Natural Born Enemies (Cedar River Series) (11 page)

She could be so sweet when she put her mind to it, I thought as I carried my clothes to the bedroom.

I heard the shower and considered joining Luna. Second thoughts took over and I decided I was more hungry than horny.  I pulled the jeans on. I hadn’t gone commando since I was in high school, but not one package of underwear could be found in the boxes and bags of supplies. I did find a toothbrush in one of the boxes from the Goldens.

I was pulling on my socks when a scantily clad Luna came in from the bathroom. She smiled at me as she got her clothes from the closet. “You really are trying to avoid going to breakfast, aren’t you?” I asked.

She smiled at my shyly over her shoulder. “Not really.”

I picked her up and spun her around once. “You’re a tease, Luna McIntyre.”

She kissed me full on the mouth, nipping my lower lip, “Maybe I am. Maybe I’m not.”

I set her down and gave her bottom a tap. “Get dressed. I’m starving and today’s the day Samson makes his homemade jelly doughnuts.”

Luna was buttoning her shirt and laughing as I walked out of the bedroom.

***

The diner was filling up with early risers when we arrived. The waitress brought us each a cup of coffee and promised to bring us each a fresh doughnut.

People were staring as we sat looking at the menu. “What the hell is wrong with this town?” I growled at Luna.

She turned to face the restaurant, smiled her sweetest smile and waved.

“What the fuck are you doing? Now, everyone is going to want to come over and say hello,” I whispered.

When she turned the smile on me, I knew there would be no resisting her.

“I know. That is the plan. They don’t know what to say except they’re sorry. This is your town, babe. This is your family whether you like it or not.”

I raised the menu to block my view of the people.

The waitress brought us each a couple of blackberry filled jelly doughnuts. “Samson says if you want to complain about the filling, he’ll toss them in the garbage before you’ll get to eat them.”

I laughed out loud. If anyone could defuse my temper, it would be that grouchy old bear.

“Tell him if this is the best he’s got, then we’ll settle for it, I guess.” My eyes followed her as she took my message to Samson who was behind the grill this morning.

Samson poked his head through and gave me a little salute. All seemed right in my world.

***

I ordered pancakes and sausage for my breakfast. Luna ordered oatmeal and wheat toast. As we sipped our coffee, people began to come over to chat. Most just wondered if there was anything they could do. Luna told them about the cook-out at the former trailer site as soon as it started to warm up. I glared at her. This was supposed to be a small affair or so I thought. There were quite a few people who stated that they’d heard about the clean-up from the sheriff. I shook my head. Damn Bowie!

The waitress had just brought our food. Samson decided that I needed to eat healthier so instead of my pancakes and sausage, I got oatmeal and wheat toast. Luna snorted as she realized what that damn bear had done. I poured honey on my oatmeal and added some milk.  I had taken my first bite when Rock McIntyre and a few of his pack strolled in.

He stopped short when he saw Luna and I. He swallowed hard and came over to the table.

“Good morning, princess,” he said as he kissed the top of his daughter’s head. He looked at me and said, “Adam, I’m real sorry to hear what happened to your place last night. Is there anything we can do to help you out?”

Luna gestured at me to close my mouth.

 “I don’t know, Rock. We’re just sifting through stuff at the moment.”

“Madeline wanted me to tell Bowie about an empty cottage on pack lands, if you wanted to use it until you re-build, but I guess I can tell you instead.”

Luna eyes grew wide, but she kept her mouth shut as she turned her attention to her oatmeal.

“Well, thank you, Rock. I appreciate it, but I’ve got a place to stay.”

Rock grimaced, “I figured as much, but Maddy thinks I need to extend the olive branch before we lose our princess altogether.” He placed his hand on his daughter’s shoulder and squeezed gently.

I noticed the tears in the corners of her eyes as she reached up and took his hand in hers.

“Princess, your mama and I would like you and Adam to come to dinner soon. Do you think you could make it?”

Luna turned her eyes up to look at me. How could I tell her no? Something was happening around here and I’m not sure what it was. I nodded sharply.

Her face lit up like a child on Yule. “Sure, Daddy. I’ll call Mama when we have a handle on things.” She hesitated for a moment. “Bowie’s organizing a clean-up at Adam’s land in a few weeks. We want the weather to warm up a bit. The women are bringing food and Adam is providing the burgers and hot dogs. If you aren’t busy, maybe you could lend a hand?”

Rock smiled like I’ve never seen him smile before. “Of course, we’ll be there. Do you want a few tents and tables? I’ve got some heaters we could set up to help people stay warm.”

I was stunned. “That would be very helpful, Rock. Thank you,” I said as I stood to shake his hand.

I began to calculate the cost of this clean-up. If you’ve ever fed a village of shifters, then you’d understand.

“Give me a call a day or two in advance and I’ll put out a notice to everyone. You, two, have a good day,” Rock said before he joined his pack mates at a table in the corner.

Luna was smiling broadly. “I feel like I’ve stepped into an episode of the Twilight Zone.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, “Then, I’m right there beside you”

***

We got up to leave and the waitress didn’t have our bill. “Rock said he’d take care of your breakfast this morning.”

I tipped my hat to Rock who gave me a short salute as we left. Luna was humming the Twilight Zone theme song as we got in her car.

We stopped off at the sheriff’s department. Callum was working the desk. “Hey, Adam. Luna.”

“Morning, Callum. Is Bowie in yet?”

“He’s been here and left again. I don’t think he ever went to bed last night. He’s so pissed off right now.”

“About this fire?”

“Yeah, he’s been out to your place sifting through things trying to find a clue to who did this. Oh, that reminds me; he took your truck and parked it behind Luna’s. Here are your keys.”

I turned to Luna, “I should be out there helping Bowie.”

Luna took my hand and dragged me out the door of the office, “Bowie said you were taking the day off. Besides, we need to get you some things if you’re staying at my place for the time being.”

She turned to Callum, “Have a good day, Callum.”

Callum was grinning as I struggled half-heartedly against Luna’s tugging.

***

We did stop by the site on the way out of town. “Gods, baby, it looks worse in the daylight.”

Luna simply held my hand tightly in hers.

“Show me where you were hiding last night,” I asked her.

She led me to the old cedar tree I’d wanted to cut down. I was going to make that damn thing a shrine now.

There were her tiny footprints in the snow. Beside the tree was a batch of larger footprints. I knelt down to inspect them further. I pulled out my cellphone and took pictures. The footprints looked familiar. It hit me where I’d seen them before and it was like a punch to the gut. Not many people around these parts would buy this particular brand of boots, but I was aware of one person who did own a pair. I felt sick to my stomach as I text a message to Bowie and sent him the picture.

Luna put her hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay, honey?”

I composed myself and looked at her. “Sure, just too much drama for a day.”

We walked back to her car and the world felt as if it were sitting on my shoulders.

Chapter Nineteen- Luna

Something was weighing on Adam’s mind and he just wasn’t sharing his thoughts. I’d let him keep them for a little while longer, but I needed to know what was going on.

We made it to the store and back without any problems. Adam had a conniption at the prices of clothes, but we did get the missing pieces from his wardrobe.

I enjoyed watching him fuss over his silk boxers. He could care less about the jeans he wore, but he
had
to have silk boxers. Of course, I loved his underwear. To look at Adam, you would never suspect the sexy underwear he had hidden.

We stopped for a burger and fries before going home.

I fell asleep on the way back to the apartment. Adam gently woke me as we pulled into my parking spot behind the store.

“Luna, baby, we’re home.”

I sleepily opened my eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

My rugged man simply took my hand in his and kissed my knuckles. “Why don’t you go inside and put on your pajamas? I’ll be inside in a minute and we’ll take a nap.”

I kissed his hand back and pulled our bags from the backseat. I opened the door and turned to see Adam pull his cellphone out of his pocket.

I shook my head as I went inside. I’d ask Ana. She’d tell me what was going on. My guess is Adam knew who was behind the fire and Bowie was in on the secret. If Bowie knew, then Ana would probably know.

Crawling into bed in the middle of the afternoon felt a bit lazy, but after the emotional night we had, it was necessary. I don’t remember Adam coming to bed, but he was beside me snoring softly when I awoke a couple of hours later. I popped in one of Mrs. G’s casseroles for dinner. My hands were itching to do something creative so I got dressed and went downstairs to make some chocolate.

I melted the dark chocolate and poured it into the molds to harden. I pulled the amaretto from the cupboard and measured out a portion. The fondant was made and waiting for me to create. I added the fondant to a bowl with the amaretto and entered “the zone.” The CD player played loudly in the background as I worked.

The fondant was creamy and smooth. The chocolate shells were hardened and perfect. I dropped a dollop of cream into each center and covered what would be the bottoms with a layer of warm chocolate. I slid the molds back into the cooler. My mood was lifted and I felt like I had accomplished something today.

I was singing along with the radio as I cleaned up the mess I’d made. I set the dishwasher to wash and washed my wooden spoons by hand. I turned around and screamed. 

Adam was leaning against the doorway to the stairs with his hands in his pockets, smiling.

“What the hell are you doing? Trying to take thirty years off my life?” I asked with my hand pressed over my racing heart. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“Funny enough, I didn’t want to scare you,” he responded with a chuckle.

“Good job at that then,” I said slightly irritated.

He walked across the kitchen and pulled me into his arms, “I really didn’t want to scare you, honey. I love to watch you move. You move with such grace.”

How could you stay mad when he makes statements like that? “Adam Thomas, you flatter me.”

I stood on tiptoe to kiss him. He wasn’t nearly as attentive as he usually is, I noticed. Then, I realized he was reaching for a candy , which were waiting for me to box them.

“Seriously?” I asked as I pulled away from him.

He smiled around the chocolate in his mouth and reached for my hand to draw me back into his arms.

“Nope, just let me go,” I teased as I turned back to the dishes.

“Darlin’, I’m in heaven. These are delicious.”

I scowled at him, “You avoided me for the better part of two years. Now, I’m beginning to think you’re only here to satisfy your sweet tooth.”

He smiled a Cheshire Cat smile, “If you’d have stayed in bed, I would have been able to satisfy a few other things.”

“Shameless. You’re absolutely shameless.”

“Come back upstairs and you can give me something to be ashamed about.”

“Dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes.”

“I promise it won’t take that long,” he said as he bent his head to kiss my neck.

I snorted, “Oh, boy, aren’t I a lucky girl?” but I let him take my hand and lead me back upstairs.

***

Mrs. G’s turkey pot pie was a little brown around the edges by the time we got to it, but neither one of us could complain. We watched television while we ate dinner on the sofa. I studied Adam’s profile as I sat on the opposite end of the sofa.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“There’s nothing wrong. I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on in your head.”

He snorted, “Good luck, honey. My head is about as empty as it can get tonight. I’m worn out.”

“Too worn out to talk?” I asked.

“Not at all. We need to get some things out in the open.”

I took our plates to the kitchen and rinsed them off. He had turned the television off by the time I returned. I sat down at the end of the sofa and turned so I was facing him.

“Talk to me,” I said as I pulled his feet into my lap.

“There’s not a lot to say, honey. I was over in the Middle East. I saw things I wish I’d never seen. I did things no one should ever do. You know I see a doctor for this though, right?”

I studied him for a bit before answering. “I know you see a doctor, but I don’t know why. I always assumed it had something to do with being overseas.”

Adam’s eyes grew dark. “I have PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder. There are nightmares and terrors, but we’re dealing with this. I don’t dream of killing anyone so please don’t be afraid. My dreams are usually of the people and the places, the things I saw and can never forget. I’m wounded, angel, you just can’t see the wounds.”

I felt sad, knowing I couldn’t really relate to his situation. I squeezed his foot. “It doesn’t matter whether I can see the wounds or not, Adam. I know they’re there. It doesn’t change my love for you.”

His smile turned sad, “It might not change it now, but what about later? When there are kids involved, will it change then?”

I scowled at him, “My love for you will never go away. It will grow and change throughout the years, but, Adam, it will never go away.”