by E A Price
In irritation, she got up and went to get a cup of coffee. She passed Gabe North, a fellow Deputy and wolf shifter, who was currently trying to build a playing card pyramid, a sure sign he was bored too.
She had to think about the situation logically. There had to be a good reason why she was obsessing over the wolf so much.
On New Year’s Eve she was a little drunk, not so much that she had completely lost her inhibitions, but enough so that she might be tempted to do something she wouldn’t when sober. Coupled with the fact that she hadn’t had sex in a while… alright, a year! And, not to mention, she was frustrated from having to listen to her brother and sister-in-law, getting it on every night. All those things put together easily explained why she was so quick just to jump into bed with the wolf. More like jump into the handicapped bathroom, she couldn’t even wait to get him home.
That was all there was to it, a combination of those factors. Her bobcat yowled in unhappiness. Deanna ignored her and made her way back to her desk.
There was nothing more to it than that. She was sure of it. Wasn’t she? Just because he was funny, handsome, charming, and he appealed to both her and her bobcat on every level, that didn’t mean anything, did it? Just because she thought she might be falling in love with him…
Deanna gasped; Gabe eyed her curiously but soon went back to his playing cards. What if it was more than that? He invaded her thoughts, her bobcat whined to be with him, and she couldn’t help the feelings bubbling inside her. Maybe there was more to him than just a casual fling, maybe they were meant to be together…
Nervous excitement swelled within her. Was he her true mate? Oh my god! What if he was? Oh crap, what if he was? Was he disappointed in her? Did he not want to take on the responsibility of her family? Is that why he had stayed away from her? The questions darted through her mind, making her bobcat whimper in doubt about her handsome wolf.
Deanna pulled herself together. Yeesh, anyone would think she was a love-struck teenager, she hadn’t been this needy and silly over a guy since... actually she’d never been this way over a guy, even when she was a teenager. Sure, she’d had crushes, and she had dated, occasionally, but she’d always been practical about it, and never allowed herself to be in a position where her heart was on the line. She never wanted to have her heart broken, and she never wanted to turn out like her mom… Wow, this really was the first time she had felt any kindling of love for someone, and it scared the freaking hell out of her.
If she was feeling this way, then surely the wolf was too. So, if he was, why wasn’t he beating a path to her door? Her bobcat snapped her jaws in disapproval. Well, he didn’t actually have her number, she thought guiltily. But, come on, wolves were lusty creatures, if he felt such a strong desire for her, wouldn’t he be doing everything in his power to find her? Wouldn’t he be searching for her? A wave of disappointment assaulted her, maybe he didn’t feel as strongly as she did.
Deanna sighed and sipped at her coffee, wincing at the bitter flavor. Wolves sure did take their coffee strong.
Maybe it was wrong to get her hopes up about the wolf; maybe it was all in her imagination. She’d been alone for so long, and before that she hadn’t exactly had relationships of the fairytale kind, more like special friendships with perfunctory sex. The wolf was so lovely, maybe she’d imagined it to be more, because that’s what she wanted, and needed.
She inwardly groaned. Her feelings were so confused, and her snarling bobcat was no help. What she wouldn’t give for a little distraction. Her mind wandered back to her mom, no, not that kind of distraction; that was an area of her life best ignored.
The front door of the station tinkled, and Deanna hoped it would be someone needing help, but she took in the familiar scent, and settled back into her chair. Although, maybe he could help…
Jake Foreman, another Deputy and wolf shifter, strolled into the station. Deanne looked up in expectation and… nothing. Since meeting him, Deanna had a teeny weeny, yet somewhat massive, crush on the tall, dark wolf shifter. He was so serious, yet when he smiled, he lit up the whole room. Yep, he had featured in numerous raunchy fantasies before now. Well, come on, it had been a long year! But now, he did nothing for her. When she looked at him, all she could think was that he wasn’t her wolf. Yikes, she had to stop thinking of him as hers.
“Dee,” rumbled Jake, “those twin bear shifters were outside again, I chased them away.”
Deanna snickered and thanked him. Jake displayed a highly protective streak when it came to women, but she hardly thought it was necessary when it came to those two boys. Although, she had noticed a few of her panties had been going missing recently. She previously put it down to their washer-dryer mangling them; it was second-hand and crappy, but she was starting to suspect someone was pinching them from the washing line.
Jake nodded to Gabe, before sitting down and pulling out a newspaper. Deanna looked between the two wolves and chewed on her cheek. Her animal mewled in encouragement.
Well, it was worth a try. “So…”
The two wolves looked up.
“Umm, if I wanted to find someone, a wolf shifter… how would I go about doing it?”
Jake smiled at her while Gabe went back to his cards. “Depends, you could put out a bulletin, send it out to nearby Sheriff stations.”
Deanna shook her head. “No, it’s, uh, not for work.”
Gabe looked up in interest, and Jake raised his eyebrows. Gabe grinned. “You got a boyfriend, Dee?”
“No!” she denied, heatedly.
Gabe chuckled. “Ah, well, can’t help you then.”
Jake rolled his eyes in disapproval at the younger wolf. “Do you have a name?”
Red dusted her cheeks. Why the hell hadn’t she asked him his name? She let him have sex with her twice, but didn’t even stop to ask. Let him? Who was she kidding? She was ready to beg him to take her.
“No… it umm, it’s a funny story.”
Gabe’s eyes danced in mirth, seeing the buttoned up bobcat squirm about a guy was hilarious. “We’re all ears.”
On seeing Deanna’s unease, Jake clucked his tongue at Gabe. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”
“Nope, besides, I’m helping.”
Jake growled at him, but it did no good. Jake noticed that as soon as shifters mated, they were a hell of a lot more cocky and very quick to make fun of their single friends’ love lives. He definitely wasn’t planning on mating again.
Deanna fidgeted for a few seconds, before deciding to do the only thing she could – lie. “I was sort of at O’Neill’s, that bar in Darlington, the other night, and I met this guy…”
Gabe wolf-whistled and Jake hurled a stapler at his head. He ducked, but Jake snickered as it knocked over the pyramid of cards.
She chose to ignore them. “And, I took his details, but I lost the bit of paper, so now, I don’t know how to find him.”
“What’s his name?” asked Jake.
Deanna rubbed her lips together. “I don’t know… I forgot… I’d had a few beers…” Well, it was a half-truth… kind of.
Jake let out a breath. “Does he live in Darlington?”
“I don’t know.”
Gabe rapped his fingers on the desk. “Is he part of a pack?”
“I don’t know.”
Jake looked at her thoughtfully. “What does he look like? Does he have any distinguishing features?”
“I don’t know… no, I’m kidding!” She let out a shy giggle, trying to make light of the situation. “He’s about six foot two, light brown hair and hazel eyes. He’s in his early twenties, and he’s quite… umm… you know… well-built.”
Gabe’s shoulders shook. “That sounds like a pretty average wolf…”
“He’s not average, he’s so much more than that!” blurted Deanna, eliciting a significant look between the two wolf Deputies. She looked at her desk, suddenly very interested in the wood grain.
Jake folded his newspaper. “I’m sorry Dee, it do
esn’t ring any bells, but then that’s a pretty vague description, for all we know he might be part of our pack. We could ask around for you if you want?”
She was struck by panic. “No, don’t worry about it, I was just wondering, that’s all.”
Jake frowned. “Are you sure?”
Deanna nodded fervently. “Absolutely, please, don’t give it another thought.”
The last thing she wanted was the wolves going around town, asking if anyone had hooked up with her. She didn’t want anyone to think she was easy, or to know that she had actually had sex with someone without bothering to learn his name, or give him hers…
Liv poked her head around the door; despite her mate's growling disapproval, she insisted that she continue working as the station receptionist. She said she would be bored stiff at home, but Alec had a problem with her working while she was pregnant, and honestly, he wouldn’t be that keen when she wasn’t. He was a pretty old-fashioned wolf. He was currently trying to find a replacement, and find a way to tell Liv she couldn’t work there without upsetting her, or starting a fight.
“Hey, guys, we got a call to say Hans is about to kill someone outside the pizza parlor. Can someone go and calm him down, please?”
Deanna leapt to her feet. “I’ll go!”
Liv winked. “Thanks, Dee.”
Jake stood up. “I’ll come too. If Hans is on the warpath, it might not be a pretty sight…”
Deanna was already out the door, and Jake had to run to catch her. Damn, she was eager. Jake liked the little bobcat; she was keen, smart and quick to pick things up. She was still just learning, but she’d make a great Deputy. He reflected it was a shame that she didn’t want to move to the city; with training, she’d make a good detective, better than most of the guys he worked with before he moved to Rose, back when he worked for the Council of Supernaturals. But, he knew she needed to be near her family, and some people preferred being a small-town cop. He did, but that was only after ten years of working as an Enforcer for the Council. When he was Dee’s age, he couldn’t think of anything worse than being stuck in the small town pack he grew up in, how times had changed.
*
Casey raced round the grocery store. He'd been all prepared to make his way to the Sheriff’s station, and ask for any help he could get from the bobcat Deputy, when his mom rang. His sisters were sick with a bug, and she needed a few things. His dad was working, and his grandma was volunteering at the senior center. He could hardly say no to his pregnant mother, no matter how impatient he was to find his mate.
He checked off the items on his list and was about to pick up the last item, when he froze. He detected a familiar scent and quickly ducked behind a vegetable rack. Darcy.
He chanced a look at the puma shifter; she was inspecting a can of kidney beans.
“I can see you, Casey,” she called.
“We can see you, Casey,” echoed a small, giggling voice.
Darcy laughed and turned to put the can in her cart. In spite of his wolf’s grumbles, Casey decided to man up and face the puma. He came out to find an amused looking Darcy pushing a cart containing a cute, little blonde girl in pigtails, who couldn’t have been more than 4.
“You hiding from me, Casey?”
“Uhhh, no.” Casey gestured to the little girl. “She’s, uhh, she’s not yours, is she?”
Darcy blasted him with a look of annoyance. “No, Casey, do the math, you… you silly Billy.”
He snorted. “Silly Billy?” Not exactly an insult he expected from Darcy; she was usually very explicit.
Darcy inclined her head to the girl. “Can’t swear in front of kids, they repeat everything.”
The child wagged a tiny finger at Casey. “Yeah, you silly Billy.”
Darcy laughed. “This is Dinah; she’s my sister-in-law, Dinah this is…umm… my friend, Casey.”
He raised his eyebrow at that but didn’t object. He flashed a grin at Dinah and put out his palm for a high-five. “Hey, gimme five! By the side… up above… down below…” Dinah slapped his hand, and he grabbed onto it. “Ah, you’ve got me! You’ve got me!”
Dinah dissolved into squeals of laughter.
Casey processed what Darcy had just said. “Wait, she’s your…”
“Yep, she’s my mate’s sister.”
Casey couldn’t have looked more surprised, even if someone had walked up to him and slapped him with a wet haddock. “Well, uhh, congratulations, I guess. On being mated, I mean.”
She rolled her shoulders. “Yeah, I got that, thanks.”
They stood in awkward silence for a few seconds, before Casey excused himself. “I better go; my mom’s waiting for these things, my sisters are sick.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, I hope they get better soon.”
Casey nodded before swiftly moving past them, and seeking out the last item on his list – chicken breasts. He felt momentarily sorry for whoever mated with Darcy, but then felt a little bad about that. She did actually seem a lot calmer than she used to be, and six months ago he could never have imagined her taking care of a kid. Maybe being mated was good for her. Maybe it would be good for him too…
At last he came to the checkout; he blanched a little when he saw Darcy was already there. Well, there was no point in hiding; she already knew he was behind her. He got in line and gave her a half-smile.
Rena, the cashier, made funny faces at Dinah, as she scanned the groceries. “Okay, in total that will be eighty-four dollars and fifty cents.”
Darcy’s face fell. She rooted through her purse. “Dang it! I only have seventy-five.” She bit her bottom lip as she looked over her items. “Let me find some things to put back.”
Rena patiently helped her by naming the prices of the items. Casey noticed Darcy’s cheeks were pink with embarrassment; he pretended he couldn’t hear what was happening, and started playing with his phone.
They finally found enough items to put back; Darcy grabbed her bags, and left with Dinah in tow.
Rena sighed as she started bagging Casey’s things. “Poor Darcy.”
Casey and his wolf huffed. “Why, ‘poor Darcy’?”
Rena looked around, to make sure no one was listening. She was a huge gossip, but at least she wasn’t as bad, or malicious, as the town’s resident busybody, Mrs. Martin. Casey usually didn’t care about gossip; he could care less about spreading it, or whether anyone was talking about him, but he imagined he wouldn’t be pleased if any details about him trying to find his mate were broadcast.
“I feel bad for her, well, for all her mate’s family. Their mom took off and left Darcy’s mate, Dennis and his sister, Deanna, to look after the three youngest kids and their grandma, who’s in and out of hospital with cancer. I think they struggle for money; Dennis and Deanna are bobcat shifters, and they’re only like 20-years-old, I feel sorry for them having to support their family. I think it helps that Darcy’s there too now, I see her around town a lot with Dinah.”
Casey felt a twinge of guilt about the uncharitable thoughts he had about Darcy. Maybe being mated had changed her. Perhaps it was time he started to be a little kinder.
At that moment, he came to a decision and asked Rena to pack up all the groceries, toot sweet. He paid, and grabbed the bags. He ran out the store, and was glad that Darcy was still parked outside. He caught her stood next to an ancient looking minivan, strapping Dinah inside.
“Here,” said Casey, thrusting a bag at Darcy.
She frowned, before gingerly taking the bag and looking inside. It was full of the groceries she had to put back. “Casey, I…”
He shuffled his feet awkwardly. “Just take them, okay. What’s a few bucks between friends?”
She stared into the bag, indecision written on her face. Part of her wanted to give it back, and tell him they didn’t need charity. She knew both Dennis and Deanna would do just that; they were stubborn to a fault. But she didn’t think Casey was doing it because he felt sorry for her, she sensed he was actual
ly trying to be nice, and a big part of her was just grateful to him, but also pleasantly surprised.
“Thank you." She hesitated before sucking in a breath. "I’m sorry for the way I treated you, Casey. I used you to get back at Mal, and I shouldn’t have.”
Casey scratched his hand and gave her a half-smile. “I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have flirted with you when you were dating Mal, and I shouldn’t have used you either.”
Darcy let out a nervous laugh. “This is weird, right? Us being nice to one another?”
“Yeah, totally weird.”
“You know, I don’t know what’s going to happen with Carly, but I hope she gives us both jobs, I think we could learn to get along. I already sent her over some things I made, and I think she was impressed.”
He nodded. “Yeah, me too, but if there’s just one job going, I hope you get it.”
She smirked. “Yeah, I hope so too.”
Casey chuckled. “I guess I’ll see you around.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
He tensed. “We don’t have to hug or anything, do we?”
Darcy leaned forward slightly. “I think my mate would bust a nut if we did.”
“Shit, yeah, I forgot you said you were mated. He’s a bobcat, right?”
She gave him a puzzled look. “How did you know?”
Casey inclined his head to the store. “Rena might have…”
Darcy rolled her eyes. “Rena’s lovely, but she does like to flap her mouth a lot.”
Casey poked out his tongue at Dinah through the minivan window. Dinah immediately did the same. “She’s adorable; you should bring her over to play with my youngest sister, Caitlin.”
She beamed. “A play-date would be nice.”
