by Ann Gimpel
“Here we go!” Jed pulled a key from one of his many pockets and unlocked the front door. Giving it a push, he walked through, followed by his lieutenants and their mate.
Suddenly shy, Noreen held back. Les and Karl tugged at her hands. “Come on, darling,” Les murmured. “It’s only a house.” She put one foot in front of the other, walked across the threshold, and stopped dead. Her mouth fell open, and she sucked air like a landed fish. Her gaze rocketed around the room taking in polished wood, priceless antiques, Oriental rugs, and tasteful furniture. Crystal chandeliers hung from several places in the great room’s ceiling.
Alice laughed. “Yeah. It had the same impact on me when I first saw it. I thought I’d stumbled into a museum. It was hard to wrap my mind around actually living here.”
“B-but you got used to it?” Noreen stammered, finding her voice.
“Faster than I ever would have guessed.” Alice shrugged. “Not sure what that says about my values. I lived in a very modest house. Same one I’d grown up in, actually. It was always plenty good enough for me, but if I were honest, I’d have a hard time going back there now.”
“You don’t have to, sweetheart.” Jed hugged her. “Remember, we sold it.”
“So we did.”
Jed beamed at everyone. “Les, Karl, Noreen, it’s my pleasure to have all of you here. I know you probably don’t believe me, but you can stay as long as you like. If you settled here forever, we’d be honored to share our home.”
“How about this?” Bron suggested. “I’ll get some food and drink on board.” He shot Terin a look. “You can help me.”
“Teamwork! I like it!” Jed rubbed his hands together. “Alice and I will give you a tour of the house, and you can decide where you’d like to settle.” He eyed them sternly. “You have to share a meal with us before you retire to your bedroom.”
Les snorted. Karl laughed and said, “Hmph. Guess you think you won’t see us for a while after that.”
Alice hooted. “I know we won’t. All the bedrooms are just up this stairway. Follow me.”
Noreen followed along, clinging to her mates. The house was so grand and so impeccably furnished, everything stole her breath away. Just when she thought she’d seen the most perfect sculpture imaginable, she spied another that was even better. The same with paintings. After wandering through all the possibilities, she and her mates decided on a modest suite on the third floor. It looked out onto gardens. A small porch sported a spiral staircase, which led down to a lovely patio just off the morning room on the main floor.
Jed and Alice tried to convince them to pick something more elaborate, but she and Les and Karl stood firm. They liked the two-bedroom suite with its adjoining bath and claw-foot tub. They’d use one of the bedrooms for a study.
“We can move a bigger bed in,” Jed offered.
“We don’t need one,” Les said. “We slept together in something smaller than this in the cabin, and it worked just fine.”
“Well,” Alice quirked a brow, “if you’re sure…”
Noreen smiled. “We are. If we decide we’d like to change to that bigger room, you’ll be the first to know.”
“I’ll go grab a suitcase or two.” Karl turned for the door.
“I’ll join you.” Les started for the hallway too. “That way we might get everything in one trip.”
Alice nuzzled Jed’s neck. “How about if you help Bron and Terin?”
“Sure, sweetheart. It will give you a spot of time alone with your friend.”
“Exactly.” Alice made a grab for his ass as he followed after Les and Karl.
“Watch it!” Jed turned and smirked. “I do crazy things when you touch me, woman.”
Noreen giggled. Alice joined in and shut the door behind Jed’s retreating form. She faced Noreen. “Is this really all right?”
“Oh my.” Noreen’s face heated. “It’s so much more than all right, I don’t know what to say.”
“Well,” Alice gripped her hand, “Jed and the boys want this to work out. So do I, but probably for different reasons. I’m so looking forward to us being friends.”
“Me too.” Noreen took a chance since she was usually reticent asking personal questions. “Do you know why it’s important to Jed and them?”
Alice’s smile faded, replaced by a solemn expression. “They’re afraid the problem with Hunters will heat up. After you being kidnapped, they want to make sure there’s enough of them that one of the men is always with us.”
“But you have a job. How’s that going to work?”
Alice nodded. “Jed wants me to quit. I’m not ready to do that, so the compromise is one of them will drive me there and pick me up every day.”
“Are you considering quitting?”
Alice’s black brows drew together. “Never thought I’d say this, but yes. I don’t want to jeopardize everyone’s safety by making the men split up to ferry me back and forth. Jed and Terin and Bron are talking about quitting too.”
Noreen let go of Alice and sank onto the bed. “So all this wonderfulness,” she spread her arms wide, “is bittersweet. I guess I thought once I was away from the cult and we escaped from Red Deer, our problems would get smaller.”
“They may. None of us knows.” Alice joined her on the bed. “Look at me. What we have with our mates is special. I value each moment I have with Jed and Bron and Terin.”
Noreen nodded. “I know what you mean. I still can’t believe how I feel inside when Les and Karl both hold me.”
Alice’s mouth curved into a soft smile. “That part will only get better as the mate bond strengthens. Love your mates, cherish them, and try to believe we’ll triumph in the end.”
“Better us than Hunters like Justin,” Noreen muttered.
“No shit.” Alice cocked her head to one side. “It’s Jed. I hear him in my mind. Food’s ready.”
Footsteps sounded in the hall, and the door swung open. Les staggered into the room beneath an obscenely high pile of bags and suitcases. Similarly burdened, Karl was right behind.
“Wow!” Noreen eyed the mountain of their belongings. “We left Canada with nothing. It’s almost impossible to believe we bought that much.”
“Believe it, darling.” Les kissed her cheek. “Jed said to join them in the kitchen.”
“We already know.” Noreen kissed him and then Karl.
“Come on!” Alice grinned. “I’m hungry, plus I want to be the first to show Noreen the kitchen. She’ll appreciate it much more than I did.”
Les placed an arm around her waist, and Karl circled her shoulders with one of his. Together, they followed Alice down the thickly carpeted stairs, through the great room, and into a huge, old-fashioned country kitchen.
Noreen eyed the immense gas range, what had to be a state-of-the-art refrigerator and gleaming rows of pots and pans. She squealed. “I actually get to cook in here?”
“We’d be most appreciative,” Bron and Terin said with one voice from where they sat at a carved oak table beneath a window.
“Gee, thanks,” Alice mumbled. “I know cooking’s not my strong suit, but you could sound a little less enthusiastic.”
“Aw, honey.” Bron vaulted to his feet, hurried across the kitchen, and drew her into a hug. “It’s just that we got a taste of Noreen’s cooking at the cabin.”
Alice’s stern expression dissolved into chortles. “Yeah. So did I. What are you all waiting for?” She followed Bron to the table where plates of cheese and cold cuts were laid out.
Les led Noreen to a chair, and Karl filled a plate for her. Jed took charge of drinks. She didn’t realize how hungry she was until she started eating. They’d had breakfast that morning but no lunch, and it was almost dinnertime. After eating nonstop for a few minutes, she looked up. “I want to thank all of you.”
“Aw, you don’t have to thank us, sweetheart—” Les turned his head and kissed her cheek.
She wriggled away. “No, but I want to. I’m so in love with you and Ka
rl, it warms me all the way to my toes. And I’m grateful to Alice and Jed and Bron and Terin for offering us our first real home.”
Les’ brows drew together, but she laid a hand over his mouth. “The cabin has possibilities, and maybe we’ll go back there to explore them, but we weren’t there very long.”
“She’s right,” Karl kissed her other cheek. “Thanks, Jed, for offering us shelter.”
“We do appreciate it,” Les cut it. “Really, we do. And we stand ready to help do…whatever we have to.”
“I know.” Worry flickered behind Jed’s blue eyes. “It’s good there are more of us to keep the women safe.”
“Let’s not go there,” Alice said. “Let’s take today for what it is and celebrate getting home and being together.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Noreen raised her glass. The men did the same. Amidst murmurs of good wishes, they all drank a toast to today and the wonder of the love they shared.
The End
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About the Author
Ann Gimpel is a clinical psychologist with a Jungian bent. Avocations include mountaineering, skiing, wilderness photography and, of course, writing. A lifelong aficionado of the unusual, she began writing speculative fiction a few years ago. Her short fiction has appeared in a number of magazines, webzines, and anthologies. She’s also written several novels. A husband, grown children, grandchildren and three wolf hybrids round out her family.
www.anngimpel.com
http://anngimpel.blogpsot.com