Channing: Big Cat Shifters Looking for Fated Mates (Big Cats Book 5)

by Crystal Dawn

  “We’re doing the roof too?” Steve asked.

  “We sure are. All the roofing companies are way behind. It won’t be too bad. You not like heights?”

  “Not even a little bit.”

  “That’s okay. You can stay on the ground and supervise the work there. The crane will lift the rafters into place and we’ll attach them. That won’t be until the third level walls are in place. I’m guessing in two days.”

  “If you can do roofs, why don’t you?” Steve asked.

  “We don’t get them done as fast as the people that only do them. They are easy to outsource. Except now when all the roofers are backed up.”

  “Maybe Julio will help on the roof? I need someone to get experience there.” Steve said.

  “Julio has experience there. He just can’t put a roof up on his own.”

  “I didn’t know.”

  “He’s been trained in everything, but no one is good in all of it. I’ve been trained in pouring foundations, but Mairi is so much better. I’m good at roofing, I don’t mind electrical, plumbing, and carpentry are fine. Julio worked for Ariel but he wanted to be a boss so he went to you. I bet he would have gotten it eventually. He’s a solid worker. You made a good choice.”

  “Thanks. I feel better about it now. I’ll tell him he gets to help you on the roof.” Steve said with a laugh.

  “That’ll work.”

  Now the day was over and they were well into the second level on the framing. Everyone loaded up and left running by Ariel’s to get supper. The place was packed and she sat in the kitchen eating fast. The food she’d made at home would be eaten between lunch and supper by those at her house. She would go by the house in town Caro was cleaning and see how it went.

  When she arrived, many were still there working. The place was loaded with stuff to start with so Caro must be trying to get it done today. Was that even possible? As she walked in she saw it was. Most of the house was empty and the construction dumpster was nearly full.

  Caro approached her. “This is one tough job.”

  “Did you call in to have the dumpster emptied for Earl?”

  “I sent a text. Some of my people had to go, but we’re finishing up. We may take tomorrow off and start the other house the next day.” Caro advised.

  “That’s alright. These are all hard jobs lately. I figured we’d get down to this place eventually, just not yet.”

  Caro giggled. “If you’d waited, it wouldn’t have been fixable.”

  “You’re right and Channing is going crazy trying to get places for his people to live.”

  “You advised him to buy it?”

  “Aw, no. He did that all on his own.”

  “We’ll be finished in an hour and I’ll see you at home.”

  “Be careful. This place is flimsy.”

  “We’re all about careful.” Caro promised.

  She headed home and saw half the food was eaten. Emptying out the crockpots she put them in the sink to soak and put the storage containers up. Since Caro wasn’t home yet, she waited before going to bed. Caro was there shortly after. Now she turned in to go to bed.

  Chapter 3

  Getting to Work

  He watched nervous as hell while Viv and three others were on the roof placing the rafters where they wanted them. She was like a monkey up there. Clearly, she was the best one and she called out directions to the others. Julio was with her and the others were across from them.

  “Why is she up there?” He asked Steve who was watching too.

  “Apparently her specialty is roofing. She’s not as fast as pro roofers, but she’s as good and would be as fast if she did it all the time. Julio is trained too, but he’s not as good as her. He needs more experience and he wasn’t too pleased when I assigned him on the roof.” Steve admitted.

  “I’ll agree she looks to be the best up there, but I don’t like it.” He admitted.

  “You won’t get anywhere with complaining. Besides, the work on the building will come to a stop if she doesn’t do it. She’s training those guys. The big guy on the other side is decent, but Julio and Ray aren’t all that experienced. I actually think Julio is the least experienced of the crew.” Steve admitted.

  “Who is that guy over there?” He asked.

  “He’s Greg. One of Viv’s admirers. The guy is hanging out so she can’t escape. His plan is to wear her down until she mates him.” Steve informed.

  Channing liked Steve. The guy was helpful and as long as Seb didn’t know he was giving out information he shouldn’t, he’d be a source of information to him.

  “Thanks.” Now he made his way over to Greg.

  “Hey, Man. I need to talk to you about Viv.” He told him.

  “Sure.”

  “Let’s go over to those trees.”

  They walked to where no one could see them. “What’s this about?” Greg asked.

  “Viv is off limits. She’s my fated mate. You’ll look elsewhere.”

  Greg laughed. “Is this a joke?”

  “No joke. If you mate her, I’ll kill you.” He knew his eyes glowed gold.

  Greg changed to a slightly larger than average size wolf. Channing changed too. His cat was huge for a cheetah. He let out a cry and showed his fangs. The guy would be crazy to take him on. Greg changed back and slowly backed away.

  “There are other white wolves.” He got about ten feet away then turned and ran.

  As he made his way back to the picnic table, Greg hopped in his car and threw gravel getting away. He knew Greg wasn’t a coward. There was just no point in fighting and possibly dying for a female that didn’t want him and wasn’t really his. Hopefully Viv would never find out what he’d done. She would be furious even though Greg was pushing for something she didn’t want. That didn’t matter because Greg was dealt with and if she was honest, it would help her when he was gone.

  His secretary called him. He’d gotten the first bill for the cleaning of the house near the school. Jumping in his SUV, he went to give the place a look over. As he entered the house, he heard the sounds of people working. All the junk had been cleared out and he could see the signs of damage the items had hidden.

  A huge male stepped out into the living room. “Earl?”

  “Yep.”

  “I own the house and was just checking on the progress. The cleaners did a great job.”

  “Yep. It’s dangerous in here.”

  “I’ll get on my way then.”

  Earl nodded at him. A man of few words. He called Serenity. “Mail out a check for the cleaning.”

  “It’s a thousand dollars.” She mentioned.

  “It wasn’t your usual cleaning and they did it in a day. Just send the check.”

  “Alright.”

  He hung up. The progress pleased him. As he exited, he noted jacks and equipment sitting everywhere. It looked like it was holding the house together. Where was he going to get a roof crew? Right now he didn’t have a clue. At least the other work seemed doable first.

  After he left, he drove by the other house where the cleanup crew was working. The quicker he had those two houses done, the better off he’d be. Now he needed to call Roger. “Roger.”

  “Any luck with the lake properties?”

  “I sent you an email. You got two offers excepted and I sent you pictures of some more of the expensive places.”

  “Thank you. I’ll get right on it.” He went to the apartment and pulled up his emails. Serenity stayed in her room most of the time. That was fine with him.

  Scrolling through his emails, he saw he got the place he wanted for himself. He wanted to holler, he was so happy. The other place for a big family was also his. Things were moving right along. The places were empty and he could take possession right away. An email went off to his housekeeper, cook, and one of his higher level management guys with a large family. This was good, very good.

  Serenity also got an email asking for an update. Hopefully things were doing well with her too. An em
ail came back right away. It seemed her friend and her family was headed here soon. The father was willing to take on a construction job right away. The male would work with Viv on the two houses before he put him in charge of one crew building homes in the subdivision. Maybe things would go well now.

  The problem now was with things going well, his mind was all on her. Viv drew him in and he wanted her. She was all he could think of and he tried to keep his mind elsewhere. What was the matter with him?

  It was nearly bed time so one more look at his emails and he’d go to bed. His sister Tamra was ready to come. Unmated, she was willing to take a two bedroom. Since she worked for him, she didn’t need a job she would work from home or an office if he built one. The house by the school wouldn’t work since she liked to be on her own, but the second home or one by the lake would work. If not, she could stay with him briefly. He loved his family, but he didn’t want to live with any of them for long. Too many strong willed people needed space.

  He turned in for the night just a bit early. Maybe it was a mistake since he tossed and turned a while before he finally fell asleep. When he woke up, it was daytime but his alarm hadn’t gone off yet. Jumping up, he turned off the alarm, showered, dressed, and grabbed his computer. When he left his room, he almost mowed Serenity down.

  “Good morning.” He said.

  “Morning.” She replied.

  They went their separate ways since she’d already updated him and there was nothing more to know. Now he needed to talk to Roger and get ready to move into his lake home. It excited him, he couldn’t deny it. The place was amazing. He took out his phone and pressed the button.

  “Roger.”

  “Good morning, this is Channing. I’m just checking to see when I can move. The money should be in your account already.”

  “Wait a second. Yes it is. All my paperwork is done and it’s with the lawyers. They’ll have it done tomorrow since they aren’t as backed up as the ones around Cassville who handle Blue Eye’s sales. They will get the other ones done one at a time. All will be done in a week.”

  “That’s great. Any reason I can’t get on the move for the lake house?” He asked.

  “No, I’ll send you the numbers for the utilities and the cleaners.”

  “Same cleaners Viv uses?”

  “Yes, is that alright?”

  “Yes, they’ve been impressive.”

  “I think so too. Was that all?”

  “You have any more places, maybe a bit further out like just five or ten more miles or so?”

  “I’ll send you a list. I feel for the other groups of cats.” Roger admitted.

  “Me too, but not enough not to take care of mine.”

  “Goodbye.” Roger said.

  “Bye.” He was surprised because a lot of people around here rarely said goodbye.

  Now he had work to do. That was alright because he had a secretary. He pushed the button on his phone. “Serenity.”

  “This is Channing. I need to get things prepared for my new house. I’ll send you the utility numbers, the cleanup crew numbers, and the address.”

  “Okay. I’ll get right on it.”

  “Is everything else going alright?”

  “Honestly?”

  “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to know.”

  “I can barely find any housing. My friend will be here in a few days and there is nothing for her family.”

  “I’ll be out, let them stay here while you look. They can help you pay the rent.”

  “I thought you were joking before when you said that.”

  “I rarely joke.”

  “Okay. But what about the others?”

  “Call Mairi or Beth.”

  “The alphas mates?”

  “That would be them.”

  “But..buut..” She stuttered.

  “I’m an alpha and you talk to me all the time.”

  “You’re not a white wolf.”

  “You talked to Sara at the diner.”

  “Oh, goddess! She’s a white wolf?”

  “They are all over around here. Just call them and ask for help. Mairi renovates and sells places. The other cats have slowed down on coming here and she might have a place. Just do it.”

  “Okay. I will.”

  Serenity was a good secretary, but it was obvious he still needed a PA. He sent an email to Samuel to get that ball rolling. If he continued to buy lake front properties he’d have something nearby for his PA. Whoever it was would need a place to live. While Samuel had been his PA, he was more like his second now.

  With that on track, he really needed breakfast. Sara’s would work fine. Once he got there, it was crowded including the special table so he took his order to go. Now he headed to the site of the coalition house. It was beginning to take shape and he noticed the rafters were in place and they were putting the sheets of wood over them. Once that was done, he supposed they would put metal over the whole thing. Trim and gutters would be last. Damn, his woman would be up there several days before it was complete.

  As much as he hated her up there, she might be his only chance to get a roof on his place. When he arrived, he saw an extra up on the roof making five and it was a female. Her and his mate seemed to be working together and doing more that the other three together.

  “What’s up today? Did she find more help?”

  “Yeah, another one of Maddie’s girls came home to roost. Her names Hazel, but they call her Haze. Be careful. She’s mean as a rattlesnake. Girl just retired from the military and while she’s pretty as a flower, she’s tough as boot leather. Two of her kids are still at home and they came with her. No one knows her story.” Steve explained.

  Poor Steve must not know what Viv would do to him if she caught him talking about anyone on the crew. Hopefully she’d never know because Steve was his only source of information. Haze coming home would help speed things up. She looked like Viv only a bit younger, but she didn’t draw him in.

  Ciaro came by and they talked a bit. “Mairi has a new boat. She wants to go out for the weekend on the lake. I believe Viv may be going to. You up for it?”

  “It sounds like fun. I’ve got a new place on the lake. Maybe I need a new boat too. This weekend?”

  “Yes. We’ll meet here. Mairi has a dock there.” He handed him a card with an address on it.

  “See you then.” This he would look forward to. Not only because it would be fun, but he’d spent some time with Viv and his interest continued to grow.

  Watching her and her sister on the roof, he was surprised when the rafters were covered and they started putting up the metal sheets. In his mind, she and the sister would have been better off doing the job alone. The crane lowered the guys one at a time and the sisters together.

  Some of the guys that had worked on the ground slapped Viv on the back. They clearly were glad she was handling it. She glanced up at him then looked away. Her sister looked at him and clearly dismissed him. They left with several of the crew with them and he figured they were going for lunch. He’d wait until this weekend to spend some time with Viv. They’d only be with Ciaro and Mairi so they’d have some quality time together. She must like him to agree to go.

  For now, he had plenty of work to do and he’d gotten the big metal building he intended to make a restaurant. One of the female cheetahs coming had experience managing one and several of the others had worked as waiters and cooks. The other positions that paid less would be filled with college kids and part timers. Hopefully it would work out. He had Serenity call to turn on the utilities, get a dumpster setup, and get the cleanup crew on the job.

  Things would come together, he hoped. He’d bought several more places on the lake some near his own house. One he offered Samuel who was living in a one bedroom apartment that would now be available for someone else because Samuel jumped at the house. He’d also found a PA and a secretary for himself. Apparently he’d offered the secretary his apartment and she’d taken it.

 
Serenity had called Maddie about the apartments being built and reserved a three bedroom one for her friends family. It would be done in two weeks. She must not know Maddie was a white wolf. He chuckled to himself. A sense of accomplishment hit him, but there was still so much to do. The construction worker and his family would be here tomorrow and he would be moved out. All the paperwork was done and the sale complete. Everything should be done at his house and most of his things were still in Los Angeles. He’d bought some furniture off the website a local company had and it was already delivered and the gardener had seen it put in place. He was a cheetah who had already been on his way here when the email for workers had gone out. The male had responded right away.

  Those in his household were no problem. They would live in his house. It was all the others. He needed more housing than Viv could manage and he knew it was his own fault for not coming earlier. It wasn’t like they hadn’t known for quite some time. If only the subdivision would take off once it was started. His secretary’s friend’s dad and her brother both had experience and a call had been put out for others. It was fall so they could still camp out if necessary, but not for long.

  There was no point in thinking about if onlys. At least many of the wealthier management people would settle around the lake. It was the type of place they would prefer. He decided to leave Viv alone until the weekend so they could both get work done. Monday his construction guy would be ready to start work.

  As everything fell into place the weekend just fell on them. He met Ciaro and Mairi and the panther leader took him inside the boat to have a beer. As she got on the boat he could hear Mairi greeting Viv right before the boat took off. Something smelled suspicious.

  “She didn’t know, did she?”

  “No, but Ariel is trying to help you. Viv had a mess with her marriage. It will make it hard on you.”

  “You know any details?”

  “No, Ariel always tells the least possible. You’ll get used to it.”

  “I rarely have contact with her.” Channing said.