Danger and Mayhem

by Becca Van

  “I hadn’t thought of that.” Emmy frowned. “Declan’s talked about having an herb garden, but none of us have the time or the inclination to work on it.”

  “Maybe you could hire my guys on a regular basis for maintenance to keep the outside of your homes looking nice,” Sierra suggested.

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Pixie piped up. “I like the idea of an herb garden, too. Though they’d never admit it, Rex and Shaffer love to cook and are always buying herbs to use in their recipes. We’d be saving money if we didn’t have to purchase them all the time.” Pixie frowned. “But I can’t see that working in winter. It gets so damn cold with all the snow and ice on the ground.”

  “A hothouse or two would fix that problem,” Sierra said.

  “Whoa. No wonder your mates don’t mind taking you on board to work with them. You have some really great ideas, Sierra,” Sage said.

  “We’ve got more than enough land to have two or three hot-houses,” Elsa said. “Why don’t we all get together and decide what we want to grow, and it can be a communal garden. Emmy, Pixie and your men can come out and pick what you need whenever you want.”

  “I love it.” Emmy clapped her hands excitedly.

  “What’s going on over here?” Jett, one of Emmy’s mates, asked as he walked toward the tables Weldon, Justice, and Rhys had set up earlier. They’d put together some trestle tables around the hardwood table that was always out on the deck. The timber table was laden with salads, plates, utensils, condiments, as well as glasses and a few other things. With the other tables set in a square around the central table, with room to walk, everyone would be able to help themselves to the food once all the meat was cooked.

  “Sierra has given us some great ideas for our gardens,” Emmy said.

  “What are you talking about, love?” Jett frowned. “We don’t have a garden.”

  “But we will,” Emmy said excitedly.

  When Jett frowned in her direction, Sierra lowered her gaze as she wondered if the other man as annoyed with her. Anxiety hit her belly, and though she tried to push her trepidation away, it wouldn’t budge.

  A loud growling snarl rent the air, and in the next instant Rhys was standing at her side trying to shield her from Jett’s gaze. She glanced up at Rhys, and her heart stuttered when she saw the fierce, angry look he was giving Emmy’s mate.

  Sierra shoved to her feet, wedged herself in front of Rhys, and pushed against his chest, trying to get him to back off, but he was so damn big and strong he didn’t budge. “Stop it, Rhys.”

  “No! He upset you. No one upsets my mate and gets away with it.”

  “He didn’t upset me.”

  “Then why the hell can I feel your anxiety?”

  When Jett took a step toward Rhys, Emmy rose and planted herself in front of him. “Stop it, Jett. Right now!” Emmy turned to face Rhys. “Get a hold of your wolf, Rhys. Can’t you see that all this posturing is upsetting your mate? God save me from overprotective, testosterone-ridden men.”

  Rhys sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Sierra felt the tension in her shoulders ease slightly, then Rhys turned to meet her gaze. “Why are you apprehensive, honey?”

  “I wasn’t. Not really, I was just concerned that Jett was disquieted with my suggestion of a garden at the pub and motel.”

  “I’m sorry, Sierra,” Jett said after Emmy prodded him in the side. “I wasn’t frowning at you because of your suggestion. I was frowning as I tried to work out how a garden would be possible when all we have around the two buildings is pavement and asphalt.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Sierra said. “I guess I’m still just a bit nervous around so many big men.”

  “Am I forgiven?” Jett asked.

  “There’s nothing to forgive.” Sierra smiled and was relieved when Jett smiled back. She then glanced up at Rhys. “You need to apologize to Jett, too, for going off half-cocked without knowing what was happening.”

  Rhys frowned down at her, but when she crossed her arms beneath her breasts and continued to stare at him with determination, he sighed and turned to face Jett. “I’m sorry for jumping to false conclusions.”

  “No worries.” Jett offered his hand to Rhys, and they shook. “If someone had frowned at my mate, I would have wanted to rip their guts out, too.”

  Sierra glanced at the other women, and when she saw they were all rolling their eyes with exasperation, she bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from laughing. She was going to have to get used to the way the men were so possessive and the way they stepped in when they thought their mates had been slighted. Including her own men.

  When the meat was cooked and everyone had loaded their plates with food, they sat down to eat, talk, and laugh.

  Sierra had never had many friends. Working so much, all hours of the day and sometimes well into the night, hadn’t left her with much time to socialize. Whenever she’d had any free time, she’d chosen to clean her apartment and read. Being around so many people at the shelter had made her a little reclusive and covet any alone time she’d managed to get.

  Now, she wondered if she should have made more of an effort to go out with other people, just to blow off a bit of steam. The camaraderie between the men and women was strong, and while she was still more than a little intimated by some of the more muscular, serious looking men of the group, she could tell that they were all thick as thieves. The more she learned about everyone and the town of Ambrose, the more she liked it, and she was glad that she’d made the decision to be the Channing brothers’ mate.

  Although she was still trying to come to terms with being theirs, the way they affected her body, she knew that she was in love with them but still hadn’t had the courage to tell them how she felt.

  “Oh,” Pixie gasped.

  “What is it, baby?” Tatum frowned.

  “What’s wrong, mate?” Rex asked.

  “Are you okay, love?” Shaffer cupped Pixie’s cheek.

  “I felt the baby move.” The soft smile on Pixie’s face caused tears the burn Sierra’s eyes. While she couldn’t see Pixie’s belly since she was seated, she knew the other woman had placed her hand on her abdomen. Sierra hadn’t even noticed that Pixie was pregnant because of the loose top the other woman was wearing. “Here,” Pixie said, grasping Tatum’s wrist and then placing his hand on belly over her womb.

  “I can feel him,” Tatum said hoarsely. “You are so fucking amazing, mate.”

  Pixie laughed. “I didn’t get knocked up all by myself.”

  Tatum grinned and waggled his eyebrows at her.

  Seeing the love shining in the big, brusque man’s gaze had Sierra changing her mind about him. He was so tall and had so many muscles, she’d been a little frightened of him, but seeing him this way made her realize that underneath that gruff exterior was mush. He was like a big, cuddly teddy bear. In fact, she had a feeling all the men had similar personalities even though they were all different with individual characteristics and dispositions.

  “When are you due, Pixie?” Sierra asked.

  “In a couple of months.”

  Sierra gaped at her. From what she’d seen, the woman barely looked to be in her second trimester.

  Dusty laughed. “Our pregnancies don’t last as long as human women’s do.”

  Sierra frowned. “What do you mean by human women? We’re all human. Well, except for Tami, that is. No offense.”

  “None taken.” Tami smiled.

  “We aren’t exactly human anymore,” Emmy said. “When our mates claimed us that made us more than human. Most animal gestation doesn’t last as long as a human pregnancy. Dusty was only pregnant for five months before giving birth to Rose.”

  “That reminds me,” Dusty said as she gazed at all the men seated at the tables. “I want you all to start cleaning up your language. I don’t want Rose’s first word to be the F word. Understand?”

  “Shit! Ahh, damn. Sorry, Dusty,” Bladen Fox, one of Sage’s mates, apologized. “We�
��ll do our best.”

  “I have a suggestion,” Sierra said.

  “Which is?” Weldon caressed up and down her back.

  “At the shelter we had a swear jar and anytime some said a cuss word they had to add a dollar to the jar. We used the money to buy clothes as well as toys and gifts for the kids at Christmas time. It’s also a great incentive to help stop people from swearing. We could do something like that here.”

  “What would the money go toward, honey?” Rhys asked.

  “We could start a college fund for Rose and any other child that comes along.”

  “You haven’t told her, have you?” Jaimie asked, her gaze on Justice, Weldon and Rhys.

  “We don’t even think about it.” Justice sighed and turned to meet her gaze. “There’s no need for any of us to set up college funds or anything like that, baby.”

  “Why not?” Sierra frowned.

  “Even though we haven’t lived here for very long,” Weldon began. “We’ve all been friends since we served as soldiers. We all pitched in some money and bought a lottery ticket about six or so years ago, and we won.”

  “You did?” Sierra blinked with shock.

  “Yes.” Weldon nodded.

  Sierra shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I still think it’s a good way to save or collect money to give to charities or something else. I still think saving for college is a good idea. With the cost of inflation, education is just going to become more and more expensive.”

  “I agree with Sierra,” Emmy said.

  “I’ll second that,” Elsa said. “We also have a baby on the way, and I want my son or daughter to get the best education they can.”

  “Let’s vote on it,” Emmy said. “Those in favor of the swear jar money going to a collective college fund and charity, raise your hand.”

  Sierra smiled when every single woman and man lifted their hands into the air.

  “You have a lot of good ideas, Sierra,” Tatum King said as he stood. “Congratulations on your mating and welcome to Ambrose. If you ever need anything, all you have to do is ask and I’ll be there.”

  The rest of the men shoved to their feet and nodded and bowed their heads toward her respectfully. Even though she had no idea what was going on or why all the men were treating her with such deference, in that moment she felt special, felt worthy and accepted.

  She’d found not only the loves of her life, but budding friendships she knew would last the test of time.

  Sierra had found her home.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Daniel drove through the small town of Ambrose, North Dakota, and malicious excitement fluttered in his belly. It was late, and from the looks of it, everything was closed. There were lights on in the rooms above the pub, but other than that, the town looked deserted.

  He’d done some research on the town each time he’d stopped to rest after driving all day long. After reading that the place was a ghost town, he was surprised by how clean and new everything looked. There was no way the information on the internet had been accurate. If this town was abandoned, then he was a saint.

  He pulled over to the side of the road, and after activating his cell phone screen, he looked up for somewhere to stay, but from what he could see there were only two options. One was the Louis B&B and the other was a motel, which was situated behind the pub. Nonetheless, he had no idea what sort of people lived here, and until he’d ascertained whether they were dumb country hicks or something else, he decided to keep driving. He’d already scoped out a place where he could make camp until he’d gotten the lay of the land. Because he didn’t want to draw attention to himself and he figured the population of Ambrose wouldn’t be big, he’d try and keep a low profile. Of course, since the bitch hadn’t seen his face, she hadn’t been able to give a description of him to the cops, and he was free and clear to roam as he pleased.

  Tomorrow, he’d be back in Ambrose bright and early to scout things out. Until then, he had a camp to set up. He’d stopped in Williston earlier that afternoon and was lucky enough to find a camping and surplus store. He had everything he needed to spend the night in his tent and warm sleeping bag. Eating would be easy enough since he’d bought a small portable stove and a pot. He’d also bought some canned goods, bread, bacon, and eggs, so he was set.

  After checking the directions on his phone, he glanced into his mirror and headed toward Colgan. There was supposed to be an abandoned church in the town west of Ambrose, and while he hoped it was so, it wouldn’t be a problem if it was no longer standing since he was well equipped.

  Now all he had to do was try and figure out how to get his hands on the cunt who’d ruined his life without anyone seeing.

  That was a dilemma he still hadn’t solved, but he was smart and knew he’d eventually work something out. Whatever he decided, he was going to get his revenge no matter what. He had a few guns with him, which would work in a pinch if he couldn’t get to the slut if she wasn’t alone. He had a long-range rifle as well as a couple of pistols. He could take out the people around her. He shook his head. He was no marksman and he might end up killing the slut. No, he wasn’t about to accidentally kill her from afar. If he started shooting up the town he would also be drawing attention to himself. For all he knew, the people living here had guns of their own. He didn’t want to end up getting shot or killed either. There had to be a way he could get her in his clutches. Being patient wasn’t one of his traits, but he would wait days if it was necessary.

  Biding his time was going to be hard when he was so close to his goal, but Daniel wasn’t about to rush in where fools feared to tread.

  When he did something, he did it properly. There was no way he was going to do this half-assed without thinking all angles through, because he didn’t want to get caught by the law. He frowned over that thought since he didn’t remember seeing a police or sheriff’s department, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t one. For all he knew, the law office could be in one of the streets behind the main thoroughfare.

  No, the last thing he wanted was to get caught trying to nab that cunt. He’d keep his head down, his eyes and ears open, and when his opportunity arose, he’d strike.

  Hopefully, in a couple of days he’d know exactly where his bitch of a wife had run off to with his son. When he finally caught up to her, he was going to give her a lesson she’d never forget. Once he was done with her, she’d never think of leaving him ever again.

  * * * *

  Weldon, Justice, and Rhys all kept an eye on Sierra as they worked.

  The barbecue yesterday evening had been a success, and he’d been surprised that he’d enjoyed gathering with all their friends. What shocked the shit out of him was the way Justice and Rhys had behaved. They’d talked, smiled, and laughed, which was so out of the norm, but he and his brothers were happy and in love. Having Sierra in their lives had seemed to change their whole demeanors. But then all their shifter friends were happier now that they were mated, too, so at least they weren’t the anomalies.

  Right now, he and his brothers were digging a moat by hand. They’d thought about renting some digging equipment, but since they were shifters with more stamina and stronger than any other human man alive, it wasn’t really necessary. Plus, they were trying to save the elderly couple some cash by not adding to the bill total even though they didn’t seem to be lacking funds.

  The Starr’s had left for the day saying they were going to be spending their time shopping and meeting up with their families since they were still in the area. Since their clients weren’t here, that gave him and his brothers freedom to use their enhanced speed and strength to get things done faster.

  Sierra was working in the garden beds close to the house, planting cold and drought hardy plants after weeding and turning the soil over. He and his brothers had tried to talk their mate out of doing such strenuous work, but she wouldn’t be swayed. Hence the reason he and his brothers were keeping a watch on her. Weldon had also made her wear a pair of gardening gloves,
but not so she wouldn’t get her hands dirty. He hadn’t wanted her getting any splinters or blisters on her soft palms. As soon as she showed signs of weariness, he was going to lay down the law and tell her she was finished for the day. She could argue all she wanted, but he could be just as determined and authoritative as his brothers.

  He turned his attention back to digging, and before long they were done. All that was left to do was line the large culvert around the gazebo with pool lining, put in and edge it with some large rocks, and fill it with water. They’d need to build the small footbridge and the water would be added last.

  “Rhys, help me get all the lumber from the truck,” Weldon said as he gazed at Sierra again. She was down on her hands and knees digging a hole for the plant she’d set aside.

  “Coming,” Rhys said.

  Weldon walked to the truck, grabbed a stack of wood, heaved it onto his shoulder, and hurried back to the gazebo. He dropped the wood on the ground, and after checking the measurements, he started cutting with the battery-operated saw he’d carried in his free hand while carting the wood. As he cut more wood, Justice and Rhys dug holes for the posts, and when everything was ready, he held the posts upright while his brothers poured in the quick setting cement and water. An hour later, the frame for the bridge was done and all that was left was to place the planks over it. When his stomach rumbled, he glanced at his watch, and though he shouldn’t have been surprised that it was lunchtime, he was.

  “Are you guys ready for a break?” Sierra asked as she walked over to them.

  Weldon wanted to say yes, but he also wanted to finish the moat, bridge, and gazebo today, as did his brothers. Before he could reply, Justice spoke up. “Not yet, baby, but don’t feel guilty about taking one yourself. You’ve been working hard all morning.”

  “So have all of you. I’m sure Mr. and Mrs. Starr wouldn’t expect you to work nonstop without having a couple of drink and food breaks.”

  “They wouldn’t,” Rhys said. “We like to set ourselves a schedule and get things done in a timely manner.”