Theo had come to see him a couple of times today, earlier that morning and then just a few minutes after he’d gotten his clothing from Lily. Milo was worried he was taking Theo from whatever he had been doing, but his brother assured him that Pem was studying too, and he was bored. He wasn’t sure how to take himself being a replacement for boredom, but he didn’t comment.
“I wanted to see how you were feeling now. I know I was here only a couple of hours ago, but there are some things I’d like you to help me out with. Just questions mostly, but I could use your input on them.” Milo sat up straighter in the bed and felt better for it. “Also, you should know that I’ve spoken to Jamie. She’s been in and out of here while you were sleeping. She’s going to come and see you later tonight. But she really is working hard.”
“You guys still think she’s my mate?” Theo said he didn’t think she was. “Why is that? I mean, don’t you want me to have a beautiful wife too?”
“Nah, nothing like that. But she’s been here with you, in and out, and neither of you seems to be foaming at the mouth to be together.” That made him laugh, and he was sure that was what Theo intended for him to do. “Not only that, but she’s more like you than I thought. Quiet and reserved. She doesn’t even own a television. Not that it’s a deal-breaker, but she seems to just not care what is going on in the world around her. I think she’s always been that way. I keep getting sidetracked when I go to ask Pem about her.”
“I bet you do.”
They laughed again when someone knocked at the door. Milo pulled the covers up over his bare chest when he bid the person entry. He’d bet anything that the woman standing there was Jamie.
“Hello.”
Chapter 2
Milo moved around the upper level he’d been on and saw that most of the rooms up here were bedrooms, large ones that had a full bath in each of them. He didn’t know for sure, but he’d bet that Jamie had had the faeries work on the house, and it was just the way she’d wanted it. Milo had to admit, her tastes ran right alongside of his.
He also discovered a set of back stairs that led up to another floor. Upon inspection of the stairs, going only about halfway up, he knew it more than likely was a staff area. Venturing any further wasn’t something he felt comfortable doing, as he didn’t know if she had staff in the house or not.
The windows from the back bedrooms, like the one he’d been staying in, had the most beautiful view of the backyard. To say it was simply beautiful would have been grossly understated. The gardens and there were plenty of them, were well maintained and kept up. There was a pool, as well as a pool house. Also, Milo could see the tops of what he thought was a barn, as well as two other homes. Since they seemed to be smaller than the house he was currently in, he assumed they were also servants’ homes. Standing at the top of the double staircase, he wondered how far he could make it today without being so exhausted he had to crawl back up the stairs to rest. Today, however, he was determined to make it.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He looked down the curved staircase just as he was ready to take the first step. “I thought you were told to rest. I don’t think tackling this staircase is resting, do you?”
“I can’t stand to be in the house for one more minute.” Milo knew he sounded whiney. He was feeling the pressure of not being able to work, be out of doors, or simply able to have a long conversation with someone about nothing. “Please. I need to get out of there before my head explodes. Besides, we’ve not tried to see if I’m your mate or not. I, for one, would love to find out.”
“Me too.” She started up the stairs and stopped about halfway up. “I told you yesterday that I don’t want to get too close to you in the event you’re going to jump my bones. I don’t think that would do either of us any good. Well, it might, now that I think about it, but I have to study, and you need to rest. All right?”
“Yes, I understand. I promise not to strip you down to your skin until I have more strength than a newborn. I can’t promise I won’t kiss you, but that’s about all I’m up for at the moment.”
She seemed to be thinking on his promise before she came the rest of the way up the stairs. As soon as she was close enough to wrap her arm around his waist, he knew that she was his everything.
Traveling down the stairs slowly seemed to be just what he needed. Once or twice he had to stop, not because he needed to rest, but because of his excitement. Whether or not it was for Jamie or being free, he didn’t know, but just the thought of being in the sunshine made his heart beat a little faster.
“You’re my mate, aren’t you?” He nodded as he stood at the bottom of the stairs. “I thought as much. Yesterday when you were in the bedroom I could smell the earth. Since I’d only just come in from the outdoors, I tried to convince myself that was all it was. Not that I’m pissy about this. I think it’ll be all right. But I’m not like other women you might have dated.”
“Christ, I hope not.” He’d meant it as a joke, but she glared at him. “I’m sorry. That didn’t come out right. The kind of women I usually date are women that know my family has a great deal of money, and that’s what they’re hoping for. Me to marry them and set them up for life. However, of late, I haven’t been doing much of anything but working.”
“Me too. I take my state boards tomorrow for Texas.” They were moving through the living room, and he paused a moment to look around the room. “I don’t know what your tastes are, but if you want to change anything, this room is off-limits. I mean, it’s a room I’ve always wanted, and if you don’t mind, I’ll put you another room in if I have to so I can have this one to myself.”
“I love it. The furniture looks soft and cozy. I’m in love with the fireplace too. The mantle just screams for some family photos on it.” He moved past Jamie to look at the painting over the mantle. “This is this house, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I don’t know where the faeries found it, but I love it hanging there. They must have cleaned it up as well. It looks freshly painted. You can see that the house has been added onto a few times. Like the wings at the back of the house there. The pool, too, of course. But the picture has a year on the back that I found. It was painted in the late seventeen hundreds.” He touched his fingers to the paint and jerked his hand away. “I was going to warn you about that. Somewhere along the line, I discovered I can touch things too and get a great deal from it. I try hard not to do that—it’s kind of freaky.”
He put his hand back to the painting and closed his eyes as the house as it was now began to change, going backward to be the painting he was touching. When he moved his hand forward, just a little at a time, he was able to tell Jamie what he was seeing.
“The woman who painted this picture was named Nelly James Darkhouse. Did you know she was part Native American?” Jamie sat down on one of the couches and told him she knew that. It was in the big family Bible in the library. “Well, smarty pants, did you know that she and her tribe were somewhat magical. The Darkhouses, I mean.”
“Now that, I didn’t know. When her brother, who lived in the house, died sometime after his wife, Nelly, moved into the house with her husband. She had eleven children, but sadly only four lived past their fourth birthday. I’m named for her.” Milo nodded as he sat down beside her on the couch. “When the house was finished, she gave birth to a son, James Darkhouse. He was the first of many children born and raised here until her death years later. Also, many years later, her husband, for some unknown reason, killed himself by hanging himself from the rafters in the barn.”
“The one in the back of this property?” She told him it had been long since torn down in the name of expansion. “I guess that’s both good and sad. What else do you know, and I can fill in the blanks?”
“Nothing much. My parents were only children of only children. But for as far back as anyone can remember, there were lots of children born to each family except mine. When they had my sis
ter, I was already old enough to be out of the house. Not really old enough, but I did go away to college when I was just sixteen.” He said he had been that way as well. “I know a lot about you from your family. You’re so much like me I didn’t think we’d be a pair. You know the old saying, opposites attract?”
“Yes, well, perhaps this is better for the two of us.” She looked up at the picture, and he did as well. “You said there was only one child born per family. Do you know if they were all men then? I mean, no one changed the name of this place to theirs in all this time.”
“They weren’t all sons, but every time a daughter was born, the father of the bride would insist that the male change his name to Darkhouse. I have no idea why that worked for them. I have no intentions of making anyone change their name for the sake of a big house.” She laughed. “Unless you want to, that is.”
“Not particularly. But that doesn’t mean we have to change the house name, does it?” She shook her head. “What else can you tell me about this home?”
“I never liked living here. I do now, but when I was a child, I hated this place. It was dark and cold. Mostly to do with my parents. They didn’t particularly care for sharing their life with someone like me.” He asked her what she meant. “I was a wild child. I will admit I was in trouble more than my share. But when I signed up for the service, I think they were thrilled to be rid of me. I know I was in getting away from here.”
They talked about their lives. Mostly it was her family that was talked about, as his family had filled her in on him for the most part. When she asked him if he was ready to go outdoors, he agreed. But she didn’t need to help him now. Just sitting with her had given him the extra strength he needed.
There was a large box on the deck where they were. It looked like she was putting together a grill. What made him laugh was that she was using a different language than English to read the instructions. Watching her while she did exactly what she’d read, he looked around the backyard from this level.
He could see that someone had recently mowed. As he watched, he saw a herd of snowy white goats come out from under the trees. As they headed to the deck, Jamie stood up and pointed to the back of the yard again. Milo could tell they were dejected at not being allowed to come any closer to the house, and he asked her about it.
“I won’t get anything done if they come up here again. They’ll eat the instructions too. That’s why I’m using the French instructions, as they ate the English ones. Not to mention, I had to follow them around for an hour until one of them shit out the missing screw they’d eaten.” Milo couldn’t help it. He was laughing so hard he felt his ribs ache from it. “You’d not think it was so funny if you were sitting here like I am, and all of a sudden, one of them was right on top of your back like some kind of fucking king of the hill.”
Begging her to stop, he could see that she was smiling at him. “I needed that, Jamie. My mom says that laughter is the best kind of medicine.” Jamie sat up when she had all but the lid put on the grill. “I take it you like to grill out, and that’s why this thing is so big.”
“I do, actually. But when I saw the way your family eats, I decided I could cook for us should you want and be able to put extras in the fridge for later.” She looked up at him. “Your brother George is going to get his face knocked in by some woman one day, but he made it so that my fridge is full all the time. I sometimes like to just cook things for myself.”
“I love anything and everything that comes from cooking outdoors.” She said she was going to cook them salmon tonight. “Do you cook much?”
“Not so much. I’m better at eating those things that come prepackaged like you get in the service. That way, it’s easy to clean up too. Though, just feeding me, it’s not been so bad.” When the lid was put on, she moved the grill to the other side of the deck before having a seat. “I forgot to tell you that your parents are coming the day after tomorrow. They were going to come yesterday, but Finn asked them to wait a couple of days. Just until Pem and I are finished up with our tests. She’ll ace it, but I have to study a little harder. Not too much, but I think I’ll do all right.”
“I have a feeling you’re going to ace it as well.” She grinned at him. “How far along is the hospital now? I’m betting it’s close to being finished.”
“It is. I guess the builders are aware that they’re only doing the outside, and the rest is done by the faeries. To hurry things along. There is a huge need for a hospital around here. I think it’s at least fifty miles to the closest one, and it’s not anything but an emergency room from what I’ve heard.” He nodded, knowing that was exactly what it was. “Where do we go from here, you and I?”
“Forward. I’m hoping. I have to admit to you, I’m enjoying getting to know you. To hear your family history. You said my family told you all about ours.” She told him they’d told her more about him than their history. “I guess they’d do that. I heard a great deal about you too, from Pem. She and you sound like you were hellions in the service. I also heard about your sister.”
“Missy. She was born with a handicap that is hereditary. Finn explained to me that I’d not have the gene to pass along to my children, should you want to have any.” He said it was up to her. It was her body. “Don’t fucking do that, all right? Just don’t. Don’t try and make me have to make decisions all the time. You’re a grown assed man, and you have to have opinions too, or this shit is going to get old. If I ask you something, I want you to fucking answer me. Not fob all over things by saying ‘it’s your body.’ Do you want children or not? It’s simple enough, don’t you think?”
“Yes, I’d like to have children with you.” Milo laughed. “Are you always this testy about things, or is this an off day?”
“Off day, I guess. I’m sorry. I know what it is you’re saying to me, and thank you for that, but I do want your input on things like money. I know you have a great deal of it—so do I. Are you the type of person that gets all macho and has to make sure all the bills are paid or are you the kind of guy that says I’ll pay for half, you the other half? Neither one is anything I’m going to like.” Milo loved seeing her all worked up. “You might want to have an opinion about right now.”
“My money is your money, and I’m assuming it’s the same with yours.” She nodded and leaned back on the chair she was on. The goats started inching their way toward them now that she had finished the grill. “My aunt Carson said she took care of a lot of things for you while I was down. If anyone can make things work, it would be her. She’s well connected.”
“I am as well, believe it or not. So is Pem, but not like I am. My dad was good friends with a previous president. I think you know the one I’m talking about. He was a schmuck like my father. I suppose it could be considered a good or bad thing that he died in office. But when I got out of the service due to being so ill, the current president called me to ask if there was anything he could do for me. A few days ago, he called again to tell me that he was happy I’d hooked up with the Mannings. I guess you’re a big deal.” Milo didn’t say anything. He didn’t think he was, but his family was. “Anyway, I have to take this test tomorrow, and then I’m going to see about getting things worked out with the houses in the back. Your mom—she doesn’t know, by the way, that we’re mates as yet—but she said I’d be better off hiring a staff. I suppose she’s right, but I don’t dirty too much up around here.”
“No, I wouldn’t see you leaving a mess behind. But I can see where my mom is right. Having a staff with my family will make it, so you’re not cooking all the time for them. Or ordering out. Whatever you’ve been doing when they’re over.” She told him they were on their own when they all arrived at once. Milo laughed. “They’ve only been in all at one time when you were first brought here. By the way, the room you’re sleeping in right now is not the master. I’ve not been sleeping in it either, so you know. It’s a big fucking room.”
“Would you share the room with me tonight?”
She looked at the goats before answering him. When she nodded, Milo felt like he’d run a marathon. Jamie watched the goats a little more before standing up.
“I’m not sure I’m ready for sex just yet. I have a lot going on, and some of it has to do with the fact that I’m no longer going to die. All right?” He nodded. “All right. I’m going to fix us some dinner. I mean, start on it. Anyway, I don’t know if I have nearly enough for your entire family, not without overworking the magic on the fridge. But if you’d like to let them know we’re mates, I guess we can order out again.” He nodded. “I’m assuming that once they hear that, they’ll be on us like white on rice?”
“Yes, I’m betting you’re right on that.”
She went into the house, and Milo saw that one of the goats had gotten in behind Jamie. When it came running out of the house with her hot on his hooves, he had to laugh again while reaching for his mom.
I’m assuming you feel better? He told her he did, as a matter of fact. And Jamie, she’s not thrown you out yet?
Doubtful that she will, she’s my mate. He thought he would hear his mom’s screams of happiness for the rest of his life. Would you like to come here today and bring food for us to have for dinner tonight? We don’t have a staff yet, but we’ve been talking.
I’ll see what I can do. In the meantime, I’ll see what I can do about getting everyone there. He thanked her. Oh, Milo, I’m so happy for you two. She’s a wonderful person. A little outspoken even for me, but I love her.
I think I do as well, Mom.
He closed the connection when she said she’d be by later. He went into the house to tell Jamie they’d be having company. It didn’t even occur to him that he’d yet to touch her until he saw her in the kitchen rinsing off the salmon. He was going to take care of that as soon as he could.
~*~
Jamie made her way out to the deck. Just as she closed the door behind her, the goats came up on the deck to be with her. The stupid things were adorable and annoying, but she wasn’t regretting having them on the land. The faeries loved them as well. Jangles was riding one of them when he came to the porch where she was sitting. He made himself comfortable on the other chair across from her.
Milo: Xavier’s Hatchlings ― Paranormal Dragon Shifter Romance Page 3