by Gigi Moore
Desiree’s heart thudded to her stomach with the implications.
“Showtime,” Sam said and took her hand as they exited the limo.
* * * *
Carson slowly regained consciousness to the familiar and comforting scents of the people he cared about and loved most in the world.
He blinked his eyes, trying to bring his surroundings into focus, still unsure of the time or his location. The scents, however—Desiree’s sweet vanilla, his mama’s warm, baked-apple-and-cinnamon smell, and Sam’s clean citrus scent—remained distinguishable beneath the more dominant aromas of Arnoux, Gaetan, and Raul.
“Where…” His voice proved raspy and low, as if it had been out of commission for more than just the few hours he was sure he’d been unconscious.
What had been in that shot?
Arnoux sat beside him on what Carson could make out as a large hotel bed and helped him sit up against the pillows stacked behind him. The prime elder then stuck a straw in his mouth and Carson instinctively took several sips of the cool water offered to him. “Thank you.” He leaned back against the pillows, squinting his eyes against the bright lights of the room.
“They shouldn’t have handled you so harshly.” Arnoux threw Remy’s two lieutenants a glare over his shoulder before turning back to Carson.
“He didn’t give them a choice,” Raul spoke up, defending his comrades.
“There is always a choice.”
Duly chastised, Raul averted his eyes, staring at the carpeted floor as he stood at ease with his hands folded behind his back.
Arnoux’s attitude confused Carson. He would have thought the prime elder condoned the harsh treatment, but evidently this wasn’t the case.
“You have not been brought here to be penalized,” Arnoux said.
“Why have I been brought here, then? And where is my family?” He scented them but did not see them anywhere in the room, which meant that they had to be nearby somewhere. Carson needed to see them, though.
“There are some official matters we must go over with you before we can transfer power. If that is what you want, of course.”
Did he want the official matters or the transfer of power? Carson remained confused.
“I want to see my family.”
“Very well.” Arnoux turned to the two lieutenants and nodded his head.
Gaetan and Raul left the room and returned a moment later leading Mama, Sam, and Desiree into the room from an adjoining suite.
Carson sat up in bed so suddenly he became light-headed and plopped back against the pillows.
Arnoux patted his shoulder. “Do not rush, young one. The drugs are still in your system. That along with the blood loss has left you weak.”
“You drugged him?” Helena asked, her voice cold and stern, as if she spoke to a young subordinate and not the prime elder.
Carson wanted to warn her but didn’t have the energy to fight anymore. He’d used it all up in the ring, his spirit exhausted with his containment.
Arnoux, however, seemed more amused than affronted by Mama’s tone. He stood, proffering a hand to her, indicating the place he’d just vacated. “Please, sit.”
Mama crossed the room and took her place beside Carson as her due.
Arnoux indicated the other two seats in the room beside the bed, silently inviting Sam and Desiree to sit.
Tentatively, the pair took the seats right before Arnoux directed Gaetan and Raul to wait outside.
Once the two lieutenants left, the prime elder took the seat adjacent the bed and facing Carson and his mama. “I must apologize for the fanfare at the circle and your rough treatment. We meant no harm. It was just necessary to get you all out of the area as expediently as possible.”
“Did you expect trouble because of the outcome?”
“Not necessarily, but one can never be too careful.” Arnoux sat forward in his seat, producing a sheaf of papers from a worn leather satchel that Carson hadn’t earlier seen. “Now, down to the business at hand.”
“Business?”
“Yes, Remy’s bequests to your family.”
“He recognized us in his will?” Helena asked.
“Yes, in addition to provisions he’d made for your alpha rights should you defeat him in battle, he left you considerable shares of the various companies in which he has interest, in effect controlling interest of the pack’s fortunes.”
“Oh…my,” Mama said.
“Why would he do that?” Sam asked.
“In his words, he said that should the elder Guidry son defeat him in battle, he has more than earned the right to be alpha and inherit what Duane Bastien would have inherited had he lived.”
“What if I don’t want it?”
“Carson, don’t be hasty,” Desiree said, and he looked at her before glaring at Arnoux.
“It’s blood money.”
“You might want to discuss this with your family before you make any decisions, as well as how you wish to handle your position as alpha, that is to say if you wish to return to Louisiana to take your position or not. You should know that your acceptance has nothing to do with the bequest. The shares are yours no matter where you decide to live or if you accept alpha rights.”
Carson’s head spun from all that the prime elder said, and still it wasn’t enough. “Did Remy say anything in his will about how my father died?” Did he confess?
“I’m afraid not, no.”
Carson nodded, not surprised. The bequest and other statements proved telling, but not enough vindication. However, since he had killed Remy, he had no choice but to accept things as they were. He knew the truth, and that had to be enough for him, Mama and Sam.
Arnoux stood and gathered his papers before heading for the door. “I’ll give you some time to make an initial decision. We will go over this in more detail at the lawyer’s office tomorrow, where he’ll tell you exactly to what the family is entitled.”
“Okay.”
The prime elder nodded and left, quietly closing the door behind him.
No one said anything for a long time after his departure, as if they didn’t want to speak for fear of bringing forth a jinx.
Carson gave everyone a meaningful look, his glance landing on Desiree and Sam in turn before staying on his mother. “What do you think?”
“I think we deserve the freedom and peace of mind Remy’s money will bring us.”
“Will it, Mama? Bring us peace of mind?”
“I don’t know about all of you, but it brings me peace of mind that he’s finally dead.”
“Samson…”
“I mean it, Mama, and I don’t care who knows it.” Sam raised his voice just enough for Arnoux and Remy’s lieutenants to hear in the hallway if they remained outside the door.
“I think Helena’s right, Carson.” Desiree stood and walked over to the bed opposite where Helena sat. She looked at Carson for a long moment then sat down and placed her hand on his. “Nothing and no one can bring back your father, but the money could go a long way to healing your family, depending on how you use it.”
Carson stared down at her hand and turned his hand over so that he could feel her warm palm against his as he held her hand in his. “What about you? Will you be staying with us to help us spend it?”
“Carson!”
“I didn’t mean it that way, Mama.” He turned to Sam, realizing he messed this all up with his clumsy delivery. “Help me out here, Sam.”
His brother stood and made his way over to the bed where everyone now congregated. “What Carson means is will you stay with us as our mate?”
Desiree grinned. “It was my understanding that wolves mated for life.”
“They do,” Carson rasped.
“Then unless something has changed since the other night, I believe you boys are stuck with me for the duration.”
Carson wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close for a deep kiss on the lips.
When he was through, Sam took his turn and did the
same.
Once they all finally pulled away from each other, Mama cleared her throat to get their attention.
Carson saw the smile on her face and thought it was one of the first genuine ones he had seen on his mother’s face since before his and Sam’s father died.
“Now all we have to decide is where we’re all going to live. I’m partial to Colorado.”
Carson knew how partial his mama was to Jesse and Jax Reynolds’ father Jeremiah, too. He’d known about her infatuation for a while now. He couldn’t blame her for being ready to reach out for a little happiness of her own, especially now that he and Sam had found theirs.
“Maybe we can look into getting a little ranch of our own near The Double R once we get Tamara to go over the paperwork with Remy’s lawyers,” Carson suggested.
“Sounds good to me,” Sam said.
Carson looked at Desiree and squeezed her hand. “How’s that sound to you?”
“It sounds like I’m mated to two Coloradan shifter cowboys.”
Mama and Sam both laughed as Carson pulled Desiree close for another deep kiss. He tasted her tears as they rolled down her cheeks and pulled back to thumb them from her eyes as he looked at her. His heart felt like it might burst from all the happiness inside him. “It’s finally over, cher,” he whispered.
“No, love. It’s just beginning.”
Epilogue
The Double R, McCoy, Colorado
Three months later
Maia watched the festivities for her sister’s thirtieth birthday party with mixed feelings.
She remained ecstatic that her sister enjoyed herself so much and had a good time. Actually, she’d never seen her sister so exuberant and…tipsy. Of course, she’d never seen her always-in-control, cautious sister so in love before, either.
She smiled at the idea and at the view she had of Desiree dancing between her two wild shifter cowboys out on the hall floor.
Everyone who meant anything to the family was present, including most of The Double R employees and current ranch guests, all enjoying a raucous time of good food and good music.
Desiree caught Maia’s eye and waved, smiling as she wiggled her fanny in front of Carson and unabashedly kissed Sam on the lips.
Maia never would have predicted this turn of events a couple of years ago, which just went to show that fortunes could always change, whether or not one was ready.
She waved back at her sister and turned to head for the exit. She needed some fresh air while she waited for Thayne.
On a whim, she’d taken Desiree’s advice and invited him to the party, operating under the the-worst-thing-he-can-say-is-no rule. So if he didn’t show up, Maia decided, Desiree would definitely be hearing an earful from her.
Once outside, Maia found herself taking a little stroll around the grounds, tracing the same steps she had taken with Jax when she’d first arrived on the ranch with her mother and Desiree almost two years ago.
The afternoon remained hot, if also dry, a typical summer day in Colorado. It certainly wasn’t as hot as some of the dog days she had experienced in New York, so when a sudden feeling of vertigo overcame her, Maia was at a loss as to why.
She found the same outcropping of rocks by the pond she had sat upon when she’d first come to the ranch and gingerly eased down onto it to get her bearings. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, expecting the vision when it came but not expecting the subject.
Three people appeared before her mind’s eye—two males and a female. She saw the two males with clarity, recognizing Thayne dressed in Old Western garb, but did not recognize the second man. She noticed that he resembled Thayne and had almost the same exact hair and eye color. Thayne’s brother, maybe? Though she couldn’t see the woman’s face clearly, she knew her identity. The woman was her.
Maia had never ever had a vision about herself before. The subjects of her visions had always been other people and their fates, but never her own.
She didn’t know whether to be excited or scared, and for the first time in a long time since her visions had first started, she wished she could stop them.
Thayne in her vision reached out a hand to her, calling her name, and that’s when Maia realized that someone was touching her arm in real time.
With a slight sense of dread, she opened her eyes, not sure if seeing Thayne now would be a good idea or not. She didn’t, however, have a choice, since there he stood in the tall, dark, and very virile flesh right in front of her.
Clad in a blue Oxford shirt that flattered those stunning Caribbean-blue eyes she remembered so well, a pair of blue jeans, and brown cowboy boots, he remained every bit as attractive as Maia initially thought him at her first visit to the Valley View Hospital emergency room.
She was relieved that he was clad in thoroughly contemporary clothes. She didn’t know what she would have done had she opened her eyes to see him as he appeared in her vision. That would have knocked her world off-kilter.
Maia realized she might not have a choice, though, that it might just be a matter of time for her world to stay intact. Her visions usually proved pretty accurate.
She didn’t even have time to consider all the ramifications of that fact before Thayne said, “I’m sorry about getting here late. I had an emergency at the hospital.”
“An emergency at the emergency room. How novel.”
Thayne chuckled but didn’t follow up.
Maia stood, hooked an arm through his, and led him away from the pond, back to the main house. She liked that he had such a good sense of humor. She had gotten a hint of it the night he’d treated her raccoon bite and had liked it then, too.
Curious still, she wanted to ask him who the other man was in her vision but realized she couldn’t play her hand yet. He didn’t know enough about her to think she wasn’t crazy, and she didn’t want to give him any ammunition to reject her out of hand just yet.
Besides, Maia had a feeling she’d be meeting the other man soon enough.
THE END
Also by Gigi Moore
Ménage Amour: The Double R, Book 1: Twin Cowboys for Tamara
Ménage Everlasting ManLove: Three Men and a Bounty
Available at
BOOKSTRAND.COM
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
