She’d need a tape recorder to get the language down properly and while she was at it, a couple of pairs of jeans and a pair of, she never thought she’d say this, sensible shoes. Linen slacks and Italian flats just didn’t cut it here. Maybe she could stop by Max’s, find out what her nursing schedule looked like and arrange a trip to the nearest mall. With her pretty little red truck, she was free.
Her first stop was the Dizzy Dish. There was only one middle aged couple eating breakfast in a booth along the windows. Elizabeth eyed the back booth, the one usually claimed by Marshall, speculatively but decided against it and chose the small table she’d used before. Word that they’d slept together, although, she giggled to herself, they’d done very little actual sleeping, would be out soon enough. No sense advertising. And to be honest, she wasn’t sure what it all meant.
Marshall was the Alpha. She wasn’t a wolver. So far, she hadn’t heard any stories of anyone mating outside their kind. She knew she was one of a very few outsiders who knew their secret and she felt honored by their trust, but that didn’t mean they’d accept her as anything more than the Alpha’s current lover.
She ordered lemonade and a tuna sandwich from the teenager behind the counter, waved to Roman back at the grill and opened her laptop. Her mother’s emails had dwindled to ten and she’d changed tactics. Instead of dire warnings about the perils of living in the back of beyond, they were gossipy missives the intent of which were to make her homesick and show her how much she was missing. The strangest one was about a ‘delightful young man’ she’d met at the club who was “from down your way. I told him he should look you up. According to Mimi Philips, he comes with excellent credentials.”
Dear sweet Mother, still trying to set up blind dates for her hopeless daughter from hundreds of miles away.
Elizabeth ignored that one and concentrated on the others. She wrote about the people here and the new friends she’d made. She wrote at length about her plans for a book knowing that her mother would find it easier to explain ‘research for an important sociological subject’ as an excuse for her daughter’s absence. She wondered how her mother would react if she wrote about Marshall and the truth about the people here.
The bell over the door rang and Maggie walked in. “I see George finally found a home for that baby truck.”
Roman raised his arm over his head and arched his hand to point at Elizabeth who looked out the window to where her truck was parked. It did look dwarfed between the big Chevy and Dodge parked to either side.
“Yes he did,” Elizabeth laughed, “And I promised to love and care for it until it grows up. You’re just the lady I was hoping to see.”
“Looking for trouble, are you? What can I do for you? Bring me a piece of that pie and a sweet tea, will you, honey?” She took a seat across from Elizabeth and listened while Elizabeth explained her needs.
“You can check Mercer’s Hardware right up the street. He carries a bit of everything. You want good clothing at a fair price, you go on out to the Farm Supply out on 32.” Maggie glanced over at the couple in the booth. “These stories you’re collecting. They don’t have anything to do with…?” she raised her eyebrows in question.
“Oh no, no. I’d edit out any references like that. Besides, a publisher would label it paranormal fiction.”
Maggie laughed, but kept her voice low. “I’ve been called a lot of things in my time, but paranormal fiction ain’t one of them.”
The couple in the booth rose and paid their bill at the end of the counter. Elizabeth waited until the door closed behind them.
“Is everyone around here… you know?”
“Mostly. We hold the majority of votes so we keep key positions to our own. Marshall’s family owns almost half this mountain and the rest of us own a goodly portion of what’s left. Government owns most of what’s west of here. We’re doing what we can to keep folks out. Sooner or later, we’re going to see the same problems our cousins are seeing down south; rich folks wanting to live the country life. Course, as soon as they get it, they start demanding better roads, shopping malls and fancy restaurants and before you know it, the place looks like the one they left and there’s no place for our kind to hunt.”
“Do the other people know about you?”
“Hell no. We lay low and live like everybody else. Once in a while, State Wildlife gets a report and a few times we’ve had some high and mighty folks up here from the university looking down their noses at us, but it never amounts to anything.” She grinned and winked. “You know how us mountain folk are a superstitious lot and prone to tell tall tales.”
Roman stuck his head through the serving window. “You hear about the camp?”
“Who hasn’t?” Maggie snorted.
Elizabeth raised her hand for attention. “Me?”
“Huh. Figured you would’ve been the first to know.” Maggie laughed and winked.
Elizabeth didn’t ask why. “Apparently I’m the last. What kind of camp and what about it?”
“Growers,” Maggie said. “Marshall and the boys have been harassing them for a couple of weeks now. Spraying the plants with weed killer, trampling them to the ground. We get them up here now and again and usually, if you pester them enough, they go elsewhere. This group was a little cagier than most and nobody could find their camp. Marshall and some of the boys suspected they were renegades. Folks like us,” she clarified, “But without a real pack. He figured the fires were their way of harassing back and then the other night, it got out of hand. Last night, a mess of our boys went out hunting while Marshall was occupied elsewhere.” Another wink which Elizabeth ignored.
“And?” she asked innocently. There might be gossip, but she didn’t have to add to it.
“Sometimes you ain’t no fun at all,” Maggie grumbled and then she laughed. “They found the camp or what was left of it. Looks like the survivors took what they needed and left the rest behind. Now that they’re gone, Chief Goodman will file a report with the proper authorities. It’s done. It’s over. We won.”
“Have they identified the… ah…”
“Ones that got themselves killed. Nope and they’re not likely to either. According to Harmony, the boys didn’t find any ID. You die as a wolf, you stay that way. If you got no pack, you got no one to identify your wolf.”
“What will happen to the bodies?” This was a gruesome subject, but she wanted to know. There were men in those wolves and no man should be left to rot.
“Don’t you fret about it, honey. They’ll be buried with more respect than they deserve. The Good Lord will take it from there.”
Chapter 20
When she saw the sleek and sporty Mercedes parked outside her back door, Elizabeth’s first instinct was to run. Fighting a quiet battle of wills with her mother over the internet was one thing; a face to face confrontation was another. Without ever raising her voice, her mother had the ability to reduce Elizabeth to the status of recalcitrant twelve year old.
Her panic subsided when she saw the long legs and blond head of the man unfolding himself from the front seat. It was Charles dressed in a pair of sharply creased khakis, hand sewn loafers sans socks, and a blue Oxford cloth shirt that looked as crisp as the day it was removed from the package. The sleeves were folded back neatly to below the elbows and he sported a leather banded watch on his left wrist. He was too far away to see the detail, but she’d guess it was expensive and it was different from the silver banded one he’d worn before. He was the picture of casual urban elegance.
She had a sneaking suspicion that he was the delightful young man from her mother’s email and she didn’t like it.
“My, my,” she said eyeing both Charles and the car. “Haven’t we moved up in the world?”
“And haven’t we come down?” he countered, taking in her new jeans and sneakers and the t-shirt advertising Farm Supply that she received free for being a new customer.
“I don’t think so. They’re comfortable and people don’t stare when I
get out of my truck. And the best part is I can afford them.” Okay, no one stared exactly, but her linen slacks and silk blouse had received an odd look or two when she was getting into the red pickup.
“You can afford a lot more than that,” he said. He held the screen door for her while she unlocked the door and followed her into the kitchen.
She was both shocked and appalled at the surge of sexual interest that ran through her when she brushed against him. She was still tender from her night with Marshall and here she was quivering inside for a man she wasn’t sure she trusted or liked. What was wrong with her?
“No, I can’t afford more,” she said firmly. How much did he really know about her or was he forming assumptions based on other things.
She busied herself putting away her few groceries and finally pulled out the pitcher of tea. She held it up in offering and he nodded. She sliced a lemon with a little more force than necessary, handed him his glass, grabbed her own glass and the pitcher and started to walk.
“Porch,” she said with no attempt at politeness. Regardless of her body going haywire, her head was still functioning.
Charles took the chair she indicated and toasted her with his glass. She didn’t return it.
“What do you want with me?” she asked without preamble. His slow, sexy smile made it difficult to swallow.
“I think you know. You feel it, too. I think we should get together and see where it takes us.”
Her body was saying, “Okay. When do we start?”, but Elizabeth was more than a body and she shoved the horny slut down. “It will take us nowhere.”
Charles shook his head indulgently. “This place isn’t for you, Elizabeth. Having met your mother, I can see why you’d feel the need for a little rebellion, but…”
“How do you know my mother?” she asked suspiciously. “Did you do some kind of background check on me?”
“It was quite by accident,” he said, but she didn’t think it was. Not for a moment. He handed her a business card with the head of a wolf etched in the corner. Charles Goodman, Wolf’s Head Enterprises, it read, Cincinnati, Ohio. “I was in town on business and someone pointed your mother out to me. I happened to mention that you and I had met and that led to an introduction, lunch, and dinner a few days later. I told her I’d look you up next time I was in the area.”
“And Rabbit Creek just happened to be on your way back to Cincinnati? Not the last time I looked at a map.”
“No, but some things are worth a little extra mileage.”
“You’re mistaken, Mr. Goodman, I’m not worth it. And if my mother told you I’m free and available, she is mistaken as well.”
“You mean my brother? What can he offer you that you really want? A mountainside that isn’t really his and a dirt poor community of hicks who wouldn’t know fine whiskey from water. How long do you think you’ll last up here? How long before you’re bored to tears with the endless monotony? Do you think Marshall’s going to take you to all the places you’ve dreamed of? Paris? Rome? Venice?” He reached across the table and took her hand in his.
“If you know so much about me, Mr. Goodman, you know that I can do those things without you. It’s only a matter of time.”
She wanted him to go away, but something inside her wouldn’t let her say the words. It was his touch. She couldn’t bring herself to pull her hand away. Already, her heart was beating faster and her breath was becoming shallow. She would not succumb to this, this, whatever it was. So she fought back the only way she knew how; like her mother. She smiled, wide and false, the kind of smile that showed off every inch of her expensive dental work.
“Why Charles,” she said sweetly, “I believe the only reason you want me is because your brother wants me, too.” Her tone became haughty. “What’s the matter, can’t find a Wolver girl to meet your needs? I know of a place where they practically sell their women to the highest bidder. Would you like me to arrange an introduction?”
It didn’t have quite the impact she was hoping for, but at least he let go of her hand.
“You know.” Charles’ lips tightened together and he nodded. “I thought they’d wait a bit more before letting you in on our little secret.”
The only sign she could detect of any discomfort in him was the thickening of his accent, absent until now.
“They didn’t have a choice.” She told him about the attack, the injuries, the violations of Pack Law.
Charles shrugged as if it was nothing. “You reap what you sow. There are half a dozen reasons why someone would want this land and my backward brother will listen to none. He and his ragtag bunch of hillbillies have no strength and no power. And he could, if he played his cards right. He could.” Something in her face must have told him it was the wrong track to take.
“He had no right to drag you into it. Marshall’s not the only Alpha available,” he said which made no sense to Elizabeth so she continued to watch him with her hands folded in her lap. “I’m the Alpha of my own pack; one I started from the ground up. I didn’t have it handed to me like Marshall did. We’re the wave of the future; an urban pack. We work in offices, drive decent cars, enjoy fine dining and the theater. I own a condo on the river and a home about an hour away where we can run and hunt. We’ve found a way to harness the natural talents of the pack to hunt in a new way; in the financial marketplace instead of the forest. More civilized, don’t you think? It’s something my father couldn’t see and Marshall doesn’t want to see. That’s why his pack is stagnant and mine is growing.”
“Why does it matter to you? You don’t sound like you care about the people here. You don’t want to live here. You sound as if you’re quite successful in your own right. Why bother with Rabbit Creek?”
“Because it’s mine!” he snarled. He leapt to his feet and paced to the rail.
His sudden anger was a bit frightening, but she’d seen it before. In her mother’s world, these men were called sharks and while her mother would disagree, Elizabeth saw nothing civilized about them. Maybe the wolves were taking over. She kept her voice light.
“Jeeze. I guess you can take the beast out of the hills, shine him up and put him in a fancy car, but he’s still a beast.” She shook her head sympathetically. “You should ask my mother to introduce you to a couple of her ex-husbands. You guys have a lot in common. Have you tried golf? It seemed to help them. Soothes the savage beast.”
Charles grinned sheepishly and Elizabeth got a glimpse of the boy he once was. She might have liked that boy.
“My apologies,” he said, “And it’s breast, not beast. Soothes the savage breast. Music, not golf.”
“Woo-hoo!” she laughed, “Another reader.”
His outburst and her reaction to it seemed to clear the air between them. She still felt a tingle of excitement, but the tension was gone. She could see why her mother liked him. The woman had always been attracted to aggressive men. After five husbands, you’d think her mother would learn. Elizabeth certainly had.
“Wait here,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”
She ran to the kitchen, grabbed Ruby’s jar from the shelf and poured two finger’s worth in each of the two glasses she pulled from the cupboard. She was back on the porch and offering a glass to her guest in less than three minutes. Maybe this was a mistake, but she was willing to take the chance.
“Still no bourbon,” she said as she set the jar on the table.
Charles sniffed the glass and took a drink. He shut his eyes and snapped his head to the right. “Ruby’s.” His voice was a rasp.
“Housewarming gift.”
“Figures.”
“Ah, ah, ah.” Elizabeth wagged her finger at him. “Peace offering. I want you to tell me what happened between you and Marshall without getting all g-r-r-r. Why are you so angry with him?”
“He took my place. He took the land.”
“How?”
“I’m the oldest. The place of the Alpha should have fallen to me. And a share of this land should hav
e fallen to me.” He shook his head and took another swallow, a large one. She could almost follow the liquid’s progress, but when it hit bottom, he smiled as if he’d won some contest of wills. Man against fire.
“There were three of us. Me, Michael and Marshall, with only a year between each. My father didn’t see the point, but my mother wanted us well educated and she had her way. I won a scholarship to a school up in New England. I couldn’t come home every weekend and when I did, my father and I fought. I was already investing, making money. The Alpha couldn’t see anything but this land and the poor fools living on it. I wanted to see what was out there in the rest of the world and what I could do in that world. What was I going to do here with a degree in business?” Charles finished the glass and held it out for a refill. “Michael, now, he was the smartest of us all. He went to Med School, followed a girl he met in college and joined her pack over in Arkansas. The Alpha there has no talent for healing, so being a doctor gave Mikey good standing in the pack.”
“Do you see him often?”
“It’s been a while.” He refilled his jelly glass and held it up to inspect the design. “Good glasses?”
“Only the best for my friends,” she laughed. “They came with the house and they’re my favorites. I desperately wanted Flintstones glasses when I was a kid, but my mother wouldn’t hear of it. There’s a plastic bowl in there that has a big goofy bear in the bottom. I don’t know who he is, but I love him, too.”
Charles laughed and it was a good natured laugh. “Maybe you do belong in these hills.”
Elizabeth laughed with him. “I think I might. You and I are a lot alike, Charles Goodman.”
He looked at her suspiciously. “How you figure?”
She wasn’t sure if it was Ruby’s brew that relaxed him into the speech patterns of his childhood or just a-settin’ on the porch a-rockin’, but it was a nice sound and he seemed to have let go of some of his anger.
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