He stood, giving me a warm smile. One that brightened his eyes. I didn’t notice before, but Noah’s eyes were the same shade. An intriguing ice blue with flecks of steel gray.
Ashton led me to the porch where I found Noah sprawled in the chair like he and the furniture were well acquainted. Noah’s eyes drifted open and my heart skipped a beat. He was a goddamn vision relaxed in that chair.
He peeled himself up to stand. “All sorted?”
“As much as it can be.” After I slipped on my ruined shoes and grabbed my jacket, I turned to Ashton. “I guess I’ll see you round town.”
“Sure will.”
Noah tipped his chin at Ashton before we darted to his truck. Once back inside, he started the engine and drove out the way we came.
A few minutes down the road, I couldn’t hold back the tears. They poured out of me like the downpour of summer rain. Wild and never-ending. I rummaged through my purse and grabbed a tissue. One. That wouldn’t last long but I used it anyway, mainly for my nose which decided to join the party.
Before I could stop him, Noah pulled the truck off the road and put it in park. He pivoted to face me but didn’t say anything, just waited for my embarrassing outburst to do its thing.
When the tears slowed and no longer threatened to drown us, I wiped my nose with the soggy tissue and gave Noah the best smile I could muster.
Deep grooves creased his brow. “Did Ash upset you?”
I shook my head, my mind working overtime. Nope. My mother did this. If she never introduced me to my grandmother, I wouldn’t have wanted more in life. I never would’ve inherited her estate. I wouldn’t be back here.
Rain pelted the truck, the sound ten times louder while stationary. I stared out the passenger window into the darkness, wondering what my life would’ve been like if things were different. If Mom didn’t neglect her only child, ditching me at every opportunity. If Joan fought to keep me after I stayed that one summer. Or if I’d called her from time to time rather than resenting her for letting my mother take me back.
The downward spiral threatened to pull me under. This time, I almost let it. Would it be so bad?
Yes. Years ago, I refused to let the past define me. I refused to become my mother. Mia Jones was better than that.
“Sorry.” I let out a weak chuckle, not sure why. Maybe to lighten the mood? I wiped the wetness from my cheeks and glanced at Noah. “I bet that’s the last thing you expected when you offered me a ride.”
I gave him a smile, hoping to alleviate some awkwardness.
He didn’t seem convinced. Ever so slowly, he wiped a tear away with the pad of his thumb. The touch so faint and tender, it made my heart ache anew.
“Don’t ever apologize for feeling.”
His hand stilled on my cheek and I closed my eyes for a moment, sinking into his touch.
“What can I do?”
“There’s nothing you can do.” No one could fix this. I just needed to get through this roadblock and then start fresh.
The remainder of the summer. Eight weeks.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Did I? Not usually, but with Noah, maybe I did just a little. But talking about it and letting him in, created complications I wasn’t ready for and attachments that wouldn’t last.
Attachments never lasted.
He lowered his arm. Instead of pulling back, he took my hand in his, giving it a light squeeze. “You don’t need to. I get it. It’s much easier solving problems over bourbon.”
This guy could read me like a book and we’d only just met.
I peered at the envelope I’d tossed on the truck floor. “Things haven’t exactly gone to plan, that’s all. I’ll be fine.”
His eyes narrowed, studying me. The intensity of his stare burned through layers of flesh and bone right to the heart of my soul. I swallowed, composing myself. “Really. I’m sorry about that. I don’t know what came over me.”
“Stop apologizing.”
As the rush of my tears and emotions slipped back into their perfectly crafted box, another sensation bloomed inside my chest. Heat from Noah’s hand cradling mine spread through my veins, awakening my senses. I inhaled his wild, earthy cologne and calmness washed over me all the way from my muddy shoes to my fingertips and back again.
In the dim light of the truck, his eyes drew me in until I forgot why I cried in the first place. I could easily lose myself in those eyes and that scared me more than anything else.
“Do you have somewhere to stay?”
“Ah…yeah.”
Noah cleared his throat and slipped his hand from mine, snapping me from the trance.
“How about I drop you off and you can pick up your car tomorrow? It’ll be safe at the bar.”
“That’d be great.”
Noah started the engine and pulled out onto the road. “Where to?”
“I’m staying at my grandmother’s house. Um…” I grabbed the envelope at my feet and checked the will. “There’s no address. It just says the Whitcome property on Cobalt Lane.”
The truck jerked toward the curb, then righted again. “You’re Joan Whitcome’s granddaughter?”
“Yeah. Did you know my grandmother?”
Noah’s grip tightened on the steering wheel, so slight that if I hadn’t already been looking at him, I would’ve missed it.
“Something like that,” he muttered.
Chapter 4
Noah
After dropping Mia at the Whitcome property, I slid the truck to a halt in front of Ash’s place. My place. Our place. Whatever. Ever since the…incident, I’d slept upstairs at the bar. I’d rather that than face my brother’s disappointment every fucking day.
I got out and slammed the door as a warning to Ash in case he didn’t hear the truck roar down the drive. As I marched to the steps in the pouring rain, the front door opened. My older brother stepped out, followed by Liam. Both of them.
Just fucking great.
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?” I roared at them. Though, Liam probably just found out. He was guilty by association.
Ash stepped forward. “I told you I found who Joan left her estate to.”
“You said a woman from the city. You never said it was her granddaughter,” I yelled, remaining under the deluge so I didn’t punch Ash in the face. Every inch of my clothing clung to my skin, but I didn’t give a shit.
“No fucking way,” Liam muttered.
Ash raked a hand through his perfectly styled hair. He peered at the rafters, inhaling a deep breath while I mentally counted to ten.
“I didn’t know, I swear. The will had her name, no relationship. Given she has a different surname and isn’t married, I assumed they weren’t related. You know how long it took me to find her.”
I threw my hands in the air. “It’s her. Don’t you get it? She’s the girl. It’s Joan’s fucking granddaughter.”
I sensed a connection to Mia the moment she strolled into the bar but didn’t want to acknowledge it. Or hope. It explained why my wolf stirred, and when she cried, a sudden need to protect her nearly floored me.
I glared at Ash, trying to control the urge to knock him on his ass. I never used my fists to take out my frustration, but right now I reassessed that life choice.
“What the hell did you say to make her cry?” I growled.
Ash crossed his arms over his chest, his lawyer expression fixed into place. “You know I can’t tell you that. Besides, I didn’t intentionally make her cry.”
“Argh!” I shouted, turning to the forest.
The same forest that connected Joan’s place to ours. The same forest our wolves ran through. The same fucking forest where that sick psycho hunted.
Mia was on the other side of those woods in Joan’s house for the first time in fifteen years and I couldn’t even stomach going there.
Liam and Ash remained silent as I tore a track in the muddy grass. The rain slowed to a drizzle, dripping down my face. For so long, I
prayed the girl would return or the universe would give me a clue how to find her. We had one summer of fleeting moments where each afternoon, I shifted and crept into the forest to wait for her. Even now, my damn wolf purred at the memory of Mia running her fingers through his coat.
Then one day she never showed. But I still held onto hope. Now, all that hoping blew up in my face.
Mia was a Whitcome.
I spun to face my brothers. Liam sat on the porch swing, while Ash leaned against the closed front door.
I trudged up the stairs out of the rain and lowered my voice. “Don’t you think it’s screwed up that the universe fated me with a Whitcome?”
With the heel of his sneaker, Liam rocked the swing back and forth. “Let’s hope she’s like Joan.”
“What if she isn’t?” I looked to Ash. He always had the answers. “What the hell do I do then?”
“If she’s your mate, things will work out as they’re meant to. If not…we should prepare ourselves.”
I glared at the idiot. “She is my mate. Don’t ever doubt that.”
Ash was the responsible one, but also the most cynical.
This situation was beyond screwed up.
I collapsed in the same cane chair I sat in earlier. “This is karma for not protecting Joan.”
Ash pushed off the door and sat in the chair beside me. “Joan’s death wasn’t your fault. We’ve discussed this. Besides, the universe fated you with a Whitcome long before she died.”
“What if she figures out how her grandmother really died?”
“She won’t,” Liam answered.
I leaned my head against the backrest and stared at the rafters for a long moment. This mess not only involved my brothers, but also the bar, Woodland Falls and the whole shifter community. “This is a fucking nightmare.”
I practically heard the cogs turning in Ash’s mind.
“Our safety wasn’t guaranteed forever. We knew that. And you probably have a few months tops before she senses what you are. If you want a future with her, you need to put what happened with Joan behind you and figure out how to make it work.”
I side-eyed Ash. “And how do you suppose I do that?”
“She’s here for at least the remainder of the summer, that much I can say. Use the opportunity to make peace with this. It’s time you stopped punishing yourself.”
My mouth fell open. “Are you suggesting I go about my business as though nothing happened?”
“That’s exactly what I’m suggesting.”
“She’s my mate. How do you expect me to lie to her?”
Ash didn’t miss a beat. “Not telling and lying aren’t the same thing. Her grandmother died unexpectedly. If you don’t say anything contrary to that, everything will be fine. She told me she hardly knew Joan. She probably doesn’t even know what she is which could work in our favor.”
Trust the lawyer to say something like that.
My stomach twisted into thick, tight knots. Mia was here to mourn the death of her grandmother. I couldn’t face her for the entire summer hiding those secrets. Did she know about the shifter world? About her family?
Would she even remember the wolf she befriended as a kid? Were the memories burned in her brain like they were in mine?
How could I face her without telling her what I did?
Liam stretched his legs along the swing. “Why don’t you use the summer as your penance? Make amends for what happened. That way you’re not lying, you’re earning her forgiveness. You’re setting things right.”
Setting things right.
Those three words rolled around in my head. That might work. I wish Liam would stop acting so mature. He was my younger brother, not the other way around.
If Mia was here for the summer, I could use that time to get to know her, and she could get to know me. That way, when the timing was right, I could find out if she knew about the shifter world.
Hopefully then, she wouldn’t kill me.
Chapter 5
Mia
Summer started last week. What great timing my grandmother had. I guess it didn’t matter when Joan died, the will stated I needed to spend a summer here before I sold the estate. One whole summer.
Who confirmed I adhered to the will’s conditions? Ashton? I should probably find out.
After my little episode last night in Noah’s truck, and a good night’s sleep, I now thought a little clearer. I wandered downstairs, taking everything in with fresh eyes. The house was nothing like I remembered from the summer I spent here. Though, as a resentful teen, the house had only resembled another prison.
Faded, chipped paint, hairline cracks in the ceiling, dated window furnishings. The farmhouse needed repairs here and there but from what I could tell, nothing major. Joan died almost two months ago and given the thin layer of dust, no one tended to the inside of the house in her absence. Someone maintained the gardens, which saved me some work.
Ideally, I’d hire someone to complete the repair work before putting the house on the market. But money wasn’t exactly bursting from my pockets. At a minimum, if I wanted a reasonable price with a quick sale, the house needed a thorough cleaning and declutter. That only cost my time, which I now had plenty of.
First, I needed to collect my car from the bar and apologize to Noah for last night. The poor guy all but threw me out of his truck when he dropped me home. I mean, I would too if a stranger burst into tears in my car for no apparent reason. At least the rain stopped sometime during the night, which made for a dry walk to the bar. After that, I’d start cleaning.
Everything felt better with a plan.
I grabbed my coat but pulled up short when I opened the front door.
Noah strode up the stairs with a takeout cup in each hand. When his gaze lifted to mine, my breath stalled. His eyes were impossibly bright during the day. Such a contrast to his raven hair and groomed short beard.
“Hey.”
That strange feeling I got when I first arrived at the bar returned. A sense we’d known each other before, even though we’d only just met. Maybe we were kindred spirits because I’d remember him if we’d ever met before now.
In an unrelated thought, why was I so comfortable with him turning up at my house?
Weird? Maybe. Cute? Definitely.
I closed the front door behind me. “Hey, yourself.”
Last night, I noticed his good looks, but now, in the light of day? He was hot. Like insanely hot. Rugged male with small-town charm.
He wore a T-shirt and jeans combo as though the cool weather didn’t faze him. Locals probably thought this was a heatwave. Once again, my gaze zoomed in on all that ink. The forest on his forearm seemed so lifelike, with a river flowing through the middle, and a single black wolf near his wrist.
Maybe I sensed our connection because he also liked wolves.
“Coffee?” He handed me a cup.
A light chuckle bubbled in my chest. “I take it coffee is an acceptable beverage choice?”
“Second only to bourbon.”
His lips kicked up at the corner, revealing a deep dimple. Just when he couldn’t get any hotter, he went and did that.
“Good to know.”
I sipped the coffee and moaned as the caffeine registered on my tongue. Joan’s house was devoid of edible food. Before I climbed into bed last night, I threw out everything in her fridge, so I didn’t accidently poison myself sneaking a midnight snack.
Noah hitched his chin toward his truck. “Want a lift to the bar?”
Switching the coffee between my hands, I slipped on my jacket. I should invest in a rain jacket if I needed to stay here for the summer.
“Thanks. Saves me walking.” We jumped into Noah’s truck and he started the engine. “This is becoming a habit, you driving me around.”
His fist tightened on the steering wheel. “Every little bit helps.”
Huh? I pivoted to ask what he meant but stopped. Although he offered to drive me, the frown and pained expression on
his face said he wasn’t too pleased about it.
Luckily, Joan’s place was only a few minutes from the bar and grill.
Noah pulled up beside my car in the parking lot and I fished out my keys.
“Thanks for the lift,” I said, hopping out of the truck and closing the door.
He rounded the hood and met me on the passenger side, leaning one arm on the truck all casual and sexy as hell. “The bar doesn’t open until midday. I can make you breakfast if you like.”
“Oh, ah…you don’t have to, it’s fine.”
The guy was clearly being hospitable, but there was no need. I’d made it in the world alone long enough to manage on my own. Besides, I didn’t want to give him the wrong idea. As soon as the summer was over, I’d head back to Seattle.
“I’d like to.” He pushed off the truck and started walking to the bar, ending any further protests on my behalf.
“Okay.”
But only because caffeine wouldn’t keep me going for long.
I followed Noah inside and waited by the door while he switched on the various lights. “Do you open the bar early for all the new girls in town?”
“Only you.”
My stupid heart flipped at his words. This wouldn’t end well.
“Besides, I own the place, so I can open whenever I want.”
Of course, he owned a bar. I should’ve figured that out by the name. He wasn’t just some ordinary guy, from an ordinary family, living an ordinary life. He probably swooned all the newcomers.
“How long are you here for?” he asked, walking behind the bar to switch on the last set of lights.
“The summer.” I dumped my purse on the top. “I inherited Joan’s estate when she died.” I sighed. “That was a bit too much information for first thing in the morning.”
Noah stilled, facing the liquor bottles, his head angled to the floor. “No. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. I…hardly knew her.”
I kept saying that, and each time it tugged more at my heart.
He turned to face me. “The death of someone important to you is never easy.”
Warlords, Witches and Wolves: A Fantasy Realms Anthology Page 82