“I’m sorry,” he had said. “But she’s mine.”
“Yours?” J.D. had asked.
“What are you saying, Gabriel?” Damon chimed in. Gabriel didn’t even realize he and Anna Victoria had joined them in the kitchen.
“She’s my mate.”
Rosie had stood there, shocked. “I had no idea.”
“Please, Rosie,” he had begged. “Tell me where she lives. I need … I need to talk to her.”
The fox shifter had hesitated. “I can’t do that. You know that would be violating her privacy.” She blew out a breath and cocked her head slightly toward the row of employee punch cards next to the clock by the door. “But I’m going to turn around and leave the kitchen, so I won’t see you doing anything you’re not supposed to, like looking at the addresses printed on those cards.”
“Thanks, Rosie,” he had beamed.
It had been easy enough to find her card, since Rosie had mentioned her name, and the cafe didn’t have a lot of workers. Temperance Pettigrew. Sunshine Woods Mobile Home Park was listed on the address line but no house number, but that would be enough. Hell, he’d knock on every door in Blackstone if that’s what it took.
Thankfully, he only had to knock on five trailers before he found her.
“What do you want?” she said now in a quiet voice.
You, every cell in his body screamed.
His lion roared in approval.
Cool it. She was human, he reminded himself and his lion. She didn’t have an animal to tell her that he was her mate. “I just want to talk.”
“To me?” she asked incredulously.
“Yes.”
“But why?”
How was he going to explain it? “Er, can we start from the beginning? My name is Gabriel. Gabriel Russel.”
“I know who you are.”
“You do?” Now he was intrigued. He had known virtually nothing about her until this morning, except that she made the best goddammed pies he’d ever tasted. But she had known his name all this time? Why did she never come out to talk to him?
“Th-the girls at Rosie’s talk about you all the time,” she said in a wilting voice.
Great. He knew his reputation preceded him sometimes, and at this moment he wished it hadn’t. As far as he knew, he hadn’t slept with any of the waitresses there, but up until a few years ago, he’d been the wild child of Blackstone. Somehow, he had to convince her that he wasn’t that person anymore. And that from now on, no other woman would matter to him except her.
“Temperance … may I come in? So we can talk?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?” he asked, irritated. She flinched at his tone, and he felt like shit. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude.” Unsure what to do, he raked his fingers through his hair. “Why did you run away?”
“W-why would I stay?” She swallowed audibly. “I knew you were … you were …” There was a pause as she took a deep breath. “I know what I look like, okay? It’s not a pretty sight. I’m used to people thinking I’m repulsive.”
“What?” He couldn’t hold back the rage in his tone. His lion, too, roared in anger. “You think I was repulsed?”
“Weren’t you?” she challenged.
He wasn’t the type of man who was at a loss for words, but right now, he couldn’t think of anything to say. How did I miss it? How did he not notice how she instinctively turned right side away from him the moment he burst in? Even now, her body was angled away, and a curtain of hair covered her scars. She thought he had been looking at her in disgust? Her, his mate? How could he ever think of her as not perfect in every way?
He opened his mouth to deny it, but she put a hand up. “Please, just leave me alone. Whatever it is you want to say to me, I’m sure it’s not that important.”
Not important? His lion shook its head in denial unable to process the idea that she was his mate as not important?
There had to be a way to fix this. But how? “If you give me one minute—”
“Please!” The distress in her voice made him sick to his stomach. “Please. Leave.”
His lion was fighting him, clawing at him. It didn’t want to leave their mate. What if something happened to her? Was this place even safe? What was the security like here? Were there any rival males around to claim her before they did? If anything happened to her while they were away, the lion would never forgive him.
However, he had to let his rational, human side win out this time. In time, she would come to understand. She was obviously too distressed right now. “All right.” Putting his hands up, he stepped away. She didn’t even give him a second glance as she shut the door in his face.
Fuck.
The lion inside him let out a sad yowl at her rejection. Sorry, buddy, he consoled. But we’re not giving up.
The animal’s ears perked up, as if saying, we’re not?
Nope. No way.
Squaring his shoulders, he put on a determined expression. He was Gabriel Russel. And you’re a lion, king of the jungle, he told his animal. They were not backing down.
But how am I supposed to claim her?
With a sigh, he stepped back, then his gaze dropped to Fred. His nose wrinkled at the ugly thing—the garden ornament had obviously seen better days. Its long, pointed cap had probably been bright indigo at some point, but it was now a faded color between gray and blue. The end of its nose was chipped off, however the maniacal grin on its face was intact, mocking him. It seemed to say, Well, well, isn’t this ironic?
He snorted. Yeah? Keep laughing, Fred.
It was time to put on the full Gabriel Russel charm treatment. And heck, if he couldn’t sweep her off her feet, then maybe he didn’t deserve her as a mate.
Chapter Four
The alarm buzzed at three o’clock in the morning as it always did, and Temperance reached over to shut it off. Her mind was still in that half-asleep, half-awake state as she went through her morning routine.
After getting dressed, she grabbed her purse and keys, then headed out the door. She turned to lock it, but froze as she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
“Don’t be scared. It’s just me. Gabriel.”
Her keys dropped to the floor. The memories of what happened yesterday flooded into her sleepy brain. It wasn’t all a dream, after all. As she bent down to pick her keys up, he was instantly there. Problem was, he was faster than her, and they knocked their heads together when they both bent down.
“Ow!” she exclaimed, rubbing at her temple.
“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “I’ve been told I have a hard head.” His offered hand contained her keys. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” She swiped them from his palm. “I—what are you doing here?” On instinct, she turned her right side away from him, despite it being dark out. Did she hit her head too hard, and was she seeing things now? No wait. That was after he announced that he was here.
“Er …” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “About that—”
“I thought I told you to leave?”
“You did,” he said. “Yesterday. And you didn’t say anything about not coming back.”
Without turning her head, her eyes peeked up at him. Was he serious? The absurdity of this entire conversation—and his presence here—made her mind snap back to reality. She glanced at her watch. It was past three thirty already. “Look, I should get to work.” Brushing past him, she headed straight for her car. However, she couldn’t help but feel his eyes on her even as she got into her vehicle.
I will not look back, I will not look back. But it was an impulse she couldn’t control. Turning her head, she looked back at her trailer and found he was gone. Good. Though a small—very small—part of her was disappointed.
When she started her car engine, however, she heard a second, much louder, engine behind her roar to life, and the headlights reflecting in her rearview mirror nearly blinded her before they dimmed. Muttering a curse
under her breath, she put the car into gear and drove out of the trailer park.
The vehicle behind her followed her out, but then she reasoned that there was only one road out of there. Then she turned into the main road and onto the highway on-ramp, and still the car was there. It was too dark to see what it was, though it seemed like some kind of truck or SUV based on the lights. The vehicle stayed behind a good distance, but she couldn’t help but feel it was following her. And though she didn’t want to admit it—she could guess who was driving it.
If it was Gabriel, then it didn’t mean anything. After all, Seventy-Five was the main highway that cut through Blackstone, and everyone took it to get around town. And even now, the exit ramp she took was the one that everybody used to get to Main Street.
As usual, she was the first one to pull into the rear parking lot of Rosie’s. As the main pie baker, she had to get up really early to prepare all the regular pies and special orders, as well as the new pies she came up with every day.
Temperance wasn’t quite sure where her ideas for the original pies came from—they just seemed to pop into her head. She would be kneading the dough or watching TV or taking a long, hot shower, and then it would just come into her mind. Various ingredients and food jumbled together in her head, a mishmash of ideas and thoughts that would form the basis of her new creation.
Almond butter with a dash of cinnamon.
Green tomato salsa.
Pork arepas with a cornmeal crust.
After writing down the idea in the notebook she took with her everywhere, she’d work on the ideas once all the pies were ready. It usually only took two or three tries to get a recipe right. Most of the original creations were hits, but there were a few that outsold them all so those were rotated on a regular basis which helped when her creative juices ran dry. There were a few ingredients she wanted to work with today, but as she got out of her car and walked toward the restaurant, new ideas popped into her mind.
Golden honey. With a touch of lavender.
Blueberries with cardamom.
Better get those down on paper before—
“Temperance, what’s wrong?”
“Mother of—” She nearly jumped out of her skin as Gabriel’s deep, velvety voice interrupted her trance. “What are you doing here?”
He appeared in front of her as if from out of nowhere. “You seemed like you were in a daze.”
“I—” Warmth flooded her cheeks. “I was just thinking. And are you following me?”
“I had to,” he said, looking sheepish. “I mean … your car doesn’t look safe.”
Her cheeks grew hot again, but this time, of embarrassment. Looking back, she saw the shiny brand-new red Jeep parked behind her rusted out Kia. “Sorry I can’t afford any better. But if you’re done insulting me, you can go now.”
“I didn’t—” His lips thinned, and he raked a hand through his dark honey-colored hair. “Christ.” He muttered something under his breath. “That’s not what I meant. I just didn’t want your car breaking down in the middle of the highway and then having some guys jump you or something.”
“Seriously? Where do you think we are, South Side? I’ve been going to work by myself for the last three months just fine.”
“Hey, Blackstone can be dangerous,” he countered. “I mean, we’ve had some trouble around here, you know.”
She blew out a breath. “I’m here. You can go now.” Walking around him, she strode to the back door and slipped the key into the knob. A prickly feeling crawled over the back of her neck, and when she turned her head, she startled. He was right behind her. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all,” he said, his sensuous mouth curling up into a smile.
Warmth pooled in her belly, but she ignored it. “I can’t let you in. It’s employees only. If you want to come in, you’ll have to wait until we open.”
“That’s fine. I’ll stay out here and make sure no one disturbs you.”
While part of her wanted to continue to argue with him, those pies weren’t going to bake themselves. “Do as you please,” she grumbled, then walked into the kitchen. He’ll get bored. Or tired. And then he’ll leave and never come back. She told herself that’s what she wanted and, that’s how it should be.
Rolling her long sleeves up her arms and pinning her hair back, Temperance set about her morning routine, going into automatic pilot. However, in the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but wonder if Gabriel was still out there. Surely, he had better things to do than just wait there, guarding the door from supposed robbers or muggers or whatever the heck he thought was coming to break in here while she was baking.
At around seven thirty, she heard Rosie and Bridgette come in through the front door as they usually did. Bridgette stayed out in the dining room so she could get it ready for the day, while Rosie came to the kitchen to help her. The older woman knew Temperance was self-conscious about the scars on her face and arms, so she made sure no one else came in here while she baked.
“Good morning, Temperance,” Rosie greeted as she grabbed an apron from the hook in the corner.
When Temperance first came to Blackstone for this job, Rosie had been doing most of the baking by herself. After over thirty years, she realized it was time to slow down, which is why she hired Temperance. Rosie has shown her what to do that first week and basically left her to her own devices after that, coming in only just before opening to help her finish up the morning’s pies.
Temperance took out the first batch of apple pies and placed them on the counter to cool. “Rosie, I’m so sorry for running out on you yesterday,” she began, biting her lip. “I just …”
“It’s all right, sweetie,” Rosie assured her as she came over and patted her on the arm. “So … is everything okay?”
“Yeah.” Why was Rosie looking at her weird? “Shouldn’t it be?”
“Er.” Rosie cleared her throat and played with the pearl necklace around her throat. “I mean … is Gabriel … did he find you?”
Her cheeks warmed, but then again, of course Rosie would know. She nodded, unsure what to say.
A small gasp escaped her lips. “And?”
Her brows knit together. “And what?”
“Did he say … anything?”
“I …” Where would she begin? “He said he wanted to talk, but I told him there was nothing to say.”
“Oh.” Rosie sounded deeply disappointed, and she shook her head. “I know it’s not my place to say anything, but if you need to talk—”
“I’m fine.” She turned around and grabbed two of the pecan pies that were waiting to be placed into the oven. “He’s just …” With a sigh, she put the pies in, then shut the door quickly.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Temperance?”
Jolting out of her thoughts, she pasted a smile on her face. “I’m fine, really. We should finish up those cherry pies,” she said, nodding at the empty shells.
“Of course,” Rosie began. “I’ll get the filling and—Gabriel?”
Gabriel?
Then the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. Turning toward the door, her breath caught in her lungs as she saw him poking his head in the doorway, his dark bronze hair glinting with gold highlights in the early morning sun. It almost hurt to look at how handsome he was.
“Hey, Rosie,” he greeted. “I just wanted to say goodbye.”
Rosie’s auburn brows snapped together. “Goodbye?”
“Yeah.” Gabriel scooted inside. “I brought Temperance to work this morning—”
“Followed me,” she corrected.
“Followed her to work,” he conceded. “To make sure she was okay.”
Rosie’s eyes widened. “You followed her this morning … does that mean you stayed with her? All night?”
“What?” Mortification filled Temperance, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. “No!”
Gabriel frowned, then shook his head. “When I, uh, glanced at her time card yesterday, I saw she
comes in real early. And it’s dark out at that time, and I didn’t want her driving alone,” he said. “So, I went to her place and followed her here. Then I stayed outside to make sure no one bothers her.”
“Huh.” Rosie and Gabriel exchanged glances, then she turned to Temperance. “I never really thought about it, but maybe I should be making sure you were okay here by yourself so early in the morning.”
“It’s all good,” she said, miffed. “I’ve been fine for the last couple of months. Blackstone is much safer than where I used to work in Chicago. I’ve only gotten mugged once in my life.”
“Once?” Gabriel exclaimed. “What do you mean once?”
She could have sworn she heard a snarl from him. “I was a teenager, flipping burgers at a fast-food place,” she said. “And I was out late when my manager asked me to stay after shift to clean up. It’s no biggie, I just gave up my purse when he waved a gun at me.”
“No biggie?” His hands stiffened at his sides. “What if something happened to you back then? And if you never made it here and—”
Rosie cleared her throat loudly. “Gabriel, doesn’t your shift start soon? It’s a long drive up the mountains.”
He looked conflicted, but nodded. “Yeah, I should go.” Reaching into his pocket, he offered a piece of paper to Temperance. “This is my number. Call me if you need anything.”
“I won’t need you for anything,” she scoffed.
His mouth flattened, but he grabbed her left hand and placed the scrap into her palm. The contact with his bare skin made gooseflesh rise on her arms, but she ignored it.
“I’ll see you later, Temperance,” he said, flashing her another smile.
“I—what do you mean, later?” But it was too late. He’d disappeared, the door slamming shut. Unsure what to do, she tossed the scrap of paper in the trash.
Feeling Rosie’s stare boring a hole in her back, she turned around and swallowed hard. “I can explain.” Actually, she couldn’t, because she was even more confused now.
Blackstone Ranger Charmer Page 3
