by E A Price
“Just breathe,” she muttered over and over.
“Was that Harlan Connors you were with?”
Temp whipped around to find a pretty young woman with a pretty disgruntled expression glaring at her. Another sister, perhaps?
“Yes, yes it was.”
She let out a sound of disgust. “You’re dating him?”
“Well…”
No, she wasn’t dating him. Nope, their relationship was a lot weirder than that.
“Good luck with that. He’ll be out the door the moment he senses a whiff of commitment, and he won’t even have the decency to tell you goodbye. The guy’s a total asshole. Get out while you can.”
Temp stared at her openmouthed. The woman pouted her lips in the mirror, checking her lipstick, and stormed out of there.
Wow, that was… she had no words. Temp made her way to their table, slightly shaken.
*
“You sure you’re okay?”
“Mmm hmmm.”
Harlan frowned. Tempest had been quiet throughout dinner, polite but quiet. Her dad hadn’t noticed, but Candace had and kept flashing inquiring looks at Harlan. He was stumped. She seemed fine until she went to the bathroom. He had thought it was maybe her dad’s presence, but her quietness persisted even on the car ride home – he insisted he drive her.
“You sure?” he persisted.
“Tell me what the lawyer said,” she murmured.
Harlan felt a flicker of disappointment. “We can’t annul since we consummated. It has to be a divorce.”
“Oh.”
“We just need to draw up the papers and make it as quiet as possible.”
Tempest turned and gave him a sardonic smile. “Me drunkenly getting married is hardly the kind of thing I want public – that’s not the kind of publicity my charity needs.”
Harlan chuckled. “Yeah, I’m sure my brother would kill me.”
He pulled up in front of the center. He was about to ask her to dinner when his phone rang – it was the persistent buzz belonging to his brother. He didn’t ignore his brother’s calls – doing so had bad consequences, and sometimes even painful consequences.
“Yeah?”
“We have an emergency,” howled Branch, “I need to see you in my office now!”
His brother hung up, but his tone of voice left Harlan in no doubt that anything less than ten minutes from now would result in the aforementioned painful consequences.
He cast a look of regret at Tempest. “I have to go.”
“Okay.”
She didn’t exactly look put out to hear it he thought morosely. Maybe she still thought he was seeing another woman.
“Herd emergency,” he clarified.
Her forehead wrinkled in curiosity. “Herd emergency?”
“Yep, I’ve been summoned by my brother. Course, he also called it an emergency when he ran out of chocolate ice cream the night he was intending on asking your sister to move in with him a month ago.”
Tempest smiled slightly. “She does like her ice cream.”
“He wanted it to be perfect because she’s special.”
“Yeah, she is,” agreed Tempest with feeling.
They paused for a couple of beats, watching one another before she started getting out the car.
“Umm, good luck with your emergency and I guess we’ll talk about the divorce later.”
He nodded, considered asking her again if she was okay but decided to let it go. He would find out what his brother wanted and then he would figure out what was happening with Tempest.
Fifteen
Temp found Mira in the kitchen of the center; she was bustling around, ably taking over and whipping up some of her gorgeous sweet concoctions.
“Umm hi,” said Temp awkwardly.
She loved seeing her sister and was sad that they weren’t spending as much time together as they did when Mira first moved to Chicago – that was due to the high demands Branch put on her. But Temp couldn’t help but worry that if she spent too much time with Mira, she would blurt out the fact that she had married her fiancé’s brother while totally blitzed on alcohol.
Mira beamed at her with bright, rosy cheeks. “Hey. Just whipping up some vanilla cupcakes for the kids.”
“That’s nice.”
Mira frowned. “Was that Harlan I saw leaving?”
“Umm, yeah, we had lunch with my dad and Candace.”
Mira blinked at her in surprise. “Oh.”
Temp blushed. She was going to say it wasn’t like that, but they were married…
“We’re not dating,” she said truthfully.
Mira didn’t say anything, merely frowned a little more and started icing the first batch of cupcakes.
“Harlan’s a very charming guy,” said Mira finally.
Temp sighed and related what happened in the bathroom. The venom in the woman’s voice had been so pronounced.
“Does what happened surprise you?” asked Temp.
“I don’t know,” said Mira slowly. “I don’t know Harlan that well, but Branch says he’s not interested in settling down, so he dates lots of younger women who aren’t interested in that either. Branch doesn’t approve.”
“Oh.” She wasn’t really surprised to hear it, but a sappy part of her was hoping to hear that he was just waiting for the right woman.
“But then Branch disapproves of nearly everything.”
“He does?”
“Yeah.” Mira smiled almost smugly. “He has this cute scowl whenever he disapproves of anything, and I reckon he would disapprove of anything Harlan did.”
She glanced at her watch and wiped her hands. “I should call him. They have this big emergency going on right now, and I said I’d call for moral support.”
“Surprised you’re not there in the thick of it,” murmured Temp, thinking about the way Harlan had rushed off.
Mira pressed her lips together. “I’m not part of the herd yet, and the older members of the herd are old fashioned.” She scoffed. “They won’t trust me until we officially mate. They have all these rules in place about people not part of the herd yet. I don’t know; it’s something to do with a woman who screwed them over, years ago…”
*
“What’s the problem?” asked Harlan as he stormed into his brother’s office.
He found Branch, Uncle Clay, Mal, his mom, his sister and the herd historian, Alden – looking decidedly peaky – there, sporting matching grim expressions.
“We have a problem with the Crowe Herd,” said Branch slowly, eyeing him speculatively.
Corinne’s herd. She had tried to call him again, and he ignored the call again, immediately deleting the message she left. He had also avoided all of the requests for a meeting with them.
Harlan inhaled deeply. “What?”
Branch’s hard face seemed to turn to granite. “They claim they never agreed to end the mating agreement between you and Corinne, so…”
Harlan’s brow furrowed. “So… holy shit!” His insides went cold. That meant their mating agreement was still in play, which could mean… “They want me to mate her?!”
His inner reindeer hooted in alarm. His mom let out a loud snarl, and even his docile little sister growled.
“That or we offer compensation,” said Branch in disgust.
“For fu… How much?”
“Just about everything we own.”
“They can’t do this!” howled Harlan.
Branch let out a burst of humorless laughter. “Technically they can. We had a mating agreement, and you chose to stop the mating.”
“But, they would have ended the wedding if I hadn’t.”
“But you did it first,” chimed in Alden, “and matings can only be dissolved if infidelity is involved or if both parties agree to it and…” He petered out as Branch gave him a look.
“They haven’t brought this up before,” said Harlan. His chest felt tight. Thanks to him, his herd was in jeopardy yet again.
“They
weren’t about to declare bankruptcy before,” said Uncle Clay. He took off his sunhat and dropped it onto a chair. Judging by the hat, the colorful Hawaiian shirt, and the deep tan, it appeared that Clay had just stepped off the plane following his Caribbean trip. Harlan hoped he enjoyed it; they may not have a resort in the Caribbean soon, or anywhere else actually.
“No wonder that evil little harridan is in town,” hissed his mother, her eyes flashed to the darkness of her beast. He’d never seen her so angry. Even when he accidentally flooded her master bathroom. Or the time he blew up her deluxe barbecue while trying to defrost a turkey – that had been a strange Fourth of July.
“Language, mother,” he teased.
“This is no joking matter.” Her tone suggested she was just a whisper away from using the term ‘young man’ – when she did that it meant she was really pissed. “You can’t possibly mate her, and they are not getting their hooves on our business.”
“Maybe I could persuade Corinne to drop this claim,” said Harlan, though without much hope. He couldn’t believe that she cared anything about him at all. He wasn’t sure she would brake if she saw him on the street.
“Humph, I don’t want you anywhere near her, young man.”
Crap, she brought out the ‘young man.’
“We’re looking into it,” said Branch, flicking looks at both Mal and Alden, “we’re looking for a way to stop this from happening.”
“Before I’m forced to mate her,” hissed Harlan.
Branch surveyed him through hooded eyes. “I wouldn’t ask you to do that.”
No, but he would expect it, and Harlan knew it was his duty to do it, in spite of his mother’s personal feelings. The herd came first, and he wouldn’t risk them – not again.
“It is my fault we are in this mess,” said Harlan, “if I need to…”
Ariel reached out and took his hand. “Harlan, no.”
“It is. I fell for her and gave her the keys to the kingdom. I must do whatever it takes to make it right.”
Branch nodded at him, though Harlan could see he was even angrier than their spitting mother. His thoughts shifted to Tempest, though honestly, she was never very far from his thoughts. He hadn’t intended for anything permanent with Tempest anyway, and now, he had no choice. He had to let her go, but that was very much easier said than done.
Sixteen
Temp heard the voicemail beep and ended another call. Harlan wasn’t answering. Maybe he was just busy, or maybe he didn’t want to talk to her. The bathroom woman said he didn’t like to stick around. Perhaps he sensed her growing feelings for him and decided to get out before things became too messy. Or maybe he was just busy.
She leaned back on her couch and stared at the TV without really watching it. It was a movie about a killer crocodile or something, or maybe it was just a nature documentary, she wasn’t sure.
She had worked until nine, and then dragged herself home, now she was considering that she ought to eat something, though she wasn’t very hungry. She put her feet up on her coffee table and dislodged a pile of magazines. At the bottom was the baby book she bought six months ago. She picked it up and sifted through it, looking at the various post-it notes she had added months ago. Yeah, she read it from cover to cover when she got it, studying it like it was an English assignment.
A week ago, Temp had it all figured out and then Harlan had to show up and confuse her. But he wouldn’t be around for long. Guys never were, and Harlan by all accounts wasn’t the type to commit. He’d just move on eventually if he hadn’t already.
So why she was putting her plans on hold? She wanted a baby, a family, and Harlan by his own admission didn’t want a relationship.
Should she just abandon her plans because she was temporarily enjoying his company? What was she hoping for here? Was she really hoping that Harlan would change his mind? She shouldn’t expect anything from him, and definitely shouldn’t want it. Even the men who loved her let her down – why should she expect anything from Harlan?
She’d made plans months ago to have a baby, so she really shouldn’t waste her time mooning over a reindeer who didn’t want her.
Eric had sent her two more messages, and with many misgivings, Temp picked up the phone to call him.
*
Harlan felt a stab of frustration as Tempest tried to call him again. He wanted to answer, wanted to hear her sweet voice, but what could he say? Sorry, I can’t talk to you any more, I’m mating my nightmare ex because she’s threatening to ruin my herd? He’d have to tell her eventually. Branch would no doubt tell Mira, and she would probably tell her sister.
He should tell her face to face. Yes, that saved him for the moment, but when he saw her…
Tempest would probably understand. Or at least she wouldn’t feel like he owed her anything. This shouldn’t change anything for her – they were always planning on divorcing quietly, and never telling anyone. So why did he feel like such a shit?
Harlan stepped off the elevator and paused as a sickeningly familiar scent reached him. Corinne.
He found her standing outside his apartment. How the hell did she get past the doorman? Probably through charm and flirting he thought disgustedly – the same way she beguiled him into wanting to marry and mate her so she could ruin his herd’s company.
“Harlan,” she breathed, smiling hopefully. Her face was a perfect mixture of regret and sympathy.
He couldn’t help the growl. He hadn’t noticed before, but everything about her was so artful, like she was playing a part. Her reactions were never real; they were rehearsed and well thought out. It angered him to realize it, to know how blind and foolish he had been back then. Could he really live with mating her?
Her alpha was trying to call their bluff. They didn’t really think Harlan would agree to mate her. They went big with their demand for the company; they expected Branch to negotiate them down to a smaller amount – say like half of their company. Didn’t matter what, it was too much, and Harlan wouldn’t allow Branch to give them anything.
“What are you doing here?” he grunted.
Her bottom lip wobbled marginally, and her large eyes shone with unshed tears. Jeez, she deserved an Oscar.
“I take it you know about what my alpha’s trying to do.”
Harlan snorted in acknowledgment. He didn’t believe for one second that she was innocent in all this. He didn’t credit her alpha as possessing this much deviousness. He was sure this was down to her.
Corinne dipped her eyes and then looked up at him through her eyelashes. “I tried to warn you.”
She probably did, but he hadn’t answered any of her calls.
“That it?” he growled. “That all you came here to say?”
A calculated look of hurt crossed over her face. “I never wanted any of this to happen.”
“Aha.”
Harlan fished in his pocket for his keys.
“Actually I came here to tell you that I did care for you… still do, in fact.”
He paused but didn’t look at her. Didn’t want to see the pathetic look on her face – it would be fake, and it would only make him angry. Or angrier.
“There’s no reason we couldn’t be happy together if that’s the way your herd is leaning.”
Harlan chuckled harshly. She was only there to get the scoop on what his herd was planning on doing. Jeez, how could he ever have been so foolish to fall for her crap?
“Good night, Corinne,” he said coldly, pushing open the door of his apartment.
“We could make a…”
The rest was muffled as he slammed the door. Make a snowman perhaps? Make a mock apple pie? No, most likely it was that they could make a go of things. Maybe he would have no choice, but he knew for certain that he wouldn’t be happy. He patted his pocket, feeling for the outline of the cheap ring from his wedding to Tempest. He had been carrying it ever since he had taken it off. He perhaps should have thrown it in the trash, and not just because for the brief period w
hen he wore it that it started turning his finger green. He just hadn’t been able to part with it.
How could he be happy with Corinne - he would just be thinking of Tempest the entire time.
Seventeen
Blearily rubbing her eyes, Temp made her way to the door. It was six in the morning, and someone was pounding on it like it was a set of bongos. She hardly liked to sleep in every day, but it was only six – come on!
She peered through the peephole and inhaled sharply. Harlan. She unlocked the door, flinging it open.
“Harlan, what are you doing here?”
Wordlessly, he strode into her apartment, a serious expression on his handsome face. He was slightly rumpled, and he was unshaven. He looked like he’d been up all night. Still gorgeous though.
Harlan let out a frustrated sigh and ran his hands through his hair. He looked around and then zeroed in on the baby book she had left on her coffee table.
Temp scooted over to it and picked it up.
“So you really do want a baby?” he said slowly, his stark eyes boring into her.
Temp shook her head. “What do you mean?”
“The first night we met, that asshole was mumbling something about giving you a baby. I thought he was just talking out of his ass.”
She frowned, remembering that night. “I didn’t think you heard that, and besides, he was definitely talking out of his ass. He just overheard something Heather said, that’s all.”
He tried to look at the book, and she hid it behind her.
“About wanting a baby?”
Temp shrugged awkwardly, seriously not wanting to have this conversation with him. “Before we met I had decided to have a baby on my own. Heather and I were just talking about options, and that pervert thought I would seriously submit to him impregnating me. Puh-lease. Not even if he paid me… actually, that came out wrong - especially not if he paid me.”
Harlan stared at her, and her cheeks flamed.
“What happened between us wasn’t… I wasn’t trying to…”
“I figured that considering we used protection,” he said gruffly.