by Zoe Chant
It had been a team effort, though. She was the one who knew where the cabin was. Without her, Alec would have been lost in the snow.
We're stronger together than apart.
Like Alec and his clan.
"So really, all we have to do is hang out 'til your clan shows up to take us home."
Alec nodded. "And that could be awhile."
"I can think of a few ways to pass the time."
***
They made love lazily by the fire, exploring each other's bodies with hands and mouths. It still amazed her how Alec seemed to be able to anticipate her every desire before she even knew she wanted it herself. He was unlike any lover she'd ever had.
This must be what having a mate meant. Finding someone who was perfect for you, someone who fit you in ways you'd never imagined anyone could.
They were lounging around on blankets beside the stove, half dressed, arguing idly over whether lunch should consist of canned beans with crackers, or canned beans and canned tomatoes with crackers, when Alec sat up abruptly. "Someone's coming up the driveway. I hear engines. Could be the plow truck."
Shifters must have sharp ears. Charmian sat up and pulled on her sweater. Now she heard it too, the low rise and fall of a laboring engine.
They put on their coats and went out to sit on the edge of the porch. For the first time in weeks, it was actually pleasant to be outside. The clouds had broken up, the sun coming out from behind them and striking dazzling glimmers off the snow. It was warm enough that the cabin roof was dripping.
"Feels like the weather's finally turned," Alec said. He leaned down to scoop up a handful of snow, packing it into a snowball that he idly tossed out into the yard.
"If it stays this warm, all of this is going to melt off quickly."
"I wouldn't mind. Cows will be dropping their calves soon. It'd be good for them if we had an early spring."
"Look," Charmian said. She leaned forward, pointing. Movement was visible among the trees. A few moments later, a big Ford truck with a plow on the front made its laborious way into the yard. It wasn't able to simply go straight, with the snow piling up in front of it, but had to veer to the side every so often to dump its accumulated load.
Cody leaned out the open driver's side window and waved with a whoop that was audible even over the engine and the clanking of the plow.
"Ha." Alec stood up and waved back. Charmian, feeling suddenly shy for reasons she couldn't quite articulate, scrambled to her feet too. She had to resist the urge to lean against him, as if to draw strength from his bulk.
Why do I feel like this? It wasn't as if she was usually shy around new people. But, she thought, this was going to be the first time she'd encountered Alec's family as his mate. She reached up involuntarily to finger the scar ridges of the bite mark on her neck. It had healed overnight, leaving a light-colored mark visible against her skin.
Cody plowed out a small turnaround area in front of the cabin. Another truck appeared in the driveway, following a distance behind the plow truck. It parked behind Cody's truck, and Saffron and Remy jumped out, looking cheerful.
"Heard you had a lost steer up here," Cody called. "We got some hay and grain in the back."
"And something even better," Saffron said. She held up a paper bag. "Takeout from Marge's Diner."
"Oh thank God," Charmian groaned. "Something that doesn't come from a can that's been sitting on a shelf for a year."
Cody loped up to the porch, grinning broadly. He held out his hand and Alec leaned down to grip it. "Gotta say, cousin, when you didn't come home last night, I figured you were holed up somewhere to wait out the storm, but this really isn't what I was imagining."
"No idea what you're talking about," Alec said, smiling one of his subtle smiles. "This is a nice little vacation spot. No complaints."
Charmian nudged him in the recently healed ribs. "Hey, buddy, I've got a complaint, namely that my car's a wreck in a ditch."
"Awww man." Cody's smile dropped away. "Where is it? If it's in good enough shape to drive, we could probably use the trucks to haul it out."
"I'm not sure if it's ever going to drive again." She sighed and leaned against Alec. "But let's not focus on that right now. I'll deal with the car headache later. Somebody said there's food, right?"
Shortly, they were gathered around the table in the cabin. Cody had fed the steer, which was bedded down comfortably in the shed. Charmian noticed how both the newly arrived shifters kept glancing at her neck, but none of them had said anything about it. She'd also managed to sneak a peek at Saffron's neck, underneath the other woman's swinging curtain of long dark hair, and sure enough, there was a little crescent scar. It was less noticeable against Saffron's pale skin than it was against Charmian's darker skin tone, but it was definitely there. She had no doubt that Tara, Axl's mate, would have one too.
"So, I guess we better hit the road before it gets dark," Cody said after they finished eating. "There's room in my truck for both of you, if you don't mind a little crowding. Do you need to get anything from your car?"
Charmian shook her head. "It's been there overnight. I don't think there's anything that's going to be any more ruined if it stays out there for a couple of days."
"I know a guy who runs a wrecking company," Remy said. "Once the road's clear, we can come out with his big flatbed tow truck and get your car. If it can't be repaired, he'll give you a good value on it."
"That sounds wonderful, thank you." She squeezed Alec's hand. "Right now I just want to get back to my house and my shower and my dog."
"So, I didn't really want to ask," Cody said, glancing between them. His gaze lingered briefly on her neck. "But what is the long-term plan here? I mean, not to be nosy or anything. I'm just wondering."
Alec looked down at Charmian; she looked back up at him, and smiled a little. "I don't think we've really figured that out yet," she said.
Alec leaned down and kissed her lightly, in front of the others, without embarrassment. "We've got time," he said. "All the time in the world."
Chapter Thirteen
"Where did I get all this stuff?" Charmian moaned.
She looked around the wreckage of her living room. Her house was currently in a half-packed state, with some of her things already up at the ranch in Alec's—no, she needed to stop thinking of it as Alec's house, because it was their house now. Most of the furniture she'd be selling off. The rugs were rolled up. Stacks of books and heaps of clothes were everywhere.
She had lived in this house for twelve years. She still remembered how proud and excited she'd been when she slept for the first night in a house that was hers. (Well, hers and the bank's.) Now she was getting ready to sell it, and she was surprised how little regret she felt about that.
Moving was still a pain in the ass, though.
"Hey, you got anything else in here to go in this load?" Alec called through the open door.
"Is there room for anything else in the truck?"
"Hmm." He lounged against the doorframe. His T-shirt clung to his pecs with the sweat of exertion, and he smiled, one of those true smiles she'd grown to love, when he saw her admiring glance. "Only if you don't mind sitting on top of it."
"In that case, I guess we're ready to go." She whistled. "Bucket! Where'd you go?"
The little mixed-breed dog slunk out from under the couch. He didn't know what to make of all the packing. It was completely outside his experience.
"C'mon, buddy, don't be like that." Charmian picked him up. "You'll like your new home, I promise. It's not just going to be a little yard, like here. There's acres to run around in, and other dogs to play with." She looked up at Alec. "I hope he doesn't fight with the farm dogs. They're a lot bigger than he is."
"They're friendly dogs. If he gets along okay with other dogs, he ought to be all right."
Charmian took a deep breath and looked around the living room one more time. With Bucket in one arm, she picked up her overnight case with the other, containi
ng her toothbrush and toiletries. Tonight, she wouldn't be coming back to her place to sleep. Tonight she was moving into Alec's—into their house on the Circle B.
Alec took the case from her, so she had a hand free to lock the door. Spring sunshine streamed gloriously over her shoulders. In a few short weeks, winter had become nothing but a bitter memory. Crocuses and daffodils were blooming all over the county.
And she was moving on to start a new chapter of her life.
She would still run the clinic, of course. Nothing about that was going to change. But from here on out, she was part of Alec's clan. She'd always have them to back her up if she needed them.
Bucket perked up once they got in the truck. He loved going for car rides. And he'd taken to Alec immediately. Charmian was fairly sure it was mutual; Alec seemed to be refreshingly free of that whole "macho guy" thing about little dogs. In his quiet way, he enjoyed the company of all kinds of animals, scruffy little mixed-breed dogs included.
"So when do you want to take the next load?" Alec asked, backing carefully out of the driveway—the back of the truck was piled so high that visibility was limited. "Tomorrow?"
"Actually, I was thinking I'll head into Spring Meadow and do some car shopping." She'd been driving a loaner truck from the ranch when she needed to, but she was getting tired of it. She needed to get a vehicle of her own again. The Jeep had been a total loss, although insurance had compensated her for some of it.
"Remy says he has a friend who's selling a used Wrangler. Just a couple years old."
Charmian laughed. "Does Remy know everybody who does anything with cars, trucks, or motorcycles in the entire county?"
Alec returned her grin. "Sure seems like it sometimes."
Charmian rolled down her window a few inches, enough to get some of the fresh spring air in the truck without giving Bucket enough space to jump out. The little dog stood up in her lap with her arm around him, looking out at the scenery speeding by. The trees were starting to bud. She always seemed to forget how glorious spring was in Pinerock County, but the weather was determined to remind her.
"Hard to believe there was two feet of snow on the ground just a few weeks ago," Alec remarked, as if he'd read her thoughts. He seemed to do that a lot. When she asked him about it, he swore up and down that mind-reading wasn't a side effect of the mate bond. He had no more idea of what she was thinking than anyone did, at least in theory.
But already, in just the few weeks they'd known each other, he had come to know her better than anyone else in her life. And he was acutely attuned to her emotional nuances. She always felt as if she was the center of Alec's attention. He noticed even the smallest things, as if gazing at her, cataloguing everything about her, was his new reason for existing.
Still, since that very first day at the ranch, he hadn't tried to give her an order or prevent her from doing anything. They butted heads sometimes; they were both strong-willed people with strong opinions. But she could tell Alec was trying hard to give her space.
"Gotta stop and pick up a few things from the store," Alec said, glancing over at her.
"I can't imagine where we'll put them."
"I know; sorry. Remy and Saffron are having their housewarming this afternoon. Cody texted while you were in the house to let me know the party still needs a few things."
"Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry; I totally forgot that was today! You're not missing it on my account, are you?"
Alec shook his head. "No, they knew I was going down to pick you up. They're looking forward to seeing you."
They swung by the big grocery store in Spring Meadow, and an hour or so later were jolting up the Circle B ranch road. Charmian had bags tucked under her feet and Bucket clutched firmly in her lap.
"It's so exciting that their house is ready to move into," Charmian said. She'd pitched in over the last few weeks, whenever she had free time, helping with the finishing work on the inside of the house. She had little carpentry experience, but at this stage, all hands were needed; anyone could help with painting and sanding. The upstairs of the house was still a work in progress, and it was lacking niceties such as carpets and trim, but Charmian knew that Remy and Saffron had made it a priority to get out of the trailer before the baby came—and it was due any day now.
"It's good we got the nice weather, after all that snow," Alec agreed. "It's been an easy calving season, so we haven't been run quite as ragged as normal."
He pulled into the yard of the ranch, parking in front of the big house. Charmian's eyes were drawn across the yard to Remy and Saffron's new house. It still wasn't much to look at; the outside of the house was lacking siding or paint. But smoke curled from the chimney, and Saffron grinned when she saw that the still-unfinished porch was decked with streamers and balloons.
Bucket squirmed in her arms. "And now's the real test," Charmian murmured when she saw the farm dogs, Beau and Chex, running across the yard toward the truck. Beau was a black Lab, and Chex was a spotted mixed-breed with only three legs.
Charmian clipped Bucket's leash onto his collar, and held him while allowing the dogs to sniff each other. None of them seemed to be acting aggressive, so she set him on the ground and let them get acquainted.
"Figure we can shut him up in the house for today," Alec remarked, leaning across the truck seat to get her overnight case. "That way we won't have to watch the dogs too closely. Let them get to know each other in their own time." He shook his head. "It'll be strange having a dog in the house. These guys are strictly outside dogs."
Indeed, Beau and Chex stopped at the bottom of the porch steps and didn't try to come in. "You don't mind, do you?" Charmian asked.
"No. It was always ..." Alec paused, then smiled. "My dad didn't believe in letting dogs in the house. So I never have. But I think it's about time I stopped doing things the way my dad always did them."
He opened the door for her. Charmian put down Bucket and let him run around sniffing things. He was a well behaved dog in other people's houses, so she wasn't too worried about him trying to chew or pee on anything, but she kept an eye on him anyway.
"You know what," she said, catching Alec's arm. "Let's forget about unloading the truck right now. The only thing I need from it is Bucket's kennel. We have a party to get to."
She left Bucket shut in the bathroom with dishes of food and water, and his travel kennel with the door open—it was also his bed, although he frequently slept on her bed instead; she wondered how Alec would react to that, but wasn't quite ready to tackle that conversation yet.
Alec had already, at her urging, gone across the yard to deliver the food items and paper plates they'd picked up. Charmian gave Bucket a last cuddle, put his favorite toy in the kennel and shut the bathroom door.
She stepped out onto the porch, and looked around. Cheerful voices came to her from across the muddy yard, and she smelled the crisp smoke of someone firing up a barbecue grill. It was chillier up here in the mountains than it had been in the yard of her old house, with a brisk spring wind blowing down from the heights.
It would take a little getting used to, living out here. And the commute was going to be ... interesting.
Worth it, she thought, and hopped off the porch with a spring in her step.
Everyone was out in the yard of Remy and Saffron's new house. As Charmian approached, she saw that there was some kind of commotion going on. Oh, no, I hope they aren't fighting about something ...
"There she is," someone said, and Alec came hurrying over to take her hand.
"I know we just drove up here," he said, "but how do you feel about driving back?"
"Excuse me?" she asked blankly.
The little huddle of people began to separate, and it became clear that Saffron was at the middle of it.
"It seems," Cody said, his eyes sparkling, "that the housewarming party is postponed, because Saffron has decided to have her baby today."
"Decided?" Saffron snapped. She was sitting on a sawhorse, gripping it with a hand on
either side of her hips. "Decided? I'll have you know, if any decisions were being made, it definitely wasn't me making them."
Charmian could feel her professional side taking over, the bossy midwife persona sliding smoothly into place. "You're having contractions, right? Do you know how far apart they are?"
"All I can tell you is, not nearly far enough." Saffron submitted to Charmian's firm, practiced fingers palpating her abdomen. "I've been feeling them a little since yesterday, but I thought it was those ones you told me about, the ones that don't really mean anything ..."
"Braxton Hicks contractions," Charmian supplied. "They don't usually signal labor on their own, but they're a sign that your body might be getting ready for it."
Just then another one hit Saffron, and Charmian gripped her hand while she shuddered, riding it out.
"That definitely wasn't a Braxton Hicks." Charmian squeezed her hand. On Saffron's other side, Remy, looking desperately anxious, was holding her other hand. "Don't worry, you've got plenty of people here to take care of you. Now, it's up to you whether you want to be driven down to the clinic, or go ahead and do this at the ranch. You're a fox shifter, right?" Saffron nodded, and Charmian went on, "Shifter births are usually easier than human births because of your healing factor. But it's your first baby, and those are always a little longer and harder. So it's up to you."
"All of us were born here," Alec supplied, and Remy nodded.
"Which doesn't mean Saffron wants to do it that way," Charmian said sharply. "Don't pressure her."
"I ... I think I want to have my baby here," Saffron said. "It doesn't feel right to do it in town. I don't know if that's a shifter instinct or not, but this is my home now, and my brand new house. I know it sounds silly, but with the timing and everything, I feel like this is where my baby wants to be, too."
"Not silly at all," Charmian said. "I have all my gear in the truck." Most likely at the bottom of a pile of everything else she owned, but they were going to have to unpack it eventually anyway. "Let's make up a birthing bed for you, and we can start getting ready, all right?"