Small Moments

by Kimberly Forrest

  Just in the last year alone she’d had more than her fair share of heartbreak. She’d graduated university with a Bachelor of Science in business administration, specializing in accounting. She’d stood tall (or as tall as she could at her diminutive height) in her cap and gown while her parents had looked on proudly. Pictures of smiling faces had been taken to commemorate the moment; the last pictures that would ever be taken of them as a family. One week later, her father passed away in his sleep. It was the first time Rin had known true sorrow, only to have her mother follow her mate into the next life less than a month later.

  Rin had felt lost. For the first month or so, even simple things like a shower or cooking a meal seemed like too much effort. If it hadn’t been for her neighbor who had threatened to break down the door if Rin didn’t answer, she may never have gotten her motivation back. Mrs. DeMarco had used a blend of guilt and logic as she had clucked her tongue and pointed out that Rin had that shiny new degree that her parent’s had been so proud of, she should be putting it to good use.

  Sending off her resume to Brooks Financial had been a bit of a lark. They were the company to work for, but Rin knew she had absolutely no chance of getting an interview. The company hired seasoned professionals, not fresh-faced graduates with zero real-world experience. So imagine Rin’s surprise when they contacted her to set up a phone interview and then after that, a meeting with the man himself: Benedict Brooks, a financial legend. Talk about a huge moment. She had been so excited, that for a minute, maybe even an hour, she’d felt like everything was falling into place.

  She hadn’t gotten the job. What she had gotten, was kidnapped by a bear shifter in Benedict Brooks’ employ as soon as she’d left the swanky, high-rise in Manhattan. Who would have guessed that Brooks, a wolf shifter, an alpha, would be in bed with a group as despicable as the fur traders?

  Rin had heard stories of the traders growing up. They were a group of humans who had once been friends with shifters but had turned on them for profit; stealing shifter children and raising them to sell to the highest bidder as personal security, spies, and assassins. Rin’s grandparents had lived in a small village in Japan that offered tribute to the fur traders to keep them from decimating the town and taking all of the children. Every five or ten years, a male youth would be given as payment.

  It was upon the birth of Rin’s uncle, her mother’s brother, that’s Rin’s grandparents chose to flee Japan and come to America with their two small children rather than see their son earmarked as tribute. They had settled in New York – Astoria to be more specific – a city where the fur traders would never dream to infiltrate. But times had since changed. Fur traders had upgraded their business plan. They no longer went after male children to train, but focused on women to breed. Women in big cities that were too congested to notice and too crime riddled to care about females of age who, as the overworked police force explained it, most likely had simply run off.

  But Rin hadn’t been taken to breed. No, she had been taken to be the star attraction of an old-fashioned fox hunt for the investors. Was it any wonder she was still having nightmares about it despite the fact that it had never happened? She had been rescued by a fellow captive who had been crafty enough to escape and caring enough to come back for Rin. A female wolf shifter named Constance Tully. It was how Rin ended up here in the mountains of Vermont.

  It was a pretty town. Picture postcard perfect with its clapboard houses and cute brick buildings, all nicely spaced so as not to look cluttered. Flower boxes beneath windows, currently sleeping under a blanket of snow just waiting for spring when they’d once again be filled with colorful blooms.

  There were no streetlights here to draw the eye, no distracting billboards, and any horns blaring here were usually a result of a favorite team winning a sporting even rather than an impatient motorist. Here in the fold of a wolf pack in Malsum Pass where the sky was clear and one could see the stars at night. Where the quiet was like a comforting blanket that wrapped around you. A place where the snow stayed white instead of slushy gray and where a body could take a deep breath, even when the air was cold, and feel the crisp oxygen rejuvenate their lungs instead of being choked by exhaust fumes. A town where a Kitsune could shift and run for miles without fear. Where one felt like they could heal and once again become whole.

  It was so tempting to stay, but was it the right choice? She needed to figure out what she was going to do with her life. So many variables to consider. The thought came that perhaps she should contact her uncle, but it was fleeting and just as quickly she discarded the notion. The male may technically be family, but they had never been close. He hadn’t even bothered to show up to either of the funerals. His business proved more important than his own sister. He had sent flowers instead, or rather, his assistant had sent flowers for him, his name scratched on a pre-written sympathy card. No, her uncle would not welcome her into his life, and Rin didn’t think she could ever forgive him for such disrespect shown to her parents.

  Rin was scowling at the thought when David Tully, who, along with his wife Margaret, ran the bed and breakfast, came out and dropped a blanket around her shoulders. With a little shiver, he sat beside her carefully so as not to jostle the swing with his added weight, and blew into his cupped hands. “Can’t sleep?”

  Rin shook her head, and took a sip of her rapidly cooling tea. “You?”

  “Had to stay up and finish the novel I was reading, see if I guessed right who the killer was.”

  Rin laughed, “Did you?”

  “Nope.” Mr. Tully let out a bark of laughter but then shivered. “Brr. It’s cold out here. You want to come inside? I’ll make you some of my famous hot cider.”

  Rin grinned. “It’s famous?”

  Mr. Tully’s chest puffed out. “Absolutely. The guests rave about it.”

  Rin let out a little chuckle but shook her head. “Maybe another time. I like to see the sky when I’m thinking.”

  Mr. Tully nodded, and tipped his head toward the sky as well. Several moments passed in companionable silence before he spoke, his voice thoughtful. “You know there’s no hurry, right? Don’t rush into a decision you’ll regret. You can stay here as long as you want. A week, a month, or forever. You’re welcome here, Rin.”

  The older male gave her a small smile and laid a heavy hand on her shoulder in encouragement before standing to go back inside and leave Rin to her thoughts. Turning her face back up to the sky she watched as one of the stars seemed to wink at her. Maybe it was foolish to think that twinkle was her parents sending her a message, but Rin felt it in her heart, as warmth seemed to suffuse her body despite the cold temperatures. Perhaps she was giving the universe another opportunity to slap her down, but she made her decision. She would stay here in Malsum Pass, and she would rebuild her life. She would find happiness again.

  Chapter Two

  Beyond their own families, Kitsune were solitary shifters, so Rin found pack dynamics an amazing thing to behold. A simple word to David Tully that she had decided to stay, had set things in motion almost immediately. In quick order, the pack had helped her get her things at her parents’ house in Astoria packed up and shipped, while a call to Mrs. DeMarco had ensured that the place would be looked after until Rin made up her mind whether she would sell.

  They’d helped her replace some of the items that hadn’t been recovered from her kidnapping like her ID, social security card, and bank cards that had been in her purse. It was a great weight off her shoulders, and having her things around her once again, was a comfort. One thing they hadn’t been able to recover was the locket she had been wearing. A search of Brooks’ house had produced a box of assorted items: earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and rings, but not her locket. The piece hadn’t been worth much as far as market value, but it had been priceless to Rin. The locket had belonged to her grandmother. Inside, a small black and white image of Rin’s grandparents taken when they had first arrived in America; her grandfather, holding
Rin’s mother, who was just a toddler, by the hand, while her grandmother held Rin’s uncle, a baby at the time, in her arms. The piece had been handed down to her mother, and then to Rin. It was irreplaceable and Rin’s heart hurt at the loss. To keep from crying, she had thrown herself into redecorating.

  Her room at the bed and breakfast no longer looked generic. The bed was now covered with Rin’s dark orange comforter, and festooned with lime green throw pillows, while her collection of Beanie Babies had pride of place on the writing desk. The closet was now filled with her own clothes and shoes, and her little bathroom held all of her favorite toiletries, cosmetics, and hair accessories. She was just setting out her framed pictures of family and friends on her dresser – also now full of Rin’s clothes, when there was a knock on the door and Margaret Tully poked her head in. The older female’s eyes went wide as she took in the changes to the room.

  Stepping completely inside, Margaret smiled and nodded. “I like it. I never would have thought to mix orange and green but the effect is quite striking.”

  Before Rin could acknowledge the praise, Margaret went on to say, “Ginny Weller is here to see you and let me tell you, the female is over the moon excited to talk to you. She’s been the only accountant in the pack for years and someone mentioned to her that you were an accountant as well. Once she heard you were staying, she flipped on her happy switch and has yet to turn it off.” Margaret shook her head in exasperation. “She’s practically dying downstairs waiting to talk to you and convince you to come work with her.”

  Rin’s breath caught and her heart gave a kick of excitement. She had been worried about the job situation. Having grown up in Astoria, depending on where she had to be, she would ride her bike, weather permitting, take a bus or the subway, or on the rare occasion, splurge and take a cab. She had never bothered to get a driver’s license, had never even sat in the driver’s seat of a car. Public transportation in Malsum Pass was non-existent, so figuring out how she was going to get to interviews, and then to work once she was hired, if she had to travel any distance, had been stressing her out.

  Combing her fingers through her hair in a rush to neaten up her appearance, she looked down at what she was wearing. A sweatshirt from the university she had attended and her comfy jeans that had seen better days. With a squeak of dismay, she rushed to her closet. “I need to change. Should I change? Yes, I’ll change. Will she wait?”

  Margaret Tully let out a little laugh. “She’s so excited to see you, I doubt she’ll even notice what you’re wearing, but yes, she’ll wait if you want to change.”

  “Could you tell her I’m excited to meet her as well, please?” Rin said, the words muffled as she yanked the sweatshirt up over her head, “And I’ll be right down.”

  Rin heard another chuckle as she practically dove into her closet and then the door click shut to mark Margaret’s exit. Rin focused her attention on the display of clothes. Dressy? No, too much. Business casual was probably the best way to go, she thought as she pulled clothes off their hangers in a rush. Dressed, and as tidy as possible considering her rush, Rin made her way down the stairs, her heart jumping with both excitement and nerves.

  Ginny Weller was a wolf shifter in her middle years. Her hair a light brown, as yet untouched by gray. Her eyes sparkled with good humor, and crinkled at the corners when she offered a wide smile of greeting. By all appearances, she was a female who liked to laugh, and did so often, and Rin liked her immediately.

  Once introductions had been made and they’d taken a seat in the great room of the bed and breakfast, Rin held up her laptop that she had remembered to grab before coming down. “I don’t have a printer, but I can email you a copy of my resume, and I can pull it up if you want to look at it right now.”

  It only took the older female a few moments to peruse the document before her attention was once again on Rin. “When can you start?”

  That was it? She was hired? Her interview with Brooks had been a long drawn out affair accompanied by sweaty palms and a choking sensation. This seemed way too easy. Rin cleared her throat and stuttered slightly, “I, ah, wh-when do you need me?”

  Ginny leaned back in her chair with a grin. “I needed you years ago, Rin Hayashi, but I’ll settle for Monday, bright and early.”

  Rin remained professional as she shook Ginny Weller’s hand and confirmed that she’d be at the office Monday morning. She even kept her ecstatic grin off her face until the door closed firmly behind the older female and Rin heard her receding footsteps on the porch. But as soon as she heard the engine of a car fire up, she could no longer contain her excitement and it burst out of her in a squeal of delight as she jumped up and down, hugging her laptop to her chest.

  The sound drew both Margaret and David Tully out of their different rooms to investigate. Margaret smiling but shaking her head, David grinning said, “You almost sound like my Connie, Rin.” And then congratulations were issued from both of them.

  Rin now had a home – or, at least a room of her own within this home – and a job. Things were definitely shaping up nicely.

  Chapter Three

  With the weekend still ahead of her before she would be starting her new job, Rin was trying to figure out how best to occupy her time. Help with cleaning the rooms and restocking towels didn’t take much time, especially with no one but her staying here at the bed and breakfast right now. She could watch one of her favorite movies, but that would only burn up two hours. She’d never been much of a reader, usually if she did pick up a book, it was required reading for school or a tax manual. She did enjoy cooking, but the Tully’s used that kitchen for their business, and while she had helped Margaret in the kitchen recently, she didn’t feel right about going in there and making free with their equipment.

  During her captivity, she had spent hours upon hours preparing for the hunt; honing her strength, building her endurance, and increasing her speed. Now that she was safe, she had no need to push herself as hard, but, as crazy as it seemed, she was missing the exercise. Sit-ups and push-ups in her room weren’t a problem, but she couldn’t exactly jog through the halls of the bed and breakfast. Unfortunately, the snow outside was prohibitive to any sort of steady pace, or jogging much at all for that matter.

  When she had asked Margaret Tully if there was a gym in town, to Rin’s disappointment, the older woman had shaken her head. “My Connie does some Rumba, Zumba,” Margaret flicked her fingers in dismissal. “I don’t know what it’s called, a couple times a week I think, but that’s not here in town.”

  Rin’s face must have shown her dismay, because Margaret volunteered, “If you can tolerate the smell of rubber, grease, and paint,” the older female wrinkled her nose in distaste, “then you should go see Mike over at the garage. He has a sort-of gym set up over there from what I hear.”

  Excited at the prospect, Rin didn’t waste any time. Bundled up in her warm coat, hat, gloves, scarf, and boots, she trudged through the snow, crossed the main road, and down the street until she located the garage. Music boomed through the cavernous space so loudly that she could actually feel the drumbeat in her chest. Rin immediately covered her overly sensitive ears with her gloved hands.

  Behind the counter, a car was up on a lift, the mechanic, dressed in dark blue coveralls was underneath, his arms raised as he worked and backside moving to the music. She was going to yell out to get his attention when the male suddenly started to – oh, my god! Was he twerking? Rin let out a bark of laughter and then tried to smother it. Probably not a good idea to offend the male when she had come here specifically to ask a favor. Unfortunately, that only made the noise come out her nose in a snort and started her choking.

  The male must have sensed he was no longer alone, most probably he had caught her scent, and suddenly turned. Rin heard a clank of metal, a loud “Ow!” and then the volume on the music was lowered to a more tolerable level.

  What a relief. Rin opened her jaw and then moved it from side to side. W
ere her ears plugged? They were definitely ringing.

  “Hey, sorry about that.” The male offered with a sheepish grin as he came toward the counter wiping his greasy hands on a rag. “I wasn’t expecting anyone and I love that song.”

  The first thing Rin noticed was that he was shorter than most all of the males she had met in town. Compared to Rin, who had been generous when she had listed her height on her ID at five feet even, every male in the pack had towered over her with their six feet plus. This male was probably only five feet nine, maybe ten, so she’d still have to look up, but not as far. His hair was dark, nearly black and combed back from his face. She couldn’t tell the color of his eyes in the dim light, but if she had to guess, she’d say light brown or hazel under dark, heavy brows, one of which was bisected by a healing cut. His nose was ever so slightly crooked, like it may have been broken once and reset. The lower half of his face was covered with dark stubble rather than the full beard most of the pack was sporting for winter, but his strong jaw and chin were apparent underneath.

  “Did you need to make an appointment, Rin?” The male prompted with a friendly smile.

  It shouldn’t surprise her that he would know who she was. From what she understood of small towns and packs, gossip travelled fast. Couple that with her being the only Asian in town – perhaps for miles around – yeah, no surprise that he knew exactly who she was. The question was, had she met him? There had been so many people gathered to welcome Constance Tully home, introducing themselves to Rin, offering support, it had been overwhelming. The whole day was pretty much a blur.

  “Are you Mike?”

  The male nodded with another smile displaying bright white teeth. “Mike Myers at your service.” That’s when the memory struck. They had been introduced the day she arrived, but his beard had been a thick dark bush on the lower half of his face and his hair a mop of shiny, dark curls. She had taken note of his height that day too, and that bright smile, not to mention that he was named after, or at least shared the same name as, a famous actor.