She could only hope he would snap out of whatever was bothering him in a few hours. She would talk to him again when he could think clearly. She closed his door behind her and left him in the same position. She wandered back to the living room where Dax stretched his long body over the couch. He looked up from his phone. “Molly called for you earlier. She wants you to call her back as soon as you get in,” he told her in a casual tone.
“What’s wrong with Walker?” She questioned her brother, needing answers to her suddenly unstable world.
“I don’t know. What’s wrong with Walker?” Dax replied without any concern.
“He’s got his head in the clouds. He can hardly hold up his end of a conversation,” Aurora came close to shouting in his face.
“That’s what you get for trying to have a conversation with him,” Dax replied laconically, not even looking at his sister.
“Is that your idea of giving a helpful answer? Because if it is; you failed miserably.” Aurora retorted.
“Tell me how I should I know what’s wrong with Walker? I haven’t seen him in days,” Dax responded angrily.
“When did he get back from…wherever he was?” she asked, her body tense, her hands in fists.
“Am I my brother’s keeper? He got back whenever he got back.” Dax replied with a sneer.
“Are you gonna lie there and tell me you haven’t even tried to talk to him since he got back? Are you telling me you’re so oblivious to what goes on in your own family that you didn’t even notice when your Alpha got back?” Aurora was becoming more and more aroused as this conversation continued.
“Yes. That’s exactly what I’m telling you. I have more important things to think about than where Walker was or when he got back or what he’s been doing in that room of his ever since. I don’t have time to concern myself with someone else’s business,” he shouted at his sister.
“Oh, really?” Aurora responded sarcastically. “What exactly do you have to do that’s so important? You look like you’re lying around with your dirty socks on the couch to me. You weren’t too busy to stick your nose into my business and go trespassing on some other tribe’s territory to drag me back here when you should have kept to yourself,” she yelled right back at him.
“Don’t go bringing that into it,” he stated in a dangerous tone.
“If you’re too busy playing Monster Mash on your phone, to answer my questions about Walker, then at least have the decency to say so, instead of making up some moronic line about important things to do, because we all know you’re about as useful as a chocolate frying pan,” Aurora responded in as dismissive a tone as Dax had ever heard from her. She no longer sounded afraid of him.
She stormed out of the house before Dax could answer. She stopped on the front porch. The sun shone on Bruins’ Peak and lit up the vibrant green forest. She always went over to Star and Brody’s house when anything at home gave her any bother. She never realized until now how much their support helped her tolerate her exasperating brothers.
She couldn’t run to Farrell Homestead now. How ironic that her romance with Austin now kept her from him and the support of his family. How long did she have to hang around here and wait for Walker to come to his senses? What if he stayed like this forever and let the Alpha position slip through his hands? Since her second brother, Shaw, had married Dana MacAllister and moved away, Dax would become the next Alpha.
Dax would never give her permission to marry Austin. He would take the Cunninghams back to war against the Farrells before he buried the hatchet. Aurora shuddered. She couldn’t let phantoms of the past dampen her excitement about the future. Just a little longer, and she would convince Walker the same way Star and Brody had.
Chapter 12
Austin slammed his truck hood shut and slid behind the wheel. He fired up the engine and swung the driver’s door closed. He put the truck in gear and used the front end to slowly push Bain’s smashed pick-up off the road until it toppled into the ditch.
He reversed back onto the road and headed for home. He hung his arm through the driver’s window and turned the radio up to its loudest level. He beat the steering wheel in time to the music and shouted to the skies. He was going home to get permission to marry Aurora Cunningham! This was the happiest day of his life!
The last week with her in his den had passed like a dream. He never believed a Bruin could experience so much pleasure and contentment, but a shadow of doubt hung over every day and night. Her angelic skin and her delicious juices mingling with his couldn’t drive that shadow away.
He didn’t want to admit to himself that the old feud between their tribes could haunt their happiness so much. Didn’t the Cunninghams and the Farrells learn anything from Star and Brody? Would the old animosities rise again to stain Bruins’ Peak with blood?
No one wished more than Austin that it wasn’t true, but in the end, he had no choice but to go back and face the firing squad. He couldn’t be completely happy with Aurora with that shade dogging their footsteps everywhere they went. They had to get their families’ approval before they settled down to the rest of their lives.
Every Bruin had to go through this process. Their people followed strict traditional rules for mating and inter-tribal alliances. Most Bruins met someone at a gathering or a wedding, and the rest was history. No one on Bruins’ Peak had to worry about this stupid feud nonsense – no one but the Farrells and the Cunninghams. That by itself gave the best reason under the sun to put this feud to rest once and for all.
He Austin’s truck skidded into the big shed in front of Farrell Homestead. He got out, slammed the door, and shoved his keys in his pocket. Suddenly, a rough voice bellowed out of the gloom, “Where the dickens have you been? Don’t you know I needed your help around here the last week? I thought you were through with all that running around.”
Austin spun around to confront Brody. “Hey, man. Good to see you again.”
Brody swelled out his shoulders. “I asked you a question. Where have you been? You can’t just run off and leave me in the lurch like that. Don’t let me start thinking you’ve gone back to being an unreliable toad.”
Austin stiffened. “You said yourself I had better things to do,” his tone almost emotionless.
Brody frowned. Then his countenance cleared and he nodded, “Oh, yeah. Okay.”
Austin scratched the back of his neck. “Actually, I’m glad you’re here. I want to talk to you about something.”
Brody stepped around him and gave the dented side panel of the truck a kick. “Did you have to smash up the truck like that? Couldn’t you just bump him off the road or something?”
Austin inspected the damage. “Sorry, man. I got carried away by the moment,” he responded contritely.
“You always get carried away by the moment. You gotta use your head more,” Brody scolded him.
“I already feel bad enough about crashing the truck and hurting Aurora. You don’t have to rub my nose in it,” Austin stated, biting back on his anger.
“You should feel bad about hurting Aurora, but who is going to fix this truck? I should dock your wages for this,” Brody continued using the same schoolmaster tone.
“I’ll fix it. You don’t have to dock my wages, ‘cuz I’ll pay for the damage. I never expected you to bail me out,” Austin stated firmly, looking Brody straight in the eyes.
“Alright; I can accept that. Now come on up to the house. Ma wants to see you.” Brody ordered.
“I don’t want to see Ma,” was Austin’s quick response.
Brody slapped him on the shoulder. “You better see her. She’s your own mother, and you won’t get another one,” he expressed one brother to another.
“Not after the way she bad-mouthed Aurora. She can take her filthy ways and sit on it,” Austen roughly replied.
“You can’t stop talking about Aurora. You’re really stuck on her, aren’t you?” Brody cocked an eyebrow at him, knowingly.
“That’s what I want to tal
k to you about. I want to ask you…”
Brody held up his hand. “Stop right there. We’re not talking about anything until you come up to the house and make yourself agreeable. When you get yourself reintegrated into this family, then you can come around asking me things.” Brody stated, setting the rules.
“Do I have to?” Austin entreated.
“Of course you have to. Are you a part of this family or not?” Brody asked unwaveringly.
“Yeah, but…” Austin tried again to begin pleading his case.
“You can’t just slope off for a week without a word to anyone and expect to stroll back in here like you were never gone.” Brody declared, not giving an inch.
“I’ve sloped off for longer than that, and you never made any fuss about it,” Austin stated in frustration.
“That was before you went hunting Bain Campbell, crashing your truck on the side of the road and raising Cain all over the mountain. You’ve got some catching up to do before you start calling in favors,” Brody asserted sharply.
“Who said anything about calling in favors? I only want what I’m entitled to,” Austin argued.
“You’re only entitled to something if you’re part of this family. Now get up to the house and take a shower.”
“I don’t need a shower. I’ve been swimming every day this week.”
“Take a shower anyway before you go say hello to Ma; and don’t let me hear you give her any static about Aurora. You knew how she felt about the Cunninghams before you ever brought Aurora here,” Brody warned his younger brother.
“What was I supposed to do – leave her to bleed on the side of the road? Ma welcomed Aurora here dozens of times when she came to visit you and Star. I don’t see why she has to get all testy about her now.” Austin knew his hands were completely tied.
“If you can’t understand that, you’re not anywhere near ready to ask me anything. Now get out of here. I’m not talking to you again until after supper tonight. Got that?” Brody asked, not really needing an answer.
Austin tucked his tail between his legs. Why did Brody have to throw his Alpha weight around so much? Austin hated him when he did that, and his old rebellious streak flared up in his soul. He should throw Brody’s hand back in his face, sass his mother, and hit the dusty trail.
Even as he entertained those thoughts, he knew he would do no such thing. He already knew, before he drove back into his Homestead, that Brody would knuckled down hard on him before he ever let him mention Aurora’s name in conversation.
If Austin wanted to marry Aurora Cunningham and take his place as a man on Bruins’ Peak along with the rest of the Bruins, he had to find his place in the family hierarchy. He had to show everybody he could follow the rules and maintain his family relationships in the face of conflict. He had to prove he could keep his head instead of blowing up at the drop of a hat. Brody knew that better than anybody.
Austin had expected this, but it still chafed his nerves to be ordered around like a schoolboy in short pants. Do this: do that; do the other thing. When would he ever earn the respect he deserved from his Alpha and his family? He would earn it when he earned it. He would earn it when he deserved it. He would be treated like a responsible male Bruin when he became one, and he wouldn’t marry Aurora until he earned that privilege, too.
He worked hard to build his den to welcome her. He would work hard to build this, too. What was the sense in marrying the woman of his dreams if he couldn’t bring her home to his family in peace and happiness?
He went up to the house, but didn’t see Star or his mother anywhere. He climbed the stairs to his old room, took a shower, and changed his clothes. He selected a nice pair of khaki dress pants instead of jeans, and he put on a button-down shirt instead of his usual tank top. He combed his hair and trimmed his beard in the bathroom mirror.
He barely recognized himself with longer hair and a full beard. He never would have chosen this look for himself if he hadn’t been out with Aurora for a week. Now that he saw himself in the mirror, though, he liked what he saw. He saw the man he wanted to be, a man with a future, a man with a family depending on him, a man with a wife. He looked like a Bruin instead of a hollow-eyed scarecrow.
He went back downstairs, and Star smiled at him from the breakfast table. “Welcome back, Austin,” she said cheerfully.
“Thank you, Star. It’s good to be back,” Austin responded in kind.
“Did you have a nice time?” Her eyes glowed with that knowing shine. She was his sister in more ways than one. She knew where he spent the last week, and she was happy for him.
“I had a great time, but I can see I still have some work to do around here. How have you and Brody been keeping while I was away?” He asked seriously.
“Brody missed you a lot. He depends on you more than you realize,” she answered truthfully.
“I realize it now. I won’t stay away anymore,” Austin promised.
Star set out the plates and a pitcher of iced tea. “It will be good to have you around more. You’re an important part of this family,” she answered, letting him know she believed him.
“Thank you for saying so. Do you know where my Ma is?” Austin asked lightly.
“She hasn’t come out of her room yet. She’s… well, she’s been pretty upset since you left,” Star quietly replied.
Austin’s head shot up. Star’s expression told him everything he needed to know. His mother was still upset about him bringing Aurora here. Star and Brody might accept a match between them, but Mona never would.
Mona would hold onto her hatred for the Cunninghams until the day she died. She considered it her duty to her dead husband to keep the war going for his sake. Duke Farrell gave the best years of his life to fighting the Cunninghams. Mona didn’t care if the new generation wanted to put the feud behind them. She belonged to the generation that lived and died by the feud. She would never give it up.
Star served breakfast and set little Hector in his high chair with a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs in front of him. Brody came in from the barn, washed his hands, and sat down across from Austin. He scrutinized Austin’s clothes, hair and beard, but said nothing. At least he didn’t send Austin back upstairs to scrub behind his ears. He must have approved of Austin’s appearance.
Austin used his best table manners when Star served his breakfast. He even put his napkin in his lap and kept his elbows off the table. He never used those manners before, but at least he learned them when his mother taught him as a boy.
No one could say the same for Hector. The boy banged his spoon on his high chair tray and shouted for what he wanted. Austin smiled at him. He recognized another Bruin in the making. Hector would be running wild on the mountain in a few short years. He would set the place on fire the way any good Bruin boy did, and another generation would rise to take over.
Austin observed the boy out of the corner of his eye. After the week he just spent in his den with Aurora, he could have one or two of these little ones himself before very long. With any luck, Hector would grow up with Austin and Aurora’s kids. Austin would be the father keeping his kids in line and telling them to wash behind their ears before they came to the table for meals.
Star and Brody talked about taking Hector to the fair in town. Some of the other Bruin kids were going, and Star wanted to take Hector with them, but Brody wanted to take his own car. He had errands to run in town and didn’t want to wait around for someone else to be ready to leave when he wanted to come home.
So that’s what a married couple talked about around the breakfast table. They had to negotiate a thousand minute details of their own lives and their kids’ lives. They had to work around each other and hammer out the logistics of where everyone went and when and how they would get there and get back.
He put himself in Brody’s place and Aurora in Star’s place. He repeated the conversation between them about their first-born son, and his heart flipped with a fresh flutter of excitement. He would be married with c
hildren, living the Bruin dream.
In the middle of this scene of domestic bliss, Mona stomped out of her bedroom. The instant she appeared, the conversation died. Even Hector sat still and munched his bacon in silence. Star pushed her scrambled eggs to one side of her plate and then pushed them back the other way. She didn’t look up.
Mona puttered around the kitchen. She opened drawers and slammed them closed. She opened the fridge and humphed at the contents, but she didn’t take anything out. Only Brody remained unphased by her antics. He threw his arm over the back of his chair and called out. “All the food’s over here, Ma. Come and get some bacon before Austin eats it all.”
Austin turned bright red, but he didn’t say anything. Star shot Austin a secret smile and suppressed it again before anyone saw it.
Mona made her way over to the table and yanked out a chair between Brody and Hector. The boy tried to smile at his grandmother, but she kept her lips pooched out and her eyebrows knit. She scooped eggs and bacon onto her plate and started eating without a word.
Brody jerked his chin at Austin. “You did a good job on that lumber for the tannery. Now I want you to log out the old timber lot down on the south slope. I want you to clear all the old pine stumps and get it ready to plant out in Douglas Firs.”
Austin’s eyes widened. “That’s a big job for one man working alone,” he remarked.
“I’m sure you can handle it,” Brody replied assuredly.
“I was thinking about Mattox. How long is he planning to stay at the Mackenzies’?” Austin asked conversationally.
Brody raised an eyebrow. “Are you telling me you can’t handle it?”
Austin shrugged one shoulder. “I can handle it, alright. I just thought maybe you might want it done faster, in which case, you might want another man on the job. That’s all I’m saying.”
“I’m giving this job to you. I don’t want another man on the job. I want to see you do it ‘cuz I know you’ll do it right,” Brody calmly replied.
Austin helped himself to another slab of bacon. “Oh, I’ll do it.”
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