The lease terms Roscoe had shown me were generous and would turn around my financialsituation. But was I going to agree to this based on my gut? It’d never been reliable in the past when I ate bad sushi. There was no prior warning saying put that nigiri back.
“Why don't you all come back tomorrow afternoon? I'll have an answer for you then, and if it's yes, we can walk through the details.”
Every one of the group, even the kids, let out a huge breath. Roscoe's face lit up and he thanked me. I tried not to think of other ways he could show his gratitude.
As they prepared to leave, the kids lingered near Doug's Christmas lights.
“He likes you.” I gave them a high five.
I watched them drive away, though I couldn't shake the feeling there was something they weren't telling me. But for the first time since Roscoe had shown up, I was considering saying yes.These people needed a home, and despite their secretiveness, I sensed they respected the land and they didn’t laugh when I talked to my trees.
And an added benefit would be seeing more of Roscoe, though he hadn’t stated that he lived with the group.
Doug rustled his branches and I patted his trunk. “What do you think, buddy? Should we give them a chance?”
FOUR
ROSCOE
Days after Reed signed the lease, hammering and the distinctive buzz of power tools had become just as much a part of Right as Rain(deer) as the rustle of pine needles.
I stood at the edge of the construction site watching Erik and two other pack members frame the barn. Despite snow on the ground, this structure had to be weatherproof before December 24. Half of it would be for our chickens and ducks who, at the moment, were being looked after by another pack, plus tools and storage. There’d be a wall down the middle and the other half was for the business. The existing cabins were having shingles replaced and pipes repaired and making sure they were water resistant, while the new ones would be built after the snow thawed.
Though the others had objected, I’d bunk down inthe barn until we could build my cabin. I wasn’t an Alpha in the traditional sense, and the pack wasn’t run like that, though the former Alpha Jerome had tried to bend us to his will. We made decisions by consensus.
I scented Reed before I caught a glimpse of him. My work was winding down for the year so I was able to be here helping on the building site. Being this close to him for hours was testing the control I'd spent years developing. My reindeer wasn’t helping, insisting I had to spend more time with our mate.
“Hand me that level, would you, please?” Reed appeared at my elbow.
He'd been assisting with the construction despite us protesting that it wasn’t necessary because he’d fulfilled his part of the agreement. I couldn’t decide if looking at him from a distance or not seeing him at all was better or worse than having his scent hovering around me, teasing me because he was still out of reach.
I wasn’t myself.
Who are you?
I’m not acting like the me I know I am. It was almost impossible to explain the concept to my beast.
I wanted Reed. I was greedy for his lips to be on mine and for me to inhale his breath as we kissed. Avoiding him wasn’t possible and I’d have to make some excuse about needing to attend to my other workdespite the instinct that had me wanting to be by his side.
I passed him the tool, making sure my fingers didn’t brush over his. Even the smallest contact got my reindeer excited and my body tingled, making it difficult to stay in my human form.
Reed was my mate. Once I moved into the barn and Christmas was over, I’d consider how to blend my leisure time to fit into Reed’s daily routine so we’d get to know one another.
And though he glanced in my direction frequently, I was certain he was unaware of the effect he had on me. I eyed him as he jogged back to the barn frame but I was dragged away from daydreaming and back to the present by Erik telling me how pleased he was at our progress.
“You're going to do some damage if you keep staring at him like that.”
Zelda had a knack of sussing out what people were thinking.
Though I had been the Alpha’s designated heir, Jerome, the land snatcher, had anointed himself Alpha after Rayne’s death. Zelda had been Rayne’s mate and our Alpha Omega. The pack had flourished under Rayne’s leadership and he’d insisted I attend college, the first in our small pack to do so.
But using information previous Alphas hadoverlooked, Jerome had sold our land and pocketed the profits and I’d been voted the new leader. And the pack was thankful Zelda had squirreled away most of the profits from Herbal Harmony or we’d be in deep doo doo.
So while I was the Alpha, Zelda was our matriarch and she always spotted when someone was sad, ill or in love.
Not that it took much skill to suss out my desire for Reed.
She was holding a thermos of coffee and I hoped Reed hadn’t made it.
