“That’s true.” She snatched another kiss, this one lingering. She drew back and smiled. “We should try to sleep. It will be a busy day tomorrow.”
“All right.” Disappointment seared him, even as he understood. Their peace was too fragile yet, too new. He needed to move with caution. “I’ll seduce you tomorrow night,” he whispered. “Once we’ve made our decision.”
“Is that a promise?”
A purr of satisfaction escaped him. “Tomorrow,” he repeated, and he pulled her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her. “Maybe tomorrow you could ditch the pajamas. I’ll take on the responsibility of keeping you warm.”
The phone dragged Marsh from a deep sleep—the best rest he’d had for weeks.
“What is it?” a sleepy voice asked.
“Phone. It’s early. Just gone six. Stay in bed.” Marsh slid from the warmth and tucked the covers around Caroline. Her eyelids fluttered, and her breathing deepened.
The phone continued to ring, and Marsh dug in his jeans pocket. He glanced at the screen and muttered a low curse. Ignore. After placing his phone on vibrate, he set it aside. He’d dress first and grab a coffee, if they had any instant left in the cupboard, before he faced his father.
By the time he’d donned a worn T-shirt, a flannel shirt and a pair of faded jeans, his phone danced across the dresser. He scooped it up and strode toward the kitchen. “What do you want, Dad?”
“The cattle are gone.”
“Which cattle?” Marsh pulled on a pair of socks and scoured the cupboard for a jar of coffee.
“The ones you shifted to the farm paddock yesterday. Didn’t you shut the gate? At least half of them are gone.”
“I shut the gate,” Marsh said in a flat voice. “I’ll check the fence and see if I can find them.” He ended the call with a feline snarl. No coffee this morning. He’d make do with a glass of water.
When he arrived at the gate, he found it shut. The hoofprints at the gateway told Marsh the cattle had come out the gate, but someone had closed it again. He’d driven the cattle through the far gate on the other side of the paddock, so there shouldn’t be prints in this gateway. Footprints covered the ground outside the gate, the wavy patterns not a match to his boots. He dragged in a lungful of air and caught an out-of-place scent. A stranger. He followed the tracks and the scent and came to tracks made by a vehicle. Someone had loaded stock onto a truck. Holes in the gravel road told him what happened.
Thieves had driven the cattle from the paddock, herded them into mobile yards and trucked them away.
Crap. Just what he needed today.
He pulled out his phone and rang his father.
“Well?”
“Someone loaded them on a truck.”
“Someone stole them?”
“That’s what it looks like.”
“Fuck,” his father growled.
“I’ll ring the cops,” Marsh said. “I’ll wait for them to see the scene.”
“Fat lot of use that will do. Hannah should’ve retired years ago.”
“We need to go through the process,” Marsh said, straining for patience. “At least that way we should be able to claim insurance.”
“I didn’t renew the policy.”
“Why—never mind. I’ll talk to you later.” He disconnected and made his call to the police.
Hannah arrived ten minutes later and took down the details as Marsh showed him everything he’d noticed.
“I’ll talk to the neighbors. Ask if they saw anything strange last night.”
“Haven’t other farmers reported missing stock?” Marsh asked.
“A small herd went missing two days ago, on the other side of Middlemarch. The same setup.”
“Our cattle all wore our electronic ear tags. They won’t be able to sell them, not through legitimate channels.”
“I have the word out with the stock agents and the auctions. The police at Cromwell are receiving reports of missing stock too.”
Marsh nodded. “I’d heard that other areas farther south had problems.”
Jason Hannah rubbed his belly then adjusted his trousers, hauling them higher on his hips. “’Tis an epidemic.”
“You’ll ring me if you learn anything?”
The cop nodded and plodded back to his vehicle.
Marsh scowled after him, not holding much hope. Hannah and the other cop at Middlemarch were a joke, going through the motions and hanging on until they reached retirement age. Locals were still discussing the two mystery bodies that turned up in the area. One body disappeared while en route to Dunedin and no one had seen a thing.
Marsh jogged to his parents’ house to report on the stock in person. Damn, that had taken longer than he’d expected. By the time he finished with his father, he’d be cutting it short to make the eight o’clock phone call. He pulled up and rang Caroline.
“Caroline, it’s Marsh.” He explained what had happened. “If I don’t make it back by eight, can you ring Cam and do the interview? You know what we want to learn. The wages, the hours, where we’ll be living, the duties for both of us. Anything else? Maybe make a list so we forget nothing. If I don’t make it back, explain what has happened and give my apologies. Ask if we can ring him with a decision.” He paused. “No, if you think it sounds as if the position will work for me, accept the job. He’ll speak with Saber. He’ll know I’m capable of doing the work.”
“You’d trust me to make the final decision?” Surprise tinged her voice.
“I trust you to do the best for us and the boys. You’ve never failed me yet. Hell, Dad looks as if he might burst. Gotta go. I’ll try to get back in time. Love you.”
* * * * *
Caroline kept one eye on the clock while she made a late breakfast for the boys. The digital numbers ticked over, moving closer to eight. She mentally rescheduled her day, adding in a school run because they’d missed the bus. If the phone call went longer than an hour, James would be late to school.
She sat and jotted several questions on a notepad, things she thought Marsh would want to know. Stock numbers. Mix of stock. Other employees. Terms and conditions. Wages. Time off. Things she wanted to know. Her duties. Wages. Accommodation. School for the boys. Expenses included in the wage package.
The phone peeled, and she wiped her palms on her track pants. Nerves. A reminder of the phone call she needed to make soon. After speaking with Marsh she wanted this chance to move forward with their marriage.
She picked up the phone.
“Caroline, it’s Emily. Just wanted to confirm that we’ll pick you up at ten. Is that still all right?”
“That’s fine,” Caroline said.
“Something wrong?”
“Someone stole a herd of cattle last night, and Marsh is caught up with the aftermath. I need to make a phone call to Mr. Sinclair, and I’m nervous. Hopefully, the call won’t take too long because I have to drive James to school.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes,” Emily said. “I’m checking in at the café before we leave to make sure my helpers are set. Your place is on the way. If you’re okay with the idea, I can take James to school and your youngest can come with me to the café.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m driving past your place anyway.”
“Thank you. That would be a huge help. Ricky isn’t good at remaining quiet for ten minutes, let alone half an hour.”
“You’ll be fine. You have a list? I live my life with my lists. Saber and the others always tease me.”
Caroline laughed, feeling in charity with the bubbly woman. “I’ve just written mine.”
“See you soon.”
Caroline organized the two boys and after Emily arrived, she transferred car seats and buckled in her sons.
“We’re dressing for comfort for this shopping trip. I’m wearing this.” Emily gestured at her jeans and blouse before she climbed back into the driver’s seat.
“Comfort is good.”
“We’ll
pick you up at ten. Good luck with your job interview.”
“Thanks.” Caroline waved to her sons and Emily as they drove away.
“Where is she taking my grandsons?” Dawn asked in an icy tone.
Caroline tensed, sucked in a quick breath and turned to face her mother-in-law. “Emily Mitchell is dropping James at school and looking after Ricky for an hour while I take care of stuff here.”
“What sort of stuff? Why didn’t you ask me to look after Ricky?”
Caroline fought to remain silent. Dawn refused to mind Ricky unless it suited her. “Emily offered.”
“Why do you need privacy?”
“I promised to make a new dress.” Caroline chose to lie rather than tell her mother-in-law of the prospective job. “Ricky can’t sit still this week.” She stopped talking and glanced at her watch. “I must go.”
“Wait. I need you to cook a cake for me to take to a party. You’re so much better at it than me.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m too busy to bake today.”
“Why?”
“I’m going out for the day.”
Dawn frowned. “Where are you going? You don’t have friends.”
Bitch. Caroline bit back another retort, one that might be taken as rude. She refused to stoop to the levels of her mother-in-law. “I’m sorry, Dawn.” And she turned and walked inside their house, shutting the door behind her.
Two steps toward the kitchen, her door flew open. “If you’re going shopping, who is looking after the children?”
“Marsh.”
“Marsh will be working. He can’t look after children.”
“Marsh said he could. Is that all? I need to get moving.” Without waiting for a reply, Caroline turned and strode to the kitchen. It felt as if Dawn glared holes in her back, and she was glad when she heard the retreat of her mother-in-law’s footsteps, then the thump of the door closing.
She glanced at the clock to check the time. Two minutes to the hour. Good enough. She wiped her palms again and reached for the phone.
Chapter Five
“You ungrateful brat.”
Marsh stared at his father and wondered if he should try to apologize again for the teenage mistake that had broken their family. His hand rose to rub at the ache of regret pressuring his chest. They’d never been close, and after the accident… He missed Angus too, mourned his loss, had cried like a baby in private to avoid his father’s scoffing. He’d loved his older brother, worshiped him, but now he had to move on with his life. Concentrate on his family, his responsibilities.
He forced himself to speak, to hasten this confrontation when he’d rather escape to the peacefulness of the land. “Dad, half the time you don’t pay me. You owe me wages from months ago, and you expect me to work long hours. I have to beg for time off. Caroline and I can’t keep living this way.”
“You’ve allowed that mealy-mouthed human to sway your good sense,” his father spat. “I told you no good would come from this union.”
“You did,” Marsh said. “I didn’t listen then, and I won’t now. Caroline and I are leaving Middlemarch.”
Charles laughed, bitterness leaching the sound of humor. “Where will you go? No one will hire you. I won’t give you a reference.”
“That is why we’re leaving,” Marsh said. “Goodbye, Dad. Do you want us to stop by before we leave so you can say goodbye to James and Ricky?”
“Don’t bother,” Charles roared, his feline rushing to the surface.
Marsh stood his ground, meeting his father’s fury without flinching. “I’ve made my decision.”
“Who will work the farm?”
“Hire someone. Dad, I need my wages. Can you give me cash today?”
Charles snorted, his face contorting into mean and ugly. “You have got to be kidding me. If you’re running out on me, you’re not getting a cent.”
“I’ve earned those wages.”
“You let someone steal a hundred head of cattle. That was your wages.”
Marsh studied his father for long seconds. There was no softening in his expression, no compassion. “Goodbye Dad. Have a nice life.”
* * * * *
Dawn’s left hand gripped her phone. “Valerie, I thought the council might help us. Marsh is leaving and taking the boys with him.” She paced the length of her designer kitchen. “Of course he’s taking the human with him. This is where the problem started. If he’d kept his pants zipped…”
“Your son is an adult,” Valerie said. “We can’t force him to do anything.”
“I thought you’d talk sense into him. We didn’t want him to leave.”
Valerie remained silent for a time, then her heavy exhalation echoed down the line. “Have you talked to him? Explained your position?”
The unspoken censure had Dawn’s feline snarling, pacing her mind. “Numerous times. He shouldn’t have married that woman.”
“You love your grandchildren. You wouldn’t have grandchildren if it wasn’t for Caroline.”
“Marsh could have married the McCulloh girl or the Kirkpatrick girl. He dated both of them while attending varsity in Dunedin. Then, the next thing Charles and I knew, Marsh brought Caroline home, told us she was pregnant, and they intended to get married. He didn’t even discuss the matter. At least we persuaded him not to tell her about our feline status. Imagine the mess we’d be in if she knew.”
“Why? Other humans know of our existence. They are loyal to our community. You should have told Caroline the truth. They’ve been together for what…almost six years?”
“It’s her fault. She is making Marsh do this, leaving Charles in the lurch on the farm.”
Valerie made agreeing sounds, dampening down Dawn’s agitation.
“So you’ll speak with the council again?”
“Our next meeting is this afternoon. Do you know where Marsh is going?”
“No, he refused to tell us. He said he wanted a fresh start and time to settle in before he contacted us again. He…Charles and Marsh had words. Charles doesn’t wish to see Marsh, but I want to see my grandchildren.”
“I understand,” Valerie said in a crisp, no-nonsense tone. “I’ll be in touch.”
* * * * *
The next morning.
Caroline placed her hands on her hips and glared at the overflowing suitcases. “How are we going to fit everything into the car? We can’t afford to hire a moving van to get our stuff to the Mackenzie.”
“I’ll talk to my parents,” Marsh said. “They might let us store some of our stuff.”
She wrinkled her nose. Dawn and Charles never did anything the easy way, and since Marsh had told his parents they were leaving, his father had gone out of his way to make things difficult. “I can’t believe he’s threatening to chuck us out of our house.”
“Or not. I didn’t say it would be easy. Dad is still refusing to give me the wages he owes me.”
“What are we going to do, Marsh? We haven’t got any food in the cupboards. The boys ate the last of the breakfast cereal this morning. We have five days to go before we’re due at Glenshee Station. We need money to buy petrol for the journey and food until we go—” She broke off with a helpless shrug, tears filling her eyes. She could do without food, but the boys…it wasn’t fair. “Your parents keep saying how they love their grandchildren and want them to stay, but they’re making them suffer.”
Marsh went to her and wrapped his arms around her trembling body. “Shush, kitten. It will be all right.”
She pulled back and rubbed the back of her neck. “How?”
She couldn’t see anything but stress in their coming days. Things were bad enough now. James had asked her what was wrong this morning before she’d walked him to the school bus. How could she tell him that his beloved grandparents were the source of her anxiety? And that she’d been crying because she’d found five-dollars in change down the back of the couch.
“I’ll think of something.”
“We could sell my jewelry—
the necklace my grandmother gave me.”
“No. Absolutely not. Let me go and see my parents one final time.”
“And what about our stuff?”
“I’m sorry, kitten, but we’ll have to restrict ourselves to clothes and important items. Just the things we can fit into the car. Bedding. Towels. Clothing. Toiletries. Get the boys to choose their favorite toys and books.”
She let out a huff and stared at her feet before meeting his gaze again. “Okay. Should I start packing the car now?”
“Might as well. It might be easier while the boys are at school and kindy.” Marsh glanced at his watch. “I’ll stop by my parents’ place, then come back to help you pack.” His hands tightened on her shoulders. “Hey.”
A long, low cry escaped, burning her tight throat as it emerged. “I feel so helpless. I rang my parents, intending to ask them for money, but I couldn’t. They’re saving for a holiday, the first they’ve had for years. It didn’t feel right to ask, even though I know they would’ve given it to us.”
“You shouldn’t have to ask. This is my fault.”
No. No, it wasn’t. It was his parents trying to wreak havoc and pull them apart. Marsh had earned those wages, and it wasn’t as if they were asking for money they weren’t owed.
“If your father refuses to give us the money he owes us, make sure he knows that we can’t afford to buy food to feed our children.”
His father’s farm vehicle was parked in front of the house when Marsh walked up their driveway. He knocked on the door and waited for his mother to answer his summons. When the door opened, he forced a smile, determined to keep his temper and act with dignity. Remain calm.
“Mother.”
“Marsh, thank goodness you’ve come to your senses. If you apologize to your father, he’ll give you your job back. I understand you’re attached to Caroline, but it’s better if you part ways. Come inside. Talk to your father. We’ll sort everything out and fix this slight upset.”
He blinked rapidly and remained rooted in the doorway. Fuck, they truly expected him to walk away from Caroline. She was his mate, yet they didn’t support either of them in their relationship.
My Estranged Lover (Middlemarch Shifters Book 5) Page 6