Faron glanced back at me, holding my gaze. “Really? You’re not just saying that?”
“You know I wouldn’t lie to you about something Bran said.” I nodded. “It’s settled. You’re staying with us. I’ll call Daisy and see what I can find out about the accident. I won’t tell her you’re staying with us, if you don’t want me to,” I added.
Faron debated for a moment, then said, “No, you can tell her. I haven’t done anything wrong. I would never hurt Lucretia. Even when she told me she wanted to leave, I understood.”
We sat in silence until Bran returned, carrying two bags of groceries filled with pastries and chips and what looked like several sixpacks of beer. As he started up the car again, I wondered what the hell was going to happen next. Everything had shifted in such a big way.
CHAPTER FOUR
As we entered the house, Fancypants flew out to greet us. He fluttered down to rest on the coffee table. “Faron, hello,” he said, beaming. He had formed an attachment to the wolf shifter when we were seeing each other.
“Hey Fancypants, it’s been awhile.” Faron sounded exhausted.
I could tell he just wanted to rest. “Faron’s tired right now. Maybe we can let him rest before—” I started to say.
“It’s okay,” Faron interrupted. “I’m happy to see FP again. But you’re right. If I could take a shower and get some sleep, I’d really appreciate it.”
“You can have the guest room,” I said, “although I haven’t had a chance to put fresh sheets on the bed.”
My house—or rather, Bran’s and my house now that we were married—had three bedrooms. The largest, we slept in. The second largest was my office and ritual room. And the third was the guest room. The latter had seen a lot of use since my Grams first came over from Scotland, but for the past six months, it had been empty. Fancypants slept in it, curling up on the bed like a cat.
“Come on,” I said. “I’ll get you some towels.” I turned to Bran. “Make him some food?”
Bran nodded. “Will do,” he said, heading for the kitchen. “Hey, what about your brownies?”
“Oh hell! I forgot. They’re ruined now. Can you call…whoever it is that’s in charge and tell them we can’t make it after all? I can order a couple dozen brownies from some bakery to be sent there, if they need.”
“I’ll give them a call,” Bran said.
Faron followed me to the guest room. I stopped at the linen closet to get him a couple towels, a wash cloth, and a hand towel. I also pulled out a second blanket since the one on the bed was thin, and it was chilly. Then, I ducked into our bedroom and dug out one of Bran’s old robes, and a pair of pajamas he hadn’t used yet.
Returning to the guest room, I found Faron had taken off his shirt. I handed him the robe, pjs, and towels. “Go shower. I’ll get the bed ready for you. Bran’s making some breakfast and, after you eat, you can get some rest.”
“Will you call Daisy and ask her if they know anything about Lucretia? I want to know…I guess I just want to know what they found out.” He ducked his head, but I caught sight of the tears that were slowly trickling down his cheek.
“Faron, you really did love her, didn’t you?” I said. Faron was good at hiding his emotions and it seemed like he might have developed more than an appreciation for the woman chosen to be his wife.
He let out a long sigh. “I don’t know. Maybe? I don’t think so, but I was fond of her. I cared about her and I wanted her to be happy. I wanted life to work out the way it was supposed to. But that never happens, does it? Does anybody ever get the chance to live the life they dream of?”
I couldn’t answer.
I was happy, yes, but my life had been nearly destroyed a few years back. Anything seemed better compared to that. But, after I’d walked out of the darkest shadow of my life, I realized that I had no idea what I wanted. I only knew I wanted to feel safe. And with Bran, I felt exactly that… Well, as much as I could ever feel safe. But I couldn’t answer Faron. I couldn’t say anything that would help at this time.
“Faron, take your shower. Eat and get some rest. I’ll talk to Daisy.” I spread the blanket on the bed, then turned and left him, ignoring the gorgeous bare chest that I all too easily remembered being pressed up against me.
While Faron showered and Bran finished making eggs, sausages, and toast, I called the sheriff.
Daisy Parker was a tall, lithe puma-shifter, and she was excellent at her job. She was all business, but beneath the badge, she had a heart. And, unlike some authority figures, she wasn’t arrogant. In fact, she was so unassuming that others underestimated her, which often gave her an edge.
“Hey Daisy,” I said as she answered her phone. “I need to talk to you about Faron’s wife.”
“I assume Bree told you,” she said. “Yes, she’s dead.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Lucretia was a good-hearted person. But, I have some questions that I need to ask you.”
Daisy sighed. “You’ve talked to Faron? And he’s scared, I assume.”
“You assume correctly. He’s here, staying with us. In the past forty-eight hours his entire world has come crashing down. I promised him I’d check with you. He’s afraid that you might suspect him in Lucretia’s death. I think he’s had such an adrenaline rush that he’s hypervigilant.”
