by Edith DuBois
What she really needed was a good bout of girl talk over a bottle of red wine with a healthy surplus of chocolate on hand.
Sighing, she glanced around the room, hoping to see something that would take her mind away from the self-pity she was wallowing in. When she’d come in with Franklin quite a few mornings ago, they’d immediately been seated in the far back corner. This morning, alone and with no one of importance, she’d had to wait fifteen minutes for one of the small tables lining the wall on the left to clear up before she was seated. She was in a corner again, but it felt more like she was stuffed out of the way than tucked in cozily.
At first she’d been a little frightened of returning to Savage Hunger after what Elias had told her about it being owned by lion-shifters, but her craving for coffee won out.
Looking around the busy diner, she saw groups of families and people who were obviously tourists. One family pored over a map of the area but were arguing with each other because someone had spilled syrup on it. Another table of two, a man and a woman, were huddled in front of a laptop, laughing and ogling over pictures that they had taken the day before.
Then along the bar were some of the locals—big, burly men shoving forkfuls of steak and eggs down their gullets while slurping coffee or orange juice to wash everything down. She smiled to herself at the unabashed display of male appetite happening at the bar.
A woman with bright-red hair piled high on her head sat alone in the big booth at the front of the diner right where restaurant-goers walked in. Michelle thought she must be someone important to have such a prime location. Sitting at the third table from the front, she could make out the title of the woman’s book, North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. Michelle nodded her head in approval of the woman’s taste. Touring with Marina, she’d developed a love for reading classical literature, and the Victorian era was one of her favorites, especially the female writers from that time period.
A moment later, a tall, handsome man strode through the diner. He had a predatory look in his eye as he headed straight for the front booth with the woman she’d been looking at. He slid into the booth beside her and gave her a long, firm kiss. The two chatted for a minute and then the man left.
The redhead had barely resumed her reading when another handsome man came into the diner. At the ding of the bell on the door, the woman looked up and smiled wide. As he slid into the booth next to her, he planted a heated kiss upon her lips.
Michelle sat up straight in her seat, her eyes instantly glued to the two of them. She heard one of the waitresses refer to him as “Mr. Cash,” and suddenly it all made sense. Cash was the last name of the mayor and his brother. Elias had said that the Cashes were also lion-shifters, so the redheaded woman must be their mate.
Michelle was suddenly wide awake and full of energy. She sat, staring at the couple and waiting for the man to leave the booth. When he finally did, Michelle marched over to the booth and plopped herself in front of the woman. She had opened her book again, and Michelle could tell she was startled to find her reading interrupted for the third time that morning.
“Hi, I’m Michelle.”
“Chelsea.” The woman smiled, but Michelle could detect a portion of wariness in the back of her eyes.
“Am I right in assuming that the two men you were speaking to were the Mayor Cash and his brother?”
The portion of wariness grew larger, and the smile dimmed. “Yes.” Chelsea’s voice was low. “What about them?”
“This may sound crazy, but”—she leaned in close so that no one could hear—“I know what they are. I know what they can do.”
Chelsea lurched at her words. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“No, no. I don’t mean to upset you. It’s just that I know some others like them, and I…I want to…I have all this…” She struggled for the right words but noticed that Chelsea’s features had relaxed, and her smile was beginning to return. “I’m really lost right now.”
It was the bald truth, and she didn’t regret blurting it out like that because it felt so damn good to do so.
The woman grabbed her hands, and Michelle winced a little. Although the cut on her hand wasn’t fresh, it still stung a little when jostled. “Who do you know? Which family?”
Michelle looked around, double-checking that no one was listening in. “The Ashleys,” she confided.
Chelsea frowned for a moment, but then her eyes widened. She had large eyes, Michelle noticed. “Wait. Do you mean bear-shifters?”
Michelle nodded.
Chelsea giggled. “Oh my, this is a treat. The newest bear-shifter mate. Have you met Elena Ward yet?”
Michelle shook her head violently back in forth, pulling slightly away. “No, no. I’m not their mate. Not by a long shot. I mean, they want me to be, but I’m not. I’m definitely not.”
Watching her with a small smile, Chelsea nodded and then patted her hand in a motherly fashion. “Of course not.”
“Honestly. We’re not…they’re not my…we haven’t even slept together,” she whispered.
Chelsea’s eyes popped open even wider. “Oh, well that does change things a bit.”
“They want to, and I…”
“You want to as well, of course.”
Michelle felt her cheeks light up.
“No need to be embarrassed. I’d pay megabucks to meet a woman who could resist the charms of any of the shifter-men in Savage Valley. Whatever they may or may not be, they are all abundantly attractive. Might as well get that out on the table.”
Michelle giggled nervously. “I guess. Well, there are two things that I am mostly concerned with.”
“Yes?”
“Is it weird? Being with more than one man?”
“Not really, not anymore. At first I was tentative, like I’m sure you’re feeling now, but it’s been such a perfect fit for me. I was married before I met my Cash men, you see, to my high school sweetheart. We’d been together for such a long time that I never got to experience anything else. Then when I came here, it suddenly made sense why my marriage wouldn’t have worked. I feel like I was made for my lion mates.” When she spoke, her eyes got a faraway, dreamy look, and Michelle felt a little envious of the woman in front of her.
“What about, you know, them being shifters. Does that ever bother you?”
“Oh, no. It doesn’t bother me. It was a lot to take in at first, but my men are stronger and sexier because of it. I wouldn’t have them any other way.”
“And you’re happy?”
Chelsea grinned and held up her left hand. The early morning sunlight glittered off a white gold band and a simple diamond on her ring finger.
“Congratulations,” Michelle said, meaning it.
It was Chelsea’s turn to blush. “I’ve never been happier in my life. Michelle?”
“Yes?”
“I don’t want to be pushy, but…” She waited for Michelle to nod. “If you’re worried about what people will think or worried about if you’ll be able to handle all those men, don’t be. This has truly been a gift, and my life is a million times better now that I have my men. Don’t let something like this go. If it’s love, anything is worth it. Understand?”
Michelle nodded. She nodded because she did understand.
And that was what scared her the most.
Chapter Ten
Skyler stifled a jaw-cracking yawn. He sighed, looking at the elderly woman sitting stiffly across from him. He could hear Marina making all sorts of racket from above, but her aunt, Agnes Bird, sat in her living room, watching him with a hawk-like stare. She’d brought him a glass of iced tea, but apart from that had said little else to him.
The night before, Marina had claimed that she needed to “grab more crap” from her aunt’s house, but Skyler had the suspicion that she was hoping to catch a glimpse of her sister. She hadn’t said much about their fight, but he noticed a certain squeamishness when the conversation veered toward that topic. Michelle, however, was nowhere in sight thi
s afternoon.
Skyler took a sip of the iced tea. It was delicious, with a hint of lavender, he thought.
“I know who you work for.”
He darted his eyes to Agnes Bird. Her lips were pressed tightly together, and he doubted that he’d heard the words.
“I’ve lived in Savage Valley my whole life, young man. I know what sort of person your Ulysses C. Norman is.”
Skyler tightened his grip on the glass. She didn’t know. She couldn’t.
But the way she had said it.
Your Ulysses.
He felt sweat on the back of his neck. Suddenly the room felt too small, the air too thick.
“He wants to buy up all of our land, land that belongs to the hard-working citizens of this town. They are decent folk. Most of them, along with their families, have been here their entire lives.” Her voice went lower. “We don’t take kindly to strangers who come in and mess with the valley. We treasure our peace here.”
He sipped his tea, not taking his eyes from hers. When he pulled the glass away from his lips again, he said, “That is very noble of you, I’m sure.”
Her eyes flashed, but she soon regained control of her emotions. She was a worthy opponent, he thought to himself. Cool and collected but also able to speak her mind. All traits that he admired. Too bad her beloved town would be crawling into the arms of NormCorp soon.
The plan had come to him the night before. He was with Marina at Catdaddy’s, half listening to her prattle on about an idea for a new song, something about a Bonnie and Clyde–themed music video. Then she’d said something that snagged his full attention. She said she wanted to shoot the video up at Savage Convenience, the small gas station on the east side of town.
Marina kept talking, on and on, but Skyler grasped at five words.
Shoot up at Savage Convenience.
From that moment on, the plan had been roaring through his mind. Details, ideas, statistics—they all slammed against synapses, making his head burn with the power of the idea. He’d barely been able to sleep last night. The idea consumed him, and he couldn’t leave it alone until he had every last detail planned. After that, he would call Mr. Norman. He would share the idea, and the idea would grow a little larger.
Then it would expand past the two of them. It would grow and grow until suddenly, it could no longer exist as an idea.
It would become an event.
“I have to ask myself…” Skyler was pulled out of his musings by the woman’s voice. “…what you are doing with my niece. You see, we speak plain around here, Mr. Fischer.”
He took a sip of his tea. “How refreshing.”
She watched him, her face blank. “It doesn’t escape my notice that you and your boss have been awfully noisy about that zoning change of late.”
He shrugged. “We’re businessmen.”
“Mmhmm.” Her eyes narrowed. “Keep in mind that my niece isn’t a piece of prime real estate for you to bargain and lobby with. Her name, her money, her fame—they’re not at your disposal.”
“I wouldn’t dream,” he said, taking another cool sip.
Her sharp eyes held his, and she nodded once. “You start to get any other ideas, you should know it won’t be discussed over iced tea and sunshine, and it won’t be me you’re discussing it with. I may live alone, but I have a very large family. It’s the size of this town, in fact. You hear what I’m saying, young man?”
Fighting back an urge to laugh at the situation—a seventy-year-old woman issuing threats while she sipped her iced tea—he let a slow smile curl across his lips. “Of course, Mrs. Bird.” And then, because he could resist it about as much as he could resist the decadent sensation of a raw oyster sliding down his throat, he said, “Who knows? Maybe one day I’ll be a part of your family.”
Agnes Bird’s eyes widened, and he saw a bright-red splotch grow rapidly into existence on her neck, but she didn’t say anything in response.
Her aplomb was impressive, and he tipped his iced tea at her.
An instant later, Marina came stomping down the stairs. “Well, I can’t fit any more crap in here,” she said, indicating the large, jewel-encrusted suitcase she lugged behind her. “Bye, Aunt Agnes.” She pecked a kiss on her aunt’s cheek. “Tell Michelle…” She didn’t say anything for a while, only stared down into her aunt’s face. “Tell her I took the hairspray and the toothpaste.”
“I’ll be sure to pass that message along. Anything else?” Skyler noted a hard note buried deep in the older woman’s voice as she looked expectantly at her niece.
“Nope.” Marina turned on her heel and stalked away from her aunt. “Let’s go, Skyler,” she said as she passed him.
She marched out the front door without a backward glance.
* * * *
On her way home from the diner, Michelle stopped at Savage Convenience for some ibuprofen. She’d taken the last three pills before going to bed the previous night, and now her hand, after a restless night of sleep and then riding a bike to the diner this morning, was feeling a little abused.
She’d been to the convenience store a couple times since she and Marina had arrived at Savage Valley, and usually there were three men sitting in wooden rocking chairs on the porch that connected Savage Convenience to Savage Valley Auto next door. Today, though, since it was Sunday, the repair shop was closed. A small bell hanging at the top of the door announced her entrance. The man who owned the store, Jim Bob Pritchett, wasn’t behind the counter. She thought he was probably in the small office toward the back.
After grabbing up a bottle of generic brand ibuprofen, she headed toward the counter. She hoped that he had a security camera in the back because she had an aversion to dinging bells at people. A minute passed, and no one came out to help her. She tapped her nails on the counter and then rapped her knuckles.
She watched the door to the office. It was cracked, so if anyone was in there, he should be able to hear her movements. Watching the door, she picked up a bag of chips on display and crinkled the packaging. Still, no one came.
She really wanted the ibuprofen. She thought about leaving money on the counter with a note but then decided against that. It felt too weird. Eyeing the dinger, she let her hand hover over its shiny silver dome.
No, she couldn’t.
She pulled her hand back.
But she needed the ibuprofen.
Her hand hovered.
But if no one had heard the bell over the door, presumably no one would hear this bell either.
She pulled her hand back.
“Damn it,” she said and began walking toward the office. “Hello?” she called out.
She definitely heard movement behind the door. She knocked lightly and then pushed it open.
She blinked her eyes a couple times, her brain simply unable to process the image before her eyes. Her aunt—her staid, respectable, dowager aunt—was locked in a heated embrace with none other than Jim Bob Pritchett, owner and proprietor of Savage Convenience. Jim Bob had a lock of her silver hair wrapped around his hand, and her aunt’s hands had a firm grip on Jim Bob’s derriere, and their lips were just a-going to town.
“Aunt Agnes?” Michelle squeaked in surprise. At the sound of her high-pitched voice, the two gray-haired paramours burst apart with strangled exclamations of surprise.
“Michelle! What are you doing here?” Aunt Agnes struggled to retain her composure. Hastily she straightened her crooked blouse, and Jim Bob attempted to disentangle his hand from her hair. “Ouch!” Her head jerked back as Jim Bob accidentally tugged too hard.
Michelle’s hand flew to her mouth as she fought to keep in her giggles, but she couldn’t. They squeaked out the sides, and soon she was laughing full-on.
“This is hopeless,” Aunt Agnes said, meeting Michelle’s eyes. Jim Bob cursed and gave up, holding his hand out to let Aunt Agnes free the long, clinging strands.
“I came by for some ibuprofen.” She held up the box, still laughing. “Do you think that after you g
et…rearranged—” She burst into laughter again. “I’m sorry. I never expected to see anything like this from you, Aunt Agnes. I mean, go you! But, I think I’m partly in shock.”
Aunt Agnes rolled her eyes as she freed the last few strands of hair from Jim Bob’s fingers. “Come on, Jim Bob. Let’s get her rung up.”
“So…” Michelle let a suggestive tone flavor her voice. “How long have you two been an item?”
“Don’t be impertinent, young lady. I’m still your aunt.”
Michelle giggled. “No impertinence intended. I think it’s sweet. Honestly, I do. And I’m curious.”
“This is a new development,” Aunt Agnes said as Jim Bob totaled up Michelle’s purchase. “It’s still in the test phase.”
“But we figured, at our age, why not go for it?” Jim Bob looked at her aunt, and the love she saw shining out of his old eyes nearly brought Michelle to tears. And what was more, her aunt looked back up at him with an identical look in her eyes. For the second time that morning, Michelle felt envious of the happiness of others.
She envied their ease and their willingness to go for it. She’d always been the cautious one, the pragmatic and responsible one. It had been years since she’d done anything truly adventurous, and suddenly she didn’t want to be that person anymore.
She wanted to be the woman who leapt at the chance for love. She wanted to go after it, to risk everything. She wanted to make herself happy, not her sister, not her sister’s fans, not the record label. This was her heart and her life, and she wanted to be full of love.
“I have to go!” She gave Jim Bob a twenty dollar bill, snatched up the ibuprofen, and ran out the door to her bike.
Then she pedaled like a madwoman.
Chapter Eleven
“Go…yes…keep going. Keep going…come on…Yes. Yes!” Franklin’s passionate cries rang through the large house. “Yes!” he roared in triumph.
As he did so, cheers erupted from the newly installed surround sound system as the Denver Broncos ran a halfback option, sneaking in a pass to the wide receiver, and then running for a thirty-two-yard touchdown.
