by Lola Kidd
There were many things he'd said that could have caused her bad mood. He had mentioned the pictures, talked about how she was his employee, and talked about how he was moving. Maybe it was a combination of all three that had pissed her off. Whatever it was, he wanted to get to the bottom of it. This whole weekend was a disaster and he wanted to put it behind them as quickly as possible. He still felt like she could be his mate, but whatever relationship they had couldn't last with these kinds of issues.
"Potter?" Her eyes were closed and she was snoring, but he had to be sure. "Potter. I need something."
"I think she's asleep." Lenni told him.
"Would you come to the back of the plane with me?"
"Sure."
She followed him behind the curtain. It was a flimsy privacy screen, but it was enough if they kept their voices down. Potter slept like a rock.
"Something seems to be the matter," he told her when they were alone.
"I liked the pictures." She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "I don't care if you don't like that, but I like them. I like seeing myself in magazines. Maybe in a few weeks it will annoy the hell out of me, but right now, it's still cool."
"You look fine. I can see why they would be nice for you."
"It would have been cool to get one of us together."
That was where he had to draw a line. "It's called a private life. You're supposed to keep it private. If you want pictures of you looking nice in a pretty dress, great. But I'm not going to put us on display for the public. That's a recipe for disaster."
"Does it have to be private because you're ashamed?"
"Are you out of your mind? Did you see how far Leah and Jasper went to keep their wedding private? Do you think they were ashamed?"
"Your stepmother had no problem taking a picture with me and she didn't even know me."
Beckett gritted his teeth. She wasn't even listening to him. "My stepmother's an attention whore. She isn't the best example of how to act in public with the media."
"Are you ashamed of me? You seem to be dodging the question."
"I'm not ashamed of you. I like to keep my life private. There's nothing wrong with that. I don't have to trumpet my feelings from the rooftops and shove them in people's faces for them to be real."
"Then what's wrong? Something's off since this weekend. Or was something off before? Was the vacation the weird time or are you being weird now?"
"What you mean?"
"Well, before the vacation, I thought we had a good connection. During the vacation, we had a great connection." She smiled softly. "Once you got here, it was like something changed. It was like a switch had been flipped. Like you hated me."
"I don't hate you. I'm just surprised by the way you're acting." He sighed. "I didn't know you would like having your picture taken so much."
"I didn't like it so much. I just don't mind. I'm not going out of my way to get photographed, but I won't stop people from doing it."
"It did seem like you want your picture taken very much to me."
"Are we moving too fast for you?"
Yes. Yes they were moving too fast for him. But also too slow somehow. He wasn't sure how to convey that without hurting her feelings. He both wanted her close and wanted to push her away. She was so different from how she had seemed at first that it had turned him off. But that could change too.
They had moved too fast, but there was no going back from that now. He didn't know her well enough to judge if this was her normal behavior or if being in this situation had turned her a little crazy.
"You're kind of driving me nuts right now," he admitted. "What's with all these questions? We can't talk about one topic before you jump to another. It's like you want to fight with me."
"What about moving?" she demanded, ignoring what he'd said.
"I think it sounds like a good plan. Do you have a problem with that too?"
"Are you moving to get away from me?"
"Everything isn't about you."
She reared back as if he'd slapped her. "How could this not be about me?"
He gritted his teeth. "Why does this have to be about you? I just told you this wasn't about you. It's about me and my staff. I want to keep them happy."
"But I'm part of your staff."
"For now."
"You don't care if I come with you," she accused.
"You just met me." He leaned forward and took her hand in his. "I don't understand why you're trying to rearrange your life around me when we've only met. You were passionate about staying in Hope Springs before the wedding, but now you sound like you couldn't care less."
"I am passionate about staying. I love my hometown."
"If you love it so much why are you itching to leave now?"
Her eyes shone. He had said something wrong. Again. He couldn't get it right with her anymore.
"Sorry," he said. He desperately searched for the right words to say. "It seemed like you wanted to stay and I didn't want to force you to leave. But I need to go. I can't keep sequestering my staff up there with me. I'm isolating them from leading full lives. Even if I'm paying handsomely it isn't enough."
"That's very noble of you." She leaned back and looked out the window.
"I think they'll all like it."
"I'm sure they will too. I can also tell there's not a space for me."
"Not if you don't want there to be one," he said carefully. "It doesn't seem like it's the best for you right now. I don't want to make that choice for you, but that's how I see it. You seem all over the place. I don't think you're in a good spot to make that kind of choice right now."
"If you think so." She stood up. "I'm going to go back to the front of the plane if you don't mind."
"Be my guest." He watched her walk away and waited a few minutes before going back in his own seat.
He had spoken honestly, but the conversation had gotten out of hand. Much like everything else that week. They had only just met and he didn't want her to rearrange everything she knew just for him. Not when he couldn't give her everything she needed.
She had just gotten herself untangled from one shifter. He didn't need to add more complications to her life right now. He would be back in Hope Springs next year.
If they belonged together, it could happen next year too. If she was dating someone new by then, so be it. He wasn't going to keep her life on hold to make himself happy. Better to let her go and spread her wings and figure out what she really wanted out of life. No matter how painful it was, this was best for everyone.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Lenni's days at the mansion were winding down. There was less than a week left on her contract. She figured she could leave now and no one would notice. She hadn't asked Beckett if he wanted her to go, but from the way he was acting, it was obvious he couldn't wait for her to be gone. Now, she was being stubborn. Better to finish out the contract just in case he tried to sue her for breach or not pay her for the last few days.
Even though he was avoiding her, he had, as promised, brought in a self-defense instructor for her. As soon as they got back from the wedding, she started to learn with a nice man from two towns over. She had learned how to protect herself from a few of the rudimentary attacks. Now that she wasn't having to dress Beckett every day, this was the highlight of her working day.
Most of her time was spent following Potter or Patrick around or taking walks around the woods out back.
"Could you help me with something?" Potter asked her after she'd finished her lesson for the day.
Lenni nodded and finished her last stretch. "I'm going into town in a few hours. Do you need anything?"
"I don't think so." Potter led her to the kitchen. "What you think of this new wallpaper?"
Potter was holding up a swatch of wheat-patterned beige and one with yellow lemons.
"I don't like wallpaper in kitchens," Lenni said. "What about paint?"
"I'm going to put this as an accent in here." Potter pointed to the
area behind the coffee bar. "Everything else is going to be painted in a different color. I don't like wallpaper much either, but I thought something with a pattern would really pop here."
"That could look really nice." Lenni took the wheat-patterned swatch from her and held it up. "I think this one is it. It's different but still not too crazy."
"You'll have to come up and see it once it's done."
"You mean next year when you guys get back," Lenni said glumly. "I would love to."
"Have you asked him to come with us?" Potter set the papers down. "I assumed that you would rather stay here with your father than come with us to the East Coast."
"Why would you guys be going to the East Coast? Aren't things a little dangerous there for shifters right now?"
After legislation to bring outside shifter groups into the fold, things had gotten bad in the area around Beckett's property there. Some humans were very suspicious of the shifters. Even other shifters were suspicious of them. All the shifters Lenni knew were avoiding the area like the plague. The chatter online said it would calm down in a few months, but right now it wasn't worth visiting.
"Much like here, we'll be isolated from everyone else there. For once, Beckett's love of privacy is a blessing. I'll be glad for new scenery even if I can't travel as freely."
"I see." Lenni sighed. "When you get back here, be sure to come visit me at Pat's Pages. I'll save all your favorite books by Nora Roberts when they come in."
"Thank you, dear."
"Do you mind if I go into town early?" Lenni looked at the clock. "Unless you need me for something else?"
"Go ahead. We're not going to need you, and Beckett is in his office for the rest of the evening."
Lenni nodded. "You think I should ask him before I go?"
"That might be best," Potter told her. "He won't say no. This is just a formality. Don't worry. I always ask him and it's never been a problem."
Lenni went to his office and knocked twice. She hated having to bother him, but it would be worse if he needed her and she was gone. Not that he would ever need her for anything. She was useless to him now.
"What is it?" came a moment later.
"It's Lenni. I'm going into town."
She wasn't asking. He couldn't say no if it wasn't a question.
"That's fine. Be back before dark."
He was still keeping his silly rules. Not because he cared what happened to her anymore, but it would be bad if she was harmed while in his employment. Maybe her dad would be able to sue him or something.
Nothing would happen to her after dark. She hadn't heard anything from Ned since they'd gone to the police. He was probably afraid of having the cops come to the shifter grounds. His dad would kill him if that happened.
It was still sad for Lenni when she left the mansion. When the gate swung closed behind her, she was reminded that in just a few days she would be doing this for good. There was also a good chance that she would not see Beckett again once she was done with this job.
Things ended badly between them, but she still had feelings for him. She didn't know why she couldn't fight it. She accepted that she was going to be hurt and she was going to love him for a while.
This was worse than when she'd broken up with Ned. Then she knew for sure that he was not for her. This time, she and Beckett hadn't even gotten a proper start. She didn't know what they could have been. In her mind, there was still a chance he was the one for her. That she could be his mate. That maybe he loved her back. She was crazy. She knew it was stupid.
He had been such an ass to her at the wedding. He treated her so badly and still she was holding out hope that maybe she had taken everything the wrong way. Maybe he was avoiding her now and holding her at arm's length because he liked her too much.
As long as she didn't ask him, she could keep her fantasies up. And that's all they were, silly fantasy.
None of that was true. He didn't want to be with her and she couldn't make him. She was just his employee and he was her employer. She could go back to her regular life and maybe eventually her heart would hurt less.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Beckett watched her go from his bedroom window. He should have asked her to stay or even to talk, but he couldn't. Things were done between them. There was nothing left for them to do but wait for her contract to be finished. He went to his closet and looked at the rows of brightly colored shirts. Those had been uncovered because of her.
She had brought so much life to his home and into his life. He was going to miss her. He wished things had been different, but there was nothing to do now. She wanted more than he could ever give her and she deserved all of it. He would never be able to give her all the things she wanted, so he had to let her go. It didn't matter how much it hurt him.
He was keeping himself busy with work and the upcoming move. Potter wanted to remodel the mansion while they were out on the East Coast. She wanted new colors on the walls and new carpeting. When they got back, it would be like a whole new place. Everything would be fresh and new. At first he had been reluctant, but he'd quickly agreed when he realized the changes would help him.
They might help him forget Lenni. If everything was different when they got back, he wouldn't be reminded of her. He was still thinking about skipping Hope Springs for a year or two, but maybe he would feel different when he saw it with a fresh coat of paint.
When she'd pulled away down the drive, he went back to his office. He still had so much work to do for the day. He'd been reading the same paragraphs on contracts over and over. It was hard to concentrate with so much on his mind.
He got back to it and tried to concentrate. But he had barely begun answering his next email when his phone rang.
It was the Scrabble Pack alpha. He pressed ignore. He didn't need to hear another thank you from that man. The pack alpha was so grateful that Beckett hadn't pressed charges against his son for trespassing. He had called to thank him twice, but both times been sent to voicemail. Today would be just like the ones before it. He didn't have the patience for it. Plus, he hadn't even done anything. The only thing stopping him from pressing charges was knowing that it would make things harder for the pack. The restraining order was all he cared about. As long as Ned stayed away from Lenni, he didn't care if the young wolf bothered him or stalked around his mountain.
He got back to his email, but his phone rang again. And again. And again. Four times he hit ignore. The fifth time he picked up. This alpha was persistent. Better to get it over with than to keep being bothered.
"You need to keep that girl inside." The alpha was breathing hard. "I'm sorry. I'm on my way there now, but I don't know if I can beat him. He'll be there very soon I think."
Beckett stood up, smashing his chair into the wall. "What do you mean he'll be here soon?"
"My idiot son is going after that girl again. I'm sure he'll try and fight you. If I can get there first, I'll stop him. He won't listen, so he deserves everything coming to him. I don't care if he is my son. He's putting us all in danger, his entire pack at risk for a girl who doesn't want him. I can't believe I raised such a little idiot."
"He's coming to get Lenni?"
"Yes. And if he comes in there and tries to hurt you, you have my permission to go against him with everything you got. There will be no retribution from my pack. I want this taken care of and I don't care how it gets done."
"Are you sure he's coming here?"
"I'm sure. He's coming to get the girl and she's with you. There's nowhere else for him to go."
Beckett dropped his phone and charged into the hallway. "Potter! Call the police and send them to the Belle house."
"What are you yelling about?" Potter came from the kitchen with a book of wallpaper swatches in her hand.
"Ned is headed to Lenni's house. He might come here, but there's a good chance he'll go there first. Call the police and then call Lenni. I want them to be prepared just in case."
"I'll call. Be careful and don'
t drive too fast."
"I'll do my best."
Beckett couldn't think straight. His bear wanted to run the entire way there, but it wasn't fast enough. His animal was no match for the horsepower his sports car had under the hood. He could get to the Belle house in less than twenty minutes if he went forty over the speed limit the whole way. It was going to be dangerous, but he didn't care.
If a cop tried to stop him, he wouldn't stop. He would lead them to Lenni's house and explain when he got there. Being wealthy enough to have a lawyer on speed dial had its perks. And even if they did throw him in jail for a month or two, it would be worth it. As long as Lenni was safe, it wouldn't matter.
She might not want to be with him anymore, but he didn't want her to get hurt. Potter would never forgive him if he let that happen either. Not to mention his bear. The animal would go mad with grief.
He couldn't think about that right now. He had to keep his eyes on the road. He was going fast enough to wreck his car at any bend in the road. He scarcely noticed as the leaves whipped past his windshield. He could breathe and think again once he got to the house.
It took him less than fifteen minutes. He didn't even want to think how fast he was going. Either Potter didn't call the police or they didn't take her seriously because there were no cruisers out in front of the house.
He took the steps in one jump and pounded on the blue front door. "Lenni? Professor Belle?"
It was an agonizing minute before Professor Belle opened the front door. "Mr. Hansen? What can I do for you this afternoon?"
"Is Lenni here?"
"She's out back in the garden. Why?"
"Ned is looking for her," Beckett told him as he shoved past the old man to get through the house to the backyard. "He's probably going to my house, but I wanted to come here to keep an eye on Lenni until this whole thing is taken care of."
"I can't believe he's still on her case."
