However, it was nine fifteen in the morning. Ooh, maybe he was changing things up before their weekend getaway.
Exiting the sewing room, she had a spring in her step that was nonexistent a few months ago.
“Mary?” She walked into the storefront, masking her disappointment. “What a nice surprise.” Although from the dour droop of Mary’s face, it might not be a pleasant one. “Are Bodie and Willow okay?”
“Yes.” A faint smile eased a little of the sourness in her expression. “You truly care for them, don’t you?”
“I do.” More every day, it seemed. She loved how Bodie kept in touch throughout the day and into the night. And she looked forward to the impromptu visits when he was nearby.
“He’s quite fond of you and your son, too.” Something in Mary’s tone triggered a gnawing sensation in Ronni’s stomach.
“I get the feeling—” Ronni eased onto the stool behind the checkout counter “—you’re about to tell me that you disapprove.”
“It’s not personal.”
“How can it not be?” Ronni asked.
“I want what’s best for my family and you put them at great risk.”
“How?” Jeb was gone; his threats had ceased. Gavin had given assurances that the Woelfesenat continued to deny Jeb’s ridiculous petitions, so she had no need to worry.
“Bodie’s heritage is one of great traditions. It is the reason we came to this place.” Mary smiled as she spoke, though it held no true warmth. “Willow will soon undergo her first ceremony to connect with her ancestors. It’s performed in a forest, but it is important that the area is safe from prying eyes and predators.”
Ronni could certainly understand Bodie’s concern. Poachers were on the loose and he didn’t want his daughter accidentally getting shot.
Mary ran her hand across the countertop. “Your Co-op has a sanctuary, doesn’t it?”
“A wolf sanctuary, yes.”
“Hmm.” She gave Ronni a pointed look.
“Bodie hasn’t mentioned anything to me.” She couldn’t grant him or Willow access but she could ask Gavin if the Co-op had a place they could use.
“Our traditions are very private. No one outside of our clan can witness it.”
Ronni understood the value of secrecy. It was the reason Wahyas still existed.
“I’m surprised your clan doesn’t provide a place for her ceremony.” The Walker’s Run Cooperative was designed to provide everything the pack needed.
“Bodaway has been angry with our council since his father died. He thinks they will continue to ignore his insolence, but he is mistaken.”
“Are you talking about some kind of sanctions, or is Bodie in danger?” Ronni’s protective instinct flared. She wouldn’t allow anyone to threaten Bodie or Willow, any more than she would stand for someone threatening her son.
“He could be if he doesn’t change his ways.”
“You mean stop seeing me.” Ronni’s inner wolf prowled restlessly.
“His sights are blindly set on you—he can’t see the truth.” A very real fear crept into Mary’s eyes.
“What truth?”
“The path he is on will lead him to destruction.”
Ronni bit her tongue because she was pretty sure Bodie’s mother had accused her of being temptation incarnate with a mind to send Bodie straight to hell.
I’m a she-wolf, not a she-devil!
The tension in the room swelled to an uncomfortable pressure. Mary seemed to be waiting for Ronni to agree to stop seeing Bodie.
The wait would be a long one. Ronni had no intention of breaking away from the intense pull she felt toward Bodie. Like Rafe suggested, she was happy being with him.
Her phone rang, startling both women. Ronni pulled the device from the back pocket of her jeans and answered the call.
“Hey, beautiful.” Bodie’s clear, strong voice slipped around her like a comforting blanket. He could read the ingredients off the back of a cereal box and the sound of his voice would still soothe her. “What color panties are you wearing? I’m thinking red lace.”
“Not even close.” She laughed because he always said the most outrageous things whenever she needed a moment of levity. “Try none.”
There was a moment of silence. When Bodie spoke again, his voice was low and gravelly. “Keep saying things like that and I might run off the road.”
“Don’t ask dangerous questions while driving.”
“Good plan.” He chuckled.
“Um.” Ronni noticed Mary watching her intently. “Your mom dropped by for a little visit. I was about to get her a cup of coffee.”
Some of the color drained from Mary’s face.
“Black, right?” Ronni asked her.
“Yes.”
“Have a seat at the table, Mary. I’ll be back in a moment.” Ronni walked into the small kitchenette.
“What did she say?” Bodie’s words were clipped and tight.
“If you keep seeing me, something bad will happen.” Ronni’s throat tightened, even though she tried not to take Mary’s words personally. She was an overprotective mother trying to safeguard her son. Ronni certainly understood the motivation, but she made a mental note to not tell any of Alex’s future girlfriends that they were she-devils.
“My mother gets carried away with our traditions and superstitions,” Bodie said coolly.
“We’ve never talked about your heritage, or mine. Maybe we should.” Oh, she definitely needed to talk about hers if whatever was between them turned into something serious.
“We will.”
The comfortable silence that fell between them was filled with the gentle ebb of Bodie’s essence touching hers.
“Why is she worried?”
“Willow is nearly grown,” Bodie said. “I’m dating you. I guess Mom feels left behind. She’s clinging to the old ways because they’re familiar. While going through this phase, she’ll think any woman I date is bad for me.”
“Bodie, I’ve been so focused on my problems that I didn’t realize what your family is going through.” A sudden move and living in a camper had to be difficult on all of them.
“Willow and I are in a much better place than we were a few months ago.” Bodie paused. “My mom will come around. She just needs time.”
“I should take the coffee to her.” Ronni poured the hot beverage into a large ceramic mug.
“I won’t make it for lunch today. I’m catching up on paperwork,” he said.
“Should we postpone next weekend’s trip? I don’t want to upset your mother any more than she is.”
“Would you rather upset me?” Bodie’s exhausted sigh tweaked her heart. “I want more than a few snatches of your time, Ronni. But if you don’t want to go away with me—”
“I do.” The words tumbled out.
“Good.” Relief rumbled in his voice. “I’ll call tonight when I get home.”
“Obviously, your mother knows I’m talking to you. Please don’t bring this up. I don’t want it to cause a wedge in your relationship with her.”
“I don’t like that she upset you.”
“Mary came to me with her concerns and I respect that she did. I can handle this.”
“All right,” he said after a long pause.
“Don’t forget the football game tomorrow night.”
“We’ll be there.”
After disconnecting the call, Ronni served Mary the coffee and sat at the table with her.
“Does that happen a lot?” Mary swallowed her first sip.
“Bodie keeps in touch with me throughout the day.” A check-in, of sorts. Since he worked alone in isolated areas, she liked knowing where he was headed or when he was leaving a place.
“I meant, does he always know when you’re upset even when you’re apart?”
It did seem that Bodie reached out to her whenever she felt overwhelmed. Not that she was stressed every time he called, texted or dropped by to see her, but somehow he always sensed her distress.
She purposely ignored the possibility that it could be a manifestation of a mate-bond developing between them. No matter how she felt about Bodie, Ronni didn’t have the strength to bond so intimately with another man. Losing Zeke had nearly killed everything inside her. If not for Alex, it would have. She would never put herself through that again. She simply couldn’t.
Chapter 19
What the hell did I get myself into?
Ronni’s heart beat louder than the noise from the airplane propeller and faster than the blades turning. Her fingers dug into something on the passenger door that she wasn’t quite sure what it was.
If she had known this was how they were traveling to Gatlinburg, Ronni wouldn’t have spent the last week wishing for this weekend to hurry up and get here.
Bodie’s steady voice crackled through her headset as he talked to the air traffic controller. She tried to calm her nerves, clenching her teeth so she wouldn’t cry out. Having never been on board a plane, she wasn’t at all confident about leaving behind good, solid ground.
The plane lurched forward, along with her stomach. Swallowing hard to keep down the morning’s breakfast, she glanced sidelong at Bodie. His eyes focused forward in complete confidence.
She wished the same for herself but had to settle on simply not becoming a distraction as they hurtled down the runway. When the nose of the plane lifted, Ronni gasped.
“Breathe,” Bodie’s voice whispered through her headset. A gentle assurance ebbed into her being and the tension in her body lessened. “Now open your eyes.”
Ronni pried open her eyelids. Nothing but blue expanse surrounded them. She gulped.
“Have you flown before?”
She shook her head, not trusting her voice.
“I’ve been flying since I was sixteen,” Bodie said. “Today, the skies are clear, the wind is good and you have nothing to fear.”
“I’m not afraid.”
Bodie’s disbelieving look called her bluff.
“Shouldn’t you be watching those gauges and dials?”
“I am, but I’m also keeping an eye on you.” He flashed an encouraging smile. “Take a look around—it’s beautiful up here.”
Ronni wanted to say that she’d take his word for it, but the earnestness in his face touched her. He really seemed to love flying.
She leaned toward the side window and gazed at the hazy mountain range below. Once she got over the initial wave of light-headedness, Ronni drank in the swirl of color, amazed at the majesty of seeing the world from a different perspective.
“Breathtaking, isn’t it?”
“Everything looks so peaceful.” Considering the chaos she often found herself in, the serenity was astounding.
“I love it up here. When I’m flying, all the weight and stress of the world below slips away.”
“You’ve really been flying since you were a teenager?”
“Yep. My dad was a pilot. Some of my earliest memories are of flying with him. As soon as I was old enough, he signed me up for lessons. I’ve been flying ever since, so you’re in good hands.”
Ronni didn’t doubt the truth of his words. Exuding confidence and displaying an effortless skill, he was obviously born to fly. She, on the other hand, was a wolfan who preferred to have her feet, and paws, firmly planted on the ground. But since this activity was such an important part of Bodie’s life, she needed to at least tolerate it. “Sounds like you were close to your dad.”
“I was.” Bodie’s voice cracked. “He was killed when I was in college. It was so surreal. I had talked to him a few hours before he died.”
Ronni’s chest tightened in sympathy. “I’m sorry for your loss. I didn’t mean to bring up unhappy memories.”
“He was a good man and a great father.” Bodie glanced at her. “I have no unhappy memories of him, but I miss the memories we could’ve made. My college graduation, Willow’s birth, her first day of school.” He shrugged.
“I lost my parents when Alex was a toddler. My dad died from pneumonia. Less than a year later, my mom from a broken heart.” Ronni glanced out the window. “After my husband died, I was in a bad place. Then Rafe brought us to Walker’s Run and things slowly got better. I like to think that somehow, their spirits were looking out for us.”
“I believe you’re right.” Bodie’s soft smile was genuine and warm. And she felt the comforting heat of it all the way to her bones.
“Alex has made good friends and Rafe is a wonderful role model,” Ronni continued. “He’s done so much for us and Alex adores him.”
Bodie remained quiet, his eyes focused ahead.
“Rafe is the only family I have left.” She gave a nervous laugh. “At least he was until the twins came along.”
“That night at Taylor’s.” Bodie’s voice broke with unspoken emotion. “You had this glow about you while holding his son. Even if that had been the first time I saw you, I would’ve known that you are a great mother.”
“Thank you.” She considered Alex her greatest accomplishment.
“There is more to you than being a mother.” Bodie glanced her way. “You do know that, don’t you?”
“Alex has been a priority for so long, it’s hard for me to see myself as anything other than his mother,” she said. “Pine Ridge wasn’t the safest place for families. With Zeke working long hours at the mill, we decided it was best for me to stay home with Alex. I taught myself to sew and made extra money doing alterations. When he started school, I went back to work, part time as a waitress. Everything was about surviving. It wasn’t all bad. Zeke was a good man and he loved us with every ounce of his being.”
“Having someone to share the bad times makes it easier to bear,” Bodie said.
“When did you lose your wife?” Ronni asked gently.
“Hours after Willow was born. Layla complained of a bad headache. I called for the nurse, but by the time they arrived, Layla was having a convulsive seizure. She lost consciousness, stopped breathing, then she was gone and they couldn’t bring her back. Later, the doctor told me she had an aneurysm that had ruptured.”
“Oh, Bodie.” Emotion swelled Ronni’s throat. What should’ve been the happiest day of his life had turned into a tragic one.
“Life has a way of making amends for losses, don’t you think?” He looked at her with genuine affection and his eyes twinkled with possibilities. What else could she do but agree?
* * *
“You’re doing great.” Bodie squeezed Ronni’s warm hands as he glided backward on his ice skates, pulling her with him. Though there was no snow outside, the indoor ice rink in Gatlinburg was open year-round.
“I don’t know how.” She grimaced. “All I can think of is not falling on my ass and breaking my tailbone.”
“Trust me, I will not allow that to happen. I’m quite partial to your ass.” Besides, from what Bodie had observed, wolfans had a natural athletic ability that gave them a definite edge when it came to anything physical. “Stop thinking of this as a chore to get through. Relax and have fun. Be in the moment.”
He let go of one of her hands, turning around to skate beside her while keeping a firm grip on her other hand. “Better?”
“Yes. I’m not worried about you running into anyone now.”
Bodie laughed. “That wasn’t going to happen.”
“You couldn’t see what I could.”
They completed a few circles around the rink before he let go of her hand. “Ready for a race?”
“Hardly.”
He circled around her. “Liar,” he said, noting the competitive gleam in her vibrant blue eyes.
“I’ll give you an advantage.�
�� He began skating backward again. “Ready? Go!”
“Hey!” Ronni pushed forward with the agility and speed Bodie expected from a she-wolf. “Not fair.”
Bodie stayed about a foot ahead of her as they glided over the ice. “All’s fair in love and ice skating.”
“In that case...” Ronni cut sharply to the left. The motion caused her to wobble. She crouched forward and grabbed her knees like he’d taught her to do.
“You’ll need to do better than that.” His laugh was cut short as he collided with someone behind him and sprawled to the ice.
Smiling, Ronni inched over to him. “So do you.”
Bodie looked over at the other skater. “Are you all right?”
The man gave him a pissy face. “Fantastic,” he grumbled, got to his feet and skated off.
“How about you? Anything broken?” Clearly amused, she offered him a hand up, which he declined, fearing he’d cause her to topple alongside him.
“I’m good.” With one knee planted on the ice, he brought up his other one and pushed to a stand.
“Yeah, you are.”
Though falling in front of her tweaked his pride, the teasing affection in her smile soothed his bruised ego. He pulled her close and she planted her hands on his hips, a tactic to steady herself, but he didn’t care. He enjoyed the way her heat seeped into his bones.
Leaning into him, Ronni lifted her face to his until her soft lips graced his with a kiss. “Hungry?”
She meant for food, but what he hungered for was something much less tangible. And a lot more complicated. Maybe there was some truth to the Quickening. The more time he spent with Ronni, the stronger whatever it was inside him grew.
Her fear of flying had not escaped his notice. Frankly, he admired that she didn’t freak out or refuse to board the plane when he surprised her by driving to the airport instead of the expressway. He was even humbled when she put her faith in him and allowed herself to enjoy the flight.
During the short time they were in the air, he’d learned more about her than in the month he’d known her. Smart, dedicated, courageous. A match with her could turn into something more than he could’ve ever hoped to have.
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