“I’m responsible for my own problems. I would have respected Becky’s wishes and stayed away, but Rose’s actions forced my hand.”
“You couldn’t have contacted me? Not once in all this time have you even tried, and now you’re blaming my mother and my sister? What a jerk!” I turned my back because I damn well didn’t want him to see me cry.
“I’m not blaming anybody, Terri. All I’m saying is that I’m worried about Rose.”
“You never worried about me!”
“I did worry about you.”
I spun to face him, and he held out a hand to stop me. “I get that you don’t believe me, and I don’t blame you. If you want to beat the hell out of me later, I won’t stop you. Right now, though, there’s a fourteen-year-old who needs our help.”
What else could I do? “Fine. I’ll keep an eye out for her.”
“Thank you, Terri.” With that he turned and left, closing the door behind him.
It took me a moment to get myself pulled together enough to think. Only then did it occur to me to ask how he knew she was looking for me. And if she was a shifter. I threw open the door and rushed out onto the porch, but the only thing I saw was a blue car turning onto the main road. I didn’t even know if it was his car. So I went back inside and sprawled on the couch. I had a freaking sister. A fourteen-year-old sister. I couldn’t help myself, I grinned.
****
I was in my Trixie form and doing laps in the yard, my favorite way to think—and, until recently, a guaranteed way to bust writers block. Right now though, I was trying to figure out what the bloody hell my dad wanted with me after twenty-five years. He said he needed my help. With my little sister. What kind of crazy was that?
I caught a glimpse of movement across the road, and slid to a stop near the front gate. It was an animal, for sure, and my nose told me it was canine. There was something about the scent that seemed familiar, and I was thinking about jumping the fence to go check it out when the dog moved fully into my vision.
A collie. A rough collie, like the fictional Lassie. Like me.
She moved a little closer and I saw she was a puppy. Not a little one, but not totally grown either. The girl was beautiful, and I felt a strong need to go over there, but she was skittish, and I didn’t want to frighten her. I told her I wouldn’t hurt her, but she backed up, then turned and ran away.
I stood there for a minute, head tilted, wondering where that dog had come from. I’d never seen her before, but somebody could have just adopted her. She didn’t have a collar, but maybe she’d slipped out of it, or the humans hadn’t got one for her yet.
I started toward the back. Bumpkins and Scrappy were playing, and joining them might take my mind off things. I was almost there when it hit me. The scent I’d picked up from the new dog but hadn’t been able to place. It was human, and not just where a person had touched her. This scent was embedded in her own.
Was it possible the dog I’d seen was a shifter?
Leaving the cats to play, I went into the house where I could be alone. My heart was twisting and my head was pounding. Hunter, my dad, the possibility that things weren’t as I’d always believed them. That I’d seen a shifter across the road. A shifter that looked like me, smelled like me.
That might well be my sister?
Chapter Eleven
Over the next few hours I worked myself up into a crying jag, an eat-dirt-and-die depression, and anger so thick I could probably chew it up for fun. I paced, I cried, I paced some more, I cried again. I shifted and ran around outside for a while. I changed back, got dressed just in case somebody came by, slept for a whole twenty minutes, then went through the pacing and crying cycle again. I was exhausted and shaky, but still I wasn’t sure how I felt about my dad, my sister, or even my mom.
The sound of footsteps shot several emotions through me one after the other. I hoped it was Shay, but a glance out the window sent a whole new set of emotions through me. I pulled the door open before Hunter could knock. He took one look at me, his eyes widened, and he pulled me into his arms, shoving the door closed behind him with one foot.
“What happened?”
I snuggled against his warm, strong chest. “My dad stopped by.”
“What did he do that upset you so badly?”
“He said I have a sister and she’s looking for me. But he said she didn’t know about me, which makes no sense. But she’s fourteen, and she’s my sister, and I had to say I would watch for her, but why didn’t he tell me before? And he said my mom knew about my sister. He said they’d been talking, but she never said anything to me. What the hell is going on?”
Somehow we’d wound up on the couch. Hunter was holding me close and rubbing my back. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?”
“I don’t know. I’m so confused.”
“I know you are. That’s a lot to take in at one time, and from a man you haven’t seen in years. Did something happen back then, or did he just leave? Do you know?”
I opened my mouth to tell him what happened, but even in my ragged emotional state, I managed to catch myself before I said something I would definitely regret. “I remember Mom and Dad fighting, but I don’t know what they were fighting about.”
“He just showed up and said you have a sister?”
“He said she’s looking for me.” I looked into Hunter’s sweet, caring eyes. “But he said she didn’t know she had a sister because Mom didn’t want me to know about her. It doesn’t make sense.”
“It really doesn’t.” He kissed my forehead. “You’re shaking, Terri. Have you had anything to eat recently?”
I thought about it. “I know I had breakfast.” Sheesh, I don’t forget to eat. Ever. Shifting takes a lot of energy, so I tend to consume a lot.
“Let’s find you something to get your blood sugar out of the basement.”
I leaned against his firm, warm body as we walked into the kitchen. He deposited me in a chair at the table and opened the fridge. “Is this lasagna?”
My stomach woke up. “Yeah, I made it yesterday. It just needs to be heated up.”
He warmed the food and sat a plate in front of me. “Eat,” he said, as he took the chair next to me with a serving of his own.
Within a few minutes, my stomach was happy, the shaking had stopped, and I felt strength returning. “Thank you, Hunter.”
“For what?”
I gave a one-shouldered shrug. “Listening, feeding me, being so sweet.”
He smiled softly. “That’s what people do when they care deeply about someone else.”
I took his hand in mine and let my gaze remain where they joined. “I haven’t had a lot of experience with that kind of thing.”
“There’s my enigma girl again.” He smiled gently. “You’re energetic, outgoing, a lot of fun; but you also seem almost naive at times. Like you’ve spent a lot of time alone.”
I forced a little laugh. “I’m a writer, of course I’ve spent a lot of time alone.”
“Not exactly what I’m talking about.”
“You’re confusing me.” I smiled to cover my discomfort.
“I’m worried about you.”
My confusion shot up a few more points. “What are you talking about?”
He gently squeezed my hand as he leaned toward me. “Sweetheart, were you abused?”
I knocked the chair over as I jumped to my feet and backed up a step. “No! Why would you even think that? My mom is wonderful. I can’t believe you’d say something like that. That’s horrible!”
Hunter stood slowly, holding up his hands in surrender. “Honey, something is not adding up. Your mom is great, I get that, but maybe a neighbor, uncle, teacher. Your father. Maybe somebody scared you, hurt you.”
The fear in his expression reminded me of my mom when I’d run to her after dad shifted in front of me. When he scared me so badly it had taken a long time not to be afraid of my own kind. Well, half-kind.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Daddy scaring me wasn’t the problem. I was isolated growing up, still am. I have to be careful what I say to people, what I do. And if I don’t shift for a while, I start feeling all twitchy and weird.
“Terri? Are you all right?”
I wasn’t abused. I knew what the issue was. All I had to do was tell him. It was my story to tell. I wouldn’t be telling anybody else’s secret, only mine. He probably wouldn’t believe it, but I could prove it pretty easily. And then what? Hunter had his own issues. He was not likely to easily accept what I am. If he did accept me, his world would be changed in a way that he might not be happy about.
Either way, there was a good chance I’d lose him forever.
“Terri,” he said again.”
“I’m all right, Hunter.” I shoved my gaze up to meet his. “I wasn’t abused. Honest. There are things I’m not ready to talk about. Could you give me a little time, please?”
He moved closer so he could pull me into his arms. “I’ll give you whatever you need. Just please promise me you’ll tell me if there is anything I can do to help or make you feel better.” He stepped back so he could look me in the eye. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
His lips touched mine, and a tingling sensation moved through my body. I’m not totally naive, I knew what was happening. I just couldn’t think. I probably should stop this, but I really didn’t want to. I never wanted to leave Hunter’s arms. I never wanted him to stop kissing me. I never wanted his hand to stop roaming over my back and neck.
His hand slipped under my T-shirt and travelled up to the side of my breast. I moaned, and he chuckled.
“Like this, do you?”
“Yes!”
He shifted his hand so it enveloped my breast, then moved enough to tease my bra-covered nipple. For a moment I thought I would launch off the kitchen chair. I moaned again, and he responded by moving his hand downward, between my legs, setting me on fire right through the denim of my jeans. He nuzzled my neck, and I gasped for breath.
I got hold of his shirt and worked at remembering how to unbutton. All I could think was how warm and firm the muscles under his shirt felt. He unsnapped my jeans, and had just got hold of the zipper when I heard the front door open.
We jerked apart like we’d been shocked. I snapped my pants, and we were straightening our clothes when Shay and Ace rounded the corner into the kitchen.
“Hunter, hey.”
Hunter stood, and the two men did the whole hand-shaking, back-slapping, sort-of-hugging thing that guys do.
Meanwhile, Shay regarded me with one raised eyebrow. “I need to get some stuff from my bedroom. Terri, why don’t you help me?”
She grabbed my arm, and we headed past the guys. Hunter looked at me and cringed. I gave him what I hoped was an it’s-fine smile, but I figured it was more like an I’m-screwed one.
Shay closed the door and crossed her arms. “Okay, spill. I want details, Cuz.”
“My dad called a couple of days ago.”
Shay stopped in mid step. “That’s seriously weird, and I want to hear all about it. But what I want to know right now is why you and Hunter Devereux were making out in our kitchen? That is Hunter Devereux, right?”
“Yes, that’s Hunter.” I took a deep breath and dove in. “Dad came by here earlier today. He says I have a sister named Rose, she’s fourteen and she’s looking for me. Oh, and by the way, he and Mom have kept in touch all these years, and she was the one who didn’t want him to contact me. He says she knew about my sister too, but didn’t want me to know she existed.”
“Holy dysfunctional family.”
“When Hunter came by I was still upset, so he comforted me.”
“By making out with you in the kitchen.”
“He was so sweet. He listened, he made me laugh, he reminded me to eat. He held me and kissed me, and…”
“Named you George?”
I groaned, but didn’t hit her. “Ha-ha.”
“Sorry. So you’re saying nature took its course.”
I sat on the edge of her bed. “I don’t know much about nature, and men, and stuff.”
“Stuff? As in sex?”
I couldn’t speak, so I nodded.
She sat beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Ah, sweetie. I think I get why you’re so uncomfortable. You really haven’t done a lot of socializing, especially with boys.”
“I had to be so careful.” I thought about all the lonely days when I claimed to have things to do, while everyone I knew was out having a good time.
“Not a lot of room for boyfriends.”
I closed my eyes and let my head fall forward. “One.”
“Did you say one?”
“Yes.”
“As in one boyfriend?”
“Yes.”
Shay blew out breath. “We’re pathetic.”
I looked at her. “How many have you had?”
There was a pause, and I wondered if she was going to answer. “Four, not including Ace. He’s special.”
Her dreamy expression made me smile. “So, have you set a date yet?”
“No. We’re still discussing details.”
I smiled. She looked so happy. “Well get on it, girl. I can’t wait to be your…” Then I realized, she hadn’t asked. “Um, to be your helper getting things together.”
She nodded. “Good, because bridesmaids are supposed to assist the bride. Lord knows, I certainly need help.”
She hugged me, then stood. “But first, I need to go introduce myself to somebody.”
I was caught for a moment in thoughts of my sweet cousin getting married, with a side trip into the fantasy-land of me in a beautiful white dress. And Hunter in a tux. Hunter!
I trucked into the living room, where I heard Hunter say, “It’s nice to meet you, Shay.”
She sat on the couch near him and they shook hands, but instead of letting go of his hand she leaned closer. “If you do anything that hurts my cousin, I’ll tear your face off and feed it to my dog.”
She let go then and walked away. Hunter, who had gone pale, glanced toward his friend.
“Don’t look at me,” Ace said. “I’d help her.”
I grabbed Shay’s arm as she passed me on the way back to her bedroom. “What was that?”
She smiled. “I love you, Terri. You’re the sister I never had. Being able to scare the bow tie off tall and nerdy over there for you was one of the most amazing moments of my life.”
“Thanks,” I whispered.
“Anytime.” She gave me a hug. “Now, I really do have stuff I need to get together to take back to Ace’s.”
“You’re going back to his house?” I felt a little twinge of guilt about being glad.
Her smile was borderline evil. “That way, we both have privacy to do whatever we want.”
She went into the bedroom, and I headed toward the living room. Hunter saw me and smiled, and tingles shot from my head to my toes. I sat beside him, and he took my hand in his. “I like your cousin.”
I looked at him, wondering how that worked. “She threatened you, but you like her?”
He brushed a stray lock of hair off my face. “When you care about a person you want to protect them.”
“You wouldn’t hurt me.”
“She doesn’t know that.” He touched his index finger to my nose. “And, though I appreciate your faith in me, neither do you. Not really.”
For reasons I didn’t want to look at too closely, tears stung my eyes. “But you wouldn’t.”
He pressed his palm against my cheek. “No, sweetheart. I’d never hurt you, and I’d kill anybody who did. I’m just pointing out another indication of that innocent, trusting nature. Odd for a woman who’s had so much heartache.”
“Not so much.”
His lips became a straight line and he shook his head just a little. “Honey…”
I shot a glance toward the bedroom where Ace had joined my cousin. “Shay’s
dad died when she wasn’t even a teenager, then her mother got really depressed and Shay had to take care of her. This last year was the first time since she was a kid that she could focus on her own life.” I held his gaze. “That’s heartache.”
He glanced toward Shay’s bedroom and nodded. “She had a rough time, for sure.” His fingertip brushed gently across my lips. “Which does nothing to lessen the pain you’ve endured in your life.”
“I have a feeling you’ve had a rough life too.”
“Again, doesn’t diminish your own pain.”
I lowered my gaze, not sure what to say or do.
“Hey, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t.” I managed a little smile. “I’m just don’t see myself as somebody who’s been hurt that much.”
“Maybe that’s why you’re still a trusting person.”
“I think it’s more like I can sense who to trust and who not to.”
He studied my face for a moment, then grinned. “I don’t buy it. You trust me, don’t you?”
“Mostly.”
“Mostly, huh?”
I nodded, but further conversation was postponed by the two returning to the living room. “We’re heading back to Ace’s house,” Shay said as she scratched Scrappy’s head and back. “Call if you need anything.”
“Yeah, like throwing the trash out.” Ace made a vague gesture toward Hunter.
“Watch it Ellison,” Hunter said.
“You don’t scare me, bow tie man.”
“That’s enough boys,” Shay said. She gave me a hug. The men shook hands, and I hugged Ace before the two of them headed out.
I locked the door behind them, and I was left again with the man who I wasn’t sure what to do with. We sat on the couch, and Hunter smiled softly as he brushed a stray bit of hair behind my shoulder. “I can’t believe your cousin is engaged to Ace Ellison.”
“I’m amazed you two know each other.”
He shrugged. “Small world.”
“Apparently so.”
Scrappy seemed to realize they weren’t coming back and jumped into a chair. She curled up and immediately went to sleep.
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