She was touched by the gesture. “You’re very welcome. I appreciate the meal of fresh fish.”
Sage pulled out a large piece of foil and began to put two trout on it. He seasoned them and then added the lemon slices before wrapping them up. He repeated the process until all the fish were in foil packets. It was obvious he’d done this before.
“Do you camp often?” she asked.
Sage nodded. “Sure. We used to go with our folks all the time.”
The use of past tense made her hesitate to pry further.
He glanced her way and his eyes were sad. “They died.”
“I’m so sorry.” That had to have been rough on both him and Elias.
Sage put six foil packages on the barbecue and closed the lid. “Me too. They were killed in a car accident.”
Reece whined and walked over to stand beside Sage. Sue hadn’t realized that Billy was close enough to hear their conversation.
“My grammy and grandpa died too,” Billy offered.
Sage crouched down so he was more on Billy’s level. “I’m sorry to hear that. It’s tough, isn’t it?”
Billy nodded and stuck his thumb in his mouth. He’d started doing that after her mother died and only did it when he was under a lot of stress.
“They wouldn’t want you to be sad,” Sage said. “They loved you, so they’d want you to be happy.”
Sue wanted to hug the young man who was so wise for his age, so very giving and empathetic as well. She reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder.
Reece broke the sad tension by giving a deep woof and trotting over to lick Billy’s face. Her son broke out in peals of laughter. That quickly, his sorrow was forgotten. She envied him the resilience of youth.
After the wolf scampered off with her son in pursuit, Sage stood once again.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” she told him again. “I never meant to bring up such a deeply personal subject.”
Sage nodded. “It’s okay.” He stared out into the trees. “From the sound of things, you know what it’s like to lose your parents too. Does it get any easier?”
She wished she knew what to say to make his pain lessen. “Honestly, I don’t know. I was lucky enough to have my parents longer than you had yours. My mom died of cancer. It happened fairly quickly. My father was never the same. He had a massive heart attack and died soon after. We lived with them, so it was hard on Billy.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Sage offered.
“And I’m so sorry for yours.” It was tough to imagine him losing his parents so suddenly on the cusp of adulthood. He might be bigger than her, but she couldn’t help the swell of maternal emotions she felt toward him. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. “I’m glad you have your uncle.”
He leaned down and rested his head on top of hers. “Me too.”
Elias stood just out of sight but well within hearing. He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but the conversation had seemed so intense he hadn’t wanted to interrupt. He knew Reece was listening too. Sometimes it was hard to tell if their enhanced hearing was a blessing or a curse.
So Sue and her son had known great loss as well, and recently. No wonder she felt such deep empathy for Sage. Elias began walking again, making enough noise on purpose so Sue would hear him.
Sure enough, she pulled away from Sage just as he rounded the turn. Sage was more reluctant to let her go but dropped his arms back by his side.
“Fish on?” he asked.
Sage nodded. “Yeah, it won’t take too long.”
“I’m going to check the potatoes and get some drinks. I have lemonade, milk and water,” she offered.
“Milk, please.” Sage opened the barbecue, checked on the packets of fish and then closed the cover again. Sue nodded and hurried into the house.
Elias set the cooler down by their gear and went to his nephew. He rubbed his hand over the boy’s back. “You okay?”
Sage nodded. “Yeah.”
Knowing Sage didn’t want to talk about it right now, Elias left well enough alone. He felt bad for Reece. The boy could use some mothering and a hug as well, but he was stuck in his wolf form. Not that he was doing so badly. Young Billy had Reece in a choke hold he was hugging him so tightly. Reece didn’t look as though he minded at all.
“I’ll be right back,” he told Sage. “Keep an eye on things.”
“Will do.”
Elias nodded and went up the back steps, opened the door and stepped into Sue’s home. She was pouring drinks at the kitchen counter and frowned when he entered.
“Was there something you needed?” She stopped what she was doing and stiffened.
Elias held up his hands, wishing she trusted him more. And that wasn’t fair to her considering she’d only met him last night. “I just wanted to say thank you.” He motioned with his head to Sage.”
Her shoulders deflated. “You heard?”
“Yeah.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “It’s been tough on them.”
“Them?” she frowned.
Shit, he had to watch his mouth before he gave too much away. “Sage and Reece.”
Sue was still frowning, but she nodded.
“It was a multi-car pileup on slippery roads last winter. My brother managed to stop his vehicle, but the one behind him didn’t stop and drove him into a fuel tanker. The explosion killed them instantly.”
Sue went white and put her hand over her mouth. “Oh my God.”
Elias wanted to go to her, wanted to take her in his arms. Not just to comfort her but to comfort himself. “It was so unexpected. Sage lost both parents at the same time.”
“That poor child.”
Elias winced, and hoped Sage couldn’t hear them. Because of the heat, the windows were open, so it was possible he was listening to everything. Elias cursed the lack of privacy.
“Yeah, anyway, I thought this trip would be good for them. For him,” he corrected.
“He’s lucky to have you.” Sue finished pouring milk into a glass. “What do you want to drink?”
“Water is fine with me.”
He waited until she was finished getting the drinks, dishes and cutlery together, then he helped her carry everything back outside. Reece and Sage were both playing with Billy. The young boy’s laughter rang across the yard. Elias went to the barbecue and turned off the gas.
“The heat will finish cooking the fish. How much longer for the potatoes?”
Sue checked her watch. “Not long. They’ll be ready when the fish is.”
“Time to play.” He went over to the boys and roughhoused with Reece before turning his attention to Sage and Billy. He slapped Sage on the back. “Tag, you’re it.”
Watching a grown man play tag with his teenage nephew, his pet wolf and her young son filled Sue’s heart to overflowing. It was the last thing she would have expected from a big, tough, handsome man like Elias, but it seemed so natural.
She wasn’t being fair to him, basing her assumptions of his character through the lens of her ex. William Walsh was handsome, but he was also self-centered and had no depth of character. She couldn’t imagine her ex playing tag with her son, or taking him camping and fishing for that matter. And she certainly couldn’t see him taking on the responsibility of his nephew after the sudden death of his brother and sister-in-law. No, Elias was nothing like William. There was a lot more to him than just his rugged, handsome looks.
Not that it mattered in the long run. He would be leaving soon.
Sue hurried inside and checked the potatoes. She poked several with a fork to see if they were cooked all the way through. They were cooked, so she pulled them out of the microwave and put them in a bowl. She hoped they would be enough.
Knowing Sage loved cookies, she pulled out the two-dozen she had in the freezer and set them on the coun
ter. By the time they were finished eating the cookies would be thawed. She took the time to start a pot of coffee brewing before she gathered up the bowl with the potatoes and the platter with the butter and sour cream.
Elias was at the door by the time she got there. He opened it and took the bowl from her. “Is that everything?” he asked.
She nodded. “Time to eat,” she called out to the boys. She hurried to the table and set down the platter, desperately trying to hide her reaction to Elias. Honestly, the man looked good enough to eat.
He smelled like sunshine and hot male with just the slightest tinge of sweat. She wanted to bury her nose in the front of his shirt and inhale. There was something so elemental about Elias that tugged on feminine instincts deep inside her.
Elias was the kind of man who would protect what belonged to him, a man you could count on when things got tough.
Why couldn’t she have met a man like him when she was young and hopeful? It seemed more like torture to have him come into her life now when she knew he wasn’t going to stay. It was like tempting a kid with candy and then taking it away.
Grow up, she admonished herself. This isn’t about you.
Billy ran over to the table with both Sage and Reece following close beside him. Protective. Sage was growing up to be like his uncle, just like his father must have been. How much must Elias be hurting over the loss of his brother? And here she was fantasizing over him like some schoolgirl.
“The fish smells wonderful,” she told Sage as he lifted the lid of the barbecue. “I hope there are enough potatoes.”
“There’s more than enough,” Elias reassured her. He reached down, lifted Billy and set him in his seat. The way he did it was second nature, and she could tell he’d done the same for Sage when he was a boy. He was Sage’s uncle, not his father, but it was obvious from their relationship he was very close to his nephew.
Sage took the empty tray and piled the packets of tinfoil onto it before setting it in the middle of the table. “Thank you for the fish dinner,” she said as she reached out and carefully pulled one of the packets onto her plate. She opened it and put one of the fish on Billy’s plate and cut it into small pieces. “Be careful. It’s hot,” she warned him. She added a small potato and cut that up as well before adding some butter. Billy didn’t like sour cream.
Both Sage and Elias were watching her. Weirdly enough, so was Reece. She looked down at the front of her shirt to see if she’d spilled something and then back at them. “What?”
Elias shook his head. “Nothing.” He motioned for Sage to take some fish. Then he grabbed another foil packet, but he didn’t put it on his own plate. No, he unwrapped it and then put the foil on the ground so Reece could eat.
Then he waited.
It was only after she’d helped herself to some of the fish that he took any for himself. He didn’t make a big deal out of it. Like everything else he did, it seemed to come naturally, just a part of the man himself.
She found herself thinking she was glad he wasn’t going to be around for long, because she could easily fall in love with him.
She glanced over at Sage and found him watching her closely. The teen was much too perceptive for her peace of mind. She offered him a smile. “There are cookies for dessert,” she told him, knowing it would distract him. Sure enough, he grinned and dug back into his fish.
Then Billy dropped a piece of his fish. His frown quickly turned to a smile when Reece darted over and scooped it off the ground. They all laughed and dug into their lunch.
Chapter Seven
It was late. The moon was high in the sky, but Elias wasn’t tired. He had too much on his mind. The meeting with the Salvation Pack was first thing in the morning. That should have been the only thing on his mind. Instead, all he could think about was Sue.
He’d enjoyed the meal he’d shared with Sue and her son more than he should have. And so had both boys. He looked over at both sleeping bags. He could hear their even breathing and knew they were asleep.
He pillowed his hands behind his head and stared up at the stars. He loved sleeping outside. You didn’t see stars this clearly in the city. Too much ambient light. He missed the wide open spaces of Alaska, but there was no going back. He’d known that before he’d left with Everett.
But North Carolina wasn’t a bad place to be thinking about settling. And it had nothing to do with Sue. Or at least not much.
He sighed and closed his eyes, but all he could see were images of Sue. Sue smiling at Sage, cutting up her son’s fish and potatoes, offering an oatmeal cookie to Reece. And then there was the way she looked at him when she didn’t think he was watching.
His body sprang to life and he shifted to try to get more comfortable, but that wasn’t happening anytime soon. Not with the erection he was sporting.
A sleeping bag rustled. “Can’t sleep?” Sage rolled to his side so he was facing Elias.
“Just thinking.” He didn’t want his nephew to know that he was lusting after the delectable Sue Walsh.
“About tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” It wasn’t really a lie. He was concerned about his meeting with the Salvation Pack.
“Do you think we’ll end up living here?”
Elias sat and climbed out of his sleeping bag. He was naked but reached for a pair of running shorts and yanked them on. “I honestly don’t know. That’s a decision we’ll make together once I’ve met with the alpha tomorrow.” Elias pulled on his sneakers and laced them tightly. “I’m going for a short run.” He hadn’t caught the scent of any other wolves nearby and wouldn’t be gone long. The boys would be safe enough here.
He hesitated. Maybe he shouldn’t leave them alone.
“Go,” Sage told him. “You’ve got too much pent-up energy. You won’t sleep until you run some of it off.”
Elias stood and walked over to Sage. Leaning down, he tousled the teen’s hair. “Keeping you awake, am I?”
“Yup.” Sage waved him away. “We’ll be fine.”
“Just howl if you run into any real trouble.” Chances of them having any problems were slim to none, otherwise he wouldn’t step two feet away from them.
Sage tucked his sleeping bag under his arms and closed his eyes. “Have a good run.”
“I won’t be long,” he promised. He intentionally started out in the direction opposite from Sue’s house. It was late and she would have gone to bed several hours ago. In spite of the dark, he could see every tree and rock and ran easily. The night predators were out hunting for food. An owl swooped down in front of him and snatched up an unfortunate mouse.
Elias took a deep breath. He needed to outrun the tension thrumming through his body before he met the Salvation Pack tomorrow morning.
Sage waited until his uncle was out of earshot before turning to his brother. Even though Reece’s breathing was deep and even, Sage knew he was awake. “What do you think?”
Reece didn’t move but he did answer. “I think he’s worried about tomorrow. I also think he likes Sue a lot more than he’s letting on.”
Sage thought so too. “You think he’ll head to her place?”
His brother shrugged and finally rolled over. His eyes glowed in the dark. “Maybe. It might not be safe for her or Billy for us to be around them.”
“Yeah, I know.” Sage turned so he was facing his twin. “I really like them.”
“Me too.”
“I’m really sorry you have to be in your wolf form around them.” That had to be hard on Reece.
“It’s okay.” His brother shrugged again, but Sage wasn’t fooled one bit.
“What’s it like?” he asked. “Being a wolf?”
Reece sat and wrapped his arms around his legs. “It’s incredible. I’m still there, but there’s another presence. The wolf. My senses are even keener and there’s a feeling of freedom, of power that I can�
��t quite explain.” He rubbed one hand over the back of his neck. “I’m sorry you can’t experience it.”
“I do, sort of.” Sage knew he had his brother’s full attention.
“How?”
“The connection we have.” Maybe it was because they were twins, and maybe it was more. Sage didn’t quite know. “I can feel what you’re feeling when you shift.”
“Wow, that’s pretty cool.”
Sage grinned. “Yeah, it is. Not as cool as being able to shift, but it gives me a better idea of what you’re feeling.”
“I wish you could shift.”
“Me too. Me too.”
Reece lay back down. “I think Uncle Elias is going to run by Sue’s place. I don’t think he’ll be able to help himself.”
Sage closed his eyes and tried not to think about tomorrow. “You’re probably right.” He might not be able to shift into a wolf, but Sage’s senses were keen and his mind sharp. And there was no missing the attraction simmering between Sue and his uncle. Even a full human wouldn’t miss it. It was probably even more noticeable because they were trying to hide it.
It was funny watching them both trying to not look at one another. The only person who didn’t notice the heat between them was Billy, and that was only because he was way too young to understand male and female relationships.
“Night.” He worried about his uncle. Elias had given up everything for them. Not that he’d ever given any indication he resented them in any way. But there was no denying his life had changed as much as Sage and Reece’s had. Sage wouldn’t mind if his uncle could find some happiness.
Of course, a relationship between a full human and a werewolf was fraught with problems. Then again, he’d grown up watching his parents. They’d had their own share of problems, but they’d always had love.
The ache in his chest grew until it physically hurt.
“I miss them too,” Reece said. Sage knew his brother was picking up on his emotions. They always knew what the other one was feeling.
He heard a rustling sound and Sage reached out his hand. Sure enough, Reece’s hand gripped his and held on tight.
Wolf on a Mission: Salvation Pack, Book 6 Page 7