“Why does that make you happy?” The realities of having a relationship never occurred to her. Mostly because she never considered having one. It was one more luxury made for other people. Something most of them took for granted.
Never appreciated.
“My mother raised me on her own.” Craig’s touch moved to her hair, stroking through the strands with a careful glide.
Being a single-mother wasn’t easy. Even with a whole pack of stand-in mothers at her side. The thought of it just being her and Jude was terrifying. “That must have been difficult.”
“Not in the way you probably think.” He gave her a sad smile. “My mother was a very successful woman. Made more money than a single person could spend in their lifetime.”
“Was?”
“She’s retired. Not dead.” Craig’s eyes fell. “As far as I know.”
“You don’t speak?” Her own mother died having James. Bled out on the floor of the shack where she and the younger girls lived. It was impossible to imagine not speaking to her if she were still alive.
But that was how it would be. Their mother was as dedicated to their father as he was to his delusions. Walking away from him would have been walking away from her.
She would have burned to the ground at his side. Forever a faithful servant.
It was one more reason Danny never entertained the idea of letting a man into her life.
There was simply too much to lose.
“She’s busy with all her foundations and philanthropy.” Craig’s dark eyes watched as his fingers slid down a strand of hair. “I’ve never been a priority to her.”
A realization settled cold and heavy in Danny’s gut.
“Is that why you like me? Because of—” Her eyes darted to the door Jude just left through before coming back to Craig. “Because of what I am?”
His touch didn’t still, moving from her hair to her face, the tips of his fingers skimming over the skin of her cheeks. “It’s part of it.” Craig’s gaze stayed steady on hers. “I never wanted to have children, Danny. I never wanted a child to grow up like I did. With everything that didn’t matter.” His eyes searched hers. “And I worried that I would be the same way she was. That I might be unable to give a kid any more than she did. I was terrified to even try.”
His lips barely turned up in a soft smile. “But then I found out there were women like you. Women who put their child before everything. Would fight to the death to keep them safe.” He leaned in, resting his forehead on hers. “Women who make their children feel loved.”
“Kari.” She almost choked on the name.
Kari was the one he first wanted. The woman Craig imagined carrying his children.
Loving them.
Protecting them.
“Shhh.” He barely laughed. “There’s nothing to be jealous of, Danny. Not a damn thing.” Craig straightened, eyes coming back to hers. “My interest in Kari was limited and short-lived.” His hands cupped her face, warm palms resting along her jaw. “She’s not sweet. Not soft. Not warm. Not like you.” His lips barely met hers. “I need sweet and soft in my life, Danny.”
“I bit you.”
Craig did laugh this time. “I didn’t say you weren’t also territorial as hell.” His smiling lips brushed hers again. “And I love that almost as much.” He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “I’ve gotta go before Jude comes in and finds us like this.”
“Okay.” Danny ran her fingers down his chest. “Be careful.”
“I’m always careful.” He kissed her once more, this one lingering until the sound of the front door opening sent Craig taking a step back.
“I brought you some bread.” Sam walked in, balancing a bakery box on each upturned palm, with the rest of the women in town following behind. She slid both boxes onto the counter as their sisters filtered in with Kari and the girls.
Craig lifted the lid on one of the boxes. “Those look like raisins in that bread, Sam.”
Sam rolled her eyes away, ignoring him.
“Seems like I might be growing on you.” He gave Sam a wink she pretended not to see before wrapping Vanessa in his arms and swinging her high in the air.
Danny couldn’t look away as the little girl giggled and squealed, her pale pink dress flying around with each swing.
“It’s hard, isn’t it?” Charlie stood close, watching Craig and Vanessa. “Seeing what our lives could have been.”
Danny barely shook her head. “But they weren’t.” She blew out a breath, turning from the sight, hoping to ease the tightness in her chest.
“He’s different, isn’t he?” Charlie was still watching, her eyes focused as she studied the first man they hadn’t been able to get rid of.
“More than you know.”
SEVENTEEN
“DO YOU EVER come out here with your momma?” Lance paused to look back at Jude.
The little boy shrugged. “Sometimes. Not much, though. She’s real busy.”
“I bet she has a little more free time soon.” Lance glanced Craig’s way, a knowing smile on his face.
“She and my Aunt Sam come out here alone a bunch.” Jude kept walking through the brush behind Lance. “To hunt and stuff.”
“Your momma hunts?” Lance didn’t even try to hide the surprise in his voice.
Jude gave him a puzzled look. “Doesn’t yours?”
Craig laughed, wrapping one arm around Jude’s shoulders. “Buddy, you are about to start figuring out how special your mom is.” He pushed back a branch as they moved along a deer path cut into the heavy undergrowth. They’d been out for an hour, taking Jude through the woods as a first step to helping him understand what he was.
It was a tricky situation to navigate, one that could make things worse if it wasn’t handled correctly. “Did you know Lance is your uncle, Jude?”
Jude’s shaggy head bobbed in a nod as he watched the ground under his feet. “That’s what my mom said.”
“Do you know what that means?” Craig wasn’t sure how well a ten-year-old could connect the dots of family lineage.
And how much he could derive from there.
“That he’s my mom’s brother.” Jude’s eyes lifted to Lance. “But only halfway.”
“That’s right.” Lance smiled. “We have the same dad, but different mothers.”
“Cool.” Jude sounded unimpressed.
“That means you and Lance are a lot alike, Buddy.” Craig tried to lead Jude toward the revelation that he wasn’t alone. That there was someone else who shared his secret.
Jude squinted at the large man in front of them. “He sorta looks like me I guess.”
Craig nodded, slowly. “He does.”
Lance studied Jude for a minute, his blue eyes sharp as they moved over the boys solid frame. “What happened to you the other night happens to me too, Jude.”
Jude’s gaze snapped to Craig. “You told him?”
Shit. “I want to help you, Jude. I want—”
He wanted to be better than his own parents were. Wanted to prove he wasn’t like them.
But maybe he was.
“I don’t want your help.” Jude’s eyes narrowed on Craig and a low growl snarled through his lips.
Craig reached for him, but Jude jerked back, betrayal hanging heavy in his eyes. “Leave me alone.”
And then he ran, cutting back the way they came.
Lance jerked his chin in the direction Jude went. “You follow him. I’ll cut him off.”
Craig took off after the boy, racing down the trail, expecting to see his bobbing tow-head any second.
But Jude was fast. Faster than he should be.
Craig jerked to a stop as a patch of matted vegetation caught his eye where the path split. One direction led back to town and the other cut deeper into the mountain.
And that was the one Jude took.
Craig pushed through the higher branches, untouched by Jude’s smaller stature, listening for the sound of his feet on the leaf-littered forest f
loor.
Suddenly a surprised squall sent a few birds flapping away.
“Let me go!” Jude’s normally high-pitched voice was deeper, rougher.
“Not a chance.” Lance grunted a little. “I got him.”
Craig hurried toward the spot their voices carried out from, rushing along the barely-used path.
But then something stopped him dead in his tracks.
He stared at the ground in front of him. “Shit.”
An odd heaviness he recognized radiated out from the thick patch of trees where Lance held Jude. They went silent.
Nothing moved.
The woods were quiet except for the airy chirps from the birds perched high in the trees. No retreating footsteps. No breaking branches.
Nothing.
“Let’s get him back to town.” Lance moved in silently beside him, Jude clamped tight to his chest, one palm resting over the boy’s mouth. He leaned into Jude’s ear. “If I let you down will you stay with us?”
Jude didn’t respond. His eyes were locked on the spot at Craig’s feet where a pile of dark brown hair scattered over the leaves and dirt.
“It’s okay, Buddy.” Craig nodded to Lance and waited while he lowered Jude’s feet to the ground before crouching down in front of him, resting one hand on each of the boy’s shoulders. “You wanna go back and see how your mom is?”
Jude’s hand slowly lifted, one finger pointing at the spot Craig was trying to block from his view. “What is that?”
Lance opened his mouth, but shut it almost as fast.
“What do you think it is?” Craig wasn’t sure how to handle this situation any more than he knew how to explain to Jude what he was.
“I think it’s hair from one of the beasts.”
Craig’s stomach dropped. “Beasts?”
Jude’s clear blue eyes slowly lifted to his. “I can hear them out here sometimes at night.”
“Jude.” Fear gripped his gut. “You don’t come out here at night, do you?”
He shook his head. “Just on the porch.” Jude’s gaze drifted back to the pile of hair. “But I can hear them from there.”
“Them?” Lance inched in closer. “More than one?”
Jude nodded. “They talk to each other.”
A chill spread through Craig’s limbs, lifting the hair on his arms. “What do they say?”
“It’s not regular words.” Jude’s eyes darted to Lance. He leaned in close to Craig. “But you can tell they’re communicating.”
“That’s a big word.” Lance sounded impressed. “You’re a smart kid, aren’t you, Jude?”
Pride pulled a smile onto Craig’s lips in spite of their current situation. “He’s smart as hell.”
Jude grinned back at him.
Craig squeezed his shoulders. “I’m sorry I told Lance what happened, Jude. I was just trying to help you.” He nodded to the man standing behind him. “Lance is like you. Special. I thought he could explain it better than I can.”
“You’re not special too?”
Craig shook his head. “I’m not.”
Jude studied Lance for a minute. “Is he your friend?”
Craig nodded. “He is my friend.”
Jude sized Lance up one last time. “Okay.”
Lance’s gaze narrowed in the direction of town. “I think we should get back.” His attention turned to Jude. “Your momma’s worried about you.”
Jude turned to look in the same direction as Lance. “Where is she?”
“She’s back in town.” Lance moved to Jude’s side and leaned down. “Close your eyes and take a deep breath.” He waited as Jude did what he asked. “Now listen for her, but not with your ears.”
Jude was quiet, face tight with focus.
Suddenly his mouth split into a wide smile and his eyes popped open. “I hear her.”
Lance patted him on the back. “Good boy.” He left the hand on Jude. “Now tell her you’re coming.” He lifted a finger as Jude’s mouth dropped open. “But the same way as you listened. Don’t use real words. Use the same part of you that heard her.”
Jude’s eyes were wide as he bobbed his head, completely focused on a spot Craig couldn’t see. His eyes sharpened and he barely leaned forward.
Then Lance started to laugh.
“What happened?” Craig fought the tinge of jealousy creeping into his voice. Jude needed this. He needed Lance in his life.
Not just him.
“She heard him.” Lance straightened. “Come on. Before she tries to come get him.”
Danny was standing at the mouth of the trail when they broke free of the trees, arms crossed.
Frowning.
Lance grinned at her almost as wide as Jude did. The little boy raced toward his momma. “Did you hear me?”
Danny’s eyes snapped to Lance as Jude launched himself against her in excitement. “I did.”
“Lance taught me how to talk to you without really talking.” The little boy practically buzzed as he bounced around on the way to the house, seeming much younger than he had since Craig had known him.
Lighter.
“That was so nice of him.” Danny’s smile was tight as Jude continued chattering about hearing her and talking through the trees.
Suddenly he stopped, going still. His eyes went to Craig, then the woods, then back to Danny. “Can I go see Lance’s camper?”
Her lips pressed together for a second before rolling free. “Were you invited?”
“Yup.” Lance didn’t miss a beat.
Danny’s gaze raked her brother from top to bottom. “I guess that’s fine then.”
Lance looped one arm over Jude’s shoulders. “We won’t be long.”
Craig stepped in line with them, resisting the urge to peek at where Lance held his nephew close.
Jude needed Lance right now. Badly. And Craig brought him here. Made sure Jude would have access to the most important thing in the world.
Someone who understood him.
But it still stung to be their third wheel.
Jude peeked back over his shoulder, eyes scanning the house behind them. “Is she gone?”
“Not gone enough.” Lance picked up the pace, heading straight to where his shiny new fifth wheel was parked beside Danny’s shop, and opening the door. Jude hurried up the steps turning to wait for Craig and Lance to join him.
Lance settled onto one of the sofas in the living room area of the large camper. He lifted his brows at Jude and Craig who still stood at the top of the steps leading into the luxurious space. “You can come in.”
Jude’s eyes roamed over the three sofas, one of which reclined like theater seats. He leaned toward Craig. “This is nicer than yours.”
That was because Lance planned on actually staying here, and Craig only intended to spend a few nights in his.
At the most.
“His wife and daughters are staying here too. Mine was just for me.” Lance wasn’t one to hide his wealth, which was fine. He did a lot of nice things with it. Helped friends and family whenever the opportunity arose.
But when people knew you had money it changed how they saw you.
How they treated you.
“Oh.” Jude leaned back to peek toward the kitchen. “I guess that makes sense.” He straightened, gaze finally coming to Craig. “I don’t want to tell my mom about the hair.” He turned to Lance. “I don’t want her to be scared.”
Craig almost laughed. The odds of something like that scaring Jude’s mother were astronomically low.
More likely it would set her and her sisters off on a rampage, sending them running to the woods around Shadow Pine on a seek and destroy mission that would only end when bodies hit the ground.
“Jude, your mom isn’t the kind who gets scared.” Lance held his hands out. “She is brave and strong. Like my wife and my daughters.”
“I know.” Jude’s shoulders lifted and dropped. “I’m supposed to protect her though.”
Lance’s eyes narrowed. �
�How old are you, Jude?”
The little boy straightened to his full height and squared his shoulders. “Ten.”
Lance studied him for a minute. “You don’t have to worry about protecting your momma anymore.” His eyes came to Craig. “That’s for Craig to do.” He stood from the sofa. “He will always keep you and your mom safe. Always.”
“What about my aunts?” Jude wasn’t ready to give up the place he believed was his. “Craig can’t protect them all.”
“What about JD? Don’t you think he helps keep your aunts safe?” Lance rested his hands on his hips. “And I’ll be here for a while. So that makes three of us. You think we can handle it?”
Jude’s appraising eyes moved from Craig to Lance. “Maybe.”
Lance laughed. “Fair enough. If you think we’re not doing it right, just say.” He thumbed over his shoulder. “You want to see the camper since that’s what you’re supposed to be here for?”
Jude’s expression changed immediately from that of a much older soul, to one of a little boy filled with excitement. “Yes.”
Lance led them through the large bedroom, complete with a king-sized bed and a stacked washer and dryer in the closet, to the kitchen with a standard fridge and a pull-out pantry.
It was nice as hell.
But Craig would take a white two-story manufactured home over this any day. Especially when a sweet and deadly blonde warmed the bed there at night.
Lance set Jude up with a jug of chocolate milk before they went on their way, back to the only place Craig wanted to be.
The first house that had ever really felt like home.
Danny was on the porch as they rounded the corner, leaning against the post holding up the tiny overhang. “What did you think?”
“It’s real nice.” Jude wiped across his upper lip, clearing away the milk clinging there. “It has a washer and dryer in it.”
Danny’s brows lifted. “Nice.”
The jealousy Craig had been fighting all morning dug in a little deeper, forcing him to once again shake it off.
“Vanessa’s been asking when you would be back.” Danny smiled as Jude raced up the stairs, watching as he hurried inside to play with his cousin.
If you could call it that. Jude took on Vanessa as one more person he had to protect. Watch over.
Danny (Big Northwest Book 1) Page 17