Silverbacks and Second Chances

by Raines, Harmony

“She’s right,” Tiana agreed. “There’s no stopping a shifter once he senses his mate. A shifter will take on a lifetime of baggage and kids to make his mate happy.”

  They drifted away from the bar, collecting glasses and clearing tables. It was late on a weekday and the restaurant was emptying as people went home for the night, ready to get up and start their days all over again.

  “Well, this woman doesn’t need a shifter,” Sorcha said as Karl, her long-term on-again, off-again boyfriend entered the restaurant. “Hi there, sugar lips.”

  Haley pretended to put her finger down her throat. “So much sweetness.”

  “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.” Sorcha wound herself around Karl’s body.

  “Not in front of the diners,” Mr. Monroe called amiably from the bar. Their boss was used to the three best friends chatting as they cleaned the restaurant at the end of the shift.

  He cut them some slack, since they worked hard. Haley had worked for some cheapskate bosses in her time, but Mr. Monroe treated all his staff well. He’d even helped Haley out when she left Harrison. Which surprised her, since Mr. Monroe and Harrison were once on the same football team at school, and occasionally met up with the other players for a beer and a game of pool.

  “I thought he looked as if he needed reviving,” Sorcha called back. She planted a kiss squarely on Karl’s lips before peeling herself off him. Karl, as usual, said nothing. He was the strong silent type, who mostly stood around looking bored. Or so he’d like everyone to believe, but his cool exterior did not fool Haley. Karl’s eyes followed Sorcha wherever she went.

  “Sorch is right, she does not need a shifter, that man is in love with her. Even if he never tells her.” Haley tried to keep the envy from her voice, but she couldn’t help dreaming of strong arms wrapped around her waist, and the press of lips on her own.

  “Hey, Mr. Right will walk through that door one of these days.” Tiana pointed to the door, just as it opened and a young man of nineteen with floppy hair and a gorgeous smile walked in.

  “You might just be right.” Haley slid around the table and hugged the young man, planting a kiss on his cheek.

  “Hey, keep your hands off,” Tiana told Haley playfully as she pulled her son into her arms. “When did you get back?”

  “Just. Grandma told me you were here, so I thought I’d come and see you all.” Rhett was Tiana’s son from her first marriage, the sweetest, most together kid Haley had ever met.

  “Your mom never told me you were coming home. I know my girls would love to see you.” Haley cast an accusing glance at Tiana, who frowned and shook her head.

  “I didn’t know.” Tiana cocked her head and looked questioningly at Rhett. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah. Just homesick, that’s all.” Rhett smiled but the smile didn’t reach his soft brown eyes.

  “Listen, why don’t you go, T. Take this young man of yours home. Sorch and I can finish up here,” Haley offered. Sorcha opened her mouth to disagree, but Haley threw her a look that made her shut her mouth and grin.

  “Are you sure?” Tiana asked, but she was already crossing the restaurant to go and gather her purse and coat.

  “Perfectly.” Haley glared at Sorcha, who rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath about Karl and bed.

  “You go on. Sure, we can finish up here,” Sorcha called before mouthing sorry at Karl, who tilted his chin back almost imperceptibly in agreement. A man of few words. However, as Karl turned his head look at Rhett, who was standing looking uncomfortable while he waited for his mom, Haley was sure a look of concern covered his face.

  “I will see you all tomorrow,” Tiana said as she linked her arm with Rhett’s and guided him out the door.

  “Same time, same place,” Sorcha called as the last of the diners also left.

  “Bye, you two.” Haley glanced at Sorcha as the door swung closed behind Tiana and Rhett. “Do you think he’s all right?”

  “The kid?” Sorcha asked, turning to look at the closed door. “He’s homesick. There’s nothing unusual about that.”

  “I don’t know. He looked…troubled.” Sorcha pressed her lips together, glanced at the door one last time and then set to work wiping the tables.

  Clear the tables, clean the tables, load up the dishwasher, sweep the floor. They worked fast, the routine ingrained so deep they could do the job in their sleep.

  Sleep. She sighed, longing for her bed. Longing for a man to be in her bed.

  “Night, Haley,” Sorcha said half an hour later. They were standing outside the restaurant, behind them Mr. Monroe turned the key, signaling the end to another busy night.

  “Goodnight, Sorch. Night, Karl.” Haley smiled, and Karl lifted his hand in a silent wave. “See you tomorrow.”

  “See you tomorrow,” Sorcha replied before Karl claimed her mouth in a searing kiss.

  Haley turned away and walked to her car, key in hand. As she unlocked the door and yanked it open, she turned back to see Sorcha and Karl still locked in an embrace. A hot, steamy embrace, as if they could not wait to tear the clothes off the other’s body.

  Feeling like a voyeur, Haley quickly slid into the car and started the engine. She really needed to find herself a man. However, that thought caused the familiar knot of fear in her stomach to tighten. Yes, she craved companionship and love, but she was scared to make the same mistake she had before.

  She was scared to start a relationship with a man who might turn into a wife beater.

  Been there, done that. No matter how many times she told herself there was no way she could have predicted her first husband would turn into Jekyll and Hyde, she still blamed herself.

  She probably always would and that dented her confidence. Especially when it came to men.

  Haley turned right onto the main road, heading home. It was late, her two girls should be in bed. At least she’d found a regular babysitter who was sensible and experienced. Connie enjoyed the extra money and was happy to sit and study while the girls watched a movie and then went to bed.

  It was the perfect arrangement three nights a week. Luckily, her other two shifts were in the daytime, while Alicia and Marie, her two daughters, were at school.

  Haley turned into the quiet street where her house was situated about halfway along. She pulled up outside, noting all the lights were on downstairs. Usually, the environmentally aware Connie sat in the kitchen with the rest of the house in darkness. Haley switched off the engine, while staring out the driver’s window. As she watched, Mr. Frogarty, her neighbor, was coming out of Haley’s front door.

  “Oh, shit.” Her heart hammered in her chest as she flung the car door open and ran around the car, meeting Mr. Frogarty on the driveway. “What’s wrong?”

  “Haley, there you are.” Mr. Frogarty smiled at her sympathetically.

  “Are the girls okay?” Surely, he would look more concerned if something had happened to one of the girls. But the sick feeling in her stomach would not be appeased, fearing the worst as always.

  “Yes, everyone’s fine. But there’s a problem with your ceiling.” He pointed back toward the house.

  “My ceiling?” Haley asked. “What kind of problem?”

  “It looks as if the water might have leaked down the side of the bathtub and sat between the bathroom floor and the kitchen ceiling.” Mr. Frogarty placed his hand on her upper arm in concern as she put her hand to her mouth. “It’s okay, the only damage is to the ceiling in your kitchen. The kids are okay.”

  Did he know she’d had visions of the bathtub falling through a hole in the floor to end up in the kitchen? “That’s all that matters.” She nodded, taking a deep breath. “Thank you, Mr. Frogarty.”

  “You are welcome, and I’ve told you before, call me Kelvin.” He nodded. “You want me to come back inside with you? I’ve checked that everything is safe for the night, but I can come back with you, if you want.”

  “No, thank you, Kelvin.” She forced herself to call him by his
first name. She’d known him as Mr. Frogarty for years. Since she was a child and he was the caretaker at the local school. Older now and retired, he lived a quiet life with his wife of many years. As far as Haley was aware, he had no children of his own.

  “I’ve helped clean up for tonight. But tomorrow you’ll need to get a contractor to come look at it for you.” Mr. Frogarty gave her another dose of sympathy. Was it that obvious she didn’t have the money for a builder to repair the damage?

  “I’ll call someone first thing in the morning.” She smiled warmly at Kelvin and he walked away while she took a deep breath and tried to focus on dealing with tonight without worrying about tomorrow. Something would turn up, it always did.

  “Goodnight, Haley.” The older man walked away, leaving Haley looking at her house. The sick feeling in her stomach persisted as she walked toward the front door.

  She’d bought the small house when she divorced her wife-beating husband, and father of her two wonderful children, Harrison. Scraping together as much money as she could for a deposit had still left Haley with a too-large mortgage. It had needed work then. It needed more work now. Her wage as a waitress did not stretch to the luxury of new carpet or a new bathroom. The latter might have proven to be false economy if the whole ceiling needed replacing.

  Haley opened the front door and went inside to find her children still up and Connie looking a little frayed around the edges. “I met Mr. Frogarty outside.”

  “He told you about the ceiling?” Connie asked, looking relieved she wasn’t about to be the bearer of bad news.

  “He did.” Haley took off her coat and put her purse down, readying herself for an inspection of the damage. “Is it as bad as it sounds?”

  Connie nodded silently. “Kelvin said the water must have been seeping out for a while. The ceiling held up until it rotted away.”

  Haley entered the kitchen where her daughters, Alicia and Marie, dressed in their pajamas, were sitting on stools. Haley looked up at the damp plaster hanging down into the kitchen and swallowed the lump in her throat. She couldn’t cry in front of them all.

  “Is it bad, Mom?” Alicia slipped off her stool and wrapped her arms around her mom’s waist.

  “It’s not good, but we’ll manage.” She leaned down and kissed Alicia’s hair, breathing in the scent of shampoo. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.” Haley held out her hand and Marie took it.

  “We’re not going to fall through the ceiling, are we?” Marie asked, looking reproachfully at the ceiling as they left the kitchen and entered the hallway.

  “No, we’re not going to fall through the ceiling,” Haley assured them. She grabbed her purse and paid Connie for her time. “Thank you so much. I’m sorry about the ceiling. Same time tomorrow?”

  Connie eyed the kitchen with apprehension. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Do you?”

  Haley glanced over her shoulder. “I’ll get someone in to look at it tomorrow. I’ll ensure it’s safe.”

  “I’m worried about the mold, too, all that damp plaster. I don’t want to get an infection.” Connie coughed as if to emphasize the point. Haley knew she was fighting a losing battle and was too tired to even attempt to win Connie over.

  “I’ll call you when it’s fixed.” Haley forced a smile on her face, reminding herself it wasn’t Connie’s fault, while trying to figure out how she was going to find a babysitter at such short notice. A cheap babysitter.

  She closed her eyes briefly as she shut the door and reasserted her self-control. Collapsing in a heap on the floor wouldn’t do any of them any good. She would figure it out and find the money to make the needed repairs from somewhere. She always did.

  “Will you tuck me in?” Marie asked, slipping her small hand into Haley’s.

  “Yes. Always.” She smiled at Alicia as they headed toward the stairs, but her eldest daughter looked concerned. Old enough to know money was tight for them, Alicia worried more than a child should. “Putting you both to bed is my favorite job.”

  “You mean you like it when we go to bed?” Marie asked, in mock offense.

  “You know that’s not what I mean.” Haley tickled her youngest daughter, smiling at the sound of her giggles. “That’s my favorite sound, too.”

  “I love you, Mom.” Marie hugged her as they reached the top of the stairs.

  “I love you, too. Both of you.” Haley grabbed hold of Alicia and hugged them both tight before she kissed Alicia on the top of the head. “I’ll come say goodnight once I’ve tucked Marie in, okay?”

  “Okay.” Alicia drifted away to her room and Haley stared after her for a moment, frozen in place as she wished she could give her girls a better life. The life she’d dreamed of when they were small, and she was in love with their father. Where had it all gone wrong? What had provoked him to become abusive? Had it always been there, simmering under the surface?

  Perhaps the stress of working full-time to provide for his family had made him flip.

  “Mom.” Marie pulled at her hand and Haley snapped out of the vivid replay of the events leading up to the breakdown of her marriage.

  “Come on.” Haley followed Marie into her room, gazing at the posters of kittens and ponies. “Goodnight. Sleep tight. I love you.”

  She kissed Marie, whose eyelids were already drooping as sleep reached out to claim her.

  “Night, Mommy.”

  Haley stood looking down on her daughter as Marie’s eyes closed and she slept the peaceful sleep of a child.

  Backing out of the room, Haley walked quietly down the hallway to Alicia’s room. “Night, honey.”

  “Night, Mom.” Alicia watched as Haley approached. “I can look after us tomorrow night. I’m old enough.”

  Haley shook her head. “No, I’ll find someone.” She smiled down at her daughter and stroked her face. “Rhett’s home. Maybe he’ll come over.”

  Alicia’s face lit up. “Yes, he’s fun. I like Connie, but she’s boring, she just wants us to sit quietly while she studies.”

  “Her studies are important to her,” Haley reminded Alicia.

  “Every night?” Alicia rolled her eyes. “People need to have fun, too.” She sat up suddenly and flung her arms around her mom. “You need fun, too.”

  Haley wrapped her arms around Alicia and held her close. “I have fun.”

  Alicia pulled back and looked at her mom. “You need adult fun.”

  Haley blushed and frowned. “What do you mean, adult fun?”

  “I don’t know, whatever adults do.” Alicia sighed and laid back down. “The only time you have fun is when we go to the park. But that’s fun for kids.”

  “I like watching you and Marie. I like seeing you smile and laugh.” Haley leaned forward and kissed Alicia on the cheek.

  “And we want to see you have fun and laugh.” Alicia stared at Haley for a moment and then turned on her side and closed her eyes.

  With tears streaming down her face, Haley backed out of the room, swallowing down the sob that wanted to erupt from deep inside her.

  Only when she was alone in her room, with her face buried in the pillow, did she allow herself to cry. As the tears streamed down her cheeks, she tried to fight the sense of desolation roiling up inside her.

  She would find a way to fix all this. She always did. If being left as the sole care-giver and supporter by her no-good husband had taught her one thing, it was that she was strong, and she would prevail against all odds.

  Chapter Two – Buck

  “Good to see you, Buck.” Mason greeted Buck as he got out of the car and stretched his arms above his head. It had been a long drive, but worth it. One glance at the mountains around Bear Creek had told him that.

  “Wow, now I know why you moved here,” Buck said as he turned a full three-sixty to look at the view. His bear was desperately trying to escape so he could take his first run over the mountains.

  “The mountains aren’t the only reason.” Mason gave him a brotherly hug. Not that they were brothe
rs, but they had worked together on several building projects over the years and had a mutual respect. Which was why Buck was here. This wasn’t just a social visit, Buck was also here for business reasons.

  “Are you going to rub the fact you have a mate and I don’t in my face one more time?” Buck asked lightly as they walked up the steps and onto the wrap-around porch. “This view is amazing.”

  “It is. Maybe this evening we can go for a run and you can get a real good look at what Bear Creek and the surrounding area has to offer.”

  “You sound like a real estate ad,” Buck teased.

  “I can’t help it. It’s perfect here. I’m certain you’ll agree.” Mason led Buck around the side of the house. Ever since moving here himself, Mason had been trying to get Buck to come visit and see what all the fuss was about. However, Buck had been working abroad for the last few months. “This is where Tiana’s parents live. We have a separate entrance around the back.”

  “How’s it going, living with your in-laws?” Buck asked.

  “They’re good people and that makes it easier. Especially with the baby on the way. I wouldn’t want Tiana going back and forth up and down the mountain to visit them. And I wouldn’t rest easy knowing her parents might need something in the middle of the night and have no one close by to help.”

  “Her family is your family,” Buck said easily as they reached the door at the back of the house that led into Mason and Tiana’s home.

  “Yes, and that goes for Tiana’s son, too. Who has come home for a long weekend.” Mason lowered his voice. “We don’t know why. Not yet, but it seems he’s decided college might not be for him.”

  “Did something happen?” Buck asked. He remembered school days only too well. Academics were not exactly his thing and he’d often struggled with some of the lessons since words did not come easy to him. Which was why he became a builder. He could envisage a house, he could read plans, he could build whatever he was told to build. But he could not describe it with words on paper.

  “Tiana’s giving him some space, leaving him to broach the subject when he’s good and ready. He just said he was homesick.” Mason shrugged. “I can remember what it was like at that age. He’s a good kid, I’m sure it’ll sort itself out.”