by Lisa Oliver
“Come and see around the back,” Fagin urged, grabbing his hand and towing him along. Cooper was inclined to dig his toes in and demand some answers, but then they turned the corner and went behind the building and Cooper’s heart stopped. There, tucked in the trees was a large, two story family home. Built out of wood, it was weathered, much like the roadhouse, but it was an aged beauty. A huge porch, that didn’t sag, Cooper noticed. The windows were the big sash types that would let in plenty of light. Cooper saw three chimneys poking from the roof. Best of all, behind the house, Cooper saw trails leading up into the forest – plenty of room to run.
“What…why?” Cooper turned to Fagin who was watching him.
“Do you like it, babe? Could you see yourself living here?” Fagin’s eyes shone with excitement. “I know it needs a lot of work, but it’s not as though we haven’t got the money and Buster and I could do a lot of it ourselves. Of course, the electrics and the plumbing will probably need professionals in as I don’t think this place has been modernized since it was built, but the kitchen in the diner part is apparently new so we could use that for a while until the house was upgraded.”
“There’s plenty of land that comes with this place – almost fifty acres which would give us plenty of room to run as most of it is up there,” he pointed to the slope of the hills. “We might have to keep an eye out for the occasional bear, but the realtor Buster has been talking to says they don’t come down here very often and most natural bears aren’t going to mess with a shifter. There might not be a lot of through traffic during the winter, but the realtor says there isn’t a bar serving liquor in town, except the hotel and they tend to be highly priced and often close for renovations over the quiet times. He felt if we got our liquor licenses we should make enough money from the locals during the quiet season. If we can find a good cook and add meals to the menu, then we’d get a fair cross section of people in here.”
“So, you’re not going to be catering to just bikers then?” Cooper planted his feet and crossed his arms over his chest. “This place would be more family friendly?”
“Well, yes, if you want it to be.” Fagin looked around. “We could put in a play area for kids over there,” he pointed to the edge of the parking lot furthest from the road, “and have a kiddie’s menu for the bar if you like. If we restricted the sale of alcohol until evening hours, then it’d be perfectly safe for any little ones here.”
“And a rainbow flag at the entrance?” Cooper fought hard to not let his lips twitch. “Did this realtor say anything about how gay friendly this place is?”
“That’s not a problem, honestly,” Fagin was so earnest, Cooper really wanted to laugh. “Apparently, they have an openly gay council member here, and a number of the businesses in town are owned and operated by gay and lesbian couples. Buster has checked the local crime statistics and there hasn’t been a hate crime here since 1963. Only petty theft and a few domestic issues. Most of the crime, if any, comes during tourist season, but the police have a strong presence here, and are very responsive to calls.”
“And our proximity to any other pack?” Cooper turned and made out he was looking at the scenery. Truth be told, the word “yes” was hovering on the tip of his tongue, but his mate deserved some payback for not including him in his plans. “Will we be safe here?”
“Buster has already checked with the shifter council. If we set up here, the town and the woods around it for twenty miles in each direction will be our territory.” Fagin came up behind him. Cooper felt his heat and leaned into it. “We could make this our home, babe, if you wanted to.”
“I thought you wanted to travel, feel the air on your face and move from place to place. It’s barely been a week.”
“It all sounded very romantic when Buster and I were ten,” Fagin agreed. “But the reality of it is, I want a bed that doesn’t smell of a dozen or more other people; I want to be able to sleep in in the morning sometimes and cuddle with my honey and not have to worry about check out times.”
“You won’t have time to sleep in, if you take this place on,” Cooper pointed out, staring at the house that would be theirs. He could feel it in his bones and he knew his wolf agreed. “That roof looks like it’d take some work and the whole place will need double glazing for winter. I imagine it gets darn cold up here which means all the pipes will need checking over too.”
“You mean you’re considering it?” Cooper found himself twirled around. “You can see this as our forever home?”
“Well, maybe not forever, we’ve still got the whole ‘not aging as fast as humans’ aspect to consider.” Cooper teased his mate by refusing to meet his eyes, turning his head instead. “But if we have the room, we can build a cabin up in the tree line and put managers in to run the place when it’s time for us to disappear for a while.”
“Is that a yes?” Fagin was almost bouncing with excitement. “Buster and I already know about running a business like this. You’d have to keep our books of course, but you could have an office out the back and take on more clients if you want to. When the realtor heard you were proficient in taxes he was sure you’d get plenty of work.”
“But what about Buster finding his mate? I thought we were traveling until we found him?”
“This is the place,” Buster came over, a wide grin on his normally scowly face. “My wolf says we’re in the right place. We just have to wait for our mate to come to us. Can’t you feel it? This place calls to us. We’re meant to be here.”
Cooper could hold out against one wolf with a hopeful expression, but two was too much. “Yes,” He said.
Fagin and Buster shared a look. “Yes, we can buy it?” Fagin asked it. “Yes, you want to live here, you can see this as your home for the foreseeable future?”
Cooper looked around one last time. They were fairly close to the road which would be good for business. He could smell the salt from the sea mingling with the scent of pine. He took in the big old house that held its place confidently in the encroaching wood. He looked at the red chipped paint on the diner and thought of the picture he’d seen inside, of the positive energies he could sense coming from the old building. “Yes. But,” He added as Fagin kissed him quickly before sharing a huge bro-hug with Buster and they danced around like two kids in a candy store. “You’d better let me do the negotiating for this sale. I’m not letting you guys get ripped off and renovating this lot won’t be cheap.”
“We’re meeting the realtor at ten in the morning,” Fagin’s teeth gleamed in the setting sun. “I just didn’t want you to be blindsided with him here.”
Blindsided. Cooper rolled his eyes. “Are you sure you two won’t miss the open road? This place will be a huge commitment and it’s going to take a lot of time to fix it up and that’s before you open.”
“It was my suggestion,” Buster said, “buying this place, I mean. If I have to watch Fagin growl and snipe at one more person because they eyed your ass, I was going to go nuts. We need a safe space, somewhere we can interact with the humans on our terms but have a place to let our wolves out when we need it. One of the problems with being on the road, is we spend so much time on the bikes our wolves don’t get a chance to stretch their legs. By the time we’ve found a place to stop for the night, it’s too late most times to check out a safe place to run.”
Cooper nodded. He didn’t shift as often as the bigger wolves obviously did and was used to it, but Fagin had been getting growly even in bed. Running on four legs more often would help. “Your wolf led you here?”
Buster nodded, and Fagin added, “I felt it to, as soon as we drove up here. This place has the feel of home about it.”
“I know, I feel it too.” Cooper turned away, so the two men wouldn’t see the glint of tears in his eyes. A real home, and somehow, Cooper knew his mate and his best friend were right. There was a feeling of permanence about the area and despite his tears he knew they’d be happy in this old place.
“Are you sure you’re okay with
this? You haven’t seen the inside of the house yet and things could be a bit rough for a while when we’re renovating.” Fagin always seemed to know what he was feeling and knew he needed a hug before Cooper did himself.
Cooper laughed as he snuggled into Fagin’s chest. “I’ve lived in places so small they’d fit in a closet of this place. I’ve spent time sleeping in places so foul I had to eat quickly before the cockroaches nicked my food. Sure, I had a nice apartment when we met, but it wasn’t always like that. This place, you can feel the love here, can’t you?”
“Yep,” Fagin nodded against his hair. “Buster was telling me the realtor said this place is a deceased estate. It was a husband and wife who built all this, started it up just after they got married. They lived here for almost sixty years. The wife died first, of natural causes and within a week, the husband was found dead in his sleep.”
“Makes you wonder if they were shifters,” Cooper smiled. “Soul mates definitely. They didn’t have any children?”
“No,” Fagin said quietly. “They poured all their love into this place.”
“So will we.” Cooper turned and looped his hands around Fagin’s neck. “Buster will find his mate here, and we’ll run this place with the same love shown by the previous owners. I can feel it in my bones.”
“Are you sure that’s not just the ache from being on the bike for a week?” Fagin’s eyes twinkled.
“There’s that too. But that hotel promises spa baths. They’d be big enough for two. Fancy a soak and some relaxation before the big day tomorrow?”
Fagin’s scorching lips were all the answers Cooper needed and as he caught a glimpse of the streaks of red and gold, pink and blue that heralded the sunset, he realized with a sigh of relief he wouldn’t be riding off into it with the love of his life. He’d already found a home.
Epilogue
Eight months later
“I swear, I’m not cut out for hiring people,” Buster fumed as he stormed into the office the three of them shared. “That last guy wanted complete control over the menu; started talking shit about Gordon Blue this and that and I didn’t have a damn clue what he was talking about.”
“I think he might have meant Cordon Bleu and yes, you’re right, that’s not the type of food to serve in a diner.” Cooper held up the sign he’d been working on. “What do you think?”
“It looks good,” Buster agreed, staring at the huge beautifully painted letters spelling out ‘Fagin’s Folly’. “But we’re not going to be able to open if we can’t find a cook soon. I swear, I knew there were some drawbacks to living in a small town, but surely someone around here can throw a burger together?”
“Excuse me,” A quiet voice sounded at the door, but Buster ignored it. He wanted to finish his rant in peace.
“Where’s Fagin? He needs to be in on some of this. He’s knows I’m not good picking staff. The last guy I hired at the old place tried to burn down the kitchen.”
“Fagin has gone to pick up the last of the flyers from the print shop in town. He’ll be back soon, but don’t you think you should see what this guy wants? That looks like a resume under his arm.”
“Who, what?” Buster twirled around, and his eyes widened as his wolf yipped. The scent of coconut cream and chocolate mousse flowed through the air and Buster’s cock plumped up in seconds. Standing in the door, looking like a scared cat, was the cutest little shifter he had ever seen. Sure, Cooper was pretty, but this guy took it to a whole new level. Dark eyes peered from beneath a black fringe that needed cutting. A thin face showed someone who needed a few more meals, but the bone structure called to Buster on an instinctual level and plump red lips promised hours of pleasure.
“Who…who are you?” Buster tried to soften his voice, but it wasn’t easy. Not when every cell in his body wanted to rub all over the man while he yelled from the rooftops that the little cat shifter was his. Mine. Yes, mine.
“My name’s Wayne…er Wayne Dalton. I came about the ad for the cook position.” Wayne held out a sheaf of papers hesitantly. Buster moved closer and Wayne’s head shot up as he sniffed the air. “I…er…I used to work as a short order cook,” Wayne’s voice sounded shaky and Buster grinned. He’d felt it – his little beauty could feel the mating bond. Oh yeah. “I’ve never actually run a kitchen before, but I know about ordering supplies, and I can cook – burgers, breakfasts, fried meals, steaks, things like that. I don’t have any references, but….”
“You’re hired.” Buster took the resume and threw it on Cooper’s desk. “Cooper, tell anyone else who comes in the position’s taken.”
“Sure thing,” Cooper went back to his sign writing although he wriggled in his chair. Fagin was going to get a pleasant surprise when he got back from his errands. The air in the office was thick with arousal, but Wayne didn’t look as though he knew what to do about it.
“Er…wow…erm, don’t you need to interview me first?” Wayne had an anxious look on his face, but he didn’t move away; which told Buster his mate had backbone. “I haven’t got a fixed address at the moment. I’ve only just come into town. I was hoping you’d let me show you what I can do, so that I could maybe get an advance on my wages, if you hired me. But I can sleep in the car. I just…I really need this job. Boy, you smell really nice.”
“Finding somewhere to sleep will not be a problem, little mate,” Buster grinned and offered Wayne his arm. “How about I show you around?”
“Wow, yes, okay. Thank you.” Wayne rested his hand on Buster’s arm and Buster puffed out his chest. “Mate?” He looked up and smiled hesitantly. “I can smell what you are. Did you call me that because you’re Australian or is that why you smell so good? Are you, am I, are you mine? Because I have to say my cat thinks you’re mine, but I don’t want to get into any trouble, because I really need this job and I won’t say anything if you don’t want me to. I ran out of gas about a mile from here and my wallet’s empty. I just kept walking and I saw the ad, and there’s something about this place. I really want to stay if you’ll let me.”
“I’ve been waiting for you,” Buster said warmly. “We bought this place because my alpha and his mate needed somewhere to call home and I knew you’d turn up on our doorstep one day real soon. And bam, here you are.”
“Here I am. Wow. It’s like it’s fate or something….” Wayne kept talking as they left the office, Buster hanging onto his every word.
/~/~/~/~/
“Here’s the flyers, babe.” Fagin strolled into the office an hour later smelling of salt spray and cinnamon donuts. “Yes, I got some donuts for you and Buster too. Damn, that bakery in town is so good. I’ll have to go for an extra run tonight.” He leaned down and Cooper lifted his face for a kiss, feeling his heart settle the way it always did when Fagin was around.
“Yum, you taste delicious,” Cooper grinned as he pulled back. “Just letting you know, though, you and me might be running things on our own for a few days. The plumber’s coming in to finish the master bathroom tonight and you have supplies in the kitchen to finish putting away.”
“I thought Buster was doing that. Didn’t he hire a cook yet?”
“Oh yes, he did, but the new cook’s his mate. A cute little cat shifter down on his luck. Buster took him off to show him around and I don’t think he’s going to come up for air for a few days.”
“Really, his mate actually walked in the door?” Fagin’s grin split his face.
“He sure did. Looking a little skinny, like he could do with some feeding and definitely needing the work. He ran out of gas about a mile away; has no money for more so came in here and fell in love with the place.”
“And Buster too, I’m sure he will, and what’s not to love about this place? It’s perfect.”
It was far from perfect, but it was getting that way. In the diner the kitchen had been cleaned from top to bottom, but it needed little in the way of new appliances. The shop front had been completely and lovingly repainted with the original colors and Cooper had made
a point of keeping and framing the picture of the two previous owners. It now hung pride of place, behind the counter, just the way it used to.
The house still had a way to go. The living room had been repainted and the large fireplace cleaned and checked for safety. Bedrooms for Buster and the master for Fagin and Cooper had been one of the first things they tackled, including the purchase of custom sized beds. But the bathrooms had taken longer as after their spa bath at the hotel, Fagin insisted on having two installed in their respective bathrooms. That meant a total remodel and the loss of a third bedroom, but the place was almost finished with just the plumber needed to make the final connections.
There’d been some grumpy days and days when Cooper wanted to throw his hands up in frustration when things arrived that weren’t what they ordered, or Fagin and Buster argued fiercely over how things should be done. But those arguments were quickly resolved over a large steak and a couple of beers. Cooper loved his new life and couldn’t wait until the guest bedroom was finished. His friend Beth, who’d stayed in touch all this time, was coming for a holiday in just three weeks and he couldn’t wait to show off their new home.
“Do you like the sign?” Cooper held it up so Fagin could see. “We can hang it out the front over the door when it’s dry.”
“Fagin’s Folly,” Fagin laughed and shook his head. Plunking himself down on the corner of the desk, he carefully took the sign out of Cooper’s hands and laid it to one side. “You know, back when Buster and I used to dream about what we’d do when we grew up, my dreams never took into account how happy I could be, or how loved I would feel. With you in my life, you’ve made this place a home for all of us.” He picked up Cooper’s hand and kissed his paint splattered knuckles. “Thank you.”