“Can’t we take a couple of days off to see our only daughter?” The inflection in her voice a precursor to a bout of guilt-tripping.
“Are you going to invite us in?” her dad enquired. “We had to take a night flight, and then hire a car. We could do with some coffee.”
“Coffee. Right, I only have instant.” The expected wince crossed her mom’s face.
“If that’s all you have. If we’d have known, we could have picked you up some real coffee in that tiny town we passed through. I’m sure they must have some decent coffee there. I thought cowboys loved their coffee. You know, while they sat around the camp fire.”
“That would be in a cowboy movie. In real life, cowboys live in houses like the rest of us.” She turned to look at her parents. “Well, unless you live in a hotel.”
“Oh my, this is even worse than we thought,” her dad said, looking around. “You can’t stay here. Not with the house in this condition.”
“Yes, I can. I have a plumber coming to give me a quote today, and next week the electrician will begin rewiring the place. I’ve been offered the use of a generator, but haven’t gotten it yet.” She made a mental note to check with Adam if it was OK for her to borrow the backup generator Jon had offered her. Even if it was just to plug in her coffee pot.
“Why are you here?” her mom asked. “What do you think you are proving?”
“Don’t,” Lynn said firmly. “Don’t tell me you have come all this way to see me and then start pulling it all apart. I’m happy.”
“But you were happy before. Sell the place, see some sense.”
“I’m not leaving.” She took a deep breath, and said, “I’ve met someone.”
The blood drained from her mom’s face, leaving her as white as the sheets on a hotel bed. “You can’t have. Not already.”
“I have,” Lynn said. Maybe it was having Adam as her mate, or just from the experience of being on her own for the last few days, but she was emboldened. “Why did you stop talking to Uncle Freddy? Why did we stop coming here?”
“Because we were too busy.” Her dad cast a glance at her mom, who had gone from white to translucent. If Lynn didn’t know better, she would think her mom was about to be sick.
“That explains why you stopped coming here, but not why you stopped speaking to him. Is it because of the woman he lived with?”
“How do you know? Do all the people gossip around here?”
“There is a photograph. Uncle Freddy looks happy.” She grabbed the photo album off the kitchen counter, turning off the kettle, which had boiled, and returning to show her parents the evidence of Uncle Freddy’s happiness.
“He might look happy, but she was clearly after his money,” her mom said.
“And that’s why you stopped speaking to him, because you thought he was being taken advantage of?” Lynn asked. “Not because she was something else?”
“What have these people been telling you? I thought it was just Uncle Freddy who was delusional. Kept insisting that woman could turn into a wolf. I have never heard anything so ridiculous,” her mom said, anger simmering close to the surface.
“That still does not explain why you stopped talking to him.” Lynn hated that they were arguing, but needed to know the truth. Her parents would have to know about Adam; she was not going to live a lie. And if her parents disowned her?
Lynn wasn’t going to think about that. She refused to let her emotions cloud her judgment.
“We decided to protect you… From these stories.”
“Or you decided to protect me from this woman who could turn into a wolf?” Lynn asked.
“I think I need to sit down.” Her mom dragged one of the kitchen chairs out and sat down.
“It is true. Isn’t it?” Lynn demanded.
“Have you seen one of them?” her dad asked.
“Yes,” Lynn answered truthfully.
He nodded. “It’s why we hated the idea of you coming here.”
“You’ve seen a shifter?” Lynn asked.
“Your father came here. Came to see Uncle Freddy. We were worried about him, we thought he was mad, but your father saw her. And it was so … unnatural. What were we supposed to do? So we cut all ties with him.”
“Thank you. For the truth,” Lynn said.
“And now you can see why we’ve come to take you home.”
“Mom, I am not leaving,” Lynn stated. “I’m happy here.”
“Let me guess, with a man who can turn into a wolf?” her mom said with disgust.
“A bear, actually.”
Lynn looked up to see Adam standing in the hallway. She went to him, barging past her parents and flinging herself into his arms. “I’m so glad you are here.”
Adam kissed her on the head, and then looked up at her parents. “Hi.”
“Hello,” her father said curtly, while her mom nodded, and then turned away.
“Pete is here. Do you want me to handle him?” Adam asked. “He’s outside talking to my dad at the moment. We heard raised voices and thought we should keep him out of the way.”
“No. I’ll deal with him. This is my house,” she flung at her parents.
“We’ll see,” her mom said.
“What does she mean, we’ll see?” Adam asked as he followed her outside, to where his dad was talking to Pete.
“I have no idea, they’ve just arrived unannounced.” Lynn fixed a smile on her face. “Pete. Where do you want to begin?”
“Hello, Lynn, I’ll start with inspecting the outside, and then move inside.” Pete pulled out his measuring tape. “Let’s begin. I have another appointment at eleven.”
“Great. It’s good to be busy,” Lynn said, wishing she was busy cleaning her house, instead of having to deal with her parents. She had wanted them to come and visit, and feel proud of what she had accomplished; instead, they seemed hell-bent on ruining this for her.
“Hey, Lynn,” Russell said. “Take your time, and we’ll go and keep your mom and dad occupied.”
“I’m not sure that is a good idea,” Lynn told him.
“Trust me, it will be fine,” Russell reassured her, with a smile.
“Thank you,” she replied, and followed Pete, wondering if by the end of the day, her parents would have cut her out of their lives, just as they had Uncle Freddy.
Chapter Twenty – Adam
“Listen Dad, please don’t blow this,” Adam said quietly as they entered the house.
“What do you mean blow it?” Russell asked.
“I mean get into something with Lynn’s parents which makes things worse. For her, and for us.” Adam raised his eyebrows, making sure his dad understood exactly what he meant.
“You mean make it so Lynn sells?” Russell asked. “I’d never do that. And anyway, I like Lynn, and she is your mate.” He looked at Adam, and then said, “Hey, son, it will be OK.”
Adam rubbed his face, and then glanced at the kitchen where the sound of voices could be heard. “What if it’s not? Lynn doesn’t feel the bond like I do. What if her parents mean more to her than I do?”
“That is not going to happen, I see the way she looks at you.” Russell rested his hand on Adam’s arm. “It will work out. Trust in fate… And if not, trust in me.”
With that, Russell walked past his son and into the kitchen, where Lynn’s parents were opening cupboards in a quest to make tea. They both looked up as the two men entered the room, eying them suspiciously.
“Hello, you must be Lynn’s parents. I’m Russell Williams, and this is my son, Adam.”
“Williams? Williams?” Lynn’s father repeated. “I know that name.”
“The ranch next door,” Lynn’s mom said brightly. “I’m Helen, and this is Donald.”
“Good to meet you both.” Russell greeted them warmly. “You must be proud of her, striking out on her own like this.”
“Proud? Not exactly the word we would use.” Donald gave a short laugh. “We appreciate what she’s trying to achieve, but really, we think s
he should have accepted your generous offer.”
Now Adam realized why they had recognized the name Williams. Lynn must have discussed the offer with them before she decided to move here.
“Your daughter has made the decision to stay. She’s got a good business plan. She’ll make a go of it,” Adam said.
“That’s what she thinks, and she talks a good talk, we’ve taught her well, but we both know she can never make a real business out of alpacas.”
“Yes, she can. She has the land and the common sense. We’ve offered her all the help she needs,” Adam informed them.
“But she would do better to sell. And you want to buy,” Helen said.
“But she doesn’t want to sell. She’s made that very clear,” Adam told her plainly.
“What if it wasn’t up to her? What if I told you we were thinking of making a legal claim in court? I am the rightful heir to this ranch. Frederick was my uncle, and so the ranch should have been left to me.”
Adam felt a chill creep over him, making even his hot bear blood run cold. They were planning on stealing the ranch away from Lynn.
“Helen, Donald,” his dad said, very softly, and he held his hand out, as if trying to calm them. “Think very carefully about what you are saying.”
“We are. We have done nothing but think about it for the last few months as we watched Lynn prepare for this move. And only when she left did we understand it was up to us to save her from herself, and now from some beast who she thinks she is in love with.”
Adam moved forward, a rush of blood coursing through him at being called a beast. His dad reached out and took hold of his wrist, holding him back. “I don’t think your daughter needs saving. From anyone.” Adam knew those last words were meant for him, and he let the tension in his body dissipate. He would only prove to them he was a beast if he attacked.
“I think as Lynn’s parents, we know what is best for her,” Donald said firmly.
“Ahh, because you gave birth to her, does not mean you know what is best for her. Only Lynn knows that.” Russell smiled. This was the calmest, and the nicest, Adam had ever seen his dad, especially with people who had insulted his son, and the rest of the family of shifters, and who obviously thought a lot of themselves and their ideas.
“She thinks she knows,” Helen said. “But she’s simply gotten herself lost in a daydream, and now it’s time to face reality.”
“Let me tell you, Helen, about reality.” Russell took a long draw of air, and then let it out. “Reality is a phone call telling you your son has been involved in a helicopter accident. Reality is hearing all of his comrades are dead, boys you know, boys you loved. Reality is seeing your broken son lying in a hospital bed with legs that don’t work.”
“Dad.” Adam placed his hand on his dad’s shoulder. “It’s OK.”
“I’m all right, Adam.” Russell nodded. “Reality is seeing your son walk again, and knowing that nothing else matters but his happiness, even if his dreams mean the end of yours.” Then Russell turned to Adam. “And reality is seeing one of your sons be a man, a generous man, and share everything that could be his with his brothers, because he wants them to be happy.”
His father took a shuddering breath and then finished, his voice firm, controlled. “Learn to be happy that your child is happy. Let Lynn grow and find out about herself. Don’t try to control her and mold her into what you think she should be.”
“I don’t think we are talking about the same thing,” Donald said. “Your son was hurt, so I can understand how you feel…”
“Donald.” Helen came to stand next to her husband. “I think Russell is trying to give us some parenting advice that we used to know, but lost sight of somewhere along the way.”
“Are you saying you are happy for Lynn to stay here?” Donald asked.
“I’d be interested to hear your reply, too,” Lynn said, coming into the house.
“Where’s Pete?” Adam asked, looping his arm around Lynn’s shoulders, as she sidled up beside him.
“Wait, this is the man you said you’d met?” Helen said, shock filling her voice.
“Yes, it is. This is Adam, and we are going to make a go of this ranch, no matter what you think. You have to stop treating me like a child.”
“We don’t treat you like a child,” Helen retorted. “We let you run one of our biggest hotels, do you think we would have done that if we thought you were a child?”
“OK, so maybe I should rephrase it. Stop treating me like an employee.”
“I…” Donald stuttered. “We don’t.”
“When was the last time you called me up for anything other than the latest booking figures, or anything that wasn’t about business?”
Lynn’s parents looked at each other; neither of them had a response, which answered Lynn’s question. Adam felt a shudder pass through Lynn, the tension in her body telling him she was close to tears. He tightened his arm around her, letting all his love, and pride flood from him into her.
“I just want you to be happy. For me. To support me, like you did before the hotel. Adam is the best thing that could have happened to me, and so is this ranch. You love the hotel trade, and that is great, but I don’t. I want a home, a real home, and to raise my children in it. I don’t want to bring up a family in a hotel suite. I don’t want to be you.”
“I see,” Helen said. “OK. You’ve made it clear, now I think we should leave. You have made your choice.”
Lynn broke away from him and went to her mom, flinging her arms around her neck. “No, I haven’t made a choice. I don’t want a choice, I want my parents, and I want this life. Why can’t I have both?”
Helen kept her body tense, for a long, long moment, in which Adam wanted to grab hold of her and shake sense into her. But then she softened, and a sob erupted from her, and she clung to Lynn. “I only want what is best for you.”
“Then let me find out what that is.” Lynn lifted her head, and looked at her dad. “Want a hug, Dad?”
Donald faltered and then went to join his wife and daughter, holding them both tight. Russell edged toward Adam and said, “I think they need their privacy.”
“Let’s go outside and check on Pete,” Adam said, and left his mate alone with her parents, safe in the knowledge that she had made her decision and nothing would ever make her change her mind.
He would no longer have a bout of the cowboy bear blues; his life was changed forever. Was complete. Forever more.
Epilogue
“I never thought I’d be seen shearing an alpaca,” Adam said. He stood up, stretching his back, and Lynn guided the newly shorn Jelly, an alpaca who was of the sweetest temperament and had the softest fleece, out into the paddock with the rest of the newly shorn herd.
“Thank you.” Lynn kissed him on the cheek. “You know I’d do it.”
“I know, I don’t mind, you can do them all next year, while I hold the baby.” Adam placed his hand on her swollen belly. “Until then, I’m happy to help out.”
“I can’t believe I’ll be a grandma,” Helen said, as she worked with Donald to straighten out the fleece, before folding it up and placing it with the rest of the fleeces.
“I can’t believe you two took a week off work to help us do this.” Lynn hugged her mom, and then her dad. “Thank you.”
“It’s been fun.” Helen smiled, her face pink from where she had caught the sun yesterday. “It’s given us ideas about a retirement venture.”
“Retirement?” Lynn asked, stunned they would even say the word.
“Yes. We have been exploring the area, and we might buy a little farm of our own.”
“A farm? You and Dad?” Lynn asked incredulously.
“Yes. We want to be near you, when the baby comes. So we thought of selling some of the hotels, and hiring a manager to run the rest of them while we open up a little hotel here in Black Bear Ford. We could even cater exclusively to shifters,” Helen said.
“I think I need to sit down,” L
ynn announced.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Adam said. “Jordan can spread the word in Bear Creek and Bear Bluff. A change of scenery does a bear good.”
“There, see, perfect.” Donald smiled broadly.
“Perfect.” Lynn hugged her mom and dad. How things had changed in the last couple of months. Her parents were like different people, or more like the mom and dad she used to know. They had tried to protect her from Uncle Freddy and his beasts, and they had tried to guide her in what they thought was the right thing to do with her life, not realizing it was right for them, not for her.
Now, they had come to terms with her new life, and her beast of a man, who was big and strong, for sure, but the sweetest, most loyal man she could have ever wished for.
“OK. Come on, let’s go eat. My mom promised to feed us if we got all the work done, and we have. Teamwork,” Adam said.
“Teamwork,” Lynn said, and took his hand, taking one last look at her shorn alpacas, and feeling an incredible sense of achievement. She’d done it, she had followed her dreams and succeeded, with a little help from her family, and the Williams family too. The feud was dead and buried, and the ranch was joined with the Williams Homestead in a way that went beyond a bill of sale.
Lynn sighed, and rested her head on Adam’s broad shoulder. “Happy?” he asked.
“You betcha, cowboy.”
He laughed. “Me too, cowgirl.”
“That’s alpaca girl to you.”
Extended Epilogue
A giggle built up inside Lynn as she set eyes on Adam. “What’s going on? Why are you dressed like that?”
“This old thing?” Adam did a twirl in his new blue coveralls and grinned. “Pete the Plumber at your service.”
Lynn burst out laughing. “Pete the Plumber!”
Adam looked serious as he approached her. “I heard you needed a plumber to examine your pipes.”
“If that is your best pick-up line, it’s a wonder you ever got yourself a wife!” Lynn’s humor disappeared when she registered the expression on Adam’s face. “Oh, you want to really examine my pipes.”
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