Beauty and the Beastmaster - Linda Winstead Jones Page 0,36

office, and he’d stay the night if Silas didn’t come in to relieve him. Most of the dogs would be fine on their own overnight, but some were still antsy, still stirred up and confused from the spring water they’d consumed. A few of the dogs might need reassurance in the night, especially once the Milhouses started howling.

Three nights out of the month, the Milhouse werewolves shifted and roamed the woods surrounding Mystic Springs. They usually weren’t particularly violent, at least they hadn’t been lately, but they made a lot of noise. Their howls terrified most domesticated animals.

Silas was glad he didn’t run into anyone as he made his way to Gabi’s house. How many of them might know what he was up to? How many might want to stop him? Or help. Mystic Springs was home to more than its share of matchmakers. Every old witch in town thought if the right families were merged and the happy couples reproduced, their children could be the saviors of the dying town. Then there was Marnie, whose only reason for setting him up with Gabi in the first place had been to ensure that everyone was as happy as she and Clint were.

Even though Gabi was his focus tonight, at some point in the evening he’d get his hands on the kid. Even if she’d gone to bed early, he’d find a way. If Mia was a Springer, through her unknown father’s blood, he had to know. It might help him make his decision about what to do next.

Before he approached the door he slipped under the carport to check out the license plate of the car that had been backed into the space. The Florida plate had been smeared with mud, which from a distance would disguise the fact that it was long-expired. He wasn’t surprised.

Silas didn’t ring the doorbell, since there was a dog and a baby inside and he didn’t want to set either of them off. He knocked. That was enough to make Judge bark once. Gabi opened the door within a minute or so, smiled, and invited him in.

“Something smells good,” he said as he stepped inside.

That wasn’t a lie. He smelled dinner, lavender, laundry, baby, and dog. It was the scent of a home unlike any he’d ever known.

He couldn’t afford to like it so much.

Silas seemed to like her beef stew and the homemade cornbread. The meal they ate in the small dining room was simple, but tasty and filling. Gabi could hardly eat herself, wondering where the evening would end.

She’d fed Mia and Judge before Silas arrived, but they stayed close. It was nice. Their presence, as they crawled under the table and wove around his legs and hers, relaxed her. It made this homey meal something less than a date. And at the same time, something more. Silas fit in here. Too fast and too strongly, he’d become one of them.

She wanted him, but was she brave enough to take what she wanted? Brave wasn’t a word that had ever been used to describe her. She wanted to be fearless, to take life in both hands and cherish it. That had never been her way, so why was she craving what she shouldn’t take now?

For the past year she’d been safe. Mia had been safe. But she hadn’t been fearless, she had not been brave. Looking back, she had to admit she’d never been either of those things. Did she want to be? If she’d been brave, she would’ve left Blake the first time he’d shown his true face to her. If she’d been fearless, she would’ve fought back.

But that was in the past, and she had enough to handle in this moment. Could she have both safety and companionship? Love was impossible, she didn’t dare to hope for love, but why couldn’t she have the joys of pleasure as a part of her secluded life? Why couldn’t she be brave enough to feel again?

Memories of the past and questions about the future clouded her thoughts as they ate the dinner she’d prepared.

Silas ate half a lemon bar for dessert. Gabi couldn’t swallow even a bite, she was so nervous. Even now, no one would ever describe her as being brave.

While she cleared the table, Silas scooped Mia up and played with her a while. It was sweet. Mia laughed, and even gave Silas a sloppy kiss on the cheek. Judge seemed a little jealous, though they didn’t leave him out of