by Melissa Haag
Her heart stuttered, and the scent of her fear grew stronger. I’d known suggesting she come home with me would scare her. Yet, it was the safest place for her. I struggled with the words to smooth away her concern.
“What exactly do you mean?” she asked.
“I live on a big spread. No neighbors close by. Plenty of room for you to lay low without feeling like you’re being locked away.”
She looked up and studied me.
“What’s in it for you?”
She was killing me with her mistrust.
“Haven’t you ever had anyone help you just to help?”
She sighed and set her coffee to the side.
“May I see your wallet?”
Though the question surprised me, I immediately took out my wallet. She could have anything in it. I’d give her anything and everything if it helped her feel safe with me.
She studied the contents, staring at my library card then the empty donor circle on my driver’s license. After that, she pulled out the only three pictures I had.
“Family?” she asked.
“My mom, brother, and dad.” I moved away from the door and looked at the pictures in her hand. They were several years old and well-worn. Being away from my family had been hard in the beginning. I’d gotten used to it, but I still missed them.
Michelle set the pictures aside and continued searching my wallet. There wasn’t much else, just a piece of paper with phone numbers but no names.
“What are these?” She held up the paper.
When she looked up at me, something happened. Her scent changed ever so subtly. A wisp of something sweet and fragile, there and gone again, had me wondering if I’d imagined it. The way she immediately dropped her gaze had me wondering what she’d just felt. What had caused her scent to change like that? I knew better than to ask, and focused on the paper.
“The first one is compliments of my mom. It’s the number for a friend of the family close to where I was stationed, in case I ran into trouble. The next one is my brother’s number. I left just after he and I moved down here from Canada. I wasn’t sure I’d remember the number.”
“How can you be from Canada but in the U.S. military?”
Her immediate suspicion and accusing tone warned me to answer carefully. Her brothers had finished eating and were watching us warily.
“My mom’s from the U.S. and insisted both Jim and I be born here. It drove my dad crazy because she didn’t want to leave home until the last minute. He swore it was her sheer determination that kept us from being born on the ‘wrong’ side of the border.” I smiled, remembering my dad’s expression every time that story was retold. Mom had worried the hell out of him.
Michelle nodded to her brothers, and they moved off to the bathroom to wash up.
“The last number?” she asked.
“My parents. I figured if something ever happened to me, those three numbers would be good emergency information.”
She slowly put everything back in its place. As she did so, I could see she was lost in thought.
“Is it so hard to trust?” I asked, sad for her.
“You have no idea,” she said softly. “Tell me more about this big spread.”
She was considering it. I smiled widely. They were going to love it there. I was going to love her there.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve been back. It’s an old three-story with wrap-around porches. Before I left, my brother and I talked about dividing it into six apartments. From what he’s told me, he’s done the dividing and now just needs to complete the finishing work in three more apartments. It also has a huge backyard that’s a pain to mow, according to him.”
“Just you and your brother, then?”
“No, a friend of our parents, Winifred Lewis, who we call Nana Wini, moved in as soon as he completed the second apartment.”
She glanced at the bathroom, worry pulling at her face. Then she dropped her head into both hands.
“You should know they won’t stop looking for me. Ever,” she said.
“Doesn’t matter to me. You’ll be welcome as long as you like.” I just needed to get her there. Then I could work on convincing her to stay.
She looked up as the boys walked out of the bathroom hand in hand. They watched her closely in return.
“We’ll go with you and take one day at a time,” she said, looking at me.
I grinned. One day at a time was next door to forever.
* * * *
I drove the rest of the night. The boys fell asleep almost immediately. Michelle tried staying awake but gave up after twenty minutes.
I reached out to Winifred again.
She’s agreed to come with me. Her two brothers are with her. The oldest can’t be more than four or five.
Have you told her anything? Winifred asked.
No. She’s running from something and is scared. I’ve never smelled this much fear on anyone. I won’t risk running her off with more than she can handle right now. I just want to make her feel safe again.
Don’t worry. Jim and I are here to help. Have you told your father?
Not yet. She needs time before family and friends start showing up.
I understand.
Michelle woke several times, but never for very long. Once the sun rose, I stopped at a gas station for a bathroom break and food then pushed hard for Montana.
While I drove, I continued to try to play games with Liam and Aden. They went in spurts. When they got quiet, I tried jokes and stories to pull them out again.
Michelle’s vigilant study of the road behind us didn’t help calm them. Every time I saw her looking, I let her know everything was okay. Gradually, her fear eased a bit.
We were a few miles from home when I heard Aden’s stomach growl. The little guy had the appetite of a true cub. My kind didn’t like missing meals, and it was close to dinner.
“Do you want to stop for something to eat or drive on to your new home?”
Her pulse skipped a beat. Did she like the idea of calling my place home?
“How much longer?” she asked.
“About thirty minutes.”
“Let’s keep going.”
Anticipation filled me.
Winifred, we’re almost home.
Chapter 3
It’d been over a year since I last saw the dirt track that we called a driveway. A twinge of homesickness pulled at me as I turned the truck onto the rutted path. Werewolves weren’t meant for solitary lives. We needed to be around our own kind. To belong to something. The Army had filled that void at first, but the longer I’d stayed away, the more I’d missed the woods and running in my fur.
Michelle fidgeted, drawing my attention. She was nervous. I’d smelled the change as soon as she’d said to drive on and had hoped that seeing the place would ease her concerns. However, the branches scraping the roof of the truck probably weren’t giving a good first impression.
But, my home was more than a building and overgrown property. When the house came into view, some of the tension in me eased because, inside were the two people who made this place home. Jim and Winifred. Mom had once told me Winifred had helped her understand our ways. I hoped Winifred would be able to do the same for Michelle.
I looked at the three-story plantation style home with a sense of pride. Michelle and the boys would have plenty of room. The house was meant for families.
I parked near the back porch and cut the engine. Liam’s inquisitive study of the place made me smile.
“Welcome home.”
I looked at Michelle and found her watching me. She was scared.
“Everything will be fine. I promise you’re safe here.”
She nodded, but her scent didn’t change as she opened the door and started helping the boys down.
I watched the three of them study the yard as if it were the first one they’d ever seen. Most of the grass had just been cut. I hadn’t exaggerated when I’d said there was a lot of it. As big as a baseb
all field, at least. And all surrounded by woods. Closed in and safe.
From inside the house, I heard Jim’s “about time” a second before the back door opened. He strode out with a goofy grin on his face. I couldn’t help but return it. I’d missed my brother.
“Emmitt! About time they let you go,” he said as he jumped off the porch.
I met him halfway, hugging him with a slap on his back. He grunted and gave one back. I pulled away before he started something and grinned at him.
The wind shifted just then, and I breathed in the scents of the trio’s fear. Jim inhaled, too, and gave me a knowing look before I turned toward Michelle.
“Jim, this is Michelle and her two brothers, Liam and Aden. Michelle, this is my brother, Jim.”
Winifred came out of the house just then, looking the picture of a human’s grandma. She’d even twisted her hair back into a bun. I heard Jim chuckle under his breath and elbowed him.
Winifred came to give me a hug. There was no backslapping.
“It’s so good to see you,” she said. Then she turned to Michelle and the boys. “I’m Winifred, but everyone calls me Nana Wini.”
“This is Michelle,” I said.
Michelle held out her hand, and Winifred shook it.
“I’m so glad Emmitt brought someone with him,” Winifred said a second before she bent and pulled both boys into a brief, tight hug. The two of them looked like their eyes would pop as they stood, staring up at her.
“I have to say, I always thought it would be Jim who brought someone home first.”
What was she doing?
“Nana—”
“But, I’m very happy. How long have you two been together?”
Michelle looked at me, her face flushed scarlet.
“Two blissful days, Nana,” I said. She knew darn well how long. You’re not helping, I sent to her before speaking aloud. “Michelle and her brothers need a place to lay low.”
Nana looked over her shoulder at me. I knew that deadpan look. It was a warning to keep my mouth shut. She didn’t understand just how scared Michelle was, though.
“She needs us,” I said. She just needs time to understand that, I added over our mental link.
“Of course she does,” Nana said aloud, turning back to Michelle. “Since you’re not with Emmitt, would you be interested in going out with my nephew Cameron?”
“Nana!” I said. You don’t have a nephew.
She laughed.
“It’s good to have you home, Emmitt. Jim’s been good company, but these young men are going to be a welcome distraction from the monotony around here.” She held out a hand for each boy. “Let’s go in and have dinner. After that, I’ll see if I can find any of Jim and Emmitt’s old toys. Believe it or not, they used to be small like you two, and loved playing. Still do. So, you better keep an eye on the things I give you. They’re likely to try to convince you to let them play, too.”
The boys looked back at Michelle, clearly not ready to trust Winifred.
“We’ll follow you in,” Michelle said.
They’re this reserved all the time? Winifred asked silently.
Yes.
Nana led the way to the house, and Jim stayed back with me to study the three as they went inside.
“We tried to clean the place up a bit,” he said softly.
I nodded, knowing they’d done what they could. When I’d left, the place had been a huge, run-down old house. Now, it was a little less run-down and split into six apartments, two on each level.
Stepping inside, I looked around. The oversized door opened into a large entry, where Winifred and Jim had refinished the wood floor. There wasn’t much in it, so each step echoed. The grand staircase helped divide the house in half. At the bottom of the stairs, the door on the left led to Jim’s place and the door on right stood open.
Winifred led them into her cozy apartment. The living room was decorated in the same familiar rose and cream colors. Knickknacks adorned the bookcase, and pictures of nature scenes hung on the walls.
She waved for Michelle and the boys to follow her into the yellow kitchen. Jim inhaled deeply, as if trying to use his nose to vacuum in the cookies Winifred was baking.
The boys sniffed the air too, eagerly looking around.
Nana laughed at their expressions and handed Aden forks.
“If you help set the table, I’ll give you the big cookie I made for Jim,” Nana said to Aden. Then, she handed Liam the plates with a promise that he’d receive the other big cookie she’d made for Jim.
Winifred, I—
Emmitt, I know what I’m doing. Giving them tasks will help them feel like they belong.
Liam and Aden looked to Michelle for approval before doing as Winifred asked.
Jim elbowed me then moved to sit at the table. I followed, knowing he was up to something that would probably get us both into trouble.
Aden and Liam eyed us as they quietly set plates before each chair. Jim openly studied the pair in return. He didn’t have a serious bone in his body so the boys didn’t seem to mind him. But, they still tensed around me.
When Aden set a fork next to my plate, Jim reached over and moved it so it was at an angle. He did the same with the spoon so my plate looked like it had a set of ears. I turned Jim’s plate upside down.
Jim put Michelle’s silverware outward so they were like arms.
Liam tentatively reached out to straighten the fork.
“Can I help with anything?” Michelle said, turning back toward Nana.
Winifred shook her head. “You just sit.”
I immediately scooted the chair next to me out from the table. Michelle glanced at the open seat, clearly uncomfortable. Her blue eyes darted to me. I smiled, trying to reassure her.
Her scent changed ever so slightly as it had back in the hotel room. Then, she blushed.
I tried to stay calm. I tried to play it cool. But, now I knew. When she smelled like pancakes with syrup, she was noticing me. Thinking of me. As a Mate.
I didn’t realize I was staring at her until Jim kicked my chair. Clearing my throat, I looked away.
Winifred removed a pan loaded with baked chicken pieces from the oven, along with a side of rice and buttered corn. Michelle gave the large portions a double take.
“If you’re lucky, they’ll leave some for you,” Winifred said with a laugh.
“Maybe not,” Jim said, giving Aden a wink when he saw he had the boy’s attention.
“Liam, Aden, you had better pass your plates down. I’ll fill them before Jim fills his,” I said.
“More,” Jim said, under his breath, when I would have stopped serving up Aden’s plate.
I added extra, already knowing what he would do.
As soon as the boys had their food, Jim reached over and stole a chicken wing from Aden. Jim had been stealing foods off plates since he was old enough to reach them. Stealth was the key. And, he had it. One minute Aden was forking in a bite of corn, the next he was staring at his plate in puzzlement.
He glanced at Jim, who was happily munching on a chicken wing. A second later, the boy nudged his plate further from Jim.
I wanted to laugh. The meal was perfect, just like the company.
When we finished everything on the table, we worked together to clean up. Winifred insisted on washing so Michelle and the boys could get settled in. Jim offered to give a tour of my apartment.
“You don’t want to give the tour?” Michelle asked, looking at me.
“I haven’t seen it yet. The last time I was here, it wasn’t finished.”
Jim led the way out to the main hall.
“All the way at the top,” he said to the boys. “Penthouse suite.”
The boys jogged up the stairs, never going too far ahead of their sister. At the top, the pair turned and watched us, their guilty expressions not making sense. My new family was complicated.
Jim opened the apartment door with a flourish. Michelle tried to step back to let me in first
, but I shook my head.
“You and your brothers can stay here. I’ll stay downstairs with Jim. So go ahead and have a look around.”
She seemed shocked by the offer. Had she thought I would stay with her? I wanted to kick myself. Was it too late to take it back?
Before I could say anything, her scent sweetened with excitement, and she nodded and stepped through the door.
Damn.
Jim grinned knowingly at me. I gave him a light shove and stepped inside to follow her.
The main door led to a living room similar to Nana Wini’s. Unlike Nana’s place, no wall divided the kitchen and the living room.
“I decorated,” Jim said with false pride. The humor wafting from him made me want to groan as I eyed the battered sofa and the lamp that was on the floor beside it.
“Where’d you shop?” I said under my breath. “A dumpster?”
Michelle glanced at an old tube television that sat on a worn breakfast cart with wheels, then moved on to the kitchen. There wasn’t much to look at. The area had a breakfast bar with two mismatched stools, a fridge, a stove, and a microwave. The trio quickly moved down the hall.
The first room had a new queen-sized bed.
“I made the master bedroom into a weight room combination office,” Jim said with a huge grin.
“I bet.”
Michelle’s expression was priceless when she saw the free weights on the floor and an office chair in the corner. Nothing else.
I laughed and shook my head at Jim.
“We’ll get better furniture soon,” I told her.
“No, everything’s perfect,” she said.
Her steady pulse told me she really believed her words. Where had she come from that this was perfect?
“I’ll run down and get your things,” I said, pulling Jim along with me.
Jim waved good night to the boys, who stood staring at us.
I purposely left the door open as we left and almost regretted it.
“She’s hot,” Jim said in a normal voice.
I tried to hit him, but he dodged and took off down the stairs. I followed, almost catching him at the landing.
“I would think the two of you would have something better to do than chase each other,” Winifred said from her living room.
