"I think that's my fault," Elizabeth said, "I'm sorry if I hurt you, but you've got to tell me what I did before I can say I'm sorry for it."
At that moment, Max walked in with a crying Joey snuggled against her chest. She saw Lindy's tear stained face and waited until the Mate nodded before she spoke.
"The Alpha asked me to bring Joey in to play with the other pups, but he keeps crying and asking for something and I don't know what it is." She turned Joey in her arms. "Tell your Mama, honey. Tell her what you want and I'll get it for you."
"Piyo," Joey wailed, which brought on a fresh bout of tears from his mother.
Chapter 8
Travis started across the yard and saw Lindy running from the house. She had no coat and her high heels weren't made for running through the snow. She fell, got up and started running again. By that time Travis was running, too. She fell again before he got to her. He picked her up out of the snow and began brushing it off her hands and hair.
"Are you crazy, woman? What the hell's the matter with you?"
"Yes. No. I was a little, maybe. Oh Travis! It was a mistake, all a big mistake. I didn't know. I didn't see. I wouldn't listen. I had dozens of chances and I turned away. I'm so ashamed."
"I don't know what you're talking about. You've got nothing to be ashamed of," Travis said, taking his jacket off and wrapping it around her. "I'll get you in the truck, get the heat on and come back for Joey. We can talk when I get you home."
"I can't, Travis, I can't. I have to stay. Maggie says I have to show them I can answer the door when somebody knocks."
Her face was ravaged with tears. Her nose was red. Her cheeks were blotchy. She'd been crying for some time. What had they done to her in there? She was crying so hard, he could barely understand what she said, but he got the part about answering the door.
"The hell you will," he growled.
He scooped her up into his arms and strode back to the house, following the trail Lindy'd made through the snow.
"Travis, you've got to listen to me," Lindy cried. She had her arms around his neck and was sobbing into his shoulder.
"I will, sweetheart, I will, but there's something I've got to do first."
His wolf was snarling, snapping to get out. He wanted blood. So did Travis. When he couldn't reach the doorknob without setting her down, he stepped back and kicked the door in.
"Whoa, shit," Henry said from the window of the barn where he'd been relaying the events in the yard. Things weren't going as planned. "Travis just kicked in Roy's back door. I think you better get in there, Marshall."
"Good Lord, son, you ever hear of knockin'," Maggie said when the door crashed open. She didn't seem surprised or upset.
"Maggie Cramer," Travis snarled, "You and Roy have been good to me since I came here, but you make my woman cry like this again and I don't care who you are or who your friends are…" he glared at the women around the table including the Mate… "That goes for every damn one of you."
The Mate went to speak, but Maggie stopped her. "We won't be making her cry again. No sir, I don't think we will." She sounded surprisingly docile.
The whole time he was talking, Lindy kept saying, "No, Travis, no."
"Yes," he now told her firmly. "You aren't opening anybody's damn doors. They don't get to make those decisions. The Alpha does.
"It's okay, Lindy honey, we got his message and so should you."
Maggie was smiling and so was the Mate and Travis couldn't figure out why.
A young man walked into the kitchen. "What the hell's going on in here?"
"It's okay GW. Nothin' Roy can't fix."
Travis put Lindy down and walked up to the man who'd been playing fast and loose with his woman. "You GW?"
The tall and rangy wolver nooded. "Yep, that's me…"
"You stay away from my woman, or I'm the wolf that's going to rip your throat out." Travis hauled back and slammed his fist into GW's face. "When I have time. And yeah, that was a Challenge. You shouldn't be toying with any woman, but particularly not this one. Got it?"
"No!" everyone shouted at once, but the loudest roar was Marshall's.
"They're not going to treat her like this," Travis was shouting at Marshall. "They've got no right. Look at her. Look what they did." He pointed to Lindy who was leaning against the counter looking horror stricken. "I won't let anybody treat her that way. If they can't take us as we are, we'll find a pack that will. I'll take her and the pup back to New Hampshire if I have to. At least there I'll know they'll be welcome and appreciated." His mother and sisters would be glad to have her.
"The hell you will." Marshall spoke to Travis, but he was looking at the Mate. This was exactly what he'd warned her about.
Wolvers were coming from all over the house, crowding in the doorways and looking over each other's shoulders to see what the commotion was about. Their wolves sensed the hostility and were excited by it.
Elizabeth stood and waved her hands. "It's okay, Marshall. Really. Everyone, it's okay. Someone go get Max. Gwenna get some ice for GW. Lindy, you and Travis go upstairs to the bathroom. Lindy needs to wash her face."
"What the hell was that for?" GW was holding his face and glaring at Travis. He started to rise, but Marshall's signal held him where he was.
"Enough," Marshall said, "GW, I'll explain it later. Travis, take Lindy upstairs."
"I'm taking her home," Travis said stubbornly.
"You're taking her upstairs," Marshall said with such Alpha force the whole crowd quieted. He relaxed. A little. "Clean her up and give me a minute to get to the bottom of this."
"Bathroom's second door on the right," Maggie said and then she laughed. "Clean her up and that's all you do. We got cubs in the house."
Like Moses at the Red Sea, Marshall moved his hands and the crowd parted to allow the couple to pass and waited silently for them to disappear up the stairs. Their Alpha offered a hand and pulled GW to his feet.
"No more to see here," he called to those waiting as he led GW outside to explain the misunderstanding. He glanced at the damaged doorframe and shook his head.
"What's the matter with these cubs," he sighed.
Maggie laughed. "You ain't old enough to be sighing over what the younger ones do. You still remember what it was like to be young."
"I wasn't like this," he said at which everyone who remembered the young Marshall laughed.
"You used to challenge over a nickel dropping heads or tails afore you rose to your great heights. You boys made your mama cry with your tusslin', 'specially when you fought each other. It just feels different now that you're at the other end of the stick." The older woman laughed and turned to the Mate. "His daddy had to knock their heads together more than once as I recall."
When everyone had settled down and gone back to whatever they were doing, Ruby drummed her hands on the table and cackled gleefully.
"Maggie, this here's the best damn Christmas party you ever had."
Travis practically dragged Lindy up the stairs and into the bathroom. The idea of packing her and Joey back up to New Hampshire was looking better and better. What was the matter with these wolvers! Maggie was grinning like madwoman and her friend Ruby was bouncing in her seat like she was at a basketball game. The rest of them weren't any better. They were all grinning ear to ear as if breaking Lindy's heart were entertainment.
Even the Mate was smiling, though at least she had the decency to try and hide it. They were crazy, every damn one of them.
He sat Lindy down on the toilet seat and grabbed a washcloth from the stack on the shelves built into the wall. He rinsed it with cold water and began applying it to her face.
"You're angry," she sniffed.
"Of course I'm angry," he nearly shouted and then caught himself and finished in a lower tone. "Not at you. Aw, Lindy honey, look what they did to you."
"They didn't do it. I did," she said and then her eyes filled up again.
"Don't now," Travis said firmly. "No more cryi
ng, sweetheart. I won't let them hurt you anymore."
Lindy didn't cry, but she didn't give up either. "They didn't hurt me. Well, they did, but… Travis, listen!" she said sharply when he looked like he would interrupt.
"That's more like it." He smiled and set the cloth in the sink, then leaned against it and folded his arms across his chest. "Okay, I'm listening. Spill."
Lindy shook her head in tolerant exasperation. "In a few months, Joey's going to be getting time-outs when he's naughty," she began and paused when she saw Travis' smile widen.
He was thinking of Joey's cussing vocabulary. "Those time outs might come sooner than you think. Go on, I'm listening. Joey, time-outs."
She sighed. "Joey'll be hurt. He'll probably cry, but it's good for him. He has to learn."
She squinched her eyes shut and Travis thought she might cry again. "I had to learn and it hurt."
"They had no right…" he began.
"They had every right, Travis. I wasn't holding up my end within the pack. I was selfish and I hurt them with it. Don't be angry with them. It was my fault." She told him what they'd said and lowered her head. "Now you know what kind of person I am."
Travis lifted her chin with his finger. "Stop it. You got lost for a while, that's all. You didn't see the ones who were trying to help and you turned to someone who wasn't."
Lindy looked at him strangely. No one had mentioned that. "Who, Travis? Who wasn't trying to help?"
Travis shook his head and smiled. Lindy really was a sweet thing. She wouldn't see it. "GW, sweetheart. The reason he only comes around when he has time is because he's seeing someone else. Maybe two or three for all I know. It's not right, Lindy. A decent wolver should give you all his attention." He put his hand against her cheek. "I'm sorry, honey," he lied through his teeth, because he wasn't sorry at all that his rival was a shitty wolver, "But that wolver isn't looking for anything permanent. You need to stay away from him."
Lindy smiled and Travis decided that despite the red eyes and blotchy nose, that smile made her beautiful. He thought it meant she understood what he was saying about his own intentions, but then the smile turned into a giggle and the giggle became a full throated laugh and he was suddenly afraid this might be the same thing as her somewhat hysterical crying. Worse, what if she was laughing at his intentions?
"Sweetheart, what is it?" he asked, wondering if he should call the Mate. He wasn't equipped to handle this sort of thing. His anger had carried him through before but this… She was pointing at him and gasping with her laughter.
"You… You thought…Oh, my God, Travis… you thought…"
"What, sweetheart? Tell me!"
"You thought GW and me…" She took a deep breath, trying to control the laughter and then she sobered. "Is that why you hit him?" she whispered.
"Yes, that's why I hit him!" he shouted, his anger returning. "If he were a decent guy, I'd stay out of it," he lied and then spoke the truth, "Look, you and Joey deserve someone who'll look out for you all the time, not just when he has time."
Lindy started laughing again, but it was sweet laughter because she was pretty sure she understood what he was trying to say. "Stop! Stop! Travis, GW is Maxine's mate. You know, Max, who watches Joey while I'm at work. GW has his own family to look out for. He doesn't have much time."
Travis had been ready to argue with her, to put his foot down as a matter of fact. His mouth was open. He'd drawn in his breath, but no words came out.
"Yep, poor GW's down there wondering why he got hit," Lindy laughed. She got up, looked in the mirror, frowned, and splashed more cold water on her face. "I'm sorry Travis. It was all just a little overwhelming and then when the Mate told me…"
"Hurry up! I gotsta pee," squeaked a small voice from the other side of the door. A little hand slapped the door about halfway up, making it rattle at the hinges and lock.
"Told you what?" Travis asked hurriedly while the little hand kept slapping. He wasn't sure he wanted know. He'd already kicked in Maggie's back door and punched an innocent wolver in the face. What else could go wrong?
"Mama says I can't pee off the porch like Billy 'cause I ain't built with a spigot and Miz Maggie says you been in there long enough," called the squeaky voice. "Miz Elizabeth says I gotsta mind my manners, so please," she yelled not sounding very mannerly at all, "Get outta there afore I pee the floor!"
"Can we talk about the rest later? Please, Travis?" Lindy whispered. "We really do need to get downstairs before everyone starts to leave or...talk." She glanced at the door, "I really don't want an audience."
Travis nodded and unlocked the door. "Guess we're both going to be eating a little crow down there."
"No," Lindy laughed, "I only have to open doors. You have to eat the crow."
A little girl came bursting through as soon as he opened it. Her pink underpants were already to her knees as she pushed past Lindy and hopped on the toilet ignoring the two grownups. She sighed with relief as the urine flowed in a gushing stream. Emergency past, she now felt comfortable to speak.
"Mama says you got to be bad off to eat crow. It tastes nasty." She made a face to go with her Mama's opinion.
"So I've heard, honey," Travis laughed, "I'm going downstairs now to find out."
"Will you tell me what it tastes like?" the little girl asked.
"I'm thinking that's something everybody has to find out for themselves," Travis told her, "The important things is that if you have to eat it, it's best done quick."
Chapter 9
Now that she understood what was expected, Lindy found that opening doors was easy. Word must have passed among the women, because she was welcomed with smiles. People she didn't know said hello and she listened when they spoke and started thinking about what she had to give instead of what she didn't. She made arrangements for Joey to go on his first snow sledding after being assured that some of the older girls would only take him on the 'puppy' hills. Since the mill was closed for the week, this was a family holiday for many, so Lindy offered to help watch some of the Joey sized pups so parents could spend some time with their older cubs.
She was feeling pretty good about finding her place in the pack, but in between opening doors, her mind went constantly to Travis and she wasn't feeling good about that at all. She had to tell him she was sorry for her assumptions about why he was being so nice to her, but she also had to tell him that whatever was happening between them couldn't go on.
She'd been lonely. As Travis himself said, she'd been lost for a while. She wasn't any more and in spite of her wolf's insistence to the contrary, she didn't need a wolver in her bed. She'd found her place and she would be content with it, but there was no need to continue the drama of the day. She would tell him quietly and politely when he took her home.
Taking his own advice, Travis immediately sought out his Alpha to mediate and keep the possible retaliation to a minimum. While wolvers weren't necessarily a violent race, their standing within the pack hierarchy was based on their power and contribution to the pack and anyone who insulted or challenged that standing could expect to be challenged right back.
Travis' blow had been a Challenge. He expected to be answered in the same way as man or wolf and originally, he would have accepted the counter challenge gladly and would have fought to uphold his original insult. He couldn't do that now. He'd been flat out wrong. He would have to bow his head or offer his throat in apology.
It would be embarrassing and humiliating, but it would have to be done. In the Rabbit Creek pack, strength of character was more important than strength of body, just like it was back in New Hampshire. It was the way Travis was raised and he wouldn't shame his parents or Marshall, his Alpha, by trying to hide from what he justly deserved. Like the little girl said, crow tasted nasty, but he would have to make a meal of it if he wanted a place in this pack.
He didn't have to look too far. Both Marshall and GW were out in the barn which now held three or four times as many wolvers as it had before. Travi
s sniffed the air as he entered. The Applejack had been replaced with something much stronger and he could feel the anticipation in the air. His apology and humiliation would be public.
He had his speech all prepared, but it never got said.
"You issued a Challenge to one of your packmates," Marshall said as Travis entered.
Travis nodded in acknowledgement and kept his eyes lowered. Marshall wasn't generally that formal, but Travis figured the situation warranted it.
"Yes, Alpha, and it was a mistake," he admitted. There, it was said. Let the crow eating begin.
"Maybe it was and maybe it wasn't. Doesn't really matter," Marshall said. He looked around at the grinning wolvers in the circle that was forming. "GW? That punch Travis threw was a challenge if I ever saw one. You up for a response?"
"Yes, Alpha, I am." The barefooted GW rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck. "It's time we showed this new wolver here what we're made of."
"Travis issued the challenge," Marshall announced to the watchers, "It's GW's choice. Man or beast?" he asked.
"Sun's down, moon's rising and my wolf has a yen to be free," GW answered, grinning.
The men around him murmured their agreement and Travis could tell by their comments and the looks on their faces that GW was favored to win the mock battle without Travis' cooperation. Eating crow was one thing. Getting whupped was another.
"Bring it on," Travis said, yanking the boots from his feet. His wolf snarled his agreement. Both man and wolf had been trained by the best; their father, who always said,
"Never go looking for a fight, but never run from one either."
Travis had already failed the first half of his father's admonition, he wasn't about to screw up the second. Stuffing his socks, belt, and wallet inside one boot, he nodded in readiness.
Marshall nodded back. With the moon just shy of full, it wouldn't take much of his Alpha power to transform these two tonight. At the full moon, the men wouldn't need his help and some of the women would choose not to run in the snow and the cold.
Rabbit Creek Santa Page 6