Love and Whiskers

by Olivia Myers

  “Do you want some hot chocolate, or coffee?” Krista held up a mug.

  “Coffee would be fine.” Leo thanked her when she set a cup in front of him and poured it fresh. “Sit down, Krista. We need to talk.”

  “About?” Krista asked, her hand tightening around the coffee pot handle.

  “You know what about. Sit down, please?”

  Sitting down, Krista set the pot on the table and gazed at him. “You’re not upset, are you?”

  “No, but we can’t pretend this didn’t happen, which means we need to actually talk about it.” Blowing out a sigh, he looked at her. “I’ve never really seen you as my sister. As far as I was concerned, you were the maid’s daughter. The girl who got dumped with my parents because your father couldn’t handle another kid. My parents raised you and loved you, but I barely remember you as a child. I know that’s not really a fair thing to say, but it made it so when I came back here, I saw you all grown up and you were a beautiful woman. I reacted like a man. A man grieving the loss of his parents and family. A man who knew you’d understand and relate to those feelings…and what I feel for you has never been brotherly.”

  “I can honestly say that while I think some of that might hurt my feelings if I took the time to think about it, I can relate a little bit. I’ve never seen you as my brother. I’ve always had a crush on you, found you attractive. You showing up here, like this, had me wishing for more than…I don’t know.” Krista shrugged. “I like what we did. I don’t regret it. I know in a small town, here, we’ll be judged if we went public at any point with our relationship.”

  “I wouldn’t be able to be in a long term relationship with someone and not be open about it.” Leo told her bluntly. “Which brings me to my next point. I was, and still am, in a relationship back home with another woman. We break up and get back together all the time. Right now we’re technically apart, but I owe her a face to face break-up. I also need to make decisions about my company. I had considered selling it to retire and take over the ranch. I’d be happy to buy you out if you didn’t want to stay here.”

  “Are you trying to get rid of me?” Krista asked him, shocked. She wasn’t sure if she was flattered by the offer, or offended.

  “Neither. I know living here can’t always have been easy for you, with assholes like Cory Boyd in town. I was going to offer you a way to start a life anywhere you wanted.” Leo put his hand over hers and searched her face while trying to find the right words. “I care about you, Krista. What we did here, I don’t know if it was a mistake, or something that was destined to happen between us. But we weren’t careful, and there could be consequences. Lifelong consequences.”

  “You mean pregnancy?” Krista asked him and tilted her head, being blunt. Her bluntness often got her in trouble, but in situations like this, it had a place.

  “Yes. I’d need to know if there was a pregnancy and what you plan on doing about it. I don’t think repeating what we did without taking precautions is a good idea. We played with fire once, and that’s all it takes.”

  “I’m aware of how babies are made,” Krista informed him, her tone acerbic. “I do work on a ranch and we breed plenty of animals.”

  “I didn’t mean to imply you didn’t,” Leo said and let out a sharp laugh that didn’t quite sound real. “I just meant…well…you know. Between us. Okay, I’m totally blowing this conversation. I just mean that between us, if we stayed involved long term, I’ve always wanted kids. But not like this, not today. I’d need to sort out my business, where I was going to stay, what to do about the ranch. I need to pick a woman to settle down with. I just don’t want you trapped here, either.”

  “Are you done?” Krista asked him. The urge to pull her hand away from him overwhelmed her, but she forced herself to stay put.

  “You’re angry?” Leo asked, sounding shocked.

  “Angry may not be the right word. But I don’t appreciate you cheapening the experience we had together, or diving into a panic. I’m on birth control, so relax. Do you really think me so irresponsible that I would have slept with you without taking precautions?” Krista was offended by the idea that he thought she’d be so careless and reckless with her body.

  “It’s not that, Krista. It’s just, in the heat of the moment, you turned my brain to mush. I would assume that you were caught up in the moment, too, so it might not have occurred to you, either. I also didn’t assume you were so sexually active that you were on something to prevent it.”

  “It’s not always to prevent pregnancy. Sometimes, it’s to regulate hormones.”

  “I’m sorry.” Leo gave her an apologetic look. “Maybe we should just start over.”

  “Maybe we should,” Krista muttered. “I’ve known your secrets my whole life—do you really think me so careless I couldn’t be trusted with something as simple as sex?”

  “No, I’m sorry, I just really didn’t think any of this through. My issue isn’t really the idea of a possible pregnancy from what we did, but more that I want to do it with you again. Soon. Now, even though this was the most uncomfortable, awkward conversation I think I’ve ever had in my life. I’m still thinking of you spread eagle and naked on the kitchen counters and all I want to do is bury myself inside of you again.” Leo rubbed his chin and then stood up and put his coffee cup in the sink abruptly.

  Krista watched him. She wanted to do it again, too.

  Leo continued, “I just can’t quite wrap my head around whatever is going on between us. Shifters mate for life, Krista. We can’t control our urges around our mates, and looking at you, I lose all sense of reason. This shouldn’t be right, but the only urge I really have is to claim you and never let you out of my sight again. It’s nerve wracking for me and I’m not handling my feelings well.”

  “Well, that makes more sense than you freaking out about something that’s not even an issue. You could have just asked.” Krista stood up, walked over to him, and put her arms around his waist. “Look, whatever is going on between us is mutual. I am not a shifter. I don’t have animal instincts, or whatever mate feelings you claim to have as a bear. But I know I feel something. Something strong, something that makes me want to spend Christmas with you and open presents under the tree. The thought of you leaving and going back to California has my heart breaking in half.”

  Leo looked down at her thoughtfully . “How about we spend the next couple of weeks together, and see how it goes over Christmas? We should see if we can get us out of each other’s system. If not, we’ll re-evaluate by New Year’s and talk more about what to do then.”

  “I’m game for that.” Krista put her head against his chest to listen to his heart beating. Despite her earlier agitation with him, right now holding him close felt right. She needed this, she needed him. Whatever chemistry the two of them had, it was instinctual for both of them. There was no fighting it, and Krista was tired of fighting about everything. She wanted life to be calm. For it to make sense. Nothing made sense to her anymore.

  ***

  “Krista, you did what?”

  Krista shushed Moira. She and her best friend had met at McGee’s Diner in town. Moira had a pile of wrapped presents to donate to Krista’s toy drive, but the ranch was so far out of the way that the two had decided to meet in town and make a coffee date out of it. Now, Krista was thinking they should have met somewhere more private. McGee’s was crowded, and she thought she even saw old Cory Boyd and some of his creepy friends a couple of tables over.

  Still, Krista had ended up spilling the beans to Moira about her adoptive brother and their amazing night together.

  “It’s not exactly what it seems. He’s a lot older than me and we never really lived together,” she said. “Whatever is going on between us has nothing to do with how we were raised. I feel so stupid. I think I’m falling in love with him; this chemistry between us is more than just sex. I don’t know what to do.” Krista waited for her best friend to judge her and tell her she was insane.

  “Well, o
n the surface, it’s going to freak soooo many people out, but since when did you care what people thought?” Moira crossed her arms and stared at her friend. “I’m a little shocked, I won’t lie—but I can almost understand it.”

  “Almost?” Krista asked and raised a brow. “See, even you don’t get it, and you’ve known me our whole lives.”

  “It’s not that, I’m just trying to understand what the two of you are willing to face. If whatever’s going on between you two turns into more than a Christmas fling. Are you sure it’s not just the stress of everything?” Moira sighed and took a sip of her coffee. “Honey, you know I love you, right? I support you. Even if I don’t always understand your decisions or logic. As long as it’s not illegal, you know I’ll have your back.”

  Krista lowered her voice, still afraid of people listening in, even though the diner was crowded. She could have sworn she saw Cory’s cold blue eyes lock on her. That man was so creepy. “I honestly wish we could just move away from here and start over. No one would ever know if we didn’t tell them, but here, everyone will know the truth.”

  “Have you asked him what his goals are when it comes to all of this?” Moira asked.

  “We’re waiting until Christmas is over, and then we’re talking to decide if we want to take it farther. The problem I’m having is the more time I spend with him, the more I fall in love with him.”

  “Well, he’s a good man, so I can understand the appeal…” Moira said and then shook her head. “This is completely out of my league of experience. You’re kind of on your own for this one, but I can listen, and you know I’m here for you.”

  “You don’t think we’re weird?” Krista asked. She knew Moira would be honest with her, even if it wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

  “I think the two of you are going to be in for a lot of challenges. Many people won’t accept it easily, especially people like old Boyd over there, at least not if you stay here on the ranch. I think if you want to be together, you need to start over like you said. Somewhere else where no one knows your history.” Moira shrugged. “If this is what your heart is telling you is real, then I think you should follow it. I’m not going to judge that his parents raised you. It’s not like he was really your brother.”

  “Thank you for that.”

  “Anytime. So, what are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know yet, but I hate the idea of moving away and losing you, too.” Krista wondered if she could start over somewhere else? Would it be the end of the world to sell her shares? Would Leo consider joining her, or would he stay for his family’s ranch?

  “I think that you have a lot on your plate, and you need to try to enjoy the holidays, and focus on your toy drive. You do not need to make any irrational or fast decisions without giving yourself time to heal and grieve,” Moira told her. “But, if you think this is real between you and Leo, you need to figure out what the two of you are going to do with that ranch.”

  “I know. I’d hate to see it fall apart.”

  Moira paused and twisted a strand of blond hair around her finger while she talked. “You know, my family has always liked your parents’ ranch. I know my dad was hoping if you and Leo decided to sell, you’d consider accepting an offer from him.”

  Moira’s parents owned the land off the east side of their ranch, and it was almost as big as theirs was. To get both ranches under one owner would make Moira’s dad the largest rancher in their small town. He’d have more social status than even old Cory Boyd.

  “I’ll mention it to Leo. What about you? Do you think Tom’s going to ask you out sometime soon?” Krista asked. Moira and Tom had been flirting with each other since high school, and Krista believed it was only a matter of time before he finally asked Moira out.

  “A girl can dream,” Moira giggled.

  “Yeah, I guess we can.”

  ***

  Christmas was only a couple of days away, and Texas had finally gotten the memo. It had even gotten chilly enough to use the fireplace, which was rare in Texas, as even in the winter it often hit above sixty during the afternoon. Leo had enjoyed being able to shift and run around freely on the ranch. He always had to be careful in California. It made him miss the ranch a lot.

  A few days had passed since Leo had returned. The more time he spent on the ranch and with Krista, the more he felt like selling his company back in California and retiring here. It felt right to be here in Texas with her. They’d made love in every room of the house, in the barn after organizing things for the toy drive, and even on the front porch. He couldn’t picture leaving her behind anymore. He wanted to stay with her.

  Finding her in the kitchen baking some cookies, he smiled. She had flour on her cheeks and even on her forehead. It stood out like snow against her dark skin and he walked up and kissed her.

  “Krista, Christmas is over, and I think it’s time we had that talk.” He watched her roll out the sugar cookies onto the pan.

  “Sure. Will you check the oven for me and make sure it’s getting hot?” she asked as she focused on preparing the trays.

  “Are these for me?” he asked and went to scoop up some dough from the bowl.

  She playfully slapped his hand away. “No, I’m making them for Moira. She wants to bring something over to Tom’s house, but you know she can’t bake. I figure I’ll make a few dozen extra to pass out at the toy drive. These are for other people, so stay away.”

  “I can’t even have one?” Leo asked with a pout.

  Krista laughed and pointed her rolling pin at him. “I might be able to save you a cookie or two, but you’ll have to be patient.”

  “Fine,” Leo said and then kissed her. “But on a more serious note, I’m leaving in a few days to go back to California. I wanted to talk to you about it so we had time to make plans.”

  “Yeah… about that.” Krista sighed and turned to face him for a minute. She took a breath to spew out what she wanted to tell him. “I want to sell the ranch and start over somewhere new, with you. I don’t think staying here will work long term if we want to be together.”

  Leo blinked at her in shock. That was not what he’d been expecting her to say. “Well, that’s…” Leo rubbed his cheek and looked at her. “I was planning on selling my business, my house in California, and taking over ranching full-time to be here with you.”

  “I see,” Krista said as she finished her cookies. She put them in the oven and pulled off her apron before turning to look at him. “Are you telling me you care about this ranch in particular? We could sell this place. Moira’s father wants to buy it.”

  “So what are you suggesting, exactly?” Leo wanted her to be more specific.

  “I think it would be best if we moved and started over. If we want any chance of a future together, without people like Boyd and his cronies judging us.” Krista walked over to the sink to wash her hands and rinse off her face. “I can’t stay here and be with you. I can’t handle the judgement. It’s already bad enough being adopted as a black woman in a predominately white town.”

  “So, you want to move to where?” Leo asked her, confused.

  “I don’t know, exactly. I know I don’t ask for much, but this is what I would want for us to have a chance to be together long term, if you’ll have me.”

  If he would have her—hell yes he would have her. “I was willing to leave my business and house in California to be with you. If you want to sell this ranch and start over somewhere new, it’s not really any different, I guess. Do you have any idea where you’d want to start over?” Leo had never felt emotional ties to this ranch the way some people held on to family legacies. He was perfectly fine creating his own, with Krista.

  “I was thinking maybe buying a ranch outside of Houston or San Antonio. If you didn’t want to sell your business, technology is booming there, too. Many of the tech companies are opening up offices there because it’s cheaper for their people than living in California.”

  He smiled. It sounded like she had done a l
ittle research over the last couple of weeks.

  She continued, “I wasn’t sure if you’d want to sell your company or remote travel. I didn’t know how you’d want to do it, but I know you need freedom to shift and roam as a bear.”

  “Find some properties, and show me what’s available. I’ll think about it.” He still needed to talk to his investors and see if any of them wanted to buy his company outright from him. He was the majority shareholder and CEO. He certainly didn’t need the money, but he was ready to let it go to someone else and focus on being a homebody. He’d done what he’d set out to do with his life. He proved that he could build something from the ground up on his own, and now he was ready to settle down.

  “Are you sure this is really what you want to do?” he asked, kissing her.

  “It is. If we are going to be together, we need to start fresh.” She smiled and touched his cheek. “I have faith in us working out. I don’t know why, I don’t know how, but I know that something between us is just right.”

  “I agree with you, which is why I’m open to everything you’re suggesting. I know growing up here didn’t really do you any favors, but you’re a tough cookie.” Leo kissed her again. “So, you figure out the details of selling the ranch to Moira’s dad, and I’ll sign the paperwork. I do have to go back to Cali to wrap up loose ends with the company, and give my ex a real break-up. I know we really haven’t talked about finances, but the ranch thing would basically be for me to retire. It wouldn’t be as a career, but I just can’t not work.”

  “I understand. I’m not very good at being idle, either.” Krista grinned at him. “I hope you know that I’m not really interested in your money?”

  “I wouldn’t think that; the thought never occurred to me.”

  “Well, given the fact you’re worth billions, if I was you, it would cross my mind. I would worry any woman interested in me might have some interest in my money, I don’t know. I just wanted to be clear that it isn’t part of your appeal for me. In fact, I find you being that rich sort of overwhelming as a concept.” She laughed. “Hey, I was just thinking about something. Since we’ve known each other for a long time, if we do move and start over, we have to have some kind of history that makes sense if people ask.”