“Well, James, I’m going to go inside and try to get some sleep. Charles and Robert made sure all the doors and windows were closed and locked.” She had sat down on the steps beside him. “Do you mind if I touch you before I go in?” She put her hand out and the wolf put his head under her hand. “Wow. You are so cool. Did Charles tell you that I’m a bobcat. Only problem is, I don’t know how to shift.”
The wolf brought his head up, cocked it to one side and looked at her. She could tell it was his way of asking why.
“I wasn’t raised around shifters. No one ever taught me.”
She still had her hand on him, rubbing his neck like he was a pet dog. She thought about what Robert had said about Charles calling James a big dog and almost laughed out loud.
“Charles and Robert were going to start helping me tomorrow. Now I’ll have to wait until they get back. Good night, James. I’ll see you in the morning.” For some crazy reason, she leaned over and kissed his forehead before she got up and went inside and locked the door. The wolf watched her go. She didn’t know it, but she just made a lifelong friend.
Jackie went to her room and changed into Charles’ t-shirt. She wanted to move her things into his room, but she’d wait until he came back. She double checked all the doors and windows and went upstairs to go to bed. She climbed into the big king size bed. She could smell him all around her. She wrapped her arms around his pillow and drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 9
The night was quiet. Jackie had no problem sleeping. Now that she knew she wasn’t a freak, she wasn’t haunted by strange dreams. The sun was shining when she woke up. She stretched and then hugged Charles pillow. “I miss you, Charlie, I wish you were here.” She said out load.
Jackie finally rolled out of bed and ran to the bathroom to pee. At least she didn’t have to pee in a tin can. After she splashed some water on her face, she felt great. She ran downstairs to her room to get dressed.
A short time later she was in the kitchen fixing coffee and cinnamon rolls. She wondered if James was still on the porch. She went to the door and looked out. Sure enough, he was lying there on the porch. She opened the door and he looked up.
“I don’t know what kind of rules I’m supposed to follow, but I was wondering if you would like to join me for a cup of coffee.”
The wolf on the porch got up and ran into the woods. “Wow, I guess that’s against the rules.” She turned around to go back into the house when a gorgeous looking young man walked out of the woods where the wolf had just gone. He looked young, but his hair was a steel grey like the wolf and his eyes, well, she couldn’t even describe them, they were a pale grey, almost clear. She waited while he walked up to the house.
“Good morning Jackie, I’m James. Sorry about running off like that, but I don’t think Charles would appreciate me being naked in front of you.”
“Naked?”
“We don’t shift with clothes on.”
“Oh! You’re right, he might not. Is that normal among shifters?”
“Yup. When we shift, we’re naked. It’s okay to shift in front of family, but we still respect the privacy of the opposite sex.”
“That’s nice to know.” She thought about what he said, she had so much to learn. “Would you like a cup of coffee? It should be ready.” She offered. “I’m also making cinnamon rolls. Would your brothers like some?”
“They would probably love some. I’d have to take it out to them. We are supposed to be watching out for you, not having a social gathering. I’m going to go and check on them. I’ll be back in about a half hour. Will they be ready by then?”
“I think so. They are already in the oven. How many brothers are with you?”
“There are six of us. Me, four of my brothers and my sister.” He told her.
“Your sister is out there? Oh, please, can I meet her. Please. I’d love to have a female friend. Do you think she would be friends with me?”
James laughed. “She would probably love to have a female friend, too. She’s the only girl in the family with ten brothers. I’ll bring her with me when I come back.”
Jackie gave him a big smile.
“I’ll have Elias, one of my brothers come up and take over watching from the front porch.” With that said, he walked back towards the woods. Jackie watched as another wolf came out of the woods. He was slightly smaller than James and darker in color. He came up onto the porch and laid down. He kept his head up and ears alert.
Jackie went back to the kitchen and pulled the cinnamon rolls out of the oven so they could cool while she prepared to whip up the sweet buttery icing. She looked out the kitchen window and could see two wolves just at the edge of the woods. Her guard dogs, she smiled when she thought about what Robert said as they were leaving.
She thought about how much her life had changed in the last few days. She was sold by her uncle, rescued from a dirty old man by a total stranger that was a bear, she was being protected by wolves, and it was okay she was a bobcat. She shook her head. She wished she had known her parents. She missed her aunt, too.
There was a knock at the door. It was James and an absolutely stunning looking woman. Long ash-blond hair past her shoulders and the most amazing bluish-violet eyes.
“Jackie, this is my sister.”
“Hi. My name is Amethyst.” With eyes like that, of course it is, Jackie thought to herself.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. You have the most beautiful eyes.” Jackie told her.
“Thank you,” Amethyst blushed a bit.
“She is very shy, but she’ll come around once she gets to know you.” James told her. “I have a few things to do outside. Maybe my sister could stay here with you while Charles is gone. That way, you would have company and someone to talk to. My brothers and I can keep watch outside.”
“I’d love that, if Amethyst would like to.”
“Just call me Amy, and I’d love to stay. Thank you. You have no idea what it’s like to have only boys to talk to.” Amy told her.
James laughed. “Yeah, right. Watch out for her, Jackie, she’s a real tom-boy and she can outrun everyone in the family. I’d better go. When those cinnamon rolls are ready, you can send them out with Amy. She knows where to find everyone.” With that, he was gone.
“Wow, he disappears quickly, doesn’t he?” Jackie said as she poured Amy a cup of coffee. “You do drink coffee, don’t you? Do use cream and sugar?”
“I never get to use milk or cream at home, I usually drink it black. I’d love some cream if you have some.”
“I have better than that, I have a sweet creamer; you’ll love it. You don’t even have to add sugar.” She got the creamer out of the fridge and the butter she needed for the icing for the cinnamon rolls. Amy fixed her coffee and Jackie went to work making the icing.
“Can I do anything to help you?” She sipped her coffee. “Umm, you were right, that is good.” They both laughed. Jackie instantly liked Amy and knew they would be great friends.
Jackie found a plastic container with a lid and filled it with cinnamon rolls, then spread icing all over the tops. “Do your brothers drink coffee? I don’t really have anything to put coffee in.”
“That’s okay, they’ll be more than happy with just the cinnamon rolls. They can drink water.”
“Do you want to take some bottles of water to them?” Jackie asked.
Amy started to laugh. “Jackie, they’re wolves, they’ll drink out of the lake.”
“Oh. I guess a wolf would look funny drinking out of a water bottle. Will they shift to eat the cinnamon rolls?”
“Oh, yeah, they’ll shift to do that. James told me that you’re a shifter, a bobcat. I’ve never had a cat for a friend. I’ve never had a girlfriend. You know what I mean, a girl as a friend.”
Jackie laughed. “I know what you meant.” Then she started to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Amy looked hurt, she thought Jackie was laughing at her.
“Oh, Amy, I’m sor
ry, I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing about something Robert said as they were leaving. Charles told me that when the wolves were here, it would be like having a bunch of big dogs around. Robert said James wouldn’t appreciate being called a big dog. Now you’re saying you’ve never had a cat for a friend. I was just trying to visualize a wolf having a pet cat.”
Amy finally understood and started to laugh. “I guess that does sound funny. Did Charles really say we were like big dogs?”
“I think he only said that so I wouldn’t be afraid of you. This shifting thing is all new to me. I’m a bobcat and I don’t even know how to shift.”
Amy looked at her. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“No.” Jackie was embarrassed.
“Alright, we’re going to fix this. Give me those cinnamon rolls so I can take them out to my brothers. When I get back, I’m going to teach you. You do want to learn, don’t you?” Amy gave her a questioning look.
“More than you can know.” Jackie said.
“Okay, I’ll be right back.” Amy took the container and went out the door. Jackie cleaned up the kitchen while she waited for Amy to come back. When she finished cleaning, she poured a fresh cup of coffee.
Amy was back in no time at all. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat across from Jackie. Then they started to talk.
Chapter 10
Charles and Robert were sent out to search for four missing hikers in the southwest corner of Yellowstone. It was one of the most treacherous sections of the park. Not a good place to be if you were a novice hiker. Two black bear shifters joined their search party. They had already spent a day and a half searching with no signs of any hikers. Finally, near the end of the second day, they got a call that the hikers had been spotted at the bottom of some steep cliffs. Apparently, they had tried to do some rock climbing and one of them fell.
The search party reached the group just as it was getting dark. The area was too rugged to do an air rescue after dark, so the rangers made the fall victim as comfortable as possible. Carrying their special backpacks, Charles and Robert had everything they needed to help the hikers, extra blankets and food. They got a small fire going and got the hikers something to eat and settled for the night. They would air lift the injured hiker out in the morning and the others would have to hoof it out under their own steam, guided by the rangers. It would take them a couple of days to walk the inexperienced hikers out of the area they were in.
Charles finally had a chance to relax. He walked away from the group to find a quiet place to sit and think about Jackie. He missed her. He thought about how he would make love to her the first time; her first time. He would be gentle and caring and go slow. He heard someone walking up the path he had taken.
“Charlie, you out here?” Robert asked
“Yeah, I’m here. I was just getting some quiet time.”
“I can come back later,” Robert told him.
“No, that’s okay, what’s up? Are the hikers doing alright?”
“Yup, they’ll live. I can’t believe how stupid these people are sometimes. They do one or two short hikes around their home town, climb a phony rock wall in a gym somewhere, then think they can come out here in the wilderness and survive.” Robert shook his head and sat down next to his brother.
“I feel bad for you, bro, having to leave Jackie like that. I told them I could come by myself, but they wanted both of us.” Robert picked up a few stones and threw them out into the darkness.
“Don’t worry about it, I know there was nothing you could do. It was just really bad timing.”
Robert chuckled. “No kidding.”
“How long did you suspect she was my mate.” Charles asked.
“Oh, probably about the time you crossed the parking lot at that stop we made and asked for my help. You said you needed to help that girl, but the chocolate cake was a dead giveaway. Besides watching your eyes roll back in your head when you held her hand, of course.”
Charles just shook his head. “I never thought I’d ever find her. When Mack found Peg, I figured, because he was the youngest, that’s it, you and I would never find ours. Now it’s your turn.”
“Yeah, right. Where am I ever going to find a mate?’
“You never know, could be at the next truck stop?” They both laughed. They talked about getting the hikers out the next day and decided they had better get some rest.
When Charles finally fell asleep, he dreamt of Jackie. Her emerald green eyes, her dark auburn hair, her curvy body. At one point, he woke in a sweat and had to move away from the rest. Luckily, he hadn’t disturbed anyone. When he finally got resettled he was able to go back to a dreamless sleep.
As the sun slowly started to lighten the sky, Charles woke and could hear the helicopter off in the distance. With his sharp hearing, he figured it would be hovering over them in about twenty minutes.
“All right everyone, chopper is on its way.” Charles, Robert and the other two rangers carried the injured hiker to a clearing on a stretcher so the rescue team could lower the basket. A member from the rescue team rode down in the basket so she could stabilize it when they hauled it back up. She was a doctor, trained to help search and rescue whenever they needed her, like today.
Robert held the basket while the female rescuer quickly checked the injured hiker, then had the rangers load him into the basket along with his backpack. Once the hiker was secured in the basket, she quickly told his companions which hospital they were taking him to. She snapped her life lines to the cable and gave the signal to pull her up.
Just before she went up, Robert grabbed her arm. “Wait, we didn’t get your name for our report.”
“Doctor Shannon Stevens.” She gave Robert a smile and a wink and she was gone. He watched her go up to the chopper. Just before they pulled her in, she made eye contact with him and gave him a salute. Robert stood there until he could only see a speck in the sky.
While Robert watched, the chopper disappeared. Charles watched his younger brother. “Are you going to stand there all day or can we get moving?”
Robert was startled and quickly dropped to one knee. “I’ll be right there; I have to fix my boot.” He fooled with his boot, but never took his eyes off the chopper until it was gone.
Everyone else was packing up their gear. It was going to be a long hike, but if they got moving, they might only have to spend one more night in the wilderness instead of two. Charles wanted to get home to Jackie.
Everything started out fine, but they hadn’t hiked for more than an hour before the novice hikers started complaining. They wanted to stop and rest, or they were hungry.
Charles was beginning to realize that it was going to take him much longer to get home, and a whole lot of patience. He set a schedule; walk for an hour, rest for five minutes. Finally, at noon he let them stop and rest for thirty minutes. He gave each one of them a granola bar and a bottle of water.
One hiker tossed the empty bottle and granola wrapper on the ground when he was done and Charles lost what little patience he had.
“Pick it up and put it in your backpack.” Charles told him.
The hiker looked at him like he was nuts. “I have enough to carry, I’m not carrying a bunch of trash too.”
“I’ll give you a choice, either you put it in your pack or I’ll shove it down your throat.” Charles was getting angry. “What did you do with your trash before?”
The camper looked at Charles. “Hey, man. You see any trash cans around here? We left it. We’re not going haul a bunch of trash around with us on a hiking trip.”
Robert jumped in front of Charles. “Hold it, I’ll deal with this, you take a walk.” Then quietly he told him “Cool down, your bear is really close to the surface. Your eyes are already changing.”
“Fine, get that asshole straightened out.” And he stormed off.
Robert and the other rangers gave the three hikers a condensed lecture on National Park rules of use. When they were done, the hikers were
told to pick up all trash they saw as they continued walking. If they didn’t, they would be given a citation along with a thousand dollar fine, each; in addition to the cost of having SAR come looking for them.
It was very quiet after that. The hikers realizing that the cost of their weekend adventure just quadrupled, if not more. Having Search and Rescue come looking for them wasn’t cheap.
Charles finally cooled down and took his place as the leader of the group. It would be another night on the hard ground instead of being in the arms of his sweet Jackie. Robert had been unusually quiet as well after lecturing the hikers and getting them squared away. The sun was getting ready to set, so they stopped to set up camp for the night.
Robert was the one to wander off alone this time. It didn’t take Charles long to find him. He sat down next to him.
“So, tell me, little brother, what’s going on? You’ve been unusually quiet.”
Robert just sat there, didn’t say a word. Charles finally got up, tired of waiting and started back to camp.
“Charles?”
“Yeah?”
“How did you feel at first when you met Jackie? I mean, what did your instincts tell you.” Robert looked up at his brother standing over him.
Charles sat back down beside him. “I don’t know if it’s something I can put into words. When I heard her crying in that truck, my feet seemed to have a mind of their own. I couldn’t stop myself. I didn’t know for sure until I held her hand in that restaurant. Even then, I wasn’t sure”
Robert laughed. “Yeah, that was rather dramatic, I’m surprised she didn’t see it, but I think she was struggling with her own feelings. A bobcat. Who would have guessed you’d be matched with a bobcat; Oh, man! What about kids? You’ve always wanted a bunch of them?”
Charles got a big smile on his face. “We’ll just have to try a lot more often. Maybe we’ll get lucky. So, what’s with you?”
Bearly Saved My Heart: Quake Lake Bears (Madison Range Shifters Book 1) Page 5