The drive to the next house took an hour. Duron stuck his head out the open window and shook it. “No.” The row of houses were all identical. They appeared like large cages to him with the metal balconies attached to the front.
At the next one, thirty minutes from the last, Duron got out of the car to look. It was more colonial with balustrades and had pretty flowers outside. It was definitely more welcoming than the last two. Right up until he stepped inside. His nose once more led him back to the kitchen.
When he reached for the refrigerator handle, the irritating agent tutted behind him. “That’s an invasion of privacy.”
“We’re in their damned house poking around, can’t get any more invasive than that!” Duron snapped back, then swallowed what he was next going to say when his gaze landed on the jar on the shelf. “What the fuck is that?”
The woman clip clopped to him and gave him a look that would wither skin. “A koolickle. The folks here must be from Mississippi.”
His eyes widened. “A koolickle?” Beaumont came over to have a look at the brightly colored pickles.
“Yes, a koolickle is a Mississippi delicacy made by soaking pickles in Kool-Aid. Appearances aside, it’s a delicious combination of sweet and salty.”
Folks were creepy. “We’re leaving.”
Duron stalked back out. He wasn’t sure house hunting was for him.
Back in the car, Beaumont released a sigh that made Duron’s lip twitch when, in fact, his mate became utterly amused by Duron’s version of picking a house. And the sound was all effect for the red-faced woman who was back to glaring in the rearview mirror at him.
“The next place is a three-hour drive away. Are you sure you want to go and look at it?” Her sharp tone revealed she didn’t want to after the last three failures.
Beaumont patted her arm. “Yes, I’ve a good feeling about the next one.”
Why?
You’ll see.
Two hours into the drive, Duron’s gaze and nose were on the outside of the car window.
“Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest is hundreds of thousands of acres. It’s a place to get absorbed in nature easily. If that’s what you want.”
Duron ignored the barbed comment directed at him. He wasn’t sure what the house was going to look like. He’d left that up to Beaumont, but this place spoke to his animals. They could be free here. Get lost in the forest and amble, fly, or run free.
It wasn’t a lush green like Paraguay’s rainforest. That didn’t matter because the air was cooler and smelled fresh. Yes, the heat was there, only the deeper they traveled through the forest it became more bearable.
They came around a sharp bend in the road and Duron’s lips curved into a wide smile at the snow-capped mountains in the far distance. The beauty of the valley laid beneath them bathed in sun was peaceful as well as stunning. Trees lined both sides of the valley that had a lake running through it. Off to the left was a large wooden structure. From afar it appeared rustic, yet Duron didn’t discount it when the area around it was perfect.
We could build a house.
His thought must have carried when Beaumont answered,we can do whatever you want.
When the car finally came to a stop, Duron was out quickly, only this time with excitement. The large wooden cabin was three stories high. Large windows would let in lots of light. There were plenty of basking places for an alligator. His mind whirring, he walked inside after the woman, who for the first time, didn’t bombard them with information.
Wooden, polished flooring glowed in the sunshine as he roamed aimlessly through the house. The was no furniture, but he could envision a large couch, a flat-screen TV, and him and Beaumont stretched out watching sports. In the kitchen there were no refrigerated horrors. It was empty like the rest of the place.
He was on the third floor when Beaumont found him. His arms wrapped around his waist, and he met his grin with one of his own. “This is it. This is our place.”
Duron opened himself to all his animals, letting them get a feel for the place. One by one, they came to the same thought. Home.
“Yes, it is.” Beaumont answered, shocking Duron.
“Can you hear my animals?” he asked in a hushed tone.
“No, but you get an expression that says you are allowing them to express themselves.” The burgeoning arousal pressing against his thigh indicated exactly when he’d done that before.
A wicked grin spread over his face. “Do you think, what’s her name, would leave us for the night here if we said we were buying it?” He glanced about at the large empty room. “We’ll be safe from breaking anything.” He nuzzled his nose down the side of his mate’s neck, getting a shudder as his teeth grazed the skin. “We could test out the spaces, make sure they’re…big enoughfor us.”
A rumbled laugh shook Beaumont’s body. A sound Duron loved.
