God, he loved this woman. Here she sat in her blue, cotton blouse and khaki slacks, her hair pulled into a high ponytail, looking all soft and feminine. Her posture, however, showed a level of confidence and a steel spine that had already proven its ability to hold up under pressure.
Hell, if she could hold herself together after seeing her friend—along with six grown men—change into wolves, surely he should trust her when she claimed she could handle things now.
“All right, as long as you’re sure you’re okay.”
“I’ll be fine. Sarah is insisting on staying with me for a few nights so that I won’t be alone.” She took a deep breath and fidgeted in her seat. Abraham didn’t need to feel her emotional turmoil to see she was nervous and a little scared as she gathered her courage to say something. “Abe, would you mind if I stayed with you for a while?”
Without hesitation, he answered, “Of course, you can stay. In fact, I’d love it if you moved in with me—”
Hand raised, palm out, she silenced him. “One step at a time, slick.” She gave a nervous laugh and patted his arm, “We’ll just see how things go.”
She was so hesitant about completing the mating bond and had been for weeks that having her suggest that she stay with him had immediately thrown his mind into a whirlwind of thoughts.
Is she ready? Is this a trial run? A test of sorts?
Regardless of her reasons, he’d make damn sure she had no urge to leave. He’d spoil her, treat her like a queen and make sure that she saw the depth of his love in everything that he did for her.
“So, when do you want to come?”
Stephanie sat still, seemingly fascinated with a napkin holder, but Abraham knew she was thinking.
“Would Sunday evening be all right?” she asked.
“That’s fine. Sooner, would be fine, as well.” It was only Thursday, and waiting until Sunday to have her to himself would be absolute torture. The sound of her pager invaded, and Abe groaned, knowing their lunch was about to be cut short.
After looking, she said, “I’m sorry, but a few of the late patients have arrived to be seen before we close.” She rose and leaned over the table to plant a quick kiss on his lips. “I’ll call you later after I leave the clinic.”
“All right.” Abe stood as well, tossed some bills down on the table and escorted Stephanie out of the small diner.
The sidewalk was slick from the sleet that had fallen throughout the day, and many pedestrians along the street could be seen struggling to keep their footing. He was sure to keep a good hold on her elbow as they crossed to the clinic doors. The last thing he wanted was for her to—
As if on cue, Stephanie’s feet slipped right out from under her, and Abraham wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her up, only to have her gasp and cry out. Her pain shot into him, the shared sensations another sign of your mate, and he immediately gentled his hold. Once they completed the bond, he would be able to feel her at great distances, but now, it was only when they were near to each other. Presently, she stood against his side, trembling and trying to steady her breathing.
“What happened, Stephanie?” He didn’t mean to snap, but the level of pain he’d felt was only a fraction of what she had and what he’d felt had hurt.
“It’s all right,” she panted. “I just bruised my side last night.”
“Doing?” he growled.
“It happened while we were moving the stuff from my porch to the garage.” Stephanie just smiled and patted his chest. “I promise, it’s just a bruise. I’m still sore, that’s all.”
Feeling like a world-class ass, Abraham sighed. “I should have been there. I could have taken care of that for you.”
“Why? Abraham, I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time now, so don’t expect me to start relying on you to do everything for me. It won’t happen,” she explained.
“That’s just it. I want to help you. I want to take care of things for you and…”
“And have me rely on you,” she finished. “I need you to understand, Abe. While I would love to share my life with someone, I will never allow myself to become dependent on a man again.” A second round of beeps from her pager had Stephanie closing her eyes. “I’ll talk to you about all of this when I come Sunday, all right?”
“It’ll have to be, I guess.” Abraham sighed. He wanted to know, was frustrated that she didn’t feel as if she could confide in him, but he wasn’t going anywhere and he would just have to show her that.
Deciding a hug would only cause her more discomfort, Abraham settled for a soft kiss on her tempting lips before watching her duck inside the clinic doors.
Someone had hurt her—a man had hurt her—causing her to feel the need to guard herself, and that was enough to have Abraham seeing red. God help the bastard if he ever found him.
Chapter Five
The rest of the day passed in a blur of snotty noses and hacking coughs, leaving Stephanie relieved to find it was three o’clock. Lord, but she could use a nice long nap.
She’d called Sarah before heading in to see her last patient and now headed to the front desk to let them know she was going.
“These came for you just a little bit ago,” Francine, the receptionist, announced while gesturing to the flower arrangement on the counter.
“They’re beautiful. I’m heading out now, so I’ll just take them with me.” The gorgeous arrangement boasted pink roses, white lilies, yellow carnations and a spray of baby’s breath and fern sprigs.
Figuring Abraham had sent them over to brighten her day, she carried them out and saw Sarah waiting next to her car. She leaned against the tailgate of her truck as if just leisurely scoping out the area. Not that Stephanie was fooled for a minute. Something was off.
“You got here quick,” she said as she hit the button for the door locks.
“Yeah and guess what I came across. A black Town Car pulling out of this lot.” Sarah’s eyes betrayed her turbulent emotions despite her calm outward appearance. “They sped away when they saw my truck.”
“Do you think that they were waiting for me?” Stephanie couldn’t help but look around.
“Either that or they were going to tamper with your car. Don’t worry, though. I checked it out, and everything’s fine.” Sarah was still looking around when she said, “Let’s go. I’ll feel better when we’re at the house, and I’m on familiar turf.”
“All right, let’s get going because I could really use a nap.”
“That makes two of us,” Sarah blushed, telling Stephanie exactly how she’d spent her day thus far, before jumping up into her truck. “Get a move on, Steph. I hear a soft pillow calling my name.”
“Yeah, yeah, hold your tits, I’m going,” Stephanie couldn’t contain her laughter upon seeing the incredulous look on Sarah’s face. She was used to Stephanie’s smart mouth being aimed at others—usually Adam—but not at her.
Still laughing, Stephanie pulled out of the parking lot and began a slow ride home on the slick, icy roads. The worst of the storm system had passed, but now the temperatures were falling, and the weatherman predicted the first snowfall for tomorrow evening. Of course, that meant that the clinic would likely close early again, so it wasn’t all bad news, but it would put a damper on her weekend.
There was little chance of her making it to Abraham’s on Sunday if they got a lot of snow, simply because she had no clue how to put chains on her tires. Seeing as her house was only a few miles from the clinic, Stephanie didn’t see the point of using the things, but to get to Abe’s house, she’d definitely need them.
His house was deep in the woods outside of town and was only accessible through a long, narrow road that crossed a quickly moving creek just shy of being labeled a river due to its size. His home was a lot like him: simple and understated, yet utterly masculine. His large log cabin had the look of a ranch house, complete with a wraparound porch and sat nestled in a little clearing surrounded by thick woods. A deck spread out from the back of t
he house and would be wonderful to relax on in the summer months. It was so easy to picture a family living in his home. Kids playing in the yard, outdoor parties and cookouts in the back would be perfect.
The thought of a family did nothing to boost Stephanie’s current mood, so she ruthlessly pushed those thoughts away.
As she passed the fire station, she spotted Ethan, who waved from the sidewalk where he was currently spreading salt over an icy patch. Soon, the trucks would be hitting the roads full force to treat the surfaces in an effort to prevent car accidents.
Once she arrived at home, Stephanie pulled into her garage and waited for Sarah to pull in behind her before gathering her things and exiting her car.
“Those are pretty,” Sarah called as she climbed out of her truck. “I didn’t notice them earlier.”
“You were a little preoccupied.”
“Yeah. So did one of the patients send those or did Abe?”
Stephanie peeked at the card envelope, which was larger than normal, and saw that it was blank. “Huh, I’m not sure. The envelope doesn’t have any writing on it.”
“Well, let’s go inside and find out. It’s colder than a witch’s titty out here!” Sarah had a way with words, and she and Stephanie often took each other by surprise with their quick-witted comments.
Once the door was unlocked, Sarah insisted on entering first. She gave an indelicate sniff, wandered in a little farther then deemed the house safe. “Doesn’t look like the boys stopped by here today.”
“That’s good. They may have noticed the police patrols or that their nails have been removed.”
Sarah snapped her fingers. “I need to check the windows,” she groaned. “Looks like I’m sloshing through the icy mud again.”
“You don’t have to do that. Can’t we just try to open all of the windows from inside?” Stephanie offered.
“Nah, I’ll need to check on a few other things, like the electrical box and such, too. I want to make sure nothing has been tampered with, so if anything happens, we’ll know it’s them and not just some fluke.” Sarah glanced at Stephanie’s flowers. “Why don’t you go put those somewhere and read your card while I take care of this. I’ll only be a few minutes.”
After watching Sarah set her things down and slip out the front door, Stephanie turned to the kitchen and went about her routine of hanging her keys and putting on water to boil. A nice hot cup of tea was just what she needed to relax and, with any luck, grab a little shut-eye.
As she once again admired the arrangement now situated on her table, Stephanie sniffed one of the delicate pink rosebuds and removed the card. The front of the card was pastel pink with the words HAPPY BIRTHDAY and a little fairy in the center.
Since her birthday wasn’t for a few more months, she figured that this must have been a mix-up, but as she moved to place the card back in the envelope, a picture slipped out and drifted, face down, to the tabletop.
When she opened the card to replace the picture, she noted the sloppy scrawl of red writing under the card print. Together they read:
Happy Birthday to a sweet baby girl!!
Who was never born. You were warned.
The blood in her veins turned cold, her head light and her feet to lead. She didn’t want to look at the picture that had been in the card but knew that she had to. Nothing, however, could have prepared her for the shock of seeing that horrendous image.
It was of her. From the accident.
The picture must have been taken right after it happened because she was still in the car. She was bloody and crumpled over the steering wheel, her stomach pressed tight against the bottom of it, and her seat keeping her pinned that way.
Dear God, her baby girl had been crushed!
Her stomach pitched, and Stephanie dropped the picture to run for the bathroom. The violent spasms in her stomach sent the minuscule amount of food she’d had that day flying. She was still sobbing and retching when Sarah appeared in the doorway.
“Jeez, what did you eat today?” she asked, quickly wetting a washcloth.
“It wasn’t an accident.” Stephanie couldn’t get her voice above a whisper, but it didn’t matter, she knew Sarah heard.
“What wasn’t an accident, honey?”
“The night Ava was killed. They did it.” Unable to control her emotions, Stephanie broke down into a hysterical fit of sobs, curling up on the cold tile floor. “Please, go.”
“Not on your life,” Sarah growled, before stomping away.
She returned a few moments later carrying a glass of water in one hand and the dreaded photo in the other.
“Please, I can’t look at that. Please get rid of it. Burn it,” Stephanie sobbed.
“It’s evidence, Steph, so I can’t. I’ll put it away so that you won’t see it, but the police need to know that the threats are escalating.”
Damn it, that made sense, but the realization was quickly squashed by the part of her that had repressed so many emotions regarding that day. Now, those pent-up emotions were spilling out, and she could do nothing to stop them.
Sarah, in all her infinite wisdom, said nothing and simply scooped Stephanie up into her arms to carry her to the bedroom.
Upon entering the living room, the door crashed open, and Eric stood there, chest heaving, as he quickly took in the scene. Stephanie knew that he must have felt Sarah’s emotions and raced over, probably thinking that something was wrong with his mate.
Once his eyes settled on Stephanie, he strode forward and took her from Sarah. “What happened?” he asked.
“Stephanie?” Sarah asked, obviously wanting permission to share things with her mate.
Stephanie was just too exhausted to care anymore, so with a nod, she gave her approval.
“She’s in trouble,” Sarah told him.
“Then we’ll take care of it,” he vowed. “I’ll call Abraham—”
“No!” Stephanie’s wail nearly caused Erik to drop her. “I don’t want him to know yet. I don’t want him to see me like this.”
“Sweetheart, he’ll skin me alive if I don’t let him know you’re in trouble.” He actually looked concerned about that, and Stephanie just frowned.
“Surely, he wouldn’t hurt his own brother.” No, not Abe, he took family far too seriously to ever risk harming them.
“Think that all you want, but for you, he would gladly maim anyone who caused you any harm. Family or not.” He set her on the couch, and Sarah came back with the glass of water. “Now, someone please tell me what’s going on.”
Stephanie just waved her hand at Sarah and allowed her to give Erik all of the sad details of her personal tragedy. Unable to accept any pitying looks, she raised herself on shaky legs and made her way to her bedroom.
* * * *
Erik made to follow her, but Sarah’s hand on his arm stalled him. “Let her go. She needs a few minutes to herself.”
“These men need killing.”
“No shit, Sherlock, but she’s been dealing with all of this alone for the last year. These bastards have been dogging her heels ever since the trial.” Sarah looked toward the now closed door and added, “I’m worried that she might run, that’s why I’m staying with her until she goes to Abraham’s.” Looking up at Erik, she revealed, “Tomorrow is the anniversary of the car accident that killed her daughter.”
“She had a kid?”
“No. She was pregnant, and the baby was killed in the accident.”
Erik half-sat half-fell back onto the couch. “Damn.”
“Yeah. She was pregnant when the accident happened then woke up, and she no longer had her baby. There’s never been any closure for her.” Sarah’s voice cracked with the pain she felt for her friend. “I can’t imagine losing a child like that.”
“Is this why she’s so hesitant to mate with Abraham?” It was a valid question, so Sarah didn’t fault him for the minor topic change.
“No. She was single while she was pregnant. The guy didn’t want the baby. She said
he even accused her of getting pregnant on purpose.”
“That’s such shit. He should have wrapped his dick if he didn’t want to chance a baby.” The fact Erik’s usually polite speech was going to hell spoke of his anger over Stephanie’s situation.
“I agree, but Stephanie wanted the baby and told him to take a hike. She was about six weeks from her due date when the accident happened.” Sarah took a deep breath and tried to calm her own irritation. “Abraham is just too thickheaded for his own good. He needs to let her know he loves her. She was already in a relationship where she thought her love would be enough, but that bastard left her. She won’t tie herself to a man again like that.”
“Are you sure he doesn’t know about any of this yet?”
“Obviously not.” Sarah aimed a look at Erik that clearly said, dumbass, before heading to the bedroom door. Peeking in, she put her finger to her lips to ensure Erik remained quiet. She crept into the room, pulled a blanket over Stephanie then crept back out just a quietly. “She’s sleeping. She’s been through so much lately that she’s going to make herself sick.”
“Abraham needs to know about this. He’ll protect her—we all will—but it’s his right as her mate—”
“He’s not her mate until she agrees,” Sarah snapped. “You tell your brother if he doesn’t pull his head out of his ass and fix this, I’ll use him for my own personal punching bag.” An evil grin split her lips. “Let him know I’ve been curious about how a man’s sac works as a speed bag.”
“Damn, woman.” Erik cringed and crossed his legs.
“He’s not told her that he loves her. Did you know that? It’s not fair to ask her to jump into a life-long commitment if he can’t even say three little words. She’s been through enough, so if he’s not going to man up then he needs to move on.”
“All right, all right, I’ll have a talk with him,” Erik promised.
“But don’t let him know about this mess yet. She wants to tell him, and she will.” Sarah could tell Erik wasn’t too fond of that idea, but he nodded before coming to give her a tender kiss.
To Protect His Mate Page 3
