She hadn’t come to this decision easily, but it was still going to be the most difficult thing she’d ever done, and she hoped that when it was over, Tim wouldn’t hate her. The situation wasn’t entirely her fault, she knew that, but ultimately, she would be the one responsible for his broken heart.
When she finally saw him coming down the road, the sun setting in the mountains behind him, she wished again that it could have been different, that she could have loved him. He was a handsome man, the kind of man most of her friends would have been thrilled to marry, but she’d never be able to see him as anything but the good friend he was, and they both deserved more.
Her stomach full of knots, she watched the smile blossom on his face as he got closer. “Are you feeling better?” he asked clearly nervous.
“Yes, thank you,” she said, just as nervous. “I’m sorry about the way I just jumped up and left, but, well, I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.”
Tim nodded. “I guess we need to talk,” he said, then fell silent.
Lynette paused, searching her mind for the speech she’d so carefully planned, but couldn’t remember a single word. “Tim, I...” she started, then fell silent again when she looked into his eyes, which were full of pain. “I’m sorry, Tim, I never meant for this to happen. I kept thinking that someday I’d feel the same way you do, but...”
He searched her eyes, then his shoulders fell. “I wish it could be different between us, but if you’re sure this is what you want...”
Lynette could barely stand the pain she heard in his voice. “I hope we’ll always be friends. I can’t imagine my life without you.”
Tim studied her for a second, but didn’t reply; instead, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. His lips were warm and soft, and she should have been thrilled to be kissed the way he was kissing her, but she felt nothing. When the kiss ended, she gently untangled herself from his arms and stepped back.
He shrugged his shoulders and said, “I had to try, but I can see that the most I can ever hope for is to be your friend. I’m just not sure I’m capable of that right now. Maybe someday, but right now I need some space.”
Lynette watched him walk away, her heart aching, all her doubts surfacing as she watched him disappear over the hill. When he was out of sight, she turned for home, tears welling in her eyes as the finality of what she’d just done sank in. She’d just lost her best friend, the one person in her life that she’d told everything, and it felt like she had a giant hole in her heart.
Her parents were sitting in the living room when she came through the door, but she didn’t stop: couldn’t. Instead, she climbed the stairs and went to her room, collapsed on the bed, and let the tears come, sobbing out her hurt and confusion into her pillow. But it wasn’t long before she heard her bedroom door open and knew that they were both there.
“Your mother made us some cocoa,” her father said, taking the chair next to the window.
She felt her mother sit down on the bed next to her, and sat up, wiping away the tears with the back of her hand. “I didn’t think it would hurt that much,” she said.
“You haven’t changed your mind, have you?” her father asked hopefully.
Lynette shook her head. “No, I haven’t,” she said without even thinking. “I just hope I haven’t destroyed the best friendship I’ve ever had.”
“Tim has always been a part of your life,” her mother said. “That’s not going to change, but you’re going to have to give him time to get used to this new arrangement.”
“Do you think he will?” she asked. “I think I really hurt him tonight.”
Her mother nodded. “Time has a way of healing, but don’t expect it to happen overnight,” her mother said, getting up from the bed and handing out mugs of steaming cocoa.
She took her mug from her mother, then looked over at her father. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I know you think I’m doing the wrong thing, but I could never love him the way I should.”
“It’s probably our fault for trying to interfere,” her father said, looking over at her mother. “But it worked so well for us, and we just thought that you and Tim would be as happy as we’ve been.”
“We were wrong,” her mother said, “and for that, we’re both sorry. We should have put a stop to the engagement a long time ago.”
“Tomorrow, I’ll make a formal announcement,” her father said. “It’s not going to be easy for Tim, but it has to be done.”
Hearing the words come out of his mouth made it that much more real, and for second, she was frightened, but the feeling was quickly replaced by anticipation. Tomorrow, an entirely new chapter of her life would begin, and if she were lucky, she’d find a love that would make her life in Serendipity all she needed.
Chapter Three
***Derek***
They’d been on the road since early that morning, and Derek was fighting the urge to stop for the night earlier than he’d planned, his lack of sleep weighing heavily on him now that they were safely away from his mother and Reverend Roscoe. Sam was asleep in the back seat, and Gus was staring out the window watching the countryside rush by.
He’d been thinking a lot about his dad, mourning him all over again as the miles flew by and he got farther from the only place he’d ever called home. Gus had said little since they’d left his house, but he could tell that the old man was excited to be off on an adventure, possibly his last. That thought made him sad, but he couldn’t deny that it had been a relief when Gus had refused to be talked out of coming.
“Gus,” he said, breaking the silence that had fallen over the car for the last hundred miles. “Why did my dad marry my mother?”
He hadn’t meant to blurt out the question, but it had been preying on his mind for miles. Gus turned and looked at him. “I’ve been waiting for you to ask, trying to find the best way to put this, but there’s no easy way to say it. We were so young, so stupid, so full of ourselves, sure that nothing could bring us down.”
“You’re trying to tell me that I was a mistake,” Derek said, voicing for the first time what he’d known was true his entire life. “My mother always said that my dad ruined her life, took her health and her youth from her.”
Gus shook his head. “Your mother was just as much to blame as your father was; if she hadn’t run away from home that night, it never would have happened,” he said. “I was with Carter the night he found her soaking wet hiding in his parents’ barn.”
Derek took his eyes off the road for just a second to look at Gus. “I’ve never heard this story,” he said.
“No, I guess you wouldn’t have, but I think it’s time you heard it,” Gus said, turning in the seat to look directly at Derek. “When we found your mom that night, she was wet and sobbing, angry at her father, and a little angry at the world, I think. Her father was forcing her to marry a man she didn’t love, a man far older than her, but with a high position in the church they belonged to.”
“So, she ran away,” Derek said.
Gus nodded. “Your father offered to take her home, but she refused,” he said, then fell silent. “I don’t know what happened that night, I left shortly after that, and the next morning, your father refused to talk about her. But a few months later, they were getting married, and then you were born. It nearly killed your mother to give birth to you, and she never forgave your father—has hated shifters since then.”
“But I’m a shifter,” Derek said, then heard his own words. “And she’s been trying to change that since the day I was born.”
There was silence in the car then, Gus understanding that Derek finally understood why his life had turned out the way it had. Finally, he said, “If your father hadn’t been killed, I’m sure things would have been different. For years, I watched you, looking for a way in, but it never appeared, and when you got married, I just assumed that everything was fine.”
“It’s not your fault, Gus,” Derek said, his brain too full for any more. “I should have stood up for myself from the
very beginning; I should never have married Prudence.”
Gus reached out and put his hand on Derek’s arm. “You’re just like your father: always doing what everyone tells you is the right thing,” he said, then turned back to the window.
Derek no longer had the strength to resist the urge to pull over for the night, his brain clouded with all that Gus had said, so he stopped in the next town and got them a room for the night. All he wanted was a hot shower and bed, but Sam was bursting with energy, and he knew that no one would sleep until he’d burned some of it off.
“Looks like someone needs to work off some energy,” Gus said, trying not to laugh when Sam started jumping from one bed to the other.
Derek sighed. “I shouldn’t have let him sleep so much in the truck,” he said, sinking into a chair and not even bothering to stop Sam.
“Tell you what,” Gus said, putting out a hand to stop Sam and get his attention. “I saw a little park down the street. Sam and I could go down there for a while, work off a little of this energy. I could use the walk anyway. My joints get a little stiff if I just sit.”
Sam let out a whoop. “Can we, Dad? Please?”
If Gus had been a woman, he would have kissed him. “Are you sure?” he asked. “Sam can be a bit of a handful.”
Gus looked over at Sam, who tried to look innocent, but there was mischief in his eyes. “I’ll be good. I promise,” he said.
“Sam and I will be just fine,” Gus said. “I’ve dealt with wild ones before, or have you forgotten that you used to get that same look on your face? Go take a shower and rest. We’ll go find some dinner when we get back.”
That sounded so good to Derek that he didn’t question Gus again. “Okay then, have fun you two,” he said, collapsing onto the bed, and closing his eyes.
***Lynette***
A knock on the door awoke Lynette the next morning. “Good morning,” her mom called through the door. “Are you awake?”
“Come in, Mom,” she called, sitting up and wiping the sleep out of her eyes.
The door opened, and her mom came through carrying a tray piled high with food. “I thought we could have breakfast together like we used to,” she said, setting down the tray and looking at Lynette.
Lynette grinned, pleased with the idea. “You spoil me,” she said.
Her mother waved her hand in the air. “It’s been ages since we did this,” she said, then added, “and I wanted to talk to you.”
She didn’t like the sound of that, but her father wasn’t there, so it couldn’t be bad news. “Okay,” she said, getting out of bed and opening the sliding doors to the balcony and following her mother outside.
She watched as her mother filled both their plates, then filled two cups with hot cocoa. “When you were little, I always made you this. You always thought it was such a treat to have it for breakfast,” her mother said, handing her the mug.
Lynette smiled at her mother. “It was the best part of breakfast, that and having you to myself for just a little while.”
Her mother frowned. “I’m sorry we didn’t have more time together when you were growing up, but Serendipity is a busy and demanding place,” she said.
“It’s okay, Mom. You’ve always been there when I needed you,” Lynette said, reaching out and covering her mother’s hand with her own.
“And I always will be,” her mother said, smiling at her.
They ate in silence for a while, then her mother set down her fork. “Lynette, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about now that you’re not engaged to Tim,” she said.
Lynette felt her face get red. “Mom, are you going to talk to me about sex?”
Her mother nodded. “We’ve never had this talk, and I think we should. You’re innocent, Lynette, and I don’t want to see someone take advantage of that innocence.”
“Mom, I’m twenty-five years old. I think I can handle dating,” she said, her face getting redder. “It’s not like I’m going to run out and have sex with the first guy that asks me out.”
“I never in a million years thought that’s what you would do, but men can be tricky. They can convince you of lots of things just to get what they want,” her mother said. “Just remember a man worth having is worth waiting for. Don’t let anyone pressure you into something you don’t want to do.”
“Thanks, Mom. I’ll remember that,” she said, knowing that her mother was giving her good advice. “But I’m not going to rush into anything; I just want to enjoy my freedom for a while.”
“Hopefully not for too long,” her mother said. “I’m not getting any younger and I’d like some grandkids before I die.”
Lynette made a face at her but couldn’t hold it for long. “Okay, Mom. I’ll see what I can do about falling in love as soon as I can,” she said.
“Good; now let’s talk about something else,” her mother said. “How are those new spells coming?”
The next morning, her mother didn’t bring breakfast to her room, so she crawled out of bed and headed down to the kitchen. She’d no sooner sat down than the doorbell rang. Her father looked over the top of his paper at her. “I’m sure that’s for you,” he said.
“I don’t know anyone who’d show up this early,” she said, but got up and went to the door.
When she opened it, there was a man standing there. “Can I help you?” she asked.
“Hi, my name is Matt, and I was hoping you’d agree to go out with me tonight,” he said, holding out his hand.
She was so shocked, she just stood there staring at his hand, speechless. “I’m sorry to come over so early, but a lot of the guys have been talking about asking you out,” Matt blurted out.
Lynette had known that her father was going to make a formal announcement the day before about her engagement to Tim, but she hadn’t expected this kind of reaction. Knowing that it would be embarrassing to be there, she’d ridden her horse high into the mountains and not come home until dinner time. Now she wondered if she should have been there after all.
“Umm, thanks for the offer,” she finally managed to stammer, “but I’m not really planning to date right now. I need to take some time for myself.”
Matt looked so disappointed, she almost changed her mind, but then she remembered her mother’s words. “Well, okay then,” he finally said. “But don’t forget that I asked you first.”
She had to get up from the breakfast table three times before she finally wrote a curt note explaining that she wasn’t dating and taped it to the front door. Neither of her parents said a word the entire time, but she could see the smiles on their faces. Her appetite gone; she left the breakfast table feeling frustrated that her freedom had been so short-lived.
Now, she was afraid to go outside and wondered just how many single men there were in Serendipity—something she’d never considered before. The doorbell rang several more times while she was getting dressed, and by the last time he had to get up to answer the door, her father’s patience was gone.
“Lynette,” he yelled up the stairs, making her grimace when she heard the tone in his voice.
She came out of her room and looked down the stairs at him. “Yes, Daddy?” she asked, trying to look innocent.
“This has to stop,” he said. “I want you to get yourself down to the lodge and announce that we’ll be having a party next Saturday night, and that until then, you want to be left alone. Anyone who violates that wish won’t be welcome at the party. Do I make myself clear?”
Lynette nodded, dreading going to the lodge, but knew that her father was right. “Okay, Daddy. I’m almost ready, and then I’ll go,” she said, suddenly not so sure she liked her newly single status.
Chapter Four
***Derek***
Derek pulled the truck into a parking space and looked over at the building, not sure that they were in the right place. “I don’t know, Gus; this doesn’t look right. A lot could have changed in twenty years,” he said.
It had taken them three days to ge
t to Leadville, and now that they were there, he was suddenly nervous about what they might find. All kinds of wild thoughts had been crowding his head as they drove up the winding mountain roads, but none of them had them ending up at a real estate office.
“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” Gus said, opening his door. “Are you coming?”
“I am,” Sam said, unhooking his seat belt.
“Okay, we’ll all go,” Derek said.
The door opened onto a small reception area where a young woman was sitting. “Hello, how can I help you?” she asked when she saw them.
“Well, I’m not sure,” Derek said, looking over at Gus.
He pulled the business card out of his wallet and handed it to the woman. “My father left this for me. Your address is on the back,” he said, watching as she turned over the card.
She looked up at him and asked, “How long have you had this?”
Gus cleared his throat and said, “He gave it to me twenty years ago, but I just gave it to Derek a few days ago.”
“I see,” the woman said, then got up from the desk. “Will you excuse me for a moment, please?”
When she’d disappeared into what must have been an office through a door behind her, Derek looked over at Gus, who shrugged and went over to a chair and sat down. She was back only a few minutes later, an old black ledger in her hands.
“Sorry about that; we haven’t got all our records on the computer yet,” she said, sitting down at the desk again. “Now what did you say your father’s name was?”
He looked back at Gus. “Go on; tell her,” he said.
“Umm, Carter Coleman,” he said.
The woman flipped through the pages and then looked up at him. “And you are?”
Daddy Wolves of the Wild Prequel Page 2
