Saving Margaret (10 page)

“Glad you are finally listening to my advice.”

I always listen. I just don’t always agree.

He glanced into the rearview mirror again, suspicious of a black SUV following very closely, but when he turned into the diner parking lot the vehicle continued past without slowing at all.

“They followed us.”

Margaret’s comment snapped his focus back to her.

“When did you first see them?” he asked, climbing out of his truck. He slammed the door and walked around to open hers.

“First turn out of the parking garage,” she answered after he opened her door. She slid from the seat and looped her arm around his. “Guess the guy upstairs had a friend.”

A growl rumbled from Scott’s chest.

“Hey, we are fine and as soon as you feed me, we can head back to the house.”

He smiled down at her. His girl was tough. She’d just been attacked, spotted another hostile tailing them from the hotel, and all she wanted was food.

“Let’s get you some food then.”

They walked into the diner. He directed her to an open booth by a window so he could watch the street.

“Maggie!” A melodious female voice rang out across the diner. He turned just in time to see a tiny redheaded human rush at his mate. She shoved past him and hugged Margaret.

“Sarah!”

The two girls hugged and cackled back and forth about what they’d been doing over the past year, scolding each other for not catching up sooner.

He slid into a booth and waited for Margaret to remember he was there. It didn’t take long.

“Oh! Scott, I’m so sorry. This is one of my best friends from high school. Sarah, this is Scott…my…” Her voice caught and stalled. He smiled and reached out to shake Sarah’s hand.

“What she’s so eloquently trying to say is that I’m her boyfriend.”

The redhead beamed. “She was never great around boys.”

He laughed and turned to catch Margaret’s glare.

“I’m just fine with boys, Sarah McLain. I just never could find the right one.”

“Yeah, just keep telling yourself that. You’ve never stayed with a guy longer than a couple of weeks.” She reached over and patted his arm. “Sorry, no offense meant to you, but Margaret has commitment issues.”

The corners of his mouth turned up slowly. He knew why Margaret had appeared that way to her friend. A lot of shifters dated humans casually as they grew up to blend in with the human population. But those relationships were kept very short and superficial. It was just enough of a show to keep the humans from asking questions. They tended to try and avoid dating other shifters because an unintentional mating bond would start to form, causing all kinds of problems.

“I think she has moved past them.”

The redhead slid into the opposite seat of the booth, followed by Margaret. “Oh, really. How long have you two been together?”

He was silent and so was Margaret.

“Less than two weeks, huh?”

“It’s not like that with Scott, Sarah,” Margaret finally spoke. “He’s different. He’s the right one.”

A soft sigh escaped Sarah’s chest. “I hope so, sweetie. I really do. You deserve to find that special person.”

“What about you? Have you found someone down at Rice that can handle your attitude?”

The energy at the table flat-lined. Sarah bit her lip and frowned.

“I’m sorry, I…”

“It’s ok. I came home at spring break from school because of what happened. I’ve been helping Mom and Dad with the diner for the past week. It’s helped some.”

“What happened?”

“There was a really special guy. We were actually engaged last September, but he was killed.”

“Killed?” Scott asked quietly.

“The police ruled it death by wild animal. He was just jogging in the park. A few witnesses say it was a wolf. Some say it was a coyote. Neither of which should have ever been in a Houston public park.”

Right after Chase and Sam get married and Council agents start showing up in the states.

“Coincidence. Not every death by animal is supernatural.”

She’s friends with a bunch of them. Went to high school in supernatural central.

“It is still most likely coincidence,”
his bear argued.
“She is human. It doesn’t make sense for a supernatural to attach himself to a human female.”

It’s still odd. And, they would have killed him for it.

“Sarah, I’m so sorry,” Margaret said softly.

“Thanks, I’m working past it. I’ll be fine.”

An older woman walked from the kitchen to Sarah, smiling at him and Margaret. She looked a lot like the red head, but grey streaked her hair. “Of course you will, sweetheart.” Her voice reminded him of his mother. “And you will take all the time you need.”

“Bonnie, I didn’t know. Why didn’t you call me?” Margaret asked, turning back to her friend.

“She’s only been home a week. We just needed to get her settled, sugar. Plus, my mother came up from Houston to visit as well. She was worried about Sarah…How was my little Samantha’s wedding? I saw it announced in the paper,”

“It was lovely. Small and simple, just how she wanted it. Tell G-ma Cartwright, Margaret sends her love.”

“Oh, sugar, that’s good and I will tell her.” Bonnie paused and caught his gaze. The twinkle in her eye made him grin. “That man Samantha brought in here looked at her the same way your friend there is looking at you.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Bonnie, this is my boyfriend, Scott O’Hearn. Scott, this is Bonnie McLain, Sarah’s mom.”

At least she didn’t trip over introducing me this time.

“Ma’am,” he said, nodding politely.

“Ma’am is for old women. Call me Bonnie.”

“Of course, Bonnie,” he replied with a smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Take good care of our Maggie. She’s a special girl.”

“I will. You don’t need to worry.”

A waiter appeared behind Bonnie with a tray full of food. The smell of buttered toasted bread and melted cheese made his mouth water.

We never ordered.

“Oh, here’s your food. I got it in as soon as I saw you walk through the door, hopefully your man likes grilled cheese.”

“I do,” he answered and nodded.

“Thanks, Bonnie. You are the best.”

“I gotta get back to my tables, I’m sure the other waitress is tired of covering for me by now. We’ll catch up later, okay. Call me.”

“I will, Sarah. Take it easy and give your Grandmother a hug for me.”

Margaret embraced Sarah before she slid out of the booth and left, finally leaving him alone with his mate. She leaned down and took a long whiff of the hot grilled cheese sandwich in front of her. The perfectly toasted bread with butter and cheeses was making his mouth water. He couldn’t have picked anything better.

“Smells good, doesn’t it?” She winked and took a bite of her sandwich.

“Grilled cheese, huh. I didn’t peg you for that.”

“Joe makes the best in the city.”

He bit into his and stifled a moan. The cheese melted in his mouth and the butter was just salty enough to give it a kick. The bread was thick and toasted, but not burnt.

“Wow.”

“I know. I order this every time I come, doesn’t matter what time of day. Bonnie never gives any of us a menu.” She paused and gave him a hesitant look. “I can get a menu for you if you don’t like it.”

“No,” he answered quickly, “This is fantastic.” He didn’t want anything but the savory melted cheese in front of him.

“What’s your home like?”

Whoa. That came out of nowhere.

He put his sandwich down and met her gaze. Shallow breathing. Racing heart beat.
Why was she nervous?

“Green.” He smiled and took another giant bite of his grilled cheese. “Everything around here is brown. The Tetons are green.”

“That sounds nice.”

“The air is cooler. Rain is common.”

She giggled. “Yeah, we don’t get a lot of rain here.”

“Why are you nervous?”

Her eyes widened and she sat up straighter in the booth. “You don’t pussyfoot around do you?”

“I’m a bear. Not a cat,” he rumbled under his breath. “Margaret…” He let his voice trail off. She was either going to tell him or not. Getting pushy with Margaret Taylor was not wise. In fact, getting pushy with any wolf usually didn’t go well. They were smaller than bears, but they’d somehow solidified themselves as the head of the Council for over a millennia. Probably because there were do damn many of them!

“What is your family like? Do you have many brothers or sisters? Do they live close to you?”

Ah. Pack withdrawal.

“Be nice.”

“I have one brother, no sisters, and they live far enough away that we aren’t breathing each other’s air unless we purposefully try to.”

Her shoulders slumped. She was disappointed.

But, bears weren’t like wolves. They valued their privacy and the quiet of the forest. They were warriors, not pack animals in any form. The only time they had groups of bears was for The Gathering or for salmon hunting. Even then, there were always fights and usually injuries or casualties.

“So you don’t do much with your family?”

“It’s not like I never see them. I probably visit Mom and Dad once a week…maybe. Patrick is in the navy and deployed at the moment.”

“Did your father serve in the military, too?”

“Yes, the army. Like me. Still serves in the Army reserves. But, he works as a park ranger most of the time. It’s a good balance. I’ll be joining him when I get moved back in.”

“Oh…Is your brother married?”

He shook his head then swallowed the last bite of his sandwich. She still had half on her plate untouched. Such temptation. The melted cheese and butter called to his watering mouth. He licked his lips.

“Here,” she half giggled. “I won’t eat it.” A quick push sent the plate sliding over to his side of the table.

“Mmmmm. I do believe I could eat this every day.”

“So what would I do, Scott? I don’t want to just sit in your house bored out of my freak’n mind.”

He laughed. If it was boredom she was worried about he could fix that. “What if I told you there was an old lodge on my property we could renovate and reopen for guests.”

Her eyes sparkled with interest, but it was short-lived.

Now what!

“I’m going to want to come home and visit and I know the pack will want to come out to see me, too. We don’t do well with separation.”

“You mean the pack all living in the same three mile radius wasn’t a coincidence?”

She snorted through a laugh and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “We watch out for each other.”

“We do, too, darl’n, but not many ever bother a grizzly.”

“Sam said you were scary.”

He huffed. “I was taken by surprise and that poor girl was as high as a kite.”

She sipped her water, watching him carefully. Her eyes focused in on his lips. “She said that, too.”

“Would you like to head back to your place?”

Her eyes dilated at the mention of her home, but again it was only for a moment before a look of hesitation wiped it away.

Fuck it! I just can’t win.

“The boys will be there.”

“We can go to my apartment.”

Something akin to a squeal slipped from her lips. He grinned, slid from the booth, pulled a twenty out of his wallet, and tossed it to the tabletop before wrapping an arm around her and ushering her out the door.