After wiping Emily’s face with the napkin, Cassandra realized the young girl’s outfit was threadbare. She needed new clothing and shoes. “Why don’t we go to the general store next. And then we can talk to the sheriff.”
Emily stiffened at the mention of the lawman. “It’s ok, Emily. We just want to see if it’s ok that you come home with us. We have a big house. There are going to be lots of horses. And we even have five wolves who protect us.”
“Really?” Emily wasn’t certain if she was hearing properly. Someone wanted to help her? Everyone in town that had seen her had shooed her away. Even called her bad names.
“Really.” Elissa reached across the table and gently ruffled Emily’s hair. “Why don’t you ladies find the general store. I’ll settle up here.”
Cassandra didn’t even have to ask. Her hand was instantly taken by Emily. A wink was given to Elissa before the blonde duo made their way out the door.
After spending more money than they had intended, but also earning more from some pelts Elissa had trapped, they made their way to the sheriff’s office.
The new sheriff was barely out of his teens. His expression belied his youth, as did the two guns at his waist. “Hello ladies. What do I owe the pleasure?” He knew who the two women were. The dark-haired one had helped him gain the job he had now.
“We just wanted to inform you that Miss Emily’s family didn’t survive the winter. We don’t know where she lived, but we are taking her back to our ranch.” Cassandra squeezed Emily’s hand to reassure her everything would be all right.
“I don’t know what the protocol is for this kind of thing. ‘Cept I’ll have to see if I can find any family.” The sheriff spoke to Emily in a gentle manner. He finally was able to discover her last name and where their farm had been. “I’ll checkout her farm personally. If I should find anything, I’ll let you know. And should anyone come looking for her, I’ll send them to your ranch.”
“Fair enough, Sheriff Williams. Thank you.” Cassandra shook the young man’s hand. “We appreciate your hard work and dedication.”
The man blushed before making his way to the door. Sheriff Williams held the door open for the trio. “You have a good rest of your day.”
Cassandra waved at the young man. She took Emily’s hand in her own. “Let’s go home and meet Raven and her pups.” Another thought entered the mortal’s mind. This would change her relationship with Elissa.
And there was the plan to gift Cassandra with immortality. Even though this threw some things out of whack, she wouldn’t do it any other way.
Chapter 38
Two weeks. Cassandra had been kept busy. Between helping Elissa with building the new stables, writing, cooking, cleaning and beginning lessons for Emily, her time flew. And of course lovemaking.
The only minor setback they’d had was Emily’s nightmares. The young child had grown to love Cassandra, but also cherished Elissa as well. There was no shock when the four pups had taken to Emily. Not that Raven didn’t love her as well.
The only hinderance in settling Emily in with the family was Elissa. It was the fact the vampire had to be careful of her natural movements. She also rarely, if ever, ate in front of the young girl. At this point, they were able to pretend. But for how much longer?
Today was the day Cassandra had chosen to begin Emily’s writing lessons. Instead of being in the stuffy house, they were sat on the back porch. For Cassandra it had the advantage of seeing her wife while she worked.
“Very good.” Emily glowed. Cassandra wasn’t certain what her parents had been like, but she knew that even the smallest of compliments was greeted with a beaming smile.
“Now, let’s try writing your name.” Cassandra took the slate from her charge. It felt odd to think of someone as her charge. It wasn’t that long ago that was her relationship with Elissa. Time had changed everything.
Cassandra wrote Emily’s name. She drew in some lines so that the young girl could practice what Cassandra had wrote. A small tongue stuck out as Emily concentrated.
The sound of a wagon caught Cassandra’s attention. They rarely, if ever, had visitors. In fact, the last visitors they had was when Mr. Wilkens and his daughter had joined them for a Saturday midday meal.
“You stay here and keep practicing.” Before Cassandra could move, four yearling pups were standing guard over Emily. Raven was at her heels as she slowly made her way toward the driveway.
Cassandra didn’t recognize the young man driving or the woman seated next to him. They both appeared in their early twenties. Both had sandy blonde hair and blue eyes.
The wagon came to a halt a few feet from Cassandra. She smiled her sweetest smile. “Hello. What can I do for you?”
The young man made certain the break was in place before jumping off the wagon. He helped the young woman down. “Howdy. My name is Steven. This is my sister Cordelia. We heard you were running a horse ranch and might need some top hands.”
Cassandra couldn’t keep her body from stiffening. It wasn’t a secret they were building up a horse ranch. It wasn’t a secret that they would be taking on help. It was just the unsolicited nature of the pair showing up that had her on edge.
Elissa must have sensed her uneasiness. Suddenly, the vampire was on the back porch. She leaned down to speak to Emily as she watched her wife and the strangers.
“We most definitely will be needing help.” Cassandra studied the siblings. They appeared so close in appearance, other than gender, that she wondered if they weren’t twins. “What kind of experience do you have?”
“I used to ride for Mr. Ellison down in Texas. Cordelia was better at breaking the horses than most of the men.” Steven beamed with pride. “While we liked working for Mr. Ellison, we wanted a fresh start. He told of us of your ranch. In fact, if you hire us, I’ll be heading back to Texas to help bring in the horses you’ve been looking to buy.”
“And if we don’t hire you?” Cassandra could feel Elissa’s shadow. She knew with her wife’s better than average hearing she had most likely heard every word.
“Then I’ll have to leave Cordelia in town to find work while I still help bring your horses here.” Steven knew he was being tested. It felt a little odd being tested by someone so much younger than he was.
“Probationary hire.” Steven jumped at the sound of the deep voice. He hadn’t even seen the woman move from the porch. She was more than a little intimidating.
“Excuse me?” Steven looked into a pair of extremely cold eyes. He wasn’t certain he wanted to work for this woman. He’d been told the two women who owned the ranch were warm and friendly.
Elissa’s expression changed. She smiled. It wasn’t kindly, but it at least wasn’t as intimidating. “I was thinking we hire you on for a six-month trial. You’d be the first ranch hands we’ve hired, so it’ll be a learning experiencing on both sides, I’m sure.”
“I think that’s a good idea.” Cordelia’s gaze traveled up and down the leather clad body. She’d not seen any women like this. Not in Texas and not in the territory.
Cassandra noticed immediately the way Cordelia’s eyes were raking over her wife. Emerald eyes darkened in a combination of anger and jealousy. She felt the hand on her lower back and managed to relax a little.
“There’s something you should know.” Cassandra made certain she was boring into Cordelia’s desire laden eyes. “We have a child we’ve basically adopted. And there are five wolves that are basically our pets.”
Steven’s eyebrows rose. “Wolves? On a ranch?” He shook his head. He’d never heard of such a thing. In fact, it was downright dangerous if you asked him.
“Yes, wolves on a ranch.” The deep voice once again had Steven’s attention. “Raven, the momma wolf, became very protective of Cassandra when she was younger. And now, the pups are protective of all three of us. And anyone we tell them to.”
“Pet wolves would make the best protectors.” Steven still didn’t like the sound of it. Still, he wanted to pr
ove he was one of the better breeders. He just needed to be able to prove himself. And if he could perhaps gain the bed of either woman, he could own the ranch one day.
“Yes, they are.” Elissa took a step forward. “But not as good a protector as I am.” She was saying this as much for Steven as she was for Cordelia. The vampire was regretting offering a six-month trial.
The twins looked at one another. This was not what they had been told. They had been told there were two women, both unmarried, who were attempting to make a go of the ranch. Had Henry given them the wrong information?
“I see that. I apologize if either of us have given you the wrong impression.” Steven tipped his hat. “We really do just want to prove we can help on a ranch. Save up some money and maybe start a ranch of our own further to the west.”
Cassandra was having second thoughts. It was too late now. Six months wouldn’t be all that bad. After all, she would be the one sleeping with Elissa each night, not either of the siblings.
“We have two free rooms in the house. The bunkhouse is still under repair. We’ve been concentrating on the old stable and building a new one.” Cassandra watched every reaction of the siblings.
“Our own rooms. Haven’t had that since…Never.” Steven laughed at his own joke. Cassandra wasn’t amused. “If it’s all right, I’d like to get Cordelia settled. I’ll be heading back in the next two days. I’ll be taking our wagon.”
“I’ll show you to your rooms as soon as I begin Emily on her next lesson.” Cassandra glanced up at her wife. An uneasiness flowed between them. She knew Elissa sensed what she was.
After writing a few more words on Emily’s slate, Cassandra showed them the ranch house. After stating how Elissa and she shared a room, she noticed how the siblings eyed one another. She wouldn’t give an explanation unless she was asked.
“I’ll leave you two to get settled. I’m teaching Emily to cook. Supper will be in about an hour.” Cassandra smiled wondering why she was inviting trouble into her own home.
Elissa was on the porch with Emily. Instead of any lessons, the vampire was tickling the young child. The wolf puppies were attempting to join in by tugging on the hem of Emily’s dress.
Cassandra stood there for several moments watching her family. For that’s what this was. If anyone attempted to take them away from her, there would be Tartarus to pay.
“All right you two, I think that’s enough playing.” When there were twin groans, Cassandra laughed. “At least until after evening chores are done and Emily has helped me fix supper. We have two more mouths to feed.”
Azure eyes met emerald ones. There would be a discussion while they were snuggled in bed together. Cassandra nodded her head in understanding.
The first meal with Steven and Cordelia was interesting. Steven kept flirting with Cassandra while his sister was unabashedly flirting with Elissa.
After settling Emily in bed, Cassandra and Elissa snuggled in bed. “I’m worried.” Cassandra felt the arms wrapped around her tighten.
“I think I know why you’re worried.” Elissa expelled a breath she didn’t even need to take. “The way Steven was looking at you throughout supper…It had me having to keep a tight rein on my animalistic side.”
Cassandra smirked as she said, “I love your animalistic side.” The comment earned a smack to her naked bottom. “Seriously, I understand. I don’t like the way Cordelia was always attempting to touch you.”
“We need the help, but I don’t know if the cost will be too high.” Elissa squeezed her wife. She wasn’t worried about a misunderstanding between them. There was no other for either.
What had Elissa worried was how far the siblings would go in an attempt to earn their affections. There was Emily to be concerned with.
Emily had already lost her parents and three siblings. She had been the eldest and managed to survive. She was just beginning to settle in.
“We’ll deal with this.” Elissa squeezed her soulmate. “We didn’t expect to be parents and yet I wouldn’t be without Emily. Now we just have to make it through six months of the siblings. I don’t break my promise.”
Cassandra understood. She wouldn’t break her promise either. She might regret it, but she would never break it. Well, there were a couple ways she just might.
Unknown to the snuggled couple, the siblings were in Cordelia’s room. They were conspiring to win over the bosses. If they could work as a tandem, they would own this ranch before the six months was out.
Chapter 39
Cordelia was irritated. She couldn’t seem to find a moment alone with Elissa. The plan had been for her to charm her way into the dark woman’s bed while Steven was bringing the horses from Texas.
It wasn’t always Cassandra who was occupying Elissa’s time. Is was the damned kid. Cordelia had never wanted children. In fact, she was grateful her tastes leaned toward women. She wouldn’t have to worry about certain complications.
The sandy blonde finally had a moment with Elissa. She was helping her put the finishing touches upon the stable door. It was the last finishing touch. There were now two stables ready to house up to twenty horses each.
The next thing Elissa wanted to work on was the fencing. There wasn’t just fixing the fencing surrounding their one hundred and fifty acres. It was the exercise area. There was the area where they would break each horse. There was the area where they would teach them certain tricks.
Cordelia watched as Elissa made her way to the house. She barely even acknowledged the help she had given her. She had to do something. Something drastic. But what?
The young woman hurried to the kitchen door. There were glass panes she could see through. What she witnessed caused her to inwardly curse. Elissa and Cassandra were in each other’s arms. They were sharing a very passionate kiss.
The growls startled Cordelia. She’d seen the wolves from time to time. They seemed to spend most of their time with Emily or in the fields.
“Shoo. Go away.” Cordelia kicked at Raven. The wolf’s growls grew louder. The back door opened. Raven immediately placed herself between Cassandra and Cordelia. “I don’t think your wolf likes me.”
Emerald eyes grew dark. There was no jealousy. This was pure anger. Cassandra wasn’t certain she could abide five more months of the woman attempting to interfere in her relationship with Elissa.
“It’s more than that.” Cassandra was going to lay her cards on the table. “Raven is protective of me. She also judges people. You’ve been here nearly a month. She won’t go near you. And that tells me everything I need to know.”
Blue eyes blinked several times. Cordelia had never been spoken to in this manner. Her mother had raised her to take what she wanted, no matter the consequences.
It had led her to the path she was now on. Cordelia wasn’t about to let some teenager get in her way. “I think it’s just the wolf. There is something wrong with her. In fact, it might be best if you put her down.”
The growls were of epic proportions. Cassandra hadn’t heard such growling since Raven was a pup and was attempting to protect her from Devlyn.
The comparison of mortal to immortal was enough to send further chills up and down Cassandra’s spine. And not the good chills when Elissa was kissing her or making love to her.
“Get your stuff and get out.” Cassandra felt the shadow behind her. Elissa placed a hand on either shoulder. “If you ever step foot on this ranch again, I’ll shoot to kill. And take your brother’s things with you. You’ll both be compensated.”
Cordelia reacted as she always did. She attempted to slap Cassandra. There were only two problems. The growling wolf who nipped at the hem of her dress and the hand that caught her wrist. She hadn’t even seen Elissa move, yet the dark woman was standing between her and Cassandra.
Elissa squeezed a little harder than necessary, but she had learned with Henry, Jr. She released Cordelia’s wrist. “Don’t ever attempt to hurt my…cousin again.” The vampire had nearly slipped.
Cordelia realized her biggest mistake. It wasn’t the wolves, though they were bad enough. Elissa and Cassandra were not cousins. They were lovers. There was more than one way to skin a rabbit.
“And what if the world realized the two spinster cousins were actually lovers?” Cordelia’s grin was sinister. She loved it when she won the war.
Cassandra made her way in front of Cordelia. She was tired of this young woman. “And what would the world say if they knew brother and sister slept in the same bed when two beds were available?”
Cordelia blanched. She hadn’t thought Cassandra had noticed. She had always been too busy with the brat or with Elissa. “We’re used to sleeping together. It’s no big deal. After all, you two sleep in the same room.”
This game was beginning to bore Elissa. She’d played these games for a thousand years with Devlyn. She had hoped never to have to deal with anyone even half as evil.
“How much?” Elissa knew in the case of the mortal world money was the power. In the immortal world, money played a part. But it was about control.
“What do you mean?” Cordelia thought she had the advantage. Now she wasn’t certain. Both were acting way too cool.
“How much is whoever paying you to attempt to take this ranch away from us?” Elissa stood with her arms over her chest. Her eyes glowed red.
The coloring of Elissa’s eyes caused Cordelia to take a step back. While she and her brother had attempted different schemes over the past decade to steal a ranch, it wasn’t until Henry Wilkens, Jr. had sought them out in town that they thought they’d finally found the big vein.
“I…” Cordelia’s breath was caught when a hand wrapped around her neck. It wasn’t enough to strangle her, but was enough for her to feel it. “Henry.”
Elissa released her grasp on the woman. “Young Henry?” Cordelia nodded. “You have ten minutes. Get all the things you brought with you. I’ll take you back into town.”
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