by Moxie North
Women would approach him in bar offer themselves up and he’d nod. That was often the extent of their transaction. He bet some of them didn’t even realize he never gave them his name. He was a talker during sex, but outside of that he rarely saw the point.
Now he was on an extended tour. He had no destination, no plans or points of interest to see. He’d just gotten on his bike after Dax left and rode.
He stopped in Washington to visit his sister Kenzi and her new mate, and his brand new nephew. He wanted to check out this bear shifter that had caused his sister so much trouble. He’d thrown him a solid punch to the nose to show his displeasure. The damage healed within a few minutes, but he still got his point across.
He’d turned his motorcycle around and headed back into Oregon. Stopping on the outskirts of a little town called Port May. He’d run across a motorcycle club of wolf shifters that were passing through also. They’d managed to keep it civil. They even told him that Port May was a bike friendly town to stop in. He was grateful, he needed some down time.
His first stop was at the post office. Little towns like that often had bulletin boards there. Someone was renting out a hunting cabin in the woods for a reasonable price. He made the call and had an unlimited stay booked.
His next stop was the mechanic in town to see if he had any work for him. Stryker liked to keep busy and machines were the only thing he enjoyed talking to. The local mechanic, Bud, was happy to have some help.
That’s where he’d stayed week after week. His little brother Everett called to say he’d found his mate and Stryker felt a hit to his heart he wasn’t expecting. It took him by surprise.
Everett and he had been together from the womb. Even miles apart he still felt him. Stryker’s cougar would nudge him that they needed to see Everett if they’d been away too long.
Now his brother had a new person in his life. He sounded happy and settled. Stryker was thrilled once he pondered it for a bit. He had three new family members. His sister Kenzi’s new son King, Dax’s mate Effie, and now Everett’s mate Layla.
Their pack was growing and Stryker felt protective, but with them spread all over the western United States, his cat was unhappy they weren’t together.
When his brother called to say he was getting married again, even though they’d already married in Vegas in a chapel, he packed up his bike and drove to Nevada.
After the ceremony and pack meet-ups between the two shifter groups, he headed back to California to check in with his parents and the winery. He made sure everything was running smoothly, and nothing needed his attention. Then he hopped back on his bike and headed north again.
Now he was back and he almost felt like he was home. Odd, this quiet little town seemed to suit him. He drove straight to his cabin on the outskirts of town. Pulling up, he took a breath and noted that no one had been around since he left. Just the normal animals that would pass by.
It wasn’t so much a cabin as a prefab building set about five miles from the main road coming into town. It was a simple one-bedroom one-bath set up, but it did have a fireplace. The outside was painted a barn red color. It had a small porch on the front and one on the back.
Simple and rustic just like he liked it. He dumped off his gear, went outside and stripped down to let his cougar run off the long bike ride.
Stryker gave the okay to his cat and he felt the shift pour over him. His shift was usually an easy one, a shimmer of color and energy then he was happily in his fur.
There was plenty of wooded space in rural Oregon to run. He would even run into wild cougars out near the river. They gave him a wide berth. But no one was surprised to see a big cat in the woods, even if they were off trail hiking.
He ran himself to exhaustion and let his cougar hunt down a rabbit for the hell of it. Sometimes his cat wanted bigger game. They’d track a large deer and take it down. An animal that size was too big for one meal so his cougar would bury it for later.
He knew a lot of shifters that kept their animals from going too feral. Stryker’s cougar was just being himself and he never wanted to restrict him from living how he needed.
Coming back down the mountain side, he sniffed and noted he was still alone. Shifting back into his human skin always felt a little foreign to him. Stryker liked being in his fur, no one expected you to talk when you were a two hundred pound mountain lion.
Walking naked to the back door he went inside, showered and changed to hit the local stores for supplies.
He ran by the repair shop and gave Bud the heads up that he was back. Then stopped by the mom and pop grocery to pick up something for dinner. He shopped often due to his ability to only carry what would fit in the saddle bags on his bike.
Walking out of the store he glanced around the street, saw a few locals giving him the hairy eyeball until they recognized him. He gave them a chin lift of acknowledgment. This was returned enthusiastically by some with a wild waving and smiling. Small town folks, he thought.
His eyes scanned over the library. There were only a few multi-story buildings on Main Street so his eye zeroed in on a figure in the second-floor window.
It was a woman dressed in white. She was standing still, staring at him. He could see her but not make out her features even with his excellent eyesight. He blinked and she was gone. Weird. There was never a shortage of weirdoes in these towns.
Securing his bags, he drove home wondering about the woman in white.
Chapter 3
He was back, she saw him. No way could it be anyone else. It was him loading his motorcycle from Edna’s Sundries, the only place to buy regular groceries outside the farmers market, which made it an excellent hot guy spotting location. Plus, she could see the store from her windows on the second floor of the library.
He was wearing his usual blue jeans, white shirt and black motorcycle jacket. His hair was slicked back and he had on a pair of mirror finish aviator glasses. When the glasses turned her direction she froze.
Was he staring at her? There wasn’t anything else interesting to look at on her building. Then she realized she wasn’t even crouching for pete’s sake! No, she was standing like a mannequin in the window. The minute she realized he was watching her she dove to the floor.
Glancing up from her prone position her gaze connected with Mr. Maynard’s, who was looking for the most recent Computers for Seniors, she just smiled at him and gave a little wave.
She commando crawled further away from the window before getting to her knees then standing. Smoothing down her patchwork skirt and white tank top, she went about pretending she didn’t just dive to the floor like she was avoiding a sniper and made her way downstairs.
Her hero hadn’t left. Gawd, she shouldn’t think of him like that. It wasn’t healthy. But you spend so much time fantasizing about someone they become like a person you think you actually know. Or think you know.
Calmly walking towards the stairs she made her way down to her desk attempting to calm her breathing. Just the sight of him had her nipples pebbling under her shirt.
“Get it together, Libby,” she muttered to herself.
She had a few more hours until she went home. Right now she needed to focus and finish work. She could fantasize about his return after work.
Her mother was making meatloaf. Not that it would contain any meat. It usually consisted of bulgur, oatmeal and a healthy dose of wheat gluten. It was shaped like a meatloaf but it did not taste like a meatloaf.
Which meant if Libby wanted to avoid having to rely on her mother’s cooking for sustenance, she needed to hit up Edna’s. She learned to sweet talk her way into Edna letting her microwave some mac-n-cheese before heading home. She’d snarf it down as she walked and then dispose of the evidence in their neighbor’s recycling bin.
Her deal with Mr. Parker and his trash cans only cost her reserving the latest science magazine for him to view first when it came into the library.
She just needed to wait for Mr. Maynard to finish then she co
uld close up. She knew he was gone because she’d heard the roar of his motorcycle when she was still lying on the floor. The urge to sneak a peek out the window was still strong.
Mr. Maynard walked past her and smiled. She gave him a little wave and rushed after him to close and lock the front door. She grabbed her purse from behind the counter and made a beeline for the back door. Her quick trip to the store garnered her the secret pre-dinner snack.
She couldn’t help but look around as she walked hoping to catch a glimpse of him. Libby wasn’t even sure she would be able to talk to him if she ran into him. What would she say? Read any good books lately?
Ack, no, that was probably not going to get her the inside scoop on her mystery man.
Her stop at Edna’s had her munching cheesy goodness on the way home. Evidence disposed of, she braced herself then opened the back door to her house.
The smell of cooking oatmeal mixed with the drying herbs that her mother had pegged all over the ceiling beams of their old farm house was a familiar odor. Her mom’s favorite incense was burning covering everything in a sickeningly sweet coating of spice.
“Liberty! You’re home. Dinner is almost ready. Your father is on his way. Do you want mashed parsnips or honey glazed beets for dinner?” her mother asked.
She was standing at the stove in a frilly pink apron covering a cotton shift she’d made herself, her wild hair tied up in a crazy knot on top of her head. Stray pieces were falling over her brow, there were smudges of something on her cheeks. Probably flour of some sort.
“I’m sure whatever you choose will be great, mom.” She gave her a peck on the cheek as she passed and went to her room. Libby hadn’t thought about moving out. To be honest she didn’t think her parents were ready for her to leave.
Yes, she had already gone to college and lived away from them. But for as smart as they were they needed adult supervision. She often felt like that was her burden to bear.
Her room on the third floor was in a corner turret of the old house. She loved her room, it was painted a lemon yellow, with hardwood floors that gleamed with wax. Her bed had an antique white bedspread and about a dozen throw pillows piled on top. Her nightstands had matching brass swan lamps that she adored.
When she was young she imagined it was her very own tower in a castle. On sunny afternoons with the window open she would pretend to let down her hair, or the largest length of her mother’s yarn out the window, to see if her prince would climb it.
Her childhood dollhouse still stood in the corner of her room. It was her grandmother’s made by her great-grandfather. It was a treasured heirloom so she didn’t count it as a toy. As she’d grown her posters were replaced with her favorite art prints. Where the toys used to occupy space now sat her bookcases. She would get them from around town, freebies or cast offs that she would paint a bright color.
Replaced were the children’s books and art projects and now they contained an epic romance collection. All her favorite authors represented in hardcover or paperback. Her e-reader was stuffed to the gills also, but there was something about turning the pages of a much-loved book.
Taking a moment to herself, she curled into the rattan chair that held a fat green cushion. It faced out the window overlooking the patch of garden between their house and the neighbors.
It was the end of summer before the leaves started to change. It never got too hot, it was one of the joys of living in the Pacific Northwest. Libby loved it here, she loved being so close to the mountains and just a drive away from the ocean, or in a pinch the Columbia river.
This little nook was her favorite spot to daydream. As a child her teachers would reprimand her for staring out the windows during class. Thinking of the stories she’d read and replaying her favorite parts over in her mind.
Now her daydreams were of a much more adult theme. And mystery man was one she hadn’t gotten bored with. She would imagine going out with him on a date. Riding on the back of his motorcycle. Laughing and talking with him about, well that part was never clear. And always her thoughts would turn to imagining what it would be like for him to touch her and kiss her and make love to her.
Gawd, she didn’t have time to delve into that fantasy. Dinner would be ready soon. But after dinner, alone in her room, she’d make good use of her knight in chrome armor’s return.
Chapter 4
Turning the wrench to loosen the spark plug on the hatchback he was working on, Stryker heard Bud talking on the phone in the other room. Granted the door was closed, but his hearing was still picking up every word.
The door swung open and Bud stuck his head out.
“Hey man, you gonna be around this weekend? Tyler wants to bring his truck in. Sounds like a busted axle from taking it out mudding. Tow truck is on its way, but it will take me a few days to get the axle ordered,” Bud asked him.
“Sure,” Stryker replied.
Bud nodded and shut the door. He didn’t have any other grand plans, replacing an axle wasn’t hard and it would take a while and keep him busy. He kept up at the spark plugs until he heard the roar of a number of motorcycles coming down the street.
Straightening from under the hood he walked out of the bay and looked down to see Declan Kane and at least a half dozen of his motorcycle club cruising down the street.
Stryker had met Declan and his shifter club when he came into town. They weren’t so much a formal pack as a group of pack-less wolves that formed a club. They all had their reasons to not be in a pack but their need to belong had them seeking out others like themselves.
Declan had formed the group a number of decades ago. Most wore the symbols of military services on their vest along with their patch for their club. Redemption MC.
Stryker walked out wiping his hands as they pulled to a stop in front of the shop. Most of the men just turned off their bikes and stayed astride them. Declan got off and walked up to Stryker, offering his hand.
“Hey man, surprised to see you still hanging around these parts.”
“Nowhere else I need to be,” Stryker returned.
“Well, it’s good to see you. Hey, I’ve got a list of parts the guys are needing for their bikes. They can do the work, but figured it couldn’t hurt ordering local.” Declan handed over a piece of paper to Stryker.
Looking over the list he nodded and said, “Bud can order all of this, probably take a week.”
“We’ll be around. Any chance you’ll be up for a ride? We were planning on doing the coastline up to Port Angeles next week,” Declan offered.
“Sure,” Stryker said with a nod.
Declan chuckled. The shifter’s sparse use of words made his wolf laugh. “All right, I’ll give you the times and info when I come back for the parts, yeah?”
Stryker gave him a chin lift and grunt.
Declan laughed again and headed back towards his bike. After meeting Stryker he decided it would set a good example for his club to see their President mingling and playing nice with other shifters.
Most in his club didn’t get along with humans let alone others like themselves. His club was a mishmash of loners, lost souls and scarred men. Declan knew the club was more than a place to hang out. For some of his crew it was their only lifeline. Coming into town also showed his boys that playing nice with locals and obeying the law was creed and code for them.
As he was about to get back on his bike he saw something flash from the corner of his eye. A girl, no scratch that, a young woman running across the street. Straight towards them for some reason.
He turned and looked at Stryker who was looking down at the list and hadn’t noticed the girl yet. His club all had eyes on her. She was pretty, sweetly so. She was wearing a long flowered skirt and light blue blouse with bell sleeves. And as she ran the garment floated around her.
Declan turned back to Stryker when he realized the young woman had eyes for only the cougar. He watched said shifter take a sniff then his head shot up seeking out what just set his cougar howling inside
him.
Chapter 5
Libby wasn’t sure what the hell she was doing, but her feet seemed to have a mind of their own. She had just gotten to work and heard the roar of motorcycles outside. Clearly it wasn’t one motorcycle, it was a number of them.
Her body was pulled to the doorway. She spotted her mystery man standing in the driveway of the mechanic’s shop. As the motorcycles pulled up and she saw the leader get off his motorcycle. Her first thought was that something bad was going to happen.
This is what made her start to move towards him at a fast pace. Even as she saw the two men shake hands and clearly not about to rumble, she kept heading their direction. In fact, she was gaining speed and was almost at a run.
The biker dude spotted her first and she could see an odd smile form on his face. She didn’t have time to figure that out. As she approached her mystery man she saw his head tip up and his eyes zeroed in on her in a heated stare.
She stuttered to a stop as she was a half a foot from him. Without thought her hands flew out and landed on his chest giving him a shove. He didn’t budge.
“Where the hell have you been?” This was screamed. Yes, screamed out at the stranger. Crap, she was losing her ever loving mind.
The mystery man didn’t respond although his nose flared and his eyes flashed a number of colors. She really wasn’t aware of enough to acknowledge the exact shade. But he didn’t say anything. He looked angry for some reason.
Libby heard the biker guy laugh behind her, but she ignored him.
“Well? You’ve been gone almost a month! What do you have to say for yourself?” This again was said with a screech.
“Yeah man, what do you have to say for yourself?” This was asked by Declan who was still laughing.
Stryker’s only response was to shoot a glare at Declan and growl low in his throat. This brought another chuckle from the club leader and caused Libby to take a step back.
