“Why is it that you’re not in pain touching me, darlin’?” he asked her quietly.
“Did you know that when Jake touches me, he shields me from the emotions of others, Franklin?” she asked him quietly.
“I’ve suspected,” Franklin admitted.
Claire nodded, smiling softly as she thought about her mate. “Well, it seems that now that I’m pregnant with his baby, our baby has now taken over that job,” she told him, her voice just above a whisper. “I haven’t told anyone about the pregnancy yet. I’m afraid that something will happen. It’s just too wonderful to be true, and I worry that it will be taken away from me.”
Franklin eased off his desk, lowering his bulk until he was kneeling before Claire. He took her small hands within his much larger ones and squeezed them gently.
“I understand,” he said quietly. “My wife was the same way. She was afraid she would jinx her pregnancy.”
Claire nodded, relieved that Franklin understood what she was feeling. “I’ve never had such good things happen to me until I met Jake,” she whispered. “I love him so much.”
“That’s the way it should be, darlin’,” Franklin told her. His brown eyes held all the happiness he had for her as he looked down at her. “When you find the person meant to be your true mate, miraculous things happen. The Great Spirit has blessed us all. He’s blessed you and Jake. I’ve always thought that your empathic ability was a heavy burden for you to bear, but I think you needed it to help you find and connect with your mate.”
Claire laughed softly. “I guess you’re right,” she admitted.
“Didn’t mean to overhear you,” Officer Bryce Fletcher said softly from the office doorway. “I promise, I won’t tell anyone about your news.”
Claire turned around and laughed softly. “It’s okay, Bryce,” she told him, leaning back in her chair and wiping at her face tiredly. “I should have been more careful talking about it.”
Bryce closed the office door then walked over to the chair and knelt down beside it so that he and Sheriff Sturgess shielded her. He looked at Claire and was relieved to see that she wasn’t upset that he knew her secret.
“It really is okay, Bryce,” she assured him gently. “I trust you and Franklin to keep my secret. I think it’s time to tell the family. Jake and I can talk about it tonight.”
“I’m very happy for you, Claire,” Bryce said, smiling. “I’m hoping that my mate will find herself in the same condition soon.”
He thought about Zoey Branson and his chest ached with the pain of missing her. She had literally been thrown into his life the day that Lainey and Becca’s diner had exploded, and he already loved the woman. Her beautiful eyes that held several hues of brown within their color had mesmerized him. The beauty and texture of her hair the color of beach sand, and the incredibly feminine figure wrapped up the physical package of his destined mate. But it was her internal beauty that had captured his heart. Zoey had a goodness within her that soothed Bryce’s soul. He thought about her every moment of every day since the day he had met her at the diner.
That day had been a difficult one for all of them because of the explosion and the cruelty of Jenkins Hughes. But it had also been a miraculous one for Bryce. He had met his mate. He had been gifted with a vision of their future together and the baby that Zoey would be carrying. He wanted that to be their reality right now, but Zoey had pulled away from him and had denied that she had even shared the vision with him.
The pain of her denial of him as her mate had been the worst of all. He knew he wasn’t much of a catch. He had a scar that ran the length of his neck from his jaw to his shoulder. He knew he looked gruesome, but he had hoped that Zoey would see into his heart and sense that he would be a kind and loving mate for her. Sure, he would be protective, and he had a tendency to grunt like a caveman when the people he loved were threatened, but who wouldn’t? When your woman and your child were threatened, there was no other way to be.
“You need to give her time, Bryce,” Claire said gently as she reached out and touched his shoulder lightly. “Zoey wants her vision to come true, too.”
“Does she?” He couldn’t help but voice his disbelief in his question. “I don’t think she does, Claire. She’s told me to stay away.”
“I know. But do you know why?”
“Because I’m not what she wants.”
“Bryce, that is the stupidest thing I have ever heard,” Franklin blurted out before he could stop himself.
“Sheriff, I know you mean well, but I know better,” Bryce said, stopping his boss from continuing.
“Actually, you don’t, Bryce,” Claire said gently. “There’s a lot of things that Zoey needs to tell you. It isn’t that she doesn’t want you. It isn’t that she doesn’t believe the vision that you shared.”
“You know about the vision, Claire?” Bryce asked, surprised by her words.
“I do.”
“Zoey told you?”
Claire shook her head, reaching out to take Bryce’s hand in hers. “No, Bryce. I saw the vision with my gift when I touched Zoey. She doesn’t know that I saw it. It should be something that’s between the two of you, so I didn’t say anything.”
“Yet, you’re telling me right now?” Bryce smiled, teasing her, but understanding the Claire wouldn’t reveal their vision to anyone else. He was glad. The vision was something very special that he held tight to in hope. He had hoped that seeing that vision would soften Zoey’s heart toward him if she wanted it to come true. Just seeing her, smiling in his arms and pregnant with their child had made him happy. He had hoped that it had done the same for his woman.
“Don’t be upset, Bryce,” Claire said gently. “I’m telling you that I know so you won’t give up. Zoey wants you as her mate even though she’s pushing you away. I believe she really cares about you. She’s just afraid.”
Bryce was silent for a minute, stroking his jaw and following the scar that ran the length of his neck as he often did when he was trying to figure something out. His blue eyes were filled with confusion.
“Go to Zoey,” Claire said gently. “She works at the local florist shop.” She hesitated a moment, unsure of how much she should tell him. “She’s going to need you today, Bryce.”
“Why? Is she in trouble?”
Bryce pushed aside his confusion as worry consumed him. His mate needed him. Maybe it was time to push the issue and show her that being together was going to be a good thing.
“I don’t think she’s in danger,” Claire said cautiously. “I do think she’s in trouble, though.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“The kind an abusive mother can cause,” Claire answered softly.
She thought about her own mother and the lifetime of cruelty and pain she had tortured Claire with. Her sister Elise was much the same. Two peas in a pod. Wasn’t that how the expression went? Well, that was exactly what her mother and her sister were—two women who lived to inflict pain upon Claire and prove to her over and over again that she was worthless, her life was worthless, and she didn’t deserve any goodness.
“Her mother abuses her?” Bryce asked, his voice deep and coming out on a growl as outrage filled him.
Claire looked at him, blinking her eyes as she fought to get out of her own head. She didn’t need to think about her mother or her sister anymore. They had no hold on her except for what she allowed them. She wasn’t going to allow any bit of time or brain power to be wasted on them. She had many more positive thoughts filling her now. She had Jake. She had their baby. She had her education. And she had an entire circle of friends that were now her family—a positive, uplifting, and supportive family.
“Zoey and DelAnne have distanced themselves from their mother, but they still have issues to deal with because of her,” Claire said cautiously. She knew that she couldn’t betray either Zoey or DelAnne by telling Bryce what he needed to know.
“You’re not going to tell me,” he said calmly, easing back and looki
ng at her with a discerning eye.
Claire shook her head. “Can’t.”
Bryce was silent for a moment then looked at Franklin Sturgess for direction. “She can’t,” he said quietly.
Franklin smiled at him. “No. She can’t,” Franklin said firmly. “You need to get off your ass and go find out for yourself, Bryce, or you’re going to let that little lady slip through your fingers.”
“For an old, hardened cop, you’re pretty free with the romantic advice, Sheriff,” Bryce said calmly, his blue eyes flashing with humor.
“I’ll let the remark about me being old slide, Officer Fletcher,” Franklin said seriously. “But, if you don’t get your ass in gear and go and claim your mate, I’m going to make a phone call to your mother and tell her she raised an idiot for a son.”
Bryce stood slowly and looked at Franklin very calmly. “That’s a low blow, Franklin,” he said after a moment.
“I’ll do what I have to do to make sure that the people I care about get the future that’s destined for them to get,” Franklin said with no remorse in his voice whatsoever. “Now, do I call your mother, or are you going to take the chance on talking to Zoey and possibly finding out that she’s been pining over you just as much as you’ve been pining over her?”
“I am not pining,” Bryce said calmly, crossing his arms defiantly across his chest.
“Liar.”
“Franklin.”
“Look, are you going to stand there and deny that you can’t stop thinking about that little filly, or are you going to go and claim her?” Franklin asked, frustration filling his words. “Don’t be foolish, Bryce. Don’t throw away the opportunity to claim the one woman that the Great Spirit has destined for you. Go to her. Get her to understand that you’ll love her and protect her.”
Bryce lowered his arms and sighed. “She doesn’t want me, Franklin,” he said after a moment. “I won’t force myself on her.”
“Bryce,” Claire called to him quietly. She waited for him to focus on her before she continued. She saw the guarded hope in his blue eyes, but she also saw the deep sadness. “I don’t think you would ever force yourself on Zoey. But, you’re going to have to be strong and not give up. She has too many fears to make a commitment to you even though she wants one.”
Bryce remained quiet, his attention focused on the woman whose gentle, brown eyes looked at him with kindness and compassion. Jake McKade was certainly a lucky man to have such a caring woman as his mate. He thought about his Zoey and knew that he would be just as lucky. He had replayed the vision in his head over and over again, every day, every damned moment, and saw the beauty within his woman’s heart. She was kind. She was fun. She was caring. And she looked at him with complete love and acceptance. Her happiness at being with him and carrying his child had touched a place within his heart that he had hidden away for so long, it was painful to allow it to breathe.
“You’re sure, Claire?” he asked hesitantly.
“Absolutely.”
Bryce turned to face Franklin and smiled sadly. “I guess I should give it a try, huh, Franklin?”
At Franklin’s curt nod, Bryce turned and walked to the doorway of Franklin’s office. He hesitated a moment then turned and faced the two people who seemed much more confident in his future than he was.
“If I don’t come back in an hour, send back-up,” he said, smiling at the immediate chuckle that escaped Franklin and the sweet smile that Claire beamed at him.
Turning, he opened the door and left the office. He grabbed for his uniform hat, settled it on his head firmly, and walked toward the exit of the small police station. He had a mate to convince that they belonged together.
“What do you think, Claire?” Franklin asked softly as he watched Bryce leave.
“I think he’s got a fight ahead of him,” Claire said honestly. “Zoey won’t give in easily. She’s too afraid of hurting him.”
Franklin remained silent. He didn’t understand what Claire meant, but he knew better that to question her. It was obvious that whatever secret that Zoey was keeping was a big one. He wouldn’t intrude and ask to know it. It wasn’t his place. He could only be there for Bryce to support him in his efforts to woo his woman. He smiled slowly, thinking about how happy Stan and Gwen were going to be that their boy had finally found his destined mate.
“That boy’s gonna be just fine,” he said finally.
“I think so, too,” Claire said gently, smiling. “Zoey will have a beautiful future with him. He’s a good guy.”
“He is.”
“There are lots of good guys around here,” Claire whispered, more to herself than to Franklin.
“There are lots of good women, too, Claire,” Franklin reminded her. “The Great Spirit has a plan for us all.”
Claire smiled. She settled back in her chair and took a deep breath. She slipped her hands beneath her sweater and covered her belly with her hands to feel the warmth of the new life growing inside of her. The Great Spirit’s plan for her and Jake was a beautiful one—one that she would be eternally grateful for.
Love with her true mate and a baby on the way, a caring family and friends was her life now. She would never feel isolated and unloved again. She had nothing but good things in her future, now. She had been truly blessed.
Thank you, Great Spirit, she whispered in her mind.
She felt a warmth surrounding her in a gentle hug. He had heard her.
Chapter 28
Jake held Claire’s hand within his as they walked to the entrance of the steakhouse. It was a family restaurant that was welcoming, and he knew their food was delicious. He wanted to bring Claire some place nice to celebrate her finishing her academic program. He should have known that Claire wouldn’t go for some elegant place like Chez Pierre in Denver. His angel wanted to enjoy the comfort of a family restaurant.
He stopped just inside the doorway, cuddling her closer as the warmth of the restaurant surrounded them. He gave the hostess his name and asked for a booth that was in the corner of the restaurant, wanting the privacy with his mate. He looked down at her and smiled. She was looking around the entryway with interest and wasn’t aware of his stare.
“This is nice, Jake,” she said quietly, looking back at him and smiling at the sparkle in his blue eyes as he gazed at her.
“You’re sure you don’t want to go to Chez Pierre?”
“I’m sure. I’m not really dressed to go fancy,” Claire said softly. “I like it here. It’s homey.”
“Claire, you’re perfect,” Jake said gently, reaching up and touching her left cheek lightly.
“Why? Because I like this restaurant?” Claire asked, laughing softly.
“If you both would follow me, your booth is ready,” the hostess said, picking up two menus and leading the way to the back of the restaurant.
Jake took hold of Claire’s hand once again and followed the hostess, glad to see that the booth was in the extreme right corner at the rear of the restaurant. He helped her off with her coat, shrugged off his own, and stepped back to allow Claire to slide into the booth. He tossed their coats onto the seat across from where she was sitting then followed her in, sitting beside her on the bench seat.
“Your server Rick will be over in a minute,” the hostess said, smiling down at the two of them as she placed the menus in front of them. “Enjoy your meal.”
“Thank you,” Claire said softly, blushing lightly at the knowing look that the hostess gave them.
“Why the blush, angel?” Jake asked gently as he looked at the pink hue that suffused Claire’s cheeks.
“Most people sit across from each other, Jake,” Claire told him gently.
“Can’t help it, darlin’,” he said, smiling. “I’ve been apart from you all day. I need to be close to you. Do you mind?”
Claire leaned in and kissed his bicep. “No. I don’t mind. Just wondered.”
“If there was a curtain we could draw around us, I would settle you on the table before me so
I could make love to you,” he told her, his voice deep with need.
“You would?”
Jake nodded slowly. “I would.”
“What would you do?”
“I would pull your jeans off and spread you before me so I could smell and taste your sweet pussy,” he said quietly, kissing her temple lightly. “I would lick up and swallow every drop of desire I know you would give me.”
“Jake,” Claire whispered, unsure what she really wanted to say. When he talked to her like that, she lost her mind.
“I would spread you with my fingers and sink them into your warmth,” Jake continued. “When you were writhing with need to come, I would suck on your clit and push you over the edge. But you would have to be quiet, Claire. We wouldn’t want to draw attention to ourselves.”
“I don’t know if I could be quiet, Jake,” Claire admitted honestly. “I’m not that loud, but you pull moans from me every time we’re intimate.”
“I like the sweet noises you make, angel,” he whispered against her temple.
“I like when you growl,” Claire whispered back, smiling at the bark of laughter that escaped him at her words.
“Well, you certainly make me growl, Mate,” he admitted.
Claire leaned toward him and kissed his jaw lightly. “I’m glad,” she told him quietly. “What would you do next?” Her voice was soft and breathy. She couldn’t help the way her heart was racing and her body was tightening as she waited for him to explain to her exactly how he would continue with their lovemaking.
Jake’s blue eyes flashed with mischief as he looked at his mate. Her eyes were dilated, and he could tell that she was completely immersed within the fantasy that he was weaving, but it was just that—a fantasy. There was absolutely no way he would ever chance making love to her in such a public setting. No one was ever allowed to see his angel naked and in the midst of her pleasure, but the possibility of it was titillating. He wanted her mindless with her need for him. Talking her through such a scene would be a perfect way to get her primed for the lovemaking experience that he had planned for her when they got home.
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