A Hippogriff for Christmas - Zoe Chant Page 0,75
for it. Every inch of the house seemed to beckon her into it, inviting her to stay and be comfortable.
“Oh, and you must be Annie!”
In the next moment, Annie found herself enveloped in much the same kind of hug as Beau had been treated to – and obviously shifter strength ran in the family, because Annie found herself almost winded when she was finally let go.
“I’m Courtney, though please call me Court, since everyone else does,” the woman said, smiling. “Well, goodness me. My little brother has done well for himself. You’re kind of a looker, aren’t you?”
Annie found herself blushing red, swallowing, and not quite sure what to say.
“I – thank you,” she finally managed to stammer out. “That’s really, uh, really lovely of you to say.”
“It’s only the truth,” Court said breezily, smiling at her. “Now come on, both of you, and get your boots off. Lunch is almost ready. Jaime and Loughlin have been telling everyone we’re not allowed to eat until you’re here.”
Annie guessed, then, that Jamie and Loughlin must be Courtney’s children, while Sarah, Cody, Sam and Larissa must be his other sister’s.
“Uncle Beau brought pie!” Loughlin announced loudly, holding it up.
“Can you put it in the fridge for dessert, sweetheart?” Court called to him as she bustled away, and Annie and Beau took off their boots.
“Told you they’d like you,” Beau said to her, grinning, as they made their way out into the dining room. “Obviously.”
Annie smiled. Maybe it’d only been a quick hello so far, but already she could feel her heart glowing as she watched Beau’s family chatting as they brought plates and platters of food to the massive dining table.
Beau’s other sister, Darla, came over to treat him to a similar hug before turning to introduce herself to Annie.
“And this is my mate, Aaron,” she said, resting her hand on the arm of a massive, burly, bearded man, whose hand completely engulfed Annie’s when he reached out to shake it.
“Pleased to meet you,” he rumbled, and Annie had to wonder what he shifted into – A lion? A bear?! A mountain??!! “You’ve met our little ones, have you?”
“Oh yes – they introduced themselves to me,” Annie said. “It’s Sarah, Cody, and, uh, Sam, right?”
“Got it in one,” Aaron said, smiling at her through his beard.
“There’s still a few people I haven’t met though,” Annie said, glancing around. “I don’t want to seem rude and not introduce myself –”
“Oh, forget about that. We’ll introduce you once we’re sitting down at the table,” Darla laughed. “Speaking of, it looks like everything’s just about ready. Come on – sit down to eat, and we’ll make sure everyone gets to know each other.”
“Ah, wait just one moment.”
Annie started a little at the sound of the voice behind her, and turned to see an older woman, her dark hair streaked with gray, standing behind her. Her skin was lined but she was still youthful in her movements, and her eyes were dark and lively.
Oh, she realized with a sudden shock. This must be –
“Mom,” Beau said, his voice soft, before he gathered the woman up in a tight hug. “It’s so good to see you.”
Annie stood back, feeling her throat tighten. So this was the woman who Beau had told her about – the one who’d put herself into a three-week coma to save his life when he’d been a child. Who’d almost sacrificed herself to save him.
The same way Beau saved me, Annie thought, feeling a little dazed. This is the woman I owe everything to, above and beyond even that she’s his mother.
“And you must be Annie,” the woman said, turning to her with a smile, her eyes flickering over her face.
“I-It’s so nice to meet you, Mrs. Colson,” Annie stuttered out. “Really.”
Beau’s mother laughed lightly. “You don’t need to be nervous – and please, call me Blanche.”
“Oh – sure,” Annie said, feeling silly. She tried saying the name in her head, but she’d been so used to trying to keep a little distance between herself and others that it still sounded odd to her.
“Well. I’m glad to see Beau finally found you,” Blanche said, still smiling. “I’ve been telling him for a while he should find his mate.”
“Mom, please,” Beau groaned. “You know it wasn’t on purpose. You always told me you can’t just rush into these things, and you’ll meet your mate when the time is right, and not a second before.”
“True, true,” Blanche said, shaking her head. “Well, obviously, you found