Wolf in his Heart (Salvation Pack) (24 page)

There was one thing that became very evident to her as the darkness faded into the soft glow of the coming dawn. She loved Sage. Irrevocably and completely.

And with him sleeping beside her and her resting in his strong arms, she whispered it to him. “I love you.”

Nothing changed. No lightning bolts flew or thunder crashed at the confession. But a deep contentment welled up inside Rina. Now all she had to do was work up the courage to say it to him when he could actually hear her.

She snuggled closer and rested her head on his chest. The slow and heavy beat of his heart comforted her. She ran her hand over his chest and abs. His skin was smooth, but the muscles beneath it were as hard as rock.

A wave of exhaustion washed over her and she let it carry her under.

Outside the patio door, Mikhail sat on the porch with his back against the house and watched the sun come up. He’d only been here a few minutes and had figured both Rina and Sage were asleep. Reece had left him standing guard and had gone to his own bed to grab a few hours sleep.

His sister’s whispered confession hit him like a ton of bricks. She didn’t need him any longer. Not really. She was a grown woman with a mate. Sage might not have officially claimed her yet, but it wasn’t because he didn’t want her. It was because he did.

With their age difference, Rina was more like a daughter to him than a sister. While he couldn’t ask for a better mate for her, he felt as though he was losing her.

He pushed up off the porch, vaulted over the railing, and landed silently on the ground. He couldn’t go far even though he wanted to run again. What was he going to do now? He was a man without a pack or a purpose.

A slight rustle off to his right alerted him to another’s presence just before he caught the scent of the female wolf. He caught himself before he snarled at her. He had a feeling if he did, she’d run off. And that was the last thing he wanted.

Elise LaForge was crouching beside a stump with a camera in her hands. He squinted to see what had captured her attention. An owl sat on the tree branch, bathed in the first glow of the morning light. He heard the slight whirring of the shutter as she took picture after picture.

He waited until she slowly stood before he spoke. “You’re not supposed to be out and about on your own.”

She wasn’t startled, so he knew that she’d sensed his presence. She slowly turned toward him and lowered the camera. “I figured it was safe enough now that Rina’s stalker was in custody, as long as I stayed around the houses.”

He took a step toward her but stopped when she tensed. “That’s going to be a nice picture.” He gestured toward the owl. The bird chose that moment to lift from the branch and fly away.

Elise brought the camera up in a flash and took several quick pictures. “Darn it. I was hoping to capture that.”

And he’d interrupted her shot. “Sorry.”

She canted her head to one side and studied him. “I’m sure I’ll see him again. Or if not him, another owl.” She held up her camera. “Maybe I have a good shot.”

“I didn’t know you were a photographer.” He was making small talk, something he never did, because he didn’t want her to leave. He wanted to know everything about her.

She was the one who looked as pretty as a picture, standing in the morning sun. She was wearing a sundress and her feet were bare. Her long brown hair was coiled at the back of her head. His fingers itched to release it and see it cascade around her shoulders.

His body tightened and he fought to keep it under control. Sensing his tension, Elise took a step away. “I’ll just be going back to the house.” Before he could stop her, she whirled and hurried off.

He watched her go, his feet rooted to the spot. He’d had women over the years. He’d lived more than sixty years and had a good, full life. He’d decided long ago that he’d never mate. Rina had been his sole purpose in life. But now she was settled, and he was restless.

The rest of the pack might see Elise as a mother figure, but he saw her as a very attractive she-wolf. She was close to his age. If she were human, she’d look much older. But she was a werewolf and looked more like a woman in her mid-thirties.

He wondered what she looked like under those long sundresses she seemed to favor. If he stuck around long enough, he might find out. And he also might get himself killed. He didn’t think her sons would think too kindly of anyone sniffing after their mother.

Mikhail turned away and decided to take a quick jog around all the houses. If his sister was going to stay with Sage, he was going to make sure she was safe and settled before he left.

His decision to stay had absolutely nothing to do with a pretty she-wolf with golden-brown eyes.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Rina sat on a deck chair on the shaded back porch and sipped lemonade. She’d worked for a couple of hours in the garden with Sage, but he was relentless, and she wasn’t back to full strength yet. She was getting there. But even then, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep up with him when he was in work mode. There was no need to wonder where all those hard muscles had come from. She had a feeling he usually worked sunup to sundown during the growing season.

“How are you feeling, sweetie?” Sue slid into the chair beside her. Everyone kept asking her the same question. She appreciated their concern.

“I’m feeling much better.” And she was. A few hours sleep, a late breakfast, and now resting in the sun were doing wonders for her. Gator had checked her wound. The stitches were all gone and only faint bruising and a scar remained, and the scar would probably fade until it became a faint line.

“Sage didn’t wear you out?”

Rina almost spit her lemonade. Had Sue and her husband heard them making love earlier this morning?

“Out in the garden,” Sue continued.

She knew her face was red, but there was no helping it. “Ah, no. I enjoyed it.”

Sue gave her a knowing look but thankfully didn’t mention Rina and Sage’s early morning activities. “I love getting out in the garden. There’s something about seeing plants grow that feeds the soul as well as the stomach.”

Rina laughed. She could understand that. She’d never had a garden but was already in love with Sage’s. “Sage is harvesting vegetables.” He’d missed the last market with everything that had happened with her, but he’d promised he’d take her with him to the next one. She was curious to see more of the town.

“Hmm.” Sue had a sip of her own lemonade. “We’ll cut flowers the night before the market so they’ll be nice and fresh. I’ve got soap made, but I have some sachets to fill.”

Gwen joined them and plunked her butt down on the railing. “I’m done for the day.” She wiped the back of her hand over her forehead. “It’s too hot to think, let alone write. What are we talking about?”

“Work.” Sue tilted her head back and closed her eyes. “I need to fill and sew some more sachets for the market. We usually get a lot of tourists during the summer and they tend to spend freely. I want to have a good selection. Where are the boys?”

“Jacque and Louis took them fishing. I don’t know where the boys find the energy in this heat.”

“Sage says you’re a writer.” Rina had never known anyone who’d actually written a book before, let alone published one.

“Paranormal romance.”

“Really?”

Gwen smiled, and it lit her entire face up. “Oh, yeah. Jacque still has a hard time reading what I write, but I assure him he’s the template for all my heroes.”

Sue laughed. “They’re really hot and steamy. You should read one.” She leaned in as though she was sharing a deep secret. “Word is that werewolves are studs in bed.”

Rina burst out laughing. The thought of the alpha reading the books his mate wrote was too funny. The other women chimed in. Rina felt another worry fall away from her shoulders. She really liked these women. They were kind and strong and very talented.

“I don’t know what to do.” She hadn’t meant to blurt out her problem, but maybe they could help her.

Gwen tilted her head to one side. “What do you mean?”

“I only have a high school education, and my work experience is mostly waitressing.” It was embarrassing how little skill she had.

“I was a waitress before I started working in the garden with Sage and making things,” Sue offered.

“Really?” Somehow it was easy to believe that these women were smarter and more educated than her. It relieved her to know she had something in common with Sage’s aunt.

“Sure. I was a young, divorced mom with a kid to raise. I took whatever work I could find, and that was working at the local diner. Both Sylvie and Cherise worked as waitresses too.”

“Are you talking about me?” Sylvie strode across the yard and sat on the step.

“Rina was just trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life,” Sue told her.

Sylvie nodded. “It can seem overwhelming at first. My advice is to pick a couple of things to try and give them a go. If they don’t work out or you don’t like them, pick a couple more. You’ll eventually find your passion. I used to sew my own clothes as a young girl and teenager. After I landed here, I decided I wanted to sew again, only this time, I taught myself how to make quilts. You can find almost anything in a book or online.”

“That’s true.” Sue lifted her glass and toasted Sylvie. “I found everything I needed to know about soap making and drying plants from books and videos.”

“What about you?” Rina asked Gwen.

She ran the side of her glass over her forehead, leaving a trail of wet condensation on her skin. “I was always a writer. It was articles mostly. I did pieces on the paranormal for magazines. When I ended up mated with Jacque, I decided it was time to really work on the book I’d been tinkering with for a while. The rest, as they say, is history.”

Rina leaned forward, fascinated by their stories. “What about Anny?”

“Anny was a librarian,” Sue told her. “She worked at the local school. She loves books.”

“But she doesn’t write them?” If she loved them so much, Rina wondered why she didn’t write them.

“She says she likes reading books but has no desire to write them. She always liked to bake but never did much of it because she lived alone.” Sue grinned. “That’s not a problem around here. The men will eat as much as she can make. It’s always a chore to keep them away from the pies she and Miss Elise make for the market.”

Rina was about to ask about Cherise when her daughter came racing around the corner of the house. “Rina. Rina.” The little girl waved as though she hadn’t seen Rina in years. “Look what I’ve got.” Amy scurried up the stairs and stood beside Rina’s chair. She was vibrating with excitement, bouncing up and down on her small feet.

“What?” Rina wasn’t sure what she was supposed to be seeing.

“In my hair.” Amy reached up and touched the sparkling tiara perched on top of her head. “Isn’t it beautiful? My daddy bought it for me.”

The idea of big, bad Cole buying a sparkly tiara for his daughter made Rina smile. “It’s gorgeous.”

Amy nodded. “The boys said it was silly to wear it outside, but Daddy said I looked pretty.” She went from woman to woman so they could admire it.

Cherise had been right behind her daughter and leaned on a rail post and watched, her gaze filled with love.

“We were just talking about our jobs and how we came to have them,” Gwen told her.

Cherise looked at Rina and something in the woman’s expression told her that she knew exactly what Rina was going through. “It’s tough. You’ll expect too much of yourself at first. You’ll feel stupid because you don’t know exactly what you want to do.” Sadness coated her words and her daughter, sensing her mother’s mood, went straight to her and wrapped her small arms around Cherise’s legs.

“Don’t be sad, Mommy.”

Cherise lifted Amy into her arms. “Mommy isn’t sad, baby.” She rubbed her nose over Amy’s. “How can I be when I have the best little girl in the world?” Amy didn’t look convinced and wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck.

“I took online courses in business at first.” Cherise rubbed her hand up and down her daughter’s back. “Then Gray joined us. She’s an artist, and I asked her if she’d give me a few lessons. I discovered I not only love drawing, but I have a knack for it too.”

Amy wiggled to be let down, so Cherise set her back on the porch. She scampered down the steps and began to skip around the yard. All the women kept an eye on her.

“Cole’s mama can bake, sew, and garden. And she makes the most delicious jams and preserves. She does a bit of everything. I’ve learned a lot from her. And that’s the thing, Rina,” Cherise told her. “You don’t have to do it all by yourself. Not anymore. You have all of us and Sage.”

Rina felt overwhelmed by their generosity. Her own mother had mostly ignored her, but these women were offering to help her with whatever she needed. Her chest ached and her eyes filled. “Thank you.”

“No one expects you to figure this out overnight.” Gwen reached out and patted Rina’s arm. “Give yourself a break. It’s been a hell of a year for you, and I gather life wasn’t a whole lot better before that.”

Rina didn’t want to talk about the past or the pack and family that had disowned her.

“We’re all misfits in our own way,” Sue said. “Otherwise we wouldn’t be here.”

The other women nodded and smiled. Rina could see some sadness there, but mostly happiness for where they were now.

They were right. It was time to stop living in the past and embrace what was right in front of her. “I’d like to try sewing and maybe painting.” The idea of doing something creative, of making something with her hands appealed to her.

Gwen sighed and shook her head. “No one ever wants to try writing.” They all laughed as Gwen pushed off the railing. “And speaking of writing. I know I said I was done for the day, but this break has given me a few ideas. I want to try to get them down before I forget.”

“You’re welcome to drop over later if you want,” Cherise offered. “I can show you some basics in drawing. It would be better if you had some idea about that before you attempted painting.”

Rina was moved by her offer. “Thank you. I might do that. If not today, is another day okay?”

“Sure.” Cherise went down the stairs and fixed Amy’s tiara, which was tilting to one side. “Come over anytime. Gray will help too. She’s in the middle of a deadline for her next gallery showing, but as soon as that’s done, I know she’d be more than willing to give you lessons if you’d like.” She turned to her daughter. “Come on, sweetie. It’s almost naptime.”

“Can I wear my tiara?” Amy asked.

“Of course you can, but it might hurt your head or get broken.”

Amy shook her head. “I’ll take it off.” She slipped her hand into her mother’s.

“That’s probably a good idea.”

Sue pushed out of her chair. “If you want to try your hand at sewing, I can give you your first lesson sewing seams for the sachet bags I need for the market.”

The idea of playing with fabric intrigued her, but fear held her back. “What if I mess them up?”

Sue’s smile was gentle and understanding. It was easy to see why Sage loved his aunt so much. “You will mess up. We all do at first. Even now I still make mistakes. It’s part of the learning process.” She walked down the steps. “Come on. Let’s go over to the craft room at Sylvie’s and get set up.”

Rina knew this was the next step she had to take if she was going to stay here and be a part of the pack. She followed Sue and the older woman wrapped her arm around Rina’s waist. “It’s going to be okay,” Sue promised. “Just give it time.”

Rina wished Sage was nearby. She always felt better when he was around. But this was her challenge. While he could give her emotional support, he couldn’t do it for her. Nor would she want him to.

Her fear dissipated under a growing sense of excitement as they entered the other pack house. Sue didn’t bother to knock. Rina sniffed the air and could tell there was no one at home.

Sue led her to the sewing room, walked straight to the closet, and opened the door. Shelf upon shelf was filled with fabric and trim and thread. “Take your pick.” She also motioned to several large plastic bins stacked in the corner. “And if nothing on the shelves appeals to you, you can have a look in those.”

* * * * *

Sage stretched and rolled his shoulders. It felt good to be back in the garden, to be tending his plants and harvesting herbs and vegetables. He missed Rina. He liked having her work alongside him, but it was good that she was resting.

He finished pulling the weeds between two rows of carrots and tossed them into the nearby wheelbarrow. He pulled off his work gloves before turning to face the wolf who’d come up behind him.

“Anything I can do for you?” He was still trying to figure out Rina’s brother. Mikhail didn’t say a whole lot and kept to himself. He was always observing the pack.

“Where’s Rina?”

Sage jerked his head toward the houses. “She’s with Sue. Don’t worry, the women will keep an eye on her.”

“Want something to drink?” Sage ambled over to a large cooler that sat under a tree. He tugged off the lid, dug into the melting ice and pulled out an oversized thermal jug. “Lemonade.” He poured some into a plastic cup. “I’ve got water too, if you’d prefer.” He went through gallons of the stuff when he was working. Sue made the lemonade fresh for him everyday.

Mikhail shook his head. “I’m good.”

Sage downed half the drink in a single gulp and wiped his hand over his mouth. “Something on your mind? Or should I say someone?”

Mikhail wandered alongside the raised beds. “You’re really a farmer?”

“I really am,” he answered before finishing off the rest of his drink. He popped the lid back on the cooler and set his empty glass on top of it. “I don’t make a fortune, but I can support Rina.” Sage knew that’s what her brother really wanted to know. He also had some money invested that was doing rather well.

“I have land and am going to build a house just as soon as I can convince her to stay. I want her to have a say in the layout and what goes into it. I want it to feel like home.” He sat on the wooden frame that enclosed one of the gardens. “Look, I know you don’t know me well. I understand that you’re worried about Rina. What you need to know is that I’ll do anything to make her happy.”

“I know.”

Okay, not what Sage had been expecting to hear. “Then what’s the problem?”

Mikhail paused and leaned against a tree, his face half in the shadows. “Rina. She’s not used to trusting people. She may get scared and run.”

Her brother wasn’t telling Sage something he didn’t already know. “If she does, I’ll be right behind her,” Sage assured him.

“Good. She needs to know you won’t give up on her. She might even test that.”

She already had, but Sage had patience when it came to getting something he really wanted, and he really wanted Rina in his life. “You staying?” he asked Mikhail.