by Vivian Wood
Gavin gave a snort and moved toward the house, clearly not even considering the idea. He opened the door and then moved back, bowing as he ushered her inside.
“My lady,” he joked, giving Faith a wink.
She couldn’t help but return his smile. Stepping inside, she marveled at the place’s beauty. The front room was one large space, soaring windows and dark wood framing the kitchen and living areas.
“Bedrooms are back that way,” Gavin said, pointing to a hallway to the far right. “There are three bedrooms, and each one has its’ own bathroom. Take your pick, but you might like the one all the way to the left.”
“This house is amazing,” Faith said, feeling small for once in her life.
“Well, go ahead and explore. I need to run back to the main house to get the groceries and add some stuff to Ma’s list.”
He was out the door before Faith could utter a word.
“Men,” she sighed to herself. Then she laughed, because she really didn’t know all that much about men, outside her family. And if Gavin was this different than her father and brothers, chances were that Faith’s experience didn’t cover much at all.
Faith swallowed, trying not to think about the fact that this was the first night she’d ever spend the night in a strange house with a man who wasn’t a blood relative. The very thought made her mouth dry, so she cleared her throat and propelled herself toward the bedrooms.
She went into the hallway and opened the first bedroom door, smiling when she saw it. It was very masculine, all dark wood and navy blue hues. There was another picture window in this room, although a cluster of trees partially blocked one side of it. The pine trees seemed to fit well with the room, somehow.
Moving down the hallway, she opened the second bedroom door. This room was very simple, with a small day bed on one side and a large oak desk on the other. It was done in cheerful yellows and blues, the furniture set to frame a large bay window with a padded seat. It was very warm and comfortable, inviting one to sit down with a cup of tea and stare out at the glorious Montana scenery. When she stepped out into the hallway, Faith was almost hesitant to leave the room behind.
At last she came to the third bedroom. Faith’s jaw dropped. It was absolutely stunning. One whole corner of the room was glass, revealing an unparalleled view of the mountains. The rest of the room was perfect, pristine white everywhere she looked. An enormous dark wrought-iron bed was against one wall, towering with thick comforters and feather pillows.
“Oh my,” she whispered, stepping inside. She sat her box on the floor by the bed, admiring the gleaming white metal desk and side table. There were two doors side-by-side, calling her name. She opened one to find an empty walk-in closet. The other revealed a gorgeous white bathroom complete with an over-sized claw-foot tub and a glassed-in, fancy-looking shower.
Backing out of the bathroom, Faith felt completely overwhelmed. She was freakishly, obsessively neat and clean, but she’d never slept anywhere that felt so… complete. There wasn’t a single thing in this house that needed doing, and it just made her feel so confused. Everything in her life was a mess, and there was no way that she should be feeling good about the outcome of the St. Louis trip. Then again, she couldn’t control much of what had happened so far. So was she really being bad? Tears formed in her eyes as she tried to grapple with the ridiculous moral aspects of her situation.
Faith flung herself onto the bed, refusing to let herself cry over something so stupid as feeling relaxed for once. Her body trembled for a few moments before she became conscious of the sensation of sinking into the bed, gravity pulling her down and down and…
When Gavin spoke, Faith jerked awake. He was perched on the bed next to her, his knee pressed against her hip.
“Was I right about the room?” he asked.
Faith blinked and shook herself awake. Flushing, she wiped at her mouth, hoping she hadn’t drooled everywhere while Gavin was watching.
“Uh… yes,” she said, remembering his question. “I love this room so much. It’s so perfect.”
“I noticed that you seem to like to tidy things,” he said with a shrug.
“What? When?” Faith asked.
“You tidied everything in sight from the second we got in the car in St. Louis until we got to the Lodge. The back seat of my car has never been so thoroughly dusted with fast food napkins before. Also you rearranged everything in the airport lounge.”
“I did not!” Faith protested.
“Don’t worry, it’s kind of cute,” Gavin teased. Faith blushed a deeper red, if that was even possible.
“It’s a nervous habit,” she grumbled.
“You can nervous-clean my condo anytime, standing offer,” Gavin joked.
Faith gave him a suspicious look.
“You’re in a really good mood,” she accused.
Gavin just laughed and patted her knee.
“Get up. I made dinner,” he said. He sauntered out of the room, leaving Faith to freshen up and follow him to the main room.
When Faith emerged from her bedroom a few minutes later, she was greeted with the most incredible scent of roasted meat. Her stomach rumbled instantly, and she flushed all the way to the roots of her hair. She loved food as much as anyone, but being a slightly larger lady, she was always very conservative in what she ate.
“There you are,” Gavin said, turning from the stove with a twinkle in his eye. He was barefoot, wearing dark, low-slung jeans and a snug navy blue t-shirt. He looked freshly showered after their flight, though he hadn’t shaved. The stubble somehow only enhanced his all-American good looks, making Faith acutely aware that she was probably still disheveled from traveling and napping.
“It smells great in here,” Faith said, trying to see what he was cooking as she moved into the kitchen.
“Have a seat,” Gavin said, using a metal spatula to point out a seat at the kitchen’s granite-topped bar. “I’m almost done. Just hang out for a couple of minutes and we’ll be good to go.”
Faith complied, perching on one of the bar stools.
“So what did you make?” she asked. “I can tell by scent alone that it’s going to be incredible.”
“I hope you like venison,” Gavin said, flashing her a bright smile. “I did venison steaks, roasted cloves of garlic, pan-fried asparagus, and butternut squash.”
Faith’s jaw dropped.
“I thought you were a lazy cook?” she managed, perplexed.
“I am, believe me. Don’t get used to this kind of pampering,” Gavin teased, turning to stir the contents of an asparagus-laden cast-iron skillet. “I just thought it would be nice to have a fancy dinner for our first night here. Kind of… a date.”
He half-mumbled the last, focused on his work. Faith was glad he wasn’t paying attention to her at that moment, because she was sure her blush and look of total shock weren’t very flattering. She cleared her throat, unsure how to respond to the word date.
Gavin had done her an enormous favor, sure. He’d helped her get away from her father and brothers, after they’d been caught lip-locked. He was only being chivalrous… right?
“Okay, I think we’re ready to go,” Gavin said, unaware of Faith’s inner turmoil. “What do you want to drink? I’ve got a really nice bottle of red zinfandel, if that works.”
Faith hesitated. She figured he meant wine, but she knew next to nothing about it. No one in her family drank alcohol, and she’d never had so much as a sip of wine in her life. She didn’t want to be rude, though, so she just nodded her head.
“Cool. Let’s move over to the table, then,” Gavin said, scooping up two platters of food. “Grab the wine and the bottle opener for me?”
Faith jumped up and hurried after him, picking up the wine bottle and wacky-looking gadget from the kitchen counter. Gavin had already set the table with plates and wine glasses and even two silver candlesticks complete with slim white tapers.
“This is too much,” Faith said, shaking her head at Gavin.
“No such thing,” Gavin disagreed. “Wait, wait, let’s do this right.”
He settled the two platters on the table and took the wine bottle and opener from Faith’s hands, putting them to the side. With a smirk and a tiny bow, he pulled out her chair.
“Oh…kay,” Faith said, growing unbearably awkward. “Thank you, Gavin.”
“No problem. No one can say I don’t know how to behave on a first date, at least,” he said, his voice full of humor. Faith’s stomach churned, because the same certainly could not be said about her.
She’d never been on anything remotely close to a date. In her clan, there were a lot more women than men, so a lot of women were destined for spinsterhood. The women who did find matches were mated off to none-too-distant relatives by the Alpha’s command; there was no dating or courtship involved.
“This looks amazing,” Faith said, dragging herself out of her thoughts. “I just realized how hungry I am.”
Too late, she cringed a little inwardly when she realized that her first comment had been about her appetite. If her father and brothers had taught her anything, it was that her size was not her best feature, and that talking about food only encouraged unkind comments.
“Well, yeah,” Gavin said, nodding. “We haven’t eaten a real meal since the fish fry. And I don’t remember you eating well there, either.”
Mortification filled Faith’s chest when she realized that Gavin had been paying attention to what she ate. Not a good sign. She’d have to be careful at meals here, just as she’d been around her father or Jared.
“You okay?” Gavin asked. Faith straightened her spine and gave him a smile. He really was incredible, and she should stop brooding like a teenage girl.
“Of course,” she said, reaching for the platter. “Can I serve you?”
Gavin raised a brow, but gave her a slight nod. Faith gave him the lion’s share of everything, serving him first, and then taking only small portions for herself. The venison steaks were huge, and while she gave Gavin a whole steak, she cut the second so as to only serve herself a third of the massive portion.
“I thought you were hungry!” Gavin said, giving her an odd look as he watched her set up her plate. Faith gave him a sidelong glance, adding a little more asparagus and butternut squash to her plate.
“My eyes are usually bigger than my stomach,” Faith said, settling the platter back on the table. She didn’t miss Gavin’s skeptical gaze, but he was too polite to say anything more.
“Alright. Let’s do the final touches,” he said. He stood up and used a pack of matches to light the candles, then deftly uncorked the wine. He poured them both half a glass of wine, then sat down and picked up his glass.
“I feel like we should toast. What should we toast to?” he asked.
Faith thought for a second before responding.
“To new beginnings? Is that cliché?” she asked.
Gavin chuckled, but shook his head.
“Maybe a little, but it’s apt,” he said. “All right, then. To new beginnings.”
They clinked their glasses together, smiles spreading over their faces. Faith lifted the glass to her lips and took a sip, repressing a wince at the liquid’s bitter taste. They ate and talked, the conversation growing easier as the meal passed.
Gavin told Faith about his job working with Children's’ Social Services, about the challenges and rewards he found in his work. Faith listened, finding herself a little envious of how much he clearly enjoyed his career.
“I have to contact the school I worked for, let them know I won’t be returning,” Faith said a few moments later.
“I think Cameron has an iPhone and a laptop coming for you in the next couple of days. That should make things easier. You certainly don’t need a job here, but if you wanted to, you could start looking for a new position. If you found something in Billings, we’d work in the same area.”
Faith looked at Gavin, trying to ascertain his meaning. He was making it sound as if they were already halfway to being mated, as though things were clear and open when in reality they were very much not so.
“Or what about your book?” he asked, continuing his thought.
“My book,” she repeated, trying to mask her bafflement.
“Sure. If you wanted to work on your children's’ book, that might be a good place to start. It’s good to have a job you love.”
Faith took a big gulp of her wine to cover her growing confusion. Gavin rose and gathered the dishes, refusing her help, and proceeded to clean up the kitchen, humming contentedly all the while.
“How about a movie?” he asked when he’d finished.
“That sounds nice,” Faith said. It would give them something else to focus on, and give Faith time to think about what her next move might be. She couldn’t just stay and live off Gavin’s charity forever, after all.
Gavin gave her the choice of movie, pointing her toward half a wall of DVDs in the living room. Many of the films were titles she’d never heard of, popular dramas and comedies whose subject matter Faith deemed too risque for her first real evening in Gavin’s company.
Eventually she settled on Wall-E, a family film about a cute, lonely-looking robot. It was way outside Faith’s wheelhouse, but it seemed innocuous enough. The movie was visually breathtaking but had very little dialogue, and Gavin surprised her by chatting and sipping wine through most of it.
To her surprise, the movie ended up being wonderful. Gavin kept pouring a little more wine in her glass every half an hour or so. Curled up on the couch next to Gavin, Faith was soon pleasantly awash in relaxed, happy comfort.
Gavin pulled a soft white comforter off the back of the couch and spread it over them both, and Faith soon grew drowsy. Abandoning her wine glass, she let herself sink into the couch, leaning closer and closer to Gavin until she was pressed up against the firm warmth of his side. Eventually he stretched out and slid an arm around her shoulders, quieting as the movie’s plot grew more intense.
Faith peered up at Gavin through her lashes, blushing madly as she realized how truly handsome he was, and how nice his body felt pressed against hers. The wine whispered to her softly, making her wonder if perhaps Gavin might kiss her again, wondering what she could to do make him press his lips to hers once more.
She never managed to find out, though, because her traitorous eyelids began to droop. She soon drifted off to sleep, enjoying the warm, safe nest Gavin had created.
63
Eight
Gavin came to a halt in front of the guest house, his lumbering bear form making his movements a little less than graceful. He watched Faith’s bear as she turned to eye him with a snort, apparently not missing his fumble. He could see the laughter in her eyes, but it made him happier than he could express in his current shape.
Over the last ten days, Faith had truly begun to blossom. She was every bit as sweet and eager to please as he’d originally anticipated, but she was also witty, and interesting, and engaging. Once she’d relaxed and stopped fighting the pampering and lavish gifts from his family, Gavin found that she was equal parts charming and challenging, and wholly beautiful.
He’d never lived with any of his girlfriends, none of them had ever been that serious. So it was a pleasant surprise to find that finding Faith early in the morning, cooking pancakes in her overly modest pajamas and bathrobe and slippers, was altogether endearing. Though they mostly spent their days ambling in their bear forms, cavorting and fishing and exploring the Lodge’s lands, outside breakfast time Faith always kept herself dressed very neatly and conservatively.
Gavin’s heart had gone out to her when he’d come up behind her as she sat on the couch. He’d glimpsed the screen of her laptop, finding that she was researching ‘How To Put An Outfit Together’. He supposed that this was a pretty big change for her, being in a strange place, bereft of her family, and expected to talk, act, and dress in ways that were unfamiliar to her.
She’d taken to everything perfectly,
though. Her conservative, shy behavior melted away a little more each day, leaving behind a vibrant, kind-hearted woman who loved to laugh. He’d even managed to kiss her several times. They’d shared passionate, breathless kisses whose heat grew with each encounter.
Now Gavin had a surprise in store for Faith, one that should excite her beyond measure. Heading around the house to shift, intent on keeping things modest so as not to push Faith out of her comfort zone, Gavin grinned to himself.
If she had any idea how crazy she was making him, she’d blush from the roots of her gorgeous blonde hair all the way down to her newly-painted pink-tipped toes. Gavin nearly groaned as he pulled on his jeans, adjusting his raging erection. He’d been hard since Faith had fallen asleep in his lap that first night. Hell, maybe since they’d first locked lips on that dock under the gleaming night sky.
Giving himself a shake, he donned his t-shirt and headed around the house. Faith was slipping her feet into a pair of white flats, brushing the wrinkles from her rose-red cotton dress. The dress was three-quarters-sleeve and knee-length, conservative by most standards, but Faith had admitted to feeling ‘half-dressed’ when she’d appeared in it earlier that morning.
“You look stunning,” Gavin told her, enjoying the way her cheeks went pink.
“You stop,” she hushed him, but her hazel eyes twinkled with pleasure.
“I have something to show you,” Gavin told her, offering her his hand to escort her inside.
“I hope it’s a salad. I’ve really overdone it on meals this whole week,” she lamented.
Gavin scowled at her. He knew that she was very sensitive about her body, though he didn’t understand why. She wasn’t a featherweight, but she was stunning. All soft, perfectly molded curves, gentle slopes that his hands itched to uncover and explore. He was a big, brawny guy, and he wanted a woman who could handle his attentions. Though he’d done little more than kiss her so far, Gavin instinctively knew that Faith could take everything he had to give and more.
Still, he’d tried his best to make sure that he’d only made grocery orders that included good, lean proteins, healthy vegetables, and minimal starches. That was his preferred diet anyway, though he did occasionally cheat and eat a huge bowl of fettuccine Alfredo or an ice cream sundae. He planned to ease Faith into the concept of “cheat days” soon enough, once she realized that he wanted her to relax and enjoy herself rather than worrying about what other people thought about her eating habits.
