by Karen Ranney
She didn't say anything, only shrugged.
"Of course, you would be the head nurse. And I would only assist you."
"Are you going to marry my daddy?"
"Right now I'm just going to be his nurse," I said, feeling my way through the minefield of words.
Thankfully, Pepper distracted her by sitting at her feet and barking once. Pepper liked attention and if someone ignored him he wasn’t adverse to letting them know he wasn’t pleased.
The other two members of the Brood were clustered around Cassie’s chair and she kept darting looks at them.
"Have you ever had a dog?" I asked.
“Margo didn't like dog hair," Mark said.
I wasn’t even going to try to interpret his tone of voice. I was just glad I’d never heard anybody talk about me that way.
"It's all right if you pet them," I said.
Pepper was wiggling so much I thought he was going to come out of his skin.
"I have to eat my breakfast," she said.
I tilted my head toward the faucet. "That's what soap and water’s for," I said. “You could pet now and eat later. Then you can help me brush their teeth."
Her eyes lit up. "You brush their teeth?"
"I do,” I said, taking the bread out of the microwave and putting it into the toaster. “I take care of dogs and cats, too. I'm a vet."
”Do you know what that is, Cassie” Mark said, reaching down and petting Dalton.
My dog did a few I'm in love with you forever pants and then rolled his head into Mark's palm.
“Of course, Daddy,” she said. “She’s an animal doctor.”
Cassie startled me by getting off the chair and moving into the doorway to sit. That’s all the Brood needed to converge on her. A moment later I heard happy laughter as ears, tails, and tongues made contact with Mark’s daughter.
I plunked the toast onto a plate, grabbed the butter from the refrigerator and added a jar of my mother’s homemade jam, and put everything on the table.
Cassie looked up at me suddenly, panic in her eyes. "I have to go to school."
I looked at the clock. "Don't worry," I said. “I can take you."
She shook her head emphatically, her black hair managing to stay perfectly in place. She truly was a beautiful child.
“I’m homeschooled," she said. “My aunt Danielle is my teacher."
Well, that chicken had flown the coop. Or was in the coop.
She looked at me, then her father, and then back at me.
“Daddy has my homework.”
“And your curriculum,” Mark said. “So you don’t need Aunt Danielle.”
But she did need a teacher.
Well, hell.
“There’s a room on the third floor that might be suitable as a classroom,” I said.
Mark shook his head. “That’s not necessary, Torrance.”
“Don’t worry about it. Besides, right now you should concentrate on one thing and that’s getting well.”
I went back to the counter, grabbed a bowl, spoon, and the milk container.
“When you’re done with breakfast,” I said to Cassie, “we’ll help your daddy back to bed and then we’ll go pick out your room. Graystone has twelve suites so we can find one that you like.”
As I sat I marveled at my life. A month ago, even less, I’d lived with the Brood at Graystone, moderately satisfied. My future, however, was amorphous. I hadn’t a clue what was going to happen.
Now I’d volunteered to be a teacher for a smart little girl, was madly in love with her father, was the guardian of a relic that protected me from vampires yet could be dangerous to my own kind. I could hear people whispering a mile away, could mesmerize someone — even a Were — and my olfactory senses seemed to be getting better every day. Plus, I could levitate things and I hadn’t even used that other spell yet. I had a resident ghost, three new siblings, and parents who were confusing the hell out of me.
Altogether, things were looking up.
Also by Karen Ranney
For current information about new books, please go to: https://karenranney.com/
* * *
THE FURRY CHRONICLES
The Lottery - Furry - Book 1
The Sound and the Furry - Book 2
My Furry Valentine - Book 3
* * *
THE DUKE SERIES
The Scottish Duke
The English Duke
The Texan Duke (October, 2017)
* * *
THE MACIAIN SERIES
In Your Wildest Scottish Dreams
Scotsman of My Dreams
An American in Scotland
THE MONTGOMERY CHRONICLES
The Fertile Vampire – Book 1
The Reluctant Goddess – Book 2
Pranic, Pregnant, and Petrified - Book 3
THE CLAN SINCLAIR SERIES
The Devil of Clan Sinclair
The Witch of Clan Sinclair
The Virgin of Clan Sinclair
Return to Clan Sinclair
THE SCOTTISH SISTERS
A Scandalous Scot
The Lass Wore Black
* * *
THE LOVED SERIES
My Beloved
My True Love
* * *
THE HIGHLAND LORDS
One Man’s Love
When the Laird Returns
The Irresistible MacRae
To Love a Scottish Lord
So in Love
THE TULLOCH SGATHAN SERIES
Sold to a Laird
A Highland Duchess
A Borrowed Scot
STAND ALONE NOVELS (HISTORICAL)
NOVELS SET IN ENGLAND
Tapestry
Above All Others
My Wicked Fantasy
Upon a Wicked Time
After the Kiss
NOVELS SET IN SCOTLAND
A Promise of Love
Heaven Forbids
Till Next We Meet
An Unlikely Governess
Autumn in Scotland
The Scottish Companion
The Devil Wears Tartan
A Scotsman in Love
A Scottish Love
STAND ALONE CONTEMPORARY NOVELS
Murder by Mortgage
The Eyes of Love
What About Alice?
NOVELLAS AND SHORT STORIES
The Greatest Gift
A Dance in the Dark
Scottish Brides
Flash Fables
The Unmentionables
About the Author
Karen Ranney wanted to be a writer from the time she was five years old and filled her Big Chief tablet with stories. People in stories did amazing things and she was too shy to do anything amazing. Years spent in Japan, Paris, and Italy, however, not only fueled her imagination but proved she wasn't that shy after all.
Now a New York Times and USA Today bestseller, she prefers to keep her current adventures between the covers of her books. Karen lives in San Antonio, Texas and loves to hear from her readers at [email protected].
For more information
https://karenranney.com
[email protected]
