“Now be a good boy and let me deal with this.” She smiled as Duke stood straight. It was all Heath could do not to laugh as the other man glared at him again. Clearly Mary had been right the other week; it wasn’t Laney’s brothers or father who had full control of this family. Elizabeth St. Clair knew how to handle every one of them.
“Heath.” She smiled as she walked over to him, took his arm, and led him back up the steps of his own porch.
“Mrs. St. Clair.” He smiled down at her.
“Oh please call me Elizabeth.” She patted his arm. Heath looked over his shoulder to the eldest St. Clair child. Duke stood by the truck with his arms folded over his barrel chest watching Heath’s every move.
“Elizabeth, what can I help you with?” Heath asked as they sat down on two of the wooden chairs on the porch.
“I want to know when you will be coming to get my daughter,” she stated matter-of-factly.
“Sorry, what?” Clearly the mother was almost as crazy as the daughter.
“You heard me, boy.”
“Mrs. St. Clair—Elizabeth—you have to know there is nothing going on between your daughter and me. Being with me put her in danger. I can’t let that happen again.” Heath said, explaining why he couldn’t have Laney around. Obviously the woman hadn’t been filled in on all the details of the attack.
“Look at my face, Heath. Does it look like for one second I’m buying any of the bull crap you just said?”
Heath raised his eyebrows. She may be an older lady and he respected her, but he was the Alpha and he didn’t get spoken to like that by anyone, especially by a nearly sixty-year-old fully human woman.
“It doesn’t matter if you believe it or not. I’m telling you the facts. If Laney hadn’t been here, she would have never been put into danger. I will not allow that to happen again. She is just not strong enough to handle what happens out here,” Heath said as plainly as he could.
Heath expected anger or tears. What he hadn’t expected was uncontrollable laughter. He shot a look at Duke who had come away from the truck and was watching his mother for any sign of distress.
“Oh, oh dear.” Elizabeth dabbed her eyes with a tissue she had pulled out of her pocket. “Well, I can see what Laney sees in you; you have a fantastic sense of humour.” The woman reached over and patted his knee.
“Now, let me explain to you about my little girl.” She turned to face him fully. “Laney might seem like an overprotected little sister, but trust me when I say she is nothing of the sort.”
Heath regarded her sceptically. Was the woman mad? Of course Laney was overprotected. Had she never seen the way her sons guarded their little sister as if she were a fragile ceramic ornament?
“Don’t confuse respect and love for overprotection. Those boys learnt a long time ago that Laney can protect herself.”
“They would never hurt her really, it’s a safe bet,” Heath said. Why did he feel like he had to explain that to everyone? Laney wasn’t strong. The fights she picked were ones in which she knew she wasn’t in any real danger.
“Don’t you believe it,” Elizabeth snorted. “Have you seen the scar on her stomach, just above the belly button?”
Heath could feel the heat creeping up his cheeks. Yes, he had seen that scar, but he was hardly likely to tell that to the woman’s mother.
“I will take that interesting colour on your face as a yes. Duke gave her that when she was about seven. He threw her out of a tree when she kept throwing acorns down on him. She landed on some old tree branches and got impaled.”
Heath’s eyes went wide and then narrowed as he looked back at the man leaning against the truck.
“Don’t be getting too het up; she got her revenge. She dropped a car he was working on with his daddy on his leg, broke it in three places. That boy screamed louder than she had, and when her daddy told her off she just shrugged and said ‘he started it.’ Now you tell me if that sounds like she's been coddled her whole life.”
Heath looked back at the woman and shuddered. His own upbringing had been hard, but he would never do anything to hurt his sister, and if he had, his parents would have hung him out to dry.
“Now don’t judge; they all love each other but they respect each other too. Those boys don’t look out for her because they think she can’t look after herself. They do it because she is their sister and they love her. Besides, I think maybe they worry what she will do if they don’t keep an eye on her.” Elizabeth shrugged.
Heath knew he was looking at the woman with wide eyes, but he couldn’t bring himself to care right now. His brain was fighting hard to merge the image he had of his beta with the woman her mother just described.
Could he have been wrong? Could Laney be strong enough to stand by his side and run this pack? Heath shook his head. Not that it mattered now; he had made sure she hated him and would never be back. She’d used her safe word, for crying out loud.
“My daughter is stubborn, Heath, she always has been, but she is not breakable. I have watched her this past week and whatever you said or did to my little girl has broken her heart, but she is still here. It takes a lot to knock her out for the count. You have the ability to fix her heart.”
“You don’t understand, Elizabeth. She can’t be here; it’s not safe for her.” Even to Heath’s own ears the explanation sounded feeble now.
“Boy, don’t make me slap you around until you get some sense,” Elizabeth warned. Heath raised an eyebrow at the woman, who matched the move.
“And don’t think for a second you scare me either. You may be the big man out here, boy, but you don’t have the strength to take me on.”
Heath sat back and took stock of the tiny woman in front of him. Tiny, nearing sixty with salt-and-pepper hair, but under all that he could see a strength he had missed before, a determination he hadn’t noticed when she’d climbed out of the truck.
“She won’t speak to me.” Heath finally shrugged.
“She will if you don’t give her any other option. My daughter-in-law is taking her to a bar tonight so they can blow off some steam. If you play your cards right, you will get the chance to make up for whatever you did to my daughter,” Elizabeth said as she climbed out of the chair. Heath stood and offered his arm as she walked down the stairs.
“Now I have to be off before my husband comes looking for me. For some reason he doesn’t seem to think I shouldn’t be let out alone.”
Heath didn’t doubt for a second Mr. St. Clair would prefer to keep this woman under watch. She was most definitely a force to be reckoned with.
“Time to leave,” she announced to Duke as she arrived back at the truck. Duke sent him another glare before climbing into the truck. “Don’t worry about him, he’ll come around, and so will the twins once you make this right.” Stepping closer, she looked deep into his eyes. Heath stared back look for look. Though she freaked him out a little it didn’t mean he was scared of this little bit of a woman.
“You will make this right or I will be back and next time without one of my keepers.” She patted his chest with that and climbed into the truck. Heath watched them speed away and wondered what had just happened. The last half-hour had been one of the strangest of his life, and he was part wolf, for crying out loud.
A hand landed on his shoulder. Heath caught Wall’s scent a second before he caught the hand and judo threw his friend over his back. Wall hit the floor with a whoosh as his breath was forced out of him. Heath pressed a knee to the man’s chest and growled low in warning.
Wall looked at him with wide eyes. Heath enjoyed the moment for a second before he spoke with soft menace.
“What are you doing with my sister?”
Wall’s wide-eyed innocent look disappeared and a confident man looked back at him.
“Whatever she wants me to,” Wall told him honestly. Heath admired his honesty the second before he reached back and popped him on the nose.
“Do I need to tell you what will happen if she gets hurt?
” Heath asked as he stood and moved back, allowing Wall to get to his feet.
“Do I need to tell you that I would be more scared of her coming at me than you?” Wall asked as he checked to see if his nose was broken.
Heath laughed. “No, Wall, I don’t think you do.”
“We good?” Wall asked as he watched Heath with a cautious hand held out.
“Yeah, we’re good.” Heath took the offered hand. Heath watched as the other man nodded; then the confident man disappeared and the dork came back.
“Dude, what was with the state visit from the St. Clair mother?”
“Came to tell me her daughter is more than strong enough for me.”
Wall chuffed a laugh.
“I know, I nearly laughed too. I keep telling people Laney is too fragile to handle me long-term.” Heath shrugged. No matter what her mother had said he knew he had been right; he had to have been, otherwise he had just lost the most important thing in his life for nothing.
“You think my sister will let you loose long enough for you to come to town with me this evening?” Heath asked. If Laney was out with Mary then maybe he could kill two birds with one stone, really make sure he had been right about Laney and that she didn’t pull the same crap she had pulled with him a few weeks back. The idea of her dressing up for anyone else set his wolf growling, and he had to agree that wasn’t something he ever wanted to see.
* * * *
Laney didn’t want to be here; she wanted to be under her covers where the world and her family would leave her alone. All she wanted to do was lick her wounds until her pain went away.
But Mary wouldn’t let her. The woman had turned up, rushed her into the shower, threw some jeans and a white vest top at her, shoved her into a chair, did what only hairdressers could do with short hair, and slapped powder all over her face. Now here she sat in a bar that less than a month ago had seen her throw herself at Heath.
She wished she regretted her time with Heath but she didn’t; she had enjoyed what they had done together. She still did. She only regretted that she had caused him so much trouble and that he’d turned into a jackass to get his point across.
“Ah ah ah, no gloomy reflection, honey, we are out to get your mind off of that mangy mutt, and I will be damned if I’ll let you sit here thinking about him.” Mary tutted as she came back from the bar carrying a tray with two bottles of beer and four shots.
“I’m guessing we’re not driving home tonight, then,” Laney said with a raised eyebrow when she saw the drinks.
“Hell no, your brother will come get us when I call,” Mary assured her. Laney took the offered bright-red shot and saluted Mary.
“To men. You can’t live with them and you can’t get away with burying their useless butts in the backyard!” Mary toasted before knocking back the liquid.
Laney followed suit. She enjoyed the burning as it travelled down her throat. If nothing else the drink took her mind off her aching leg. The only visible marks she still held from her run-in with Christophe were the bite marks on her ankle, which hadn’t stopped aching for the whole week.
Mary lifted the second drink, a bright green shot, and looked at Laney. “Your turn.”
Laney raised the small shot glass and thought for a second. “To all the men we have loved and lost, and to all those we have yet to meet. May the sex be just as great if not better,” she said before knocking back the drink.
“Amen,” Mary agreed as she threw back her drink and slammed the glass down onto the table.
Laney smiled. The alcohol had a warming effect on her insides. Taking a sip of beer, she started to relax a little. Maybe a night out with Mary was just what the doctor ordered.
“So we’re doing this?” Mary asked with an eager look on her face as she nodded towards the glasses on the table. Laney wiped the back of hand over the mouth. Why the hell not? It wasn’t as if she hadn’t had a near-death experience in the last few days. Surely she was well within her rights to have a full blowout?
Laney nodded. “Oh, we are doing this.” Laney winked as she pulled herself to her feet and hobbled over to the bar.
The next hour passed in a blur of shots and beer. Laney watched as Mary started to slip down her chair laughing uncontrollably at something. Laney wasn’t quite sure what it was but she was laughing too, so it had to be really funny.
She didn’t think she was as far gone as her sister-in-law, but she definitely had a warm glow moving through her body that was masking some of the pain from her heart.
The jukebox in the corner changed song and a top ten pop song came on.
“That’s my song!” Mary yelled as she jumped out of the chair and started to dance around the table. “Come on, dance with me!” She pulled Laney to her feet.
“I can’t, my foot.” Laney shook her head as she pointed to her damaged ankle.
“Pfft to your ankle, trust me, it will be fine,” Mary assured her as she spun away motioning for Laney to follow her. Laney gave up the fight and trailed after her to the dance floor.
They moved around each other singing along to the words and making up any they didn’t know.
“You ladies look like you’re having fun.” They both turned at the sound of the male voice. Standing off to the side were two average-sized men, no more than six feet tall each. One had bright red hair clearly out of a bottle while the other had mousy brown hair. Each had on the standard jeans and T-shirt look that was favoured around town.
“We are, thank you.” Laney smiled as she carried on dancing.
“Would you like some company?” the mousy-haired guy asked.
“She’s married,” Laney said as she spun again on her good foot and pointed at Mary.
“And she’s nursing a broken heart.” Mary pointed back at her.
“Does that mean you can’t dance?” the redhead asked.
“No. I’m telling you they can’t dance,” a too familiar growling voice announced.
Chapter Seven
Laney’s heart stopped. She didn’t want to turn around. Maybe if she refused to turn he would get the hint and walk away.
“Who the hell are you?” she heard the redhead ask and waited for Heath’s reply. Laney didn’t know why, but she knew that the next words out of his mouth would be important, more important than even she understood.
Mary took her hand as she came to stand next to her, and Laney was grateful for her silent support. Laney’s breath became shallow as she waited to hear what he would say. She heard him take a step closer to the other man before he spoke.
“She belongs to me,” he told the man. Her grip on Mary’s hand tightened. Laney had no idea what she had expected him to say, but that? Oh hell no. The man had literally thrown her off his property and out of his life. She understood that was because of the danger she presented to his pack, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to let him back into her life every time he got the notion!
“I belong to no one,” Laney said as she slowly turned to face them all.
“See, she wants to dance.” The redhead smirked as he reached out to take her arm. Quicker than she could see, Heath grabbed the man’s arm and pulled it up behind his back.
“Touch her and I will remove your arm,” Heath warned in a low growl.
“Hey!” the man yelled in pain. “Okay, okay, I get it, she’s off-limits, now let go!” Laney watched in disbelief as Heath tugged one last time on the arm before he shoved the man away.
A burning anger started to build in Laney as she watched Heath turn to make sure the men walked away. When he faced her again, Laney reached back and let fly with a punch clean in the gut. She caught the shocked look on Wall’s face from his place over at the bar.
“Oomph!” Heath’s breath rushed out as he bent double.
Laney stepped closer and whispered in his ear. “In case you missed it last time, let me say it again. Cheese grater. Now we both know what that means; it means you have to leave me the hell alone.” Laney turned and stormed away as bes
t as she could with her hurt ankle.
Laney made it back to the table and slammed into the chair. She took a gulp of her beer and glared over to the dance floor. Heath was glaring as he stalked over to her.
“You don’t get to make that decision, my beta,” he told her as he sat down. Laney put her bottle down so hard she was amazed it didn’t break.
“You don’t get to call me that.”
“Laney, you okay?” Mary asked as she came to stand next to them.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Why don’t you call John to come get us? I have a sudden need to be elsewhere.” Laney gave her a half-smile. Mary nodded and walked off to find a quiet corner to call her husband.
“The only way you’re leaving is with me,” Heath told Laney as he moved her bottle out of the way so he could lean across the table.
“You sure as hell don’t get to tell me what to do,” Laney said as she climbed out of the chair, doing her best to limp-storm away.
She took a deep breath when she finally stepped out to the car park. What was wrong with him? He had made his feelings clear and she was only trying to respect that. How could she do so if he didn’t do the same?
“I told you the only way you’re leaving is with me,” Heath said from behind her. Laney whirled to face him
“Listen up and listen well, wolf-boy,” she began, punctuating her words with a finger poking him in the chest. “You don’t get to tell me what to do. I get that I put your pack in danger, I get that you don’t want me around, I get that you don’t want anything to do with me. Now you need to understand that I am doing my best to honour your wishes but you don’t get to tell me what to do.” Laney turned and walked away from him. Taking a deep breath she let the tension leave her body. She couldn’t let him see how much she was hurting inside; she needed him to just go.
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