by Jane Jamison
Werewolves of Forever, Texas 1
Wild Love
Emma Rand is living life to the fullest. After receiving devastating news from her doctor, her boyfriend dumps her and she decides to fulfill her lifelong dream of writing a book. She moves to Forever, Texas, to find the solitude she needs to write. If only she has enough time left.
The Carr brothers have waited for their mate, and when Emma finally arrives, they know they've found her. Setting out to win her heart, however, won't be as easy as Jayden, Jacob, and Jackson thought. She's gravely ill, and only turning her will keep her alive. Yet when her ex-boyfriend talks her into trying an experimental cure, will she accept the medical surgery that might cure her? Or will she let her heart show her the way to a long and happy life with her three mates?
Note: There is no sexual relationship or touching for titillation between or among siblings.
Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Vampires/Werewolves, Western/Cowboys
Length: 39,373 words
WILD LOVE
Werewolves of Forever, Texas 1
Jane Jamison
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
WILD LOVE
Copyright © 2012 by Jane Jamison
E-book ISBN: 978-1-61926-751-0
First E-book Publication: June 2012
Cover design by Les Byerley
All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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WILD LOVE
Werewolves of Forever, Texas 1
JANE JAMISON
Copyright © 2012
Chapter One
Emma Rand glanced around the street of Forever, Texas, and wondered if she should’ve chosen another destination. If she’d learned nothing else in the past month, she’d learned how short life can be. She didn’t have enough time to make any mistakes. Not if she wanted to finish what she’d started before… She shoved the terrifying thought away, determined not to think the worst. Hadn’t her mother taught her to think positively?
“You bring to you what you fear the most.”
Even now, seven years after her death, she could still see her mother’s sweet face, her kind eyes, and the determination in her set jaw. Yet her mother had never envisioned what lay ahead for her only daughter. How could any mother have?
As the brisk wind of the Texas panhandle whipped through her hair, Emma heard the doctor’s words as clearly as if he were sitting next to her in the passenger seat of her newly purchased convertible MINI Cooper.
“I’m sorry, Emma. I had hoped for a better prognosis, but the scans confirm my suspicions. I wish I had better news.”
She hadn’t cried. Not then and not later. Why cry when there was nothing anyone could do? Most days, it didn’t seem real. But others, ones like today, the daunting reality hit home hard.
A pain stabbed into her forehead as though to emphasize the awful truth. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths until the ache subsided. Opening her purse, she found her medication, took two pills out, then popped them into her mouth and swallowed. She hoped that today would not be one of those days when it seemed all too real.
She blew out a breath and told herself to stop worrying about tomorrow when she had so much to do before nightfall. Checking her makeup in the rearview mirror and forcing her expression into a more pleasant one, she got out of her car, hit the button to lock it, and looked around.
Forever, Texas, was smaller than she’d imagined. Small stores, reminding her of a Norman Rockwell painting, lined Main Street. Cheerful homemade signs decorated a clothing store boasting “fashions all the way from Dallas” while a dentist office across the street offered free dental checkups for seniors. A barbershop sported one of the old-fashioned red-and-white barber poles, and she could see three older men inside, their camaraderie showing in their happy expressions as they passed the time with the white-coated barber.
Judging from the few vehicles parked along the street, the primary mode of transportation was pickups with horse-trailer hitches attached to the rear. Yet, maybe there was more to the town than she’d gathered at first glance. Although Forever was the epitome of a southwestern state, she remembered seeing a Gothic clothing store with windows filled with black clothing as well as studded collars and a couple of silver dog leashes.
“I guess even small-town America can get a little kinky.” She promised herself she would check out the store as soon as she’d settled in.
Forever, Texas, hadn’t been big enough for her to find anything on the Internet but the barest of information such as location, population—currently 2,512 people—and a map showing her the only route to get to the town. But she couldn’t turn back now. After paying six months’ rent in advance for the home, she didn’t have enough money to pay for anything but the necessities of life. As it was, she counted herself lucky that Martin, the newest member of the janitorial service in her apartment building and a former resident of Forever, had told her about th
e town and had even called the owner of the rental property for her. Judging from Martin’s description, Forever had sounded like the perfect place to live out her dream.
A tiny thrill rushed through her whenever she remembered Jackson Carr’s deep, velvety voice. He could’ve made a fortune being an announcer and doing voice-over work in the entertainment industry. She’d even told him so, and he’d laughed, striking a chord deep inside her.
In fact, part of the reason she’d chosen the rental house over other choices around the country was because of his voice. The instant she’d heard his rich timbre, she’d had to meet him.
Funny. At first, when Martin had phoned him, he hadn’t wanted a renter. But after a few minutes talking to him, Jackson had abruptly changed his mind.
She shook her head. Why was she thinking about him? The last thing she needed was a man in her life. Especially one that might cut and run once she’d told him her problem.
She glanced around and wondered again at her good fortune. From the looks of things, she’d been lucky to find anyone with a rental house.
A black-and-white dog, wagging his tail, scampered over to her, and she bent to run her fingers through its soft fur. He pushed his muzzle against her leg and whined, begging her to scratch him behind the ear. She laughed and took his face so she could look into his large brown eyes. No one needed to tell her how intelligent he was. She could see it in the way he regarded her, just as she could with most animals.
People said she had an uncanny way with animals. Yet as much as she loved them, especially dogs, she’d never had a pet. Working full-time while trying to write didn’t leave much room for anything else. A fact her boyfriend, Brian Miller—correction, her ex-boyfriend—had complained about often. But it wasn’t as though she’d had a choice. He hadn’t helped with her expenses, and she hadn’t expected him to. But a girl had to make a living.
Later, once she’d gotten her test results, she’d had more time to give. But by that point, Brian had stopped caring. Sometimes, she wondered if he’d stopped caring long before the results.
“Sorry, boy. I wish I could spend all day with you, but I’ve got to get going.”
She straightened up and sighed as the dog whirled and dashed down the street. He ran zigzagging across the road until he came to an intersection, then he stopped and glanced back at her. He barked once as though saying good-bye then disappeared around the corner. Sadness threatened to take her over again, but she threw back her shoulders and thrust her dark mood away. She’d had her fill of sadness.
She’d cried for Brian. Or more to the point, about Brian and the way he’d dumped her after hearing her terrible fate. She hadn’t known what to expect when she’d told him, but she’d never have believed that he’d leave her. Hadn’t he told her that he loved her only a few weeks earlier? Still, now was not the time to linger on the past. Instead, she renewed her resolve and marched over to Milly’s Coffee Spot.
Pausing at the double doors, she peered into the diner while pretending to read a flyer for an upcoming meeting of the chamber of commerce. She wouldn’t have thought a town the size of Forever would have a chamber of commerce. Still, reading the flyer gave her a chance to check out the locals before entering.
Nothing new so far.
The people occupying the tables as well as the stools at the counter seemed like average small-town citizens. Why had she expected anything different? Yet she couldn’t shake the impression that they were more than what they appeared to be.
“Knock it off, Emma. You’re letting your nerves get the better of you. Get going. This is where you live now.”
The fragrant aroma of grilling hamburgers and salty french fries tantalized her nostrils as she stepped inside the diner. A bell announced her arrival, and a pretty blonde woman behind the counter jerked her head up and smiled. All at once, Emma was aware of many sets of eyes staring at her. Tension rippled in the air like a tangible thing. Didn’t they get many visitors? Or were they simply paying her back for gawking at them through the window?
She plastered on a pleasant expression then hurried over to slide onto a barstool and assumed the rest of the customers would go back to eating. Trying to blend into her surroundings, she slumped in her seat, placed her purse on top of the counter, then studied the menu on the chalkboard hanging on the wall above the pass-through to the kitchen. Two men cooked, their backs toward their patrons.
“Hi there. How ya doing?”
Emma widened her smile. “I’m fine, thanks. Other than being a little hungry.”
The girl behind the counter appeared to be about her age. She leaned forward to rest her elbows on the counter, her friendly gaze searching Emma’s face. “Good. I’m Milly, the owner, and you’ve come to the right place. So what’s it going to be? Are you hankering for a full meal or just a snack to tide you over? Either way, it’ll be good.”
Most of the selections contained hamburger or steak, with a few chicken meals tossed in to vary the menu. She couldn’t see a single salad, much less anything she would’ve considered healthy. And she could forget about finding a soy burger. Not that she needed to worry about healthy eating any longer. Plus, when in Rome…
“Hi. I’m Emma Rand. What would you recommend?”
A smile cracked Milly’s face, and a gleam sparkled in her bright-blue eyes. She pushed a strand of golden hair back into place behind her ear. “Our hamburgers are our specialty, and our steaks are to die for. Then, once you’ve downed a ten-ounce steak, you can enjoy a big piece of apple pie with whipped cream on top. At least that’s what I have every day for lunch.”
Emma couldn’t keep her surprise from showing. She checked out Milly’s firm, lean body. A body most women would have to starve to keep in shape. “You’re kidding me, right? How can you eat like that and not be as big as a house?”
Embarrassment warped into her neck then colored her cheeks. “Oh, damn. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s just that I’m amazed. I mean, you’re so trim.”
Instead of reacting badly, as Emma had feared, Milly laughed. The sound reminded Emma of the bells over the door that had announced her arrival.
“Aw, don’t worry about it. I get that all the time. I was blessed with a fast metabolism, I guess.” Milly flattened her palms on the counter and lifted her body high enough to see Emma’s frame. “Besides, your body isn’t anything to sneeze at.”
“Thanks, but there’s no way I can eat like you do. I wish I could. So I guess I’ll take a hamburger instead, please. Oh, and can you cook it well-done?”
She’d have thought she’d ordered human flesh from the way Milly cringed. “Mack’s not going to like that.”
Why would someone called Mack care how she wanted her burger cooked? “Who’s Mack, and what’s he got to do with my hamburger?”
“Mack’s my cook, and he gets pretty worked up when someone orders meat well-done. Hell, even when they order it cooked medium well, he still gets his dander up. He’ll cook it the way you like it because I’m the boss and I’ll tell him to, but he won’t be happy.”
“It’s a sin to eat a burger or a steak any way except rare.”
Emma jumped at the gravelly voice that hinted at years of smoking and pivoted to look at the man at the end of the counter. His long face reminded her of a bloodhound’s, with his wrinkles making folds of skin. When he grinned, he exposed long canine teeth, and she couldn’t help but gawk at him. She slammed her mouth shut and wondered how she’d forgotten her manners.
“I’m sorry?”
“Don’t mind Jim none.” Milly tossed a cloth at Jim, causing the rest of the customers to laugh as Jim ducked. “He and his brother are set in their ways. Sometimes I don’t know how Brenda handles those two old dogs.”
Emma blew out a breath, relieved that the tension was gone. “I don’t want to make anyone mad, so whatever Mack wants to do is fine with me. That is, as long as it’s not too bloody. Can I get fries with that?”
“Of course you can
. They already come with your meal.” Milly narrowed her eyes, making Emma feel like a specimen under a microscope. “And like I said. Don’t worry. I’ll handle Mack and get you the burger the way you like it. No problem.”
Within a few minutes, Milly set a plate in front of Emma. The burger, although not as well-done as she would’ve liked, didn’t have any pink in it, so she figured Milly had kept her word as best she could. She took a big bite, closed her eyes, and let the juices slide down her throat. How long had it been since she’d eaten anything other than organic vegetables, soy products, and vitamins? Too damn long if the rumbling of her stomach was any indication.
When she opened her eyes again, she almost choked. A huge, hairy man glared at her from the pass-through opening separating the counter area and the kitchen. His bald head glistened with sweat, and the way he chewed on a toothpick, flicking it from one corner of his mouth to the other, had Emma wishing she could look away. But she couldn’t. Something about the man fascinated her. Were his teeth unusually long? Were his eyes a strange amber color? She blinked and looked again, but he’d already turned his back to her.
“Mack, quit trying to scare her and get back to cooking. Leave the poor girl alone. She doesn’t know any better.” Milly pivoted to face Emma. “At least not yet.”
Not yet? Emma made a quick check around the diner. Then, realizing that she was staring at the customers again, she turned back to her food and concentrated on her hamburger. She started eating faster than she liked.
A tingle of awareness that the people here were unusual stiffened her neck. Although they appeared normal on the outside—aside from a few of them showing very large teeth—she could sense that something else, something not quite common, was below the surface. They all oozed a major level of confidence mellowed with a definite air of caution.