It was just a way to change the subject. Kara's mom had been a pro at redirecting conversations, too. But it was fine. She'd go along with it for now. She still didn't want to have anything to do with Luke right now, but maybe... in time.
"Do you think it's enough to cover the funeral?"
Tonya nodded and met her gaze. "Yes, dear. Your parents made sure you had more than enough to bury them and take care of yourself for quite a long time as long as you manage the money well. And that's just the life insurance. I haven't found the bank statements yet. Jason will be able to explain everything much better than I can. I just wanted to determine whether you needed money right away or not."
"You were going to give me money? Why?"
"I told you, Kara. You are part of the family now."
CHAPTER FIVE
The next morning, Kara woke to find her car keys on the kitchen table and a note beside them.
Wanted to be sure you had your car. Forgot we still had your keys, too. Please call if you need anything. I know you don't want to see me, but just know that if you change your mind, I'll be around. --Sincerely, Luke
She poured herself a bowl of bran flakes and a glass of OJ. Then she sat down at the table and tried not to cry as she ate. Damn it. He was being so thoughtful. The whole family was. Noah had helped her. Luke had helped her. God, Luke had saved her life. Then, even his mother had stepped in, called a lawyer, and gone through her mom’s papers herself.
Still, she just couldn't deal with him right now. Every time she looked at him, she just wanted to rip his clothes off and get another look at his chiseled body. There must be something psychologically wrong with her. How could a person be so overwhelmed with grief and yet so turned on at the same time? She was weepy and wanted to hide from the world, but her mind wouldn't let her stop thinking about Luke.
It couldn't happen. Not right now.
She needed time to grieve. Time to get her life in order. School started on Monday. And thanks to Noah's inability to listen, she had books and study guides for every single class she was taking. They sat in neat little piles on the coffee table. She'd gone through the bag Tonya had brought before she went to bed last night. He'd even bought her a pack of pens and a half-dozen composition notebooks.
It was above and beyond.
She finished her cereal, washed out the bowl in the sink, and padded through the silent house, back to her room. It was Saturday. She should be at the sorority house prepping for Greek week. Nope. I'm calling it quits on the KAS house. Her only other responsibility was working up at Everyday Joe's. She needed to call him and let him know she couldn't work this weekend. Not unless he wanted her crying into the customers’ drinks every five minutes.
It was going to be hard enough to keep it together for classes on Monday.
She grabbed her phone off the small white nightstand and sank down onto the mattress, dialing Joe's cell. He probably wasn't even awake yet. The phone rang twice before it picked up.
"Hello?" An unfamiliar female voice answered the phone.
Kara pulled her phone back and check the caller id to make sure she hadn't misdialed. Nope. The screen read Joe's Cell.
"Is Joe there?"
The voice grunted and called out Joe's name, telling him someone named Kara was on the line. She heard the phone transfer to another hand and then his froggy voice come on the line.
"Kara, baby girl, do you know how early it is?"
"Sorry, Joe." She sniffed and tried not to break into tears. "I just... I can't work this weekend. My parents were k-killed in a car accident. I need to -"
"Shit! Kara!" His voice changed from mildly annoyed to concerned in record speed. "Baby girl, I'm so sorry. Don't worry your pretty head about the bar. Hear me? You take the weekend off. Hell, the whole week. Whatever you need."
"K, thanks, Joe. S-sorry about waking you."
"It's nothing. Get some rest and call me if you need anything. I mean it. I'll bring you some food, alcohol, whatever."
She smiled. He was the biggest player in town, but he really did have a heart of gold. Which was part of the reason he could get into just about any panties in town. At least he kept it professional at the bar. He had a rule about not sleeping with anyone he employed.
"I'm good, Joe. I've got enough food in the house for now. Thanks."
"Alright, but the offer still stands. Just call. When is the funeral?"
"Tomorrow at St. Joseph's. 3pm."
"I'll be there, baby girl. Don't do anything today. Just rest."
"I will. Bye, Joe."
"Bye."
She dropped the phone from her ear and tapped the end button on the screen, then let the phone drop on the mattress next to her. She scooted to the center of her bed and curled up, pulling the sheet and comforter up over her head. Resting today sounded like the best idea to her, too. It was still early. She could do stuff later... if there was something that needed to be done.
Tonya had said she'd do everything for the funeral, and they'd talked about details last night before she left.
Out of all the people she could've stumbled in front of, she'd fallen in front of Luke VonBrandt. Now, according to his mother, they were linked for life whether she liked it or not. Tonya had explained the phantom pain she'd felt when Luke and Vincent had fought yesterday. Apparently, they could feel each other's physical injuries. So those punches Vincent had thrown into Luke's ribs felt like they re-broke hers. They hadn't, and surprisingly they were barely even tender now.
It shouldn't surprise her. Her body had hit a moving pickup truck. She'd likely had broken bones, internal injuries, and from the way the bloodstains had trailed down her clothes, she must've had a head injury.
Holy crap! Did that mean he could feel all of that after he said the spell?
***
Luke paced back and forth in his room at the AKO house. The bond assured him that Kara was safe, but he was dying to go over to her house and check up on her. He couldn't not think about her. Even his wolf was mopey and depressed. They both craved the connection. If she didn't forgive him for acting like a Neanderthal and fighting Vincent in her front yard, life would cease to hold any meaning whatsoever. That might be a tad dramatic, but this spell was doing a number on him.
He'd known casting the spell would start something he had no control over, but he hadn't thought it would be this bad. No wonder the spell was traditionally cast at wedding ceremonies.
He groaned and ran his hands through his shaggy black hair.
"Chill, bro. You're gonna wear a hole in the carpet." Noah stood from the recliner in front of the TV and approached him. "Wanna go for a run?"
"Yeah, maybe it will distract my brain."
"We can hope." Noah chuckled. "But I'm not sure anything could distract me if I were bonded to Kara McClure either."
"I thought you were trying to help," Luke growled.
Noah slipped into his tennis shoes and grinned. Luke shook his head and huffed out a breath of frustration.
"Come on, bro. We can run by her house if you want, even though I don't recommend it. Mom said she didn't give any indication that she wanted you around."
"Patience is your thing, Noah. Not mine." Luke smiled at his brother. "Maybe just a quick run by her house. We won't stop."
Noah laughed again and shrugged.
They took the stairs down two at a time. The guys in the living room barely looked up from the sports game on the big screen. Luke paused at the doorway.
"Grant." He waited for the big guy at the end of the couch to look at him. "Noah and I will be back in a couple of hours. Have the first-years spin the chore wheel and be done by the time we get back."
"No prob. Maid service will commence in three. Two. One."
Luke grinned at the groan from several of the guys sprawled on the floor. He nodded to Grant and then met his brother out on the porch.
Noah looked up. "Toilet torture?"
"Yep." He jogged down the front path and leapt into a ste
ady pace.
His brother hollered from the porch and pounded the pavement behind him, quickly catching up and falling into sync with his stride. Luke loved running. The rush of the endorphins, whether wolf or man, was exhilarating.
He took a deep breath of the sweet summer air. Somewhere, Texas was clean and just small enough that no one really paid attention to the fact that his family disappeared from time to time. If he was careful, he could even get away with shifting during the day.
They ran in silence, their strides beating the pavement in a hypnotic rhythm. The burn in his legs distracted him from the ache in his soul. It only took ten minutes to reach her house.
He stopped in front of it, even though he'd told Noah he wouldn't.
Noah stopped too, but didn't speak.
"I can feel her there...but nothing else."
"She'll come around, Luke. Just give her some time. Imagine how messed up we would be if we found out mom and dad were just gone." He snapped his fingers and frowned. "She's got to find her way through all this before she can reach out to you."
Luke shook his head. "Who went and made you Yoda?"
"The girl, find you, she will." Noah croaked out, doing his best to keep a straight face.
A laugh exploded from Luke's chest. "Come on, you big dork. Let's get out of here before she sees me stalking her."
Noah chuckled and fell into step next to him.
***
Laughter outside had drawn Kara to the window next to the front door. She peered through a crack in the drapes, watching Luke and Noah VonBrandt disappear down the sidewalk.
She'd known it was him before she looked. How, she wasn't sure. But something inside her knew. Something new. She could feel his heartbeat race as he ran, feel the jolt to his body with each step. The sensations hadn't made sense until she saw them outside. But now all the sensations made sense - running.
It shouldn't be possible. But it was happening.
She turned from the window. Misjudging her step, she stubbed her toe on the entry table leg. "Shitake mushrooms!" she hissed, and hopped on one leg. But one mishap turned into another. Losing her balance, she fell backward, slamming her back into the wall and slipped to the floor with a thud. Another curse slipped out and then a laugh. The laughter quickly turned to tears. She shouldn't find her clumsiness funny. How could anything be funny right now, especially getting hurt?
A harsh knock on the door made her shriek. What the hell?
Then she felt him.
"Kara?" His voice called out, filled with tension. "Kara, are you okay?"
He'd felt her get hurt, just like she was able to feel him running. It didn't matter that she didn't want to see him. Check that; her body might, but her brain needed time.
"I'm fine. Go away," she hollered through the closed door.
"Kara?"
Persistent little streaker, isn't he?
She smiled at her own sarcasm. Even though she didn't want to see him, it felt nice to have the distraction. At least for a few minutes.
"I'm going back to bed. Leave. Please."
The distraction was finished. She wanted her soft bed and comforter again. Ignoring his knocking, she hurried back to her room.
Sleeping was the least painful state. Her body didn't hurt once she drifted into unconsciousness, and only there could she forget that her parents were gone. She saw her mom and dad in her dreams. They were laughing and carrying on at the dinner table. Playing scrabble with her late into the night on the weekends. Cooking out with the neighbors for the Fourth of July weekend block party. It was like a movie reel of her favorite moments in her life when she slept. It was the only happy place she had right now.
Tomorrow she would have to face them at the funeral. The finality of the burial terrified her. She knew they were gone already, but she hadn't seen their bodies. Hadn't had to look at a casket. Hadn't had to speak with the pastor about the service. Tonya VonBrandt had taken care of everything - like a mom.
The mom she didn't have anymore.
She closed her bedroom door and then crawled back into her bed. The covers welcomed her back, cocooning her in a feather-soft mountain.
The knocking had stopped. At least Luke had given up for now.
She grabbed a pill from her nightstand drawer, sleeping aids she’d dug out of her mom's bathroom cabinet. Placing it on her tongue, she grabbed the small glass of water from the top of the nightstand and took a quick gulp. The pill didn't want to go down. It stuck in her throat, and she coughed before she took another sip. Finally it cleared, and she finished the rest of the water anyway.
It was time to disappear. Her mom always said not even the dead rising could disturb her after one of her pills. Kara hoped it was true. Tired didn't even begin to describe how she felt. Empty might be a more accurate description. There was nothing left to give.
She didn't want to feel anything right now. Even if it was only for the rest of the day.
CHAPTER SIX
Kara stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. Her long, blonde hair was brushed back and braided down the center of her back. She'd put on a little makeup, but nothing heavy. Most of it would run immediately from the onslaught of tears already waiting to fall. Even now her vision was blurred from the water pooling in her eyes.
She ran her hands down the simple black dress she'd dug out of the back of her closet. It fell just below her knees and clung to her curvy figure a little more than her mom would appreciate, but it was the only black dress she had. Her mom had several, but nothing she could fit. Plus, it seemed morbid to borrow something of her mom's.
A knock at the door snapped her out of her thoughts, and she took a deep breath. She'd slept straight for a day and a half. It was time to face the world again. She'd missed a couple of calls from Joe, but that was all. His messages had been sweet. Just checking up on her, seeing if he needed to bring her a bottle of anything.
She shook her head. Sleeping to avoid her feelings wasn't much different than opting to drink them away. She couldn't give him a hard time for having his way to deal.
With soft steps she walked to the front door and opened it wide. A tall man stood quietly behind dark sunglasses, a black dress suit, white dress shirt, black tie, and a pair of shiny black dress shoes. He gestured to the town car waiting at the curb.
She grabbed her small purse from the entry table and closed and locked the door behind her before following him down the walk. It occurred to her to ask his name or thank him for picking her up, but then decided against it. Small talk was unimportant. She'd rather sit quietly in the back of his car than try to converse. Likely he already knew exactly who she was and what had happened to her parents. Tonya had hired him, after all. She would've told him anything he needed to know. Pulling the purse to her side, she slipped into the backseat after he opened the door for her. When he closed it a single tear fell down her cheek.
It was happening. She was finally going to have to say goodbye to her parents. For real. The time for pretending was over. Life would have to go on. School started tomorrow. She couldn't afford to miss classes or fail because she was an emotional wreck. Then there was all the money and finance stuff that her parents left her. How was she supposed to know what to do and when?
The car started to move.
She glanced up into the rearview mirror. With the big sunglasses he was wearing, it was difficult to tell if he returned her gaze. As much as she didn't want to talk, she needed a connection with someone. He was a stranger, someone she wouldn't likely see ever again. But she changed her mind and wiped her face, turning to look out the window just in case he'd seen her crying.
"A funeral is a time to grieve for those we've loved and lost. We pay our respects publicly so the world knows how much they meant to us. Do not be embarrassed to express your emotions."
Her breath caught in her throat at his words. He had been watching her. Listening. "I'm afraid if I let myself start, it will never stop."
"It will. Just be sure
you let someone watch over you. It's not good to be alone."
A hoarse chuckle shook her body. "Too late for that. I think I've already chased away anyone who might have cared to spend time with me."
"I think you are writing him off too easily." The deep voice of the driver rumbled on, soothing her frayed nerves. Maybe he will offer to come home and sit with me after the funeral so I can cry until I pass out.
Wait. Him who? Luke? How much did this driver know? Wasn't he just a car driver?
"What's your name?"
He lowered his glasses for a second and caught her gaze in the rearview mirror again. His bright brown eyes were soft and compassionate. They reminded her of her father's. "Aaron VonBrandt, at your service, sweetheart."
"You're ..." She sucked in a quick breath and looked down at her hands clasped tightly in her lap. The strange green tattoos glared up at her, reminding her that there was a lot more going on in this family than anyone had shared so far. Worse than the obvious connection to his son, permanently stamped on her skin, Luke's father was the driver. One of the richest men in Texas was driving her around like her personal chauffeur.
"I wouldn't have trusted you with anyone else." The car lurched as they pulled into the lot behind St. Joseph's and parked. "I know my son has a great challenge ahead of him to gain your trust, but in the meantime, I want you to know that Tonya and I consider you part of our family. If you ever need anything, even if you want to stay the night at the ranch, instead of being alone. We have guest rooms ready and available to you at a moment’s notice."
More tears fell, dropping from her cheeks to her hands. She wiped her cheek with the back of one of her hands and choked back a sob. She'd done nothing to deserve the kindness they were showing. In reality, she knew she should be dead, and poor Luke would've probably been put on trial for accidental manslaughter. The truth was, she’d come crashing into the VonBrandt's life, and they were having to clean up after her. But instead of making her feel like a burden or a nuisance, they were treating her like one of their children.
To Save A Mate (A Western Shapeshifter Werewolf Romance): Somewhere, TX (VonBrandt Family Book 1) Page 5