by Jane Jamison
Perhaps if she hadn’t stayed awake so long the night before she might’ve stayed awake.
Perhaps if she’d still been worried, fearful even, of what they might be she might’ve stayed awake.
Perhaps, and more likely, if they hadn’t worn her out, both physically and emotionally, she might’ve stayed awake.
As it was, however, her eyes closed as soon as her head lay on the pillow.
A hand caressed her cheek. “Sweet dreams, sugar.”
She drifted off to sleep, more exhausted and more satisfied than she’d ever been.
Chapter Five
When Winnie awoke, the men were gone.
She sat up abruptly and looked around the bunkhouse as though three large men could be hiding in its cramped quarters. “Guys?”
Sliding out of bed and wrapping her robe around her, she peeked into the small bathroom again, with the silly idea that they could fit in there, and was again disappointed.
What had she expected them to do? Sleep in the two small beds? On the floor? She only wished they’d taken the time to say good-bye, even if it had meant waking her up.
Still, she smiled as her body remembered every touch, every kiss. Flashes of taut flesh over hard muscles assailed her, bringing warmth again between her legs. She’d had sex with them, raw, animalistic sex that women dream of, but rarely experience. But it was more than that. She knew it was.
We made love.
No doubt about it.
Maybe she was only kidding herself, but every instinct told her that she was right. She’d felt their love in the way they’d caressed her. She’d seen their love in their amber-flecked eyes.
She hugged herself and picked up her phone. As she’d expected, she’d received a couple of texts from Bree. But those were in response to the ones Winnie had sent her. She read them twice, feeling that something was a little off but couldn’t put her finger on what that was. Her friend certainly sounded as though she was having the time of her life. Still, it kind of hurt Winnie’s feelings that Bree wasn’t asking about what she was doing. Couldn’t they spare a few minutes to re-connect with each other?
She peered out the window toward the main house. Should she check on Bree? Should she knock on their front door and ask to talk to Bree? Maybe Bree needed her help? After all, Bree had been certain that the men were werelions. What if she’d been right? Was Bree in danger?
She’d almost decided to get dressed and knock on the door when she caught a glimpse of someone at the window of the second-story bedroom. Was it Bree? She squinted, trying to see better.
Then suddenly, the figure was lifted into the air by one of the Dayton men—she couldn’t see well enough to know which one—and was whirled around. She didn’t catch a glimpse of the woman’s face, but it was obvious that she wasn’t struggling.
Bree’s having a great time. No need to interrupt.
Instead, guilt hit her. Where were Jason, Danny, and Shane? And why hadn’t they texted or called yet?
When the chime notifying her of a text came from her phone, she eagerly snatched it up. Her hope was rewarded when she saw the text from Jason.
Working. C u l8tr? 2nite?
She paused, thumbs poised to type. How should she respond? Maybe? Yes? Can’t wait to c u? Come now?
Or better yet…
Come and get me now?
She grinned, imagining his reaction when he read her text. But she was halfway through typing the text when her nerve ran out. Instead, she opted for a more casual approach.
K. 2nite.
At least she got a smiley face in return. And then thrilled when he added a heart emoji.
She promised herself that she wouldn’t read anything into the heart. It was only an emoji, not a real declaration of love. His text could be nothing more than a “U up?” text sent to elicit a quick one-night stand. Still, she couldn’t help but love that he’d sent it.
“I’ll be ready, guys. Oh, trust me. I’ll be ready.”
* * * *
Winnie was getting restless. Bree still hadn’t shown up, but Winnie wasn’t worried. Especially after she’d run into Ron stumbling out of the main house. He’d given her a not-so-sexy look and had said Bree was “with her men. Not that she knows a real man when she sees one.”
Winnie had decided not to question him further. Instead, she’d hurried back into the bunkhouse. A couple of texts more to Bree had reassured her. Her friend apologized for not spending more time with Winnie, but begged her to understand. Of course Winnie understood. If she’d been able to spend more time with the Landerson men, she would have, knowing Bree would understand completely. How could she do anything less?
But it was getting late, and she hadn’t heard anything more from Jason, Danny, or Shane. She resisted the urge to text them several times but decided that she didn’t want to bother them when they were working. Jason had said they’d see her tonight, and they would.
Her restlessness, however, wouldn’t stop. At last, she changed into the sundress she hoped they would like and decided she’d take a short walk, maybe head down to the pond. Leaving them a note to say where she’d gone, she strolled past the main house again, looking for Bree in the bedroom window. But the blinds and curtains had been drawn, so she silently wished her friend a great night and entered the tree line.
The path leading to the pond was well worn, so she didn’t have any trouble finding it again. The rowboat was again pulled up onto dry land.
Yeah. As if I’m ever going near that thing again.
She sat down on a nearby flat stone and pulled her legs to her chest. Looking up at the moon, she wished she could have been with all three of them. On dry land, of course.
What if she’d let them have her right there under the canopy of trees with the moonlight wafting over her? There was more beauty around her. An owl hooted. Something scurried through the undergrowth. A bird let out a screech and took flight. Nature was at its best here.
What would it be like to live here? Even better, what would it be like to be loved by three men? Could she handle having more than one man?
A fantasy played out, one born of her love for old, classic black-and-white sitcoms. She’d stay at home and take care of the house while her handsome men took care of their ranch. She could learn to bake and cook delicious meals for them. During the day, her time would be filled with mundane, yet important chores to make their ranch house a real home. But when they came home after a hard day, she’d welcome them with open arms, feed them a scrumptious meal, then fall into bed with them.
She giggled, amazed to find herself in the role of a housewife. She’d never wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, but now that idea seemed perfect. Add two kids and a dog and her life would indeed be a fairy tale.
“And give up my life as a party girl?” She snorted. She wasn’t any kind of a partier. If anything, she was a homebody.
That’s it. I’m a homebody looking for some hot bodies to stay home with.
Had she found what she’d longed for? Had she found not merely one man but three who could fill her life with love and happiness?
“You’re being ridiculous.”
She barely knew them. Sure, they’d had sex—no, made love—but that didn’t make for a happily-forever-after ending. In her experience, it meant the exact opposite. It meant a hook-up and nothing more.
She berated herself for letting her imagination run wild. Shoving her fantasy aside, she looked to the moon again.
Beautiful. Glowing. Serene.
And then blinked. When had the moon come out? How long had she sat by the pond, letting her fantasy play out? How had she let time slip by without noticing? She hadn’t expected nightfall to come so soon.
She looked to the moon again. This time her thoughts jumped to darker ideas. The moon was tied to shifters, to werewolves. Not only shifters but also vampires and other supernatural beings. At least, that was how it had been in all the stories she’d ever heard.
Oh, crap. Why did I ha
ve to start thinking about werewolves and vampires? I should’ve stuck with the fantasy.
Nervously, she looked around again. And listened.
Where were all the sounds she’d heard before? Where had the owl gone, the other birds, and the small animals scampering through the trees? Why was everything so quiet now?
She went still, making no noise and listening intently. And heard…nothing.
For a third time, she looked to the moon. Its moonlight beam didn’t look as bright or as beautiful. Now it seemed almost ominous with visions of bats and witches flying past it.
It was a stupid idea to leave the cabin.
She swallowed as her nerves took over.
I never should have come out here. Especially not alone. Even if Bree’s men aren’t shifters, there could be other shifters. Isn’t the entire population of Lonesome supposed to be made up of shifters? And even if shifters aren’t real, there are other animals. Predators that could kill her with one bite, one rake of a deadly claw.
A cracking sound splintered the silence. She jumped to her feet and whirled toward the sound. The crack had been very loud, as though a large fallen branch had been stepped on and broken. Whatever had managed to break it had to have been big. And strong.
She stared into the darkness, searching, yet failing to see anything. “Is someone there?” she asked and immediately regretted speaking. Had she drawn unwanted attention? Should she hide? Should she run?
Another loud noise came from the other side of her. She spun to the left, her heart a heavy weight in her chest, her breathing burning around the weight. Although she tried to convince herself that she was getting jumpy and imaging terrors in the trees, she couldn’t quite manage it.
What if Bree was right and there really were shifters? Did werelions shift with the moon like werewolves? Forgetting the moon, weren’t they nocturnal animals? What other kind of shifters were there? Would shifters have human thoughts, emotions, and control while they were in their animal forms? Or would their beasts take over and attack her? She shivered even though the night was warm.
Her breathing grew shallow, a tightness forming in her throat. Struggle as she might to keep the fear at bay, she couldn’t.
Don’t freak out. You’re fine. It was only a couple of noises. That’s all. Anything could’ve made those sounds. Maybe the branches fell out of a tree with the wind.
She frowned, realizing that the wind wasn’t blowing. Not even a breeze stirred.
That’s okay. There are a ton of other reasons for those sounds. Reasons that have nothing to do with ferocious animals. Keep calm. All you have to do is get up and walk back to the bunkhouse. You made it here by yourself, so you can make it back, too.
She pivoted around and slowly started back to the path.
See? Everything’s okay. I’ll just walk right back. Nothing bad will happen. And once I get back, I’ll have a strong drink and calm down. Then I’ll probably have a good laugh.
Yet she knew when she was bullshitting, and she was bullshitting big time.
She let out a small yelp when the large black wolf suddenly broke through the underbrush to block her way back to the path. The animal was three times the size of a normal wolf. Saliva-dripping fangs shown against its black, glossy fur. But worse, oh so much worse, were the eyes that were filled with amber.
The word werewolf flashed through her mind again.
It’s just a really, big regular wolf. That doesn’t mean it’s a werewolf. Breathe. Just breathe.
But a regular wolf could kill her, too.
She backed up, never taking her attention off the wolf. Yet, hoped as she did, the wolf didn’t stay where it was. Instead, it padded toward her, matching its steps with hers.
It’s coming after me.
Panis started to take hold.
“Go away.” She cleared her throat again and tried to sound more forceful, threatening. “Damn it. Go away!”
The wolf stopped, but she would’ve sworn its lips had curved into a mocking snarl. It lowered its head, laid back its ears, and took another couple of steps closer.
“Stay away. Please. I don’t want to hurt you.” As if she had any chance of doing that. Desperately, she searched for anything she could use as a weapon. But the ground between the trees and the edge of the water gave her nothing to use. No branches lay there, and other than the large flat rock she’d sat on, the rocks were small and useless.
Please, someone help me. Anybody. Help me.
Thoughts of Shane, Danny, and Jason rushed through her mind. If only they were with her. If only she’d stayed at the bunkhouse. Had they arrived at the ranch yet?
She risked a glance over her shoulder at the water. Did wolves swim? Did werewolves? What if the animal shifted back into a man? Which would be more dangerous? A man who could rape her? Or an animal who could tear her apart? Yet she had no choice. She had to go into the water and pray that the animal wouldn’t follow her.
She’d just felt the water chill the backs of her sandaled feet when a growl had her turning in a different direction. Another large wolf, this one a beautiful pristine pure white animal, stood only a few yards away on her right. Amber eyes met hers as it pulled back its mouth and snarled.
Oh God.
As though sensing it, she twisted in the other direction and found yet a third wolf, a brown with a white blaze streaking down his face to her left. The brown wolf, amber eyes glowing, padded closer, an almost human-like eager expression pulling back its lips.
She searched the trees. Were there more of them? She had little chance against one wolf, but no chance against three. Yet no matter how many animals there were, she only had one choice. She couldn’t outrun one of them, much less three. They’d take her down before she got a yard toward the trees. Instead, she did the only thing she could do. She backed up more, the water rising to her ankles then to her knees. She shivered as the chilly wetness soaked her skin.
“Go away.” She didn’t shout this time. Instead, she made her voice low and as mean sounding as possible. As commanding as possible. Not that it did any good.
She fisted her hands as the three of them moved closer, steadily closing the distance between them. If they came into the water, would she have the advantage of diving under the surface? Yet it would take only one quick swipe of a huge paw to tear into her.
The water, now at her waist, chilling her, lifted her dress to form a floating circle around her. The wolves moved to the water’s edge. If they moved any closer, they’d have their paws in the pond. Would they wade in? And if they did, would they go deeper into the water to get her?
She backed up a few steps more. As she did, her foot slipped on the squishy bottom of the pond. She fell, cold water rushing over her. She pushed to the surface and came up sputtering. Her hair hung in her face, but even with that drape of wet locks blocking her view, she saw the wolves.
And then she saw them.
A sob broke free. Although they held no weapons, she knew they would keep her safe.
Oh, thank you. Thank you.
The three Landerson men stood facing her, facing the wolves that had turned around. She could hear the wolves’ snarls and could imagine their jaws open, fangs showing. The wolves were hunched low, their ears and tails lowered.
They were ready to attack.
And yet, they didn’t.
“It’s okay, sugar,” assured Jason. “We’re here now. They’re not going to hurt you.”
The big black wolf growled as though arguing with Jason.
“Move off, guys.” Danny strode toward the black wolf. “She’s ours. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll back the hell off.”
He was talking to the wolf the same way he’d talk to a man.
It’s real. They’re real.
She’d just received her confirmation that shifters were real, yet her mind still couldn’t grasp the idea. How could she until she saw with her own eyes…
She sucked in a breath as Shane began to disrobe. Wh
at was he doing?
He tore his shirt off as he shucked his boots. His jeans were down and kicked off in two quick moves. “Okay. If you’ve got to do this the hard way, then so be it.”
“Fuck.” Jason began to undress, too.
Danny wasn’t far behind, yet, unlike his brothers, he donned a smile. Did he want to fight?
“What are you doing?” she asked. But she remained where she was. As much as she wanted to run toward the Landerson men, she couldn’t. The wolves were between her and her men.
“We’re showing these dogs what real men do,” answered Shane.
She didn’t understand what he meant. And didn’t understand even more when their bodies began to blur, to change, to morph. Limbs broke then reformed with agonizingly terrible sounds of breaking bones. Tanned skin darkened then changed texture as human flesh was replaced by tawny fur.
Awed amazement swept over her as she watched the Landerson men change from men to lions. The transformation didn’t take long.
Suddenly, the men were gone and replaced by magnificent creatures. Larger than the wolves, with broad chests, flowing manes, and amber eyes.
They’re shifters.
She could no longer have any doubt. Bree had been right. Shifters were real.
The white wolf was the first one to attack. It leapt into the air straight toward the lion that was Jason. Jason lifted up onto his rear legs, his massive jaws wide open, his enormous fangs bared. He clamped down with a vicious bite as the white wolf landed on him, claws digging into Jason’s chest.
Shane roared his anger and barreled toward the brown wolf. They came together, bodies launched at each other, claws and fangs extended.
Danny crouched low, and when the black wolf threw himself at him, he caught the wolf, spun his body around, and slammed the wolf to the ground.
Winnie shivered in the water, both the chill and fear taking hold. As the battle raged onshore, she slowly began to move toward the shore then stopped.
What if once she was on land, the men-turned-lions didn’t know her? She couldn’t imagine the larger lions not winning, but even if they did, what would become of her?