Capturing Carolina

by Jane Jamison

  The Sterling pack was what some werewolves referred to as an open pack, meaning they accepted new members without many questions. Jesse had always liked that about the pack, but now he wasn’t so sure. If they had delved more into Bill’s past, they could’ve found out that he was really Kruger Ribsom.

  Charlie examined the lock on the box, then tried to open it using a paperclip. Impatient, Jesse snatched it from him, took a hammer off a nearby table, and whacked at the lock. It fell off and clattered to the floor.

  Charlie dumped the contents onto what had been Bill’s bed. Nothing but paper fell out.

  “So he’s been writing to someone, huh? Probably one of his pack. But why not just call? Letters take too long.” He grabbed one of the folded notes and opened it. “Holy shit. Where’s Carolina right now?”

  “Upstairs with Rae. Why?”

  “Fuck!” Jesse hit the door running.

  * * * *

  “Where’s Rae?”

  Carolina sat next to the window, gazing out over the backyard and the bunkhouse where she’d seen Charlie and Jesse go a few minutes earlier. “She went downstairs to make some tea and sandwiches. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were coming or I would’ve asked her to make enough for all of us.”

  “It must be nice to have your friend with you. Especially now.”

  “It is.” Was that jealousy she saw in the young girl’s eyes?

  “I’m glad.”

  “And it’s great having you around, too. A girl can’t have too many friends. I’m so glad you’re okay.” Yet there was something in the way Lisa-May looked at her that sent shivers down her spine. “You are okay, right?”

  Lisa-May stood in the doorway. She’d come back from the harrowing experience physically intact, but Carolina worried that she’d never be the same. The young girl hadn’t smiled once since then, and her usual chatter was gone. “I’m fine. I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

  Carolina rose and brought her into her arms. “We’ve been through hell and back, haven’t we?”

  “More than you know.”

  She puzzled at that, but didn’t want to push her. It was hard enough to think of her men being werewolves, but to see Lisa-May in that regard was next to impossible. And yet, Rae and others, as well as Charlie and Jesse, had confirmed that they were all werewolves. Or at least, in the case of Rae, soon to become a werewolf.

  Giving Lisa-May a smile that she hoped would convey her sympathy, Carolina went back to the window.

  Rae had stayed with her all day, talking when she needed to talk, keeping silent vigil whenever Carolina preferred to get lost in her thoughts. Rae, an up-and-coming country music singer-songwriter, had brought her guitar into the room and had played while Carolina rested.

  “Did you hear the rumors?”

  That sounded more like the old Lisa-May. She twisted toward her, ready to encourage the girl to talk. If talking about their horrible experience could help anyone, it was Lisa-May.

  “What rumors? That you’re all werewolves?” Saying it got easier the more times she voiced the truth out loud.

  “That’s not a rumor. That’s a fact.”

  “Then I guess I haven’t heard.”

  “The rumors say that I’m in love. That I have a boyfriend.”

  “Lisa-May, is it true?” The girl had denied it before, but would she now?

  The young girl nodded but looked nothing like a girl in love. Carolina’s thoughts jumped back to the campfire. Her throat constricted as she remembered how Bill had looked at Lisa-May. But she must’ve been wrong. If they’d been a couple, he wouldn’t have taken her.

  She forced a bright smile. “That’s wonderful. I’m so happy for you. Tell me all about him.” She couldn’t think of a better way to bring the girl back to full vitality than to talk about the man she loved. Having Charlie and Jesse by her side had done wonders for her. She couldn’t imagine a life without them.

  Her smile was soft, and yet, it held a sadness that bothered Carolina. She tried, however, to make the best of it. “Who is he, Lisa-May?”

  Lisa-May strode across the room where scissors she’d used to cut a string off one of the shirts she’d borrowed still rested on top of the dresser. That time seemed like a long time ago.

  “Tell me.” Talking about it could only help. Then why was her heart pounding in her chest?

  “Actually, I was in love before. The first man I loved was older, but he treated me so good. At least, I thought so. But Joey didn’t like him, and I let him convince me to leave and come here. I wish he hadn’t done that.”

  Something wasn’t right about the conversation, but she couldn’t pinpoint what that was. “Really? But you told me when we first met that you hadn’t fallen in love yet.”

  Lisa-May picked up the scissors and shrugged, her head down. “I didn’t want to talk about it.”

  The nervous tickle she’d felt whenever Bill was around sped down her spine. She stood, her breathing picking up pace along with her heart.

  “And then I met another man.” The sad smile grew wider. “I didn’t think I could love again, but I did. We fell in love. I’m sure I felt the connection with him. And you know what he called me? He called me honeypot. Isn’t that just the sweetest thing you’ve ever heard? That’s the real reason I liked that saying.”

  Her gut told her to get out. But how when the girl stood between her and the door. “Lisa-May, what’s going on? Where is this man you love?”

  Lisa-May shifted the scissors from one hand to the other and walked toward her. Her eyes filled with amber and fangs crept over her lip. “He’s dead. Killed. Murdered, really.”

  Carolina backed away, her escape still blocked by the young woman. “Are you—” She paused, realizing her mistake. “Were you in love with Bill?” But that wasn’t his real name. “With Kruger?”

  “We didn’t plan for you to get hurt.” She shrugged again. “But then you got in the way and Kruggy—that was my pet name for him—decided you needed to learn a lesson. You shouldn’t have taunted him when you did that awful sex show. Until then, he’d promised me that he’d just scare you. Rae and her men were supposed to be the ones to die.” She shook her head. “Not him.”

  The young girl pivoted her way. A hardness had transformed her sweet face, making it appear old and haggard.

  “I don’t understand. Lisa-May, let’s go talk to the others, okay? Maybe we can talk over a cup of tea?”

  Lisa-May let out a shriek, hurling her body at Carolina. Carolina ducked, barely getting out of the way of the scissors’ sharp ends. She cried out as she fell to her side then rolled against the wall. Rae’s guitar clattered to the floor beside her, making an off-tune noise.

  “No, Lisa-May, you don’t want to do this.” She managed to get into a crouching position.

  Lisa-May pulled herself up, held the scissors over her head, and snarled, showing her saliva-dripping fangs. “You’re going to pay, bitch.” She growled and lunged.

  Carolina grabbed the only weapon available to her. Taking hold of Rae’s guitar, she brought it up, swinging it like a bat. The body of the instrument struck Lisa-May in the face, making an awful cracking sound.

  Yowling in pain, the girl fell away, spinning on her heels with the momentum of Carolina’s strike. She landed face-first on the floor as Carolina scrambled to her feet.

  Carolina held what remained of Rae’s guitar over her head, ready to go to bat again. But Lisa-May didn’t move.

  “Babe?”

  Carolina looked up from Lisa-May’s prone body to see Charlie, Jesse, and Rae dashing into the room. Taking the broken guitar from her, Jesse handed it off to Rae, then pulled her into his arms.

  “We didn’t know, sugar. Not until we found the notes between Bill, I mean Kruger, and Lisa-May.”

  She clung to him, drawing the strength she needed to stay on her feet from him. “Please. Just get me out of here.”

  Epilogue

  “Why didn’t you tell me, Rae?”


  Carolina was happy to be back in the house she’d once shared with Rae before Rae had found the two men she loved. Having Rae stay with her for the past few days had reminded her of all the fun they used to have as roommates. Soon, Rae would head back to Two Forks and Carolina would be left alone.

  She pushed the rocker into a good rhythm and watched the traffic flow by the house. One of the best things about living in Nashville was the easy-paced lifestyle mixed with the conveniences of a big city.

  Rae took a sip of the lemonade she’d made that morning. “What was I supposed to do? Walk up to you and say, ‘Hey, roomie, you know the two men I’ve fallen in love with? They’re werewolves. Fangs, claws and all.’ Yeah, that would’ve gone over well.”

  “Hey, I took the two men with one girl thing pretty well.” She swished the light-yellow liquid around in the glass. Adding a touch of vodka hadn’t hurt, either. “I think I took the whole werewolf thing pretty well, too. Especially finding out the way I did.”

  “I agree. You did. So you should understand. We can’t go blabbing it around. If we did, we’d either end up locked away in the nuthouse drinking a whole different kind of lemonade, or our men and every other shifter in the world would be on the run from people trying to skin them alive.”

  Rae was right. She’d thought about it many times, and there was no answer that didn’t have serious consequences. No answer other than to keep silent about what she knew. “Yeah. You’re right. Mum’s the word.”

  They rocked together, enjoying the weather from their perch on the front porch. Until she finally asked the question she had to ask.

  “What happened to Lisa-May?” Even after the girl had tried to kill her, she still cared about her. She had to believe that Kruger Ribsom had done a number on her. No one could be that sweet without having some good inside them.

  “The pack gave her two days to recuperate. After all, the wound wasn’t that bad. The worst was the concussion. Then they told her to leave and never come back.”

  Lisa-May had fallen on top of her scissors, driving them into her side. But that had only been a flesh wound. As Rae had said, the impact of hitting her head on the floor was worse. Still, as Carolina had learned, werewolves were quick healers.

  “Where do you think she went?”

  “I don’t know. Word spreads fast around the packs. Once they hear about her betrayal, the only pack that might have her will be the Ribsom pack, Kruger’s old pack. And even that’s not a given.” Rae set her glass on the small table between them. “Don’t tell me you feel sorry for her? Not after how she helped Kruger, then tried to kill you.”

  “What can I say? I’m a sucker for a sweet face.” She chuckled, knowing Rae would get what she really meant.

  “Talking about sweet faces, what are you going to do about your men?”

  Her men. She still had a difficult time believing that two amazing men wanted her. She’d needed time away from the ranch after everything that had happened, and although it was obvious that they didn’t like it, they’d given her the week alone that she’d asked for. But the week was over.

  “You love them, Carolina.”

  She couldn’t lie now that Rae had asked the question. “Yeah. I do. It’s just…”

  “The werewolf thing. I admit. That was a hard one to get my head around.”

  She shifted in her chair to face her friend. “But you did. And now that you have, what’s it like?”

  Rae took a sip, giving her question thought. “You know what? It’s not a lot different than if they weren’t shifters. I mean, yes, it takes time to get used to the amber eyes not to mention the fangs and claws, but what you have to remember is that even while they’re in their wolf bodies, they’re still the men you fell in love with. And the loyalty is fantastic. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of any male werewolf cheating on his mate. Once they’ve committed to you, they’re yours for life.”

  “That’s good to hear. God knows I’ve had my share of cheaters in my lifetime.”

  “It sure is. It’s that connection thing I explained about the other day. The bond seals your fates together, making you the only woman they’ll ever want. And them the only men you’ll ever want. That makes for one hell of a union, if you ask me. I highly recommend it.”

  “But what about children? I never thought much about it until now, but what if I want a child? Is it even possible?”

  “Yeah, it is. But that brings up another decision. If you want your kids to be human, then you need to stay human. As I understand it, there aren’t steadfast rules, no black-and-white outcomes. If you have a werewolf’s child, then that child will most likely be half and half. A real hybrid.”

  “Most likely? Does that mean the baby can be human?”

  “It doesn’t happen often, but I’ve heard of it. The thing is that they just don’t know. I guess no one’s ever done any genetic studies on werewolves, much less on werewolf and human matings.”

  “What? There aren’t any geneticists in the werewolf ranks?”

  “Not that I know of.” She laughed. “Hey, maybe you and I will have the first werewolf offspring to go to Harvard and become scientists.”

  “Screw that. My kid’s going to be president.”

  Rae grinned. “Now that sounds like the Carolina I know and love.”

  “Thanks. I’m feeling more like my old self nowadays. It kind of takes a lot out of a girl to get hung up and close to getting her throat slashed. Then attacked with a pair of scissors by a real-life Barbie doll.”

  Rae cleared her throat, drawing Carolina’s scrutiny. “From what I hear, you didn’t mind getting chained up the first time.”

  “Aw, hell. So you heard about that, huh?”

  “Sure I did. Hey, don’t go getting all self-conscious.” She lowered her voice. “You’re not the only girl that likes to play rough, you know.”

  “Really?”

  They giggled together like schoolgirls. Carolina closed her eyes and let the slight breeze waft over her.

  “Uh, Carolina, if you haven’t decided what to do about your guys yet, you might want to hurry up and make up your mind.”

  “Mmm? Why?”

  “They’re coming down the path right now.”

  Carolina sat up, jerking her eyes open to see Charlie and Jesse coming her way. Rae stood, raised her glass to them, then headed for the front door.

  “I’ll leave you three to it.”

  They were even hotter than she remembered. Wearing denim shirts, cowboy hats slung low over their brows with jeans that hugged their bodies, and camel-colored boots that had seen their fair share of wear and tear, Charlie and Jesse strode toward her.

  The connection she’d missed over the past few days burst to life again. Her body tingled, then fired in all the right places, wetting her between legs so much that she squirmed in her seat. If they didn’t touch her soon, she’d die from the loss.

  “Carolina, how are you doing?” asked Charlie. He stopped at the bottom of the steps.

  “Fuck that.” Jesse kept coming until he was standing in front of her.

  Her nerves jangled as he took the glass from her hand and set it on the table. Grabbing her by the wrist, he yanked her to her feet.

  “Sugar, I don’t remember if we’ve said this, but you’ve got to know how we feel.”

  She swallowed, watching the way his mouth worked. And recalling how much better it worked on her body. “Say it. Tell me how you feel.”

  Charlie came beside her and took her behind the neck. “We love you. And you love us, too.”

  She nodded, desperate for the talking to stop and the loving to begin. For the rest of her life to begin. She looked to Jesse. “Do you love me?”

  “You know I do.”

  “Then say it.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her pushing, but he gave her what she needed to hear. “I love you.”

  “Good.” Although she knew they cared for her, hearing him say the words gave her the peace she needed.

&n
bsp; “Now that that’s settled, we need to know your plans.” Charlie crossed his arms and tilted his head at her. “So? Tell us.”

  “My plans?” She’d spent so much of the week thinking about them that she’d forgotten that she’d made her final decision. “Oh, right. I’ve decided that it’s time for me to open my own talent management agency. I’m going to give Old Man Witward a run for his money. I’ve already talked to Rae and her guys. As soon as their current contracts expire, they’re coming over to my agency. Until then, I start searching for the next big star.”

  “That’s terrific news, babe.” Charlie’s smile faded. “But does that mean you’re staying in Nashville?”

  Running an agency away from Nashville wouldn’t be easy, but she wasn’t about to sacrifice her life with her men for her work. “Actually, I’ve already talked to Ms. Millicent and she hooked me up with a real estate agent who handles commercial rental properties in Shady Creek. I’m going to have my office there. But I’m sure I’ll have to come to Nashville a lot for work. Hopefully, I’ll have some company whenever I do.”

  “I think that’s an invitation we won’t pass up.” Charlie grinned, but only for a moment. “And where are you planning on living? In Shady Creek?”

  “I was kind of hoping you two would have a suggestion about that.” She took a breath, closed her eyes, parted her lips, and waited.

  Then let out a yelp when Charlie lifted her onto his shoulders. Her head bobbed up and down as he carried her down the steps.

  “You’re coming home with us, babe.”

  She pressed her hands again his back and lifted her head as well as she could to look back at her home. Rae stood on the porch, a huge grin on her face, and waved.

  “Lock up for me, Rae.”

  “Will do! Oh, and Carolina?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You owe me a new guitar.”

  “I sure do.” Carolina laughed. She’d see Rae again soon, but until then, she’d do whatever it took to make the men she loved happy. They’d captured her heart, making her a prisoner of their love.

  THE END