The lunch was better than she thought it would be.It was stroganoff and homemade noodles.She had a bit of sour cream on hers, and he sopped up his gravy with her slices of bread.She thought her grandda looked better than he had in the last few days, and she thought that he’d figured that she’d not be all right with him moving into the nursing home.It was more like an assisted living, but she was fine with it.Telling him that she felt better about him being someplace where someone was going to be watching over him made them both feel good.As soon as she was ready to leave, they both got teary-eyed.
“I’m going to miss you tonight.”He said that he’d call her later.“You’d better.I can’t go to sleep without you telling me goodnight.”
“I know the feeling.”He didn’t tell her goodbye like he would have if she were leaving him.Instead, he told her that he’d see her later.On the way home, she bawled her eyes out, missing him already, but she knew in her heart that this was for the best, no matter how much she didn’t like being in the big house all on her own.
The house seemed so empty to her now.Since she wanted to stay there until she had to leave, she ran the vacuum and did the few dishes from this morning.By the time she was finished dusting, Molly figured that she’d cried about a bucket of tears and was missing her grandda more than she thought possible.She kept telling herself that he was safe and that’s all that mattered.
Chapter 2
Kayce slept until seven, well past when he normally got up.As he was going through his morning list of things that he had to do, he kept thinking about Molly Toby and her grandda.He didn’t know why they’d been on his mind, but he couldn’t shake the feelings that he needed to do something for them.
He’d seen William Junior in the hospital.He’d been in worse shape than his daughter had been, and he was happy that she’d been able to stand up for herself.He’d had a total of four broken ribs as well as about fifty stitches on his body, which made him think that he’d not want to mess with Molly when she was in that kind of mood.He remembered that she’d been beaten up too, but he was happy that she was on the mend and staying with her grandda while he was recuperating too.When his phone rang, he couldn’t believe that it was Mr.William calling him.
“I moved out of the big house and have moved into some assisted living.”He never started a conversation with hello or hi.Just launched into the conversation like they’d been talking all along.“Molly is at the big house all on her own.I just wanted to let you know in the event that you come looking for me.She’s going back in the service tomorrow and will be gone for a few weeks before her vacation starts again.She’s using up all the time that she’d built up so that she doesn’t lose it when she gets out.”
“How is she feeling?And I’m happy that you’ve gotten someone to take over your care.You might have stayed there before now, and you wouldn’t have fallen.But I’m happy for you.”
“I am too.They’ve been nice as can be to me since I got here yesterday.I have my own rooms and one for Molly when she comes to visit.”He told him some of the rules that he had to follow and found them to be just what the elderly man needed.Not to cook in his rooms was a big one that people his age struggled with.“I’ve ordered myself a television for me to watch when my shows come on.Molly and I loved to watch them game shows when they come on in the evening.I have to tell you, other than missing my girl, I slept well last night.Didn’t think that I would with the boys out there hunting me down.”
“The brothers are in jail for assault.Your son is in the hospital still and will serve his time when he gets out.I didn’t know that Molly had pressed charges against them.It’s the best way to go.”He said that she was a smart girl.“I would say so.And she did a number on her father, too.He’s going to be hurting for a while yet.”
Sometimes, like now, he would think of Molly’s injuries and wonder why he’d been so wrong about her having broken bones.He knew that on some level, he wasn’t right all the time, but he’d been so sure when he’d seen her that she had at least three broken ribs and her wrist broken.The fact that he’d been able to release her made him think that he needed to be more careful in the future.
“I’ve never been so ashamed of anyone in my entire life than I am of them boys.To think that instead of getting a job, they think it’s easier to beat an old man up for his only income just boggles my mind.”He told him he was sorry.“So am I.I wished my wife were still around.She’d surely have them put away.I made a promise to Molly that when they come around to beat me up, I’m going to press charges against them.Not that I think they’ll be able to get me while I’m in here, but I’m going to be more careful about that, too.You can bank on that.”
“Good.I know a few people like your family, and I wouldn’t trust them as far as I could toss them.”He laughed, and it made Kayce smile.“If you ever need anything from me, Mr.William, you give me a call.I’ll be there as fast as I can.I see a couple of people at that assisted living place, and if you don’t mind, I’ll stop by to see you sometimes.”
“I’d like that.Yes, sir.I’d like that very much.”They rang off, and he put his phone away.For some reason, he didn’t feel like the connection had been enough and decided to go and check on Molly.What harm could it do, he asked himself.She was his patient, and he could check on her when she needed it.
On the way to the house, he thought about the big mammoth of a building.He knew from talking to Mr.William that the place had eight bedrooms.He also told him that it would need some work to get it back in shape, but it was just the kind of house he’d been looking for when he’d been house hunting.Big enough to spread out in and with the outbuildings around the place, he could easily set himself up an office where he could do some doctoring in.Just as he pulled into the driveway, he had a sudden thought.Could Molly be his mate?
Things about her started falling into place.She’d healed faster than he’d thought.Even though he’d been to see her when she’d been beaten, she’d healed with him there.As he was ticking off the list of things that made sense to him, he realized that she might well be his mate.While sitting in his car thinking about the other things that were going on, he changed his clothing into something more comfortable and knew without a doubt that she was the one.Getting out of his car, he was smiling when he went to the door.
“I just ordered dinner, and I thought you were him.”He said that he’d come by to check on her and was pleased that she was getting around so well.“I’ve been feeling pretty good for the last two days.But I got a craving for some Chinese food and ordered enough that I could take leftovers into my pop-pop for his lunch tomorrow.You might as well join me.”
She didn’t sound thrilled about him joining her, and that made him laugh.When he inhaled deeply when her back was turned to him, he smiled at that, too.She called to him; her scent did, and he couldn’t have been more happy.As he was closing the door, another car pulled into the driveway, and he saw it was the delivery person.Perfect timing.He might well call in a second order if she didn’t order enough for the two of them.He was suddenly hungry, too.
She had ordered a great deal, and he was happy about that.Offering to pay for his half, she said that he could get it the next time she was in town.Kayce asked when she was leaving, and his heart did a little jump.Tomorrow night.That didn’t leave them much time to get to know one another, and that sort of depressed him.
“What do you know about shifters?”She bit into her egg roll and told him that she’d already figured it out.“Figured out what?That I belong to you?”
“Mates.The two of us are.You’re the only stranger that I’ve seen in the past few days, and I know that I shouldn’t have been healed already.Do you want some soup?I got a lot of it because Pop-pop loves it when it’s hot.”He told her that he’d love some but would put in another order so she could take some to her grandda.“All right.I’m going to miss this when I’m overseas, but I only have a few months left to go.Most of it will be eaten up in time off.I have a lot of it built up.”
She handed him a menu, and he ordered enough that he could take some to work for himself tomorrow.He loved egg rolls, and these seemed to hit the spot.While they were waiting for the second order, she asked him what he was going to do without her being around all the time.
“I don’t know.I don’t feel the need to mark you or anything.I do want to protect you from your family, but I think that you’d do a better job than I would.”She told him that she’d been trained in hand to hand combat.“I figured as much.It’s like I know that you’re going to be leaving soon, but I’m all right with that.So long as you come back to me when your time is up.”
“I don’t know what to think about my being your mate.”He corrected her.“Whatever.Who cares who belongs to who?We’re mates, and that’s all that matters.I do have a few rules about stuff.I won’t quit what I’m doing.I can get all my benefits if I hang out for the rest of my enlistment, and I don’t want to lose that.”
“I understand that completely.”He told her how he’d been wanting out of the doctors’ group that he’s been in and stuck it out so that he’d not have to pay for it.“I only have tomorrow to go, and then I’ll be finished with them.Would you like to live here when you get out?It’s a charming house if a little bit out of date.”
“It’s a lot out of date, but I would love to live here.There are things that it needs that I can afford,but I was waiting until I had the money to pay for them.The roof, for example.It needs to be replaced like last year.”He asked about the kitchen.“It’s a couple of centuries out of date, but it had good walls, my grannie used to say.It will take a lot to get it back up to this century.”
“I have the money that we can start on it as soon as your grandfather gives us permission.”She said that as of last year, she owned the house.“Good.We can get started on it right away.While you’re gone, I can oversee what’s going on and keep you up to date on the changes.”
“This is all moving fast, don’t you think?I mean, I only just figured out that we’re mates yesterday.”He said that he’d figured it out when he pulled into her driveway.“A little slow, aren’t you?I mean, aren’t you guys like right on top of marking your mates so that everyone knows that I belong to you?”
“I feel no need to mark you as you said.I just feel good that you’re here for me and that we seem to be able to get along.”She ate the last of the egg rolls when the doorbell rang again.“That’ll be the rest of the food.I hope that it’s enough.I’ve never been this hungry in a while.It feels good.”
