by T. S. Ryder
Cynthia shrugged. “I just realized that everything I was doing with my life was because other people expected it of me, not because I wanted it.”
And that included her marriage. She nearly winced as she thought about Michael. She had really dragged him through hell as she was figuring out herself. Not that he had been any easier on her, not knowing what he wanted from life, either. It still made her sad that things hadn’t worked out, even though she knew it was for the best. What they wanted out of life was just too different. She was grateful that they had been smart and that she hadn’t gotten pregnant as teenage newlyweds.
“Well, here we are.” Ruby pulled into a gravel driveway that led to a simple, white-painted house. It was in need of a few minor repairs but looked pretty good overall. Ruby stopped the truck and they climbed out.
A man stepped from the house and Cynthia’s heart did a few flip-flops. She had seen his picture, but nothing compared to this image. Heat rushed to her face. He was shirtless, wearing a pair of low-slung jeans. Darkly tanned skin gleamed with a freshly-washed shine. As her eyes trailed over his sculpted abs, tracing the deep V that disappeared into his waistband, her mouth went dry. Her nostrils flared, as though trying to pull in his scent right now.
“Ruby.” Tyrell’s voice was deep. It made her insides twist and a flash of heat flared under her skin. When she looked up at his face, though, she saw that it was set into an annoyed scowl. “What did you do?”
Startled, Cynthia glanced over at Ruby to see that she had an angelic smile on her face.
“Tyrell, this is Cynthia. The nanny you hired.”
Tyrell pinched the bridge of his nose. “Ruby—”
“What? You’re busy and I’m going to college soon. You need a nanny.”
Cynthia’s eyes widened as she watched the exchange. A twist of unease made her grow cold and she clutched at her suitcase. “I… we’ve been chatting online for a few weeks…”
Tyrell sent Ruby a furious glance. His gaze softened when he looked back at Cynthia. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience, Miss… I’m afraid my sister here has deceived you. I have not been looking for a nanny and you and I have not been chatting.”
“But… but I wiped out my savings to get here…”
Her mind whirled. So she had come out here on false pretenses? She had wiped out her savings and taken a huge leap. Now she was going to tumble around in the dirt. She shuffled on the spot. If she didn’t have a job, then she had no money. What was she going to do? Her parents were going to be full of ‘I told you so’s over this. They had warned her that heading across the country to work for a man she didn’t even know was a bad idea.
She’d have to figure something out. She did not want to call them and start begging for help!
Tyrell glared at Ruby as he came down the steps. He strode over to Cynthia and took the suitcase. His nostrils flared and a look of shock flitted across his face. Cynthia stared at him as he opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Clearing his throat, he gestured to the house. “Well… I’m sorry to hear that. About your savings, I mean. You can stay here until you figure out what you’ll do now. I am very sorry for my sister’s deception. She will pay for your return home.”
Ruby snorted. “Sure. Whatever. I have to go.”
“Ruby—” Tyrell cut himself off as Ruby jumped into the truck and peeled out of the driveway like a bat out of hell. He grumbled under his breath, then gestured for Cynthia toward the house. “I am sorry about this. Ruby is always inserting herself into other people’s business.”
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
Tyrell gestured at the house. “Come on inside. I’ve got an empty room anyway… and you look like you could use a rest.”
Cynthia nodded again. The gravity of the situation was starting to crash down on her as Tyrell led her into the house. It was cluttered and messy, in desperate need of a good clean. Her parents thought she was a quitter since she had ended her marriage and quit vet school, but the truth was far more complicated than that. As she looked at everything that needed to be done in the house, though, she started to wonder if she had a chance at making this work after all.
It was clear that Tyrell had no time to take care of his house. She just had to take the step to prove that he needed her. The question was, did she want to stay on the island when she had been lured out on a lie?
By the time they got upstairs and he had put her suitcase on a very dusty bed, she had made up her mind.
“Mr. Jarvis,” she said, turning to him. “I know that I was not expected here, but if you send me away now, you will be losing a very valuable employee. I have extensive experience with taking care of children, and I also have experience with living on a farm. I know that it’s hard to keep on top of the household things when you’re busy out in the field all day long. Furthermore—”
“Miss.” Tyrell held up a hand. “I’m sure that Ruby did her proper research when she chose you. But I don’t need a nanny or a helper. I’m sorry. That’s just how it is.”
“My name is Cynthia,” she mumbled, then straightened her shoulders. No cowering. No accepting defeat. “Well, it’s not like I have anywhere to go right now. At least let me do some work while I’m staying here.”
Tyrell sighed. “Fine, you can do that. But this isn’t a job. I’m sorry, but that’s just how it’s going to be. I’ll leave you to get settled.”
He stepped out, closing the door after him. Cynthia let out a shaky breath. She glanced around the room, her heart sinking. Well. This wasn’t what she had been expecting. But then… She started to roll up her sleeves. Until she was back on a boat floating away, there was always the chance to change Tyrell’s mind. And she was going to. If it was the last thing she did, she would stay on this island.
Chapter Two – Tyrell
He could hear Cynthia move around the kitchen, humming to herself as she cleaned up. She had already tidied the living room and had dusted everything. The place hadn’t looked this clean in months.
Tyrell hesitated as he sat at his computer, going over the books. Part of him wanted to invite her to just relax for a bit, the other part wanted to see what she was doing now. It was the day after Ruby had brought her to his home, and he wasn’t sure what to do with her. It wasn’t like he could just kick her out when she didn’t have anywhere to go.
He had argued with Ruby all night over it. His sister had shown him Cynthia’s resume and references, telling him over and over again that he needed someone like her in his life. If he had been looking for a nanny, she was the one he’d have picked.
But she wasn’t a shifter. She didn’t even know about shifters; Ruby hadn’t told her. What was he meant to do when Tamara, his daughter, started to shift? True, she hadn’t started yet, but Tamara was an early bloomer at almost anything. It wouldn’t surprise him if she started shifting soon. If he kept Cynthia on as a nanny and housekeeper, then he’d have to deal with a human woman freaking out after finding out that everybody on the island could turn into bears. Who needed that sort of stress?
Besides which, he didn’t need a nanny.
His radio beeped at him, and his alpha’s voice came over the line. “Tyrell, come in.”
Tyrell sighed. Out here, far off the coast of California, cell service was spotty on the best of days. Only a handful of the people on the island actually used cellphones. It was mostly landlines and radios. Right now, he wished he had left his radio turned off.
He answered anyway. “Hey, Ricky. What’s up?”
He could imagine the alpha rolling his eyes at that, but only smirked. As Ricky’s second, he could get away with a lot more than the others on the island, because Ricky knew he had his back no matter what.
“We need to inspect the herds. You forgot?”
He had. Tyrell let out a harsh curse and leaped to his feet. “I’ll be right there.”
He clipped the radio to his belt and turned off the computer, then headed for the stairs. It w
as still early in the morning, so he’d have to wake Tamara up and then make a travel cup of oatmeal for her, so he could get going to meet Ricky right away.
Tyrell slowed as more noise came from the kitchen. Cynthia was very qualified, and Tamara had been grumpier than usual lately… she could use more sleep. Did he dare leave her with a stranger though? The references Ruby had shoved in his face came back to him and he made up his mind. He turned on his heel and marched to the kitchen. To his surprise, he found that his heart was beating faster than normal.
“Cynthia,” he grunted when he entered. She looked up from what she was working on—buns?—and gave him a small smile. Tyrell shifted foot to foot. “Uh, so I have to go. I was hoping that it would be okay if I could get you to watch Tamara until I came back. This doesn’t mean that I’m hiring you.”
A flash of hope was quickly followed by disappointment. Cynthia brushed her dark hair from her face and smiled. For a moment he was lost in the depth of her eyes. When her gaze turned quizzical, he grunted out his thanks and turned on his heel. Dammit. Ruby had known exactly what she was doing. Now that Cynthia was here, and he knew she had nowhere to go and no money to get there, he couldn’t just turn her away.
So now the question was, how was he going to pay her?
He grabbed his hat and left the house, considering the question. Perhaps, if he gave her free room and board, then they’d be able to work something out. He didn’t have a lot of expendable money at the end of the month, but if he tightened up some areas… biked to work a little more often, or carpooled… he’d have to increase how much money was spent on food, though. He got a lot of what they needed out of the ground, but there were only so many potatoes one could eat.
How much would a reasonable salary look like? If she didn’t have any rent to pay and didn’t have to buy food, would then five hundred be enough? She would have to have her expenses. What would they be? Clothes, phone… gas, maybe.
Of course, there was the chance that Ruby didn’t want him to have a nanny for Tamara at all. Knowing his sister, this could very well be her trying to set him up with a mate.
The thought sent an unpleasant shiver down his spine. The image of Cynthia flashed through his mind again. Short, curled hair. Bright eyes. A smile that knocked the wind out of him simply by existing. Lips so full and red that he’d had a hard time not staring at them. If this was Ruby trying to set him up… he was in for the fight of his life.
Tyrell shook those thoughts from his head as he arrived. Ricky was already waiting for him. His alpha gave him an annoyed glance, and then they took Ricky’s truck to go out and check the herds of cattle. There wasn’t a lot of room on the island for pasture, and so they circulated which fields grew crops or were used for the cattle year by year.
“Kyra caught the bull in with the heifers this morning,” Ricky said once they arrived. “Again. He already got that one pregnant. We’ll have to watch carefully to see if any of the others got pregnant, too.”
Inexplicably, the image of Cynthia, her belly round and hard with pregnancy, floated through his mind.
“Tyrell?”
He jumped and turned to his alpha. “Yes.”
Ricky arched a brow. “Really? You’re going to pretend like you didn’t just space out?”
“Uh…” Heat crept up his cheeks and he kicked the ground. “Sorry. Ruby’s gone and hired me a nanny. I think she’s trying to set me up.”
Ricky burst out laughing. Tyrell ground his teeth. Ever since his alpha had gotten his mates, he’d been a much more relaxed and humorous guy. It was nice. He hadn’t lost his temper once, especially after their son was born. Either way, Tyrell didn’t appreciate getting laughed at in this situation.
“Sorry.” Ricky rubbed his eyes, still chuckling. “Ruby was telling Diana and Kurtis the other day that you didn’t have a proper helper. Still. A nanny? I thought she’d already cycled through all the women on the island.”
“She did,” Tyrell said dryly. “This woman she got, she’s from New York. And she’s human.”
Ricky’s expression sobered. “Human? Dammit, that’s the sort of thing we alphas needed to know about. Does the human know that we’re shifters?”
“No. Ruby said she didn’t tell her.”
Ricky thought for a moment, then shook his head. “I’ll have to bring this to the other alphas. Ruby’s gone too far. Setting you up is one thing, but bringing a human to the island without her knowing that we’re shifters? Not that there are many options left for bachelors here,” he added with a thoughtful expression. “And Diana took the news of shifters well… Hmm. Having a human mate might be something to consider.”
“Don’t say you’re going to try to make me take a mate, too!” Tyrell groaned. “I don’t need to settle down. I get what I need when I go to the mainland. Human women are great and all, but I don’t want a mate.”
A flash crossed his alpha’s face, but it was gone in an instant. “Having a mate is… very satisfying. There are things you do with each other that you can’t really do with a stranger.”
“Like you’d know what you can do with a stranger. You’ve only slept with two people in your whole life and they’re both your mates.”
Ricky’s face flushed darker but he grinned, flashing his teeth. “Maybe I should have you talk with the other alphas, then. Kurtis went to the mainland every weekend before Diana came into our lives.”
“And now he’s got two mates himself. Or four. I’m still not sure how this whole thing with you and the queen works.” Tyrell shook his head. Diana was the queen of the island, mated to the four alphas of the four clans. It had been good for the island. The bears of the separate clans were slowly integrating into one giant clan. Still, sharing one woman with three other guys? He didn’t understand it at all. “And you don’t even know who fathered the child.”
“I don’t need to know. He’s my son, just as much as he’s the others’ son.” Ricky grinned toward the herd now. “There is nothing like fatherhood.”
Some of the tension in Tyrell’s body eased. “I’ll give you that. I don’t know what I’d be if I didn’t have Tamara. She’s the one steady bright light in my life.”
Ricky nodded. There was a soft smile on his face that had been there almost permanently since the little boy had been born. For a moment, the two men stood there in their own thoughts. Tamara’s mother had been a fling. His parents had recently been lost at sea; Angela had given him some solace, a warm body to hold at night to keep the nightmares at bay. Love had never been in either of their minds.
At least, he hadn’t thought it was. For Angela, their fling had meant more. And that was how she ended up on a boat in the middle of a storm. Yet another life claimed by the sea. There had been many, many deaths due to the ocean over the years. When he was still in his teens, nearly all bears his age had been orphaned. They had struggled, with the few adults left, to continue on their island. It was only now that they were actually figuring how to really progress instead of fighting not to starve to death.
“Well. Let’s get going.” Ricky jerked his head toward the herd.
They continued, inspecting all the herds to make sure they were in good health. By the time they were finished, the sun was high in the sky, hovering directly overhead. Things were looking as they normally did, although the fact that the bull had gotten in with the heifers—young females that hadn’t had calves yet and were still too young to safely give birth—was worrisome.
As they discussed what they would do if any of the heifers had gotten pregnant, a black Cadillac suddenly came roaring up the road. The cattle headed deeper into pasture, disturbed by the noise. Tyrell frowned as he saw who it was. James Smith. He was one of the few older men who had survived the storms that claimed most of the islanders’ parents.
Tyrell tensed, his muscles hardening, when James pulled to a stop beside them. James’ face was twisted in hatred as he jumped from the car. His nostrils flared as he marched over to the two of them.
“What of it?” Tyrell wasn’t about to say that it was Ruby, not him.
Not when dealing with this guy. When the alphas announced that they were all going to mate the same human woman, Smith had tried to get the clans to mutiny against them. He’d stirred up a lot of shit, and it was only because the alphas were so well respected and Diana was so supportive of their traditions and culture that his actions never went anywhere.
“You brought a human onto our island,” Smith repeated, spitting in fury. “Humans drove us out of our homes and stole our lives all throughout history, and you think it’s a good idea to bring one onto the island? As if it’s not bad enough to have one mated to our alphas!”
Here Ricky growled.
Tyrell flexed his muscles and stepped closer to Smith. “Yeah. One is mated to our alphas. She is our queen. My human is here on a trial basis. She doesn’t know about shifters yet and it’s going to stay that way. At least for now.”
“How dare you—”
“We have almost three times as many men on this island than women,” Tyrell snarled. He didn’t like Smith’s general attitude, and he certainly wasn’t going to leave Cynthia open for any sort of attack by this idiot. “The shifter gene is dominant. If one parent is a shifter, the child is a shifter. If we’re going to survive as a culture and community, we’re going to have to integrate human women into our society.”
Smith stared at him, aghast. He turned to Ricky. “Is this what the alphas are up to? Destroying our bloodlines with… with… that?”
Tyrell continued before Ricky could speak. Of course, there had been no discussion at all about human women being brought to the island. Smith didn’t need to know that, though. He pushed the older bear back.
“Cynthia Jones is my guest and my employee.” His bear growled protectively. “And you’re not to go anywhere near her. Understood?”
Smith snarled under his breath, bristling. He didn’t speak, though. Good for him. Tyrell wasn’t sure he’d have been able to hold back if Smith had said anything else about Cynthia being human—as if that made her somehow inherently dangerous!