It was Lydia’s fault her daughter had grown up in cramped apartments in crowded cities. She was not used to being near the open woods and having access to wild animals, never mind all the Shifters in town and at school.
It was overwhelming for Lydia. She could only imagine how her baby felt. Though, truth be told, Skylar seemed just fine. She was excited to start learning about what it meant to be a Wolf. Even more so about belonging to a Pack.
“Can I help you with that?” The sexy as all hell, deep, gravelly voice of her guest broke through her thoughts and she jumped, spilling a drop of iced tea on the countertop.
“Here, let me,” he said.
Foster took the pitcher and the cup and set them down. He took her elbow and led her to the kitchen table to sit, before returning to the counter to wipe up the spill.
“Mommy, cookie?” Skylar came running in and stopped with her hand outstretched. Lydia smiled and handed her a cookie from the plate of still warm sweets on the kitchen table.
“Here you go,” she said.
Foster smiled at Skylar, then poured some tea into the sippy cup that Lydia had left on the counter.
“Chocolate chip?” he asked.
“Uh huh,” smiled Skylar.
“My favorite. Here’s your iced tea, munchkin,” he said and handed her the little pink princess cup.
“You do smile! Mommy, maybe he’s not a butthead!” The cheeky pup grinned and hurried off to the living room where she was watching some cartoons as was her habit after school.
“Butthead, huh?” Foster smirked as he poured them each a glass of the sweet, cold drink and placed them on the table.
If she was blushing before, Lydia was beet red now. There was nothing quite like a child to out you. Oh well. Sigh.
“Alright look, I would say sorry, but you have to admit you were a butthead the other day.”
“Wait a second, I was a butthead? When?”
“In Delight’s Diner,” Lydia said and quickly took a sip of iced tea. She knew she was being unreasonable, but what else was she supposed to do with six-feet plus of hunky man at her kitchen table?
“Alright,” he nodded at her, “I apologize, Lydia. My only excuse is I was taken by surprise.”
“Well, don’t do that now,” she said and eyed him warily.
“Do what?” His eyes glittered at her from across the old scarred oak table top.
It had obviously been well used, but Lydia liked the idea that people who stayed here before had loved the place as much as she was growing to. Still, it felt awful crowded right then.
“Don’t you go soft on us now. How am I supposed to keep you properly categorized if you change things up on me?”
“Just how do you have me categorized? This is only our second meeting, Ms. Suzanne?” he said, emphasis on the Ms..
Uh oh. She supposed she should explain, but not yet. She wanted to enjoy the anonymity for a while. Couldn’t she just be a single mom who moved here for no reason at all other than the fresh air?
“We’re neighbors. Mr. Reynolds. It’s simple as that. You’ve made it pretty clear you wanted nothing to do with us the way you shut yourself in. Why, you duck in and out your driveway whenever you are going somewhere or just checking the mail. You even left the grocery store the other day empty-handed just because we walked in. I did see you, you know,” she said eyes narrowed at him.
Smile your way out of that one, Mr. McHottness!
“So, you noticed that did you?” he said and wiped a hand over his face.
“Pretty hard not to.”
The room seemed to vibrate with tension. Lydia didn’t know why his actions bothered her so much. She of all people should respect someone else’s privacy, but it hurt her for reasons she didn’t want to look too closely at.
It was perfectly ridiculous for her to have feelings for a man she’d never really spoken to before now. And yet, she couldn’t help the bone deep attraction she felt. It was more than his good looks and sex appeal. There was just something that drew her to him.
“Again, I’m sorry. It wasn’t personal. I’m just bad at the whole socializing thing. Been out of practice for a while,” he answered doggedly.
“I see,” she said.
Lydia got the feeling he was keeping something from her. A secret of some kind. She knew he was a Wolf Shifter, so that couldn’t be it. Whatever it was, he was entitled, she supposed. After all, she had secrets of her own.
“This is real good iced tea, Lydia,” he said with a bashful sort of grin on his face like he wanted to say something but didn’t know how.
“Thanks. So, uh, what did you say you do for a living?”
“I’m an artist. Well, I was an artist,” he sighed and ran his hand over his face again.
He looked good half-dressed in her kitchen, like he belonged there. The thought should have shocked her, but she was too busy wondering what that something about him was that made her mouth water.
She’d never felt like that before. Maybe it was the way he seemed nervous around her or the way he couldn’t quite stop staring at her. Whatever it was, Lydia got the impression that if she let Foster Reynolds into her life, nothing was ever going to be the same.
That scared the crap out of her almost more than the way his eyes glowed in the dimly lit kitchen. She turned her head. The sun was setting. She needed to start dinner for Skylar.
“I should be going,” Foster said and stood up rinsing out both glasses and placing them on the counter rack to dry.
“Uh, thank you, for what you did,” she murmured quietly.
The fact she didn’t want him to go made her nervous as hell. What was wrong with her? She had no business getting involved with some man. Shaking her head at the silly direction of her thoughts, she walked to the door and opened it for him.
“Before I leave, I wanted to ask you something,” he said.
“Oh, I don’t know, we were doing just fine as strangers,” she replied.
“Maybe we could do better,” his voice dropped as he raised a hand and tucked a stray curl behind her ear.
She trembled at the innocent touch, knowing full well that if he cared to turn it into something more, she’d let him. Her entire body seemed to hum in anticipation. His eyes grew serious, the unique color appealing in a way she’d never felt before.
They were gray, but not cold and stormy like she’d expected. No, his eyes seemed warm, like molten steel. She could get lost in them. The question was, did she want to?
“Mommy, when’s dinner?” called Skylar from the other room.
“Soon, baby,” she’d jumped at the sound of her daughter’s voice but replied before she forgot herself any more than she already had.
“Goodbye, Mr. Reynolds.”
“Call me Foster.”
“Alright. Goodbye, Foster.”
After all, what could be the harm in using his first name to say goodbye, she wondered.
“Goodnight, Lydia.” He smiled and headed to the woods.
She couldn’t help herself, she watched as he shifted into his beautiful brown Wolf, fully aware that to do such a thing was not an accepted practice. It was a private moment, a vulnerable one, but he knew she was there watching him.
His glowing silver eyes had seemed to find hers unerringly through the darkness. The moment was charged, electric, and she’d remember it for a good long while. That and the fact that he’d made it a point to say goodnight and not goodbye too.
She turned away quickly and went back inside to prepare dinner for herself and Skylar.
“Mommy, I’m hungry,” said her curly haired little girl from the doorway to the kitchen as Lydia stirred the pot of homemade chicken noodle soup.
“Two minutes, I’m just warming the rolls.”
“Yay! I want lots of butter please.”
“You got it, sweetie,” she winked at Skylar before dishing up their supper.
Tonight they would eat in the living room and watch some television, she decided. A
fterwards, bath then bed.
It was just another night, she told herself. Just another night only everything had changed. The second Foster had entered her home, she’d felt her whole world shift. And with it, quite possibly, her heart.
Chapter Five
“Good morning,” Foster greeted Lydia, making sure she’d observed him from her place in the driver’s seat of the little car she drove before speaking. The last thing he wanted was to frighten her.
He frowned at the beat up state of the vehicle. She should have something better. Something safer. His Wolf bristled at the possibility she or their pup could be injured.
He shut down the displeased growl before it could bubble up from his chest and out of his mouth. He didn’t want her thinking he was an animal for God’s sake. He shook his head at the bad joke and waited for her to emerge from the car.
“What are you doing here?” She said warily.
“I was worried about Skylar playing outside and wanted to take some precautions to keep her safe, but I thought I should ask your permission first,” he kept his gaze steadily on her face as he spoke.
The softly rounded cheeks and straight nose appealed to him. As did the riot of unruly curls that seemed to pop out of the rubber band she’d used to tame them. She was so pretty. Beautiful really.
But there were lines around her mouth and exhaustion in her eyes. She’d been through too much for one so young. He wanted to cuddle her close, to take care of whatever had put that worry there to begin with.
The need to protect and provide, to cherish and claim were ingrained in him. His instinctual urges seemed to increase with every second that passed. Foster swallowed and tried to ground himself.
It was difficult to be around her and not touch her. His fingers itched to hold her. Always would, he realized. Especially now that his Wolf had decided she was his mate.
He needed to start the process of courting her slowly. He knew that. Allowing her to get to know him would be the ideal way to start. It was why he was there that early. Of course that also meant telling her about his past. Something he had to get to sooner or later.
“What did you have in mind?” her voice jostled him from his thoughts.
Foster took in a long, deep breath, savoring the subtle sweetness of her sublime scent. He could feel his Wolf pushing forward, knew that his eyes were glowing with his animal. He closed them and counted to three, then refocused his attentions on her.
“I need to Shift,” he explained, “then mark some of the trees and things around the property.”
“When you say mark, do you mean, you know?” She blushed and he found himself thinking how cute she looked.
“Shifters aren’t bashful about bodily functions, Lydia, but I did not intend to urinate on the bushes. I meant more along the lines of scratching some bark, rubbing my fur along some shrubs and trees, getting my scent on things so other creatures would know this place is, uh, mine,” his heart thudded with the statement even though she didn’t know quite what he meant by it.
He watched her carefully, noting the way her blue eyes seemed to get darker as she listened. Her gaze travelled up his body to his face and he was pleased that she liked what she saw. The scent of her desire was unmistaken. She was interested and he was damn glad about that. Sucking in a breath he waited for her reply.
“Yours?” her voice went soft, eyes wide as she waited for him to respond.
He nodded. It was all he could do not to close the distance between them and show her just how much she belonged to him.
“Alright, if it will keep Skylar safe,” she agreed, “When you’re done why don’t you come in for a cup of coffee?”
“That would be nice,” he smiled and for the first time in a long while, he really felt it.
It had been almost two years since he’d felt like smiling, but one kind word from her and he was ready to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
Is that what it meant to find your mate? He shook his head at his own fanciful thoughts and began his Shift. First job was to protect his pup. And the child was his now, sure as he was going to claim her mother. The pup belonged to him and his Wolf. He would protect and care for her as if she were his own blood.
His Wolf was all in. One hundred percent. He just needed a way to make that happen. Just thinking about the little curly-haired blue-eyed bundle made his chest tight. She was adorable and sweet.
Paternal feelings he’d never thought he’d experience swelled through him. He was angry at the fox who’d trespassed onto her yard. He wanted to protect and teach the little pup about scenting for wild animals and sensing danger.
She was years away from growing into her Wolf, but there were skills she could develop in the meantime. Skills he’d learned from his father that he could pass on to her and any other pups that came along.
For now, the beautiful child was more than enough. Little Skylar would need help with her first Shift and, if he was lucky, he would be the one to provide that help. Foster had never counted on being able to do that and the idea filled him with pride.
Of course all of this little fantasy he’d been weaving in his brain hung on one crucial factor. Whether or not Lydia would accept his claim and allow him to take her as his mate.
Oh, is that all. He’d almost forgotten.
There was also one other little bitty problem. Foster hadn’t told her a thing about his past address as of yet.
How could he? He’d only just met her. Really though, if it was enough time for him to be certain she was his mate, it was enough time for him to tell her about his time in prison. His stomach clenched, queasy with the idea of her rejection. It didn’t matter now he had a job to do.
Protect his pup.
Unsettled, his Wolf roamed the woods for a good two-mile perimeter surrounding her cabin, marking trees and, yeah, he might have peed on a bush or two.
Lydia didn’t need to know about that, he reasoned. Not that he’d lie if asked. It was just that he’d scented a mama bear in the area and wanted the protective predator well away from his pup. It was even easier in Wolf form to think of little Skylar as his. His animal more than ready for him to settle down and grab life by the horns. All the years he’d wasted first at trial and then in a damp jail cell.
So much time behind cement walls and iron bars. That was no way for a Wolf Shifter to live. Especially an innocent one. Anger surged through him, but it was quickly replaced with determination.
Now he had even more reason to clear his name. He just had to approach the object of his affections with the truth. All of it.
He’d have to move slowly so as not to spook her. Get to know her and Skylar better. The thought of spending time with the sweet smelling female had him rushing back to her small cabin once he’d finished marking the territory against other wild animals.
He hadn’t felt this anxious about a woman since his teen days. Changing from his Wolf back to human was faster than ever before, his rush to be with her spurring him on.
When had he ever felt such a burning desire to be with anyone like this? Never that was the cold hard answer. His art was the only thing that had ever inspired such passion inside of Foster. His popularity had been growing in the art world for years before his conviction.
He chose to work in several different mediums sometimes combining them all. Paintings, wood carvings, clay sculptures, glass blowing, even metal forging. His most famous pieces were in some smaller museums and others he’d made on commission for private collectors. His fortune had been frozen while he was away, but he’d been out for a few months and had already seen hefty returns on some clever investing.
He was not a stupid man. He had enough money to take care of a mate and pup. He just had to tell her.
Foster’s heart thudded as he approached the house in his jeans and construction boots. He’d left his flannel on a tree stump in the yard and scooped it up before heading towards her door. He could hear her moving around inside.
Lydia.
> She was in the small cabin’s tidy little kitchen. The floorplan was the same as his, so he knew it well. It sounded like she was making that promised coffee, and if his nose was working, and he knew it was, she was making a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls to go with it.
His stomach growled and mouth salivated. Yes, he was usually hungry, a constant state for him since he’d hit puberty, but he wanted more than just cinnamon rolls from her.
Foster knocked gently on the glass pane of the back door and waited for her to answer with as much patience as he could muster. It was strange and heady, this pressing need to see her, to be with her as soon as possible.
“Hey there, that was fast,” she smiled and his entire body hummed with happiness.
Radiant in the glow from the morning sun as it filtered through the tall pines and fir trees that seemed to stand in ovation of her beauty, Lydia looked like an angel.
Her chestnut brown hair hung loose in thick, big curls that fell just past her shoulders. She wore hardly any makeup that he could see, and he was grateful for that. He had no use for anything fake or artificial. Not with his trained eye and not on her.
Lydia was simply stunning without all the extras. More beautiful than any other woman he’d ever seen. His artist’s eye appreciated the intricacies and complexities that made up her superb face. From her slender neck and plump lips, to the even slope of her nose, and the cute little dimple in her stubborn chin.
He longed to spread kisses all over her face and body. To rub his scent on her and revel in the fact that the universe had made certain their paths crossed at this exact time.
Yes, he had regrets. Wished he was coming to her without the tarnish of his sentence. But he was innocent and he would prove it. Or his investigator would. Either way he would be worthy of her.
The scent of apple blossoms and cinnamon from her cooking filled the air. His Wolf pressed forward wanting closer to the woman. She watched him expectantly and he realized he hadn’t responded to her statement yet.
“Oh, uh, I wanted to get back,” he said by way of explanation.
“Well, I hope you’re hungry, I made some cinnamon rolls and sliced fruit.”
Dark Moon Falls: Volume 2 Page 103