She called one of the men and he raised his head. She barely nodded toward my truck and two men were there unloading.
One of the others helped me carry the bags of food to the tables they had brought. Once it was all sitting on the table, I started setting it out. Then I filled the ice chest I had bought and two they had brought with more drinks. I figured bottled water and soda tasted better when it was ice cold.
Once the meat was ready Wanda whistled and the men all came running. I take it they were starved. Several of them unloaded lawn chairs from one of their trucks and carried them over so we could all sit down to eat. It was as if they were living out of their truck.
“I am impressed at how much you all seem to have gotten done so far. I didn’t think it would start looking so much like a house this soon.”
“With so many of us we can pretty much get it done within a few weeks. We will get the windows in after lunch, then start the siding. Before we stop working tonight you should have the outside of the house looking like a house again.”
“All of it? Wow, that is fast. The yard is looking good too. I never thought cutting the grass and brush would make so much difference. When you’re done do you think I will have enough field for a horse or two?”
I wasn’t sure of the man’s name who spoke up, but he assured me if I wanted grass for horses then they would make sure I had it.
I was really enjoying the company of these people. I learned that they were living out at the cabins. Their father had bought the place from Mr. Lewis.
I told them that had been where I had been living up till, he sold it. I ask if they would be opening it up again for the public. They didn’t think so. They said there were so many of them, they needed all the cabins for their family to live in. I had no idea their whole family had moved. Including cousins and uncles and so on.
“That is amazing that the whole family would move together. Must be nice to be so close.”
“Where is your family?” Wanda asks.
“I don’t have any. I lost my parents when I was three. Haven’t had any family since, till the Lewis’s took me in.”
I got lost in thought then. I don’t know what else they talked about while eating. Once they had finished eating Wanda was on her feet, putting the food away. She said the leftovers would be for dinner.
I hadn’t explored the property yet. I didn’t know that right behind the house was a small creek that ran through the property, until the men uncovered it when they were clearing brush.
One of them came to tell me what they had found and ask me if I wanted to see it. I did. I couldn’t believe how much of a backyard, I had. They had really gotten the work done in the back. I had been sitting out front with Wanda talking.
“It’s beautiful. I love it. I hadn’t looked around outside the house. I just never dreamed I would have a creek so close. I love the wildflowers around it. So pretty. Thank you so much for showing me.”
I couldn’t believe it. Running through the whole back part of the property was a winding creek. It was crystal clear water about a foot deep in places. Other parts a bit deeper. I walked along the water’s edge once they showed it to me. One part of the creek widened into a large pool. I had to wonder if this was where they used to bathe in the old times. It was certainly big enough to swim in.
I figured once the weeds and brush were all cleared, I would be surprised what else they found. I just knew it was going to be a beautiful place to live. I didn’t want all the trees cut down, especially in the yard. The creek was just such a big bonus to me.
Just like Elliot said they had the outside pretty much done by dark. We sat outside in the front cooking and eating again. We talked about what they would be working on tomorrow.
“Tomorrow we will start working on wiring and plumbing. Then you can decide what you want to do with the walls. I will have a list of supplies for you, ready before we leave. If you want to go to town in the morning. I figure we need to insulate it pretty well. We can do that while we are wiring. Do you know if you’re going to put up paneling or wallboard?”
“I think I want to be able to paint the walls, so I guess wallboard. I have already counted off each room to see how many feet each room is. I know how much wallboard to get. I however don’t have a clue about insulation. What about the ceiling does it need to be insulated as well?”
“Yes. What we will do is gut the insides tomorrow. Then we can haul off the old rat-infested stuff. We have the places plugged up that the animals were coming in. We hauled off the raccoons for you.”
That wasn’t hard once the creatures in the house got a whiff of us, they headed for the hills. She didn’t know that though. What would she think if she knew she had a bunch of animals working for her?
She was so beautiful. Elliot wanted to get to know her a lot better. Gabi was human, but that didn’t matter to him. She was kind and smart and generous. She was just the kind of woman he could take to bed.
He wondered what his father would think if he was to bring home a human female. Would he have a fit or not care. They didn’t usually bring home humans.
Yet female werewolves were far and few between. Every wolf needed a good fuck buddy. A mate would be better. If she wasn’t meant to be his mate, they could have a good time every now and then.
Chapter 6
In a weeks’ time I could see my whole property. They had cleaned out all the brush and cut a few trees into firewood. Then they had told me what they needed for the fence, that I had decided on. I had ordered it.
The house itself was coming along really well. They had gutted it all right. I was shocked. I had gone to town and ordered more supplies that day and when I got home the entire inside of the house was see through.
It didn’t take them too long to get it wired then the plumbing done. Now we had wallboard up and was working on getting it prepared to paint. It was really starting to look like a house.
I had ordered new cabinets for the kitchen and bathroom. The new sinks and new counter tops were in, just waiting to be picked up.
“Gabi if you want, you could go on in with one of the men and pick up the cabinets. I think by this afternoon we will be done in the kitchen and ready to hang them. I thought we would work in there today, so we could get it usable. The bathroom too.”
“Alright. I will go to town. Do we need anything else that you know of? If so, make a list and I will pick it up too.”
The house looked so much bigger than it originally did to me. Instead of putting the fireplace on an outside wall we had taken the wall out between the kitchen and living room and put the rock fireplace there. That way it would keep both rooms warm. I liked it a lot. I hadn’t thought of the idea Wanda had. But once she suggested it, we went with the idea. Unfortunately, they had already started rebuilding the one on the outside wall, but it wasn’t a waste of time or money. Instead of it opening to the inside of the house, we just made it into a fire pit outside and added a little patio around it. Which they put a cover over. So now I had a place to cook outside whenever I wanted to and a place to sit if it was raining. I loved the thought of sitting outside listening to the rain coming down.
I drove to town with one of them following me, so we could pick up the cabinets and supplies. It took a little while to get everything loaded.
On the way back, I told Watson I needed to stop for gas for him to head on to the house. I filled up my tank and headed inside to pay for my gas. I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing and when I went to open the door I walked into a hard body.
I knew I had run into this body before because my body started tingling. It was so weird. I slowly looked up into the eyes of the owner of said body.
Gorgeous eyes looked back at me. He was smiling down at me a little mischievously. I wasn’t sure what he was thinking. I apologized for not paying attention to what I was doing and tried to step around him.
He reached out and stroked my cheek.
“Beautiful. We really must stop
meeting like this. I feel as if I have known you for a long time. It seems we keep bumping into each other.”
I remembered the restaurant. Yes, we had bumped into each other before. He was trying to be cute. Not that he had to try. He was the handsomest man I had ever laid eyes on.
It took me a minute to find my voice again. I smiled at him trying to seem like a normal person. Somehow, I felt anything but normal. The tingling sensation stopped when he wasn’t touching me.
“I guess I should watch where I am going. Excuse me, I need to pay for my gas.”
“By all means.”
He stepped out of my way and waved his arm for me to enter the store. I walked past him in a hurry. I don’t know what it was about this man, but he made me really nervous.
She is beautiful. I have never seen anyone as beautiful as she. When we touched it was like being hit by lightning. Could she be? Is it true that when we find our true soul mate, we feel it deep down inside? Could she be mine?
I paid for my gas and headed on back out to my truck. It didn’t slip my notice that Mr. Hot guy was leaning against his truck in the parking lot. He stared at me as if he wanted to eat me or something.
I got in my truck and took off like someone was chasing me. I didn’t want him to follow me. I don’t know why I would think he would. It’s just this feeling I had.
I gave her a head start, then I followed to see where she was going. If she went home, I would know where to find her. That way I could keep an eye on her till I figured out what was going on.
I watched in my review mirror to see if he followed. At first, I thought he was, then I realized I was panicking. The truck behind me wasn’t the same color as his.
I scolded myself for the next ten minutes. What was I thinking? Why would a man that gorgeous follow me? He could have anyone he wanted with his looks. He probably had women falling all over him.
I got back to the house with the supplies and started unloading. The men close to the house came and started helping unload. I went inside to see they had already started hanging the cabinets that Watson had brought. My kitchen was starting to look like a real kitchen.
A thought came to me, if I had an island in the middle of the kitchen, I would have more room for cooking. A place to sit stuff or a place to work. Yes, an island would be nice.
“Elliot how hard would it be to add an island in the kitchen? Would it be just a matter of ordering more cabinets or does it have to be attached to the floor?”
“It wouldn’t be hard at all. It sure would give you more counter space to sit food on. Or we could put a stove in the island. Do you want to cook on the island or just have countertop?”
“Countertop. I would like to bake. This would give me the room to do it. I would want electricity hooked up to it if possible, so I could plug in a mixer if needed.”
“I think we can do that. Why don’t you decide how long you want it, then we will order the cabinet and countertop to match the others. That is if that is what you want. I mean for it to all match.”
“Yes, I want it to match. Do you have something I can measure the floor with. I think I know where I want it put.”
He handed her a tape measure. Then he helped her to measure the floor. She ended up wanting a ten-foot-long island. She was lucky every room in the old house was huge. Whoever built it must have felt cramped before building this house, she thought.
I managed to follow her out of town and down a dirt road out in the middle of nowhere. I had to laugh when I saw the yard. My pack was working for her. She was the beauty they had all been talking about.
I knew they were helping a woman rebuild an old farmhouse, but I had no idea it would be hers. Now I knew how to get to know her. Starting tomorrow I would join them working on her house
She would be surprised when I showed up. I couldn’t wait. In the meantime, I would have a chance to observe her without her seeing him. I drove past her place and parked in the woods down the road. Then I went back through the woods and found a place to sit where I could watch and listen to the way she was around the pack.
Her scent carried in the air. She smelt so good to me. Lilac and rose with a touch of spices. She was sweet smelling.
All the windows in the house were open. Her scent carried right to me. I took it all in. It wasn’t long, of course, till the pack caught my scent. One by one the ones in the yard came to see what I was doing.
“Alpha sir, what are you doing here? Did you need us?”
“Elliot my son, tell everyone to ignore me. I am just here to observe the way you all work with humans. Now go back to the house before the human sees me here. I don’t want her to know I am here.”
Elliot passed the word on so the others wouldn’t draw attention to me. It was odd for me to watch them working. That was kind of Elliot’s job. After all, he was the Beta.
By the end of the day they had the cabinets hung and most of the wiring done. They had started adding the insulation to the living room. The bathroom was complete. All she needed to do was put up curtains in the bathroom.
“Thank you all for the amount of work you all got done today. I can take a shower in my own bathroom now. Soon I will be able to cook in my kitchen. I will tell them to deliver the appliances tomorrow. Plus, I will have them go ahead and bring out the cabinet for the island. If I don’t have to run to town I would prefer to not go anywhere tomorrow.”
“If we need anything tomorrow from town, I will send one of the men. I guess we are going to head out for the night unless you need something else?”
“Not that I can think of. I am going to enjoy my new bathroom, then go to bed. I am so tired. We have been putting in some long days around here this week. I really do appreciate the speed in which your crew is getting my house done. And the yard is looking fabulous. I can actually see all of my land.”
“You do have a pretty place here. I wouldn’t mind having a place of my own like this. Once we get the house done, we will get right on the barn. Have you thought about where you want it?”
“I have thought about it. I haven’t decided yet. I was thinking about the barn itself. I think I need two stalls and a chicken area. I want to have a few chickens. I thought perhaps we could build a stall like area for the chickens then put a door in the side, so they could go outside in a pen. That way in the winter they will have a place to stay warm.”
“That is easy enough to do. What about hay storage and a tack room? Will you want to add them too?”
“I guess so. The barn might turn out to be a bigger deal than I first thought. Oh well, we have a little time for me to sketch some ideas. I also need to figure out what I need, to do the flower beds around the house. I was thinking I wanted to have a two or three-layered flower beds all the way around the house. I love flowers.”
“When you decide for sure what you want, we will have Watson sit down and figure out what all he needs to build the flower beds. You’re really going to have this place looking good.”
“I hope so. I guess I better let you go. I will see you all tomorrow. Thanks again all of you for working for me. I really do want to hurry up and get this place whipped into shape. Then I can start looking for a job.”
I swear Elliot looked at me as if he wanted to say something, then realized we weren’t alone. He smiled and headed for his truck.
I watched as all the workers left. I walked around the yard again to look at everything. I wanted to figure out where all I wanted flower beds. I needed to figure out where to build the barn. Where I wanted the fences to go. I took a sketch pad with me and drew the house in the middle, then started drawing where I wanted what.
I wanted lots of flower beds. Then I wondered if I could grow a garden. Should I have a special area fenced off for a garden next year? I figure once they finish working here, they will get too busy to come back for any little thing.
I sat down on the ground and thought about what all I could do outside. I must have drawn a hundred different designs for the yard and
where I wanted to build the barn. Who knew planning a yard could be so hard.
I went to bed that night thinking about my house and yard. Somewhere along the way my dreams switched to a pair of eyes. His eyes. The gorgeous man I keep bumping into.
When I woke, I didn’t feel like I had rested any at all. I must not have gotten any real sleep. I was up and outside when the men showed up. Wanda came along again. I noticed that there was an extra truck pulling up behind Elliot’s truck.
I was looking down at my drawings when Elliot cleared his throat. I looked up and was shocked to see who was with him. What the heck?
“You!”
Elliot looked at me confused. He didn’t know I knew the man with him, I guess.
“Miss Cross, my friend came along today to help out. I hope you don’t mind. He is going to help us inside the house.”
I stood up and tried to speak to him, but all I ended up doing was staring at him. He smiled like he was the cat who just ate the canary.
“We just keep meeting, don’t we? It is good to see you again. Now I can put a name with the face. Miss Cross, it is my pleasure to help out today.”
“I didn’t know you were coming. I don’t think we really need any more help around here. We seem to be getting things done quite nicely.”
I watched as the smile disappeared off his face. If only for a moment. I turned to walk back inside the house, but he caught my shirt sleeve.
“Do you think I am going to leave that easy? I came to help. Now I don’t know what your problem is, but we need to get things straight right now, I am the boss of these men.”
“I thought Elliot was?”
Whatever I thought. I headed into the house with a frown on my face. I wasn’t going to argue with him. I would just stay away from him.
I tried to work in the kitchen while the men worked in the living room. I had gotten material last time I was in town to make curtains.
I was sitting in the floor sewing away on my curtains when I felt his eyes on me. I tried to stay where I was, but after a while the feeling annoyed me.
The Trouble With Two Alpha's Page 4