by Kasey Belle
Even though he’d spent only a few hours in Callie’s presence, Matt missed her terribly. He felt off the last couple of days as if a crucial part of him was missing. He couldn’t get to her fast enough. He wanted to claim her so badly. Which he blurted out like an uncouth moron before leaving her to get settled her first night in Sanctuary.
She turned him down and rightfully so. Nothing says romance moment like a horny caveman. He shook his head. What the hell was up with him? He had swagger and game. Not some disturbing cross between a squeaky voiced adolescent and knuckle dragging Neanderthal. He might as well have grunted, “Me like you” then pulled her hair.
At least Callie hadn’t turned him down flat. It wasn’t the mating or his lacking coolness, just the timing. He could live with that. Maybe. As long as it happened eventually or soon or sooner than soon. Her reasoning for not fulfilling their mating immediately was sound. Depending on what happened with Emmarie and her siblings, Callie might have to travel back to Spokane at a moment’s notice. Matt didn’t like the idea of holding off. He hated the idea of Callie leaving him, even less. Neither his wolf nor her cat would have handled being separated from their mate so soon after a claiming.
They spoke on the phone for a few minutes each morning. Callie kept him updated through text regarding the children’s case. He also used the texts to slip in little questions like what was her favorite color? Favorite food? The answers: all shade of blue and chicken fried steak. He’d called her the moment he’d landed in Bozeman to let her know he was on his way home. She sounded tired. When he mentioned it, she explained Koda gave her the go ahead to start paving the way to have the case moved. She’d spent most of the morning speaking with and getting yelled at by her boss. He hated he wasn’t there to support her through that.
Matt drove around the paddock and made his way to Nikki’s old cabin. He parked next to her rental car and hopped out of his vehicle. The front door to the cabin opened. Callie stood in the doorway, looking like a sexy angel with the light shining behind her.
She wore a pair of bootcut jeans that fit her perfectly and a light blue, cable-knit sweater that showcased her beautiful skin and made her eyes pop. His gaze traveled down her thighs to her feet which were ensconced in black cowgirl boots tipped with silver at the toe. His mouth watered at the image of her wearing nothing but those boots as she rode him.
Callie cleared her throat making Matt’s eyes shoot up to hers. She quirked an eyebrow at him. He smiled sheepishly as he responded to her unspoken reprimand. “I can’t help where my mind goes when I see you. You’re sexy.”
He pressed a kiss to her lips when she moved aside to let him through the door. “Hello, mate.”
“Hi, yourself.” She said and shut the door behind them.
He pulled her into his arms. Callie breathed a sigh and wrapped her arms around his waist. “How did you know I needed this?”
“I could feel it. Plus, I needed it too.” Matt pressed his face to the top of her head and inhaled. He wasn’t sure how long they stood there enjoying the feel of being in each other’s arms and he didn’t care. He’d hold his mate until his arms and legs went numb if that was what she needed.
“You want to talk about it?”
“In a minute.” She pulled away. He immediately felt the loss of her warmth. “Would you like something to drink? I ran to the grocery store yesterday. I have water, soda, and beer.”
“A beer sounds awesome.” Matt made his way over to the sofa and sat down. Because of how the furniture was positioned, he had an unobstructed view of Callie’s perfect ass as she leaned into the refrigerator to grab their drinks.
Callie handed him a beer and kept one for herself when she joined him. “I may or may not have a job.”
“Um… okaaay.” How could she not know? You either were fired; or you weren’t. Right?
As if reading his mind, Callie explained, “My boss is considering how to handle the fact that I lied to her. I pointed out that it was actually more of an omission of information. I didn’t have concrete proof the children were here. She was not amused. But enough about that. I have promising news from Black River Family Services.”
“Yeah?”
“Those calls Koda made, worked. They assigned the case. I just got off the phone with the social worker before you arrived. He’s trying to arrange an emergency placement for Emmarie, Lula, and Sage with Koda and Ella. He’s willing to do whatever he can to help keep the children in Sanctuary. That was my greatest concern, you know? Not separating them. Even if they’re never formally adopted, they’ll be okay if they stay together. Emmarie’s odds of being adopted are significantly lower than Lula or Sage’s. The amount of damage it would do to them if they went to different families permanently is too horrible to think about.”
“I’ve never understood that. Why do people only want the babies?”
“There’s a misconception, thanks in part to Hollywood, that older children come with a slew of problems. Some do have incurable psychological or physical issues, but they are like every other child in this world. They want and need love. A lot of perspective parents don’t think they can handle the amount of work it may take to get children who need special care to a healthy place. Others fear them or their possible reactions especially if they already have other children in the home. I can understand it. I would probably be leery as well if I didn’t have the experience I have. However, the bad seed child you always see in movies is rare in real life.”
“Emmarie isn’t bad,” he insisted feeling insulted on her behalf. “She’s perfect.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” She said with a smirk. Callie patted Matt’s cheek to let him know she was only teasing. “Regardless, she deserves a chance at a happy life that includes her brother and sister. I promise to do my part to make that happen. I believe the Black River’s social worker feels the same. He said he went to school with Devon Stone. They were best friends.”
“Holy shit! Kevin Knight is a social worker?”
“Yes. Do you know him?”
“Kevin is Black River Pack. He and Devon were inseparable growing up. They liked how their names rhymed. Kids, right?” Matt shook his head. “Kevin moved back home about six months ago.”
“Oh my god. Pack. They are going to get to stay here.” Callie clapped her hands together. Her blue eyes glistened with unshed tears. “I won’t mention it to the children. Please don’t either until we know for sure. I shouldn’t be getting ahead of myself. Mr. Knight still has to follow procedure.”
“Mr. Knight?” Matt cracked up laughing. “Seriously. No. Just no.” Callie cocked her head. Her eyebrows knitted in confusion. “Allow me to tell you about the night Dev and Kev spent in jail.”
“Huh.” Callie said before letting another giggle escape. In fact, she hadn’t stopped laughing once Matt began his story about Devon Stone and Kevin Knight’s illegal pursuits. “I didn’t realize tipping cows was actually a crime.”
“Oh yeah. I think it’s more a matter of trespassing and mischief than anything. Plus, there’s the whole possible injury to high dollar livestock. Uncle Greer and Aunt Celia refused to bail Devon out. I think Mr. and Mrs. Knight would have rescued Kevin from the sheriff’s evil clutches if my aunt and uncle had been willing to help Dev out. But, since Greer and Celia Stone were determined to invoke a little tough love on their wayward son, Kevin’s parents followed suit. They left Kevin’s ass in lock-up as well. Scared them both straight.”
“Obviously, considering their chosen professions.”
“Right?” He tucked Callie’s hair behind her perfectly sculpted ear. “Can I interest you in dinner out? Or would you like to order in? There’s a pizza place and Chinese restaurant in town that deliver.”
“Delivery sounds good. We can talk more and get to know each other.”
“Does this getting to know each other include making out on the sofa like teenagers and getting to a few bases?” He asked with a hopeful expression.
“Mayb
e.” She sent him a suggestive wink.
“Still no claiming?” Matt poked out his lower lip and gave her sad puppy eyes. It was a look that never failed to yield him the desired result.
Callie snorted and rolled her eyes. “Do you practice that in the mirror?”
“Devastating right?”
“Meh.” She leaned up and kissed his chin. “The answer is still no.
His mouth fell open. What the hell? That was not how this was supposed to go.
“However, I will give you an A for effort.” She booped the end of his nose. “Order me food. I’m starving. Later, if you’re really lucky, I’ll let you make it to second.”
Chapter 13
The following afternoon Callie met Kevin Knight at Family Services. He was tall and lanky, well over six-and-a-half feet. His build was similar to a basketball player. She wondered if he played in high school or college. He held out a hand to her. Callie craned her neck to look him in the eyes as she shook his proffered hand.
“It’s nice to meet, Mr. Knight.”
“Please call me Kevin.” He had a kind eyes and a pleasant smile. His voice far gentler than one would expect of someone his size as was his handshake. It wasn’t one of those creepy limp finger things some men did, but it wasn’t a crush your bones display of toxic masculinity either. “Before you ask. I hate basketball.”
“Really?” She tilted her head to the side to relieve the ache. “Hate is a strong word.”
“I feel strongly,” he countered with a deadpan expression.
“Why?”
“The squeaking,” he said as if the answer were obvious.
“Excuse me?”
“You know? That god-awful noise their tennis shoes make on the wood court.” His full body shiver made her chuckle. “Horrible.”
“Not all basketball is played indoors.”
“True. Still even a pickup game conjures that awful sound in my mind. Trust me, I tried. All I could think of was squeak, squeak, squeak. Also, playing the game makes me a stereotype. Not a fan.” He grinned. Kevin pointed at the chair in front of his desk. “Please have a seat. Would you like something to drink? Water? Coffee?”
“No thank you. I’m fine.”
She glanced around. Good to know the nondescript government office motif with bland taupe walls was a universal interior design choice.
“All right.” Kevin sat in his desk chair and began by giving her his list of credentials, college, accreditations, and work history. Callie tried to concentrate on what he was saying, she did. But it was really hard to take the man seriously after all the stories Matt told her. The cow tipping escapade was one of the funniest damn things she’d ever heard. She wondered which one looked at the other and said, “Hey I have an idea.” She bit her lips to hold in her laughter as images of Kevin as a drunk teenage boy pushing over a sleeping cow kept playing in her mind.
Callie figured she hadn’t done a very good job of hiding her amusement when Kevin stopped talking and narrowed his eyes. He studied her for a moment before asking, “Who’s been talking? What do you know?”
“Um…” She snickered when Kevin growled. “Just a few things.”
“Like.”
“Tipping cows while intoxicated and incarceration in the county jail may or may not have been mentioned to me.”
“It was overnight lockup not jail. Fucking Matty,” he spat the name like a curse. “That little punk.” He huffed out a breath.
“He’s not so little,” she responded and wagged her eyebrows. Kevin cocked an eyebrow. “Sorry. That wasn’t very professional of me.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’re mates.” Kevin shuffled through some papers on his desk. “I went out to The Sanctuary first thing this morning and met with Koda and Ella. I also spoke with the children though only briefly. My presence frightened them.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“I wasn’t either. As much as I hated scaring them, the home visit was a part of my job I felt needed to be handled within the guidelines.”
Callie understood. She would have done the same. They were breaking enough rules as it was. Handling the home visit by the book was important. Laying eyes on the children and documenting their condition and that of their current environment was a crucial part of their case.
“I have a friend in family court who is working to get us on the docket in the next couple of days. I fudged a few reports, so it doesn’t look so bad for Emmarie or Koda. I was able to get my boss to sign off on an emergency placement sighting it would be traumatic to move the children since they seem settled and aren’t in any danger. He did however make a note it was temporary pending the hearing.”
Kevin passed her a form. Callie read it over. She couldn’t believe he’d been able to do so much in less than a twenty-four hours. “Your red tape must not be as thick as ours is in Washington.”
He snickered. “Nope. We don’t quite have the population you do. There is still a neighbors look out for each other attitude in this neck of the woods. It was one of the reasons I decided to move back. Don’t get me wrong, I loved living in Fort Lauderdale. All that fun and sun is good for the soul. Working with all the bureaucracy though?” Kevin shook his head. “Not so much. I felt like I wasn’t making a difference. Too many cases, not enough social workers. I couldn’t devote the time to my kids like I felt I should. Too many fell through the cracks. I hated giving up because I felt like I was failing them.”
“You can’t look at it that way.”
“I finally figured that out. It wasn’t me who was failing them but the system. I couldn’t put off the inevitable any longer. I missed home. Missed my pack. I never felt like I fit in with the pack down there. They don’t much like outsiders.”
“Well. I can honestly say I’m glad you moved back. I doubt the Bennett children could have a better advocate than you.”
“That’s not true. You’re on their side.”
He leaned forward resting his elbows on the desk. “Let’s go over what you’ll need to say to the judge based on what I’ve already reported. Then, we’ll head out to Koda’s and talk with Emmarie together. I believe we need to limit our discussions with Lula and Sage other than to reassure them that they are safe, and we are working on making their current living arrangement permanent.”
“I agree. They're too young to understand a lot of what is going on and I don’t want to frighten them. I personally think we should take our cues from Emmarie. She knows what they can and can’t handle. I know she’s only a kid, but she’s smart and extremely mature for her age.”
“Ain’t that the truth. Five minutes with her, I swear she had me all figured out. I tried my best to be gentle when I explained who I was and why I was there. She snarled at me and pulled me aside.” He laughed. “She told me to stop treating her like a stupid kid and just spit it out.”
Callie laughed along with him. Emmarie Bennett was something else. She couldn’t help but imagine Katie and William Bennett were looking down on their oldest child and smiling with pride. Callie knew the feeling. She was certainly proud of her. Emmarie was impressive.
Chapter 14
“Where are we going?” Callie asked Matt when they turned left instead of going straight on the road that led to town. “I thought we were going to dinner?”
“We are. At my parent’s house.”
“What? You're taking me to meet your family?” Callie screeched. “Don’t you know you are supposed to warn a girl first?”
“And have you find any excuse including shamelessly using the children to get out of it? Nope. Not happening.”
He wasn’t wrong. She would have totally done that. What if they didn’t like her? What if they had already formed an opinion of her because of her job? Did they think she was the devil’s spawn because of what happened with the children? What if they just didn’t think she was good enough?
Those questions and more plagued her the entire drive to Matt’s parents’ home. Callie was practically a
basket case by the time Matt pulled through the gate and entered Black River Pack land. He didn’t take the drive that would lead them to the large pack house, but instead took a right and drove around it. They turned off the winding paved road about a hundred yards past the big house. Then it was just a short drive through a thick wooded area. Within moments they pulled up to Stephan and Deidre Stone’s home. “I thought you said they lived in a log cabin?”
“They do.”
“No. This is a log mansion.”
Matt chuckled. “It’s home.” Matt shut off the engine and turned to her. He took one of her hands in his. “My parents are going to love you.”
“You can’t possibly know that. I’m sure they’ve heard things.”
“You mean because of Em, Lula, and Sage?”
She nodded.
“You were doing your job. You aren’t a heartless person. You can only work within the guidelines and resources you’re given. Plus, you’re fighting for them to be able to stay here.”
“Do you think they’ll listen if I explain it that way to them?”
He smiled softly at her. “You won’t have to explain anything. You’re my mate. The one made special for me.”
“We haven’t claimed each other yet. Your father is the alpha heir. He could forbid it.”
“Our pack views all matings whether official or not as sacred. They will be nothing but happy for us.” He leaned over the console and kissed her, melting her worries away with the touch of his lips. He rubbed his nose against her. “Mom and Dad are going to love you because I do, and because you’re a kind and loving person who makes me happy.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered.
“My family is your family. I thought I was making it easier on you if I ripped the band-aid off so to speak, but if you’re not ready, I’ll understand. We can go.”
Callie smiled because she knew her soft-hearted mate meant every word. She had no doubt that if she told him to take her home, he’d start the car and leave without a second thought. Matt Stone was an incredible man with a big heart and strong character. She was so damned lucky to be able to call him hers.