“Yes, and I’m sure she’s not going to be very happy about it,” Beth said, then seeing the look on Justin’s face, she quickly added, “I’m not going to tell her everything, just that we’re in love. It’ll be enough for her that I’m dating someone; we’ll have to have all these talks about sex and how dangerous it is, how I need to be careful, and on and on.”
“I’m sure it won’t be like that,” Justin said, laughing.
Beth shook her head, “You don’t know my mother; her entire world has been about keeping me alive and getting me healthy, now that I am, she doesn’t know what to do with herself. I’ll bet you five dollars that she won’t ask about school or my new friends; she’ll ask about my health.”
“That’s a bet,” Justin said, “But I think we should bet a kiss instead.”
Chapter Eleven
***Beth***
They’d only been in the car for a few minutes before her mother pulled the visor down and positioned it so that she could see Beth in the back seat. Beth was familiar with the process; her mother had been doing it for years, and it made her want to duck down in the seat like she had when she’d been a child. But instead, she met her mother’s gaze squarely and smiled.
Her inspection over, her mother said, “Well, you look better than I expected you to.”
It wasn’t exactly a compliment, but Beth chose to take it that way. “Thank you; I like living in Fort Collins, it’s been good for me,” she said.
“Did you bring your health journal with you? I’d really like to see it. You know how important it is to stay on top of the little changes,” her mother said. “And I’d really like to discuss your diet; you’ve gained a lot of weight.”
Beth couldn’t deny that it was true, but she’d only gained what she needed to; the truth was that she ate very healthy, avoiding fast food as much as possible. “Mother, I eat a well-balanced diet, I watch what I’m eating, and the weight I’ve gained, I needed,” she said, trying to remain calm.
“Well, you know what the doctor said; you can’t be running around eating like a regular person; it’s not good for your kidneys,” her mother finally turned around in her seat to face her, ready to deliver one of her lectures.
“Mother, I know all this. I’m the one who has to live it, not you,” Beth said, done with the entire discussion.
Her mother was so shocked that Beth had talked back to her, she could only stare at her. “I knew it was a bad idea to let you go so far away to school,” she finally said, then she narrowed her eyes at Beth. “What else have you been doing at school? I hope you’re not partying.”
Beth glared at her mother. “I’m not stupid, but I did meet someone, and I’ve fallen in love,” Beth said, wanting to shock her mother, to make her as unhappy as Beth was just then.
“What do you mean you’ve fallen in love? You don’t know anything about love. You’re only eighteen, for heaven’s sake,” her mother said, waving her hand in the air. “You can’t be in love; that’s ridiculous.”
“I know enough to know what I’m feeling. Justin is wonderful, and he makes me feel like a normal person, he doesn’t baby me or treat me differently because I was sick,” Beth tried to explain.
“So that makes you think that you’re in love with him; that’s not love,” her mother said, then looked over at her father, who was silent. “Tell your daughter that she’s not in love; tell her how silly that is.”
“Well, maybe we should find out more about this boy,” her father said reasonably, getting Beth’s hopes up that he would take her side.
“He’s a cattle rancher; his family has been ranching for generations. He’s strong and smart, and he taught me how to ride,” Beth said, happy to finally feel like she had someone on her side.
But to her surprise, her father frowned. “A cattle rancher? You mean he grows cattle for a living?”
Beth laughed. “Daddy, you don’t grow cows for a living. You raise them,” Beth said, thinking her father was just being silly.
“I don’t know, sweetheart, that sounds a little too… Oh, what am I trying to say? It just doesn’t sound like a place where you’d be happy,” he said, shaking his head.
It suddenly hit Beth what her father was thinking. “You don’t think he’s good enough for me. You think that because he raises cattle he’s beneath us,” she accused, then knew that she was right when her father only shrugged his shoulders.
“Your father’s right, honey; this boy just isn’t our kind of people. Think how dangerous it would be for you to live out in the middle of nowhere. What if something happened and you needed medical attention? You know that could happen at any time,” her mother said, unable to hide the look of satisfaction on her face.
“No, mother, it couldn’t. I’m perfectly fine, the doctors all say so. I’m not going to need to be rushed to the hospital ever again, and it’s time you accepted that,” she said to her mother, then looked over at her father. “Daddy, I never thought you were a snob; you always told me that people are alike no matter where they came from or what they do. I love Justin, and nothing is going to change that.” Then she decided to put it all out there. “Justin asked me to come for Christmas, and he wanted you two to come as well, but now I don’t think that it’s a good idea. I’ll just go by myself.”
Her mother looked shocked. “You’d go there instead of coming home?”
“If that’s what I have to do. Justin is a part of my life now, a big part of it, and I was hoping that you would be happy for me,” Beth said, then crossed her arms over her chest and like a little kid refused to speak again.
***Justin***
Penny was sitting in the passenger seat, her arms crossed over her chest a nasty look on her face. They’d been riding that way for over an hour, and Justin was getting tired of it. “Look, it’s really none of your business who I love; if you can’t understand that then maybe you should ride in the back seat. I’m tired of looking at you over there sulking.”
Penny blew a big breath out through her nose. “I’m not sulking. I’m mad at you. I can’t believe that you’re stupid enough to think that you’re in love with that girl, and she is nothing more than a girl. Dad is going to have a fit when he finds out; he’s going to take you out to the barn like he used to do and whip you until you come to your senses,” Penny said, with a certain amount of satisfaction.
Justin grimaced, remembering those whippings all too well and not completely sure that Penny wasn’t right. “He’s not going to whip me,” he said, with a bit more confidence than he felt.
“Well, he’s not going to be happy,” Penny said, shooting him a grin.
“I’ll deal with dad; you just stay out it,” Justin said, grinning back at her.
It was nice to be back home, but it wasn’t long before his father cornered him in the barn. “So how’s school? Still sorry that I made you go?” his father asked, handing him a feed bucket.
“No, in fact, I should thank you,” Justin said, a big grin on his face.
His father knew that look; he’d worn it once himself. “See, I told you that you’d find others like us, that you’d meet some new friends,” he said, slapped Justin on the back then asked, “Who is she? Where did you meet her?”
“Her name is Beth, and she’s from back east; she came out here to go to school. You met her actually, the day you helped us move into the dorms,” Justin said, wondering if his father would remember the quiet redhead they’d helped move.
It took his father a few minutes to remember; when he did, his mouth came open and he looked over at Justin. “But that girl was human, I’m sure of it,” he said, sharply narrowing his eyes at Justin.
“Yes, she is. I saved her from some drunk men one night on campus, we got to talking, and well, I think I’m in love with her. I invited her and her parents to come for Christmas; you’re going to love her too,” Justin said, rushing to get out the speech he’d been preparing for his father.
His father stared at him for so long Justin be
gan to wonder if he’d heard him. Then he shook his head and said, “I didn’t think that this would happen to you. I thought it would be Daniel who fell for the wrong girl.”
“I didn’t fall for the wrong girl,” Justin said, stubbornly. “Beth is the right girl for me.”
“Son, she can’t be the right girl for you; she’s not one of us,” his father said sadly.
“That doesn’t matter; you’ll see. Beth accepts me for who I am; she isn’t afraid of what this might mean; she loves me,” Justin said, defensively not about to give up.
“What you don’t understand is that what you’re feeling for her isn’t love, son; it’s your instinct to protect. You saved her from those men, and it kicked in; one day you’re going to wake up and feel totally different.”
Justin shook his head. “No, that’s not it. I really do love her. Are you going to fight me on this?”
His father shook his head. “I know when to fight and when not to, but I want you to remember everything I taught you about humans, and don’t forget that it’s not just your life, son; you have a responsibility to everyone in this valley.”
“And Beth will be right here by my side,” Justin said with so much conviction that his father knew that there was no changing his mind.
When he picked Beth up from the airport, he could tell that her visit hadn’t gone well. “They’re not coming for Christmas, are they?” he asked, once he’d kissed her and held her for a few minutes, ignoring the droning voice over the loudspeaker telling him to move his car.
Beth looked at him and smiled. “Oh, they’re coming, but I don’t think it’s going to be very much fun. They weren’t exactly thrilled to hear that I’d fallen in love with a cattle rancher; my mom practically had a heart attack; she couldn’t even talk.”
“My family wasn’t very happy either; my brothers accused me of turning my back on my heritage or something like that, but my mother is excited to meet you.”
“She doesn’t think what we’re doing is a bad idea?” Beth asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
“Not really, but she and my sister seem to have come to terms with it; they just want me to be happy,” Justin said, then added. “I think they’re worried that you’re going to tell people about us.”
“I hope you told them that I’d never do that. I would never want to see anyone get hurt and people can be crazy,” Beth said. “When I was sick, there were parents who wouldn’t let their children near me. I guess they were afraid that I’d spread what I had to them. It made no sense, but when people are afraid, they sometimes do things they normally wouldn’t do.”
Justin pulled her closer and whispered, “I’m sorry this is so hard, but you’ll see it will all work out. We love each other, and that’s the most important thing; now let’s get back to the dorms and see if your bed is still big enough for both of us.”
Chapter Twelve
***Beth***
When the plane landed in Denver, Beth let out a sigh of relief. She’d gotten her parents this far, and that felt like a major step; now all she had to do was get them to Justin’s. Once they were there, they’d see that he was a great guy and understand why she was so in love with him.
Her mother had spent what felt like every minute since she’d gotten home trying to talk her out of it, railing against just about every aspect of Justin’s life until Beth had finally yelled at her. She’d never yelled at her mother before, but they’d never been this much in opposition before either. As usual, her father had stayed out of it, but he’d also gone out of his way to make it clear that he didn’t approve of Justin.
Since the only way to get to the ranch from Denver to Fairplay was to drive, they picked up a rental car then went on to the hotel where they were staying for the night. When they got to the hotel, she insisted on having her own room, knowing that she’d lose her mind if she had to be cooped up with her parents for the afternoon and night.
When they got to the hotel, he father handed her the key to her room. “I’m going to go take a nap.” he said with a sigh.
Once he’d gone into the room, her mother grabbed her by the shoulders and looked at her. “You look tired; I think a nap might be a good idea. I’ll wake you when it’s time for dinner.”
But Beth had other plans. “I’m going to go down to the spa and see if I can get my nails done this afternoon,” she said, shrugging off her mother hands.
“Are you sure? We’ve already had a long day,” her mother said. When she saw the look on Beth’s face, she said, “Okay, I’ll leave you alone, but don’t blame me if you end up sick.”
Beth felt the overwhelming urge to snap at her mother, but instead, she calmly said, “I’ll be fine; it’s only a manicure and pedicure.”
Beth was sitting in a chair, her feet soaking in warm, sudsy water, the fragrance of lilacs wafting up to her nose when she saw her mother cross the lobby headed for the doors. She hadn’t mentioned going out, but then again, they hadn’t said much to each other since they’d gotten on the plane. Assuming she’d just run out to get something she’d forgotten, Beth closed her eyes and enjoyed the pampering she was getting and let thoughts of Justin take over.
It hadn’t been that long since she’d seen him, but it felt like forever, and she missed him more than she’d expected. If she hadn’t been completely sure before that she loved him, being away from him made it clear to her that they were meant to be together, that without him she wasn’t complete. When she was with Justin, she was the person she’d always wanted to be: strong and capable, able to cope with life, something she’d never felt before.
She had no idea how she’d convince her parents that a life with Justin was exactly what she wanted, but she was determined to make them understand, and the trip to Fairplay was the first step. Of course, it wasn’t just her parents who were against their relationship; Justin had confessed that his family had some reservations as well. It hurt to know that the people they loved the most couldn’t trust them to know what they wanted, but Justin had promised that one way or another, they’d be together, and she had to trust in that promise.
***Justin***
When the car finally pulled into the front yard, Justin went out to meet it. Beth and her parents were over two hours late, and he’d been beginning to get worried, but when the car came to a halt, he saw her in the back seat and breathed a sigh of relief. She was the first one out of the car, her parents stumbling out after her, looking like they’d just been through a hurricane.
Her father’s hair was standing on end, and her mother looked like she’d been through a traumatic experience, but Beth looked wonderful. All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and show her how much he missed her, but with her parents standing there, all he did was give her a hug and whisper in her ear, “I missed you; it feels like forever since I’ve seen you.”
She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and smiled up at him. “Me too,” she said, then turned to introduce her parents. “These are my parents, Mary and George Norton.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Justin said, holding out his hand; when Beth’s father only looked at it, he pulled it back and asked, “How was your trip?”
“Terrible. Those roads are awful, only two lanes most of the way, and covered in ice and snow. I was sure we were going to go shooting off the mountain at any time,” Beth’s father said, finally looking around him.
“You get used to it after a while,” Justin said, not sure what else to say.
Beth’s mother hadn’t said a word, had only been staring at Justin since they’d gotten out of the car. He couldn’t tell what was going through her mind, but he could tell by the look on her face that it wasn’t good. Beth was searching for something to say when a huge gust of freezing wind stirred the snow at their feet and made her shiver.
Just then Justin’s mom came out of the house. “Are you going to keep them out here in the cold all day or bring them in?” she asked, holding the door open.
Taking Beth’s ha
nd, he said, “Why don’t you all come inside; it’s freezing out here.”
“Gladly,” George said, pushing past Justin’s mother and into the house as if he owned it.
Beth grimaced, but Justin smiled at her. “Don’t worry; it’ll be fine. You’ll see,” he said, very softly, then turned back to her mother. “Would you like to come in, Mrs. Norton?”
Once they were all inside, he introduced his mother who smiled warmly at her guests and said, “I bet you’re all frozen. Can I get you something hot to drink?”
George was so busy looking at the house, he didn’t hear her, so her mother finally spoke up. “That would be nice; it is awfully cold out.”
“You get used to that too,” Justin said with a grin, but when no one laughed but Beth, the smile disappeared from his face.
“Seems to me there’s a lot to get used to up here,” Beth’s father said, an unapproving look on his face.
“But it’s beautiful in the summer,” his mother said, leading the way to the kitchen. When they walked into the kitchen, his brothers were all gathered around the plate of cookies his mother had put together. “I can’t turn my back for a second before you three are into something,” his mother said, giving the closest one a swat on the butt. “Get out of here and leave us in peace; but first I want to introduce you to the Nortons.”
Justin stepped forward, pulling Beth with him. “You remember Beth,” he said, beaming at her, so glad that she was here it was impossible to hide it. “And these are her parents, Mary and George Norton.”
His mother shot his brothers a dirty look when they only stood and stared at them, but finally his brother Steve said, “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Steve, and these are my little brothers, Daniel and Jake.”
Daniel and Jake looked like they wanted to punch Steve but instead in unison they said, “It’s nice to meet you.” But it was very clear that they were lying by the look on their faces.
FairPlay Shifters Prequel: (A Paranormal Romance Story) Page 7