by Bianca D'Arc
Steve and Matt returned as the opening credits started playing to an animated movie about the panda who did martial arts. It was one of Belinda’s favorites and Grif had to admit, it had beautiful art and a nice message. He didn’t mind that they’d already seen the movie a few dozen times. Tonight was about comfort. If watching something familiar and amusing would bring comfort to Belinda, Grif didn’t mind at all.
Matt poured glasses of milk for them all and passed around the plate of cookies as everyone settled into place. Steve sorted out pillows and blankets and Lindsey helped Belinda make a little nest in the center of the huge couch. Grif snagged a pillow and stuffed it under his head, lifting his feet using the built-in recliner function that was hidden in certain parts of the sectional sofa. Lindsey had her own on the other side. He watched her figure it out after seeing his chair’s transformation.
Matt and Steve each had their own recliners on either side of the couch. Steve was closest to the door and Matt had taken the chair to Lindsey’s right, between her and the window. His brothers would probably snooze, but they’d be on guard too, should anything threaten the family.
Though Grif seriously doubted anyone or anything would get through the contingent of soldiers stationed very visibly all around the house. They were out in the open now, as he’d noticed when he glanced out the door and window earlier. They’d been shamed by the failure of their perimeter earlier. Grif understood the pride they usually took in their work. They’d be hyper vigilant now after the earlier breach.
As predicted, Belinda downed a couple of cookies and two glasses of milk before nodding off in her little nest of blankets and pillows. He watched her for a few minutes, lowering the volume on the television with the remote control. Lindsey smiled over at him and he knew she understood.
He saw the love in her gaze and his breath caught. They were going to have such a great life together. He’d make sure of it. He’d protect her from whatever dangers might come and teach her all about being were. She’d done well tonight. She’d helped get Belinda to safety and performed better under pressure than he’d had a right to expect.
He was damn proud of her. Damn proud to call her mate. And he knew his people were going to love her. She might not have been born a shifter, but she had heart to spare and a sense of honor that went deep into her soul. She would grow into the role of Alpha female, but he thought maybe she had the makings of a great matriarch already. Her love and compassion would be a gift to his Clan and he knew they were going to love her. The rest would come in time.
And at least now, he was much more confident that they’d have that time. The biggest threat to his family had just been dealt with and it was a load off his mind. For the first time in years he felt able to breathe more easily.
There would be other challenges, he knew, but this particular danger had been dealt with—finally. Grif, for one, was relieved.
Chapter Fifteen
When Lindsey woke, light was streaming in from the window to her right and she was alone in the big living room. She could see armed soldiers standing guard near the windows, facing the forest, on alert for any hint of danger. She knew it was probably overkill, but she was glad of their presence after the events of the night before.
She stretched and heard quiet movements from the direction of the kitchen. Then she noticed the scents of frying eggs and bacon. Oh, yeah, she was hungry. Her stomach rumbled as she stood, but she had other pressing needs at the moment.
She tiptoed quickly upstairs to use the bathroom and find some clean clothes. A few minutes later, she emerged from the master bath to find Grif there. He was freshly shaven and just tugging on a clean T-shirt.
When he saw her, he opened his arms and she went to him, loving the feeling of his warmth, his sexy, muscular body pressed against her. He kissed her and she tasted the mint left by his toothpaste mingling with her own. Yeah, this was a nice way to start the morning. Especially after the fright of the night before.
“Good morning, my love,” he whispered as he let her up for air.
“Good morning yourself,” she quipped back, though she hugged that little phrase—my love—close to herself. How had she gotten so lucky to have captured this man’s heart?
Of course, he’d captured hers. Probably back when he’d been prowling around her grandfather’s property as her Spirit Guide. Or more likely, before that, when he’d fixed the old generator. Maybe it was when he’d come to her rescue in the diner, back when they’d first met. Yeah, that was probably it.
He was such a great man. Someone who’d come into her life and swept her off her feet even while she was engaged in clearing the debt of honor left by her grandfather. How had he managed to capture her heart when her whole life had been turned upside down? All too easily, actually. He was just that kind of guy.
“What?” He smiled down at her, those amazing smiles of his coming much more easily this morning, it seemed.
“I was just thinking how lucky I am.”
“Luck? I prefer to think it was fate,” he teased, swooping in to place playful kisses on her lips, her cheeks, her forehead. “They say the Lady works in mysterious ways. I think She made you a cougar just for me. And I, for one, think She knows what She’s doing. You’re perfect for me, Lindsey. And more than that, you’re even perfect for my family and I know the Clan will feel the same.”
Mention of his Clan made her bite her lip with a tiny bit of worry. “I hope you’re right about that.”
Grif leaned in and freed her lip only to capture it with his own in another searing kiss. It would have gone further, but a knock sounded on the door.
“Breakfast is ready. Get it while it’s hot,” Matt called out from the hallway. “We’re feeding the army outside today too, so if you don’t come now, there might not be any left.”
Lindsey laughed as Grif groaned. “Dammit, he’s probably right. The team brought some provisions with them, but we’re going to supplement as best we can until the stores open up in town and we can send someone down for supplies. They didn’t expect to bivouac here this long.” He released her and headed toward the door, opening it and waiting for her to precede him. “Speaking of which, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about going home.”
Lindsey felt a little weight settle in the pit of her stomach. She knew he wasn’t a permanent resident here, but she’d hoped to avoid the possible trauma of meeting his Clan until she felt a little surer of herself. She kind of dreaded what they might think of her. Maybe they wouldn’t approve of someone like her—someone who was only just learning how to be a shifter—for their leader. So many things could go wrong. She was more than a little scared of how they would receive her.
“I guess there’s nothing to keep you and the family here anymore, huh?” she admitted as they walked toward the stairs together.
“This is our vacation place. We come here a few times a year, or whenever we need to get away, but there’s work to be done at home now that Timmons has finally been stopped. And I think the Clan atmosphere would be best for Belinda right now. Plus, I want them to meet you. I know they’re going to love you as much as I do.” He paused at the top of the stairs and leaned down to place a reassuring kiss on the top of her head, accompanying it with a quick hug.
He let her go and they started down the stairs. She lagged behind a bit, still not quite feeling the same level of confidence in her ability to win over a whole Clan of shifters.
“I hope you’re right,” was all she said in reply.
Grif smiled at her over his shoulder. “Of course I am. Trust me. I’ve known most of them all my life. They’re going to be very happy for us both.”
She sighed as they arrived on the ground level. “If you say so.”
They walked toward the kitchen arm in arm and were just in time to snag breakfast before Matt started to feed their guests outside. Nothing more was said about the impending trip to Nevada, but Lindsey worried about it for the rest of the morning.
Timmons’ bo
dy was already on a plane heading for Nevada, Grif learned as Arlo briefed him about the team’s activities after the family had retired. Arlo had been in contact with Slade and he was meeting Arlo’s guys at the private airstrip in the desert that they used when they wanted to fly under the radar, so to speak.
Slade and his priestess mate, Kate, would examine the body as soon as possible. Grif congratulated Arlo on his fast work and started laying the groundwork for withdrawal from the area for both the team of soldiers and his family.
The majority of the fighting men would go back to their homes elsewhere in Wyoming—on that mountaintop where Jesse Moore had managed to gather the retired elite of the top military units. A small contingent would stay with the Redstones until they were home, traveling with them to Nevada on the private plane Grif had asked Arlo to call in.
Grif and his brothers would close up the house and take care of any last minute details as pertained to their property. The team would see to the grounds and barn they’d used. All in all, it wouldn’t take long to be ready to roll. Grif hoped they’d be able to pull out that very afternoon, in fact.
He understood Lindsey’s hesitancy, but he knew in his heart that she had nothing to worry about. He had faith that the Lady wouldn’t have given him a mate who couldn’t handle the role she would be expected to fulfill in the Clan. If it turned out to be too much for her, he could always step down.
He was fully prepared to do just that if he realized Lindsey was overwhelmed—or, less likely, if the Clan rejected her. His mate was more important to him than the Clan. That was a statement he never thought he’d make before finding her, but now that she was in his life, he understood the harsh truth of that simple fact. If they didn’t like her, he’d leave. Simple as that.
There were four other Redstone brothers who all could be just as effective as he in running both the company and the Clan. He’d leave it to them and take his mate back to Wyoming. He could easily live in the cabin and he knew she liked the area as well.
He had a solid Plan B if things went south, but he really didn’t think they would. Lindsey may not be everyone’s idea of a kick-ass, take-no-prisoners Alpha female, but there was a lot more to being Alpha than fighting skill. In fact, among cats, Alpha females tended to be the nurturers, not the fighters.
It was different for other kinds of shifters, but his mother hadn’t really been able to fight her way out of a paper bag, yet she’d been the beloved matriarch of the Clan for as long as he’d been alive. Grif knew Lindsey had the same capacity for love, understanding and compassion. He’d seen it in action with Belinda and he knew once she got to know the people of his Clan, her big heart would expand to encompass them all as well. Just as it should. The Alpha female of the Redstone Clan had always been someone who could love the whole Clan and treat them all like family.
He just needed Lindsey to understand that. It was something he had a hard time putting into words, but she’d understand once she met some of his people. He just knew it.
And if it didn’t work out, there was always Plan B.
Grif knew Lindsey wasn’t particularly happy about it, but she took the idea of leaving for Nevada that afternoon with good grace when he discussed it with her right before lunch. She’d been helping Belinda put her room back to rights after the minor battle that had taken place in there the night before.
Matt had carried out all the broken furniture but Belinda had wanted to wash every last item of fabric—including the curtains—and Grif really couldn’t blame her. He didn’t want one shred of Timmons’ evil scent left behind to remind her of what might have happened.
He’d scrounged up a shop vac and some rug cleaner and helped the girls scrub the carpet for a while. They’d taken care of everything else and within a couple of hours, the place looked and smelled a lot better. Grif had also given Belinda the option of picking another room for the next time they stayed at the cabin. He knew any of the brothers would be willing to switch with the girl, but so far she’d refused, and Grif thought that showed a lot of courage on her part. He left the option open though. He made sure she understood she was welcome to change her mind later. He wouldn’t make her sleep in a room that held possibly terrifying memories.
After lunch, he drove with Lindsey and a couple of Arlo’s people over to her grandfather’s place. He’d helped her pack up and shut down the house. It didn’t take long to put her suitcases in the back of his truck and they paused for a moment, facing the old structure.
“Would you mind if I sent some guys out here to fix this place up? It really is a beautiful setting and we could spend time here on our own once in a while. The house could be restored to its former glory relatively easily,” he offered, already thinking of ways they could either restore or replace some of the old, detailed woodwork. It was a little different from anything he’d worked on before, but he’d love the opportunity to try.
“I think my grandfather would have liked that,” Lindsey replied quietly. He looked over at her, standing by his side and he could see the tear in her eye even as she smiled.
“I’d only let them make the structure sound and maybe replace the generator and some of the broken appliances. Maybe put in a higher efficiency heating unit. Things like that. We could pick out the new stuff and do some of the more detailed work ourselves when we’re here. I think it would be fun to restore the fussy gingerbread trim on the porch and stuff like that. What do you say?”
His enthusiasm for the project was growing the more he thought about it. The house was Lindsey’s legacy and he wanted to fix it up for her as a sort of mating gift. If she wanted, they could keep it and spend time alone there, and maybe someday, they could give it to one of their children. Oh yeah, he liked that idea. He loved the thought of a future—and children, if they were so blessed—with Lindsey.
“Sounds expensive,” was her only comment.
Grif turned to her and took her by the shoulders. “I’m not poor, Lindsey. And I’ve never had a mate to spoil before. Please let me.”
She seemed to think about it for a moment before giving in. “Okay. I guess that would be nice.” She smiled wistfully and looked over her shoulder at the house. “I have good memories of this place.”
“And we’ll make even better ones in the future. That, I promise you.” He dipped his head and kissed her because he just couldn’t help himself.
Time stood still until he heard a very obvious and loud throat clearing behind them. It was Freddy, the guy who’d helped Lindsey down from the roof the night before. He’d led the small team that accompanied them to her grandfather’s house.
“Everything’s shut down and should be good for a few months,” he reported when Grif looked over at him. “If you want to make your flight, we should be getting on the road, sir.”
Grif had known Fred for more than a few years. In fact, they’d been in the same unit for a while when they were both still in the service. The grin on his face belied his polite words. No doubt about it, Fred was getting a kick out of seeing how distracted Grif was by his new mate, but Grif really couldn’t hold it against him. He was in too good a mood with Lindsey by his side to let anything much bother him today.
“Thanks for the reminder and for the help with the house. I know it’s a little outside your usual duties.” Grif let go of Lindsey to shake Fred’s hand.
“No problem, Alpha. You’d be surprised how domestic some of us have become up on Moore’s mountain.” Fred let go and Grif saw the rest of his people already mounted up, sitting in the vehicles they’d arrived in, waiting. “Now, sir, let’s get you and the missus to the airport.”
Grif agreed wholeheartedly and though he knew Lindsey still felt a little anxiety about going home to Nevada with him, he also knew it was best to get it over with. She’d learn soon enough how little she had to fear.
Sometime just before midnight, they pulled into the long driveway of a lovely house in a well manicured housing development on the outskirts of Las Vegas. It had nice
homes with much bigger property lines than Lindsey was used to. She tried to see as much as she could from behind the glass of a luxury SUV that had been waiting for them at a private airstrip.
She’d been a little overwhelmed since leaving the cabin in Wyoming. Instead of the airport terminal she’d expected, Grif had led them all to a private hangar where a very luxurious private jet waited for them. Lindsey had never flown on a private jet before. In fact, she could count on one hand the number of times she’s flown anywhere at all. And those trips had always been on a commercial airplane, crammed in with lots of people in the economy section of the plane.
The house was huge. Not quite a mansion, but certainly larger than anything she’d ever lived in. And it was beautiful. From the outside, it had the same charm as the cabin, without the rustic setting. The yard was filled with native plants and succulents that did well in the arid climate.
When Grif shut off the engine, everyone piled out of the vehicle. Steve carried Belinda up to the front door, which was opened before they got there. Lindsey saw light spilling out but couldn’t make out whoever had been waiting.
Nerves assailed her. It had to be more of Grif’s family. Or maybe close members of his Clan. She worried about what they would think of her. She tried to brush the wrinkles out of her shirt. They’d been traveling for hours and she probably didn’t look her best, but it couldn’t be helped.
Grif came up behind her, his arms wrapping around her waist as he bent to whisper in her ear.
“Don’t fret. They’re going to love you as much as I do.”
Lindsey didn’t get to reply because Grif lifted her into his arms, carrying her up the walkway and into the house, right past a surprised man who had to be another of the brothers, judging by his looks. She laughed as he made some joke about carrying her over the threshold and it felt good to see him in such a playful mood. He hadn’t been this lighthearted with her in days. Possibly, she’d never seen him this joyful. It made her heart lift to join his. She liked that she could make him happy. And she felt like just maybe, things would work out after all.