by Marie Harte
Grady made ready to follow when Burke planted himself firmly in his path. “No, not now. Rachel Penny, Charlotte’s niece, is with Gerald in the house.”
Eyes wide, Grady sniffed at Burke and smiled, dropping onto his belly with a grin. “So that’s why I smell sex on you. You finally used the condom, eh?”
Burke swiped at his brother, swatting his flank with a sharp slap.
“What the hell was that for?” Grady glared and bared his teeth.
“Do I really need a reason? You’re a pain in the ass. How’s that?”
“Jerk.”
“Bastard.”
“Asshole.”
“Nice conversation. Mind if I join in?” Dean approached stealthily, his coat more cinnamon than his brothers’, who could have been twins in their beast form. His yellow eyes gleamed with humor. “So, Burke, you use that condom yet?”
Grady chuffed with mirth when Burke growled at his youngest brother.
“Not you, too. Look, Charlotte’s niece is at the house with Gerald, and I need to get back before I’m missed. Grady, take care of the security around here. I take it you two still haven’t found the totem?”
Dean twitched his ears in irritation. “Except for the wolves you two just chased off, there’s been nothing here since…Charlotte.” They all fell silent. “But the niece is finally here, hmm? What’s she like?”
“She’s a tough one, but I’m handling her.”
“Sure you are.” Grady’s eyes gleamed with amusement.
“Oh ho. So that’s the way of it. Was she any good?” Dean wanted to know.
Burke growled a warning before pouncing. He needed to get back to Rachel, but he’d about had it with his brothers’ insinuations and teasing. Time to remind them who was in charge.
Several minutes later, he released a cursing Dean and left an amused Grady to prowl the grounds. Loping back to his clothes, he hurriedly donned them and returned to the house just as Gerald and Rachel exited.
“Ah, Burke. There you are. We were just about to come find you.”
Ignoring the censure in Gerald’s tone, Burke nodded at Rachel. “You okay?”
Her eyes were red-rimmed and her cheeks pale. She nodded, however, and met his gaze. “It’s hard, but I’m managing. My aunt was a neat freak. So moving in should be a snap.”
Burke shot a surprised glance at Gerald, who shrugged behind Rachel. “You’re staying?”
Her lips thinned. “Yes. Is that going to be a problem?”
Thoughts about the totem slipped his mind as he realized Rachel staying gave him an opportunity to revisit their association from earlier this morning. He couldn’t help grinning as he stared at her from head to toe. “No problem at all. I’d be more than happy to help you settle in, Rachel.”
She blinked at his husky voice and took a step back in confusion. Good, he’d thrown her. Now how to lure her close again. He not only wanted to touch and taste every inch of her, but he wanted her away from this house for her own protection. And then there was that little matter of the totem’s whereabouts.
Rachel coughed into her hand, breaking the sudden silence. “I, ah, I think we need to continue, Gerald. You said you’d let us know how my aunt divided the property?”
Gerald nodded at Rachel and proceeded to explain Charlotte’s wishes.
Rachel gawked at Gerald, and Burke could only stare, not sure what to say. On the one hand, Charlotte’s decision made it easier for him to search for the totem. And on the other… He glanced at Rachel.
“You’re telling me Charlotte didn’t divide the property or set up any boundaries at all.” He waited for Gerald’s affirmation before continuing. “So basically, my brothers and I co-own the land with Rachel, but she retains sole ownership of the actual house?”
“Ah, not exactly.”
“Explain it then.” Burke didn’t like surprises, and Gerald’s ambiguity was pissing him off big time.
“Charlotte didn’t leave the land to all the Chastells. Just to you, Burke, and to Rachel.” Gerald dug into his briefcase and withdrew an official envelope. “This is for you, from Charlotte. And this one…” he paused to dig out another one, “…this one’s for you, Rachel. It’s supposed to explain everything. You are each to open the letters and hand them back to me when you’re done.” He produced a lighter. “Sorry, but she wanted me to burn the letters once you finished. Nothing says you can’t share the information you read with each other, however. I didn’t understand her wishes either, but per Charlotte, no one else reads your messages but you. And if you fail to abide by that minor instruction, the entire property goes to Monty GrayClaw or his descendants.”
“What?”
Gerald sighed. “Just read the damned letter and burn it, Burke. It’s easy enough to understand. Rachel, you okay with this?”
“Sure. I guess.” She gave Burke a wary look and turned her attention back to her envelope. Opening it, she read the letter, her frown growing as her eyes flew over the page.
Burke muttered under his breath about contrary females and did the same, thinking Charlotte’s grand, flowing script fit with the larger-than-life, autocratic woman who liked to boss him at every turn. Even in death she reached out to tell him what to do.
Dear Burke,
As the hotheaded leader of your pride, I expect nothing less than your very best in regards to my lovely niece, Rachel. You’ve been after my land for some time, and I know you only have the town’s best interests at heart. To that effect, I bequeath to you the care of the totem’s guardian and all that comes with her, with the exception of my house, which Rachel needs more than you can know. Of course, this is conditional on Rachel accepting you—truly accepting you.
She’s a Penny through and through, and needs a strong man by her side. It’s my deepest wish that you take her as a mate and as a wife, or if you refuse to see her coming as the gift it is, as at least a member of your pride. But make sure she fulfills her responsibilities to Cougar Falls. She was born to summon the totem. Stand by her as she learns what to do, and whatever you do, don’t desert her in her time of need. Be the strong male presence in her life I never had. And don’t even think of working around me on this. You’re not nearly as smart as you think you are. Help my niece and help yourself. Lead her, Burke, show her the way. All or nothing. And you and the town will find a treasure to preserve the past.
Sincerely, a pain in the ass ’til the end,
Charlotte
Glancing at Gerald, Burke wondered what the hell to make of this. “You know what it says?”
Gerald nodded. “I’m the only one. You finished?” He reached for the letter, taking it from Burke’s limp hand. In seconds the lighter he held burned the letter to ash, and they both turned their attention to Rachel.
Scowling, she gripped the page tighter as she finished, then reread her missive. “This is nuts.” She stared at Gerald. “You actually encouraged my aunt with this nonsense?”
“It’s not nonsense.” Gerald nodded to the letter. “Read it again until you’re sure you won’t forget what’s written there. I’m not allowed to assist you any more than I already have. From now on, if you have questions, Burke’s here to guide you with regards to the actual property and what’s in it.”
Burke didn’t know how the hell he was going to guide Rachel in anything considering he had no idea how to “call” the damned totem, or how to make the thing work. When Charlotte’s health had begun to fail, the totem’s magic had wavered, then weakened. And when she’d died, the magic and the large relic had vanished. A twenty-foot tall hunk of wood just…gone.
Now Charlotte implied Rachel was here to take over where she’d left off, hell, maybe even to be his wife, if Charlotte had her way, and Gerald, that asshole, had known about this the whole time.
“We’ve been without protection for a week.” Burke took a threatening step in Gerald’s direction. “If you knew, you should have—”
“I’ve done as I’ve been told. Now it’s up to yo
u and Rachel. Sink or swim, this town needs its defenses before the others step in. And I think you know who I’m talking about.” Gerald stared beyond Burke toward the woods.
Yeah, Gerald had smelled the wolves as well. The encroaching bastards. The gray wolves wanted the totem for themselves, not content with their large territory in Glacier National Park. The mangy canines wanted a better handhold on “civilization,” and the totem and Cougar Falls were a perfect breeding ground to start a new Order, one to rival the huge faction in Texas growing in leaps and bounds.
Rachel interrupted his chaotic thoughts. “Okay, I think I need some explanations, and I need them now.”
Gerald smiled, showing too many teeth. “And that’s my cue to leave.” He snatched the letter from Rachel, burned it and pocketed his lighter. Grabbing his briefcase, he swiftly said his goodbyes and left them standing together, alone at last.
Rachel blinked rapidly and shook her head. “This is like some bad dream. I inherited my aunt’s house with major strings attached. And what the hell is this totem, anyway? Gerald told me about a twenty-foot totem pole, but that letter said something way different. I want answers, Burke.”
She planted her hands on her hips, her attitude both aggressive and scared. He wanted to know exactly what Charlotte had written, and why it made Rachel so nervous.
“Tell me what your aunt said.”
“First, you tell me about this totem pole and why the town has festivals dedicated to it. And why were you fighting with mountain men just after breakfast? And while you’re at it, why are most of the men I’ve seen in town so…”
“So what?”
“So animalistic? Not to mention loaded with testosterone and weirdly good-looking genes.” She stared at him almost accusingly.
His brows rose. So did that mean she thought he was handsome as well? Even as he preened he chastised himself. The totem, Burke. Remember the town.
With a sigh, he grabbed his keys out of his pants pocket and tossed them in his hand. “You want the truth, is that it?” At her insistent nod, he exhaled heavily. “Fine. Maybe that’ll make everything clearer. But this is going to take a while. How about you and I grab some coffee at my place? I’ll behave, I promise.” He wanted to smile at the small frown of disappointment curling her lips, wondering if she realized it was there. “I’ll show you my neighboring land and introduce you to my idiot brothers if they’re home, and then we can figure out how to work with Charlotte’s last wishes so that we can both live with the results.”
She cocked her head, as if weighing his sincerity. Whatever she saw satisfied her, and the tension he hadn’t been aware of within him relaxed. “All right. Then you’ll take me back into town to get my car?”
“Whatever you want.” So long as I get you away from rogue wolves and away from here. Careful not to crowd her, as much as he wanted to, he waited while she carried her box back into the house and returned after locking the front door behind her. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that anyone who wanted in would find a way, if they hadn’t already. Hell, he and his brothers had already looked through the home and that box, but had found nothing of any consequence, much to their dismay.
Burke helped Rachel into his truck and closed the door after her. A strange enjoyment filled him at having her to himself again, and he drove the mile separating their properties slowly.
“So what do you do on your ranch?”
He glanced at her, appreciating the glint of sunlight striking her hair into a glossy blue-black. “We raise a small herd of cattle, mostly for food, as well as a large vegetable garden. Our family’s run the land for over two hundred years. We try to be self-sufficient, for the most part. But we generate much of our income from Chastell Tours, a fishing guide company Dean and Grady run. I operate the business end of it from the house.” He shrugged. “I’m not one for tourists and bigger towns. What about you?”
“Well, over a year ago I split from my business partner of three years. I’ve been involved in legal battles since.” Her lips turned down, and he saw bitterness in her gaze. “A real waste of my life.” Her business partner sounded like way more than some platonic associate. “Luckily, I was always the gifted one in our partnership. I run a small business, a promotions firm that specializes in web development and management.”
He nodded. “So you can do that anywhere, so long as you can get on the Internet.” No reason for her to leave Cougar Falls. His blood pounded at the thought.
“Yeah. Actually, this couldn’t have happened at a better time.”
He glanced at her and saw her flush.
“I didn’t mean that, at least, not the way it sounded. I loved Aunt Charlotte. Hell, I wish she was here right now and I was just visiting. But she’s gone, and I’m at loose ends. Aunt Charlotte would have said it was fate.”
Burke felt the ghostly whisper of destiny over the back of his neck. “You a big believer in fate?”
“No, actually.” She chuckled and leaned her head toward the window, the wind pushing through her dark hair like threading fingers. “I don’t like to think my future’s planned for me. I think we all make our own destinies.”
“Yeah, me too. But I’ve been told I have control issues.”
She turned to him and her grin lit her face, a beacon of warmth he wanted to bask in. “Who told you that?”
“Grady and Dean. The two most irritating men you’ve ever met in your life.”
“But, Burke, if they’re anything like you, I can’t imagine them being anything less than perfectly charming.”
He laughed. “Very funny. But you’ll see soon enough.” He pulled into his driveway and drove the half mile to the house. A large rancher, the house had plenty of room for his pride—what used to consist of nearly twenty Shifter pairings and the occasional loner, now down to three unattached catamount males, a bear Shifter with attitude and his pretty wife. Years ago, the town suffered when the totem fell under the gray wolves’ hands for a spell. Huge clan wars resulted in getting the totem back, but at a price. Many in the pride died, and the rest eventually scattered. Though saddened, his parents had said it was for the best, as many in the pride had been considering leaving anyway. Catamounts, traditionally, were solitary creatures. Typically, outside of one’s immediate family, a male feline Shifter felt the urge to claim his own territory. And unlike the wolves, cats weren’t pack animals; they didn’t much like to share. Burke and his brothers, however, didn’t fit the mold. They liked living together, with each other and with Joel and his family. They had no plans to separate, whether they mated or not.
Thoughts of mating had him glancing at Rachel, and he wondered how she would like living alone in Charlotte’s house.
Rachel whistled, shifting his focus. “Holy crap, this place is huge. And so pretty.”
He felt a burst of pride and parked, trying to see his house as she might. Built in sections, the main log cabin was surrounded by flowers and a small stream behind the house. Through the years, they’d added on to the house as needed, making the additions seamless. Now, thirty-four hundred square feet of space gave his pride enough room to roam without stepping all over one another, and the extra cabins near the main house gave them even more space.
“Who lives in those?” Rachel pointed to two of the six cabins visible over the hill on which the property sat.
“Joel and his wife, Maggie, live in that one. You saw them this morning in the Fox’s Henhouse. Joel was the big guy sitting at the table next to mine, and Maggie was the cute blonde, his wife. She’s the one who keeps the flowers so nice, while Joel works around the ranch with me. He’s big into the garden.”
“He’s a farmer?”
“Of sorts. He loves to eat, and makes sure we have what we need to survive.”
“Interesting. You sound like one of those survivalists or something.”
Or something. Before he could comment further, they exited the truck and were met by Dean coming off the porch. Crap.
Dean’s
eyes glowed with welcome, and he held out his hand with a wide grin. “Hey. Ms. Penny?”
“Word sure travels fast,” she murmured to Burke before taking Dean’s hand. “Call me Rachel.” Dean brought her palm to his lips, and to his relief, Burke sensed no arousal wafting off the woman. But when Dean refused to let her hand go, his eyes glued to Rachel as if she were his, Burke saw red.
Possession rode him, brother or not, and he growled low in his throat, warning Dean away from what he considered his. Rachel swung to face him, her mouth open in surprise, and that quickly, the sweet scent of desire overrode the little gathering.
“Shit.” Dean sucked in a breath, his golden eyes glowing as he struggled not to shift, his eyes and hands caught in the change. But he didn’t move away from Rachel fast enough to suit Burke.
“Mine.” Burke inserted himself between her and his brother. Glaring down into Dean’s gaze, he forced his brother to break away and turn fully human. Dean growled his displeasure but did as Burke bade.
“Excuse me?” Rachel’s voice sounded too husky for his peace of mind.
And then Grady turned the corner and froze as the wind changed, bringing Rachel’s scent to him. “So sweet.” Grady rumbled and moved closer. “So rich.”
“So mine,” Burke said again, needing to stake his claim. Hell, he wanted to fuck Rachel right now, to more than mark her, but to mate with her, so that his brothers and every other damned male would see who she belonged to.
“Mine?” Rachel, unfortunately, didn’t seem to be on the same track. “We are talking about something else and not me, aren’t we?”
His brothers turned as one to stare at her, and Burke shifted on his feet, trying to will away his growing erection and regain a measure of control. “Yeah. My brothers are really into my truck, always trying to take what isn’t theirs and isn’t going to be,” he tried warning more subtly.
