In Plain Sight (8 page)

Sarah considered the concern in Cullen’s soft brown eyes. The big guy looked worried, and she slowly realized that it had nothing to do with his brothers seeing them together. He was afraid she’d leave him without a good-bye. Relieved, she relaxed and teased him. “Handling me with kid gloves, eh? Your brothers must really be a handful.”

Cullen sighed while his brothers laughed. “You have no idea.”

“I wouldn’t mind a glass, provided we can all drink it together down here.” A small test, just to make sure he wasn’t embarrassed of her.

“Sure.” Cullen smiled, his grin so wide it took her breath away. “Be right back.”

“Oh, and I’ll have a beer,” Sean yelled. He shook his head. “Poor manners, but what can you expect from a middle child?”

“Aren’t you a middle child as well?” Sarah asked, intrigued by Cullen’s brothers. They all looked so much alike, yet she could already sense their differences. Between Cullen’s descriptions and seeing the Whitefeathers in action, she could clearly see Micah’s authority and sobriety staring out from those proud features, as well as Sean’s mischievous flare for trouble.

He winked at her and flashed a grin. “Honey, there’s nothing middle or average about me. I’m the oldest of the second three, and Momma’s youngest before Cullen was accidentally conceived.”

“Jackass.” Cullen returned with a beer in one hand and a glass of wine for Sarah in the other. “Don’t listen to him. I was
planned
.”

Micah smirked. “You keep thinking that, kid. Sean, go get us a beer. And don’t whine,” he said, cutting off Sean in mid-complaint. “So, Sarah, how’d you and Cullen meet?”

Sarah blinked at the change in subject, but let Cullen seat them on the couch. After taking a sip of wine, she answered. “I work, or used to work, at the Fox’s Henhouse. I’ve seen Cullen on and off for the past six months.” She smiled at the man she’d fallen hard for, aware of him on every level.
I’m really
gonna miss him.
“Coffee with every visit.”

“I see.” Micah caught the beer Sean tossed at him, opened it and took a swig, his eyes fixed to Cullen’s face.

“I’ve never seen you or your other family there,” Sarah asked, curious. “Why’s that?”

Sean snorted. “We can’t stand the raptor clan. No offense, but they’re a bunch of assholes.”

49

“I can’t argue with that,” she said dryly. “Why didn’t you leave with the rest of the eagle clan when they left a year ago?”

Sean and Micah glared at Cullen. “Good question,” Sean said.

Cullen refused to look at her, focused on his beer.

“Cullen?” she asked.

“I like it here.” He sounded defensive. “I like our house, this land.”

“And?” Sean prodded, his gaze intense.

“And I like the area,” Cullen muttered.

She stroked his arm, pleasantly surprised when he caught and held onto her hand.

Micah stared at their hands and raised a brow. “We just visited up north, and believe it or not, Cullen’s got the right of it. Canada wouldn’t have suited us, not as the current clan now sits.”

“I’m sorry.” But Sarah wasn’t, not really. Why it should matter where Cullen went or didn’t go shouldn’t matter. Not when she still had plans to leave.

“I’m not.” Cullen swore. “The raptors may need guidance, but the eagles are bloodthirsty birds. Talk about fickle.” He blew out a breath. “It’s a good thing our family was high up on the food chain. We made sure others took care of the weaker ones.”

“The new eagle regime isn’t so concerned,” Sean admitted.

“A lot like the jackasses currently in charge here.” Micah glared at Sarah. “How do you stand Larsen, Shaw and Farley?”

“Don’t ask me. I never voted for any of them. It’s a blood thing.”

“Come again?” Micah asked.

“Their fathers and their fathers and so on were clan leaders. They’ve been passing on tradition through bloodlines.”

“No shit.” Micah shook his head. “I knew I should have paid better attention to Mom and that raptor history lesson. I didn’t connect Larsen and Shaw with the prior clan leaders. Maternal lines, right?”

“Yeah.” Which should have meant females in the clan held more rights. Or so Sarah and her mother had often lamented.

“So why don’t you like them much?” Sean asked.

Cullen squeezed her hand. “Rumors stuck her in a bad place. The assholes had the nerve to cheat on their mates and blame Sarah for inciting them.”

She could feel his anger like a palpable force.

“Cullen,” she said, trying to dissuade him from sharing her shameful history.

“That dickhead Shaw messed her up. He’s got it coming, and damned if I’m not going to give it to him.”

50

Worried, Sarah ignored his brothers and turned to Cullen. She set her wine down and faced him. “You can’t go up against the council. They don’t like problems. And after what happened the other day, they could very well throw you out of the clan.”

“What happened the other day?” Micah asked in a harsh voice. “Cullen, explain.”

Cullen glared at Sarah, then at Micah. “I don’t answer to you.”

“No, you answer to me,” a deep female voice said from the kitchen. A petite woman with daggers for eyes strode through with her hands on her hips. “Cullen Whitefeather, what the hell did you do?”

51

Cullen wanted to sink through the floor. Bad enough manic Micah and Sean, the family clown, were here. Now his mother had arrived, no doubt with Ian in tow.
Dammit
. He’d been doing so well with Sarah, too. Now, because his family couldn’t get along with anyone outside their small family, they’d arrived home early, just in time to scare Sarah gone for good.

He glanced at her, praying she could read his eyes that said, “have patience, please,” and explained what had happened between Sarah and the raptors days ago.

His family—ah, there was Ian, the
baby
, just over her shoulder—stood in silence for a minute before everyone erupted.

“That’s bullshit.”

“Five against one. Cowards.”

“I can’t stand Larsen,” Ian added. “And I really hate his mate. She’s got more hands than an octopus.”

Which put his mother into a tizzy.

Sheila Whitefeather shouted and swore louder than her sons. Cullen refused to let go of Sarah’s hand, afraid the noise would send her flying into the next county. But a look at her showed her captivated by the high drama.

Eventually his family calmed. He answered his mother’s questions in yes and no answers. Until Sheila turned her ice blue eyes on Sarah.
Fuck.

“Well, girl, don’t you have anything to say? You planning to make my boy do your battling for you?”

All eyes turned to Sarah, who fidgeted next to him.

“I’m very grateful to Cullen for his help. Without him I’d be dead, I’m sure. But no, I don’t plan on letting him take the fall for me,” she said, directing her comment to him. “I’m capable of standing up for myself, but I don’t see the need. I’m not sticking around this godforsaken town any longer than I have to,”

she ended in a hard voice.

His heart cracked, wishing he’d had more time to convince her to take a chance on him. He couldn’t explain it, but he knew in his heart his place was in Cougar Falls. Right next to Sarah.

His mother feigned surprise, and Sean smiled wide.
Hell. What were they up to now?
“Are you telling me you’ve been toying with my son’s affections?”

“Huh?” Sarah stared at his mother, confusion darkening her eyes.

“You slept with him, didn’t you?”

“Momma, really,” Cullen interrupted, his cheeks hot. His brothers’ laughter wasn’t helping matters.

“Momma, nothing. Did this woman sleep with you or didn’t she?”

“I did,” Sarah said stiffly. “Not that it’s any of your business. What’s between Cullen and me is personal.”

“He came outta my belly, honey. It doesn’t get much more personal than that,” Sheila snarled.

Sarah choked, and Cullen wanted to strangle his mother.

“Oh, for God’s sake.” Sarah threw up her hands and stood, facing his small clan. “You should be glad I’m leaving. I’m Sarah Duncan. The town whore.”

“Sarah!”

“No, Cullen. Your mother wants to know, so I’ll tell her.” Sarah’s cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright with anger. Cullen empathized with how difficult this must be for her, but at the same time, he couldn’t stop himself from admiring her passion. His eagle fluttered inside his breast, aching with the need to possess this challenging female.

His mother’s eyes narrowed between him and Sarah, an odd expression on her face.

“I made the mistake of falling for a spineless jerk,” Sarah spoke plainly, her hands on her hips. “Three days after telling me he loved me, he announced to the world that he’d married some bright-eyed dodo from Kansas. Call me crazy, but falling for a line shouldn’t make me a slut.”

“No indeed.”

Sarah didn’t seem to hear his mother as she raged. “Then the dickhead had the audacity to tell his buddies he’d gotten into my pants. And
I’m
the one at fault. As if that weren’t all, his friends continue to bother me to this day. One of the raptor clan leaders keeps trying to sleep with me, and his bitch of a wife nearly killed me. Not one of my clan brothers or sisters stuck by me. The only friends I have are a silver fox and a bear, and I’m not sure if the bear counts, because Mac’s my boss. I’m sick of living this life, sick of being everybody’s punching bag. So if you don’t like the truth, lady, you can kiss my ass!” Sarah ended in a yell, her eyes slitted, her body poised on the verge of a shift as her animal spirit struggled to break free, caught in her anger.

Cullen could only stare at his mate, feeling her pain, her rage. But more, he felt sheer admiration for the strength it must have taken to put up with so much by herself for so long. What had she said? That she’d lost her mother years ago? She’d been living on her own for eight long years. Hell, she needed him.

Him and his family. And if his mother refused to stand by his mate, Cullen would simply leave.

“Momma,” he began, only to be cut off.

“Kiss your ass, huh?” Sheila laughed so hard she fell back on the seat behind her. “Girl, you’ve got a fire in there. No wonder my Cullen’s fallen hard for you.”

“Jesus, Momma.” Cullen slapped a hand over his face.

“Quiet, boy. Can’t you see, this is what you’ve been missing for way too long.”

53

“He knows,” Micah said. “She’s the wallet chick.”

“Oh-ho. So this is the one.” Sheila stood and approached Sarah, who looked as if she didn’t know whether to stay or to go. “She’s pretty, built for breeding, and has a strong animal spirit. How’s her bird?”

“Her eagle’s as big as mine,” Cullen announced with pride. He just hoped to hell Sarah would forget about the wallet chick comment. His crush was embarrassing.

“Golden?” Golden eagle, his mother meant.

“Yeah.” Cullen pulled Sarah against him and hugged her tense frame. “Fierce thing. She stood strong against five raptors until I got to her. Survived a mauling.”

“Nice.” Ian whistled and turned to Sarah. “So, you breeding yet?”

“
What?
” Sarah coughed for several moments until she wheezed, “Breeding? Cullen and I have known each other for a while, but I just started… I mean, we haven’t really known each other that well for that long.”

“Uh-huh.” Sheila grinned, then pulled Sarah out of Cullen’s grasp. “So, when’s the wedding?”

Thoroughly disgusted with his family, Cullen tugged Sarah out of his mother’s clutches, wishing this didn’t seem so much like a tug-of-war gone crazy. He nudged her ahead of him toward the stairs. “Good night,” he yelled over his shoulder. “And good riddance.”

Ignoring the hoots and guffaws behind him, he pushed Sarah up the stairs and down the hall into her bedroom, then locked the door behind him. He turned to see her staring at him in shock.

He sighed. “I’m sorry, honey. I warned you my family was tough. Please don’t leave on account of them.”

He held his breath, praying she’d stay another day.

“I, ah, I don’t know what to say, Cullen. I’m sorry, I guess.” She flopped down onto his bed and lay back, covering her face with her hand. “Oh, God. I told your mother I was the town whore. I told her to kiss my ass!”

Cullen grinned. “Yeah, you did. Nice. She liked that.”

“She did?” Sarah moved her hand to gawk at him.

“My mother respects strength. And you’re stronger than any woman I’ve ever known, save my mother.” Just another reason he knew they’d suit. “Hell, any woman who can tolerate my family for more than three minutes at a time should be canonized.”

Sarah chuckled. “They’re that bad, aren’t they?”

Relieved she saw the humor in it, he lay down with her. “‘I told you so’ seems a little late, hmm?”

She started laughing, and he joined her. When they finally settled down, he pulled her into his arms.

“Stay for a few more days, okay, Sarah? I know you still want to leave, but would you humor me?”

She turned in his arms and traced his face with her gaze. “Why?” she asked softly. “Why do you want me to stay?”

54

It was on the tip of his tongue to confess his love, but Cullen suddenly grew tongue-tied. God, she was so beautiful. So out of his league. Micah or Sean would have had her reduced to nothing but “yes” by now, and Cullen could barely breathe for want of loving her.

“Cullen?” she asked. “Are you okay?”

Unable to answer with words, he embraced her and showed her how much he loved her, hoping once more that his seed took root. Because no matter what tomorrow brought, he couldn’t let Sarah go.

Sarah woke the next morning feeling out of sorts. Cullen lay beside her, one large arm trapping her to the bed. She scooted out from under him, amused by his mumbled protest, and took a quick shower.

Unfortunately, she’d forgotten to lock the side door.

“Well, well, what little birdie flew into my shower?” Sean’s voice sounded way too near. Though most Ac-taw felt little modesty, Sarah had been taught long ago that circumspection was key.

“Sorry. Um, could you wait outside while I finish?”

“Not shy, are you?” When the rippled glass door of the shower moved, she latched onto it like a lifeline, keeping it closed.

“Would you please get out of here?”

“You know, I can see more than a vague outline of your shape through the door. No wonder Cullen’s so in love.”

She lit up at the thought. Cullen? In love with her? If only. “Very funny. Now get out before I tell your momma you were hitting on Cullen’s girl.”

He vanished before she could add another threat. To her relief, he didn’t reappear. She quickly left the shower,
locked the door
, and dried off. Once dressed, she left her room and Cullen still sleeping soundlessly in her bed.

He’d had a long night. After they’d made love, he left her to talk to his family again, knowing they would have questions they wouldn’t wait to have answered. She’d fallen asleep alone and woken with him there.

He felt so right next to her. As if they belonged together. Yearnings grew, and she wondered why even the thought of living with his crazy family didn’t put her off. Maybe it was seeing the clear love flowing between them. For all their loud flaws, the Whitefeathers clearly loved one another.

“Good morning,” Sheila said as Sarah entered the kitchen. They were alone, to Sarah’s relief.

Sheila stared at Sarah, then at the empty coffee pot, and back at Sarah again.

Sighing and unable to stifle a grin, Sarah made a pot, needing it for strength.

“I’ve seen you at the Fox’s Henhouse.”

The statement surprised Sarah. “Really? I don’t remember seeing you there.”

55

Sheila shrugged. “I’ve been by a few times, mostly when you were swamped with customers. I like Mac. He runs a decent diner. Damned good waffles.”

“The best.” Sarah smiled. “It surprised me to find Cullen such a good cook. He won’t let me cook while I’m here, but I have to say I’m nowhere near as good as he is with a skillet.”

Sheila beamed. “My boy loves to cook. Takes after me.”

“I still don’t understand why he came in to eat all the time.”
Unless it was to get away from his
brothers.

“Don’t you?” Sheila asked, her gaze direct. “My boys know their hearts. They’re all different, mind you. Micah goes after what he wants. Sean plays around too much, and Ian’s too focused on business.

’Bout drives me nuts with his spreadsheets.” Sheila grimaced. “But Cullen…that boy’s the spittin’ image of his daddy. Shy as a sparrow. Can barely put two words together when he’s wanting something.”

Sarah blinked, not sure she was hearing right. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” Sheila nodded. “Took me a while to understand why he spent so much damned time in town when we all hate it there.”

“But, but he never—”

“Never what?” Cullen asked as he entered the kitchen, his eyes still sleepy, his hair rumpled. He looked absolutely perfect to Sarah.

Could it be true? Had Cullen really liked her for so long?

“Hell, Momma. What are you saying now?” He kissed Sarah on the mouth, as if they’d been doing so for years, and whipped out a flat of bacon from the refrigerator.

Sheila smirked as if to say, “I told you so.”

Thrilled, scared and in a state of disbelief, Sarah needed some time to herself.

“You know, I should probably check on my place, just to make sure everything’s okay. I haven’t been back since the storm hit days ago.” She refused to look at Cullen, knowing if she did, she might not leave.

Ever.
“I’ll be back soon.” She darted outside onto the deck and ripped off her shirt and bra as she shifted.

Her pants caught on her talons, as she’d known they would, but she shrugged them away as she flew into the sky.

Wanting to believe so badly in Cullen tore at her sense. She had plans to leave Cougar Falls. Falling in love with Cullen Whitefeather hadn’t been on her to-do list. Packing and checking out, that was all. Until Jenny Larsen intruded.
Oh, hell. I can’t leave until I square things with the Larsens and clan leaders. I
can’t leave my mess on Cullen’s shoulders.

The thought of leaving physically hurt. If only she could trust what Sheila said as truth. Why wouldn’t Cullen say something about how he felt? Unlike Will, Cullen would mean what he said. He didn’t throw words around. Aside from those few references to eagles and their mates, he’d never once told her he loved 56

her.
Though he’d shown her in a lot of ways
, her bird slyly reminded her. Caring for her, tending to her, physically loving her with no thoughts except for making her feel good.