie looked shocked, and then her face lit with pleasure.
“That’s wonderful! She’s my best friend. It will be so great having her close. I am just so happy for you both.”
Stephanie told Rafe as much as she could before Lisa came back. Since she loved her like a sister, it was easy to talk about her.
“I really don’t know how she’ll react when you tell her, you know. Personally, I freaked when Colin changed. He had to shift, since I thought I was dealing with a psycho. If you want me to be there to help Lisa, you know I will.”
When Lisa returned, she saw the men sitting with Stephanie. She paused, then strolled forward and sat in the chair between Rafe and Chase. She wondered why the conversation stopped as she sat down. ‘I’m getting paranoid, thinking they’re talking about me,’ she thought.
“Stephanie tells me that you’re here for two weeks. Have any plans for Sunday?” Rafe asked.
“Well, you certainly don’t waste any time. Sorry, but I just got here today and I’m here to visit with Stephanie.”
Stephanie jumped in to say they had plenty of time to visit, so she should go on with Rafe and enjoy herself. Lisa just looked at her strangely. She sure seemed to be pushing her towards Rafe. Oh well, if Steph trusted him and seemed okay with it, then Lisa thought, why not.
Chase leaned closer to Lisa and started playing with her earring, making it swing.
Lisa heard a rumble, which sounded like it came from Rafe’s chest. What the heck, she thought, did he just growl? She saw he was glaring daggers at Chase.
“What? I like shiny things,” Chase said, grinning as he leaned back into his chair.
Rafe was still glaring at Chase, while mentally, he was picturing ripping the cat apart. He turned back to Lisa as she spoke.
Lisa did not know what was going on between the two men, so she decided just to ignore their byplay.
“So, what did you have in mind?” she asked Rafe.
“Do you ride? I though
t I’d take you to our family’s property and show you around. I’ll bring some food and we can make a day of it,” Rafe said.
He refused to use the word picnic, because it would make him sound like a wuss, he thought.
“I’ve ridden ponies at the carnival. That’s the extent of my riding abilities,” she laughed.
“We have some horses with good temperaments. I’ll choose one with a mild disposition for you. Do you have cowboy boots? If not, a shoe with a heel works. Just don’t wear tennis shoes. Your foot would slip right out of the stirrups,” Rafe said.
Stephanie spoke up and said that Lisa could wear her boots, since they both wore the same size. Lisa never had a need for them, so she had never bought cowboy boots. Designer boots, yes, but she didn’t think those would work and she hadn’t brought them with her anyway.
“Dance with me,” Rafe demanded.
Normally, Lisa would have laid in to anyone ordering her to do anything, but he had a commanding presence that she found difficult to resist. Instead, she found herself rising and taking his hand, feeling a tingle where his hand touched hers. Strange. She’d never experienced anything like that. She felt safe and comfortable in his arms. Almost like, they were meant to be. Yeah, right. I must be getting drunk, she thought. No more beers for me tonight.
They didn’t talk while dancing. They both enjoyed just moving in sync around the floor, holding each other. Lisa couldn’t understand why she was so relaxed with him. She could not remember ever having an instant connection to anyone like that before.
Rafe was happy just holding her. He had enough to think about later, so he decided to just revel in the moment, and worry about his problems later. Trying to figure out all the variables to this situation and then figuring in the problem they may soon have at the pond was just frustrating him.
He really needed to go talk to his brothers who were still playing pool. As he led Lisa back to her table, he decided informing his brothers could wait. He wanted to enjoy a little more time with her.
Lisa could hear her kitten meowing loudly as she sat down again. She lifted the kitten from her purse and cuddled her in her arms. She was still mewling, so Chase asked if he could hold it, saying he had a way with cats, while looking smug. The kitten started hissing as Chase reached for it.
