That conversation would be better face to face or not at all.
Helena was only visiting for a few days. All Penny needed to do was show her sister that they were happy here. There was no reason to tell her about shifters and magic. Not unless she had to.
Dressed in jeans and a warm sweater, Penny emerged from the bathroom to find Milo dressed and still eating. “We need to go down and meet Aunt Helena.”
Milo slid from his seat, still chewing his food. “Can I eat some more when we come back to the room?”
“You can.” Penny nodded. “If that’s okay with you, Logan?”
“Whatever you want.” He looked at the tray of food thoughtfully. “Why don’t I bring you some fresh coffee and a tray of cookies and pastries?”
Penny glanced around the room, it was a mess. Sophie had taken all their luggage out of the room so Logan would think they’d left town. Rift had kindly brought it all back last night, but Penny hadn’t had a chance to unpack. “Could we sit in the restaurant instead? If it’s not too much trouble. I hate to impose.”
“Hey.” He slid his arm around her shoulders. “I want Helena to like Wishing Moon Bay and like me. I also want her to see how happy you are here.” He kissed the top of her head. “Which means I want you to be happy here.”
“I am.” She reached out her hand to Milo. “Aren’t we, buddy?”
“I love Wishing Moon Bay.” Milo jumped up and down as he headed for the door.
“Thank you.” She grabbed hold of Logan and kissed his lips, a brief chaste kiss, that held the promise of more.
“Are we going to tell her about us?” he asked as she lingered in his arms.
“Of course. I am not ashamed of us even if our relationship did take off like a rocket. Helena will probably try to convince me I’m on the rebound, but I know that’s not true.” She took his hand and led him to the door. “What we have is very real.”
“Okay.” He took a deep breath and let go of her hand. “I’ll carry the tray downstairs and then take a fresh tray to the restaurant. It’s empty so you’ll have the place to yourselves.”
“You spoil us.”
“I like spoiling you.” The tray rattled as he picked it up and they all left the room.
“Aunt Helena!” Milo called out as he reached the bottom of the stairs and Penny hurried after him.
“There’s my favorite nephew.” Helena held her arms out and crouched down as Milo ran to meet her.
“I’m your only nephew!” He launched himself into her arms.
“You’ll always be my favorite.” She stood up, holding him in her arms. “Have you grown?”
“I have.” He hugged her as Penny reached them.
Logan slipped past the family reunion, carrying the tray to the kitchen.
“It’s good to see you, Helena. I was worried you might not find the town.” She glanced at Rift who was watching them with open curiosity. “Morning, Rift.”
“Morning, Penny. How are you doing, Milo?” Rift asked.
“I’m good, Logan is getting us a second breakfast.”
“Preferential treatment?” Helena arched an eyebrow at her sister.
“Logan said we can sit in the restaurant, he’ll bring us some coffee.” She inclined her head toward the restaurant door.
“So, is this Logan the reason you decided to stay in town instead of coming to stay with me?” Helena asked, as forthright as usual.
“He is part of the reason. I also think this is a good place to live. Lots of open space, the beach the mountains.”
“The good-looking men.” Helena looked up as Logan came in with a tray of coffee.
“Hands and eyes off, he’s mine.” Penny winked at Logan. “Logan, this is my sister, Helena. Helena, this is Logan.”
“I’ve come to check you out,” Helena told Logan who smiled warmly.
“Check away, I have nothing to hide.” Logan grinned and set the tray down on a table by the window.
“Everyone has something to hide,” Helena replied.
“Behave,” Penny warned as she linked arms with Logan. “I’m happy.”
“I can tell.” Helena’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the couple. Milo, bored with the conversation, was more interested in the pastries on the tray. “It looks good on you.”
“So, you haven’t come here to tell me I am being rash and acting on the rebound?” Penny asked.
“No.” Helena averted her eyes and looked out of the window. Something was wrong and Penny’s stomach clenched.
“You found the town all right?” Logan asked as the silence between them grew.
“Not really.” Helena laughed. “You need to check your phone more often, Penny.”
“Sorry.” Penny tapped her phone screen. “I set it on silent.”
“Your messages are all from me asking where you are and why can’t I find the road leading to Wishing Moon Bay. I drove back and forth along the same stretch of road four times. I was about to give up when this damn horse appeared in the middle of the road. I swerved hard so that I didn’t hit it with the car.” She took a breath, her eyes wide. “And there it was, the turnout to Wishing Moon Bay. If the horse hadn’t appeared then, I’d never have found it.”
Logan tensed by Penny’s side. “A horse.”
“Yes, a bay horse with a long mane and tail. In the middle of the road.” She shrugged. “Unless I was hallucinating because when I stopped the car and went to check if it was all right, it was gone. Like it was never there at all.”
“Dario,” Logan whispered.
“You know the horse?” Helena asked. “Someone really needs to tame it.”
Logan chuckled. “You might be right.”
Penny met Logan’s gaze and he waggled his eyebrows at her. It seemed there was a reason Helena had found Wishing Moon Bay. And that reason might just lead her sister to her own happy ending. One, Penny hoped, that was as magical as her own.
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The Horse Shifter’s Mate
The Bond of Brothers
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Chapter One – Helena
“A horse?” Penny studied her sister as she ate a delicious pastry in the restaurant at the Wishing Moon Hotel. Outside, the ground was covered in a two-inch layer of snow. If more snow fell today or overnight, Helena might be stranded in the small town of Wishing Moon Bay.
“A horse. Yes. It just appeared like that.” She clicked her fingers and Milo, Penny’s son, jumped and fixed his attention on his aunt.
“And that’s how you found the road leading to town.” They had gone over this a couple of times already since Helena had arrived, but Penny kept asking for more details, even though there were none.
“Yes. I told you, I followed the directions you gave me. I drove back and forth along that one stretch of road but couldn’t see you or a sign for Wishing Moon Bay. I was just about to give up since you weren’t answering your calls or your texts...” Helena’s jaw tightened as she fixed her sister with an accusing stare.
“Sorry, we had a long day yesterday and Milo was so tired I didn’t want him woken up by my phone. Then I forgot I’d set it to silent.” Penny’s excuse sounded plausible, but Helena was suspicious she was holding something back.
“Well, I guess it all worked out all right.” She took a bite of the croissant she’d carefully cut into pieces. The buttery flakes of pastry melted in her mouth. “These are the best croissants I’ve ever tasted.”
“Ivan baked them. He’s the chef here. All his food is incredible.” Penny took a bite of her blueberry muff
in.
“Is he single?” Helena asked.
“Ivan?” Penny coughed and took a sip of her coffee.
“Yes, I could marry a man who bakes this well and forgive him a lot of faults.” She grinned at Penny’s shocked face. “I’m joking.”
“Sorry.” Penny cleared her throat and frowned. “So the horse...”
“He appeared from nowhere, I turned down the road leading to Wishing Moon Bay and when I stopped the car and got out to check if he was all right, he was gone. Not a sign that he was ever there.” She rubbed the crumbs off her fingertips. “Maybe he wasn’t there at all. Maybe he was a figment of my imagination.” Helena rested her chin on her palm and stared out of the window, lost in her own thoughts. Perhaps there was something wrong with her.
“Helena.” Penny reached out and clasped her sister’s hand. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She smiled brightly and picked up another piece of her pastry. “I’m just tired, that’s all.”
“I know you, that look doesn’t say you’re just tired.” Penny let go of her sister’s hand and glanced at Milo. “Perhaps I can ask Logan or Rift to take Milo for a couple of hours and we can go for a walk on the beach.”
“The beach!” Milo, whose attention had been firmly fixed on what was on the other side of the restaurant window until now, turned around to look at his mom. “I’d like to come to the beach. Maybe Logan can come, too.”
“I’d like some time alone with Helena,” Penny explained. “We need to talk. You know, catch up on what’s been happening in our lives.”
“Oh!” Milo’s eyes widened and he looked from his mom to Helena. “Are you going to tell Aunt Helena about Logan?”
“What about Logan?” Helena tilted her head to one side as her sister’s cheeks flamed red. “Oh, now I’m interested.”
“Logan is the sweetest, most incredible man I’ve ever met, that’s all.” Her breasts rose and fell as she inhaled deeply. “I think I’m in love with him.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “I know I’m in love with him.”
“Love? Isn’t that fast? I mean, I know people say love at first sight is real. But it’s also possible to get caught up in a dream, a romantic dream, that won’t last long.” She pressed her lips together as she looked at her sister, who had been hurt so badly by Milo’s father. “I don’t want to shoot down those dreams, but I also have to protect you. You and Milo.”
“We don’t need protecting from Logan. I promise.” Penny was so certain. Her sister had loved her first husband, Milo’s father. But this was different. Helena longed to have the same certainty about a man even if it was for a fleeting moment. Surely it was better to experience love, heady, giddy love, for a short time and have your heart broken than to never experience it.
Helena had never felt that kind of love. Not ever. The sad truth, that she’d never admitted to anyone, not even Penny, was that she had never been in love. Lust, yes. And sure, she’d convinced herself she was in love a couple of times just so she didn’t feel like she was a freak of nature. It wasn’t as if she didn’t know what love was. She loved her dead mom, she loved Penny and Milo. But real, earth-shattering, I’d-die-without-you love, that had evaded Helena her whole life.
“I’d like to get to know him while I’m in town.” Helena finished her muffin and eyed up a buttery pastry.
“How long are you staying?” Penny’s eyes darted toward the door leading from the restaurant to the kitchen. The same door Logan had used when he left them alone. Could she sense him out there?
Helena tensed. Was he out there listening to their conversation? What if he wasn’t who he said he was? What if this was one big conspiracy? She swallowed hard and grabbed her coffee cup, taking a long drink. When she met Penny’s gaze, it was filled with concern.
“Sorry.”
“You seem a little jumpy.” Penny’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure you’re okay? You can go take a nap in our hotel room if you need to.”
“No, I’m fine. And in answer to your question, I’m staying as long as it takes.” She looked down at her empty plate. Would it be greedy to have another one? Or perhaps she could wrap one in a napkin and slip it into her purse to eat later.
“As long as it takes to what?” Penny’s suspicions were raised.
“As long as it takes to make sure that what you have with Logan is real and you are doing the right thing.” She leveled her gaze at Penny.
“Helena...” Penny leaned back in her chair and shook her head. “You had me for a moment there.”
Helena chuckled. “I thought you might throw the rest of those delicious pastries at me.”
“The thought did cross my mind, but that would be an insult to Ivan’s baking skills, and I do not want to upset my future brother-in-law.” Penny waited for Helena’s reaction.
Helena wasn’t sure how to react. “You aren’t joking, are you?”
Penny shook her head. “He’s the one, Helena. The man of my dreams and he’ll be there for me no matter what. Unlike a certain other person.”
“And Ivan is Logan’s brother?” Maybe Helena could seek Ivan out and while congratulating him on his amazing culinary skills, find out about the real Logan. If the man had stolen Penny’s heart in a matter of days, then she wanted to find out all his secrets and any skeletons he might be hiding in his closet.
“Yes. Adopted brother. There are six brothers altogether. Logan, Ivan, Rift, Caleb, and Aiden. Plus, Dario, who I haven’t met yet. Valerie, who owns the hotel, adopted them all when they were young.”
“Six boys, she must either be crazy or superwoman.” Helena could understand the need to adopt a child, her biological clock wasn’t just ticking, it was starting to wind down. If she didn’t meet the right man and settle down in the next couple of years, she would never fulfill her dream of being a mother. Penny might have been emotionally scarred by her jerk of a husband but at least they had a child together. Milo was an incredible boy. Who deserved an incredible father.
“She’s quite a woman,” Penny agreed. “They all love her very much.”
“And what about Milo?” Helena switched her attention to her nephew. “Do you like Logan and all the people here?”
“Logan is fun. Not as fun as Rift, but fun.”
“Maybe Logan doesn’t need to hear that,” Penny told Milo quietly.
“He knows, Rift told him.” Milo slipped off his seat and ran up and down the window, staring at the snow outside.
“Of course he did,” Penny rolled her eyes.
“Do the brothers get along?” Helena asked.
“Yes, they love each other and are there for each other whatever they need.” Penny reached across the table and took Helena’s hand. “Like us.”
Helena’s tight smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m happy for you, Penny. You and Milo.”
“But…” Penny didn’t let go of Helena’s hand as she studied her closely. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Helena slipped her hand toward her, but Penny didn’t let go.
“You’ve been acting weird since you arrived. And I don’t think it has anything to do with being tired.” She studied her sister closely and Helena’s cheeks flushed pink under her scrutiny. “You didn’t come here to check up on us, did you?”
Helena’s gaze slid sideways, and she watched Milo as he ran in and out of the tables, so carefree. “Do you ever wish we could turn back the clock and go back to being Milo’s age?”
“You are skirting around the question. I know that’s part of your job, but not when you are talking to me.” Penny squeezed Helena’s hand tighter. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I think I’m going crazy.” Helena kept her eyes fixed on the plate of pastries in front of them.
“Going crazy?” Penny asked. “Why do you think that?”
“Because...” She shook her head. “I don’t know, it’s stupid.”
“No, it’s not stupid. Whatever you think is obviously bothering you. So tell me. You know
there’s nothing you can’t tell me.” Penny’s soft tone of encouragement was the reason Helena had traveled here to Wishing Moon Bay.
“You always were the best listener.” A tear rolled down Helena’s cheek and she dashed it away.
“You’re not so bad yourself. I don’t know how I would have coped if you weren’t at the end of the phone every time I called and needed a shoulder to cry on or someone to listen to me rant about...” She glanced at Milo and stopped talking.
“That’s what sisters are for.”
“Then tell me, this is my turn to listen. My turn to repay the favor.” She nodded as she squeezed Helena’s hand again. “Come on.”
“It’s probably nothing...”
“You don’t think it’s nothing.”
“I met someone.”
Penny rolled her shoulders back, her eyes darting to the door leading to the kitchen once more. “You met someone. Is it serious? Did you come here to tell me you are getting married or something?” She covered her mouth with her hand. “Are you pregnant?”
“No!” Helena shook her head. “None of the above.”
“Then what?”
“I met this guy. We bumped into each other outside work. I mean actually bumped into each other. I dropped the stack of files I was carrying on the ground and he helped me pick them up. Our eyes met...” She gave a lopsided smile. “No, I didn’t think it was love at first sight. That doesn’t mean that I wasn’t attracted to him. I’m a single middle-aged woman and he was cute, dimples, nice smile.”
“That’s a healthy response.” Penny nodded. “What happened?”
“He called and asked me to dinner the next day.” She looked down at her hands. “I thought it was romantic that he went to the trouble of tracking my number down.”
“Romantic would be one word to describe it. But I’m guessing that’s not how it turned out?”
“At first I’d call it romantic. We dated for a couple of weeks. I liked him a lot.”
The White Wolf of Wishing Moon Bay Page 24
