That smile. She’d confess everything to it. Spill her darkest secrets without a second thought. “Sadie King.” A breath. A pause. They were wolves, so logic said she’d found her way to her destination. “Sadie Burrows-King.” The unfamiliar name caught a little on her tongue. It wasn’t hers, not really, but just maybe there were people around who would remember Margarete. “Margarete Burrows was my grandmother. She passed recently, and I learned about the existence of your pack just before she died.”
“Burrows? That explains it.” Just like that, the thundercloud expression lifted from Ven’s face and he offered her, not a smile exactly, but a less-terrifying frown.
“Explains what?”
“Why your scent reminds me of Caitlyn.”
Sadie tried to fathom what he was saying, but it was hard to think about anything other than the gentle warmth seeping into her foot. She’d never considered her feet to be an erogenous zone, but the pins and needles spreading through her body were definitely more than just her circulation returning. Forcing herself not to look down, she focused on the dark-haired man. “Caitlyn?”
Ven frowned at her. “Did you hit your head when you crashed your car? I told you already. Caitlyn is my mate.” He shook his head. “I need to make some calls.” He stalked away toward the back of the station. Sadie hoped her abject relief didn’t show too clearly on her face.
“We need to get you out of these pants,” said the man at her feet.
Yes, please! Pushing the inappropriate thought away, she focused on the kneeling man. “My case is in the trunk of my car.”
He released her foot and rose to his full height. “I’ll fetch it for you in a little while. My trailer’s out back; we can get you settled in there while we sort out what to do with you.” He graced her with that devastating smile. “Well, technically it’s Ven and Caitlyn’s trailer, but they’ve moved back to the big house for the holidays, and it made sense for me to stay out here where the plow is. Not that you needed to know all of that.”
Sadie smiled. “Is there a hot shower in the trailer by any chance, Mr…?”
A light blush reddened his cheeks. “Quaid. Easton Quaid. Sorry, I don’t know where my manners are.” He tucked his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “The shower isn’t the best, but it’ll warm you up. I can find you some sweats, and I changed the sheets just yesterday.” He glanced away then back to her. “Not that I’m saying we should sleep together, or anything.”
She almost wanted to laugh at how flustered he was getting. “A shower and a change of clothes sound wonderful.”
“Great. That’s great. I’ll be out all night with the plow, you see. So you can have the place to yourself, get some rest—”
Ven reappeared.
“I need to get going. I’ve spoken to Ryker, and he’s going to meet me and Stefan over at Drew’s place.” He pointed a finger at Sadie. “You need to stay here until the alpha says otherwise.”
“I’ve said she can use the trailer. I’ll be out with the plow, but I’ll keep an eye on things,” Easton offered.
Ven zipped up his thick jacket and jangled the keys in his hand. “You do that. I’m putting her in your care, East.”
Easton nodded. “I’ll stand for her, Ven.”
“Will you now?” The black-haired man raised an eyebrow then thumped away toward the back. A heavy door slammed a few moments later, followed by the sounds of a vehicle starting. The atmosphere lifted, as though Ven took all the tension from the room with him.
She turned to Easton. “What does it mean that you’ll stand for me?” The rules in each pack were different.
“It means I’ve accepted responsibility for you. If you behave contrary to pack rules, I’ll be the one punished.”
Sadie gasped. “But you don’t even know me.”
Easton smiled. “Maybe not, but my wolf does.”
Chapter Two
Chugging away from the welcoming lights of the gas station proved an act of supreme willpower. For all his sense of duty to the pack, Easton wanted nothing more than to pack up and head for his trailer. The dining nook converted into a second bed, and he’d set spare blankets out, but the need to be in the same space as Sadie clawed deep. Caring for her came first, though, and she would need familiar things around her to face what was likely to come in the morning. The Burrows were the best kind of people, but they were a little overwhelming in numbers. Easton had no doubt they would turn out in force to meet Sadie, regardless of the outcome of Ven’s meeting with the alpha.
He slowed the tractor as he approached the stranded compact and tried to swallow down a bite of temper. What the hell was she thinking? The little powder-blue car would struggle with the ruts and holes on a dry summer’s day. Keeping the approach to their town in poor condition had been a deliberate security decision. A well-maintained stretch of pavement would attract visitors to the area, inviting nosy tourists to wonder what lay at the end of the smooth path.
Anyone intrepid enough to get as far as the gas station would find themselves facing a less-than-cordial welcome from Ven. Easton’s boss worked for Ryker, their pack enforcer, as part of his extensive security network. It was his job to intercept and discourage unwelcome visitors from straying farther into pack lands. Roland had helped with the design and installation of an early-warning system which flagged the approach of non-pack vehicles. Approved vehicles carried a discreet sticker in their front window. Hidden security cameras were trained on the road, and any vehicle passing them not carrying a sticker would trigger an alarm. Had Sadie made it around the next bend in her death trap, they would have known about it.
He jumped down from the tractor’s cab and stalked over to examine the wreck half buried in the snow. He couldn’t tell the extent of the damage, but one glance at the crumpled front of the car sent an icy shudder down his spine. His mate could have been trapped, injured, and alone just a mile from him, and he might never have known about it until it was too late. The wolf growled. They needed to get back to Sadie and make sure she was okay. Abandoning the idea of trying to tow the compact back until morning, Easton dug out the key she’d given him and unlocked the trunk. A small suitcase and a dented wooden box sat side by side, nothing else. He frowned. Who tried to start a new life with so little? She’d not said much when he settled her into the trailer, but he’d been left with the impression she hoped her trip to Los Lobos would be one-way. He hoped so, too.
After stowing the suitcase and box in his cab, Easton drove the tractor a couple of hundred feet beyond the crash site to hook a warning lantern from the low branch of a tree. He steered the tractor in a straight line back toward Los Lobos. The storm had eased to a light flurry, and the side he’d already plowed remained relatively clear. Given the natural state of the road, most of the residents had access to a four-by-four and would have no trouble getting through now. The night was still, the usual sounds muffled by the thick blanket lying over his home. He loved winter. Everything looked softer and cleaner with a coat of white. Secrets and past pains were smothered and, to a casual observer, the town looked as pretty as a holiday card.
The scars left by Magnum’s neglect were gradually being erased, but they showed here and there in still-abandoned houses and businesses. So much hard work had been put in by the returning wolves, and it lifted Easton’s heart to see lights burning in windows that had been smashed or boarded over. Eighteen months since Drew’s return had put them on the slow road to recovery. Twelve months since the Burrows had returned and changed Easton’s life forever.
The change had crept up on him gradually, so when he thought back he couldn’t pinpoint the exact date. He’d picked up a few shifts working for Stefan on one of his construction projects, been recommended to Will at the diner as a pair of willing hands who didn’t mind the dirty or boring kitchen jobs. A smile here, a pat on the back there, and somehow he’d wound up at Miss Marjorie’s table for supper one evening. She had a habit of collecting waifs and st
rays, lonely wolves drawn inexorably to her warmth. Her mate, Stefan, was a strong, sure presence with the same seemingly infinite capacity to love they’d passed on to their own children.
First, Hannah and her daughter Jessie, both with secrets only the pack could protect then Ven with his rude mouth and shattered spirit. Feisty, fiery Bailey, a wolf at war with herself for years. Easton, alone and he’d thought, unnoticed. They opened their home, and their hearts, to anyone who needed it. He didn’t doubt for a moment they would do the same for Sadie—she was blood, after all.
Sadie Burrows-King. The moment she’d mentioned the family, he’d seen the resemblance in her chocolate waterfall of hair and her smoky eyes. Those dark, curling lashes would be shuttered over her eyes now, her hair spilling across white cotton as she slept. In my bed. Easton squirmed in his seat, seeking relief from the sudden tightness in his pants. He’d loaned her a T-shirt and a pair of sweats to wear, and his wolf practically purred in satisfaction at the thought of her wrapped in their scent. Even tired and bedraggled, her skin held a luminosity, an angel’s glow. He shook his head at the flight of fancy. It was too early to tell whether she’d prove angel sweet or devil sharp. Not that he cared either way. The second he’d tugged that soaking-wet sock free and clasped her chilled toes in his fingers, the wolf had known. Mate.
There had been an answering flare in her slate eyes, a subtle alteration to her scent, but a wariness, too. Which was fine with Easton. He could be patient. Had learned early to keep to the edges and let events play themselves out. He carried enough hurts of his own to understand if Sadie needed time. A new pack and a new family would be more than enough for her to handle. His wolf nodded in approval. A patient hunter saved himself for the best rewards.
It was an hour from sunrise before he finally finished his rounds with the plow and returned home. He might have been back sooner, but fear of neglecting his work over his need to get back to Sadie had sent him on a final pass around the town. He’d paid particular attention to households with human members in their mix, knowing they would find it less easy to get around.
The town had given him everything, kept him safe from the worst deprivations of his orphaned state. A few families had offered to take him in, but he hadn’t wanted them to take the risk. Acts of kindness toward a pariah wolf would have been severely punished. Magnum had found Easton’s parents wanting, although it had never been made clear what transgression they’d committed to draw his wrath.
Their son was tainted by association, and though few were willing to stand up to the alpha’s evil ways, many had done what they could to help him. New clothes left in a neat pile on someone’s back porch. An informal rotation of households who cooked more than needed for their evening meal. As he’d grown older, odd jobs had appeared. Tasks only Easton could do, apparently. He’d accepted each and every one with gratitude, waiting patiently for the tide to turn, for something to change that would improve his lot. The wait had been longer than he’d hoped for, but things were better now, and he would not waste a moment harking back to the past.
He hurried along the path he’d cleared from the parking lot to his trailer, eager to get into the warmth. Crouching to check under the top step, Easton smiled when his fingers closed over his spare key. He’d left his with Sadie, told her where the spare was kept, giving her the option of locking him out if she wanted to. He eased the door open with care—the old hinges had a tendency to shriek like an offended matron—not that the matrons of the Tao Pack were likely to shriek. Miss Kathy had boxed his ears for being disrespectful only last year—she’d stood on a chair to do it, and damned if Easton hadn’t pulled the chair over for her and apologized afterward. Ryker’s aunt was not a wolf to be crossed.
A whip of cold wind followed him into the trailer, stirring the chimes Caitlyn had hung beside the door as one of her attempts to spruce up the inside. She’d done a terrific job considering how little natural charm the old place retained. He pushed the door closed, hoping the soft tinkling hadn’t disturbed Sadie.
“Easton?” Damn.
“It’s still early, sweet. Go back to sleep.” He lowered himself onto the bench seat in the dining nook and tugged at the laces on his boots. The curtain shielding the bed stirred, and Sadie appeared, looking sleepy-eyed, rumpled, and fifteen kinds of delicious. His borrowed clothes swamped her frame, lending her a fragility that made him long to scoop her up and carry her back behind the curtain. He pictured them curled up in the little private haven, nothing and nobody but the two of them existing. One day soon.
“I’ve been awake for a little while. The trailer creaks a lot in the wind.” She laughed, a sweet self-deprecation. “It spooked me a little.”
He tugged his boots free and wiggled his numb toes with a relieved sigh. “How about a cup of coffee?”
She greeted the suggestion with an enthusiastic nod. “Yes, please.” Such longing in her voice. He wanted her to crave him as much as caffeine.
There wasn’t a lot of room in the trailer so setting the pot up brought him into her near vicinity. Reaching into the cupboard above her head to retrieve the coffee canister put him close enough to brush against her shoulder, so he did. He expected her to step back, enjoyed a secret thrill when she didn’t. His shampoo smelled good on her, another layer of him to mingle with her natural sweet fragrance. Vanilla and something spicy-sweet, like one of those fancy after-dinner coffees Miss Bridie would fix him on the new machine they’d installed at the restaurant.
“I saw what was left of your car. I can’t believe you attempted such a journey in something so unsuitable.”
“I left Cedar Crossing in kind of a hurry. I didn’t mention my destination, and there wasn’t time to trade it in for anything else.”
What the hell? No alpha worth his salt would allow a vulnerable member of his pack to travel alone unless he knew her exact destination. Something else was going on. “Sadie?”
She ducked her head. “Taylor didn’t take it well when I told him I wanted to leave. There had been an expectation from his nephew, and when I made it clear I didn’t reciprocate his feelings, things became difficult.”
Difficult. Easton clamped his jaw down on another growl. He knew all about what happened when things became difficult. “You made it to us in one piece. That’s the most important thing.” Her head snapped up at his use of the word “us.” Damn it. She’d run from one unwanted match. The last thing she needed was another wolf pressing his attentions. Clamping down on his wolf’s need to comfort her, Easton forced himself to take a step back. “I’ll grab that shower.”
Drying off and dressing in the small bathroom provided enough of a logistical challenge to distract Easton from the thoughts looping in his head. There was an outside chance Drew would refuse Sadie’s entry into the pack. The rules had been tightened after the murders the previous winter, and new wolves who wanted to join had to prove their good intentions and a willingness to contribute positively to the growth of the pack. If Sadie’s old pack held a grudge, they might cause trouble. He had no doubt the Burrows would fight tooth and claw for her, but nothing came before the safety of the entire pack.
He toweled his hair vigorously, hoping to shake the worry from his brain. No point in borrowing trouble if he didn’t need to. The rich aroma of coffee drifted into the cubicle, and he tugged back the folding door to answer its siren call. Sadie sat at the little dining table, hands curled around a steaming mug as she studied the closed lid of the wooden box he’d retrieved with her suitcase. A second mug sat opposite her, and he took it as an invitation to join her.
He raised his coffee, sighing at the cinnamon and cream scents filling his nose. A quick sip proved she’d fixed it perfectly. He met her dancing eyes over the rim of her mug. “How did you know?”
She shrugged, shielding her pleased grin by taking a mouthful of coffee. “It wasn’t hard to guess. There’s enough creamer in the fridge to last through an apocalypse.”
A man was en
titled to enjoy his coffee the way he liked it, and there’d been a special offer at the Bread & Butter grocery store. Easton swallowed his protest and took the gentle ribbing. Sadie looked relaxed, and that was worth its weight in artificial coffee flavorings. He focused his attention on the box. “Something special?”
“I’m not sure. Margarete bequeathed it me, but I haven’t looked at what’s inside yet.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude. I’ll give you some privacy.” He stood up, but she waved him back down.
“No, stay. I want you—” Voices outside the trailer interrupted whatever she’d meant to say. “Who’s that?”
Easton drained his mug then stood with a grin of recognition. “That’s your family. I hope you’re ready to meet them.”
He held his hand out to Sadie, wiggled his fingers when she seemed reluctant to move. She fiddled with the brown strands curling over her shoulder, wrapping and unwrapping a length around her finger. She’d changed while he was in the shower, and any pang of regret he might feel about her not wearing his clothing couldn’t compete with the way her rust-colored sweater clung to her curves. “They’re good people, Sadie.”
She cast him an unreadable look from under her lashes and stayed put.
He crouched before her, resting a hand on her knee. “What’s the matter, sweet? I can tell them you’re not ready. They’ll understand.” He tilted his head. “It sounds like they’ve come mob-handed. Would you prefer to meet just Stefan and Marjorie first?” He loved all the Burrows, but they could be a force to be reckoned with en masse.
Sadie lowered her head, letting her hair curtain her face. “What if they don’t like me?”
He opened his mouth to protest then snapped it closed over the pointless platitudes.
With careful fingers, he tucked her curls behind her ear and brushed a finger down her cheek. “I like you.” Her startled slate eyes met his. “You have one friend, here in Los Lobos, I mean. I’ll help you figure it out, every step of the way if you want me to.”
Stolen Kisses Page 2