She knew there was some truth to what Gordon was saying but if she ran far and fast enough, she was certain she could find a home out of her father’s reach. Her father had already contacted Alpha Roberts, so staying in this town was impossible. She’d never put his family at risk. His human wife would never withstand an Ursus power if her father decided to attack.
“I’ll think about it, Sir.”
“Gordon is fine, Clara. If you insist on calling me ‘Sir,’ my wives are going to start planning ways to make certain my ego doesn’t inflate too much.”
Wives…She’d read about men who claimed harems of women. The temptation to ask how many he had was on the tip of her tongue but she managed to keep her mouth shut. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone of my plans.”
Gordon stood and held out his hand. She slipped hers into his and he shook it but didn’t let go right away. “I’ll keep your confidence, Clara, as long as you don’t head out right away. Stay here a day or two and rest. Be sure that the difficult path you have chosen is really the one you want to take. You’re safe here in Ecstasy Lake.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it and if staying till tomorrow will earn your confidence I’ll head straight to the hotel after I make my delivery.”
Gordon smiled at her and nodded. “Good. You look tired and I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that there’s a strange disconnect between you and your primal side. If I didn’t already know you were from an Ursus clan, I would have a hard time figuring you out.”
Fear thumped through Clara’s words. She’d known something was wrong for the past few days but hoped that once she got away from her father and was safe, her selves would realign again. “I’m sure a good night’s sleep will fix everything.”
“Be sure to let your bear out and explore the woods. You may need some time, although watch yourself around the brewery. The McNamara brothers live near there and they are very protective around their Mate.
McNamara? Clara remembered hearing rumors about three brothers with that same last name who’d left their village with three females to start a new life. There had been a great deal of scandal attached to their parting. If they had found their Mates then what had happened to the females? Had they gotten rid of them? She decided at that point to give this brewery and the McNamara brothers a wide berth. She was only going to be here for one day. What were the odds of bumping into them anyways?
Chapter Three
“Don’t be such a baby, Nouel.” Georges watched as Marcario held up his camera and tried to focus on his brother. The most difficult part of this entire photo shoot was trying not to laugh hysterically at the sight before him. Nouel stood there looking like one seriously pissed-off moose, his antlers draped in the knitted monstrosity that Miss Lavender had created. There was every colour of the rainbow in this thing, not to mention all the different types of yarn. From fuzzy stuff that felt like the velvet on their antlers to a long stringy kind that looked like it was make from humongous eyelashes.
“I think there is some glitter on his nose.” Luc’s tone shot up higher than any man’s should at the end of that comment. He cleared his throat and covered his mouth as he tried to look serious but was obviously fighting the urge to break out laughing. He and Luc were standing back out of the way, enjoying every minute of this.
Nouel on the other hand obviously wasn’t impressed. He snorted in their direction and dipped his head as if he was contemplating charging them. That caused the small bells sewn into the knitting to chime out, making Nouel sound like some Christmas reject. It was too much for Luc, who turned on his heel and headed straight back into the shop, bent over at the waist laughing hysterically.
Their younger brother charged in Luc’s direction but Marcario stepped in his path. “Hey, come on. You’re doing this for Miss Lavender. It’s not like anyone else can see you right now.
That is until I upload these pictures onto the McGuigan’s Facebook page. The more pictures Marcario took, the more ideas Georges got. Maybe they would use this as the Yule card for the shop next year or have T-shirts made. Something this funny needed to be shared over and over.
Reminding Nouel he was doing this for his favourite person in town settled him down some. Georges could still tell his brother was annoyed and didn’t want him to lose his temper or control. “I’ll make you some quinoa, with apples, cranberries, and dried apricots for lunch if you stand still for a couple more.”
That seemed to appease his brother because Nouel rambled back toward the entrance to the woods and posed regally for the picture. Food has always been the easiest way to get Nouel to agree to anything when they were kids and it looked like that hadn’t changed much in the years he was gone. He could see the digital screen of the camera as Marcario snapped a couple good shots that Miss Lavender would like and then watched as Marcario zoomed in and took some embarrassing ones for his own amusement.
The rumble of an engine turning up the drive caught their attention. A moment later, Luc came out the front of the shop. His brother had paid a fortune for the original head gasket for his car and then paid extra for it to be delivered. Luc didn’t trust shipping companies with anything for his own projects. He’d almost driven to the East coast himself but had managed to talk the owner into having it delivered.
Nouel jogged around the back of the shop to where their house was. No doubt thankful for this intrusion.
That was okay because Georges had seen enough pictures to keep everyone smiling for years. He might even have shirts made up with “Have A Moose Colourful Day!” Or “Merry Chrismoose” on the yule cards they sent out next year to their customers. This was going to be the gift that kept giving.
He tucked his hands into pockets and turned to watch the small vehicle come down the drive. There was a single woman behind the wheel and no one else in the car. Who in their right mind drove across three provinces in a piece of shit like she was driving? He could hear himself that a belt was starting to go and there was at least two sparkplugs misfiring. It couldn’t be the delivery. She must be bringing the car in for work to be done on it. Luc glanced over at him as he got closer and shrugged his shoulders. He waved her toward the garage doors but she stopped in front of the house.
As she turned off the car and got out, a wave of heated arousal hit Georges straight in the chest. She had the cutest quizzical look on her face and a smile that made his heat skip a beat. This woman was truly gorgeous. Her hair was a beautiful shade of brown. It was long and parted down the middle, framing her face with big soft curls. She didn’t wear much makeup, which he preferred, but she didn’t need it. A slight shine to her lips let him know she was wearing some kind of gloss and he wondered if it was flavoured. Would she freak out if I licked her lower lip to find out?
She was upwind from him so he couldn’t get a hint of her scent, but he didn’t need it to know that she was his. He looked over at Luc, but his brother had the oddest look on his face. He stood there staring at her as if she was a complicated puzzle. Damn, that must mean that she’s not truly Luc’s Mate.
“Did I just see a moose wearing a gaudy knitted sweater on his antlers?”
“No,” Georges answered. He wanted to say more but he felt like his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth.
He wasn’t a romantic. That was more their younger brother’s forte, but he’d hoped that when one of them found their Mate she would be meant for all of them. Not that they wouldn’t follow their plan to share one Mate as long as she was agreeable. What if Luc and Nouel can’t stand her? What had started out as the most exciting moment of his life quickly dimmed as he began to process all the things that could go wrong.
Unlike his brothers, Georges had been there the day their oldest sibling died. He vividly remembered the wild look in Jacque’s expression as he challenged another moose for a female’s attention. Their parents were traditionalists that followed the idea that they should accept their animal as much as possible. It was why they’d all been raised veget
arians. The dominance battles were a normal part of life for the men in their community. Nouel was too young at the time but both he and Luc had literally butted heads a time or three at that point.
Georges had watched his brother fight to the death over nothing more than the right to take a woman to a movie. It didn’t make any more sense now than it did then. Their dad had accepted what had happened but the pain was still there. Their mom had never really recovered from losing her first born. Not long after that, the three of them vowed to each other that they would never fight over anything, especially a woman.
“Is there anything we can help you with?” Luc came down the porch steps and approached the front of her vehicle. He stretched out a hand and touched the hood of her car. No doubt checking out the amount of heat the engine was giving off.
“My name’s Clara Fitch. I have a delivery from Ursa Autobody for Luc Benoit.”
“You have my head gasket?” A large smile crossed Luc’s face. “That’s great. I really appreciate you delivering it. It was too important for me to trust to normal shipping.”
“You paid me to escape. I almost feel like I owe you.” She laughed, but then it was like she realized what she’d said and he watched a soft pink stain her cheeks. “For giving me the chance to have a small vacation, I mean. It was a gorgeous drive here.”
“Escape” was an interesting choice of words and might not have triggered his attention if it weren’t for the tone she used when she said it and the quick way she clarified herself after.
“Clara Fitch?” Marcario was just closing up his camera case when he spoke. “You wouldn’t happen to be related to Brodie Fitch would you?”
“Yes.” Clara looked at Marcario like he was slightly off his rocker but curious at the same time. “How do you know him?”
“He’s married to my sister’s best friend.” Marcario reached out and shook Clara’s hand. “You have to come over for dinner tonight. I’ll give Mai a call. I’m sure she’d love to meet you.”
Georges struggled for a moment with the urge to charge at the other man for touching Clara. Turning around, he walked a few steps away, acting as if he really didn’t care about the conversation, giving him a moment to collect himself. He could smell her and her scent called to his moose. A deep primal part of his psyche demanded he fight for her. Throw down a challenge and take what was rightfully his. The mental image of his brother’s face showing that same expression, even frozen in death, helped him to maintain his grip on reality.
“That’s very kind of you, but I’m leaving right away and heading back home.”
No! The word echoed in his thoughts as he fought the urge to shout it at her.
“Bad idea,” Luc spoke before Georges had a chance. “See that dark ridge over there. That’s headed right toward us and you would drive right into what they are predicting will be one of the worst snow storms we’ve seen in a while.”
Georges turned and looked very closely at Luc, who was pointing at a dark ridge of clouds. He was hoping to detect some indication that Luc was feeling the same urge as he was, but his brother was much too stoic to be easily read.
“This is where we get punished for all that nice weather we’ve had over the last week.” Marcario shrugged. “Do you have someplace to stay? I’m sure we can find a bed for you.”
Clara bit on her lower lip and she stared up at the clouds. She looked so cute and Georges desperately wanted to kiss the soft lip she was gnawing on. “But, I really need to get going.” Clara seemed very upset by the news as she gripped the car doorframe.
Georges thought it looked like she was using it as a shield of some sort between her and them. She’d flick her gaze at him or Luc but kept her attention on Marcario. That annoyed the primal side of him. She was his Mate and he wanted her attention completely on him. She must have picked up on his scent by now. So why the hell is she ignoring me?
Unless he was reading the situation wrong and she wasn’t meant for him, but the animal inside of him balked at that thought. He could see she was nervous by the way she held back, staying close to her vehicle. Her gaze had been jumping between them all, but he couldn’t understand why. Before he’d realized what he’d done, he’d taken a few steps closer to the car and her gaze swung away from Marcario and back on him. That’s better. The wind picked up, lifting some of her hair and whipping it around her head. It looked soft and the perfect length for him to wrap around his fist. Georges wanted to bury his face in the crook of her neck and breathe her into his soul, forcing her to acknowledge his presence, but that would either give him away or scare his Mate off.
There was no way he wanted to force his brothers to accept a woman they weren’t really interested in. That being said, if they managed to get to know her then perhaps his brothers would grow to like her. They needed to keep her in town longer for that to happen. The weather at the moment was certainly on their side. If this storm was as bad as the news predicted, then they might have gained a week. He also understood why Cris and Lars had asked him and Luc to lie about the condition of Tara’s car last summer. Despite the guilt he’d felt at the time, right about now he’d be tempted to fuck with Clara’s vehicle to ensure she had to stay around a bit longer.
“These kinds of storms are dangerous. There are conflicting reports on the strength and duration of it and the Provincial Police have already closed down some of the highways up north.”
“Stay here.” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. Luc turned quickly to stare at him before a small smile quirked up the corner of his brother’s mouth. Holy Crap, is she his Mate, too?
“Oh, no. That’s okay. I think I remember Gordon saying there is a hotel in town.”
“We have plenty of room at our house,” Marcario offered. Her denial and Marcario’s offer were spoken at the same time and annoyed Georges for different reasons. “Clara, your brother knows us. We met the last time he and his wife Stephanie came up to visit Mai. If it will make you feel better, why don’t you give him a call?”
She appeared to ponder in the invitation before stating, “Okay, I will.” She got back into her car and dialed her cell phone. Georges watched her speak, wishing he could hear inside the closed-up vehicle. She was smart enough not to walk away from her means of escape, but he couldn’t help feeling antsy at the idea that she could drive away from them at any second if she didn’t like what her brother had to say about them.
“Damn. Please tell me we didn’t beat Brodie’s ass too much at your poker game last time he was up.”
Marcario shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. He and Gaspar are usually the ones that play aggressively against each other.”
Georges rubbed the back of his neck. “Good. At least we don’t have to worry about him carrying a grudge that will fuck this up.”
“Fuck what up?” Marcario adjusted the strap from the camera case on his shoulder.
“She’s our Mate, right, Georges?” Luc said, never taking his eyes from their Mate.
Georges knew his brother was double checking what they already suspected. He nodded and lowered his voice enough that hopefully she wouldn’t hear him. “Yup, damn right. She’s all ours.”
Marcario looked back and forth between them. “You’re kidding me. That’s great, congratulations.” He looked over at Clara’s vehicle and then his own. “If you don’t need any more pictures I’m going to head out. You shifters don’t notice the cold that much, but I’m freezing my ass off.”
“Damn, man, sorry about that.”
“No big deal. Jessica will curl up against me and warm me up when I get home. The joys of being married to a shifter myself.” He gave them both a grin and a wave before jogging over to his Land Rover.
Luc rested his hands on George’s shoulder and gave him a little shake. “Can you believe this? She’s perfect.”
“I’m a little shell shocked at the moment. It’s going to take me a second to process this. I mean I never thought…” It was true he’d given
up on the entire idea of ever finding a woman to share, let alone the possibility that she would be a Mate to all three of them. It was mind boggling.
Clara’s car door opened and they both rushed to her side of the car. Georges held the door open while Luc took her hand to help her out. She gave them both an odd look before lifting her cell phone. “Brodie verified that you aren’t serial killers but I’m not to play poker with either of you.”
“If the power goes out, we’ll play president then.” Luc smiled. “Do you have a bag with you?”
“Yes, in the backseat.”
He’d opened the backdoor and reached in for her overnight bag before she could say no. Inside the vehicle her scent was much stronger and he could pick up the subtle ursine notes to her scent but there was still a strange…blankness to it.
Georges’s cell phone rang, distracting him. He glanced down at the screen and nodded at his brother’s questioning look. He stood and handed Luc her bag. “Excuse me, I had better take this call.”
“Come on in, Clara. I’ll show you which room you can put your stuff in.” Luc placed his hand at her lower back and led her inside. Georges waited until the door closed before answering the call.
“Ecstasy Lake Auto Body, how can I help you?”
“What is my sister doing at your shop and why is she spending the night when there is a perfectly good hotel minutes away?” Brodie’s deep voice almost sounded like a growl as he spoke. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t drive up there myself and come and get her.”
“Aside from the brutal storm about to descend upon us?”
“Not good enough.”
“She’s our Mate.”
Silence punctuated the phone long enough that Georges pulled it away from his ear to see if the call had been dropped.
“All three of you?”
“She’s only met Luc and I so far but I have hopes that Nouel will feel the same way.”
“And are you prepared to share your Mate with your brothers? Moose aren’t known to share well.”
Chasing Peace, Love & Fur [3xtasy Lake 8] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 4