Everything Christmas meant to her, even if it wore a different name.
“I’d love to attend.”
“Good.” Kaalden nodded once. “We look forward to seeing you there.”
They moved on, and she bit her lip in excitement. Three days. She had three days to convince Mr. Grumpy Rancher to bring her. Three days to?—
“Shit. How much time do I have left?” She snagged Finley’s wrist to check her watch.
“Fifteen minutes.”
Her heart sank. The hour had flown. Part of her wanted to stretch it out, to linger here in this warmth and welcome. The other women would let her, she knew they would. They’d cover for her, make excuses, and give her more time here where she felt welcome if she told them why.
But Goraath had said an hour.
“I should head back.”
Val studied her face. “You don’t have to.”
“He gave me an hour. I have to get back.”
“The Midwinter Celebration.” Finley pressed her hand. “We’ll see you there?”
“I hope so.”
She hugged them all, holding onto each one as long she could without it being weird.
“Okay.” She said brightly. “I’d better get back to tall, and grumpy, before he comes looking for me.”
Goraath stood in the middle of the colony square, watching Juni disappear into the cluster of human women. Their arms wrapped around her, voices rising in excitement, and she melted into them like she’d known them her whole life.
He turned toward the supply depot, jaw tight. He needed to focus on what needed doing.
The depot sat squat and functional against the hillside, its metal doors scarred from years of transports backing too close. Inside, rows of shelves stretched toward the ceiling, packed with everything a frontier colony needed to survive. The familiar smell of machine oil and preserved food wrapped around him.
Grall looked up from behind the counter, his weathered face creasing into what passed for a smile. “Goraath. Didn’t expect you back so soon.”
“Need supplies.”
“For the female, eh?” Grall’s amber eyes held curiosity. “The other matches have been through already. That engineer, Daax, bought half my thermal blanket stock. Said his female was freezing.”
Thermal blankets. Draanth.
“Yeah, for the female,” he grunted and moved deeper into the store, snagging a supply cart as he went. The list in his head grew with every step… he needed a couple of new blankets. The house only had thin ones. And heating coils for her room… the stone walls held cold like a trap, and humans didn’t run as hot as latharians. Oh, and warmer clothing as well… Proper boots for the terrain.
He frowned. He should also pick up food that wasn’t just dried meat and root vegetables.
Everything he should have thought of before she arrived.
“How’s she settling in?” Grall followed him down the aisle, hands clasped behind his back. “She’s a pretty little thing.”
Goraath’s fingers bit into the package of heating coils he’d just picked up. “Fine.”
“Thayn’s female seems comfortable. Already helping at the clinic, from what I hear. And that tall one with the sharp features… she’s got half the colony scared and the other half in love.” Grall chuckled. “These females are something else.”
He grabbed three thermal blankets and threw them in the cart.
“Heard you voted against the program.”
