Rushing to both of them, I spread my legs far enough to lift their heads onto my lap. They shook uncontrollably as if a demon within were threatening to break free from their bodies.
Cupping my tiny hands around the crown of their heads I looked frantically from one to the other. They were almost completely identical, Logan’s eyes having turned the color of Liam’s at an accelerating pace. I didn’t know what to do. All I could do was sit there helplessly while calling out to them in the little girl voice which I now possessed.
Then I woke up…
*
Gasping for air my body jerked out of bed. My hand touched the tear stained sheets that surrounded me. They were hot from the raging body heat that coursed through my veins.
Touching a hand to my forehead I felt the feverish haze that had overtaken me. It felt so real I could’ve almost seen it in front of me.
“It’s just a dream,” I continued to convince myself through ragged breaths.
I threw my sheets off and walked to the window of my large bedroom. Outside the crystal clear pane was the sun, bright and shining. It was a perfectly beautiful July day which managed to lift my spirits some. It was also the day of the Michigan State fair. Everyone would be there from all around.
As it was a tradition for my family to go every year, I wasn’t able to get out of it. My friend Heather invited me to go along with her this year and much to my surprise Father agreed. Heather’s family owned a farm just up the road and spent most of their time in the animal exhibit showing off their prized pigs.
She had asked me to be at her house early this morning. It was much earlier than I was used to getting up but I was grateful to have an excuse to shake off the dream. It made me feel eerie and uncomfortable the more I mulled it over.
I tossed on a long plaid shirt and rolled up the sleeves. It was the color of red and appeared to be rather old. I didn’t care. If I was going to be around animals all day I might as well get comfortable in stinky sweaty clothes. It didn’t matter what I wore because by the end of the day it would be soiled and ready to wash anyways.
After buttoning the red collar all the way up. I grabbed a straw hat from the top of my closet and a handkerchief. Yes, I wanted to play the part. My jeans were newer as I tugged them up my slender stomach and over the slightly plump thighs that had once slid quite easily into anything. Well not anything, but almost anything.
For heaven’s sake you sound like an old woman, but you’re only twenty three. The echo of my sister’s voice as I continuously complained about my non-existent thigh gap forever played in my mind. What did she know? She had always been skinny from the moment she was born and would remain so until the day she’d die.
“Whatever,” I growled at the mirrored doors of my closet. The reflection staring back at me was nothing short of pretty. I gazed at myself and noted the softened hazel eyes which sometimes reflected every color on the wheel, even lavender. That was the most rare and beautiful tone of all.
My mouth was small and plump, often curving up in brilliance. There wasn’t much about myself that I didn’t like, save for the dotted brown freckles covering my nose and rosy cheeks. I spent much of my childhood trying to scrub those hoping they’d come off with the dirt and mud covering me from playing outdoors. Every time there came a great disappointment when the loathed freckles still peeped out at me behind my fiery red locks of hair.
A knock on my door made me jump. Without alarm it burst open to reveal the mischievous face of my older brother Jared, all dressed and wearing his leather boots.
We could’ve been twins if time had worked out in our favor. His eyes and hair matched my own, except when it came to weight he definitely outdid me. There was not an ounce of fat on his trim toned body. Oftentimes I would get really tired of girls asking me to give him their number. For crying out loud I wanted to tell them to close their legs and leave my brother alone. His head was big enough and he didn’t need to always know how attractive he was.
I saw a twinkle in his eye before he burst into uproarious laughter which triggered a spiteful look from me. “What?” I demanded almost instantly.
His face grew red as it always did when he found something really funny. “Nothing,” he lied almost instantly, brushing away my words in the air with a swipe of his hand. “But if you want a ride to Heather’s we need to leave now. I have to be at work in twenty.”
I shot him a look of contempt and reached for my brown leather purse. My room was an absolute nightmarish mess and I knew it would take at least a couple minutes for me to find the other boot. I only saw one in the corner of the closet almost choked by a mountain of clothes.
“Geez, Jewels you need to clean up this pig sty.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” I yelled at him as he disappeared from the doorway. He was already heading downstairs and outside to warm up the old pickup truck. I needed to work fast if I wanted a ride to the farm.
Moments later, I found my boot tucked under my bed. After tugging it on I dashed towards the door and down the curved stairwell. The house was quiet at this time of the morning. No one was up yet except for Jared who was the early riser. He worked at a local bait and tackle shop part time on the weekends, which was where he was headed today.
No time for breakfast. I headed directly out the front door, bypassing the large kitchen and rustic designed living room. My father liked rustic decoration and was forever finding ways to sneak in new pieces. The latest was a pair of antlers mounted above the front door. Dana had yet to notice that one, but I’m sure she’d be complaining about it rather soon.
Dana Saunders was my older sister. She was the sensible one that liked to play mother hen around the house. She was in her master’s program at college and was finally engaged to a young man of whom Father approved. But it was hard to date in the family when he enforced explicitly strict rules on where and when we were allowed to go out.
Dismissing all of my thoughts and stepping into the cool morning air, I made my way to the driveway which to most people seemed like a road. It stretched on forever to the garage that housed the family cars.
Father’s Mercedes lay nestled in the middle of the three car garage. Jared’s white pickup was to the right and Dana’s Volvo to the left. She was very particular on how her car was parked and who drove it. No one was allowed to touch her car, not even her fiancée.
The housekeeper Marie’s old station wagon was parked outside the garage in the same spot. The grass had quit growing in the place where its tires rested.
I quickly found Jared who was pulling out in the truck and skipped to jump into the passenger seat. The old truck smelled like oil and wood. It was a work truck mostly except for the few sparse dates that Jared cleaned it up for. That was the extent of its adventures. It took a really special girl for him to put any effort into making the truck somewhat appealing to the female sex.
Wrinkling my nose I kicked aside some soiled white rags. “God you’re gross,” I complained.
He ignored my comment and rolled out the driveway and onto the main road.
The entire drive was done in silence. The radio didn’t work and neither of us bothered to strike much of a conversation.
When we did arrive he pulled up the driveway to the farmhouse and paused. I looked at him as he hesitated. I knew exactly what was battling inside him.
“You know,” I said delicately. “You can come in and say hi if you want.”
He knew of whom I was referring to. Heather had a sister just a year younger than her that recently returned from studying abroad. I knew Jared had found her rather desirable. She had adopted a different style of talking and liked to cast him flirtatious glances from afar.
He nervously scratched his head. “Why would I do that?” he brushed off my invitation pretending not to care. It was so obvious that he wanted to. My brother was just stubborn at times.
“Suit yourself,” I retorted trying to stifle a giggle. “Thanks for the ride bro.”
&
nbsp; “Be careful,” he replied, and then drove off.
Almost immediately I smelled pancakes. The sweet scent of syrup and savory smell of bacon mingled as well in the air, causing my mouth to water profusely. I had forgotten to eat something that morning as usual.
I hurried down the dirt driveway and towards the delectable smells. I passed the wooden fence with its crooked red mailbox and halfway skipped past the giant creepy looking scarecrow that stood over the family vegetable garden.
It was then that I realized someone else was up ahead as well heading for the door. I didn’t recognize the large burly shoulders and well-muscled back that protruded beneath the sweaty white T. Despite every measure I took to keep from staring, my eyes managed to trail the full sweep of him. This made me feel horrible in a way. I never usually gawked at men before, but this one at least from the back had my undivided attention.
Having reached the door before me he paused, then cracked it up. He didn’t go in. Instead he waited until I realized he knew I was behind him.
I really wanted to see his face now. My feet carried me at a swifter speed until I closed the distance just as he turned to reveal himself.
I would’ve liked to have said that my eyes went for his face, but that didn’t happen. Instead I found myself almost openly ogling his perfectly cut marble chest. Upon realizing that, I stared bashfully at his face.
His expression reflected amusement. It was obvious he caught me staring, so I hurried past him as one thick muscled arm held open the door for me.
“Morning Miss,” he said rather pleasantly.
His eyes were big and dark to match his tousled black hair. Just from the deep tan on his face, it was obvious he worked out in the sun quite often.
“M-morning,” I managed to stutter awkwardly as I strode past him. How much more noticeable could it have gotten?
The house was nowhere near as large as mine. The walls weren’t brick either. Instead it possessed a beautiful Anne of Green Gables aura with its white walls and elegant wooden structure.
Just as I stepped into the house I felt my sleeve brush as the intriguing male circled past me. It seemed to me that he had extended all the courtesy he could afford, leaving me to stand alone in the dim lit hallway. But that wasn’t before he shot a backward glance at me, amusement still in his eyes.
This was not at all my first time to visit their home. In fact I almost lived here, which summed up the reason why no one bothered to answer the door. I was extended no more courtesy than as if I were a part of the family. But I didn’t mind. It made me more comfortable to feel less of a guest and more of a permanent fixture in the mix of things.
I made my way to the kitchen, my nose sniffing the air. It smelled pleasantly of blueberry pancakes and boysenberry syrup. My mouth was watering at the mere thought of it.
Upon arrival I was indeed surprised to see the whole kitchen table surrounded. Each chair was filled in its place by a member of the family with two additional faces I had never seen before. The dark haired male assumed his position at the table while presently stabbing at the nearby stack of pancakes. His hunger appeared rather insatiable.
All eyes turned to me with warm greetings but my own actually rested on the other male figure that sat in my usual seat. A tinge of jealousy stabbed at my heart for a few slight seconds before simmering down. It was then I noticed how similar he looked to the other young man who sat next to him.
“Come join us,” Mrs. Potter gestured to me with smile lines adorning her wizened face. “There’s plenty for everyone.”
Heather let out a squeal of delight as she hopped up to greet me. “You’re late,” she squeaked while pretending to look upset.
“Jared’s fault,” I complained and shot her an apologetic expression. Sometimes a big brother was the easiest way to get out of trouble. Good thing he wasn’t here.
“Well that’s okay then,” she smiled.
Heather had a crush on my brother, and a big one at that. It was so obvious the way she giggled in front of him and lit up with smiles whenever he tipped his hat towards her. Somehow Jared never seemed to notice, or he did and didn’t care. One or the other I could never tell between the two.
“Mhm,” I retorted shrewdly while raising an eyebrow. “I guess I’ll stand and eat,” I hesitated when realizing there were no seats for me.
Mr. Potter sat at the head of the table as he always did. His huge burly beard and mustache stretched out to the collar of his button up shirt. He of course was not obliged to give up his seat. He spent his mornings with the paper at his left hand and his coffee at his right. He may not even have noticed my appearance as I stood there awkwardly in the dining area. He was a busy man and so rarely enjoyed the luxury of breakfast with his family, which showed quite plainly with his independent behavior at the table.
The young man who had held the door open to me looked up from his voracious eating. He held a finger up to me and finished chewing, swallowed, and then cleared his throat. “Allow me,” he said and stood up. He picked up his plate, knife, and fork, and then scooted away from his chair. “I’m about done anyways,” he offered courteously.
Bashfully I just stared, my eyes wandering to his gigantic thick shoulders.
“Go on,” Heather broke the silence. “He’ll be fine,” she curtly shrugged him off.
Looking back at him I smiled a little and walked over to the seat. “Thank you,” I gratefully acknowledged the gesture before sitting.
“My pleasure, miss,” he said before dismissing himself from the room entirely.
The rest of the morning was passed in silence. Mrs. Potter cleared the table after everyone had taken their fill. She shooed us out of the kitchen, which Heather and I were all too happy to obey.
We made our way out to the stables to help get ready for the drive out to the fair. There was much to be done before leaving. And during that time we prattled on about inconsequential things.
While we were about ready to get into the pick-up truck headed to the fair, I asked Heather something that had been intriguing me for the last few hours. “So who are they?” I tilted my head towards the oncoming men.
“Who?” she asked while looking up from the latch that secured Wilbur’s crate. Wilbur was her pig that she had excitedly named after her favorite childhood movie.
After looking in the direction I pointed, she laughed. “Oh those are the Ulric brothers. They offered Daddy a helping hand over the summer. He knows their father but I didn’t care to get all the details.” She cast her eyes upon them as they inched closer from the barn. Their shirts were off, tan skin glistening in sweat and their muscles bulging from toiling all morning.
Quickly changing the subject she stood up and brushed off her long jeans. “Do you think,” she asked hesitantly. “That Jared will make it to the fair?”
I shrugged. “Probably not…” I wasn’t sure, so giving her false hope would only disappoint her.
“Oh,” she brushed past me after slamming the bed of the truck securely closed.
“You totally like him!”
“What? No!” The way she replied sounded as if what I was stating was outrageous. “He just goes every year is all,” she added abruptly.
I decided to leave it alone. She was obviously crushing so hard that she couldn’t tell how obvious she was being. It didn’t matter anyway. I wasn’t sure if I wanted my best friend to date my brother. It would be rather awkward to remain close, especially if they didn’t work out. What a nightmare that would entail for the both of us.
The Ulric brothers approached us. I noticed the one I hadn’t met yet didn’t talk much. He kept his eyes away from me and barely noticed my existence. He had a beard and mustache which somehow made him seem the elder of the two, but it could’ve been my imagination. The other brother kept tossing his hair to and fro as if it never quite went where he wanted. He had a glint in his eye of mischief, especially when I looked at him, apparently liking what he saw. He smirked at me and then rounded the w
hite pick up to the driver’s side.
“Are we ready,” he hollered.
I turned to Heather. “Are we riding with them?”
She nodded. “There’s no room in the other car. Mom wants to ride with dad and father said we can ride with them.”
I leaned in to whisper. “He trusts them?” My eyes wandered to the silent of the two with his arms crossed over his broad chest. Somehow he had thrust a piece of straw in his mouth and was nonchalantly chewing on it.
“Chillax girl, they’re fine once you get to know them,” she assured in low tones. Her country accent was rather thick, but I barely noticed anymore. “Dad wouldn’t let me if he didn’t trust them. You know this.” Then she swung open the passenger side of the pickup and hauled her rather plump booty inside.
“Come on,” she waved ecstatically.
Immediately I followed, deciding that everything would be alright as long as my father didn’t find out. He didn’t like me riding with strangers no matter how old I was. It was something I had wished he would get over for a long time, especially since I was in my twenties. It got old after a while.
The ride over was filled with Heather’s flirtatious laughter, the sizzling sound of a static radio, and the non-ending display of trees. It was an hour’s drive to the fairgrounds and it would be an hour’s drive back. Luckily I wasn’t cooped up with three other people. The bearded brother, for I hadn’t quite learned their individual names, took the ride in the bed of the truck while openly sipping a beer.
When we arrived, we all immediately separated, Heather and me going to the designated holding area for Wilbur. She wanted to make sure everything went smoothly.
The first thing that hit my nose was the greasy scent of fair food mingled with cotton candy. The potency would definitely make a nauseous stomach even worse. I wrinkled my nose. I never liked the smell, but what I didn’t like even more was the scent of the large animal exhibit building. It reeked in my opinion until I adjusted.
Simply Bears: A Ten Book Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance Collection Page 46