by Lori King
Apprehension gripped her throat, and she couldn’t respond other than to nod. What if he changes his mind again? she thought to herself. Jett wanted me, too, until I wasn’t enough for him. Rafe said Ryley wants kids, so I’ll never be enough for him. She sighed loudly before rolling off of Ryley.
“I need a shower if I’m supposed to meet your dad today,” she said, giving him a weak smile.
“Shit! Dad! I’ll go shoot him a text to let him know we’re running late. Rafe just jumped in the shower, so you go join him,” Ryley said, rolling out of bed and heading back toward the living room still naked as a jay bird.
Shandi was still grinning when she opened the shower door to find Rafe under the hot water, smiling back.
“I was hoping that you would join me,” he said playfully, and she shook her head at him.
“Nope. No funny business. We have to go meet your dad, and even without a watch on, I know that we’re probably already late.”
“Damn it. I should have left him out of these plans,” Rafe said, pulling her under the stream of water and into his arms. He kissed her affectionately and then reached for the soap. “I’ll wash your back and you can wash mine.”
They playfully showered together, and once they were squeaky clean from head to toe and every bit in between, they stepped out of the shower back into the bedroom. Ryley had just finished dressing, and Shandi was surprised to see his hair was damp from a shower.
“I showered in the other room. My bathroom has the smaller shower, so I wouldn’t have fit in there with you guys. Next time we shower in Rafe’s bathroom,” Ryley explained as he led her across the room dripping wet and began toweling her off.
He had even gathered all of her clothes from the living room, hallway, and bedroom and spread them out sweetly on the bed.
“Thanks,” she said softly, and he cupped her cheek as he smiled.
“Anytime, baby girl,” he responded with another tender kiss on her forehead. “There’s a blow-dryer in the bathroom cabinet. I let Dad know we would be another half an hour or so. He’s already at the lake, and has a pole in the water. I’m sure he’s content with his own company for now.”
Shandi went into the bathroom and found the blow-dryer as well as a brush that had multiple golden colored hairs in it. For some reason it warmed her soul to think that she was using Ryley’s brush on her own hair. She certainly smelled like him now, having used his shampoo and shower gel. It made something inside of her relax with contentment, like this was how it was always meant to be.
Chapter 12
They pulled up next to an old banged-up Jeep, and Shandi gasped at the view. “Oh it’s beautiful!”
“Yeah, this is one of my favorite places to think,” Ryley said, as he stared dreamily out the front windshield.
There was a small, rocky beach that faded into the dark greenish-blue waters of a beautiful lake. Trees encircled the lake nearly to its borders, all the way around its perimeter. She could see a dock on the other side, but she didn’t see anyone else on the lake in a boat or on the banks.
A soft huffing sound caught her attention as she let Ryley help her from the SUV, and she spun to see what was behind the Jeep. A tall man with silver hair and piercing blue eyes stepped into view. He wore a button-down flannel shirt over well-worn jeans and beat-up tennis shoes. For being old enough to be her father, he was a very good-looking man, and Shandi smiled in response to his hello.
“I’m Henley Gray,” he said, reaching out to shake her hand. His grip was firm, but not uncomfortable, and his eyes were friendly.
“I’m Shandi Martin, nice to meet you. I take it you’re the dad these two keep telling me I have to meet?” she said playfully.
“That would be me. Are they treating you right? I’d be happy to knock a few heads if not. They should be groveling at the feet of such a beautiful woman,” Henley said, and Shandi giggled as a blush heated her cheeks.
“Well, I know where they learned how to flirt now,” she teased.
“Nope, that’s natural. All wol…family members seem to come by it naturally,” Ryley said, and Shandi’s gaze narrowed in on him. What had he started to say that had Henley and Rafe both throwing him murderous looks? What an odd family they were.
“Aren’t you two adopted?” she asked, and Ryley nodded.
“Okay, so perhaps a bit of it is learned behavior. Are you complaining?” he said with a raised eyebrow.
She shook her head, and took the fishing pole Rafe handed to her. “Nope, you all are great for my ego.”
All three men laughed and began pulling out fishing poles, tackle, and chairs from the back of the SUV. They led her to the small rocky space where Henley already had a folding chair set up with his pole resting against it.
“I haven’t caught anything but a few winks,” Henley said as he unfolded a chair near his for Shandi.
“Mmm…I could use a nap, and since I don’t have a clue what to do with this…” She held up the pole, indicating her ignorance in fishing.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never been fishing?” Ryley gasped, and clutched his hand over his heart. “I’ve been fishing since I was old enough to hold a pole. How can I possibly fall in love with a woman that can’t fish?”
She laughed at his dramatic antics, but a sliver of discomfort went through her mind. She really wished he wouldn’t throw that L word around. She had heard it said before, and it had turned out to be meaningless.
“Well, I can’t, because no one has ever taught me,” she responded with one hand on her hip, as she tipped her chin up defiantly. “Do you think you’re up for the challenge, big guy?”
Rafe and Henley both burst into laughter, as Ryley got a lascivious smile on his face and narrowed his eyes at her. “I can teach you more than fishing, baby girl…”
She shook her head with a grunt. “Well, for right now all I want to know is who is going to put a worm on my hook?” She smiled a wicked smile at him, knowing exactly how he would take her words.
“I am,” Rafe said next to her ear in a low, grumbly tone that set her pulse racing. His hand reached out to cover hers on the fishing pole, and she bit her lip to stifle a moan. It just wasn’t appropriate with their dad standing nearby watching.
“Fine, you take care of that, while I grab a beer. I’m sure Henley can keep me company while you two professionals get all of the fishing doohickeys ready,” she taunted, as she pulled away from the heat of Rafe’s body.
“Doohickeys? Did she just call our gear doohickeys?” Ryley said with a look of horror on his face as Rafe nodded, and they both moved a few feet away to get to work.
Henley stood watching with a goofy grin on his face and a misty look in his eyes. “It sure does look like you two finally met your match,” he said to Rafe and Ryley, who both looked over at Shandi with oddly affectionate smiles on their faces.
“We’re just friends,” she said quickly, and then immediately she regretted her hasty words. Ryley’s face darkened with irritation, while Rafe’s fell in disappointment. She didn’t want to hurt them, but she didn’t want to lead them on either.
Henley, to his credit, just laughed loudly. “Yeah, Victoria told me that, too, when I met her. She actually took a month-long trip out of state just to put some distance between us. When I finally tracked her down, she nearly killed me with the bottled-up passion. That’s something I never understood about women. Why would you hide your real feelings? It’s so much better for the soul to just enjoy life, and accept what it gives you with humble thanks.”
Shandi stared at the older man with a new appreciation for him. “Life has given me a few wormy apples over the last few years, so I’m a little hesitant to take a bite right now.”
Henley took her hand, and led her over to the chair that was already set up. He gestured for her to sit. “Please, sit down and tell me about it. I’d love to get to know you better.”
She took the seat, and waited quietly for him to set up another chair next to her. She knew
that Rafe and Ryley watched from the back of the SUV, but she felt comfortable with Henley. He deftly baited the hook on his fishing pole and dropped the line into the lake before settling back into his chair.
“There’s not a lot to tell,” she said softly, and his arrogant cocked eyebrow that looked so much like Ryley’s made her laugh.
“Start with the basics. Your name is Shandi Martin. How old are you? Do you have family around here? What do you do for a living?” he prompted.
“Twenty-seven, and the only family I have is my mom Barbara. She lives in Onaga, Kansas, so we don’t see each other as much as I would like, but we email and call each other a lot. I’m a kindergarten teacher. That’s actually how I met your boys. They came to teach the kids about fire safety. For some reason they got it into their heads that I was interested, and they wouldn’t give up. They are pretty persistent,” she said, settling into her chair more comfortably and stretching her legs in front of her.
“Yeah, they can be hardheaded when they want to be. Is your father deceased?” he asked. She could see him out of the corner of her eye, but he never moved. He just sat staring out into the lake while he chatted. He seemed to genuinely want to know more about her.
“I have no idea. I never met him. He took off when my mom found out she was pregnant, though he did apparently offer to pay for an abortion for her. She declined—thank God—and he bailed out. I don’t think I missed out much, not having known him,” she said.
Rafe and Ryley had finished what they were doing, and moved to sit on the other side of her. They both cast their lines into the water, and Rafe threw a line in for her, handing it to her with a smile. They watched her closely, but both brothers remained quiet, allowing her and Henley to chat.
“That’s pretty shitty. No man should leave his woman in a bind like that. I think you’re right, you’re probably better off without him.”
The anger in Henley’s voice surprised Shandi. Why would he feel so protective of her? He had just met her, and it sounded like he would gladly punch the sperm donor that fathered her in his face.
Interrupting her confused musings, Henley asked, “How did you end up a schoolteacher?”
“I love kids. I have always known I would want to do something with kids. Teaching comes fairly easy to me, and I get to spend all day with kids. My class is great, and they are very easy to love,” she said with a smile.
Now Henley turned and grinned at her. “How many do you want?”
Three sets of startled eyes turned toward him, and Shandi tensed, knowing what he was asking, but unsure if she should explain.
Rafe intervened. “Dad, I think you got a bite!”
Henley immediately turned his attention to his line, and promptly pulled in an average-sized fish. “Perch, that’ll be good tonight for supper,” he announced, as he put the wiggling fish into a basket that was dragging in the lake. He sat back down and re-baited his hook.
“Sorry for the interruption, but I can’t lose a good fish. So, how many kids do you want when you settle down, Shandi?” he said, looking calm as ever. He seemed to miss her discomfort completely, and she heard Rafe curse under his breath.
“I would love to have a whole pack—” she responded. She stopped when Ryley choked so loudly on his beer that Rafe had to pat him on the back.
“What?” Rafe asked, looking bewildered.
She smiled sadly, understanding their confusion. “I would love to have lots of kids, but unfortunately that’s not in the cards for me.” She turned back to Henley and stared him straight in the eyes, trying to sound more confident than she felt. “I had a bout of cervical cancer a few years ago. I nearly died, and had to do chemo and radiation that was really tough on me. Somehow, by the grace of God I guess, I survived it all. After the treatments, my body was more damaged than the doctors expected. I had to have a hysterectomy. There will be no kids in my future.”
Shock scored lines in Henley’s face as he paled and stared deeply into her eyes. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up something so painful.”
She shook her head gently. “It’s getting easier. I mean, when they first told me I would have to have the surgery I was devastated, and then my boyfriend decided that I wasn’t good enough for him if I couldn’t give him offspring—“
She was stopped this time by loud growling sounds next to her. Both Rafe and Ryley looked ready to snap something in two. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing. Go on, angel,” Rafe said, but he sounded furious. She watched him nervously for another moment before she turned back to Henley. He, too, looked really upset. She couldn’t fathom why these men would care so much about what had happened to her, but she appreciated their protectiveness. It was kind of nice to know that there were still men with chivalry in their genetics.
“Anyway, Jett packed his stuff and moved out while I was in the hospital having the surgery. I’ve spoken to him a couple of times over the last three years, and he has moved on and gotten married. They are expecting their first baby around Christmastime.” She sighed heavily as she finished, and the silence made her nerves dance.
“I don’t know what to say, Shandi. I’m sorry you got tangled up with such an asshole while you were going through hell. I can guarantee you that my boys would never think to treat you like that,” Henley said with a stern glance at his boys.
Both brothers returned his grim look and shook their heads, agreeing with him.
“Henley, I think you have some facts confused. I’m just friends with them. I can’t have a relationship with them,” she said, ignoring the angry glares of the Whetstone brothers.
Henley looked amused. “Why exactly is that?”
She swallowed hard and chanced a glance at the two pissed-off men next to her. “I can’t deprive them of a chance for a family later in their lives. I care for them both, but—”
“You’re as skittish as a new wolf pup. I understand that some jerk hurt you, but obviously you’re made of pretty tough stuff. You deserve better than him, and these two boys are more than half in love with you. You’re going to end up losing the best thing you ever had if you keep pushing them away,” Henley said seriously. Shandi felt her mouth drop open and her face pale.
She slowly turned her head until she faced Rafe and Ryley, who were staring her down but looked decidedly less like they wanted to tear something into pieces.
“Is that true?” she whispered. Tears threatened to fill her eyes, and a lump formed in her throat.
The moment that his father said the word love, Rafe’s heart stopped in his chest. It was too early to tell her that. She was going to freak out, especially since she was facing not just one mate, but two. She was human, so she was never going to understand how quickly mates could fall deeply in love.
A sharp howl followed by the sound of pain-filled whimpering interrupted their conversation, eliminating the need for either brother to respond to her.
“What was that?” Shandi gasped. A mixture of fear and concern laced her voice, and Rafe’s protective instincts kicked in. Grabbing her arm he pulled her toward the SUV, intending on locking her inside until they could determine who was hurt and who was doing the hurting.
Stay with her, Rafe.
His growled response to Ryley’s command made Shandi tense up under Rafe’s hand, and he immediately wrapped his arm around her shoulders to soothe her. Ryley and Henley both headed into the woods without a backward glance, and Shandi’s look of confusion sent a wave of guilt through Rafe. He had to remind himself that she couldn’t hear Ryley’s words, and no one had answered her question. She had no way of knowing that the howl they heard was probably a wolf in trouble.
“I don’t know for sure, angel, but Ryley and Dad will check it out. You get in the truck and lock the doors,” Rafe said. He opened the door and gave her a gentle push, but she stood firm.
“I’m not going to hide away like a pussy, damn it. An animal is hurt out there, and it needs help,” she said angrily. Eve
n though all of his nerves were standing at attention, he had to bite back a laugh at her indignation. She stood toe-to-toe with him, hands on her hips and jaw thrust forward in determination. She was sexy as hell, but he needed to focus.
“Angel, we are going to help them. We’re firemen, remember? We don’t leave anyone, human or animal, in pain if we can help it. But we can’t focus if we’re worried about you. Please get in the truck,” he pleaded as he brushed her flame-kissed hair from her forehead. He could see her melt at his words, and her eyes darted warily at the tree line as they both heard a loud yelp and another mournful howl.
“That sounds like a wolf!” she gasped, and Rafe cringed.
“Please, Shandi!”
She finally gave in and climbed into the SUV. He watched her until she clicked the automatic locks down, and then he immediately turned toward the woods. As soon as he was clear of the trees so that he was out of her view, he pulled off his clothes to shift. Tossing them over a nearby bush, he took off at a dead run the moment his four paws touched dirt.
He could smell the scent of strange wolves, as well as the tangy, metallic scent of blood. Whoever it was, they were injured pretty badly for the scent to be so strong.
Ry?
Yeah, I found her.
Her? A female wolf?
Oh yeah, and she’s one of us. Looks like something took a bite out of her back leg. She’s in wolf form, so she’ll heal in a few hours, but she’s out cold. Dad thinks we should call Dev.
Do it. I’ll be there in a minute.
What the fuck? You’re supposed to be with Shandi?
She’s locked in the truck. She’s fine.
You better be right, because I’m going to break your neck if she gets hurt.
Rafe smiled in his mind at his brother’s protectiveness of their mate. Whether or not Ryley was ready to admit it or not, he was as head over heels in love with Shandi as Rafe. Perfect. Two down, one to go, Rafe thought. His wolf howled its agreement loudly before he could stop it. If Shandi kept hearing wolves howling she would get frightened. They had to be careful until she was ready to hear their secret.