When he’d begun to experience the subtle surge of longings the moon brought and his father had become harried and secretive.
“I could have helped you.” It made him feel better to speak the words, but he knew, at thirteen, he wouldn’t have been much help.
“Magnum’s bunch went after all males the first time they shifted. Some they merely tormented, others they killed. I sent you away to save your life, and Drew Tao had no right to ask you to come back.”
“You think he asked me? I got a call from an alpha I’ve never met and an order to get my ass home because my father needed me. Why didn’t you send for me after Drew killed Magnum and became alpha?”
His father glanced around the room, perhaps finally realizing what J.D. saw, and grimaced. “I didn’t want you to see what I’d become. I wanted you to remember me the way I was.”
“I’ve remembered every day for twelve years, old man.” Bitterness gave way to frustration, and sparks danced over his skin as his jaw lengthened. He shuddered and subdued the unwanted change.
After an uncomfortable moment, his father finally managed to look him in the eye.
“Memories can be dangerous things.”
“Drew expects me to help you, and I don’t think he much cares how dangerous it becomes.”
“Dredging up the past made me angry enough to go hunting for trouble when….” He shook his head. “I figured out quick that thinking about how everything turned out would cause nothing but pain. Leave it alone.” His father’s angry demand reverberated through the small cabin.
J.D. had spent the last few days vacillating between rage and sorrow. He didn’t have the stomach for a bitter confrontation if this first meeting in years escalated out of control. It wouldn’t help either of them if they went at each other.
He turned away, glanced around the living area once more. How long would it take to scrub away the grime and stench of the past twelve years?
Soap and water could only do so much.
His skin rippled, and he tamped down the urge to howl. It had taken years to learn how to control his shifts by focusing on something else, like the fact he’d been so intent on seeing his father again he hadn’t eaten all day. Taking care of the basics would go a long way in helping him formulate a way to reach the stubborn old wolf and appease the alpha.
He opened the picnic hamper in the middle of the table and silently thanked Bree Redmond for the napkins. Too hungry to scrub the table, he used a couple as placemats and ignored his father’s frown when he had to lift his elbows. He’d been living on filling-station coffee and sandwiches since he’d left Wyoming, and the aroma of home-cooked food made his stomach rumble.
“It looks like we won’t starve tonight.”
His dad’s growling grumble echoed off the bare beams. “Bree Redmond is a busybody who won’t leave well enough alone.”
“I’m pretty sure if she thought you were well enough, she’d leave your grumpy ass alone.” He lifted the lid from the steel pot. “Even cold, this smells good, and, unless my nose is off, she made you an apple pie, which you will be sharing.”
His father grimaced, but he peered into the basket, and plucked a flaky dinner roll from a napkin-covered bowl. “She’s a good cook,” he muttered, grudgingly.
“I suggest you be nice to her. Otherwise, you’re going to be stuck with my cooking.” He dipped his finger into the rabbit stew before popping it into his mouth and savoring the hearty, herb-flavored gravy. “Yeah, you definitely need to be nice to her.”
His father muttered a few unintelligible words, but he reached for another roll.
J.D. lifted an apple pie from the basket, and the subtle, sweet scent of vanilla and cinnamon dredged up a memory of jangling bracelets and turquoise cowboy boots. The easy sway of her hips as she walked away.
“You planning on having dessert first?”
He shook his head, and set the pie aside. “As hungry as I am, I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
Chapter Two
When she’d been a kid, Bree had thought her mother driving a white Volkswagen Rabbit the height of irony, since rabbit had always been her prey of choice. The woman could easily navigate the rutted road from town, but, once again, dainty, blonde Cassandra Redmond had parked halfway off the gravel drive. Never a good sign, it usually meant her thoughts had been wandering, and, unfortunately, Bree had a pretty good idea which path they’d taken.
After dealing with J.D. and Ray, the thought of having another discussion about why she hadn’t chosen a mate and settled made her want to growl.
“I’m home,” she called, slipping off her muddy cowboy boots after the screen door banged shut. She hadn’t bothered with socks, and the bottom of her damp, soiled skirt brushed the tops of her bare feet as she made her way from the back porch to the kitchen.
She found her mother at the counter, arranging brownies onto a flower-shaped ceramic plate her aunt Edie had crafted.
“I’ve put the coffee on. It should be ready in a couple of minutes.” Her mother, queen of the disapproving once-over, grimaced when she glanced up from her completed task. “Where have you been?”
“I took a walk.”
One dark-blonde brow slowly arched. “The picnic hamper is missing from your pantry. Did you leave it on the porch?”
“No.”
Her mother released a disgruntled sigh. “You do realize if Gunnar finds you anywhere near Ray Decker, there will be trouble. Possibly more for Ray than you, but I wouldn’t count on it.”
“Then Gunnar should count on me telling him to mind his own business. I think Luna coming home might have stirred up bad memories for Ray, but I don’t think my cousin and his wife have anything to worry about now that J.D’s home.”
Bree took a couple of cherry-red ceramic cups from the open shelf above the counter by the stove, along with two matching plates, and set them on the small, yellow-painted table in the center of the room.
“J.D. is home?”
“He got in this morning.”
“That’s…probably for the best.”
“For Ray or everyone else?”
Her mother winced, and Bree decided not to push.
“What do you know about what happened to J.D.’s father?”
Bree sat and reached for a brownie while she waited for her mother to pour their coffee and settle in the opposite chair.
She gazed into the steam rising from her cup as if she could see into the past. “The less you cared about anyone else’s business in those days, the better. All we knew for sure was Magnum ordered Luna’s father, Ed, to cut off Ray’s hand.”
“And nobody’s offered to help him since?”
Her mother grimaced, clearly unhappy. “Everyone was afraid for their own family. If Magnum had discovered anyone had helped Ray, they would have been singled out for punishment. Ray understood and kept to himself, which is probably why we all forgot about him until he confronted Luna last fall.”
She didn’t have any right to judge. Bree hadn’t thought much about Ray until Gunnar had warned him about what would happen if he came after Luna again. The incident had made people think of Ray as a crazy old wolf bent on revenge.
She couldn’t reconcile the image with the man who, a week ago, had nestled a box of gingersnaps—her favorite childhood cookie—inside her sparkling-clean pan, in return for the food she’d left him. What had he used for money? How the hell had he managed to clean her soup pot with only one hand?
Her mother cleared her throat, a sure sign Bree had been lost in thought for entirely too long. “Did you come all the way out here to warn me not to befriend Ray Decker?”
Her mother frowned and crumbled the brownie on her plate. “Can’t I just visit and bring my daughter brownies?”
“You only make me brownies when you want something. The rest of the time you make the coffee cake you like and I send home with you after the visit. What’s up?” As if she didn’t
know.
“Your father and I have been very patient….”
“No, you haven’t. You’ve been trying to drag me home since I moved out here. You want me mated and settled, not living my own life.”
“We don’t understand why you’re ignoring your natural instincts. The Tao pack needs to be rebuilt.”
“The Tao pack is being repopulated, but I don’t have a burning need to contribute, yet. When Drew took over this pack, I acquired the freedom to choose. I grew up minding every rule because I understood our lives depended on it. Now, I only want a chance to breathe without someone telling me what to do.” At least she had until J.D. had come roaring back into her life.
“No one is telling you what to do, but I would like to know how long you plan on breathing?”
Bree frowned. “What kind of question is that?”
“The kind a mother asks. You need to be thinking about what you want out of life instead of aimlessly flitting around like your Aunt Edie.” Her mother’s lips pursed, and she finally destroyed the brownie she’d been picking apart, without ever taking a bite. “I know I might sound unkind but—”
“There’s no but about it. Edie’s been good to me. She kept me here and out of Magnum’s way before his men could start noticing me. Maybe she could have mated and had a family of her own, but she chose to keep me safe instead. You need to give your sister credit, and you need to consider ending this discussion because if you don’t, we’re both going to say things we may come to regret.”
“You sound so much like her. I’ve never understood why you’ve always been ready to take anyone’s advice but mine, but I’m not stupid. He’s trouble, and you need to stay away from him.”
Her mother tapped the side of her coffee cup. “They aren’t telling everyone yet, but one of the reasons Gunnar doesn’t want Ray anywhere around Luna right now is because she’s pregnant. I think the boy is home to get him out of here and solve all our problems.”
J.D. being called home made more sense now. She’d wondered why, after a year, Drew would suddenly become concerned about Ray’s behavior. He hadn’t bothered anyone since Gunnar had warned him what would happen if he ever came near Luna again. Her mother’s tapping had become fainter but still noticeable.
“He isn’t a boy, and his leaving won’t solve anything…unless you’d like me to follow him.”
Her mother’s jaw dropped so far Bree feared it would come unhinged, but her mother finally found her voice and stammered, “You won’t give Sid Riggs the time of day, but you’re ready to run after J.D.? You don’t know him anymore. What if he’s like his father?”
She’d always thought the two hearts beating as one sounded like a line of crap people used to excuse falling in lust and making a mistake, but, after twelve years, one look had been all it took, and she could barely stay away from J.D. Decker.
“I know all I need to know.”
Chapter Three
After twelve years, the rutted road leading to Los Lobos had more twists and turns than J.D. remembered. An early spring rain had softened the rough track, but his butt still bounced against the worn seat of his old pickup, and he swore when his head smacked the top of the cab.
He’d been swearing since Drew Tao had tracked him down a little over a week ago and politely informed him he needed to get his ass home. J.D. gritted his teeth to keep from accidentally biting his tongue, or maybe so he wouldn’t call himself a fool for the fiftieth time today.
Since getting over the initial shock of hearing his father hadn’t been dead for the past twelve years, he’d vacillated between joy and anger until he’d driven into the yard and found Ray shaking his fist at Bree Redmond. He’d been ready to kill until he’d realized the emaciated scarecrow on the front porch, threatening the only other person he’d ever cared about, had been the man he’d come home to confront.
Two days ago, after figuring out the brown stains on the kitchen carpet couldn’t be anything but old blood, he hadn’t been able to shake the image of his father bleeding and alone. Pressing for answers about the night he’d been maimed had only resulted in shouting matches and long stretches of silence.
The clean pots and bowls inside the picnic hamper at his elbow jostled, the sound invoking another inventive curse word. He hoped the small box of gingersnaps his father had secretly added after he’d announced he meant to return the basket on his way to town would arrive intact.
His father and Bree seemed to have developed an odd cookie-exchange arrangement, giving him hope the man he remembered still existed beneath all of the anger.
So why hadn’t J.D. left the picnic basket on her back porch by the kitchen door when she wasn’t home? Because you wanted to see her again.
Motherfucking-son-of-a-bitching-hell.
He had no business having the hots for Bree Redmond. He didn’t need the complication or the aggravation. He needed to get the problem with his father resolved before he started sniffing after a mate.
Mate? The word had been rolling around in his brain since the moment he’d watched her walk away, long skirt swirling over the slow, easy sway of her hips. He’d been mesmerized, even after the musical jangling of her bracelets, had ceased. The situation with his father hadn’t been the only thing keeping him up the past couple of nights.
Unfortunately, the man stubbornly refused any and all attempts to delve into the past. With the full moon close and emotions running high, he’d decided he and Ray needed a break before they killed each other. While his father sat at home chewing on unintentionally blackened chicken, J.D. opted for a beer and a burger at Gee’s bar, The Den. The old bear had always had his finger on the pulse of what went on in Los Lobos. Maybe something he knew would put him on the right track and give him some leverage against his father’s stubbornness.
Unfortunately, Gee had always been big on minding his own business.
A few heads swiveled his way as he crossed the threshold, but, after a moment’s scrutiny, most people returned to their food and conversations. The patrons may have been discussing why he seemed familiar, but many might not see the similarity because they didn’t remember Ray at twenty-five. Of course, the last twelve years hadn’t been kind to his father, and their resemblance might not be as noticeable now.
Except to the beautiful, dark-haired woman seated with three other girls at a table by the juke box. Tonight, a billowy yellow tunic slipped off one golden shoulder and topped her flame-red skirt. Bree turned and wiggled her fingers in an abbreviated wave.
His gaze lingered for a moment after she returned to the conversation at the table. Gift bags littered the floor, and a round, frosted, white layer cake, served as a centerpiece for their celebration.
He shook off the urge to eavesdrop, found a seat at the bar, and noticed a familiar, stocky blond man with huge biceps accommodated by a sleeveless sweatshirt sat at the other end. J. D. nodded, but the guy only narrowed his gaze before glancing possessively toward Bree. J.D. bristled at the other man’s scrutiny, marked it as an unproven claim, and tried to find a menu.
He didn’t have any business speculating on the man’s claim. Hell, he didn’t have any business making one until he’d fulfilled his pledge to Drew and found out what had happened the night his father had lost his hand. Not to mention, whether or not his father’s recent behavior somehow threatened Luna Redmond.
If the alpha forced Ray out of the pack, J.D. would follow. As angry as he’d been since Drew’s phone call, he couldn’t leave his dad to fend for himself.
“Hamburger, cheeseburger, fried pickles, and steamed broccoli are your supper choices.” A booming voice from his past startled him.
Gee. The wily were-bear had seemed huge when J.D. was a kid, and not much had changed. He might be even more muscular, the braids hanging over his massive chest a little grayer, but his gaze seemed sharp as ever. His leathery dark skin stretched a bit when his lips tilted slightly.
“You still hate cheese?”
“How’s your dad?”
“About as talkative as the dead man I thought he was.”
“He still pissed off about Luna being home?”
Subtlety had never been the bear’s strong point. “You can tell Drew, in my opinion, my father is only a threat to himself,” he said tightly.
“I was making conversation, J.D. If Drew wants to know anything, he’ll ask you.”
J.D. noticed a flash of movement in his peripheral vision, turned, and found the unfriendly blond man from the other end of the bar had moved. Conversation hushed to a low murmur, and he could hear heartbeats and whispers accompanying the break of balls from the vicinity of the pool table.
“Little touchy there, J.D., but you always were. Guess you come by it honest.” The guy had packed on some muscle and lost a little hair, but his pugnacious attitude had remained.
“Hello, Sid. Still pulling the wings off of butterflies, or have you moved on to weaker prey?”
Sid Riggs bristled like an old maid whose honor had been slighted. “At least I don’t attack defenseless women, but I imagine finding the daughter of the man who maimed you might trigger a violent reaction.” A malicious grin twisted his pale, round face.
“What do you mean, violent?” Drew had only told him his dad had taken Luna’s return, badly.
“Your old man found Luna alone in the convenience store and tried to rough her up before Gunnar got there. Gunnar still blames Ray for his father’s death and warned him about what he’d do if your dad came near Luna again. I don’t imagine he’d be too happy if his cousin, Bree, stumbled onto Ray when he was in one of his moods. Don’t imagine he’d be too happy if she tripped over you, either.”
“That’s enough, Sid,” Gee warned.
“I was only giving him a friendly warning. Gunnar has lots of friends in Los Lobos who wouldn’t take kindly to his mate or his cousin, Bree, being…abused.” Sid’s warning shot ended with a smirk.
His to Claim Page 2
