Every muscle in Cain’s body was tight, “And you never saw him again, right?” his jaw was clenched. I shook my head.
“Just before Christmas he... he kidnapped me from the parking lot of the Tooth and Claw. That’s why Evan is so protective, well more so than usual,” I said willing myself to continue the story. I hadn’t even told Evan the rest, but something about Cain made me want to, need to tell him, I licked my lips and focused, “He brought me back to pack lands. I tried to escape every chance I got, but he’d force me to shift and my wolf.... She didn’t understand. She just wanted her mate. One of my escape attempts ended with me surrounded by the pack and in a challenge with the Alpha female.”
Cain’s eyes were wide and angry, but he let me continue, “I won,” I smirked, but I knew the smile didn’t reach my eyes, I told him about the trial, my fang, the death sentence and the whipping. It was all spilling out of me and I couldn’t stop it. I told him about Kendrick’s wolf asking for forgiveness and my mother’s tirade.
The growl in Cain’s chest got louder and his grip on me tightened, “The pack planned the mating ceremony. The alpha is, or was, I don’t know how he’s doing, on his deathbed. Kendrick couldn’t ascend to Alpha unmated. We did the ceremony. There was a pack run, Kendrick didn’t run with us. I was ambushed on the pack run by three enforcers,” Cain’s arms sprouted white fur, “I won. Kendrick was waiting at the pack house. When I got there, he sent me back here.”
Cain pressed his forehead to mine, and he took several slow deep breaths. His grip loosened and his hand wiped my face. I hadn’t realized I was crying, but I must have been.
“He comes near you, I’ll kill him,” Cain’s promise was low, and I had no doubt he meant it.
“I didn’t tell Evan about what happened back at the-”
“Your secrets are safe with me,” Cain promised his hands pulled me into him and he breathed in my scent, “You are safe with me.”
I felt safe with him, “I’m sorry about Lily,” I whispered to him and he buried his face in my neck.
We were sitting on the floor wrapped in each other’s arms, faces wet with tears from the grief of our mates. The dryer beeped and we adjusted. Cain helped me sort and fold the clothes. We weren’t sure what was Charlie versus Olly’s, but it was easy enough to separate their clothes from Cain’s and my own.
“If you’ll have me,” he said, “I’d like to help you and your strays.”
I looked over at him and smiled. He was folding the fitted sheet from the bed and like magic he made the elastic edges fold into a flat square. It was delightfully domestic, “I’d really like that.
“I’ll find a job and we can look for land,” he told me, “I have some savings between the two of us we should be able to make it work.”
“I think Holden Johnson could use a mechanic at his shop,” I told him, “He usually comes in with his wife for dinner Sunday nights, we can talk to him then.”
Once the laundry was folded and in neat stacks we went back. Evan had the kids put to work preparing the pub for lunch. Cain and I brought the laundry up the stairs and set the boys clothes on the couch and brought my basket to my room.
“How much land do you think we’ll need?” he asked me, “I can start scouting today. How many bedroom house would be ideal?”
His eagerness warmed my heart and I needed to wrap him in my arms again. He let me. He breathed my scent in deeply and my wolf sighed within me. My wolf was content inside me, and for the first time, I was content along with her.
“We’ll be able to get more land if we’re willing to build a house on our own,” I told him, “A few of our regulars have land they’ve passed down for generations. Most hardly use it outside of November. We might be able to get a good deal on it if we were willing to forgo shifting during hunting season.”
I wished I could pull the last words back into my mouth. Cain’s eyes flashed at the thought of hunters. I reached out feeling the need to touch him. He accepted my touch. And calmed down.
“I’m thinking three bedrooms to start,” Cain said, “with room to grow. That is unless, you’d rather have your own room.”
“Three sounds good,” my eye caught the clock on my bedside table, “I should get to work. Evan’s probably desperate for another adult in the pub.”
Cain chuckled, “Evan has my number, if you need me before I get back, he’ll call me, ok?”
“Have fun, Cain,” I told him, “I’m really glad you’re here.”
He kissed my forehead, “I can’t imagine being anywhere else in the world now that I’ve found you.”
62
Two years earlier
The entirety of downtown was turned into a festival. Booths boasting homemade pies competed with artisan soaps and crafts for the attention of tourists. None of this was outside of Easterville’s capabilities. In fact, festivals were commonplace. What was confusing me, was how I had no idea of the festival. I’d only been gone two days.
“Did you enjoy the trade show?” Evan asked leading me through the booths. Evan sent me down to Mainsbury for a restaurant trade show to scope out possible upgrades. Despite my arguing that he should have been the one to go, he argued that he hated people and I loved them. So, I went. It was fun, I learned a lot from vendors, but I wanted to be back in Easterville.
I was full on rubbernecking as we made our way to the makeshift midway. College students grouped together outside of the beer garden, playing carnival games. In the distance I could hear squeals of delight from the six rides.
“Don’t change the subject,” I argued back to Evan, “Why didn’t we bring out the airstream for this? There must be a thousand people here!”
I knew Evan hated working in the steel tube for festivals. But we had a small list of college kids we could call to work it.
“Well, I didn’t think it’d look too good for us to have our own booth for this,” Evan said directing me away from the beer garden toward the grandstand.
“What?” I asked. I was so confused, “I still don’t understand why I didn’t know about the festival. I’m on the town event committee.”
“Lee,” Evan groaned, stopping before we got to the grandstand, he wrapped his massive hands over my shoulders, “I need you to focus.”
“Focus...right.”
“We’re going to go in there,” Evan pointed to the entrance, “Something is going to happen. I need you to smile. Ok?”
My heart started to race, “Okay....”
“Good,” Evan smiled wrapping his arm over my shoulder. To an outsider, the gesture would look like two friends walking into the grandstand. From my perspective, I knew the tension in Evan’s arm. He wasn’t relaxing his arm over my shoulders; he was using it to cage me in.
“Evan, what’s going on?”
He didn’t say anything. We ascended the ramp and I had a view of the stage. A giant banner reading “Bionic Barmaid” and a thermometer filled in with red sharpie took over the majority of the stage.
“And now our guest of honor!” Louie Lark stood on the stage with the microphone, “Lee Fields!”
“Evan, what’s going on?” I asked, waving to the people I know with a forced smile.
“The town wanted to do something nice for you,” Evan whispered back, “When they came to ask me what you’d like, I remembered the catalogue of bionic arms under your bed. And one thing led to another.”
We were at the stage now.
I looked around, and behind and Dr. Douglas was in the front row.
“You got me a bionic arm?” I asked, so shocked my mouth could hardly form words.
Evan shook his head, motioning to the stands where almost all of Easterville was cheering. “We all did.”
“Here you go, Lee,” Louie said handing me a novelty sized check written out to Easterville’s Bionic Barmaid, “Dr. Douglas has assured us it was enough for a top of the line arm.”
Tears freely flowed down my face as one person after another wrapped their arms around me
.
“Speech! Speech! Speech!” the crowd started shouting. Louie handed the microphone.
I cradled it under my arm and wiped my face with my good hand before holding the mic in front of me, “I don’t know what to say. Truly. There aren’t enough words of gratitude or love to express what I feel for this town.”
“We love you Lee!” a voice shouted from the stands, I didn’t know who it was off hand, but a few more joined in shouting the same.
I laughed, “I love you too! Easterville wasn’t where I was born, but it’s the only place I’ve ever felt alive. This town is more than a place to live, it’s a family. It’s a place to thrive. I am unbelievably lucky for all of you over the years who have helped me. I hope to repay your kindness tenfold in the years to come.”
I handed Louie back the mic and wiped more tears from my face. Evan was standing in the wings of the stage. He gave me a thumbs up.
Millie Moon, the only full-time reporter for the Easterville Gazette snapped my picture and asked me for comment. Dr. Douglas came up and told me my appointment times for the new arm. The whole night was a whirlwind.
In three to six weeks I’d have a new arm. One that could theoretically hold the weight of four pints on a tray. The world was opening up to me in ways I never expected.
63
Present day
Evan didn’t comment on my tardiness. Charlie, Olly, and Ginger were all dressed in Tooth and Claw shirts and were hard at work filling salt and pepper containers. I walked back to the kitchen where Evan was prepping.
“I’ll get them out of the apartment soon,” I promised him, “Cain’s looking for land now. Evan, I can’t thank you enough for all your help.”
Evan looked at me, “I take it you two are getting along?”
“I know you can smell him all over me,” I said not bothering to play coy, “My wolf reacts to him the way she reacted to Kendrick.”
“Your wolf is socially retarded,” Evan reminded me, “She might just react to any male wolf like that.”
I shook my head, “It’s different. I can’t explain it.”
“I’m teasing you, Lee,” Evan said with a knowing smirk, “I’ve never seen you so...” he twirled his knife around as he searched for the word, “Happy. It’s sudden, but I’m not going to doubt it.”
“Where did you meet Cain?” I asked.
“One of the sows,” Evan explained, “The one who lives south of Mainsbury mentioned a rogue who lost his mate. You were howling every night and kept mentioning Kendrick, I figured it was close enough. She trusts him around our cubs so I figure he couldn’t be bad. She gave me his information and the rest is history.”
It always struck me odd the casual way he mentioned his children. Evan had sired more bear shifters than I think even he knew. But he never met them. It wasn’t the bear way. He didn’t seem upset about it, and I never asked about it.
“Thank you,” I told him again.
“You two seem close for having just met each other last night,” Evan noted. He’d turned his attention back to chopping onions.
“My wolf really likes him, his wolf really likes me,” I said, I could hear the dreaminess in my own voice, “he’s easy to talk to. I told him everything. About my first shift, about Kendrick, about what happened while I was...”
Evan stiffened at the mention of Kendrick’s name, but he forced himself to relax, “I had to get you black out drunk to hear the story of your first shift,” he was saying it jokingly but I could hear a bit of hurt in his voice.
“I should get the bar set up,” I told him walking over to the bar.
“I’ll help you however I can, Lee,” Evan told me, and I knew he meant it, “The kids are good kids. When Sarah gets in, I’ll ask her if she has any donation clothes Ginger can pick through. We can get them shopping in Mainsbury this weekend.”
I smiled at him, “Thank you, that sounds good.”
Olly and Charlie took to pub life quickly. They followed every direction. Olly was more friendly to customers, and Charlie was more fascinated with the kitchen. Ginger was terrified when the bar was open but seemed to find her peace after it closed and before it opened. She reminded me of myself when Earl first hired me.
The day flew by. The regulars commented on my demeanor. Duke went so far as to say I was glowing.
“Life’s good, Duke,” I told him resting my hand on his shoulder, “I got you in my pub, what could be better than that?”
Duke laughed, “If I was twenty years younger, Lee.”
I winked at him and brought his order back to the window.
Holden and Carol Johnson came into the pub and even though they sat in Sarah’s section, I insisted on taking the table.
“The bionic barmaid herself,” Carol said with a laugh, setting the menu down on the table. I don’t know why she always looked at the menu, she’d been ordering the same thing every Sunday since before I worked at the Tooth and Claw. “To what do we owe the honor?”
“Well, I was wondering if Holden was still looking for a mechanic,” I said not bothering to beat around the bush, “A friend of mine just moved to town and he’s looking for work.”
Holden laughed, “A friend, or a friend?” he winked at Carol, I felt the blush rise on my cheeks, but I didn’t have an answer for it, what was Cain to me, I only met him yesterday.
“Stop teasing her,” Carol scolded, “Send your friend around to the shop tomorrow, we’ll give him a trial run. What’s his name?”
“Thanks Carol, his name’s Cain Harris, I’ll send him over tomorrow.” I said, “The usual for you two?”
They nodded. I knew the rumor mill would be in full force by tomorrow morning. The Bionic Barmaid was asking for a favor for a friend, a male friend. This would be hot for the presses.
Cain came back just after the dinner rush with three blue folders. Sarah was handling the bar and the young wolves were starting to clean. I nodded Cain toward Earl’s table and he met me there.
“How was your day?” he asked me as he slid next to me in the booth. Our legs were pressed together the warmth of his body calmed me.
“Better now,” I told him meaning every word of it, “I talked to Holden, he says to come by the shop tomorrow morning and he’ll give you an interview. What are these?”
“Our options,” he said with a proud smile. We spent the next hour going over our finances and comparing them to the land for sale.
“Lottie’s coming over tonight, she’s a loan officer at a bank in Mainsbury, she thinks she can help us get a good interest rate,” Cain continued. The entire conversation had been us and we. It was a conversation between equals.
I rested my head on his shoulder. We’d found 250 acres just North of Easter Lake that was in our price range, it was close enough to town to have hook ups for city utilities, but far enough away that there was a safe space for our wolves to run. The house that once sat on the property had burned down and the owners didn’t want to rebuild. It was perfect.
Lottie came in around eight and brought her work computer. She was dressed in a suit and looked unrecognizable from the woman I’d met the night before.
“We could really do this,” I said going over the spreadsheet again. I looked over at Lottie whose fingers were stroking the pictures of the forest longingly, “You’d be welcome to run on any land we buy, Lottie.”
Her lips quirked, “I’ll take you up on that offer,” she pulled the computer back in front of her, “If you’re willing to put up your share in the pub as collateral, I can get you an even lower interest rate, but here’s what I can offer now.”
Cain looked at the number and shrugged, “I don’t know what that means,” he said honestly.
“It means we need to bring this to Molly Vail tomorrow and put an offer on the land,” I told him, “We’ll need bids from contractor-”
“Ed’s a licensed contractor,” Cain said, “He has a few lone wolves on his crew, I’ll talk to him first.”
“This is reall
y happening,” I said hearing the wonder in my voice.
“This is really happening.”
The next week flew by in a blur. Holden hired Cain on the spot, and he spent his days working in the shop. The kids were fast learners and helped Evan and I run the pub. In the evenings the five of us would run in our furs before returning to the pub to sleep. Cain curled me in close every night while the three young wolves slept in their furs on the couch piled together.
Once we had financing secure, we contacted Molly Vail with a low-ball offer on the 250-acre property. This was happening.
64
2 years earlier
“Where should I put this?” Evan asked, he was kind enough to carry the comically large check upstairs for me.
“No idea,” I said, spinning in a slow circle. Our living room was sparsely populated. Every couple weeks one or both of us comments we should get new furniture, but we never do. The couch was Earl’s couch. It had been my bed until he passed away. I don’t think either of us would get rid of it.
“I’ll stash it in your room then. You can figure it out,” Evan said going into my room. I followed him. Evan maneuvering the large check behind my headboard would provide mental comedy for weeks to come. He kept cursing under his breath when the check wouldn’t obey. Finally, he got it where he wanted it. He sat on my bed in an exhausted heap.
“I didn’t get the chance to thank you,” I said sitting on my bed next to him.
“I didn’t do anything,” he said.
“Bull shit,” I argued, patting his leg, with my prosthetic limb, “When I get my new arm, that’ll hurt. I’ll be ten times cooler than Jamie Sommers.”
Tooth and Claw (Kootenai Pack Book 1) Page 20
