He heaved the suitcase into the trunk. “You didn’t need to. Now get in. I’m taking you home.”
He drove around the Peak and pulled up in front of MacAllister Homestead. He took her suitcase out and set it on the grass, but he left the motor running. “Don’t you want to come inside to see Briar and Grace?” Natalie asked.
“I’ll come by later. I have some business to take care of first.”
She didn’t have to ask what that was. He was going hunting after Rhys again. He kissed her on the forehead one last time. “Tell Silas I’ll be by later to talk to him.”
“Good-bye, Riskin.”
He got in his car and drove away.
91. Chapter 16
Silas sat on the living room couch with Walker Cunningham and Brody Farrell at his side. Mattox Farrell, Laird Kerr, and Jasper Dunlap sat opposite him on the other couch. Boyd and Aiken Dunlap occupied the armchairs to his right and left, and Austin Farrell leaned against a corner of the wall behind Brody.
Walker murmured in Silas’s ear. “You know we’ll back you against anything. You just let us know what you need. You can call on us anytime, for anything. You know that.”
At that moment, the front door opened and Natalie walked in. She wheeled her suitcase behind her. Her eyes swept the room, and a flash of recognition crossed her face. No one had to explain to her what was going on.
She didn’t have to explain to Silas, either. That suitcase said it all. She cut her last ties to her old tribe. She moved in here for good. She was his wife, his mate, his partner in life.
For an instant, they locked eyes, but she didn’t say anything. She knew better than to come near him right now.
Silas didn’t face Walker when he answered. He kept his voice low and mumbled out the side out his mouth. “Thank you. I’ll do that. I better tell you guys straight up. Rhys Dodd is making trouble again. He already showed up here twice. He got in a fight with Shaw and would have killed him.”
“I hope you gave him a whipping he’ll never forget,” Mattox snarled.
Silas shook his head. “Riskin did it for me. He wants to take responsibility for Rhys. I’m sure that’s the reason he’s not here now. If anyone is going to whoop Rhys, it should be Riskin.”
Laird nodded. “That’s as it should be. We should send Riskin a message of support, too. If he needs help with Rhys, he can call on any of us.”
“He doesn’t need any help,” Jasper replied. “He’s beaten Rhys enough times, Rhys should know better than to act up like this.”
“Rhys should know we would all stand behind you,” Brody told Silas. “He’ll have nowhere left on this Peak to run. Every door will be shut against him, and every hand will turn against him.”
“There must be a way to bring him in,” Aiken suggested. “I could go out and have a talk with him. I’m not an Alpha. He might listen to me.”
“If you think it will help, go ahead,” Silas told him.
“Don’t go anywhere near him,” Jasper countered. “Leave this to Riskin. He wants to handle it, and he will.”
“I have something else to tell you,” Silas said.
Every face turned toward him.
“I’m marrying Natalie Dodd," he told them. "Riskin approves. She’s moving in here today.”
The men whirled around to stare at Natalie. Then they all jumped to their feet at once. They mobbed Silas and pumped his hand. They all exclaimed and congratulated him.
Silas suppressed a smile, but he couldn’t answer all the questions coming at him at once. He didn’t have to. The other Alphas didn’t expect answers. They only wanted to express their congratulations.
Silas climbed to his feet. Those powerful men swirled all around him. He’d known and respected them all his life. Now, they respected him in return and made him one of them. Their handshakes and their slaps on his back and shoulders made him Alpha of his tribe.
He caught sight of Natalie over Mattox’s shoulder. She watched the meeting until the men started laughing. She saw them shower Silas with words of support and acceptance. The deed was done.
Behind their backs, she parked her suitcase by the front door and went into the kitchen. She bustled around and got a bunch of the gifted food out of the refrigerator. She heated it up and set it on the table, along with a stack of plates and a pile of cutlery.
Silas waited until she got everything ready. He extended his arms on either side. “Come on over and get something to eat.”
The gathering dissolved into a social occasion. The men ate and talked about all things related to the Peak. The tension diffused to peaceful comradery. Natalie worked in the background. She kept food on the table as long as anybody returned to eat it. She served drinks and cleaned up.
The Alphas congratulated her, too, and she accepted their well-wishes graciously. She blushed and lowered her eyelids in the most charming way. Anybody could see she was made for this. She worked with Silas to put everyone at ease.
Three hours passed. Briar and Grace came downstairs, but Riskin still didn’t show his face. Briar whispered to Natalie behind the men’s backs, but the men and women stayed separate. Briar knew exactly what was going on.
Silas moved between his fellow Alphas. He exchanged pleasantries with each one. He asked after their families and inquired into their businesses and the state of their tribes in general. Now that he was an Alpha, too, he had to stay on top of every detail happening all over the Peak. He had to know who was marrying whom, who was working for whom, and how every project progressed.
At long last, Laird Kerr set down his plate of carrot cake. “Well, I could stand here jawing all day long, but I have work to do at home. Congratulations again, you two. I’ll see you tomorrow for the funeral. You’ve got my number, Silas. Don’t hesitate to call on me.”
“Thank you, Sir. I will do that.”
Laird laughed. “You don’t have to call me that anymore. We’re equals now.”
Laird shook Silas’s hand and walked out. His departure signaled the other Alphas to take their leave, too. One by one, they gave Silas their kind words and headed to the door.
After the last visitor departed, Grace went outside to play. Natalie carried the dirty dishes to the sink, but Briar stepped into her path. “You’ve done the dishes enough times in the last three days, Natalie. Let me do them this time.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind doing them.”
Briar pushed her out of the way. “You take your suitcase upstairs and get unpacked. We’ll have a few hours of peace and quiet before we have to start getting ready for the funeral, so you better take advantage of them while you can.”
Silas grabbed Natalie’s suitcase. “Yeah, Natalie. Come upstairs, and I’ll help you unpack.”
Natalie looked back and forth between them, but Silas didn’t wait for her. He set off for the stairs, the suitcase wheels bumping each step.
Natalie trailed after him. He didn’t look back at her. He pretended not to see her. He lifted the suitcase onto his bed and unzipped it. “Now, let’s see what you have here. I want to see every pair of underwear you brought with you.”
She jumped forward and slammed the lid closed on his arm. “Don’t you dare, Mister.”
He laughed at her and grabbed her around the waist. “You didn’t really think I was going to go through your underwear on the very first day of our married life together, did you?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I wouldn’t put it past you.”
He stood back to regard her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t tease you. I’m just so happy you’re here.”
She relaxed into his arms. “I’m happy, too.” She sat down on the bed and threw back the case lid. “If you really want to see my underwear, you can.”
He took a step sideways to stand in front of her. “I don’t want to. I just wanted to get you up here alone for a few minutes. Briar is right. We won’t be alone together through the whole funeral. We better take the chances while we can.”
She g
azed up at him. He stroked her cheeks and combed his fingers through her hair. This blessed girl meant more to him than he dared admit to himself. He couldn’t face the future without her.
The rest of Bruins’ Peak would gather for his parents’ funeral tomorrow. He could only face them and hold himself straight and true knowing he had her to come back to. After everybody left, after the women washed all the dishes and said their last good-byes, Silas would come up to this room. Natalie would sit on his bed, their bed, the way she did now. She would gaze up at him, and he would find sustenance in her eyes.
She made him Alpha enough to do this. She made him man enough to live the years of his life. She was ten times stronger than him. He was nothing without her.
Her lips parted to answer, but he didn’t give her a chance. He bent down and kissed her. She sank back against his kiss, and his weight fell on top of her.
92. Chapter 17
Natalie made dinner that night with food brought from all over the Peak. Briar peered into a pan of lasagna. “Don’t tell me. This came from Haven Farrell.”
Natalie waved toward the fridge. “There’s more food in there than we could eat in a month. I don’t know what we’re gonna do with it.”
“We can repurpose it for the funeral,” Dana chimed in. “That’s what they’re bringing it for. They don’t expect us to front up for all the funeral refreshments. People will bring more tomorrow morning. There will be plenty to take care of everybody, plus enough for us to eat for a few days afterwards.”
At that moment, someone knocked on the front door. Shaw answered it, and Riskin entered. “How are you all holding up?”
“Pretty good, considering.” Silas pulled out a chair. “Sit down and help us polish off this food.”
Riskin held himself stiff in the doorway. “I didn’t come here to eat your food. I came here to ask you a favor.”
Silas turned all the way around in his seat and set his elbow on the back of his chair. He finished the mouthful he was chewing. “What favor is that?”
“I want you to let me stay here with Grace and Briar. Now that your pop is dead, I should be with them for the funeral, and I can’t find Rhys. He’s bound to come back, and I want to be on hand when he does. I don’t want to take the chance of being anywhere else. I want to be here to stop him from even entering your Homestead.”
Grace leapt out of her chair. “Yay! Daddy’s here!”
Briar pulled her back down and tried to shush her. Silas wiped his mouth on a napkin. “Sure, you can stay. I wondered why you didn’t come sooner. Now sit down and eat and quit haunting the doorway like some kind of shadow.”
He turned back around and resumed eating. Riskin settled into the chair Silas pulled out for him. As soon as he sat down, the whole family relaxed. Everyone present had their mate at their side. They were three couples together.
While she ate, Natalie scribbled notes on a sheet of paper next to her plate. Riskin peered over at it. “What are you writing?”
“I’m making a list for the funeral. I’ve got to send out formal invitations to the Alphas and their families. Everybody else will come on their own, but there’s still a lot of planning to do.”
Briar set Grace in Riskin’s lap and stood up. “I better go check on Ma.”
Natalie bent over her list. Since coming back from Dodd Homestead, a thousand details flooded her mind. She planned and schemed for the future, and she made notes to herself so she wouldn’t forget anything.
A moment later, Briar reappeared. She slumped into her seat and stared at her hands in her lap. “Ma’s gone, too.”
The others exchanged glances. This was nothing they hadn’t seen coming for days now. Natalie picked up her pen and wrote a large note at the top of her paper. Josiah Farrell phoned Silas when Don first got sick to say he would handle building the old man’s coffin. Natalie made a note to herself to call him about the second one, but Josiah was a smart man. He would have understood the need to build two, even if no one knew for certain when they would need it.
Grace squalled her bedtime squall, and Briar took her upstairs. Dana got up from the table. Her little boy clung to her and whimpered. “We’ll say good night now, too,” Shaw told Silas. “We’ll see you all in the morning.”
Silas’s phone rang for the millionth time. He went to the living room to answer it, but Natalie didn’t listen to his conversation. She pressed the end of her pen against her lips while she thought about planning the funeral.
Riskin’s voice broke in on her thoughts. “Why don’t you combine the double funeral with your wedding? The whole mountain will be here, anyway, and this funeral will mark Silas’s investiture as Alpha. Make it ten times huger than it has to be. If you have a wedding, too, it will be the biggest event Bruins’ Peak has seen in a long time.”
Natalie smiled, but she shook her head. “I don’t want a wedding, especially not one that will be a funeral. I just want to start living my life as Silas’s wife.”
He nodded toward her list. “You’re already doing that. You’re taking over.”
She beamed at him. “I feel like I’m finally in my element. I feel like I’m where I belong.”
All of a sudden, a frown crossed her face. Riskin cocked his head. “Then what’s wrong?”
“It’s Rhys. I can’t stop thinking about him. If I could only get him to make peace with Silas, I wouldn’t ask anything else. That’s the only thing missing.”
“I’m afraid no one can make Rhys do anything. If he wants to spoil it for the rest of us, no one can stop him.” Riskin stood up. “I better go check on Briar, but think about what I said. If you don’t want a wedding that’s a funeral, you could still have a wedding another time. I would give you a big Bruin wedding at Dodd Homestead with all the trimmings after all the funeral business is over. I want to make you as happy as you can be.”
He strolled upstairs, and the bedroom door shut down the hall. Natalie sat at the table and worked on her list. She didn’t have to think about a wedding. She didn’t want one at all, not even one after the funeral business ended.
The funeral business would never end. Silas taking over as Alpha would start at the funeral. In fact, it already started, even before the family buried Don and Iris. It would continue through the funeral and would begin in earnest as soon as the guests left.
Natalie had watched Riskin and Briar go through the whole thing when Addison died. When the guests went home, Briar rolled up her sleeves and started on the mountain of dirty dishes left in the kitchen sink. Riskin had gotten on the phone and started on the mountain of paper work left unattended on Addison’s desk. It didn’t stop. It just kept going, and it kept going for the next two years. It would continue forever, as long as Bruins lived on this Peak.
Even now, Silas’s voice came to her from the living room. It carried with that deep, commanding rumble he used when he talked on the phone. All of a sudden, it stopped. She didn’t turn around, but a curious silence descended over the room.
Natalie didn’t notice. She wrote another item on her list and edited another. She didn’t think of anything else until Silas’s hands landed on her shoulders. He kissed her hair, and she leaned back into him.
“Come upstairs,” he murmured.
He raised her from the table, but when she picked up her pen and paper, he took them out of her hands and put them back on the table before leading her out of the room. He turned off the lights behind him and left MacAllister Homestead in darkness.
They stole along the hall, but when they got to his room, he didn’t turn on the light. He guided her by the hand to the bed. He laid her down on it, but he didn’t undress her and touch her the way she expected him to.
He straightened her legs and climbed onto the quilt at her side. He took her in his arms in the dark and positioned her head on his shoulder. He said nothing and she didn’t break the silence. He just lay there and held her.
The night ticked away, but neither fell asleep. Natalie listened to Silas
breathing. He was right there. He was alive and strong. Tomorrow could bring any storm. They would weather it together.
One hour passed after another. The minutes clicked by on Silas's digital clock across the room. Natalie stared into the dark. Images, memories, and imaginings crossed her vision, but she never moved. She didn’t want to disturb him.
He must be seeing and feeling and experiencing the same thing. He must be seeing his future flash before his eyes. Tomorrow would make him an Alpha—and an orphan. He would never be his parents’ boy again. He would never rely on his father for support again.
Natalie’s power rose within her to match his. She held him and comforted him the same way he comforted and supported her with his exquisite embrace. He could give her so much more than she could get from anyone or anything else. He filled her up, and she gave the same power back to him. She fed him and nourished him and bolstered him.
93. Chapter 18
The Alphas stood in a ring with Silas at their head. Two wooden coffins sat on trestles in the living room, and the men formed a circle around it. The coffins dominated the whole house, and no one spoke above a murmur. Silas kept Shaw at his side and included him in everything as his second.
After the Alphas all shook Silas hand and offered their condolences, they stood in a circle with their seconds and discussed Peak news. “There must be a way to carve a road into that part of the forest,” Mattox said to Brody.
“Oh, there is,” Brody returned, “but I don’t like the idea of going all the way down Fraser’s Gully and back up the other side. The trucks would never make it up that grade with a full load of logs on.”
“Why don’t you move the mill to the other side of the Gully?” Austin suggested. "Then you’d be hauling milled lumber instead of tree trunks.”
“Think of the expense,” Brody countered.
On and on it went for the whole morning. Silas planted his legs wide and clasped his hands in front of him. He didn’t say much. He just listened to them plan and scheme and negotiate. This funeral was as much about negotiation between tribes as it was about burying anybody. Silas knew that, and they didn’t need him to negotiate. He was a figurehead, a focal point around which the whole occasion turned.
Bruins Peak Bears Box Set (Volume III) Page 59