The music stopped, and I would have been disappointed if I could breathe.
“Did I embarrass you?” Hunter asked.
“Hell no,” I told him. We smiled a secret message to each other, conveying the fun we’d had and the affection we felt for each other.
A slow song was playing, and I realized Shay and Ace were wrapped around each other as they rocked back and forth together. Hunter’s strong arms tugged me against a warm, firm body, and I let myself go as we moved slowly to the rhythm.
Hunter held me close, one hand slowly sliding down to cup my rear. I gasped and he chuckled. The sound of a moan had me looking around to see who’d seen what, only to realize sweet and handsome had his back turned to the other couple, so nobody saw anything. My heart warmed, inciting my body to lean against him a little more firmly. I groaned.
“We have to go do that thing,” Shay’s voice said. I peeked around Hunter and realized Ace had a hand inside her top.
“Yeah, um, I have to meet a guy,” Ace said, his voice tight.
Shay grabbed her purse, and they stumbled out the door.
They were gone, probably to Ace’s house. I tried to keep a handle on my feelings, but excitement swirled through me anyway. We were alone, just Hunter and me.
Scrappy mewed to remind me of her presence. I smiled and gave her a quick tummy rub. “I know you’re there, kitty.”
Hunter locked the front door, and I glanced out the front window at the crazy neighbor in her flower garden. She watched our house intently, as she’d done every damn day since Shay and I moved in.
Hunter came up behind me and slipped his arms around my waist. “Still sore?” He whispered.
“Not really.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I want you.” Damn, my voice was shaking.
I turned and he put his hand against my cheek. “I’ll be careful, sweetheart.”
“I trust you.”
He closed his eyes for a moment, and a smile pulled at his mouth when he once again met my gaze. “That’s the nicest thing anybody ever said to me.”
He picked me up and took me into my bedroom where he put me on the bed and slid in on top of me. “My precious Terri,” he said as he slipped my top over my head.
I wondered if he’d feel the same way after I forced the truth on him.
Chapter Sixteen
Hunter and I walked through the forest, hand—in-hand, the sound of birds and small animals all around us. The breeze was fresh, if rather chilly to my Florida-raised blood. Hunter’s hand was warm, and that’s all I needed to be comfortable enough.
“This is nice,” Hunter said. “I think you made up that story about wanting to show me something just so you could get me alone in the woods.”
“Rats, you’re on to me.”
He stopped and put his hands on my upper arms so he could pull me close. “You brought me out here to ravish me, didn’t you?”
My heart beat hard in my chest. My body and his seemed to be calling for each other, something inside both of us longing not just for physical connection, but something far deeper, something that had the potential to tie us together on a different plane.
His lips covered mine, and the stuffing vanished from my legs. He pulled me close, wrapped his arms around me, and held me upright so that he could kiss me more thoroughly.
“Hunter,” I gasped. His hands roamed down over my lower back and onto the swell of my rear. I tried to focus on the mission, but my thoughts were scrambled. I managed a pathetic shove to his chest, but he didn’t believe I wanted him to stop. Mostly because I didn’t.
Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw Abukcheech waiting near a big tree. I had to stop groping at Hunter like a teenager and use this opportunity. This had to work, there were too many things hanging in the balance for it to fail.
With a big sigh, I shoved Hunter back an inch. “Stop. Please. I really do have something to show you.”
He stopped his efforts to scramble my brain cells. “What is it you want to show me in the middle of the woods?”
I swallowed hard. “Something I hope will convince you of the reality of things you can’t explain.”
He gave a little snort. “There are a lot of things I can’t explain.”
“Things science can’t explain.”
“You’re welcome to try.”
I motioned for my friend, and he headed for us. Hunter turned to see, and I heard his sharp intake of breath.
“This is Abukcheech,” I told him. “He’s a real, live Bigfoot.”
Hunter spun to face me so fast and hard I took a step backward. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
I did my best to ignore what looked to be anger in his face, and somehow managed a tiny smile. “Proving that Bigfoot exists.”
“Do you think I’m stupid?”
What the hell? “No, of course not. What are you talking about?”
“Did you really think you could trick me with a guy in a Halloween costume?” He waved a hand in the direction of Abukcheech, then turned and stomped back the way we’d come.
I was left standing there with my mouth hanging open.
“Man not happy? Abukcheech asked.
“Man needs kick in the rear.”
I heard a deep chuckle and turned to look at my furry friend.
“Humans very odd.” The Bigfoot youngster turned and headed deeper into the woods.
I took the long way home. I had a lot to think about, and some hard crying to do.
****
I didn’t hear anything from Hunter that night. I did spend a lot of time on one porch or the other, calling softly for Rose. Asking her to please let me know she was all right. About midnight, I shifted and headed out to track down my sister’s scent. She had been all over the neighborhood, not that I hadn’t pretty much figured that out anyway. I circled until I found a trace leading away from Aunt Ruth’s house and toward the foot of the mountain.
There were a lot of various animal smells here, some domestic, most not. Rose’s scent meandered around, going near small shacks that were being used mostly for storage and one apparently the home of an old man who sat on the porch in an old wooden chair. A shotgun lay on the porch near him. He was the cliché of hillbilly hermit, which would be interesting if Rose wasn’t out here somewhere. My head hurt at the thought of my little sister alone so far from her home.
Shock tore through my nerves as I realized I didn’t even know where Rose lived when she wasn’t wandering the countryside looking for the sister who didn’t even know about her. How crazy was my life? I had to find her, I had to know she was all right. I might not have known about her until a few days ago, but she was family. And I was going to make sure we stayed in touch from now on.
I followed my nose down a rutted dirt road toward the sound of a stream. The smell of wood burning had me thinking there was a house of some kind back in the area partially hidden by a hill. Was she staying there? Alone? I shivered at the thought.
I smelled him just before the big black dog came rushing from the thick foliage near the stream. My instinct was to run, but thoughts of my baby sister had me holding my ground. I moved into a fighting stance, letting a deep growl grow in the back of my throat. I wanted to ask this guy about Rose, but when a male dog’s in perimeter guarding mode there isn’t really a way to get him to listen. Something that, in my opinion, they share with human males.
He edged my way, his rear low to the ground, his ears back, his growl harsh and unfriendly. He did not want me there, and I’d never developed my defensive skills. I’m a collie after all. We’re herders, not fighters.
It slowly sunk into my thick head that I might have to get away while I could and come back later, preferably with help. Only the thought of Rose had me holding my ground and wondering if there was some way to make this guy understand
A high-pitched bark startled me, and I shot my gaze away from the black dog for a microsecond, just long enough to see
Rose coming up from behind the black dog. I tried to warn her away, but she headed toward him like an arrow. I was shaking hard, but I managed to run toward them, letting out a warning growl as I went.
I was preparing to jump between Rose and the black dog, when I realized she was talking to him. Not talking in the way of humans, but with a combination of scent, body language, and a bit of psychic ability. Yeah, dogs are psychic. I’ll put that on my list of things to freak out Hunter with. Provided he ever speaks to me again.
Now that I realized they knew each other, I slowed my approach. I wanted to give the black dog time to recognize me as a friend. Or at least that’s how I hoped he’d think of me.
Rose turned to look at me, barked, turned back to him, and barked again. He lowered his head, gave me a glance that wasn’t entirely friendly, and sent me a message that I’d better not hurt Rose. I immediately liked him.
Rose was giving me a hard glare, so I indicated we go somewhere and talk. She thought about it for a moment, then turned back to black dog. He gave me another ‘don’t hurt Rose look, then turned and walked away.
Rose and I walked for a minute or so before she ducked into the bushes and shifted. “What do you want?” she asked from behind foliage that concealed her nudity.
I moved into the bushes myself before I shifted, then made sure my personal parts stayed covered. “To make sure you’re okay,” I told her. “I’d like you to come back to Aunt Ruth’s house with me.”
“So you can call Daddy to come and get me?”
Wow, this girl had some serious anger issues. Not that I blamed her.
“No. I wouldn’t do that.
“Why should I believe you?”
I put my hands on my hips and let my own anger come to the surface. “Because I hadn’t seen Daddy since I was four years old. Well, three actually, he left before my birthday. Because he never bothered to tell me I have a sister, and I want a chance to get to know her.” I swiped my eyes before I met her gaze again. “Come with me. Let’s get to know each other. Together we’ll figure out what to do.”
“Who were those people who came to your house?”
“Shay is our cousin. She’s staying at Aunt Ruth’s house with me. And Ace is her fiancé. I wanted to introduce you, but you took off.
She studied me for a moment, as if trying to decide if I was on the level. Finally she nodded. “Okay, I’ll go with you. Just let me go say bye to Charger.”
Five minutes later, we were headed home. Just knowing that Rose was safe was enough to cause me to be shaky. How I’d become so attached to the girl in such a short time was beyond me.
Then she sent a doggie smile my way, and I realized that we might not have known of each other’s existence, but we were sisters, and that fact connected us in a strong, special way.
Back at the house, we went in the doggie door and I shifted right there in the kitchen. I grabbed for the bathrobe and slipped it on so as not to embarrass her. “Your clothes are still in the bedroom, if you want to shift.” I shrugged. “If not, no problem.”
She went down the hall, and I put together a snack. When she came back, as Rose the human and dressed in her cute blue shorts and matching blue and white top, I handed her a plate and indicated the fixings I’d put on the table. “Hope you like nachos.”
“I love nachos.” She wasted no time putting together a plate of food. Then, like me, she sat at the table and dug in.”
“So you’ve been hanging out with that dog?”
“Charger? Yeah, he’s an old dude, but sweet.”
“You’ve been getting enough to eat?”
She looked at the chip as she poked it at her cheese. “There’s a woman, Granny May, who lives in a little house back in the woods. People, mostly women, come to see her for herbs and stuff. They talk about her when she isn’t around, saying she’s a witch and stuff. I think she’s an exceptional herbalist and they just don’t recognize her talent.”
My curiosity rose to the surface. “How do you know about herbalists?”
“Mom. She’s always reading about different healing stuff. She tried a lot of different herbs and compounds from the time Daddy said I might be able to shift—if I got the gene—until a few months ago. I had a bad time with a nasty brown mix, threw up for three days. She finally had to take me to the doctor and act all innocent like she had no idea why I was so sick.” The chip in Rose’s hand crumpled into little pieces.
“Why in the world would she give you—” Before the words were out I knew why. “To stop you from shifting.”
“She says it’s an illness like muscular dystrophy or cystic fibrosis or something. She believes there is a cure out there somewhere, and she is dead set on finding it.”
My heart shattered into a million pieces. “Oh, my sweet Rose! No, being a shifter is just part of who you are. I love being able to run through the grass, to chase butterflies, to see the world from a completely different perspective.”
She was smiling. “I think so too. And so did the Granny May in the woods.”
Well that stopped my thought train. “You told her about your ability?”
“No, she figured it out. I have no idea how. And no, she didn’t see me shift.”
Like Ms. Funderburk had with me. “Our scent, I think, is what gives us away.”
“We smell funny?” Rose’s scrunched up nose had me smiling.
“No, but we do have a different scent than non-shifters. That’s what Shay and I figured out was the most likely giveaway. And Abukcheech said I smelled like dog, but humans apparently can’t smell that.”
Her face lit up. “Abukcheech is that Bigfoot you met?”
“Yep.”
“Could you introduce me?”
“Of course.” I touched her arm. “So, this herbalist was impressed with your ability?”
Rose smiled. “I guess. She told me I was special and that I should be proud of what I am.”
“She’s not wrong. You’re a special girl, Rose.” I grinned. “Plus you have this cool ability to shift into a cute puppy.”
“I’m not a puppy. I’m a grown-up dog.”
“Oh, you’re still a puppy. You’re only fourteen.”
Her lower lip slid into a pout. “Mom won’t be happy about that. She says my dog is too big now.”
“You’re a collie. We aren’t little dogs. Woof!”
She giggled. “I’m so glad I came here.”
“I’d have come to you if I’d known about you.”
She abruptly threw her arms around me. Tears stung my eyes as I hugged her close. When she let go, I saw the dark circles under her eyes. Some protective big sister I was. “Let’s get some rest.”
“Okay.”
“I can sleep on the couch and you can have my bed.”
She nodded, but without raising her gaze. I tipped her chin up. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”
“It’s silly. Mom thinks I’m weird, but I guess I hoped maybe, because you’re a shifter too…”
“Out with it, little sis. I seriously doubt you’re anywhere near as weird as I am.”
Her smile was weak, but she spoke. “I like to, you know, snuggle. Mom says people are going to think I’m…strange.”
My lips pulled into a smile. “People, maybe. We’re partly dogs, and dogs sleep in piles of snuggles.”
“You too?”
I nodded. “And you just corroborated I’m normal—for a half-woman half-collie, anyway. Thanks!”
I found her a big T-shirt to sleep in, and we snuggled into my bed. One part of my life was good. Now if I could just figure out how to deal with Hunter.
****
The next morning we went back to where Rose had been staying to collect her backpack from where she’d stashed it and to tell Charger and Granny May she was going with me. Then we went into town to buy her some extra clothes and supplies.
“You have to meet Stephie,” I told her. “She’s interesting.”
She narrowed her eyes, but still went w
ith me into the antique store.
Stephie saw us as soon as we walked in, and came our way. “Hi, I’m Stephie.” She held out a hand to Rose. “You have got to be related to Terri. You two look an awful lot alike.”
“This is my sister Rose. Rose, this is my good friend Stephie.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
The bell over the door sounded, and Stephie’s eyes widened. I knew who was behind me without turning. I’d know that spicy, male scent anywhere.
“Rose, I have some things I’d like to show you. Let’s give your sister some space, okay?”
Rose looked more like she wanted to grab me and run, but she went with Stephie.
I turned. “Hello, Hunter.”
“Terri.” He took a step toward me. “I think I might have been a little harsh yesterday.”
I forced my left shoulder into a little shrug. “Whatever.”
He moved closer. “Look, there’s no way what you showed me could be anything other than a man in a costume. It isn’t logical.”
“So you’re saying if you don’t believe in something then that something can’t possibly exist?”
“No.” He rubbed his fingers over his forehead. “Just that some things are impossible.”
I took a step toward him this time. “You said yourself that Bigfoot might be some sort of previously unknown animal, and therefore their existence might be possible.”
“Why is this crazy stuff so important to you? Most people never even seriously consider the possibility of the existence of ghosts or faeries, or Bigfoot. Why are you obsessed with the idea?”
“More like you’re obsessed with not believing.”
His eyes flashed, and his jaw tightened. “Why can’t we just have a normal relationship like everybody else?”
I leaned close to him. “Because we aren’t everybody else.” I spun so my back was to him and marched off.
When I passed Rose and Stephie, I gave them a quick wave. “I need a minute.” And I headed off to the little bathroom in the back of the store.
When I came back out Hunter was gone and Rose was waiting to hug me. “Are you all right?”
“More or less.”
Tails of Ugly Creek Page 12