“I don’t want to leave my home if you don’t mind.” Bella told him it wasn’t safe for him to be there. “No. I know that now. But you two, you could live there with me. I know you both have homes that you live in. But this, you living with me in the big house, would help me. Honestly? Leaving home for anything anymore scares the buggers out of me. But I feel safest there. With my things and things that are familiar to me.”
Bella looked at Dean, and he told her, whatever you want, I’m there for you. “Dad, we’d have to talk about this first. Dean and I. I mean, I don’t have a very big house, barely the size of one of the rooms in your house. But I don’t think I can live there with Hunter. He’s trouble.”
“He’s not going to live there. Not anymore. I think he’s done enough, and a grown man that has no thought of living there to help me needs to be out on his own anyway. It’ll be different with the two of you. I know that you’d not be taking advantage of me. Even when I’m having a bad day.” Fletcher smiled at Dean. “You were telling me about your house. I don’t remember a great deal about what we talked about, but I remember thinking how proud you were of what you were doing. You could still do that and live with me. It’s close enough to your brothers and grandda that you’d not be too far away to see them when you wanted.”
“Fletcher, right now, all we want to do is to make sure that you will be safe wherever you are. If that means you at home, then we’ll work it out. If it means more care than we can give you, then we’ll get help. Nothing nor anyone is going to harm you again. We’ll both see to that.” Fletcher pulled him to him for a tight hug. While he didn’t cry like he had the other times he’d hugged him, Dean knew that he was close. “I know, Fletcher. I know you’re having a hard time with this. I know that I would be as well. I don’t want you to ever think that we’re not going to take every decision that needs to be made seriously. I want you as safe as Bella does.”
“I know you do. I know that.” He seemed to get ahold of himself again and leaned back in the chair. “You two, you are just what I needed. I was so afraid that if I were to have a breakdown in front of Hunter, he’d toss me out of—well, I was going to say the house, but he’d toss me to the side of the road too. That was my every waking moment worry.”
“You don’t have to worry about that anymore, Dad. We got you on this.” All the paperwork that gave Dean and Bella his power of attorney was looked over by all of them. Some of it seemed a little farfetched to him, like how much money Fletcher was going to spend on clothing each month. That included dry cleaning too. But whatever it took to help the man out was fine by him.
“This is the paperwork on the other three businesses that Fletcher owns. When he and I spoke yesterday on the subject, he thought that Dean would make a great company leader for them. One of them is a second hand food company. They make deals with other dealers on things such as food items that just aren’t good enough for a grocery chain, and then Fletcher sells them or donates the food to shelters—women’s shelters, as well as places like soup kitchens and the like.” Dean asked why he’d be picked; he wasn’t even family. “I asked him the same thing, Dean, and he said that you were family to him. The second business he owns but does not run unless they need him to. The place is called the Work Shop. The people there are trained in job skills, from answering the phone properly to filling out orders for people or places. It’s a second or third chance for these people, and they get paid a wage while they learn. Along with that is a place that takes donated clothing items. It’s called Second Chance Clothing. Not like baby clothing or toys for a baby, but adult clothing that can be cleaned and fitted to someone that needs to go to a job interview. The place owns and operates a dry cleaning shop that helps with some of the overhead, but all in all, these three places are to help the community get back up on their feet.”
“I love those ideas. My grandda and I were just talking about getting something like this, only with food for people that could use a hand up. Grandda was also talking about cars that could be donated and worked on. It might help some of the elderly women who are alone now to be able to change a tire, he told me just yesterday, as well as put a little wiper fluid in the reserve.” Fletcher told him that was another excellent idea. “As much as I’d like to take credit for it, it’s on my grandda. He loves being useful. With him working as a bag boy at the local grocery, he said that he’s finding out all kinds of things. Some of them not so good.”
“I can well imagine. You should ask him to help you with these projects. You might just find out that he has a lot more ideas to help us old folks.” Dean was warming to the idea, but he didn’t know if he should do it. “If you don’t take it, Dean—the job, I mean—then some committee will come in and take over, and there will only be one thing they want to do for the townspeople, and that’s to take away their dignity and money.”
It wasn’t a hard decision to make after that. “I’ll do it for you. But I expect for you to be there when you can to make sure that things are going on the way you wished them to when you started these projects.” Fletcher said that he would. He even looked a little happier about having to make these kinds of choices. “Also, if you really don’t mind, I’d like for my grandda to have some say in what goes on there. As you said, he probably has all sorts of ideas on how to make senior living more comfortable.”
“He would. He’s a hoot, that Sheppard.” Fletcher laughed again. “I have to tell you, I’ve not felt this good in a long time. A very long time. I’ve been so worried about Hunter throwing me out of the house or to the curb. He didn’t treat me well when he lived at the house with me. You two, it would be nice if you were to move in with me and help me around the house.”
They would have to get used to Fletcher repeating things a great deal, the doctor told them. He and Bella were going to take some classes on how to recognize some of the traits that would make them aware of an impending episode. Dementia was difficult, to begin with, but having the vascular type made it twice as bad. They had to be careful of Fletcher having a stroke, or worse, dying.
After all the paperwork was taken care of and things were settled up, Bella called in an order, steak dinner, to have delivered to the room they were in. They were still running tests on Fletcher, and he wasn’t supposed to leave just yet. But they were going to celebrate, and having a nice meal brought to them wasn’t out of the question. Besides, Dean thought, it was nice to be able to have a nice meal with the older man and get to know him a little better.
After everything was finished—there was chocolate pie for dessert—Bella walked her dad back to his room, and Dean cleaned up. He knew there were a few more things that Bella wanted to talk to her dad about, mostly Hunter, and there was nothing he wanted to add to it that Bella and he hadn’t already discussed. The first and foremost thing was getting Hunter into jail.
When she came back, a little tender about leaving her dad, Dean held her hand as they exited the building.
“I asked Dad if I could make it so that Hunter could only visit with him with another person in the room. It scares me to no end that he was going to hit him that day.” Dean said Fletcher acted like he’d been used to getting hit too. “I hadn’t noticed that part until you pointed it out. But Dad did tense up waiting for the hit. Like he knew that fighting with Hunter wouldn’t work or something. I’m glad that Dad is safe.”
“I am as well. Not just safe, but getting really good care whiles he’s here. Those cuts on his feet startled me for a bit, Bella. Like he’d gone outside without his shoes on and walked around for a while. I know that the doctor told us that it was normal for them to forget things like that, but it really hit home to me how much we’re going to need to watch him.” Bella asked if he thought it was going to be too much. “No, I didn’t mean that. I just meant that we can’t assume anything from now on. The good thing is that all my family has tasted a bit of his blood, so if he were to get lost, we could find him a good deal fa
ster than most could.”
“Yes, even Harris thought that it was a good idea. She said that it would be more secure than any kind of monitor that some of those people in the home that we looked at wore. I know that sometimes he’ll be more than we can care for on our own, but I’d like to make sure that we can keep him home as long as we can.” Dean hugged her when she looked up at him. “Grandda and Dad are going to try and play chess too. Your grandda convinced me that I need to call him what Harris does. He said that when the rest of the women come to his boys, he called you, then they’d get the hint that he was their grandda too.”
“Grandda is a little slick about getting things that he wants. Not even the least bit backward about telling you about it either.” Bella said she’d noticed that as well. “I love that old man. We thought for sure we were going to find him out by Grandma’s grave one day. He’d just go out there and sit until it was time to come home again. Harris got his ass all fired up, he told me.”
“Yes, well, he told me that she nearly pulled a gun on him, she was so mad that he wasn’t getting on with life. I guess she told him that if she came home again and he was still sitting there, she was going to dig him a hole and roll him in it.” Bella laughed. “That doesn’t surprise me in the least about her. She does have a sort of shit or get off the pot way about her.”
“She does. Don’t tell her I told you this, but I’m terrified of her. I think we all are except Grandda.” Bella asked about Shep. “Oh, I think he’s more afraid of her than any of us even. You ever notice that when she looks at him after a question is put out there, he nods like his head is on a rocker, and Harris controls it? I’m betting that they had a little conversation about how the money was theirs too. Sort of like the one you had with me.”
“Well, it’s just stupid for you to think that you need to come to me for everything you need. Christ, do you want me to come check with you every time I have to buy tampons or something?” He told her no, he’d rather she didn’t. “Good. But you don’t have to come to me for shit like that either. Before I forget, we both need a car. I know you have a truck to drive to the project house and back, but I’m worried about you when the snow comes. You need something safer.”
Once they were in the car, they talked about living with her dad. It was fine with him wherever they lived so long as, like Fletcher had pointed out, he could see his family when he wanted.
“I have a house. It’s very small—I bought it when I turned eighteen. While I don’t live there very much anymore, I do sleep there on occasion. Your house is in flux right now with all the things you have going on. Also, if you do add on more rooms to the place, that is going to be messy, especially with winter just around the corner. Living with Dad and helping him out will save me a lot of driving time too since my plant is not as far from his house as it is mine.” Dean asked her about Fletcher Lawn. “I’m not sure yet. It would be nice to have the extra room for storage in the spring for new trees and plants. It’s about seventy five acres, and it has a nice greenhouse—well, it did—on the back part of the land. I think it would be nice for just that alone. Also, I’ve been thinking that I need to buy trucks for the employees to use. They use their own cars and such now, and it not only costs me for mileage, but all those cars on a site clog up the street, not to mention having to have things brought out to the site to plant or use.”
By the time they were pulling into her dad’s place, they’d made the decision that this house would be easier all the way around. Not just for them, but the doctor had explained to them that anything familiar for Fletcher to have around him would help him settle in better.
Dean loved the house they would be staying in. It was huge, too big for the two of them, he thought. Not as big as Shep and Harris’s home, but almost. The big double door entrance just felt welcoming to him. Then there was the library and computer room that he thought he could make good use of. Bella had told him just this morning that he could claim that office, and she’d be happy. She wanted her mother’s old office, as it had a solarium in it that she loved having right outside her office.
Dean was in his office, going over some of the orders that he had coming in soon when his phone rang. He knew that it wasn’t family—they’d just use their link. But it came up as unknown, and that bothered him enough to not answer it. Whoever it was, they’d leave him a message or not. But if they wanted money, his time, or his mate, then they’d have to figure out something else.
He was leaning over his paperwork when it rang again. Same unknown. Turning it to voice mail, he watched his phone. He’d never had a cell phone—there hadn’t really been much use for any of them to have one—but since he and Bella had so many other things going on, they’d decided they’d be better off with them.
This time the person left a voice mail. Getting to the mail was tricky to him, but he finally got it open. Before he could figure out the volume on the sucker, Hunter started screaming at him to answer his fucking phone. However, Dean thought that Hunter was screaming at his sister and not him. Dean laughed when the phone rang again after the short but very rude voicemail was finished. Dean let it go to voice mail again.
This went on for a total of ten times before Hunter left another message. This time, he could hear his voice straining to be calm. It wasn’t working, but Dean thought he’d give him an A for effort.
“Why have the police come onto my property and taken away my equipment, Bella? We had this discussion, and the business and land belong to me now. You will either call me back, or I’m going to hunt you down and beat answers from you. You had no right to—”
His message ended. Laughing harder than he probably should have at Hunter, he let the phone ring again, but this time he answered it. Hunter was speechless when he answered it with his name.
“Where is Bella? I want to talk to her.” Dean said that he had him for now. “You don’t mean shit to me, Deannie boy, so put my sister on the phone, or so help me, I’m going to beat the living—”
Hanging up on Hunter made him laugh again. Bella must have heard him and came into the office with him. As he was explaining to her about the calls and what Hunter had said, he called again.
“Answer it, but put it on speaker. But don’t tell him that I’m here. I’ve got that recorder thing that Ricky told me to pick up. I’ll record it, you talk to him. Remember, be calm.”
Nodding, he said his name again when he answered.
“You fucking hung up on me.” Dean told him that he’d not cared for his tone. “My tone? My tone? You fucking bastard, I’m demanding that you allow me to speak to my sister. Right. Fucking. Now.”
Hanging up this time was better than the first time. Hunter had to be spitting mad about now. Even thinking about it had Dean laughing again. When the phone rang again, this time with a phone number, he thought perhaps it was someone else. But it was Hunter again.
“I had to borrow someone’s phone. Because of your antics and thinking you’re so bad assed, I tossed mine against the wall. Now I have to use a stranger’s until you get around to replacing mine.” Dean asked him how he figured that was going to work. “You pissed me off, and that’s why it’s your fault.”
“Nah, it doesn’t work that way. What is it you wanted anyway? Something about equipment.”
“Yes.” He could hear Hunter dragging in a deep breath, only to let it out slowly. “My equipment has been taken away. I want it back. All of it. And since the locks have been changed on the lot, I want the man taken away that’s keeping me out of there, and a key to use. Your hilarity has gone on long enough. Tell my sister that she’ll do this, or I will murder her in her own bed.”
“Do you even know where that might be, Hunter? You should also remember that to come into our home, uninvited and unwanted, will get your ass killed. You know why? Because I’ll be lying right beside her when you try.” Hunter started cursing again. “Unless you want me to hang up on you ag
ain, I’d shut the fuck up. Now.”
He heard Hunter’s teeth click together. Counting to ten so that he’d give the other man enough time to stew in his own juices, Dean started again.
“You try and break into that lot, and I’ll have you arrested. You take anything off the lot, I will have you arrested. You touch one hair on Bella’s head—”
“I think I figured out what the next line is going to be, Dean. ‘I’ll have you arrested.’” Dean told him that he was wrong. “Wrong? About what? You were saying you’d have me arrested. Is that not good enough for your mate?”
“You touch her in any way, shape, or form, and I’ll kill you. The same goes with your dad. You hurt him, physically or mentally, or even fart in his direction, I’ll tear you apart so quickly that your fucking heart, if you have one, will still be beating when I rip it from your chest.”
Bella looked at him wide eyed. Dean didn’t tell her that he was joking with Hunter, because frankly, he was not. If the man didn’t think he was serious, then he was going to be in for a rude awakening. This time when Hunter spoke, it was as if he’d not just promised him death at all.
“I want to get on the lot, Dean. I need to. There are some things that I need to deal with there. You understand. Clean up and all.” He asked him if he could do it. “No. I mean, no, I got it. You just have them let me on the lot, and I’ll take care of everything. You’ll see. I’ll have it clean as a whistle in no time.”
“Are you talking about the wood chipper by any chance?” The silence on the other end of the phone call was very telling. Not just to him but to Bella too, it appeared. Her face paled enough that he was worried that she’d faint. “We don’t have that anymore. The Feds came by while we were visiting your dad and picked it up. Something about missing people and a woman that you were seeing a few months back. I can’t remember her name, but I think Bella does. Want me to go get her for you? She’s in her office.”
Dean: Marshall’s Shadow – Jaguar Shapeshifter Romance (Marshall's Shadow Book 2) Page 7