by Anya Nowlan
That nagging feeling of guilt still gnawed at her, ever stronger each time she looked at Marcus and saw his surliness reflected so obviously against the serenity of the wilderness and the calm of the inhabitants of Shifter Grove. Though, she had to admit, he had begun doing things she never would have expected had they been back in New York. Without coaxing or prodding, Marcus had started taking long walks around the grounds, exploring the forests and the nearby hills. Most evenings, he would be gone for hours, and while Dahlia fretted and worried, Austin would chuckle and tell her to let boys be boys.
But as much as Marcus may have been improving, Dahlia still had to wonder if she was doing right by Arthur’s memory. Did she have the right to hope for something better in the future? Certainly not the same as she had had with him, but something perhaps similar?
Her train of thought was cut through as Austin parked the truck and Dahlia automatically undid the seat belt.
“This yours?” Marcus asked, pressing his hands against the window and staring up at the big sign above the bar.
Dahlia and Austin shared a conspiratorial look, amused by the fact that Marcus had uttered more than a single syllable for once.
“Yup. All mine. Austin’s Texas, the bar I thought would never be,” Austin said, chuckling as he got out of the truck.
Marcus jumped out after him and by the time Dahlia was done fussing with her purse, Austin had opened her door and extended his hand to her.
“I just thought you two should see where I spend most of my time these days,” he explained, helping her out of the truck.
All three of them walked inside after Austin unlocked the door and flipped the sign on in the window, declaring that they were open for business. Marcus stormed deeper into the bar, finding the pool table almost immediately, and Austin went to the bar to put on some lights. Dahlia undid the front of her jacket and browsed around, marveling at the fine handiwork and homey, but not overdone, interior. Everything in the bar looked like it had a purpose, down to the pictures on the walls and the maps dotted between them. It was obvious that Austin had put plenty of time figuring out exactly what he wanted and where.
A pang of regret rumbled through her. A long time ago, she’d had a dream of opening up her own business. That was what they had been saving for, so she could realize her dreams and become her own boss, not someone else’s hapless crony. But that dream had never materialized and now she was in her early thirties, still struggling like she had when she was twenty. It left a sour taste in her mouth, but Austin managed to wipe it away quickly.
Dahlia gasped as strong hands slipped around her from behind, pulling her against Austin’s strong body. He gently rested his chin on the top of her head, towering above her with his height.
“What are we looking at?” he asked conversationally, eyeing the map she’d been standing in front of.
“I’m not…sure, really,” Dahlia said, giggling.
Checking quickly that Marcus was out of sight, confirmed by the haphazard clicks of billiard balls hitting one another, Dahlia turned around and laid a kiss on Austin’s lips.
“Oh is that how it’s gonna be? Well, missy, you might get yourself in more trouble than you bargained for,” Austin grinned.
She was about to quip back something equally as smart when the little bell on the door jingled and Dahlia just about jumped out of Austin’s arms. He smirked at the suddenness of her reaction, giving her hand a quick squeeze before walking to the bar.
“You must have known I was in town tonight and that’s why you opened up!” Slate hollered, raising his hand in greeting to Austin and taking his hat off the moment he noticed Dahlia.
“At your service,” Austin said mockingly. “Evening, Teresa.”
“Evening, Austin,” Teresa, Slate’s wife and the owner of the local kindergarten, said. “I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure. Teresa Morenkov.”
Teresa reached out her hand, smiling warmly, and Dahlia took it and shook it gladly.
“Dahlia Roberts. Pleased to meet you,” Dahlia said, still a little flushed from that stolen kiss with Austin.
It was only maybe their third kiss, but she had come to yearn for them like they were life-giving water and she was dying of thirst. Which may have been a close enough description, seeing as how she’d completely forgotten how good it could feel being close to someone again.
“Are you new in town? I don’t think I’ve seen you before,” Teresa asked, brushing her long hair back. “Austin, could I trouble you for some coffee?”
“Coming right up!”
She had curious, kind eyes and a calmness of spirit that was very different from Slate’s high energy, but it was easy enough to understand why those two worked together. Every adventurer needed a little bit of grounding and every kind, subdued soul needed a little bit of fire to get them going when they couldn’t find the spark themselves.
Teresa grabbed the two lattes Austin placed on the counter and nudged toward one of the booths, beckoning Dahlia to join her. With a glance at Austin, Dahlia obliged, smiling a bit nervously. It had been a long while since she’d even found the time to talk to someone about anything other than work, bills, or the damage her son had managed to cause somewhere. The latter worry was taken care of for now as loud hoots and hollers noted that Slate and Austin had joined Marcus at the pool table.
“I’m not from around here, really. I’m … visiting,” Dahlia said, taking her coat off and sinking into the comfortable seats of the wide booth.
“That’s what we all say,” Teresa laughed, pouring sugar into her drink.
“We all?” Dahlia asked, frowning slightly.
Teresa’s eyes glinted with mischief and for a moment, Dahlia had to wonder if Shifter Grove already knew more than she did. Small towns and the way gossip spread… something that she was far too familiar with from her time in Arizona as a teenager. But back then, it had annoyed her and rubbed her the wrong way. In Shifter Grove though? Hell, it didn’t seem like anyone there had a single thing to hide to begin with, or a malicious bone in their body.
“The wives. Most of us have come to ‘visit’ the strapping hunk of man we met on SassyDate,” Teresa said in a sing-songy voice, chuckling. “I was supposed to come take some photographs of the mountains and nature preserves with Slate last year. And now we’re married with a baby girl at home.”
“Oh, I was wondering what was up with the veritable wealth of glowing young women walking around with strollers or obviously pregnant.”
Dahlia chuckled, feeling like she was in entirely good company. It was rare that she felt comfortable chatting with someone. In New York, everybody seemed to have an agenda, something they wanted from you that you would have to give before they bothered to show an ounce of kindness. Shifter Grove was the polar opposite and it felt somehow soothing knowing that she wasn’t the only one who had come to the town and then quickly found herself falling in love. Not just to the lovely scenery, but to the scrumptious men roaming about as well—or at least one in particular.
“Mm-hmm. Warren, one of the founders, got the ball rolling with SassyDate and I think this whole town is essentially a testament to how well it works. Women who’ve become fed up with their pasts and want something new, something better, and men looking for their fated. We all come together in a rather neat package, if I do say so myself. How long have you known Austin?”
“Not too long,” Dahlia admitted. “We’ve been chatting for a few months and I had some time, so I decided to come meet him.”
It was close enough to the truth, even if saying it made her cheeks burn a little. The time they’d known each other for seemed entirely too short to be falling so head-over-heels for him, but she was glad that she had dared to take the chance to come meet him if for no other reason than to put her mind at ease. If she would have had to leave that same day though, Dahlia was rather certain that she would leave with a lot more questions about herself than answers.
“A few months?! Honey, you’ve k
nown Austin for longer now than some of us did before we married ours,” Teresa admitted with a giggle.
“Maybe I’m old-fashioned that way,” Dahlia chuckled, feeling that blush of insecurity fade from her cheeks.
There wasn’t a drop of malice in Teresa and like with most things in Shifter Grove, Dahlia felt her defenses slackening and her body relaxing along with her mind. It was such a stark difference between the stress and the constant fight or flight mode she experienced in New York. Glancing at the pool table, she saw Marcus grinning widely as he pocketed a ball, Slate and Austin both cheering and Austin patting him on the back for it.
Instead of jumping away with a glowering stare, Marcus stood up straighter and seemed almost smug in the light of the congratulations he was receiving. He laughed along with what seemed to be a joke Slate was telling, and looked up at the two tall shifters with real, honest interest. It warmed Dahlia’s heart to see that boy finally enjoying himself a little, and especially in the company of other shifters.
“Is that your boy?” Teresa asked, looking at the three men as well. “He’ll be a tall drink of water.”
Dahlia nodded. “That’s Marcus. I haven’t seen him smile like that in far too long.”
There was a note of sadness to her voice that Teresa picked up effortlessly.
“Why not?” she asked, coaxing Dahlia to speak but not forcing it out of her.
“His father passed away some years ago. I don’t think he’s moved past that. Of course I don’t expect him to forget about him, I’d never allow that, but there’s been this… darkness around him ever since Arthur died. Nothing seems to lift it and time just makes it worse.”
That gloom and doom she’d been fighting with came flooding back, weighing down Dahlia’s shoulders like a heavy sack. Teresa grabbed her hand, squeezing it and making Dahlia glance up at her.
“It can be hard for children to lose a parent like that. Especially if they had a very strong connection to them, which your boy obviously did. All you can do is try to give him positive experiences and show him that there’s a lot more out there, and that his dad would have wanted him to experience it all,” Teresa said softly.
“I’ve seen too many kids break down because they don’t have the support they need from their families. I used to be a teacher before I moved to Shifter Grove and I’m going to open up a small class here as well. But believe me when I say that by the looks of things, you’re doing exactly what you should be—giving him a chance to come out of that shell and supporting him no matter what.”
Tears stung behind Dahlia’s eyes, but she pressed them down, smiling. Teresa was another testament to the fact that ultimately, she felt she had made the right choice by coming to Idaho. Even if she left in a week and nothing more happened between her and Austin, at least she would have fond memories. And hopefully, Marcus would too.
“You’re very kind for saying all of that,” Dahlia said, taking a sip of her drink and letting the caffeine spread through her like a rush of warmth.
“I tell it as I see it, Dahlia. And Slate told me about Marcus when he flew you two in. He thought the kid was great and kept going on and on about how we should really step on it and have a son as well while he’s young enough to climb trees and scale mountains with the kids,” Teresa giggled.
“I can’t tell you how glad I am that Marcus gets to spend some time around shifters. Ever since his father passed, we haven’t had anyone around us who truly knew how the shifter mind worked. I know with a shifter father, a child is almost guaranteed of being one as well, but Marcus is already twelve and he has never shifted,” Dahlia admitted.
“Well, sometimes it takes more time, especially with a traumatic past. They’re not all like dragons who start shifting as soon as they get out of the womb, or wolves who seem to spend more time as puppies than children. At least in big cats, I think it’s such an internal thing that some of them get stuck in their own subconscious before they ever find their inner animal, you know?” Teresa said, letting her eyes rest on the men at the pool table. “I’ve been reading up on my shifter children psychology, now that I have one at home,” she said, grinning.
“I hope you’re right.”
“Hey ladies, what about a friendly three versus two? We promise to thoroughly beat you, but only lord it over you for a short while,” Austin called, smiling broadly.
Teresa shared a look with Dahlia, trouble dancing in her eyes. Underneath that soft, subdued nature lurked a real firecracker and Dahlia could certainly see why Slate was so fond of his wife.
“How about we go kick their ass and lord it over them for a much longer time?”
“Sounds like a plan!” Dahlia said, laughing as they both got up and headed to the pool table.
Austin slipped his arm around Dahlia’s waist as she approached and leaned in slightly.
“I missed you already,” he whispered, sending a warm flash rushing through her.
Yes, Shifter Grove was definitely beginning to look like heaven.
And something inside of her told Dahlia that it was only going to get more heated from now on.
CHAPTER SIX
Austin
Austin couldn’t hide the playful smirk on his lips as he heard the familiar rumble of Slate’s truck outside. With measured motions, he coaxed the sandwiches—with plenty of roast beef!—juice, and fruit he had packed earlier out of the freezer and deposited them in a lunchbox. The kitchen was hot and ripe with delicious smells, but all of that was for later. By the time Slate had pulled into the driveway, Marcus was already speeding around the corner, appearing like a bat out of hell from some unseen location.
If that boy isn’t a shifter I’ll eat my damn hat, Austin thought with a chuckle, watching the rebellious teen light up like a Christmas tree seeing Slate.
Austin stepped out onto the porch and grabbed the bag Marcus had packed for himself a bit earlier, all kept in careful secrecy from his mother. The quiet, almost cat-like steps of Dahlia would show up behind him soon enough, so Austin didn’t call for Dahlia. Why ruin the surprise.
“You came!” Marcus announced joyfully.
“Didn’t Austin tell you I would?” Slate laughed, raising a hand in greeting to Austin as he hopped out of the truck and bumped fists with Marcus. “I need to go do some surveying flights today and Austin here thought that it would be a good idea if I showed you the mountains. Plus, I don’t think you’ve seen my helicopter.”
There was a certain note of boastfulness in Slate’s tone that Marcus picked up and they both laughed between themselves. Austin had to appreciate that in the town pilot. He sure knew how to get along with everyone, big and small. The plan had been set in motion the previous day, when the Morenkovs had spent an evening at the bar, chatting and having a good time with Austin, Dahlia, and Marcus.
Other folks came in and out, but Slate and his wife had been a treat all evening and Dahlia and Marcus couldn’t stop gushing about them as they drove home in the evening. So Austin had made a few calls and set up a surprise for both of the Robertses—one that was sure to be a particular joy for him as well.
He hadn’t told Marcus where they were going, and the boy had probably thought it was going to be another “boring” hike or tedious trip to some dreary place in Austin’s lame pickup. So it was good that Austin could still surprise the know-it-all teen. Leverage with kids that age was a hard thing to come by.
“What’s going on?” Dahlia asked, appearing in the doorway behind Austin with her Kindle tucked in one hand. “Hey, Slate!” she said, waving and mirroring Marcus’s happy grin.
“Marcus, come say goodbye to your mother!”
There was an obvious sigh of frustration as Marcus bounded up the steps and picked up his bag from Austin in the same motion as he slammed into Dahlia, giving her a quick hug.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” he rattled off, throwing the backpack over his shoulders and scooting down the steps, even giving Austin an appreciative nod along the way.
While Marcus had no issues getting friendly with Slate or the other guys at the bar, he was obviously wary of Austin. He couldn’t blame the boy—no man had gotten close to his mother in years and now that there was a possible contender on the scene, some lack of trust could only be expected. But Austin was determined to make things work, both with Marcus and his mother.
“I saw that! But what’s going on, exactly?” Dahlia asked, still wrought with confusion.
“You remember Slate saying that he does some flights over the mountains around here, Sleeping Dragon Hill and the like, and you told Marcus that he could maybe go one day? I talked to Slate and he has some flights planned for tonight and early tomorrow. He’s staying up in the cabin on the reservation grounds with Teresa and they would love to take Marcus with them. If you’ll let them, that is,” Austin explained, keeping his voice low.
A sly grin played on his lips, already knowing that he had won. He would have never done something like that without Dahlia’s approval, but she had given her blessing the day before and Austin wasn’t the kind of guy to pass up a good opportunity like that. Marcus needed to be around shifters who could show him their way of life without the obstruction of personal animosity in the way—which was still a problem between Austin himself and Marcus—and Austin was willing to kill for some alone time with Dahlia.
Win-win!
“Everything all right? Good to go?” Slate asked as Marcus threw his backpack in the backseat of Slate’s truck and was already climbing into the passenger seat.
Slate was looking as much at Dahlia and Austin as he was at Marcus. With a giggle and a nod of her head, Dahlia slipped her hand into Austin’s big paw.