I’d spent the last couple weeks, since being expelled from Macon’s Edge, holed up in a rent-by-the-week motel on the outskirts of Dallas. It was all that I could afford while looking for a place to rent. The things I’d seen weren’t things I would ever forget.
I’d witnessed people using all varieties and manner of drugs, and in various ways and places in their bodies that I would have thought impossible if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. There were people frequently having sex out in public, and strange sounds at night that I wasn’t sure were pleasure or pain. I had been so eager to get out of Dallas and find a place I could call my own. I prayed for a place where I couldn’t hear my neighbors trying to kill each other and where I’d never again be chased by a man waving his penis at me from his wheelchair while offering to give me the ride of my life.
A knock on my window made me scream and I instinctively jerked away from it. Focusing through tears, I saw a man bent over, peering in at me. He wiggled his finger in a little wave and smiled.
I held up my hands and shook my head. “I have no money. Nothing of value. Please, just leave me alone.”
His brows furrowed and he shook his head. “Roll your window down, ma’am. I’m not going to hurt you.”
I hesitated, feeling like I might be about to make another mistake, but I cranked the window down while leaning away from him.
“Eww…” I hadn’t meant to utter it aloud, but I also hadn’t expected such a handsome man to be accompanied by the ripe stench of animal manure.
He laughed, seemingly un-offended, and shrugged. “I’m a veterinarian. The odors sometimes come with the job. So, care to tell me what’s so wrong that it made a pretty lady like you shed tears?”
2
Presley
I laughed a bitter laugh and more tears spilled down my cheeks. “What’s so wrong? What isn’t wrong? First of all, you’re not going to show me your penis or try to kill me, are you?”
He grinned and stepped back. “My… uh… penis will stay in my pants where it belongs, and I’m no killer. Come on out.”
The truck door creaked when I opened it and the whole truck groaned when I stepped out, which was just insulting. I didn’t weigh that much. I pushed the door shut and wiped my eyes. “This is not a good day for me.”
The man just kept grinning. He had short, dark hair and a rough beard that was in need of a good trim, but he was absolutely gorgeous. Intelligent but kind eyes stared at me with laugh lines crinkling their edges. Straight, white teeth and dimples just pushed him over the edge into model territory.
“Truck trouble?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. She died, but sometimes she just needs a rest, I haven’t even tried to restart her. I just needed to sit for a minute.”
“I see. What’s the problem?”
I took him in and crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m not sure I should say. I mean, I don’t know you.”
He held up his hands, palms facing up. “I’m a nice guy. I saw you stranded and wanted to help. That’s all.”
I chewed on my lower lip and gave into my nature of trusting everyone and everything around me. “It’s a long story.”
“Hmm. Well, I’ve got to run to another farm to check on a cow who’s trying to give birth. How about you come with me? It’s just up the road.”
“A birth?” I couldn’t keep the awe out of my voice. Back at Macon’s Edge, one member of the flock had a few milk cows, but I’d never seen one give birth before.
He nodded. “A birth. I could use a hand if you want to come along.”
I nodded eagerly, craving the chance to forget about how stressed I was for just a little while. “Sure, but if this is some kind of trick to get me into the woods alone with you, I’m warning you now that I know self-defense.”
I didn’t. I would be hard-pressed to think of one thing to do to defend myself if he tried to overpower me. Yet another way I was grossly unprepared for the real world.
“Consider me formally warned. I’m Dr. Matt Jennings, the vet here in Burden. Nice to meet you.”
I shook the hand he extended and gave him a shaky smile. “Presley Gray.”
He gestured behind him to his shiny black Ford F-250 and walked towards it. “Okay, start talking, Presley Gray. Tell me all of your woes.”
“All of them?” I quickly locked Bessie and hurried to catch up with him. “I didn’t think veterinarians counseled human patients.”
Matt opened the door for me and easily caught me around the waist and lifted me inside the big truck. “I’m multi-talented.”
I frowned as he reached over and buckled me in. “I must look like a pathetically helpless lost puppy, huh?”
He shook his head. “No, you don’t look pathetic, your tears just got to me is all. I’m probably overdoing the whole papa bear thing, but we all need a helping hand once in a while.”
I laughed, surprising myself, and shook my head. “Come on, papa bear, let’s go see mama cow.”
As he walked around the truck, I pondered the insanity of what I was doing. I’d just gotten into a strange man’s truck to head to an unknown location. Not a soul on Earth knew where I was or what I was doing. All my life, I’d been warned about the evils of those who lived outside of Macon’s Edge, those outside the flock. I’d been raised to think they had no moral compass whatsoever. While I didn’t truly believe that, Matt the handsome veterinarian could be a serial killer intent on dismembering me with a hacksaw and leaving my remains in the woods for wild animals to devour. I sighed. That would stink.
Matt started the truck and glanced over at me. “Start talking.”
If I was going to be dismembered and devoured, I might as well get things off my chest while I still could, I figured. “I got kicked out of my home, spent time in a seedy motel in Dallas, and rented the first house here I could find.”
“There are rental properties in Burden?”
I cast him a look. “I think I found the one and only. I also found out why no one has rented it.”
He winced. “That bad, huh?”
“Worse. Picture the house from your childhood nightmares and age it by a hundred years.”
“Is that why you were driving around with a packed duffel in the front seat?”
I nodded. The man was observant. “It took me all day to find the place and when I did, I was too frightened to go inside by myself. It’s terrifying. The wicked witch who rented it to me told me how perfect it would be for a single woman. She described it as having a quaint, vintage cottage feel with a sweet garden.
“Had the wool pulled over your eyes, did you?”
I groaned and blew out a breath, letting it vibrate my lips as I did it. “Apparently, that’s my new thing.”
“This is getting more and more interesting.”
I flashed him an exaggerated eye roll and then braced myself for the painful slap across my mouth. When no pain came, I looked over at Matt and did it again, just to test it out.
“Why are you rolling your eyes at me? I feel like I’m missing something.”
I laughed out loud, elated at the sudden feeling of freedom that overtook me. “You’re not mad that I rolled my eyes!”
He shook his head. “Should I be?”
“No! Gosh, maybe this day isn’t going to be so bad, after all.” I looked down at his large hands and frowned. “As long as you don’t decide to murder and dismember me.”
“Presley, I promise you that I will neither murder nor dismember you. I do need you to not say anything like that in front of anyone else, though. I don’t need a rumor like that starting up in a town the size of Burden.”
Relaxing into the seat, I played with the ends of my hair and huffed out a breath of air. “Thank you for helping me, Matt.”
“Oh, you’ll be paying me back. I have a feeling I might need help with this calf. The owner is pretty old and won’t be able to assist the way I need.”
I grinned. “That’s awesome! What kind of help?”
I thought about it for a second. “Will there be gloves?”
“There will be gloves.”
“Do you need a permanent assistant?”
He jerked his gaze over to me before focusing on the road again. After a few more seconds pause, he replied, “Maybe.”
“Matt, would you mind helping me move into my new house later?”
He laughed and shrugged. “Why the hell not?”
I swallowed and giggled. “Why the heck not.”
3
Sam
I strolled into The Cave after a long shift at the station. Without time to shower, I knew I carried the stench of a long day of sweat and putrid smoke. My shoulders ached, and I stretched my arms, needing to release some of the tension that’d built up.
“Sam!” Kelly Dyers ran up to me and jumped, throwing herself onto my body.
She latched her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist as I stumbled backwards. “Whoa. Hey, Kelly.”
She touched my nose with the tip of her finger and grinned. “You’re smelly.”
I tried to feel something for the petite little blonde in my arms, but nothing. I was too exhausted. No amount of shifter strength was going to reenergize me until I had a good long sleep. “Long day at the office.”
“Did you save anyone’s life today, Sammy?”
I was planted in the middle of the dance floor, standing still with a woman clinging to my body like I was a tree she was climbing. I moved to the side, my aching muscles protesting. “Let’s not talk shop. What are you doing here?”
She pouted. “Come on, Sam. I wanna hear about your day. I saw smoke over towards Big Bend. Was anyone hurt? Did you have to rescue anyone?”
My bear growled and I had to bite my tongue to keep the sound in. I didn’t want to be mean to the woman, but I was in no mood to play firefighter with her tonight. I just wanted to grab a beer, get off my feet, and catch a few laughs with my buddies. “Kelly, I’ve got some important business to discuss with Hutch and Thorn. Maybe I’ll catch up with you later.”
A pout spread across her face, but she let go of me, slowly sliding down my body, still trying to lure me into her games. “You’d better. I’ll be waiting for you.” She winked at me as she threw her hair behind her shoulder.
I forced my body to the bar and waved to Allie, Thorn’s mate. “Can I get a keg of beer rolled out to me?”
She laughed. “Now, Sam, why would you need to drown yourself on a Tuesday night?”
“Because some of Wyatt’s new wilderness nuts lit damn near half of the mountain on fire today.”
She grinned and shook her head. “It wasn’t Georgia this time. I’ll send something over to you. Go, sit down. You look dead on your feet.”
I tapped the bar with my fingers and nodded. “Thanks, Allie.”
Struggling to find energy, I lumbered over to our usual table where Thorn, Hutch, and Sterling were sitting, watching me, with big grins.
Thorn raised his eyebrows. “You look like an eighty-year-old man walking around here, Sam.”
I sighed as my ass hit the wooden chair, my back slouching into it. “I feel like one. Fuck. I’m going to kill Wyatt the next time I see him.”
Sterling shrugged. “That’s cool. We don’t need him.”
I laughed and instantly regretted it. Groaning, I wrapped my arm around my ribcage and shook my head. “We don’t heal fast enough.”
Allie appeared at my side with a pitcher of beer and a mug. “This is just for Sam. He’s earned it. Y’all leave him to it.”
Thorn reached out and grabbed the back of her shorts when she tried to hurry away. Dragging her back and into his chest, he nuzzled her neck. “You didn’t bring me anything special.”
She swatted his arm then pressed a chaste kiss to his mouth. “That’ll have to tide you over… until later.”
I watched them and felt another ache, this one stemming from a deep inner longing. Casting a glance over at Kelly, I found her staring at me and quickly diverted my gaze back to my beer. Even loneliness wasn’t going to give me enough energy to keep up with a wildcat like Kelly tonight. She always wanted to play firefighter games. I’d have to pretend to carry her from a burning building and then give her mouth to mouth resuscitation.
Even the idea of it right now soured my stomach. I didn’t want anything to do with fighting fires until I had to report in for my next shift.
I looked up to find the guys all staring at me. “What?”
Sterling rubbed at his eyes and blinked. “Did I just see you cold shoulder Kelly? Isn’t she number one in your rotation of women who burn for firemen?”
I grunted. “I’m too fucking tired tonight. I’m seconds from asking one of you to just pour this beer down my throat for me.”
Hutch snickered and Thorn splashed the last of his beer in my face.
I growled and wiped my face. “You’re an asshole.”
“Oh, yeah? Whatcha gonna do about it? Wanna fight?”
I shook my head and managed a weak half-grin. “I hate you. I hate all of you right now. I’m taking my pitcher and leaving. I just want to crawl into bed and sleep for the next three weeks. If anyone sees Wyatt, tell him I’ve got a boot waiting to shove up his ass when I see him.”
They waved me off, laughing when I spotted Kelly up front and abruptly changed direction, turning to head out the back door instead.
Hutch squawked at me. “Chicken.”
I flipped him off and took the second pitcher of beer Allie held out to me as I passed the bar. Planting a kiss to the top of her head, I thanked her. She was becoming a good friend to me, and a great mate to my buddy Thorn, and I was grateful for her.
That didn’t stop Thorn from growling at me. “Hands off my mate.”
Allie rolled her eyes. “Feel better, Sam.”
I left the bar and cut around through the woods to walk to my house. I lived close to the bar, in the middle of town. It wasn’t my ideal choice, but I’d been too busy working to focus on what I really wanted, something farther from town, a place with some land.
I let myself in and plopped down on the couch. My arms shook from fatigue as I upturned the first pitcher of beer, draining it.
I flipped on the TV, laid back, and tried to focus on the news. My eyes crossed pretty much right away, though, and I couldn’t stay awake. I was out before I could even put the pitcher back on the table beside me. It rolled off my chest and hit the floor with a loud thud, but I was too far gone to care.
4
Presley
It’d been almost two weeks since I’d settled into the Burden house. Matt had taken me on as his assistant, even though I had no training and was sometimes terrified of the animals we worked with. He’d also helped me move in, and checked under the bed and in closets for ghosts and serial killers at my request—once every few days.
He was amazing, and there was no weirdness between us at all. I was a little worried when we first started working together that things might become uncomfortable. He was very attractive, but I’d sworn off men for the foreseeable future. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for me to learn that he wasn’t interested in me in that way, nor any other women, for that matter.
The realization made me feel awkward. I’d blushed a lot in his presence and had a hard time silencing the echoing voice of Father’s awful fire and brimstone sermons about homosexuals in my head. It wasn’t that I thought he was right. I knew he was just spewing venom. My awkwardness stemmed from the fact that I was embarrassed to be related to someone who could say such awful, hateful things. I subconsciously worried that Matt might somehow see through me to my roots, to my upbringing, to the beliefs of the flock that I had grown up in, and hold it against me. I was flooded with guilt over the blood that ran through my veins.
It only took a couple days for me to feel so consumed with guilt, that I’
d told Matt everything. I knew that I was too open, too trusting, but Matt listened while I talked about my family and when he saw me frowning, he would hug me and hold me to his chest until I pushed him away.
We’d become fast friends after just a couple of weeks, and he never held any of my past against me. He’d taken me under his wing and had shown me how to do the simplest of things without judging me, like having the utilities turned on in my home. Time and again, when I felt like I’d just escaped from an underground cult, he only smiled and talked me through things.
I was finally beginning to feel like an adult, something I thought I’d longed for while secluded in Macon’s Edge, but after experiencing the seedier side of Dallas, began to doubt. Thanks to Matt’s steady patience, I now felt ready. Of course, I had little choice. My family had made no attempts to reach out to me, not even my sisters. Nothing. I’d sent them a card the first week I was in Dallas, hoping that maybe one or two might feel the same desire to escape the flock. I sent another once I had a permanent address, still nothing. I suppose that was to be expected. Father was feared and revered in Macon’s Edge, but even more so in our home. Growing up, none of us girls dared cross him and face his wrath.
I knew my older sisters were lost to the flock, but I thought that there might be a chance that Fran would come. She was a year younger than me and often questioned the teachings, like I had. If I allowed my thoughts to stray to my family too often, it brought tears to my eyes and I’d spend the rest of my day in a melancholy that was hard to get out of. That wasn’t healthy, so when I wasn’t at work, I busied myself instead with scouring my new dwelling.
The house wasn’t as scary once I’d cleared out the cobwebs and Matt had helped me get the electric turned on. It did have a strange odor that never went away, but Matt bought me a few scented candles that hid it nicely. The walls were dingy and the floors were warped, but it was a roof over my head, and for that I was grateful.
Bears of Burden Complete Series Box Set Page 40