by Elena Aitken
“Can you give us a hand with these tablecloths, Zoe?” Nina started to unfold one, and handed her an edge before waiting for a response. “After this, we’re almost done and people are expected to start arriving in about an hour.” Nina continued a steady line of chatter. “Has Harper or Kira given you a job yet?”
Zoe shook her head. Apart from helping out with whatever needed to be done, she hadn’t been assigned anything.
“Well, I think the plan is to have some stations set up for the kids,” Nina continued. “I offered to do apple bobbing and Bree is doing face painting.”
“As long as they don’t go sticking their head in a bucket of water after I paint masterpieces on their cheeks.” Bree laughed.
“I think there’s an archery station,” Nina offered. “And some ax throwing.”
“Ax throwing?” Zoe’s mouth fell open. “I’m no expert but is it really a good idea to let kids throw axes?”
The ladies laughed. “The axes are for the adults,” Nina said. “And the arrows in the archery station have suction cups on them for the kids. No worries about shooting anyone’s eye out.”
“Well, what fun is that?” Zoe shook her head and laughed. “Kidding,” she added quickly. “I think archery sounds like something I can handle. I’ll go check it out.”
What she really wanted to do was take off and hide in the woods for the next few hours. After all, what if Gabe showed up at the ridge? How was she going to control herself around him in front of so many people? Her instincts were running wild and her bear was only barely under control when he wasn’t around. It was as if she were a teenager with wild hormones raging through her all over again. Only what she was feeling for Gabe was far from a teenage crush.
Maybe helping kids shoot arrows at a target for a few hours would be a good way to forget about Gabe and the feelings he brought out in her. Besides, if Gabe did show up to the festival, he was far more likely to be drinking beers with the Jackson brothers or throwing axes than hanging out with the kiddie games.
Or maybe not. But at this point, she’d try anything.
Zoe.
Taking Zoe against the wall. Feeling her heat. The way her entire body had shuddered with need. His bear roaring with satisfaction.
For the last six days, Gabe had tried—and failed—to think of anything but Zoe and their short time together.
Hell, he didn’t know anything about the woman.
Except that she was his.
She was his mate.
His bear knew that without a doubt. And that was all he needed to know.
From the moment she’d ridden into his life, just over a week ago, Gabe’s bear had roared to life in a way that he didn’t even think was possible anymore. When Marie died, he’d been so sure his bear had died with her. He’d loved her so completely. How could it be possible to love again?
But Zoe was different. His bear had reacted completely different with her than it had ever reacted before. Even with Marie.
The pull toward Zoe was one he couldn’t fend off. It was too strong. Their connection too intense.
Part of him had hoped that after they’d had sex he might get her out of his system a little bit, but the exact opposite had happened. Now, instead of simply thinking about the woman all the time, he was completely consumed by her.
Unless he concentrated with all of his energy, everyday tasks were almost impossible to complete. It was only with a Herculean effort that Gabe could focus on work. And when he was with Ashton, he had to focus specifically on his son, because the moment he let his mind wander, thoughts of Zoe slammed into him without warning and completely took over.
He couldn’t keep going this way. Something was going to have to be done.
Especially because Captain Williams, his old police chief from back home, had called the day before to deliver a message. Billy Benson was appealing his case again, and they might need Gabe to speak at the hearing. He needed to concentrate. He needed focus because there was no way in hell he was going to let Billy Benson get out of jail. He’d immediately pulled his old file and started to review his notes.
As if he even really had to. Gabe knew that he’d be able to recall every detail of Billy Benson’s case until the day he died. The moment Gabe had answered the call for a domestic assault at that red brick single story, his life had been changed. It was only six months after Marie’s accident, and he’d only just gone back to work in an effort to distract himself.
He’d responded to the call, only two hours into his shift. It had been a neighbor who’d placed the call, and it was clear, judging by the way Billy’s wife Darla cried in the corner, unwilling to talk to Gabe, that she wasn’t about to press any charges. It was also clear that it wasn’t the first time Billy, a mountain lion shifter, had hit her.
Gabe had left that call feeling helpless. Sure, he’d taken Billy in for drunken misconduct—which had only pissed him off more, and there was nothing like pissing off an already angry cat—but they all knew he’d only be able to hold him for twenty-four hours and then he’d be back in the home, wreaking more havoc and potentially ruining more lives. It made Gabe crazy. But it continued to happen. Almost as if Billy knew how much it angered Gabe that he couldn’t arrest him if Darla didn’t press charges, Billy upped his game and soon Gabe answered more calls at their house than ever before.
He knew it was only a matter of time before the man killed his wife. Fresh off the grief of his own loss, there was no way Gabe could let that happen. Which was why he’d finally tracked Darla down at the grocery store where she worked for minimum wage. Darla had likely been a pretty woman once. Probably long before she met Billy. And it wasn’t just the bruising and swelling that had aged the woman. It was the stress and worry that had been ingrained in her face, the sense of desperation and acceptance that her life wouldn’t ever get any better, that had turned Darla into an old woman long before her time.
Gabe went back to visit Darla four times over the course of two months before he finally convinced her that he would be able to protect her if she pressed charges against her husband. To this day, he didn’t know what it was that had changed her mind, but she finally agreed to press charges. Gabe had Captain Williams’s consent and cooperation to keep Darla safe, and he was on his way over to her house to collect her when he’d gotten the call over the radio.
He was too late.
Billy, drunk again, had picked a fight with Darla; Darla, feeling emboldened by her recent decision, must have made the choice to tell him that she was going to press charges and send him to jail. To this day, Gabe didn’t believe that he’d actually meant to kill her. But an angry cat was unpredictable. Even to his own self. Billy had lashed out—drunk, and out of control, his claws had sliced Darla’s throat.
When Gabe showed up, Billy was sitting on the kitchen floor, his wife’s lifeless head in his lap, fire in his eyes and blame in his heart.
That was just over three years ago. Three years that Gabe regretted every day not being able to save the woman. And three years that Billy had sat in a prison, convinced his mate’s death was Gabe Wilder’s fault.
But that would all change if Billy Benson was able to successfully appeal his case. He’d be released until the new trial and he’d made no secret about the fact that if he was released, he would come after Gabe. In fact, for the first six months that Billy had been locked up, Gabe had received three letters threatening exactly that. He’d turned them in to the authorities, who’d assured Gabe they’d put them in Billy’s file. Which was why it was more ludicrous that they could even consider reassessing his case.
If Billy Benson was on the streets, he was dangerous. Not only to his own family, but to Gabe and his. And that included Zoe. Because she was his. And even if he didn’t need his instincts to be sharp—which he did—he needed to make her his.
Now.
He needed to see her. He needed to talk to her.
He needed to mate her.
Gabe knew that was the only
answer yet it seemed too crazy. They’d only just met.
He pulled his truck up to Maryann’s house and took a deep, cleansing breath as he got out to stand on the sidewalk.
“First things first, Wilder,” he said aloud. “Go talk to her. Get to know her.” He nodded as he spoke aloud to himself. “Yes. That’s what I need to do. Simple. No problem.”
“Dad?”
Gabe spun around at the sound of Ashton’s voice.
“Who are you talking to?”
Gabe ruffled his son’s hair as he joined him on the front lawn. “Myself,” he answered honestly.
Ashton wrinkled his nose and shook his head. “Why would you talk to yourself? That’s silly.”
“Not at all,” Gabe said as seriously as he could. “Turns out I’m a good listener.” Ashton rolled his eyes, and Gabe laughed. “Are you ready to go to the festival?”
“Yes!” The little boy jumped up and down. “Grandma said there’d be candy apples.”
“Did she, now?” Gabe looked past his son to the doorstep, where his mother-in-law stood with a tea towel in her hands and a smile on her face.
Maryann shrugged at Gabe’s comment. “What’s a festival without candy apples, right?”
He laughed and walked toward the woman. Ashton had spent the night again because Gabe had the graveyard shift. “Thanks again for watching Ashton last night,” he said as he got closer. “You know how much I appreciate it.”
“And you know how much I love you both.” She waved away his gratitude. “You don’t have to thank me, you know that. And you know I’m always happy to have Ashton, even if you want to go out socially.”
Something in her tone grabbed Gabe’s attention. “What are you talking about?”
Maryann wiggled her eyebrows and laughed. In that moment, she looked younger than her years, not that she was terribly old. But life had dealt her some harsh blows, and they’d taken their toll on the strong grizzly shifter. She’d lost her own mate when Marie was only a child and had never dated again. Gabe knew it wasn’t for lack of offers. Marie used to tell him about her mother’s suiters, and how she turned each of them down. There was always a hint of sadness in her eyes that Gabe attributed to that loss, and when Marie died, that sadness had only grown.
It wasn’t often Gabe saw a lighter side of his mother-in-law. And he was certain he’d never seen her wiggle her eyebrows before. He tilted his head in question and waited.
“I’m not saying anything,” she said, only barely controlling her laughter. “Except, a little birdie may have told me that there’s a blonde female in town who may have caught your attention.”
Damn small towns.
Gabe shook his head out of reflex. “Maryann, it’s not like that.” It was a lie and they both knew it.
“Stop.” She held up a hand. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. Marie is gone,” she continued softly. “You’re not doing anything wrong.”
“But I’m not doing—”
“Gabe,” she interrupted before he could lie to her again. “It’s okay. And I, for one, think it’s a good thing. You’re a young man. You need to live your life. You don’t do anyone any good pretending otherwise. Now go to the festival and have fun.”
Thankful for a change of topic, Gabe jumped on it. “I don’t know why you don’t come with us. You’d enjoy it, Maryann. It would do you some—”
“Don’t you tell me what’s good for me.” Her look chastised him and he smiled with a chuckle. “Not unless it involves a long bath, a glass of wine, and a good book. Because that’s what’s waiting for me this afternoon.”
“Fair enough.” He waved and turned to leave. But before he did, Gabe turned back one more time. “Thank you, Maryann. For everything.”
She nodded because they both knew he was thanking her for a whole lot more than just watching his son.
“Okay,” Zoe said to the little blonde-haired girl. “Now you lift it up in this arm, and carefully look down the arrow. Good. Just like that. And when you’re ready, you—yes! Good job.” She turned and gave the girl a high five when she hit the target.
Zoe had been at the archery station for over an hour and was having a much better time than she’d expected. The children were all excited and turned out to be quick learners. Whether they hit the target or not, she let them pick a little prize from a basket of small toys Harper had given her to hand out.
She let the little girl try again before letting her choose a toy and moving on to the next kid. “Your turn,” Zoe said to a little dark-haired boy who stood alone in the line. “Are you ready?”
The boy nodded. “Yup.”
“Great.” Zoe gestured him into position and handed him the bow. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Ashton,” the boy said confidently. “I’m six and my dad says I can be anything I want.”
Zoe giggled. “I bet you can. And what do you want to be?”
“Robin Hood.”
Zoe had to swallow down her laughter because the boy looked so serious about what his future goals were. “Well, I think I can maybe help you get a little bit closer to that goal,” she said. “Have you ever shot an arrow?” She felt an unusual draw to the child. She liked all the children she’d interacted with that day, but there was something different about Ashton. Special.
Ashton nodded. “My dad showed me once.”
“Awesome. So you already know what to do?”
Ashton nodded again and his dark hair flopped over his forehead. He brushed it away and Zoe caught a glimpse of his light-gray eyes. They were unusual, yet also familiar. But she didn’t have time to think about where she’d seen eyes that color before because Ashton was lifting the bow and drawing it back. He seemed quite confident, so she let him do his thing, and sure enough, when he released the bowstring, the arrow flew straight and true across the distance, where it landed with a satisfying smack against the target, the suction cup planted firmly on the bull’s-eye.
“Great shot!”
The little boy looked at Zoe with a grin, proud of his shot.
“You’re pretty good at that. Do you want to pick a prize from the basket?”
Of course the answer was yes, and Ashton selected a temporary tattoo before thanking her and running off to the next activity.
She watched after him for a minute and allowed her mind to drift the way she almost never let it.
What if he were my son?
What would her son look like if she had one? It was a game she used to play before she found out about her infertility. It used to be fun. A game of what-ifs and maybes and picturing the future. But lately, it was a game of heartache, and one she no longer allowed herself to play.
But something about Ashton had Zoe breaking her own rule. She watched him as he went over to where Chloe handed out candy apples. Even from the distance, Zoe could see the way his eyes grew wide at the treat in his hand.
As he wandered over to the lineup for the wagon rides, Zoe made herself look away. There was only so much she could take. But now she was agitated, and with no more children waiting to try their hand at archery, she started to look for something else.
Or someone else.
No. She couldn’t let herself think about Gabe. The festival had been a good distraction and maybe with a little luck she’d be able to get through the rest of the day without making herself crazy with thoughts of him.
She turned in a half circle until she saw Nina’s mate, Ryker, and Kade across the lawn with axes and a large wood target.
Perfect.
“Can I give that a shot?” she asked as she walked up to the men.
“Absolutely.” Ryker handed her a hatchet, and kept the large ax for himself. She glanced between the small hatchet and the ax and rolled her eyes. “What?” Ryker said. “You want this one?” He lifted the heavier ax.
“Of course.” She traded him tools and easily swung it over her shoulder. She might be a smaller, black bear to his alpha grizzly, but that didn’t mean s
he wasn’t perfectly capable of handling the big ax.
Kade shook his head and chuckled. “Ryker, man, you should know better.”
Zoe grinned and lifted the ax, planted her feet, and took aim. With a grunt, she hefted the heavy steel into the air and watched as it rotated over and over before lodging into the target.
A sense of satisfaction washed through her as the blade dug into the wood.
“Nice work.” Ryker whistled appreciatively and jogged over to retrieve it. “Wanna try again?”
“Damn straight.”
She threw the ax three more times, each time the satisfaction of the blade biting into the wood calming her bear a little more than the last. She lifted it one final time, and pulled it back behind her head, ready to feel the burn in her muscles as she hurled it toward the target. Maybe she should have taken up ax throwing a long time ago? Hell, she wasn’t even thinking of—Gabe?
The ax left her fingers at the exact moment that the scent of cedar and orange overwhelmed her senses. He was here.
“What the hell?”
“Watch out!”
The men yelled, and a moment later, there was a shriek, followed by someone else yelling her name. But to Zoe, it was all background noise, because the only thing she could focus on was Gabe standing next to the horse-drawn wagon covered in hay, staring directly at her. With a little dark-haired boy holding his hand.
Gabe probably should have reacted. He should have run over to make sure that the ax that Zoe had just wildly thrown hadn’t hit anyone. But he couldn’t move. The moment she turned and locked eyes with his, he was frozen to the spot. His instincts had gone haywire to the point that he was no longer in control of basic bodily movements like speaking or moving.
“Dad.” Ashton tugged on his arm. “That’s the one.”
Belatedly, Gabe realized Ashton had been trying to get his attention. He really had to get it together. He shook his head roughly and ordered his bear to calm the fuck down. How was he supposed to function at all if every time he saw the woman he basically shut down?
