“There’s no need to worry.” Conleth smiled, feeling Paige’s joy like the sun rising in his heart. “Everything’s fine.”
As if in proof, the door opened. Paige entered, followed by Archie. Her mom and the sheriff came last, hand-in-hand. The man still looked somewhat shell-shocked, but there was a newfound softness in his weathered face; a kind of amazed, wondering glow.
“Everyone,” Archie said proudly, “this is my dad.”
As a chorus of relieved exclamations and congratulations broke out, Paige took Conleth’s hand. She pulled him over to the sheriff.
“It’s about time you two met properly,” she said. “Patrick, this is my mate.”
The sheriff turned from shaking hands with the other senior staff. His rather dazed expression abruptly sharpened.
“Him?” The sheriff looked from side-to-side, clearly hoping Paige might have meant someone else. “Thisguy?”
Conleth’s stomach sank.
“It’s all right, Dad,” Archie said, overhearing. He grinned up at Conleth. “He’s not that bad.”
EPILOGUE
NINE MONTHS LATER
“Come on, Archie!” Paige called. “I’ve got a staff meeting at ten. We need to get going.”
“Coming!” Her brother bounded down the stairs, shirtless, backpack clutched in his arms. “Mom, have you seen my camp t-shirt?”
“It just came out of the dryer.” Their mom handed him the garment. “Did you pack your meds?”
“Mooooooom!” Archie crammed the t-shirt into his bulging backpack. “Of course I did. You don’t have to keep reminding me.”
“Sorry. Force of habit.” Mom kissed the top of his head. “Have fun today. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“Awwwwwwww.” Archie pulled a face. “Can’t I stay overnight?”
“You can’t, yet,” Paige said. “All the cabins have to be cleaned and checked before anyone can sleep over.”
“Then I’m gonna work twice as hard!” Giving their mom a brief, distracted hug, Archie dashed out the door. “Bye, Mom. Comeon, Paige! Hurry up already!”
Her mom sighed. “I hope he’s not going to be too much underfoot. You sure it’s all right for him to help get the camp ready for the new season?”
“It’ll be fine. The wildfire crew kids will be there, and there are plenty of jobs to keep them out of mischief.” Paige kissed her mom’s cheek. “I’m going to be busy all morning, but do you want to drop by the camp later? I’d love to show you the new nature hut.”
“Another time.” A faint flush colored her mom’s cheeks. “Patrick’s shift finishes early today, so he’s coming home for lunch.”
Paige smirked. “And to take advantage of a child-free afternoon?”
“Oh hush, you.” Her mom shooed her out the door. “I’ll walk with you part of the way. Let’s get going before your brother explodes.”
Archie was already in bear form, his backpack around his neck. He huffed impatiently, herding them both across the backyard.
After a couple of embarrassing incidents, Patrick had put up a couple of screened, three-sided enclosures at the back of the yard, a bit like open-air shower cubicles. Paige ducked into one, grateful for the privacy as she wriggled out of her clothes. As used to shifting as she was by now, she drew the line at getting naked in front of her little brother.
Wish Conleth could teach me the trick of taking my clothes with me when I shift.
Unfortunately, since she wasn’t a mythic shifter, she was stuck with more mundane methods of avoiding public indecency. She put her clothes in her own bag, adjusting the strap so it would be long enough to loop around her neck. Dropped to all fours, she let her bear take over.
The fresh breeze changed to a glorious symphony of intriguing smells. She shook out her fur, relishing the smooth power of this body, then ambled out from the changing cubicle.
Mom and Archie were waiting at the edge of the forest. Her mother rumbled in greeting, dropping her huge, shaggy head to exchange affectionate sniffs. Archie danced from paw-to-paw, dashing in to nip impatiently at their hind legs.
