by Rayna Tyler
“Are you sure you didn’t leave any clothes at home?” he teased as he dragged the last case down the hallway and set it near the foot of the bed.
His spare room was smaller than the room I’d woken up in, but the queen-size bed looked comfortable, and through the open blinds on the window, I had a great view of the forest area behind his house.
“If you think this is bad, you should travel with my mother. She packs one case for each day of her trip and won’t stay anywhere unless it has a five-star rating.” The female also enjoyed being pampered and would never stay anywhere this close to nature. She refused to run on anything except manicured grass.
“I’ll consider myself lucky, then.” Mitch laughed and held out his hand. “Come on, I’ll show you the rest of the house before you settle in.” He took me back into the hallway and toward the part of his home I hadn’t seen yet.
The corridor opened up into a nice-sized living room complete with a fireplace surrounded with stones in varying shades of gray. I was impressed by how well-maintained and comfortable the place seemed. Most of the walls were painted an off-white. The furniture he’d selected had earth tones similar to the wood trim in each room. Even the square dinette table in the nook by the kitchen was a perfect match to the walnut stain used on the cabinets.
Two of the living room walls had pictures of mountain landscapes. He’d mentioned that his sister Leah had been living with him for a while, and I wondered if she’d influenced his choice of decor.
“Your place is really beautiful,” I said.
“Thanks, I…” A loud ringing filled the air, interrupting whatever he was about to say.
Startled, I asked, “What was that?”
“Sorry, that’s the buzzer for the clinic door. I know it’s a little loud and annoying, but I wanted to be sure I could hear it from anywhere inside the house.”
“Aren’t you closed?” I asked.
“Technically, yes, but since I’m the only vet in the area, I have an open-door policy for emergencies.” He turned to head toward the back of the house. “Make yourself comfortable. If you need a place to write, feel free to use the desk in my office. It’s the room across the hall from your bedroom.”
It seemed being around Mitch had also been good for freeing up some of my creative issues. Even though most of the daydreaming I’d done on the drive from the lodge had been about him and the kiss we’d shared earlier, I’d also come up with an idea I was certain would fix a scene I’d been struggling with.
With that in mind, I headed back to my room to grab my laptop, but instead of going into his office, I decided to use the nook in the kitchen so I could enjoy the scenic view outside.
It hadn’t taken me long to get so engrossed in what I was typing that I almost didn’t hear the light footsteps approaching. At first, I thought I’d imagine the noise, until I felt small arms wrap around my leg. I leaned to the side and peeked under the table and found a young boy with the biggest chocolate-brown eyes I’d ever seen. The faint scent of bear clung to his skin. I estimated his age to be somewhere between two and three years old.
“Hey there, little one, where did you come from?” Instead of answering my question, he curled his lips into the cutest smile, then made a clawing motion and roared.
“Okay, then.” I took his hand and urged him out from underneath the table.
A rush of footsteps preceded the panicked female who emerged from the hallway. Her flushed and rounded cheeks were similar to the child’s. “There you are.”
“I’m so sorry.” She held out her arms and scooped up the child as soon as he reached for her. “He’s at that curious age where all I have to do is blink and he’s gone.”
“It’s no problem,” I said.
“Trina,” Mitch called from the hallway. “Did you find him?”
“We’re back here,” Trina answered.
Mitch showed up a few minutes later with a girl who looked to be about eight years old following behind him. Dirt smudged her nose, and some of her light brown hair had pulled loose from the braids dangling on either side of her head.
“Trina.” He smiled, his gaze going from the female to me. “I see you’ve met Hannah.” He pointed to the child beside him. “And this is Callie.”
I tipped my head toward the bandage wrapped around the girl’s hand and wrist. “That looks like it might hurt a little.”
“Mitch says it’s not bad. I’ve had worse.” She twisted it back and forth, eliciting a frown from Trina.
I pressed my lips together to hide my amusement at her nonchalant way of dismissing the injury that no doubt worried her mother.
Trina shifted her son so he was perched on her right hip. “Callie just learned to shift and hasn’t mastered climbing trees yet.”
“Mom.” Callie drew out the word and shot an embarrassed glare at her parent.
I crossed my arms. “You know, I can remember falling out of trees a time or two when I first learned how to shift myself.”
“Really?” Her voice was edged with disbelief, a notorious trait for children her age.
“Uh-huh, but if you keep practicing, I’m sure you’ll be a pro in no time.”
Callie sniffed the air. “I’ve never met a tiger before. Are you the one the ranger who stopped by our house was looking for?”
“Callie.” Trina gritted her teeth.
“What?” Callie snarled.
“It’s okay.” I appreciated the child’s honesty and didn’t want to lie to her. “Yes, that would be me.”
Callie jutted out her chin. “Don’t you know that you’re not supposed to let humans know about us?” She shot Mitch an approving smile. “Except for Mitch, because he’s our friend and always helps us.”
It was hard not to grin after being scolded by a child. “That’s why he’s keeping a close eye on me and making sure I don’t get into any more trouble.”
Callie wrinkled her nose. “Eww, don’t you hate having a babysitter?”
“I do.” I leaned forward so I was eye level with Callie, then glanced at Mitch over my shoulder. “But he is kind of cute, so maybe it won’t be so bad.”
Callie giggled.
“Okay, then.” Trina reached down and took her daughter’s hand. “We should probably get going and let you two get back to whatever it was you were doing.”
It didn’t take us long to walk Trina and her children out, then return to the kitchen.
“Now that Callie has officially dubbed you my babysitter, do you still think having me around is a good idea?” I asked.
He propped his elbows on the edge of the kitchen island. “Yep, but just because you think I’m cute doesn’t mean I’m going to let you get away with anything.”
I slid my hands to my hips. “Don’t let it go to your head. I only said it to impress Callie.”
“So you’re saying you don’t think I’m cute?” He slumped his shoulders and produced an exaggerated pout.
“Maybe.” I flashed him a wicked grin, then headed back to the nook and my laptop.
Chapter Four
Mitch
“Mitch, did you hear what I said?” Ivy, my receptionist, waved her hand in front of my face, snapping me out of my latest daydream about Hannah.
“Sorry,” I said, placing the file for my last patient in the basket on her desk. It was going to be a long day if I was already on my fourth apology for the morning.
“Is everything okay?” She tucked the blonde strand that had escaped from her ponytail behind her ear. “You seem a little distracted.”
“I’m fine,” I said, even though I knew I wasn’t. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been so preoccupied that focusing on work was a problem. Lately, all I did was think about Hannah.
She’d only been staying at my house a few days, but I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her. Other than her little problem with getting distracted easily, the female was witty, intelligent, and fun to be around.
Surprisingly, she had a wicked sense
of humor, which made flirting with her easy. Unfortunately, and because I didn’t want to do anything to make her change her mind about staying, I also had to be a perfect gentleman.
With each passing day, it was getting harder to resist the attraction I felt for her. Nights were the worst. It was difficult to get any sleep when the house was filled with her enticing scent, the desire to have her share my bed even stronger.
Worse, and even more troubling, was knowing she’d be leaving in another week, that there was a good chance I’d never see her again. Thinking about pursuing a relationship with her was futile. She would eventually find her destined mate and forget all about me.
The door going to the sidewalk outside and the main street in Ashbury opened. I’d expected to see someone wrestling with a pet carrier or tugging their animal with a lead, not my sister struggling to get inside.
I scowled and hurried around the counter to hold the door for her. “Leah, aren’t you under doctor’s orders to stay at home in bed with your feet up?” I was very protective when it came to my younger sister. Even more so now that I was going to be an uncle.
I leaned forward and gave her a semi-hug, doing my best not to push against her protruding belly, proof that she was a week or so away from delivering her first child.
She frowned. “No, they were Bryson’s orders, not the doctors.”
I was in complete agreement with her mate. The thought of her driving down the mountain alone was worrisome. If I hadn’t made her a promise long ago not to be an interfering and overbearing brother, I would have shared my concerns.
“Seriously, if it was up to him, I’d never get any exercise.” She patted my cheek. “Besides, his mother assures me that walking is the best thing now that I’m so close.”
As far as in-laws went, Leah had done well. Glenda Cruise might have strong opinions on pretty much everything, but she was likable and constantly mothered my sister. “Well, if Glenda says it’s okay, then it must be.” My chuckle earned me a smack on the arm.
“So, what brings you into town? More shopping for the baby?” Between Bryson’s relatives, our extended family at the lodge, and me, my new niece or nephew wasn’t going to need anything for quite a while.
“Berkley needed to come into town for supplies and thought Hannah might enjoy getting out of the house.”
My pulse raced at the mention of Hannah’s name, but I did my best to appear uninterested. I was more concerned about the time my sister was spending with my new houseguest. Unlike my mother, who was constantly after me to settle down, Leah was good about not meddling in my personal life.
It wouldn’t, however, stop her from trying to find out why I’d invited a female I didn’t know to stay in my home. Since I hadn’t offered an explanation, it appeared she’d gone straight to the source.
Berkley, on the other hand, already knew why Hannah was staying with me, so I had no idea why she’d suggested they take a road trip. I had a feeling she was up to something, but didn’t get a chance to question my sister about my suspicions. The door opened again, and the sound of laughter filtered into the room. Hannah walked inside, her smile beaming, her strawberry-blonde curls loosely draped over her shoulders.
The day before, I’d arrived at home to find Hannah wearing a shiny black wig with straight strands that reached the middle of her back. She had quite a selection of wigs in her disguise collection, and although all of them complemented her appearance, I preferred her real hair.
“Hey, guys.” Berkley waved at Ivy as she walked inside.
“Hi, Berkley. Who’s your friend?” Ivy asked.
“This is Hannah,” Berkley said as she closed the door behind her. “She’s visiting for a couple of weeks.”
Feeding the rumor mill was a favorite pastime for many of the local residents. Ivy was a great employee, but if extracting information was classified by levels, she would rank as an expert.
I stepped between my visitors and my inquisitive employee, then changed the subject before someone slipped and told her Hannah was staying at my place and not the lodge. “Not that I don’t enjoy seeing you, Leah, but did you have a reason for stopping by?”
“Yes, we were going to take Hannah down to Driscoll’s Diner and thought you might like to join us for lunch.” Leah rubbed her belly. “And I’m hoping we go soon, because this little guy is starving.”
I raised a brow. “The baby is talking to you now?”
Leah huffed. “No, but I’m starving.”
Berkley laughed and draped an arm across my sister’s shoulder. “You’ve been saying that since you first found out you were pregnant.”
“Yeah, well, it’s true.” Leah winked at Ivy, who was doing a terrible job pretending she was staring at her computer screen and not listening to our conversation.
“Sounds like an emergency to me.” Hannah glanced at me, then tilted her head toward the door.
I wasn’t about to refuse the lunch request. “It does, doesn’t it?” I slipped off my lab coat and hung it on one of the hooks mounted on a nearby wall. “Ivy, do you want me to bring you back anything?” She had a dentist appointment later in the day and had already asked if she could work through her lunch so she could leave early.
“No, I’m good. My roommate made spaghetti last night, so I brought my lunch,” she said.
I held the door open and waited for the females to exit. “I should be back in about an hour. Call my cell if you have any problems,” I said, even though I was hoping nothing came up that would keep me from spending a little more time with Hannah.
The weather was pleasant, with only a few clouds sprinkled across the blue sky. Since Driscoll’s was only a few blocks away, Leah insisted we walk. The place was normally busy during the lunch hour, but even going at my sister’s slow pace, we arrived ahead of the crowd.
“We’d like one of the big booths in the back,” Leah told the waitress, who greeted us with a handful of menus as soon as we walked through the door.
“I don’t think you’ll fit. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather sit at a table?” The up-and-down glance I gave Leah earned me a sidelong glare and another smack on the arm.
As soon as Leah slid across the orange faux-leather seat so she could sit by the window, Berkley quickly squeezed into the spot next to her, making sure Hannah ended up sitting next to me. I couldn’t prove it, but I’d swear the maneuver had been preplanned.
Leah glanced down at the two-inch gap between her belly and the edge of the table, then smirked. “See? There’s plenty of room.”
“Yeah, but if you expand while you eat, I might have to go get the crowbar out of my truck.” I grinned.
“Are they always like this?” Hannah asked Berkley.
Berkley shrugged, then went back to perusing her menu. “Pretty much, but you get used to it.”
The booth we’d been given was positioned along the far wall of the building and gave us a panoramic view of the entire diner. So far, the seats on either side of ours were empty. After a few minutes, Leah laid her menu on the table and leaned forward as much as she was able to see around Berkley, no doubt looking for someone to take our order.
“Mitch, isn’t that Avery?” Leah asked.
I followed the direction of her gaze and stifled a groan when I saw the female she’d mentioned sauntering toward us. Avery was a wolf shifter who happened to work at the diner. I’d met her shortly after moving to Ashbury. She hadn’t been happy that I’d politely turned down her numerous invitations to show me around the area. Though from her flirtatious insinuations, I was fairly certain showing me the sights wasn’t what she was interested in.
Every time I visited the diner while she was working, she did everything possible to see if she could change my mind. Telling her no hadn’t seem to matter, so I’d quickly learned her schedule and avoided coming into the restaurant when I knew she’d be there.
“Isn’t she the one who…”
I cut off the rest of what my sister was about to say by nudging he
r leg with the side of my knee. Leah was well aware of the situation. She’d been having lunch with me the last time Avery had made one of her offers. The last thing I needed was for her to inadvertently say something about the other female in front of Hannah.
Ashbury was a small community, and running into someone I’d dated was bound to happen, but I would have preferred it be anyone other than Avery.
Of the occasional dates I’d been on, none of them had turned into something steady or anything long-lasting.
When Leah or my mother pestered me about my lack of a relationship, I’d used being a sole proprietor with a business that required unusual hours as my excuse. There were plenty of women who lived in Ashbury and the surrounding area, but none of them held my interest longer than a few weeks, let alone a few months. A fact that worried my mother and earned me more than a little teasing from my sister.
It was too late to suggest going somewhere else to eat. The closer Avery got, the more I wanted to kick myself for agreeing to have lunch at Driscoll’s. If I hadn’t been so excited about spending time with Hannah, I wouldn’t have forgotten there was a good chance Avery would be working.
She arrived at our table wearing a dress-type peach uniform and carrying a tray containing four glasses filled with ice water. “Mitch, it’s been a while,” she said as she set a glass in front of each of us. She stood with her hip inches away from my arm, twirling the end of her long braid. “Did you stop by to tell me you changed your mind about my offer?”
Hannah gripped her menu so tight, I could hear the plastic crinkle. “Offer?” She glared at Avery, and her voice deepened, edged with an animalistic quality. The green in her eyes was a lot darker than it had been a few minutes ago.
I’d been around shifters enough to realize Hannah’s reaction stemmed from being protective, a behavior that warmed me to the core.
“When Mitch first arrived in Ashbury, I told him I’d be more than happy to show him some of the sights the tourists don’t know about,” Avery said, her tone smug.
