Jesse swigged the last of his coffee, put his mug in the dishwasher—it had taken a hell of a lot of nagging from Jason to get him to remember to do that—and headed outside. He’d scarcely been out of the house since getting hurt, and he welcomed the morning sun and the summer breeze in his hair.
He wandered over toward the barn, hoping to see Missy’s foal, and paused at the sight of the big dark wolf lying out sunning himself. He glanced up the slope to the trees and could just make out Dave up there, keeping watch over him.
He thought about copying Karl’s example, because warm sun on his body sure would feel good right now, but he saw a familiar stocky figure standing at the corral. Christian was resting one booted foot on the lower rail as the black gelding fussed at him, wanting attention.
Jesse leaned against the rails a little farther down from Christian, copying his posture. Christian continued scratching the black behind the ears, not giving away by look or word that he knew Jesse was there.
“Seems like I know squat about scent markings,” Jesse said at last.
Christian grunted slightly.
“Maybe you could teach me? I aim to pull my weight now I’m a part of this pack.”
Christian still didn’t look at him, giving Jesse no indication of how his overture had been received. He looked at Christian’sprofile, seeing the set to his jaw that was so often full of tension, and he wondered how Dave coped with someone always wound so tight. And then he remembered the way Christian’s voice had cracked when he’d tried to stop Dave fighting, tried to protect him. He thought about howhefelt aboutMatt.
“I didn’t know what the hell Dave was up to, when he was just trying to help,” he said. Still couldn’t bring himself to apologize, because that was showing weakness. This was as close as he could get. “Shouldn’t have swiped him.”
Christian paused in his attentions to the horse for just a second. “Maybe I could teach you,” he said, and carried on with the rubbing that was turning the big black to goo beneath his hands.
Jesse didn’t know what he’d expected after putting himself out there like that, but as he pushed off the rails and headed toward Karl, his chest felt lighter. It was probably just the sunshine, though he thought maybe he’d done something right.
He’d need to work out what being part of this pack meant for his future. How he’d pay his way or earn his keep. The black gelding whinnied shrilly, and Jesse glanced across to see it was because Christian had left him and was on his way to the house. Maybe he could look after the horses. Although, hadn’t Matt said Dave did that? Well, he’d find a way to pull his weight, whatever it was.
He’d spent so long running, never believing he’d have a place like this. He’d never thought hewanteda place like this. But then he’d met Matt, and Jesse had stopped running.
He shifted and laid himself down, not so close Karl felt crowded but close enough to be sociable, wriggling at the sensation of sun-warmed grass against his sleek coat. He couldn’t remember ever having felt safe enough to do this. But Dave was keeping watch, Christian was close by, and Jesse could let go and snooze in the sunshine.
MATT
Matt called in at the hospital that afternoon. Hailey Thomas had months of physical therapy ahead of her, but the prognosis was good. That didn’t stop Matt’s guilt over what had happened.
He looked into her room and found her mom sitting by the bed. Hailey didn’t remember anything of the accident, which wasn’t exactly hopeful for the ongoing investigation, but Matt thought it was a blessing. He stayed and talked to her a while, admiring her cuddly toy pony and noticing just how many of theGet Well Sooncards featured horses.
“Hailey loves horses,” her mom told him.
“Really? Well, one of my mares has just had a foal,” he said. “He’s a cute little fellow, all long legs and knobbly knees. Maybe you’d like to come and see him sometime, if your mom and dad say it’s okay?”
Her eyes shone, and she grasped her toy pony a little tighter. “Yes, please,” she begged.
“That’s very kind of you, Sheriff,” her mom said. She sounded as if she thought the invitation was nothing more than him being polite.
“I mean it. Any time. You just let me know when you want to come. There’s no shortage of us at the ranch to help you get around until your legs have mended.”
Mrs. Thomas’s studied neutrality disappeared, her eyes filling with gratitude. Matt could only imagine what she must be going through—dealing with her own fear and sorrow over what had happened while also trying to keep her daughter entertained and upbeat, despite the fact she was stuck in bed.
“Thank you,” she said. “We’ll be sure to do that, won’t we, Hailey?”
Hailey nodded frantically.
Matt was still thinking about the Thomases when he left the hospital. The investigation into the incident was still open, and he’d put out BOLOs on the vehicle, but he was fairly certain the case would never be officially solved. He’d have to quietly look into the family’s insurance situation and see if they needed help. He figured it was up to shifters to make good what a rogue shifter had done to an innocent little girl, because none of them had tried to stop Cale before now. There were plenty of moneyed shifters around Denver. He’d make some calls and try to put right at least some of what Cale had done.
* * *
Matt was weary and sore after a day at work, but all of that was forgotten when he pulled up outside the house, and a sense of peace settled over him. He was home.
As he climbed out of the truck, Christian looked up from where he was elbow-deep in the guts of his old jeep. “Might want to avoid the kitchen,” he warned.
Matt raised his eyebrows, but that was evidently all Christian was willing to share. Well, if anything was calculated to get Matt to the kitchen, a mystery would do it.
