The Arrangement (Homestead Legacy Book 1)

by Alex Jane

  "Gabriel," he said, his voice stately and worn with age.

  "Alpha Hayward." Gabriel tilted his head in a show of respect, but gave the side where his husband's bite had left him raw, knowing it would peek from his collar, because he wanted the old man to know exactly how little he meant it.

  "I didn't mean to pry," the Alpha replied, unable to tear his eyes away quick enough. "I was simply curious."

  Gabriel didn't dignify that with a response, only asked, "What can I do for you?"

  "I'd like to speak to my son."

  "He isn't here at present but I'd be happy to tell him you called by."

  The Alpha's eyebrows rose at the discourteous answer. "And my daughter?"

  "Presently indisposed. She's taking care of the children. We have rather a busy afternoon in front of us I'm afraid."

  "I'm aware."

  "I'm sure if you send word on another occasion, my husband will let you know when we're at home to visitors."

  Alpha Hayward's leather-gloved hand squeaked against the bone handle of his cane and Gabriel hoped he didn't have a mind to use the stick on him. "I don't appreciate your tone."

  "And I don't appreciate you turning up at my house unannounced on such a day as this and then taking it upon yourself to rifle through my husband's private things."

  There was a hint of a growl from the other side of the room, which had Gabriel's insides liquefying, but as the Alpha opened his mouth to speak, the front door slammed shut and there were rapid footsteps drawing closer.

  Gabriel knew Nathaniel's gait as well as he knew his own so it was no surprise when a cool hand landed on his shoulder.

  "What are you doing here?" There was a strength to Nathaniel's voice that made Gabriel proud. Not only an Alpha defending his territory but a man strong enough in himself and his convictions that he had nothing to fear from the person in front of him who had discarded him in his hour of need.

  Alpha Hayward's nose flared and his eyes opened wide as his gaze fell on the prominent mark on the side of his son's neck. "It's true, then? You're really mated to him. I thought perhaps the rumors were wrong—"

  "Is that what this is about?" Nathaniel asked, sounding perplexed. "You disapproving of my choice of mate?"

  "No. But I would have liked to have been consulted on the matter, not read an announcement in the Times," he barked, brandishing the offending newspaper in his fist.

  It was so very dreadful but as if by some prior arrangement both Gabriel and Nathaniel burst out laughing. It was over quickly but the echoes of it seemed to linger in the walls as Nathaniel said, "Consulted? To what end? You made it very clear I am no son of yours. Who I choose to mark as my own is none of your business."

  "But the family name—"

  "Oh, hang that," Nathaniel said, dropping his hand away from Gabriel's shoulder and stalking over to lean against the mantle. "I don't care a jot about your name. I'll give it up if you like. Take my husband's instead." He turned to Gabriel with a soft smile on his face. "What do you think, Gabe? Would you like that?"

  It was tempting to instantly jump to agree, but Gabriel knew better and said cautiously, "Maybe. You should think on it. Perhaps talk it over with father."

  "You can't be serious." Alpha Hayward looked floored by the suggestion although Nathaniel was acting as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

  "Why not? You don't want me. I'm an embarrassment, remember? If you don't want a son looking like this, I don't see why I should go on pretending." Nathaniel stopped, his head tilting to one side as he considered his father. It took a moment, but then some sort of realization passed over his face. "I don't believe it. That's what this is really about, isn't it? You came to look at me. To see if I was recovered. You thought if I was mated that I must be somehow cured—"

  "Nathaniel—"

  "I don't believe it—"

  "I'm sorry, I—"

  "Of all the things—"

  "If you would only see a doctor—"

  "We have seen a doctor," Gabriel interrupted. "Two, in fact. They both said the same thing."

  Alpha Hayward frowned. "Which was?"

  Gabriel didn't answer, only looked to Nathaniel. They held each other's gaze for a moment. Gabriel shrugged one shoulder, and Nathaniel sighed before telling his father, "That I might improve fractionally, but the injuries from the accident coupled with the trauma of being separated from my mate so abruptly mean the damage has been done. This is it."

  "He's not broken," Gabriel added. "Or seeking attention. Although he has mine unequivocally."

  Nathaniel smiled over at him, a thing so genuine and full of love, they almost forgot anyone else was in the room with them. When Nathaniel finally did remember, he pushed himself away from the mantle abruptly, saying, "Well, if there's nothing else? I have a garden party to host."

  The Alpha appeared stuck, his facial features contorted into a painful place between furious, confused, and deeply hurt. His body wavered in place as if he was willing it to move but he was frozen there. Nathaniel quirked an eyebrow at him and it seemed enough to break the spell and the man blurted out, "Your mother would like to invite you both to dinner."

  Nathaniel looked as if he'd been struck, physically taking a step back at the words. He blinked in surprise and murmured, "My mother?"

  "Well, and I," his father replied. "Your mother and I would like to invite you to dinner."

  Seeing the expression on Nathaniel's face, Gabriel knew he'd be nonsensical for a while, so stepped forward. "Did you have a date in mind?"

  "At…at your convenience, I suppose."

  Gabriel wanted to laugh at the sheepish look on the Alpha's face. It was the exact same one Nathaniel wore when he'd been caught out. Clearly, he hadn't expected anything other than outright rejection.

  "Our calendar is a little full at the moment. Would it be convenient to let you know another time? I'll send a telegram tomorrow, if that's acceptable?"

  "Yes. Yes, I suppose—"

  He was interrupted by the clatter of approaching feet and Priscilla stepping into the room. She looked a complete mess, in a simple shift dress, her hair roughly tied back although strands were escaping all over the place, probably thanks to the baby sat on her hip who was grabbing at her head.

  "Father! What are you doing here? I specifically told Nathaniel not to invite you."

  It was quite something to see the stoic gentleman in front of him blush. "Priscilla, I—"

  "No," she said firmly. "I have too much to do today to deal with your nonsense. Come along. Guests will be arriving any minute and if they see me like this you'll have to pay for me to flee to a private island where I can live out the rest of my days in shame. Come on!"

  When the old man didn't move, she stormed across the room and took hold of his arm to drag him out. Jethro, who was the most biddable of toddlers normally, was unfussed about the commotion until he caught sight of Nathaniel. Squeaking, he held his pudgy arms out toward him, flexing his fingers as he did whenever he was seeking attention from his Alpha but to no avail. Nathaniel did run a hand over the boy's head as he passed, which was comfort enough it seemed when the threatening sobs were downgraded to a whimper as Priscilla frog-marched her father from the room, treating him as one of the children rather than her own parent.

  Alpha Hayward appeared to be accustomed to such treatment and went willingly enough, nodding to both Nathaniel and Gabriel as way of a goodbye, leaving only silence and shock in his wake.

  "Why did you say that to him?" Nathaniel asked breathlessly, as soon as they heard the front door slam. "Why did you say we'd go there?"

  "I didn't," Gabriel said, trying to keep his voice calm "It was all I could think of to put him off without saying no."

  "You should have said no. Dammit, I should have said no."

  "I wanted to give you time to think it over." Gabriel recoiled from the harsh look Nathaniel laid on him. "I'm not saying you should forgive them or forget what they did, but…I want you to be ab
solutely sure if you intend to reject this olive branch. There won't be another. I don't want you to regret it at some later date."

  "I might regret you at a later date," Nathaniel said gruffly as he drew Gabriel against his chest, holding him tightly and burying his face in his shoulder.

  Gabriel pressed his smile into Nathaniel's jacket and mumbled, "Never. Besides it's too late now. You're stuck with me."

  They held each other a long time. Gabriel reached out along their bond rather than speak again and was delighted to find Nathaniel reaching back. Their hold on each other intensified, the love and intimacy and comfort flowing over them in waves until Gabriel had to chuckle out, "Oh god, we should stop or we'll end up getting caught in flagrante again."

  Nathaniel was smiling as he pulled away. "I thought you rather liked it when I fucked you over our desk."

  It had been immensely gratifying when Gabriel had come home one day to find a new desk in the study, one that could accommodate them both, facing each other, in place of the rather cumbersome old one. Nathaniel had made thorough use of its additional breadth immediately, laying Gabriel out on it and having his way with him. He'd claimed it was purely to ensure their work could be done with a smile now they had the memory of what the leather inlay had witnessed. Although it had earned a stern rebuke from Solomon about keeping the noise down while the children were up. Not that they had heard anything. Not then and not at least once a week or so in the time since.

  "I do," Gabriel said, straightening his husband's tie before admitting, "And the armchair. And the bookcase. And up against the mantle—at least in the summer. But we have a party to attend and I'd quite like to be able to walk, and sit down should the situation arise."

  As if on cue a faint sound of music reached them from the garden and Nathaniel kissed him. "I suppose that means the guests will be arriving shortly."

  "Yes, I suppose they will."

  "You're sure you want to go through with this? The vows, I mean."

  Gabriel pushed Nathaniel to arm's length. "You've changed your mind?"

  "No. I just thought…well, I know we've told everyone this is why we've invited them here but we don't have to go through with it. Not if you don't want to."

  Gabriel had to smile. "You know you asked me the same thing once before."

  "I know," Nathaniel said with a shy look.

  "My answer still stands."

  "I was hoping you'd say that." Reaching into his pocket, Nathaniel drew something out between his fingers and held it up. When Gabriel offered his hand, Nathaniel placed it onto his palm. It took a moment for Gabriel to figure out what it was, but as the fabric unwound, he saw to his great surprise it was the golden ribbon that had bound him to his husband over a year before.

  "You…you kept this?" Gabriel could hardly believe it.

  "You think I would discard it?"

  "Well, yes. Back then I thought you did but—"

  Nathaniel cupped his cheek, drawing his gaze away from the ribbon. "It was my most precious possession. I would never have let it go."

  "I'm glad," Gabriel whispered. "I can't tell you how glad."

  "You can show me. Later. Once the children are safely asleep. Several times if you like. Once the party is over, of course."

  "Well then." Gabriel leaned in and kissed him before drawing back with a knowing smile. "In that case, I suggest we get on with it, don't you?"

  Thank You For Reading

  Thank you for reading The Arrangement. I hope you enjoyed it.

  If you’d like to leave a review on Goodreads, Amazon or anywhere else, that would be very much appreciated.

  If you like to get in touch, I’d love to hear from you – contact@alexjane.info

  If you’d like to hear from me, I have a newsletter—you can sign up here.

  About the Author

  After spending far too long creating stories in her head, Alex finally plucked up the courage to write them down and realized it was quite fun seeing them on the page after all.

  Free from aspirations of literary greatness, Alex simply hopes to entertain by spinning a good yarn of love and life, wrapped up with a happy ending. Although, if her characters have to go through Hell to get there, she’s a-okay with that.

  With only a dysfunctional taste in music and a one-eyed dog to otherwise fill her days, Alex writes and walks on the South Coast of England—even when her heart and spellcheck are in New York.

  www.alexjane.info

  Backlist

  Newsletter

  Also by the Author

  The Alphas’ Homestead Series

  #1 – Home Is Where You Are

  #2 – Returning Home

  #3 – Longing for Shelter

  #4 – Home in your Heart

  #5 – Be My Sanctuary

  #6 – Always Here

  The Homestead Legacy Series

  The Arrangement

  The Mr & Mr Detective Series

  #1 – Gazes Into You

  #2 – A Foreign Country

  Standalone Stories

  ‘Tis the Season

  Tinsel Fixes Everything

  No Regrets

  Stumble Forward

  Devil Next Door

  Audiobooks

  ‘Tis the Season

  Find the full backlist here

  The Alphas’ Homestead Series

  Home Is Where You Are

  By the winter of 1870, Caleb Fletcher has carved out a sheltered existence for himself in a simple cabin, outside a small town in the backwaters of Nebraska, resigned to living out his days as a solitary wolf. But his quiet life is interrupted when another werewolf lands on his doorstep on the eve of a snowstorm, brutalized almost beyond repair, with nowhere else to turn.

  Returning Home

  Three years after Jacob Carpenter landed on Caleb Fletcher’s doorstep, the Alpha mates return to the city they grew up in to be married. Indeed, Caleb finds himself wondering if Jacob will go through with the ceremony at all, or whether would be better to pack up his mate and their children, and head back to Nebraska before the situation does irreparable damage to them both.

  Longing for Shelter

  Seth Mason arrives at the Alphas’ Homestead under duress. The Council have made it clear that if his cousins, Caleb and Jacob, can’t tame Seth’s wild ways his very last chance will be used up and he’ll have nowhere left to go.

  Jacob feels for Seth—knowing what it’s like to lose family—but he has to put his sympathies aside and fight to save his pack and the place he’s called home for the last five years.

  Home in your Heart

  Caleb struggles to keep his family together, when Martha returns to the homestead after five years away at school, risking his relationship with Jacob in the process.

  And while Martha wrestles with her feelings, there’s a constant presence waiting in the wings. Someone that will catch her if she falls. Someone that always has, and always will. If she’ll let him.

  Be My Sanctuary

  All Samuel wants is a quiet, safe place to rest. Finding the homestead of the man who saved his life as a child seems like a blessing, until a quiet young man starts coming around.

  Thaddeus’s world is far from uncomplicated. But as he gets to know Samuel, he starts to question the future that was carved in stone.

  What starts out as a simple declaration of love ends in a tragedy. A tragedy that could mean the end of the Alphas’ Homestead for good.

  Always Here

  Happiness has always slipped through Ephraim Fletcher’s grasp like water.

  Every time he’s gotten close, events have risen up to shatter what little comfort he finds in the world.

  With all the trials and tribulations happening at the homestead over two decades, it was no wonder everyone missed the epic love story going on right under their noses until it might be too late.

  Without a mate – a family, a pack – a wolf has no home.

  But what if home finds you?

  Find
out more here

  A Mr & Mr Detective

  Gazes Into You

  Ex-detective John Right likes to watch.

  There’s no harm in it.

  The latest object of his obsession—a twenty-something stranger who chains his bike outside John’s office—doesn’t feel the weight of John’s eyes on him, doesn’t know about the secret recordings or what John does with them in the dead of night. Except when the kid disappears, John finds himself doing far more that just watching.

  Reluctantly, John has to start thinking like a cop once more as he frantically tries to track down his mystery man. Although when he finds him, John is left with more questions than answers. And the more he learns, the more he wishes he’d never started looking in the first place.

  Can John get to the bottom of the mystery without giving away his own dirty secret? And without giving in to his urge to do more than simply watch?

  Well…nobody’s perfect.

  A Foreign Country

  Private Detective John Right’s life is pretty good.

  He loathes paperwork and could do without wasting his weekends catching out cheating spouses, but business is booming and he’s sharing his life with Jason, a man he’s still crazy about after three years.

  The only downside is his lover’s baffling choice of friends and the fact that John is convinced Jason is keeping secrets from his dark past.