Bodie leaned into her embrace and tucked his face into the curve of her neck. His warm breath tickled her skin.
“I’m glad you’re here,” his voice whispered through her mind.
Ronni tried not to stiffen. Though she was falling in love, bonding with him could become a dangerous and painful complication if he wasn’t falling in love with her.
He pulled back, his brow weighted with concern. “You tensed up. What’s wrong?”
“I’m worried about you.” It wasn’t a lie. “How are you holding up?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.” Ronni tugged on the lapels of the denim jacket he wore over a black, long-sleeve T-shirt. “Tell me.”
“Mom needs to stay off her foot and won’t be able to drive.” Bodie tucked his hands into the hip pockets of his jeans. “I’ll have to do all the things she normally does until she’s healed.”
Ronni understood a lot of what that entailed. “I’ll pick up Willow for school and bring her home, and take Mary to any follow-up appointments that she has. I’ll also pick up items at the market if you give me a list.”
“I don’t want to burden you.”
“You’re not. A lot of people gave me a hand when I was in a bind.” She paused. “Let me help, Bodie. I want to do this for you.”
Cradling her face in his hands, he lightly stroked his thumbs over her cheeks. “This isn’t how I planned to finish our weekend.”
“Life gets in the way sometimes.” And might have saved Ronni from revealing her wolf, presumptuously. Despite the bond forming between them, he had closed a part of himself to her and she didn’t know why.
“I will make this up to you.” He brushed his mouth across her lips. Barely a whisper of a kiss, but still the sheer sweetness squeezed her heart. “I really do want more quality time with you.”
“Me, too,” she murmured, knowing that more did not necessarily imply a lifetime.
Chapter 23
“You aren’t an imposition, Mary.” Having returned from the first follow-up visit with Doc, Ronni gingerly helped Bodie’s mother onto the bed in the first-floor spare bedroom and lifted her soft-casted foot to stuff a pillow beneath her leg.
Sunday evening, watching Bodie struggle to get his mother into the camper, Ronni realized their housing situation was going to be problematic during Mary’s recovery. Even Alex had expressed concerns about the less than ideal circumstances.
After they had talked considerably, both agreed they had the means to help, and had invited Bodie’s family to move into their home, temporarily.
Stubborn-minded, Bodie had declined the offer, believing that living together with the current predicament would strain rather than strengthen their relationship. Ronni thought this might’ve been his way of pulling away.
But, yesterday, he changed his mind.
“I feel terrible that you had to close your business to take care of me.” Tears welled in Mary’s eyes. “Especially after I tried to shoo you away from Bodaway.”
“Only the storefront is closed. I worked out of my home before, I can do so again.” She had put a sign in the window advising customers to call to schedule appointments. “And I’m not easily shooed.”
“You are an angel.”
Quite a turn-around from practically being called a she-devil.
“All right, you’re all settled.” Ronni showed her the little bell on the nightstand. “Ring this if you need anything.”
“Thank you.” Mary closed her eyes to rest.
Leaving the door slightly ajar, Ronni walked out of the room. Then, she put a teakettle on the stove before going into the formal dining room that had temporarily been transformed into a work area. The most pressing project was almost complete.
Relying on the magazine pictures Willow had shown her, Ronni had fashioned similarly styled curtains and a duvet cover to decorate the girl’s new room. Just a few final touches to add, then a quick steam over the fabric, and the bedroom accessories would be finished. By the time Ronni picked the kids up from school, Willow’s new room would be all set up.
Nervous, at first, with adding three more people to her household, Ronni now felt having a blended family gave her a greater sense of completeness.
No matter her trust issues, Bodie was a good man, and she was lucky to have him in her life.
The kettle whistled and Ronni returned to the kitchen and poured a cup of tea. Absently, she picked up the ringing phone on the counter. “I was just thinking of you.”
“Well, darlin’, that’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time.”
A chill rippled down her spine and spread into her limbs. “What do you want, Jeb?”
“Thanksgiving is coming. It’s a time for family and I want to see mine.”
“I’ll send a picture.”
“I won’t tolerate your resistance much longer, Veronika. It’s long past the time for you and Alex to come home.”
“When will you get it through your thick skull? We are home. And if you show up at my house again, I will shoot your furry ass for trespassing!” She jabbed the button to disconnect the call.
Before she could slam the phone onto the counter, the device rang again. “Don’t call me again!”
“Whoa.” Bodie’s strong, steady voice brought burning tears to her eyes. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No.” Ronni swallowed her nerves. “Jeb called. He’s coming for Thanksgiving. I really hoped he would stay out of our lives.”
“Ronni, I—” The line crackled.
“Bodie?”
“The reception is spotty here.”
“Where are you?”
“...at Swallow Cre...checking...and.” His words faded completely.
“Bodie?” Ronni sat at the kitchen table, holding the phone to her ear like a lifeline. “Can you hear me?”
Nothing but static answered.
“Bodie?”
The call dropped. Ronni laid down the phone and cradled her head. Jeb wasn’t going away like she foolishly hoped.
She wished Bodie was home so she could bury her face in his chest and feel his strong arms holding her tightly.
Warmth rushed through her body and Bodie’s distinct, masculine presence filled her mind. The smart thing to do would be to block the budding manifestation of the mate-bond. Right now, she didn’t have the strength to resist.
The stress-induced rapid beat of her heart slowed to a calm, comfortable canter.
What she had told Jeb was true. She had a new life and a new family. Come hell or high water, not even Jebediah Lyles himself could drag her away.
* * *
Coming home to family was always the best part of Bodie’s day. Coming home to his new, blended family for the first time had him bursting at the seams. Although his mother and daughter had spent last night with Ronni and Alex, Bodie had worked with the Co-op’s sentinels, flying his plane over their patrols, until nearly morning. So, he’d crashed a few hours at the camper before starting back to work.
Tonight, though, he made sure to get off at a decent hour. He shut off the headlights and climbed out of the truck.
Though Ronni had proposed this temporary solution to deal with the problem of his mother’s broken foot, Bodie hoped to make it permanent.
His heart pounded with each step that brought him closer to the front door. Should he ring the doorbell or walk right in?
“Dad!” Willow opened the door before he had a chance to decide.
“Hey, chickadee.” He gave her a fatherly hug.
“You have got to see my new room!” Pure joy danced in her eyes and his heart swelled to near bursting.
“I will, but I need to stow my weapon.”
“Oh, yeah, I forgot.” She strolled into the living room and
sat on the floor to finish her homework strewn across the large square coffee table she shared with Alex.
He looked up. “Hey.” The boy smiled and his eyes seemed friendly and accepting.
Bodie closed and locked the front door.
“Bodaway, is that you?” his mom called out as he padded down the corridor.
“Hi, Mom.” He stood in her doorway. “How are you feeling?”
“Grateful.”
Him, too. “Have you had supper?”
“Yes, with the kids. They brought their trays in here and we watched a couple of game shows before they left to finish their homework.” She squinted at him. “I think Ronni’s waiting to eat with you.”
“I shouldn’t keep her waiting.” Bodie headed into the master bedroom. It looked a little different than he remembered. Now some of his things sat next to Ronni’s stuff.
Stepping into the closet, he found his small fireproof safe sitting on a shelf. He unloaded his weapon and inspected it before securing it alongside his ammunition. Then he closed and locked the safe, then placed his utility belt on top. Kicking off his boots, he pulled off his uniform shirt and removed his Kevlar vest. Normally, he would shower as soon as he got in. But all he wanted right now was to see Ronni.
“You’re not going to believe what Ronni did.” Willow intercepted him. “She’s amazing.”
“Mom is buttering you up,” Alex teasingly called out to Willow. “Wait ’til she grounds you for something.”
“I won’t do anything that will get me grounded.” Willow’s ponytail bounced with the bob of her head.
A mischievous gleam that screamed challenge accepted lit Alex’s eyes.
Bodie warned him with a look of his own and Alex merely laughed.
“Come on, Dad.” Willow tugged him toward the stairs. “Sheesh, you’re so slow.”
Curious, he followed his daughter into her new room.
“What do you think?” She whirled around the space decorated with all sorts of girly stuff.
“Looks nice.”
“Are you joking?” Willow gave him an incredulous, bug-eyed look. “This is a-mazing!”
Bodie shrugged. “Okay.”
Giving an exasperated sigh that was far weightier than her years should allow, Willow snatched the magazine off the white wooden dresser. “It’s exactly like this bedroom.”
Bodie looked at the picture, which did not look exactly like the room in which they were standing.
“See the curtains?” Willow pointed at the window.
The soft pastel pattern was nothing like the garish geometrical print on the curtains in the picture, but he did notice the similarities in the design.
“And the duvet is to die for.”
“Let’s not get carried away.” Bodie certainly didn’t want his daughter to die over a bedspread.
She flopped on the bed, rubbing her arms against the coordinated coverlet as if making angel wings in the snow. “None of it is store-bought either. Ronni made it.” She sat up. “Dad, I love Enisi and everything, but my room is going to be off-limits. I don’t want her making me feel bad because I have a more refined sense of style than she does. And I’m not being frivolous, I’m just tired of being plain all the time.”
“Enisi means well. Her parents were very strict. She can’t help it when those same tendencies surface in her.”
“I’m glad you’re not that way.”
“Me, too, chickadee.” He turned to leave.
“Dad?”
Bodie glanced back at his daughter.
“We’re staying right?” Willow sat cross-legged on her bed. “In Maico. With Ronni and Alex?”
“That’s the plan.”
“You’re doing this for you, too. Not just me, right?”
“Willow, what are you talking about?”
“One night, I overheard you and Enisi talking about the Co-op’s sanctuary. You thought it could be a safe place for my Transformation Ceremony.” She looked at him with uncertain eyes. “I know only Co-op members are allowed access. Since we aren’t members, it’s impossible for us to get inside.”
“Sweetheart, you don’t need to worry about that stuff. That’s my job to handle these things.”
“But, Dad. I’ll eventually grow up, go to college and stuff.”
“I’m preparing myself for that time, but that is still a few years ahead of us.”
“I don’t want you to be with Ronni if you’re only doing this for me.”
“Again, not your worry.”
“Being with her is forever, Dad.” Her youthful brow furrowed. “You know she’s a wolf shifter, right? Alex and Lucas, too.”
Surprise and unease tightened his gut. “I’m aware of what they are. How did you find out?”
“My first day of school, some of the students were really mean and I got so stressed that I had hot flashes up and down my back, and my shoulders prickled.” Willow huffed. “I got away from those kids as fast as I could, but I left a trail of feathers.”
“Sweetheart, why didn’t you tell me?”
“It was embarrassing, Dad. Like starting my period.”
Oh, boy.
“Anyway, Lucas followed me to the empty classroom where I hid. He had a bad first day when he came to Maico, too, and said if I wanted a friend, he was there for me. I didn’t want to go to class after being humiliated, so we hung out. He asked about my feathers, and I told him. And then I cried because I wasn’t supposed to tell him. But he said I wasn’t alone, and that he was a wolf shifter!” Willow smiled. “Besides us, I’d never met another shifter.”
“Willow.” Bodie tried to keep his voice level despite the alarm and anger bubbling. “What you did was wrong on so many levels.”
“Maybe for you. But everything changed for me, Dad. For the better. I have friends now, real friends. That might not be important to you, but it is to me. I’m not sorry any of it happened.”
“Who else knows?” Bodie’s heart thundered in his chest. If Alex knew, had he told Ronni?
Willow’s eyes rounded. “No one,” she said quickly. “Lucas and I agreed not to tell anyone else, I swear.”
“No more secrets, got it?” he warned his daughter as much as himself. Ronni needed to know what he was and he longed to tell her, but having his family move in was a huge adjustment on the heels of her ordeal with Jeb. He wanted to give Ronni some breathing room before changing her world view the way she had changed his.
“Yes, sir.”
Bodie hurried down the stairs, knowing Ronni would be on the porch, on the swing. The moment he stepped outside and she gifted him with a smile, all the tension he’d carried throughout the day melted.
“You’ve been busy.” He joined her on the swing, promising himself that he would reveal his raven to Ronni as soon as everyone had settled into their new routines. In case the reveal went badly, he didn’t want to ruin their first night as a family.
“I wanted everyone to feel at home.” She snuggled close.
“Thank you.” He closed his eyes, basking in the warmth of her body and the blanket she shared with him. In that moment, everything was sheer perfection.
Chapter 24
At nearly dusk, Bodie made his way along an overgrown trail, wishing he was home. After a long day of checking licenses and permits, he wanted nothing more than to be with his family. More than a week after moving in, everyone had settled into a comfortable routine and he had decided tonight was the perfect time to reveal his raven.
After supper, he planned to take Ronni for a walk in the woods behind the house, to the spot he’d asked the Co-op’s sentinels to stay away from for a few hours, so he could spend some quality time with her.
Bodie ached to get home, to put aside their secrets, and remove all impediments to forming a long and lasting relationship with Ronni. Yet,
here he was, still working because a dirt road through one of the Co-op’s properties now had fresh tire tracks. Figuring the security team had been in the area, Bodie had driven past. Almost immediately, his instinct began to gnaw his gut until he finally circled back around and drove down the bouncy dirt trail for nearly two miles before he saw a dark blue truck hidden in the brush.
The same dark blue truck he’d seen turning into the Thornbriar Lodge weeks ago. Considering the dried blood in the smelly truck bed, Bodie had been fairly sure the vehicle belonged to the poachers.
Not the type to sit and wait, as Tristan had strongly suggested when Bodie called, he had started tracking the hunters on his own. His badge gave him the right to access public and private property. And, to avoid potential complications, he needed to apprehend the suspects before the Co-op’s security team arrived.
At first, he hadn’t found any tracks except those next to the vehicle. After taking his time to survey the area, he’d spotted a telltale sign of recent disturbance, which suggested a likely direction. Every few feet, he stopped to look for the next clue. His enhanced vision enabled him to see the smallest broken twig, unnaturally crumpled leaves, slightly disturbed moss that humans would likely miss.
A doe bleat wafted on the wind.
Auditorily, he pinged the general location and started in that direction. A few minutes later, he noticed a flicker of movement ahead. At first, he saw nothing so he closed his eyes for a few seconds to readjust his sight. Upon opening his eyes, he zeroed in on the ground hunting blind, its camouflage design perfectly blending with the surroundings, hiding in plain sight.
Bodie edged closer and unfastened the strap on his holstered weapon hanging from his utility belt. “I’m Sergeant Gryffon, Georgia DNR. Put down your weapons and come out.”
His announcement resulted in a low murmur inside the blind. Finally, the flap opened and two of the men he’d seen shooting at Ronni emerged with their hands free of guns.
A flash of anger clouded Bodie’s vision, but he quickly banked it and cleared his thoughts.
The tallest one spoke first. “Is there a problem?”
Captivated by the She-Wolf Page 19