the border.” I smiled, remembering my dad’s expression every time that story was retold. Mom had worried the hell out of him.
Michelle nodded to her brothers, and they moved off to the bathroom to wash up.
“The last number?” she asked.
“My parents. I figured if something ever happened to me, those three numbers would be good emergency information.”
She slowly put everything back in its place. As she did so, I could see she was lost in thought.
“Is it so hard to trust?” I asked, sad for her.
“You have no idea,” she said softly. “Tell me more about this big spread.”
She was considering it. I smiled widely. They were going to love it there. I was going to love her there.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve been back. It’s an old three-story with wrap-around porches. Before I left, my brother and I talked about dividing it into six apartments. From what he’s told me, he’s done the dividing and now just needs to complete the finishing work in three more apartments. It also has a huge backyard that’s a pain to mow, according to him.”
“Just you and your brother, then?”
“No, a friend of our parents, Winifred Lewis, who we call Nana Wini, moved in as soon as he completed the second apartment.”
She glanced at the bathroom, worry pulling at her face. Then she dropped her head into both hands.
“You should know they won’t stop looking for me. Ever,” she said.
“Doesn’t matter to me. You’ll be welcome as long as you like.” I just needed to get her there. Then I could work on convincing her to stay.
She looked up as the boys walked out of the bathroom hand in hand. They watched her closely in return.
“We’ll go with you and take one day at a time,” she said, looking at me.
I grinned. One day at a time was next door to forever.
* * * *
I drove the rest of the night. The boys fell asleep almost immediately. Michelle tried staying awake but gave up after twenty minutes.
I reached out to Winifred again.
She’s agreed to come with me. Her two brothers are with her. The oldest can’t be more than four or five.
Have you told her anything? Winifred asked.
No. She’s running from something and is scared. I’ve never smelled this much fear on anyone. I won’t risk running her off with more than she can handle right now. I just want to make her feel safe again.
Don’t worry. Jim and I are here to help. Have you told your father?
Not yet. She needs time before family and friends start showing up.
I understand.
Michelle woke several times, but never for very long. Once the sun rose, I stopped at a gas station for a bathroom break and food then pushed hard for Montana.
While I drove, I continued to try to play games with Liam and Aden. They went in spurts. When they got quiet, I tried jokes and stories to pull them out again.
Michelle’s vigilant study of the road behind us didn’t help calm them. Every time I saw her looking, I let her know everything was okay. Gradually, her fear eased a bit.
We were a few miles from home when I heard Aden’s stomach growl. The little guy had the appetite of a true cub. My kind didn’t like missing meals, and it was close to dinner.
“Do you want to stop for something to eat or drive on to your new home?”
Her pulse skipped a beat. Did she like the idea of calling my place home?
“How much longer?” she asked.
“About thirty minutes.”
“Let’s keep going.”
Anticipation filled me.
Winifred, we’re almost home.
Chapter 3
It’d been over a year since I last saw the dirt track that we called a driveway. A twinge of homesickness pulled at me as I turned the truck onto the rutted path. Werewolves weren’t meant for solitary lives. We needed to be around our own kind. To belong to something. The Army had filled that void at first, but the longer I’d stayed away, the more I’d missed the woods and running in my fur.
Michelle fidgeted, drawing my attention. She was nervous. I’d smelled the change as soon as she’d said to drive on and had hoped that seeing the place would ease her concerns. However, the branches scraping the roof of the truck probably weren’t giving a good first impression.
But, my home was more than a building and overgrown property. When the house came into view, some of the tension in me eased because, inside were the two people who made this place home.