Timber Wolf (Virtue Shifters Book 1)

by Zoe Chant

  "I'll think about," Mabs promised.

  Jake went to start taking boards off the interior kitchen walls, revealing pipes that even he could recognize weren't in great condition, while Mabs called Sarah, who gave her a name. Mabs checked to see if Jake knew them, and he didn't, so she called them herself, and just before dinner a kid who looked about 17 and pimply came over to look at the exposed pipes.

  The estimate he gave made Mabs have to sit down for a bit, although he did say the current pipes wouldn't explode if they turned the water back on, which was something. Jake followed him back out of the house to ask if he needed any work done in trade, and the kid said he'd talk to his boss, and that was something, too. Jake gave him a card and went back into the house, where Mabs was staring at the open walls of her kitchen.

  "We don't need the whole house done at once, even if that'd probably be cheapest," she said a little dully. "But we really need the kitchen to be usable, and if I'm getting pipes done then I should get a more functional bathroom in place. We've been using the one in the buttery wing at night, but it's awful and I don't want to have to use an outhouse in the winter if we can avoid it. But that means rearranging the upstairs. Or downstairs. Both. To make room for bathrooms. And that costs a lot of money. Crap. Crap, crap, crap." She sat on the floor, her head in her hands, and Jake came to crouch nearby.

  "This is what I am good at, though," he offered quietly. "You tell me where you want the bathrooms, I can build that space for you, upstairs and down. It'd be good to have functional plumbing before winter hits, right? And then we'll move on to the next part. If I keep busy I'll get to the roof before the snow comes."

  "Jake..." Mabs lifted her head with the tone and expression of someone who was going to object, but instead she closed her eyes and, very quietly, said, "Thank you."

  "If it helps, you can think of this as being my local portfolio project," Jake offered. "If I'm gonna stick around Virtue, I'll need work, and people like to be able to see what a carpenter's done."

  "Actually, that does make me feel better." Mabs gave him a little nod, then exhaled noisily. "So, uh, wanna see where I was thinking of putting the bathrooms?"

  Jake offered her a hand up again. He liked doing that, liked the momentary chance to hold her hand. Liked the warmth of their fingers touching, and the breath he could take of her scent. He liked being with her, which was a lot for a man who didn't think he wanted romance. "You know what? I'd love to see where you want to put the bathrooms."

  * * *

  By the next evening the entire house was a wreck. Jake had stayed late Saturday night, and arrived early again on Sunday morning, enduring Sarah's teasing in the brief time he'd been at her place to sleep on her couch. Mabs cleared out the old birthing room downstairs so she and Noah could share it while interior walls got moved around to accommodate bathrooms both upstairs and down. Sawdust and old boards were everywhere, including up Jake's nose and embedded deep in his hair. Well, the sawdust was, anyway, and maybe a few splinters. Not so much with the boards.

  It didn't matter. He couldn't remember ever being happier. The work was hard and hot and sweaty, and he wasn't getting paid for it, but he honestly didn't care. Being near Mabs Brannigan and her funny, brash little boy lightened his heart in a way he hadn't thought was possible. He was, he realized, dying for Mabs to ask if he really did want to stay in the barn.

  He had never wanted to stay in a barn more in his life, and he'd been the kind of kid who thought that was an exciting way to spend a summer night. But he couldn't ask, because he didn't want to be pushy.

  So it came as a huge relief, after dinner, both of them sprawled on the porch to cool down and watch Noah in the yard, when Mabs said, "So...I literally can't offer you a place in the house because there isn't one, but...did you want to check out the barn? I know it's crazy, but..."

  "It's the best kind of crazy I can imagine," Jake promised, then hoped he hadn't overdone it. Fortunately, Mabs just smiled, got up, and stretched before jogging down the steps and off toward the barn. Jake watched her t-shirt creep up to reveal a peek of her belly as she stretched, and for a minute had a hard time remembering how to make his legs work so he could get up and follow her.

  The barn, which lay a comfortable amble away from the house, was in startlingly good condition. Jake cast Mabs a surprised look and she said, "I know, right? I seriously considered us living in here. Sarah said a rancher rented it a while back and fixed it all up to keep his horses warm over a winter. It's even got electricity and space heaters, so you'd be warm enough, I think?"

  "I run warm anyway," Jake promised, since that was safer than mentioning his built-in fur coat. "I'd love to stay out here, Mabs. I'll stay at Sarah's tonight and pick up a sleeping pallet and some blankets in the morning and it'd be great. Are you sure?"

  "I am if you are. I wish I could pay you, but..."

  Jake shook his head. "You're giving me a roof to sleep under and a job I'm good at to do, one that will make a big difference in somebody's life. What else are we here for, if not to make each other's lives a little better?"

  Her gaze softened into something he didn't dare imagine a name for. "Yeah. Yeah. It's nice to meet people who think that way. Thank you, Jake. Let's get you settled in here, and we can..." Her face fell. "I can't help in the morning. I've got a shift at the restaurant."

  "No problem, that's your job. Fixing this place up is mine. Do you need somebody to watch Noah?" He was surprised at how much he hoped the answer was 'yes', but she shook her head.

  "No, he comes with me and goes to the library when it opens. You wouldn't be able to get anything done with him underfoot, anyway. Trust me," Mabs added wryly.

  Jake, more softly than he'd intended, said, "I do," and excused himself to head out to Sarah's for the last time.

  * * *

  It seemed like most of Virtue stopped by the diner that day, eager to talk about how Jake Rowly was back in town and living out at the Old Brannigan Place with the New Brannigan Family. Mabs gave up on saying near, not with! after about the thirteenth time, figuring it would seem like the lady protested too much. Even Preston Cole, in his nice suit with its sharply-ironed pocket handkerchief, came in to listen to the gossip, and clicked his tongue in disappointment at Mabs.

  "I'd still like you to consider the offer, Ms. Brannigan. It's a lot of money."

  "So much money," she agreed, but shrugged. "Thanks, but no. I really do want to keep the place."

  "Well, it don't make sense to me," he said, playing up a drawl he didn't really have, "so you keep the offer in mind, won't you?" He waved on his way out, and Mabs exhaled noisily.

  "Persistent, isn't he," she said to nobody in particular, and got a general mumble of agreement from the diner's patrons.

  Sarah dropped Noah back off at the diner just before Mabs's shift ended, and every time somebody mentioned the farm, he announced that Mr. Growly was helping and everybody else should come help too.

  Mabs hushed him every time, looking apologetic, but she got a lot of smiles, and more than one promise to drop by and see if they could be of help. To Mabs's astonishment, there were a couple of casual friends at the house when they arrived home, doing the kind of grunt work that fell within Mabs's skill set, just in greater numbers.

  Noah was thrilled, and ran around 'helping', giving orders, and generally getting underfoot while Mabs tried to ride herd on him and give Jake her thanks. "We're just getting started," he promised her. "Just you wait."

  The helpers peeled off around dinner time, and Mabs got Noah into bed approximately on time, which was as good as it ever got. Jake went to wash up and came back to the house for a few minutes after bedtime, a smile embedded on his handsome face. "Plumber says he can squeeze the bathrooms in as soon as I've got the space roughed out. Probably over the weekend, at no extra cost."

  "I have no idea how you're charming everybody into this, but I appreciate it," Mabs said with simple honesty. "There's been more done here in the past three days
than all summer."

  "Give me until the end of the week," Jake said with a wink, and excused himself. Mabs lingered on the porch, watching him walk away and appreciating every step of the view. Then, suddenly realizing she was exhausted even if she hadn't been doing all that much actual renovating herself, she went and crawled into bed with Noah, who kicked her, then nestled up like a warm lump and soothed her to sleep.

  Every day of the week flew by like that: a diner full of people gossiping about Mabs's new tenant, Preston Cole dropping by to try nagging Mabs into selling after all, a handful of acquaintances showing up at the house to help so they had an excuse to check out Jake Rowly's return, and falling into bed after a few minutes of quiet talk with the gorgeous carpenter.

  It felt natural, and calming, and kind of wonderful. There were still so many things to deal with, but Mabs couldn't remember the last time she'd gone to bed every night happy, instead of with her stomach clenched with worry about how she was going to get through the next day.

  Noah woke up early on Saturday, whispered, "Mama, can I watch some videos?" in stentorian tones, and crept off to let her sleep in a little while longer when she mumbled something that he could interpret as a 'yes.'

  What felt like only seconds later, he came in to report, in an equally loud whisper, that he had made his own breakfast and cleaned up the milk so she didn't need to worry about it or get up. Mabs weighed the likelihood of that, pulled the pillow over her head, and hoped for a few more minutes of sleep.

  "Mama," Noah said a while later, his little voice awed, "Mama, a party is here."

  "Whuuh?" Mabs lurched out of bed and stumbled to the window, staring into their front yard.

  The plumber was pulling up, which meant she'd slept until nearly ten. That seemed impossible, and definitely meant Noah had, in some fashion, fed himself.

  But more than that, behind the plumber and parked in various places along her driveway were at least a dozen other vehicles, out of which an honestly astonishing number of people were emerging. A lot of them were carrying tools, or tool belts, or food. Mabs blinked a few times, croaked, "Oh crud," and threw herself from the window toward some clothes.

  She got to the front door, mostly dressed, by the time the first neighbors knocked, and the next half hour was spent greeting people, Tetris-ing food into the fridge, and wishing she'd had time to brush her teeth. As soon as each person dropped off whatever they were carrying, they went off to have a job assigned to them. Mabs heard Sarah's voice carrying through the house, and, jacked up on adrenaline, went to find the busybody librarian.

  "Mabs!" Sarah yelled cheerfully. "I've been here for an hour, you slug-a-bed! You look great!"

  "I look like I'm wearing pajama bottoms and no bra," Mabs disagreed. "Sarah, what's going on? Did you do this?"

  "Honestly, I think Noah did it. He's been telling everybody, and I mean everybody, at the library that they should come over on Saturday to help with the house now that 'Mr. Growly' is there to do a lot of big work. And really, who can resist that kid?"

  Mabs looked toward the front of the house, where she could hear Noah caroling suggestions to the plumbers, and shook her head. "Nobody. He's going to conquer the world if he survives to adulthood."

  "Which you're doing an excellent job of ensuring happens," Sarah reassured her. "Speaking of which, he's talked Mrs. Knutson into one of the husky puppies from her dog's new litter. She has the sense to not just show up with a dog, but she wanted me to ask what you thought. I think she's desperate to find good homes for them."

  "Oh my God. No, that would be crazy. Except it'd be so good for Noah, too. Give him somebody to play with. Oh, God." Mabs scrunched her face. "Huskies are a lot of work, aren't they?"

  "High energy," Sarah agreed. "Just like Noah."

  "I can't decide if that's a selling point or not. Okay, I'll text Mrs. Knutson later with a decision. Ugh. Um. Yeah. I have to think about that a little bit."

  "Of course you do. And in the meantime, I was gonna have people start clearing out the rooms on this side of the house, if you want?"

  "That would be amazing." Mabs looked around, feeling like she had whiplash. "Especially if they did it with, uh..."

  "Sensitivity?" Sarah suggested. "I've got an archivist degree and answer to the Virtue Historical Society. I won't let them throw anything important away. What about the wing behind the buttery?"

  "I don't think we can throw it all away," Mabs said regretfully. "Too heavy." She grinned as Sarah elbowed her. "If people want to start clearing it out that would be incredible. I'd kind of just...given up on the idea of it for now."

  "Well, you've got twenty people with more on the way because everybody wants to gawk at Jake, so we might as well take advantage of them. And there are a bunch of kids here already to play with Noah, so they'll keep themselves out from underfoot. Mostly."

  Mabs, stunned, said, "I'm gonna...I'm gonna go put a bra on..." and left the back room, wandering out to walk straight into Jake Rowly. She actually bounced off him, and he caught her shoulders to keep her from falling. Mabs said, "Ow," and crossed an arm across her unsupported chest.

  Jake's gaze followed her movement, and then, to her not-so-secret delight, the carpenter blushed bright pink and yanked his attention to the much-safer ceiling rafters. "Um. I'm sorry. Are you all right?"

  "Yep. Yep. Ow, but yep. Just wasn't expecting to walk into something solid while going commando."

  His eyes skittered back to hers, then away again, his blush still intact. "Is, uh, that what you call it? When you don't wear a bra? Commando? I always thought that was no underwear."

  "Bras are underwear," Mabs pointed out, grinning. He was trying so hard not to stare, which was adorable. It wasn't like free-range boobs under a t-shirt were really all that exciting. Uncomfortable, yes. Exciting, not so much. At least, not from her perspective, and she decided she'd better keep her eyes high and not see how exciting it might be from Jake's.

  Except then it was really hard to look anywhere but down. Mabs fixed her attention firmly on his hairline and tried not to blush. "And honestly, I don't know, I never thought about it until just this second. Jake, look at all these people!"

  He stopped looking embarrassed and lit up instead. "I know! I know a couple guys from shop class back in high school and they're handy, so we're gonna get up on the roof and get busy. We've got insulation to lay, so that'll help keep the house warm when it gets colder. We'll have this old part of the house snug before winter, Mabs."

  "I'm going to have to sell a kidney to pay for all of this," she whispered, "but thank you, Jake."

  His smile, soft and gentle, held a little teasing, too. "This is a barn-raising, Mabs. Small towns pull together when somebody needs them. You're part of Virtue, now."

  Tears stung the inside of Mabs's nose. She nodded, smiled weakly, and ran upstairs to finish getting dressed before she made a complete fool of herself in front of Jake Rowly.

  NINE

  A terrible sense of regret and relief filled Jake as Mabs climbed the stairs to put more clothes on. Watching her breasts shift under a thin t-shirt had not been his finest moment. Or it had been an exceptionally fine one, depending on how he wanted to look at it, but he'd been trying not to be creepy, and didn't think he'd quite succeeded. It was just that he could look at her forever and never get tired of it.

  It would definitely be creepy, though, if he was still waiting at the foot of the stairs when she came down again. He gave himself a mental kick in the rear—his wolf helped with an image of snapping at his heels—and went up to get to work on the roof.

  Nine times out of ten, re-roofing was a hellishly expensive proposition, but he'd uncovered a whole pallet of shingles on the barn's second floor, left over from the renovation work done on the barn. They could definitely get the oldest part of the house redone, and if the additions took until next year, that was fine. Jake wasn't in any hurry.

  All the thinking parts of him thought he should be, that he should want
to get this job done and move on, but...well, even if he hadn't trusted his wolf, he just didn't want to leave Mary Anne Brannigan's side. The great thing about working from the roof was he could glance down any time, pick her softly purple hair out of the crowd of people working, and watch her for a few minutes.

  He obviously wasn't the only one who found her delightful. She moved around, directing work, touching arms in thanks before she moved on to her next task. And all right, that was a problem with working on the roof, she couldn't touch him. But on the other hand, Jake got to talk to her on his own every evening, so that made up for a lot.

  People of all ages lugged stuff around, some of them elbow-deep in rubber gloves as they dug through boxes rescued from the buttery wing and the room behind the kitchen. Every once in a while they'd come across a treasure and call Mabs over to see. He couldn't wait to hear about what they'd discovered, when the party wound down and everyone else had gone home again.

  Because Jake was already home, whether he could admit it out loud or not. He told himself it was only that the town of Virtue was home, but even he didn't believe it, and his wolf lay down and put a paw over its eyes, the way melodramatic dogs occasionally did.

  Judge Owens, whose oldest kids had been in high school just after Jake, arrived with two teenagers, and started ordering people around. Everybody listened, too, which made Jake grin. The kids she had with her—a college-aged boy and a late-high school girl—were set to climbing ladders, carrying shingles, even laying insulation. Smaller children ran around shrieking gleefully and carting shirt-fronts full of fallen apples to the working adults.

  Even Preston Cole showed up for a while, wearing work clothes but still with his ironed handkerchief sticking out of a back pocket. Jake kept an eye on him for a while, as best he could from on top of the house, anyway, but the realtor seemed to be helping out just like everyone else. He got dirty, anyway, exiting the house grungy and with sawdust in his hair when he finally left. Jake grudgingly gave him a little more credit than he wanted to.