Summer Shifter Nights

by Harmony Raines

  “Hey, fellas, we don’t need this. You can settle it calmly tomorrow. There are tourists in town,” she warned. These two men were both shifters, and capable of doing a lot of damage to each other and the town’s reputation. Ian was a wolf shifter, and Pete was a bear. If this wasn’t diffused there was a good chance other members of the respective clans would get involved.

  Josie cast a glance over her shoulder; she did not need Ryan to see this. As the two men pushed and shoved each other, she made her move, getting in between them. But as she did, Pete swung his first punch. Josie ducked, but the blow landed squarely on Ian’s jaw. He gave a howl of pain, and put his hand to his face. As he did so, Josie saw his claws extending.

  “No,” she said forcefully, as Pete’s hair lengthened and his feet expanded into bear paws. She took hold of them both by the scruff of the neck and hauled them apart as best she could. “You are not doing this here.”

  “Want a hand?” Ryan asked from the entrance to the alley.

  He’d seen everything, but he wasn’t surprised: this meant only one thing. He’d seen shifters before.

  “I’ve got it,” she called, and yelled at the two men to grow up. “Your kids act more mature than this. Settle it without fighting.”

  Both men shifted back to their human forms, glaring at each other as they did. “Sorry, Josie,” Pete said.

  “Just go on home, Pete. Please, you know we have enough going on without this.”

  Pete cast a glance at Josie. “I think that’s what’s wrong, things are getting the better of me. I know how much trouble we’re in.”

  “Trouble?” Ian asked.

  “I’ll tell you over a drink, Ian,” Pete said, and the two men walked back into the bar together.

  “You didn’t tell me you were the local sheriff too,” Ryan said.

  Josie shrugged. “At least you’ve seen a glimpse of the townsfolk.”

  “I have,” Ryan nodded.

  “OK. Shall we go back inside?” she asked, shivering now her adrenaline had dissipated.

  “Good idea,” Ryan said, slipping his jacket, around her shoulders as she passed by. She pulled it tight around her body, the residual heat from his body comforting.

  “You know about shifters?” she asked casually.

  “Oh, yeah,” he said.

  “Does that mean you are one?” she asked, keeping her voice conversational.

  “Does that bother you?” he asked.

  “No. It’s a good thing,” Josie said. A very good thing. It meant when he said he was spoken for, that he had a mate. A mate that wasn’t her.

  Ryan Sinclair was completely, and utterly, out of bounds. Yet somehow, instead of leaving her relieved, it made her want him, in a way that would only end in trouble.

  8

  Ryan

  Last night had been entertaining. That was one way to look at it. As the evening wore on, more people came over and talked to Josie, more people who thought she had gotten over Donny and gone back to dating. But Josie made it clear, both to them, and to him, that they were only there for business.

  The more she said it, the more convinced she sounded.

  As Ryan got dressed, he tried to figure out what his next move should be. She knew he was a shifter, he had been wondering how to break the news, but the bar fight had revealed that she knew all about them. But what about the mating bond?

  Oh yeah, she thought he was spoken for.

  Damn, this was going to take some careful handling. If Donny had lied to her and then betrayed her, by running off with another woman, and the money, Josie was not exactly going to be in a trusting mood.

  He straightened his tie and pulled on his jacket. Ryan would much rather be heading over to the community farm than spending a day at the Silver Springs Recycling, but this was why he had come here. This was the reason he had told Jared he was staying in town. And more importantly, this was the one thing he had to sort out, for Josie’s sake, and the sake of their relationship.

  He wanted to extend the loan, or pay it off himself, but he could not do so, if the business was not viable. The figures Michael had put together were good, no doubt about that, but they relied on his workers putting in those extra shifts for less pay. A big ask.

  There was only one way to see if Michael had his workers on side, and that was spending a day shadowing Michael. But all his brain, and his bear, wanted to do was think of Josie, their mate, and how they were going to get her to see him as the right man for her, when she had been so cruelly treated by Donny.

  Ryan restraightened his tie; his fingers had involuntarily screwed it up at the thought of another man hurting their mate so cruelly. But if she knew about the mating bond, and Ryan showed her he was a shifter, that would solve the problem. She would understand completely how sincere he was. He would not be another human, promising her the world, he would be a shifter, promising her the world. A big difference.

  Happier now that he had his mind straight, he went downstairs, grabbing breakfast to go. There was no sign of Lynsey, and young Shelby served him instead.

  “Thanks,” he said as she passed him his coffee. “Tell me, Shelby, where is the community farm that Josie runs? She did tell me last night, but I lost the directions.”

  “Oh, easy. Take the highway, heading east, and when you reach the old Campbell place, which you can’t miss, it has a big sign outside the front gate, take the first right. Follow the road for a mile, and it’s on your left. Big sign outside, can’t miss it.” She smiled brightly as he gave her a generous tip. “Have a good day.”

  “You too.” He left the tavern and unlocked his car, slipping behind the wheel, and then stowing his coffee so it wouldn’t spill. He was going to see Michael first, and then he would head over to the farm once he was finished there, probably around midafternoon. By then, he should have seen everything he needed to see.

  The decision he made had to be based on that information, not on his feelings for Josie. Which might not be easy.

  Pulling out of the parking lot and onto the road, he looked up at the gorgeous blue sky. He needed to give himself a break. Working at Sinclair Holdings might not be what he wanted to do with his life, but that did not mean he wasn’t good at it. Ryan was confident he would do the right thing. He always had in the past.

  We have never had our mate’s feelings to contend with before, his bear said.

  I know, but we can do it. His bear didn’t answer.

  The drive to Silver Springs Recycling was short, and he was early. That meant he could take a quick detour to the bottom of the mountains that rose up behind the town. There he pulled off the road and enjoyed his breakfast, the window rolled down and the breeze on his face.

  He watched the sheep cropping the tough mountain grass and the birds flying overhead. And the wolf walking down a footpath, with a man by its side.

  “Michael Halliwell.” He leaned forward and looked closely as the wolf shifted into a woman, and embraced Michael. “You have a shifter for a mate. So Josie must know all about the mating bond. Which means, she will know what I mean when I tell her she is my mate.”

  He ate his breakfast, his car hidden from Michael as he waved goodbye to his mate and then took a trail down the lower slopes, heading for the recycling plant. This was shaping up to be one great day. All he had to hope was that Michael had gotten his workers onboard with his plans, as he said, and they were not about to break out into clan wars, like the two characters last night.

  What a town, Ryan thought.

  What a mountain, his bear replied.

  Later, he promised his bear.

  He sighed and started his car, taking one last, lingering look, at the mountain peak he would love to climb as a bear. Coming here to Silver Springs was turning out to be more life-changing than he could ever have imagined, and not simply because of his mate.

  OK, so maybe it had a lot to do with his mate. But not simply her presence, but what she had said to him last night. She had followed her heart. Both J
osie and her brother were living proof that you could work, and succeed, at something you loved.

  Ryan had to remind himself why he was here. They may have succeeded, but they had also let a snake into their lives who threatened to take everything from them. Ryan remembered those days when his father had first left, the fear in his mother’s eyes, and the betrayal they all felt. He understood what Josie felt only too well, but he also knew he could not simply follow his heart when it told him to bail them out of this.

  If Jared had taught him one thing, it was that you didn’t let your heart rule your business decisions.

  Pulling through the gates of the recycling center, Ryan knew he had to keep his brother’s words in his head as he went through the day. He would meet people who might be willing to say anything to keep their job. People who might lie, and cheat. He had to see through the words spoken and follow his instincts.

  “Hello there, Mr. Sinclair,” the receptionist, Mrs. Boulter, said, a big smile on her face as he entered the building.

  “Hello. I’m here to see Mr. Halliwell.”

  “Oh, we all know why you are here,” Mrs. Boulter said.

  “Really?” Ryan asked.

  “Yes, to check over the refit. Those machines have made such a difference to production.” She nodded. “Coffee?”

  “Please,” Ryan said.

  “Mr. Sinclair,” Michael said, coming out of his office to meet Ryan. “Come through. I thought we should go over what I have planned for the day.”

  “I’ll bring it through,” Mrs. Boulter said.

  “What you have planned?” Ryan asked.

  “Yes.” Michael shut the door and lowered his voice. “Now, I’ve told everyone you are here to check over the new equipment.”

  “They don’t know I’m here about the loan?” Ryan asked.

  “Not exactly. I was thinking about it, and I realized you would not a get a good feel for the workforce if they knew what was at stake. So I told them the decision on the loan has been postponed, and that you are simply here to check over the new equipment.”

  “I see.”

  “I hope so. And my foreman, Pete Flynn, will be accompanying you. He will tell you all you need to know.”

  “And you aren’t coming because your employees will be trying to impress the boss?” Ryan guessed.

  “Something like that,” Michael smiled nervously. “I want you to get a feel for the place without me. I’m too enthusiastic. It can color my judgment sometimes.”

  There was a knock at the door, and Mrs. Boulter entered, with two coffees. “There, cream, no sugar.” She passed it to Ryan. “And Pete is out front waiting.”

  “Thanks, Mrs. Boulter.” Michael waited for her to leave. “I hope you see for yourself what we have to offer here.”

  “So do I, Michael, I really do,” Ryan said. “I’ll spend the morning here, and then go away and think things over. You will have my decision as soon as I have made it.”

  “Thank you.” Michael got up and offered Ryan his hand.

  Ryan took it and shook it, a smile on his face. He liked Michael, he liked him a hell of a lot, and as Ryan left his office, he hoped that no matter what happened, they would one day be friends. As well as family.

  9

  Josie

  “Have you fed the pigs?” Josie asked Anna.

  “Yes, and cleaned out the chickens.” Anna looked happy and relaxed, just as she always did when she was here at the farm, surrounded by animals. It was people Anna struggled to relate to. She was a horse shifter who for some reason had a fight, rather than a flight, response enabled.

  “Great. Thank you, Anna, do you want to go and get your lunch? I think Kyle said something about baking brownies.”

  “I’m there,” Anna said, grinning. “And after lunch I thought I would weed behind the vegetable patch. I think we could squeeze in another row of cabbages.”

  “I wish I had your energy,” Josie said.

  “If you did, you would start running,” Anna said, her mood slipping. “That rich guy with the expensive cologne is here.” Anna nodded in the direction of the courtyard, where anyone visiting the farm left their car.

  Josie whirled around, trying to blame the flush that covered her cheeks on the warm sunshine. It was midday, after all. “What does he want?”

  “I could ask him if you want me to,” Anna said, her body language stiff and her fists clenched. To Anna, Ryan was trespassing on her turf, literally.

  “No, it’s OK. You go eat. I can deal with Mr. Sinclair.” Josie smoothed her hair down, knowing it would do no good, but wanting to look less like she had been dragged through a bush backwards, and more like a professional landowner. Oh, who was she kidding?

  And, more to the point, why was she trying to kid anyone? Ryan Sinclair was a shifter, who had been quite clear in telling Lynsey he was spoken for.

  “Bull by the horns,” Josie murmured and strode toward Ryan, trying to carry off confident and in control, even if she felt nervous and out of control.

  “Hi,” Ryan said, waving.

  “Hello, what brings you here?” Josie asked. “I thought you were spending the day with Michael.”

  “I spent the morning with Pete, and now it’s lunch time,” he said, smiling. “I wondered if you wanted to get some lunch.”

  Josie looked at her watch. “I have half an hour to spare. Come on, I’ll fix you something.”

  “I was thinking of the diner in town,” Ryan said.

  Josie held up her hands, she had mud down her nails and goodness knows what else on her palms. “I promise to wash my hands in hot soapy water.”

  “That isn’t what I meant.”

  “Do you mean my food won’t be good enough?” she teased.

  “No, and you know it. I meant I didn’t want to impose.”

  “You are here, you are already imposing. At least that is what Anna thinks,” Josie said, spotting Anna up ahead. The young woman was half turned, looking over her shoulder at Josie and Ryan.

  “She’s not my biggest fan, is she?” he asked.

  “Nope. She sees you as a threat,” Josie said, reaching the back door of the farmhouse where she lived. “But don’t take it personally, she sees most strangers as a threat.”

  “Is that what you do here?” Ryan asked. “Look out for all waifs and strays?”

  Josie switched on the hot faucet, and while she waited for it to warm, she turned to face Ryan, hands on hips. “For a start, Anna is neither a waif, nor a stray, she just has difficulty adjusting to certain aspects of her personality.”

  “Oh. I get it,” Ryan said.

  “Do you?” Josie asked.

  “Sure, I struggled. What with my dad leaving right on the change and everything. I had anger issues.”

  “And what did you do with them?” Josie asked, turning back to lather her hands with soap.

  “Buried them deep,” Ryan said.

  “That is not exactly the healthy option,” Josie said.

  “It was the only option at the time.”

  “And has that affected you?” Josie asked.

  “Yes, because here I am, standing in a farm house wondering how I’m ever going to go back to my old life.” Ryan gave a small laugh, as if it was meant to be a joke, but Josie had enough experience to know what the truth sounded like.

  “What do you intend to do about it?” Josie asked.

  “I have no idea,” Ryan said, walking over to the window and looking out. “I don’t know where I fit in.”

  “Have you talked it over with your girlfriend?” Josie asked, not liking to think of Ryan with another woman, but needing to help him in any way she could. He might be here to ruin what Michael had built, but it wasn’t Ryan’s fault. None of this was. It was her fault.

  No, scratch that. It was Donny’s fault. No one had forced him to be deceitful; no one had made him leave town with the money.

  “So, have you? Talked it over with your girlfriend?” Josie asked. “Because it seems to m
e that is where you should start.”

  “I’m trying,” Ryan said, turning to her.

  “And what does she say?” Josie said.

  “She hasn’t given me her opinion yet. But my guess is she will tell me to follow my heart.”

  “She sounds great.”

  “And would that be your advice?” Ryan asked.

  Josie fetched the bread and set it down on the table. She needed to keep busy; it made it easier to cope with her feelings toward Ryan. “Yes, that would be my advice. You have to find out what makes you happy and then go for it.”

  “That’s what I thought.” He moved closer to her, and Josie concentrated even harder on buttering the bread. “So here I am.”

  “Here you are,” Josie said. “Do you want to make yourself useful and pour some coffee? I sure could use some.”

  “Josie.” Ryan said, his voice low and seductive.

  “Yes.” She went to the refrigerator, needing to put some space between them.

  “What if my life was here, in Silver Springs?” he asked.

  Josie dove into the fridge and grabbed the chicken and some salad. “Then I hope you and your significant other will be very happy. It’s a very welcoming town.” She shut the fridge and went back to making sandwiches.

  “Fine,” he said good-naturedly. “The rest can wait. I have time.”

  Josie wanted to ask what he meant, but she was afraid of the answer. Ryan confused the hell out of her. He had a girlfriend, and he was a shifter. She had assumed that meant he had found his bonded mate. Perhaps she was wrong, and the girlfriend was just for sex and good company. Or maybe Josie was reading too much into his words and actions.

  “Did your morning help you decide what to do about the loan?” Josie asked, needing to change the subject. What if she was projecting her needs onto the one man who could save the business?

  “It helped a lot. I was wrong about your brother. He has inspired his employees. Although I’m still not convinced it will work long-term.”

  “You don’t think the workers will do the extra shifts to keep the company afloat?” she asked, cutting the sandwiches and placing them on plates.