Caroline got to work on potatoes, pumpkin and kumara, peeling the vegetables, washing and tossing them in one of Maria’s huge pots.
A scratching noise at the outer door had her head lifting. An instant later the door sprang open and something big, something black, burst inside. Caroline let out an eep of surprise then screamed as she realized a humongous leopard had entered her kitchen. She grabbed the kitchen knife.
“Don’t move,” she ordered the boys, her voice holding a distinct tremor.
The black leopard skidded to a stop and stared at her with intense green eyes.
Caroline stayed rooted in place, knife held in front of her as she stared back. “Shoo! Get out of my kitchen.” She waved the knife, glanced at her two boys. Thankfully, they weren’t doing anything to attract the animal’s attention.
The leopard prowled closer.
“Out!” Caroline screeched. Her heart tried to claw its way up her throat. “Get out!”
Outside, she heard running feet. Marsh appeared in the doorway.
“What’s wrong? I’ve come to—” He spotted the leopard. “Crap.”
Caroline expected him to run for help, to pick up the nearest weapon, to protect the boys. He did none of these things.
“Out,” he ordered, standing aside.
To Caroline’s astonishment, the leopard obeyed Marsh and trotted out the door.
“I’ve come for the lunches.”
“Where did it come from? What’s it doing here? Why is it wandering around?”
Marsh entered the kitchen and closed the door behind him. He crossed the distance between them and pried the knife from her hand. She dropped it on the counter with a clatter. Reaction set in and she trembled.
Marsh drew her into his arms. “Shhh, it’s all right.”
“B-but there was a leopard in the kitchen.” She glanced at the boys and neither of them appeared upset. “A black one, just like James’s drawings.”
“I know. Caroline.” Marsh cursed, and she pulled back in surprise. He seldom swore, and she hadn’t heard him curse since they’d arrived at Glenshee. “I have to tell you something.”
“What?”
“Damn, I need to get back with the lunches. They’re waiting on me.”
“You can’t go outside with that leopard.” She gripped his forearm. “We have to let the others know. The children… What are you doing?”
Marsh flung off his shirt and bent to unfasten his work boots. “This is the quickest way.”
Caroline stared in bemusement as Marsh stripped off every item of clothing.
“Stand over there with the boys. I don’t want you near the knife.”
When she hesitated in confusion, he shunted her in their sons’ direction.
“But the leopard—”
“I’m getting to that. Damn, I’m an idiot.”
Caroline opened her mouth to ask questions, then blinked. What was wrong with Marsh? His face, his arms… She blinked again. Hard.
Marsh’s body shimmered and glow. His big shoulders bowed, and he hunched farther forward, dropping to his hands and knees.
Marsh, he…she closed her eyes and opened them again just in time to see Marsh’s handsome face turn into something different. Something feline. Black.
The transformation didn’t take long, but time ticked off in slow motion.
Her legs trembled so badly, she grasped for the nearest chair and directed her body toward the hard wooden seat. She missed and fell.
The big black leopard—Marsh—prowled toward her and she scrambled backward in a panic before the wall at her back halted retreat.
“Stay there. Don’t come any closer.”
The leopard let out a huff and sat on his haunches.
Ricky wriggled off his chair and raced toward the leopard.
Caroline opened her mouth but only a croak emerged.
Ricky threw himself at the leopard and crawled on its back.
“Ricky, come here,” she managed.
“I want to play,” Ricky said.
The leopard—she couldn’t think of it as her husband—nudged Ricky with his big head and directed him back to his seat. Then, he stood back, and the reverse happened. The feline face wavered, bones creaked and cracked as they reshaped to the more familiar figure of her husband. Without looking at her, he grabbed his clothes and dressed.
He glanced at her, his face a map of disappointment. “I should have told you years ago, when we first married, but Mum and Dad didn’t approve of me marrying a human and they thought you’d freak and tell everyone. Saber told me to tell you as soon as possible. Hell, Cam told me too.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “I wanted our marriage on a stable path again before I told you. I intended to tell you this weekend.”
“Saber told you?”
“The Mitchell family are the same as me.”
“All of them?” she whispered, her mind trying and failing to reconcile the information with her knowledge of the Mitchell family.
“Not Emily. She’s human.” He glanced at the counter where she’d set out the lunches ready for collection. Two red chiller-bags.
Her mind refused to slip into gear. “Cam?”
“Everyone here apart from Maria.”
Shock kicked like an ornery mule, collecting her in the middle of the chest until it felt as if her breathing came through a straw.
A knock came on the door. It opened and Dara stuck in her head. “I’ve come to take the boys to school. Sorry, I’m late today.”
Caroline flinched. “James? Ricky?”
“They will take after me,” Marsh said, his gaze steady on hers.
Dara entered the kitchen and glanced at Marsh.
“Take the boys to school,” he instructed.
Caroline wanted to protest. She opened her mouth to protest and snapped it shut again. Her sons were happy. They’d been here almost a week and her sons had bloomed. They both loved school and playing with the other kids. Leopards…
A man stood aside as Dara shepherded out James and Ricky. Caroline heard their high-pitched greetings as they joined Dara’s children.
Saul Sinclair entered the kitchen. “Sorry. I thought my aunt Maria would be in the kitchen.”
“It’s all right, Saul,” Marsh said. “Didn’t Cam ring you? Maria had appendicitis, and he took her up north to visit her sister.”
“Hell. I’ve been away,” Saul said. “Dad isn’t speaking to me, so I didn’t bother contacting home. Caroline, I’m so sorry I gave you a fright. Is Maria going to be okay?”
“She’s fine,” Marsh said.
Caroline gaped at Saul who she’d met in Middlemarch since his family had a farm not far from the Rutherfords. She scanned the concern in his green eyes, his tousled black hair. They looked the same. In the past, she’d noticed, wondered, but she’d let it pass. Most of the residents of Middlemarch were descended from Scottish settlers. She’d decided it was the Celtic gene making itself known.
Not Celtic.
Not human.
Feline.
“I’ve got to go,” Marsh said. “Caroline, we’ll talk this evening. You know where the car keys are. You can leave, but I hope our marriage means something to you.”
“I can take the lunches and work in your place,” Saul offered.
Marsh hesitated. “No.” He glanced at Caroline. “Nothing has changed. I love you. I love our boys. Try to remember that.” After another searching glance, he picked up the lunches and left her with Saul.
“I can take over in the kitchen. Maria taught me how to cook, and I always help her when I visit.”
Caroline pushed to her feet and hugged herself, suddenly cold in the warm kitchen. Everyone living at Glenshee Station was a leopard. Everyone except Maria. She shuddered, her mind shying from the truth.
She’d never known, never suspected.
If anything, Marsh’s frequent absences at odd hours of the night had sent her down Affair Lane. Shapeshifters…never in a million years would sh
e have guessed.
“I’ll make a cup of coffee or would you prefer tea?” Saul’s brows rose as he waited.
“Coffee.”
Saul burst into action, proving that he was telling the truth about working with Maria. He had a cup of coffee and a chocolate chip cookie ready in minutes.
“Thanks.” She sat at the table and picked up the china mug, cradling it in her hands and letting the warmth seep into her frozen body. Her mind had gone numb. Shapeshifters. Her husband. Her sons. She had no idea what to do.
Saul took a seat at the table and munched on a cookie. “These are good. Did you make them?”
She nodded.
“I make excellent scones and pikelets.”
She sipped her coffee and nodded again.
“You could talk to Emily.”
“I’m making a macaroni bake with cheese, bacon and vegetables. I have minestrone soup and fresh bread plus sandwich fillings. Cookies and fruit to finish their lunch.”
“Sounds good. Dinner?” Saul picked up the change of conversation without a blink.
“Roast beef, Yorkshire pudding. Roast vegetables and gravy. Lemon meringue pie for dessert.”
“I’ll help with the vegetables once we finish our coffee. I see you’ve started. If we do extras, we can use them for breakfast.”
Caroline nodded and forced herself to still. She must resemble a nodding puppet. She finished her drink and stood, a part of her surprised her legs were holding her weight.
“Caroline.” Saul’s tone sounded sharp. “Are you okay?”
No, she wasn’t okay. Her entire world had shifted on its axis, and she didn’t know what to do, what to think, how she should react. She knew nothing.
* * * * *
Marsh had to force himself to stride from the homestead. He gripped the handles of the chiller-bags and willed his feline to settle. Caroline had acted terrified, horrified. Freaked.
He’d known it would be a shock, but he’d expected a calm discussion, not a wide-eyed, knife-wielding woman. And she didn’t even know the worst of it yet. The other night he’d marked her, claiming her as his mate. Neither of them would do well apart.
Her body had accepted the mark, his enzymes mixing with hers to promote healing. She felt something when he caressed the spot.
She was his mate and, damn it, they’d get past this.
He refused to think of any alternative.
Chapter Nine
Saul took control of the kitchen, and once Dara dropped the boys off from school, he shooed her out the door. In a daze, she directed the boys to the path winding past late-blooming roses, toward their home.
Her mind spun, going in endless circles of disbelief, unease. Shock. She thrust her hands in her pockets and seconds later, dragged them back out to fiddle with the strap of the bag containing the boys’ toys.
“Can we explore? The lake is down that road. Can we show you?” James asked.
“There are fish,” Ricky said.
“Sure. It’s a nice day. We’ll pack our afternoon tea and go for a walk.” She didn’t want to stay in the house. The fresh air might help her troubled thoughts. Why hadn’t Marsh told her? His parents…they must have laughed behind her back. No wonder they’d always treated her as an outsider, because that was exactly what she was—a human amongst a community of leopard shapeshifters. God, it was the stuff of fairy tales. Nightmares.
“Mum.” James tugged her sleeve.
“We’re home.”
She opened the door and pushed inside. “James, put your school stuff away and find a warm jacket to wear. I’ll help Ricky.”
She studied her eldest son. He didn’t appear bothered by watching a leopard burst into the kitchen or seeing Marsh transform…shift…whatever they called the change from human to animal. His lack of concern pushed another thought to the front of her mind. “Have you seen leopards before? Is that why you draw them?”
“Yes,” he whispered, his green gaze shooting to his feet.
“When? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I told Daddy. He said that they wouldn’t hurt me and not to tell you in case it made you worry.”
Anger pulsed in her then. He’d told James to lie.
James continued. “Daddy said he was gonna…going to tell you at the weekend. He said he’d ’plain everything.”
“I see.” She softened her crisp words with a smile. “It’s okay. Find your jacket. Come on, Ricky. Let’s hustle.”
“Hustle!” Ricky shouted and sprinted along the passage.
Caroline supervised Ricky, then grabbed an orange straw basket from her wardrobe. In the kitchen, she packed biscuits and bottles of water plus three apples she’d picked off the tree in their back garden.
The phone went when they were on the point of leaving. She picked it up.
“Caroline?”
“Yes.”
“It’s Isabella. I wondered how you’re getting on with my dress. The clothes you gave us to sell at the market before you left Middlemarch sold out in half an hour. It was a lucky day when you couldn’t fit them into your car. People didn’t even care that some of them were secondhand. I have a business proposition—”
“Are you a leopard?”
A startled silence met her question. She heard a soft intake of breath. “Did Marsh tell you?”
“One charged into the homestead kitchen this morning, and I grabbed a knife to defend myself.”
“I see.”
“Not me. I don’t understand anything.”
“It’s simple,” Isabella said. “You can walk away from Marsh, but he’s the same man you loved enough to marry. He’d never hurt you. I know because stuff like that gets around the Middlemarch grapevine.”
“But our children…”
“Are just like Marsh. You need to decide if you want to leave your sons—”
“They’re my children too,” Caroline snapped, incensed at the idea she’d walk away from her sons.
“Then, you’ve made your decision,” Isabella pointed out. “You need to talk with Marsh, tell him your fears, but the truth is there are far more dangerous people and creatures in the world to fear than us. Consider that, Caroline. Two human men stalked Lisa Jordan not long after the Middlemarch ball. Someone wanted to kill Tomasine. What I’m trying to say is that bad things happen in all parts of our society. Different isn’t a bad thing, but really, shifters aren’t that different to you. Ask Emily. Ask Tomasine about the Middlemarch shifters. Ask Maria. We all want love. We want a safe place to live with our families. Think about that. I’ll ring you again tomorrow. I still want to talk business. Remember, ring Emily if you need someone to confide in. Okay? She’s the perfect person to talk to because she’s been through this.”
Caroline nodded, then realized Isabella couldn’t see and gave verbal affirmation. “Thanks.” Something Isabella said registered. “Wait, my stuff sold?”
“Yes.” Isabella sounded smug. “I manned the stall since Emily was busy with the organizing part and answering questions. If you can make more clothes, I can sell them for you.”
“Maria and Cam are away on holiday at present. I haven’t even unpacked my sewing machine.”
“Well, if you get the urge, go for it. Talk to you tomorrow.” Isabella hung up.
Caroline stared at the phone for an instant before returning it to the charger. Isabella had given her the blunt truth, yet she felt better for having Marsh’s words confirmed.
“Mum, are we going?” James asked.
“Yes.”
“Where are you going?” a deep voice asked.
Caroline jumped, startled by her husband. They stared at each other for a long moment.
“To the lake,” Ricky shouted.
“Sounds like fun,” Marsh said without breaking their connection. “Can I come?”
Caroline nodded, finding the lump in her throat too big to push past a string of words. Thoughts and questions continued to whir through her head, but now wasn’t the time. “L
et me grab another drink and more cookies.”
The lake glittered a brilliant blue in the sunshine and filled part of a valley. A craggy hill with its steep faces exposed to the elements glinted under the sun. Marsh and the boys led her to a small sandy beach and several other families were enjoying the autumn sunshine and mild weather while it lasted.
Marsh peeled off his coat and handed it to her. “You can sit on this. I’m going to shift. Some of the others were playing in feline form and they shifted back when they smelled your approach.”
“I don’t smell.” Her chin jutted upward, and she glared at him.
He reached out to cup her face, but he halted the move and dropped his hand to his side. “We have better hearing than a human and our sense of smell is good. If I shift, the others will know it’s okay for them to play in cat form. They’ve been holding back for your sake.”
Heck. She’d had no idea. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“It’s all right. I intended to tell you this weekend.”
“What about sight? Is that better?”
“That too.”
She nodded and concentrated on spreading out Marsh’s jacket. Feeling the weight of a stare, she glanced up and saw they were the center of attention. Rumors had spread about her freak-out.
“Can we swim?” James asked, pointing to his friends.
“We don’t have togs or towels,” Caroline said.
“They don’t need them today. It’s not far home, and we can put them in the shower as soon as we get back,” Marsh said.
Caroline nodded since James and Ricky were casting envious gazes at their friends—all of whom were swimming naked. She could hardly deny them this. “Okay.”
“I’ll go in with them.” He eyed their sons. “I’ll go swimming with you, but no pulling my tail.”
Ricky giggled as he came to her to get undressed.
A few minutes later, they ran to the lake with Marsh loping at their side. Several other adults shifted to their cat forms and trotted toward the water to join in the fun.
My Estranged Lover (Middlemarch Shifters Book 5) Page 11
