Lesser of Two Evils (8 page)

“You’re very good at it, too. I’d
like to frame some of your work if you’ll let me.”

She nibbled her lip and furrowed
her brow.

“I looked through your sketchbook.
You have several beautiful sketches in there. Have you ever used chalk or
charcoal?”

“No. I just have my pencil.”

He chuckled. “You need a new one.
Yours is tiny, or do you prefer it that way?”

“No.”

“Okay. Would you like to try chalk
and charcoal or watercolors, have you used them?”

She was quiet and sipped her milk.

“Then we have an errand to run
after breakfast. Are you done with your milk?”

She upturned it and emptied the
glass.

“Come on, it’s late. Let me keep
you warm.”

Kerry heard birds but was too
comfortable to move, surrounded by warmth and cradled gently against a sleeping
Ethan. She opened one eye and found that she was looking at large tanned
pectoral muscles. This was a gorgeous wolf. He could’ve had anyone if her
mother hadn’t interfered.

Mother was a very good saleswoman. She
could talk anyone into anything given enough time. Anyone except Father. He
didn’t “fall for her bullshit.” He’d said it often, but Kerry suspected that he
privately respected that about her since he did not have that gift. People
didn’t want to talk to him the way they did her. She drew them to her, and he
chased them off. Kerry wasn’t sure who she took after, but she knew who she
would pick and it wasn’t her namesake.

If Ethan had looked around for a
minute though, he would have seen there were probably thousands of she-wolves
out there that would’ve dropped to their knees at his feet. Ones that would
like sex, ones that wanted pups, too, and ones that weren’t so much trouble.
His hand stroked her back, and she raised her eyes up as far as she could
without moving. “Are you ready to get up?” He was gazing back down at her.

“Yes,” she whispered. He untangled
himself from her and rolled out of the bed. She watched the big muscles in his
arms and back move. The cords of muscles writhed under his skin like thick
jungle snakes. He could crush her if he wanted. As he walked toward the
bathroom, she watched his naked backside. She knew it was all muscle, too. He
wasn’t as frightening from the back, and he was very nice to look at from this
angle.

“I’m going to grab a quick shower. You
have breakfast duty, don’t forget.” He closed the bathroom door, and Kerry heard
the water come on. She got up and straightened the bed, then went to the
kitchen. She didn’t know how to work a coffee-maker, so if he wanted coffee, he
would have to show her. Piling her arms with eggs, ham steaks, onions, and
peppers she decided on omelets and grabbed the butter and went to the stove.
She chopped and mixed, then poured it all into a big frying pan that she found.
While that cooked, she toasted bread. Ethan came in, pulling on a T-shirt.

“Coffee?” he asked.

“Sorry, I don’t know how to work
your machine.” Kerry looked at it. Coffee was a rarity at her house, but when
they did have it, only her parents drank it. She wasn’t permitted. That was for
them, and no one bothered to show her how to work the machine that her mother
found at a flea market in the
too good to throw away
bin.

The sellers that spent the day out
there were often people who didn’t want to be limited by a yard sale, and they
didn’t want to take the stuff home either. Her mother would window-shop late in
the day and wait for “opportunities,” as she called them. Her father called it
dumpster diving. Either way, the pot that her mom grabbed was decent and looked
almost new. On it was a sticker that read $10.00.

“That’s okay. Here, I’ll show you.”
Ethan got the coffee from a tin in the corner, then asked her to fill the pot
to the number eight on the side. He showed her where the filters were and how
to load it, and then how to turn it on. “Grab the cream for me. It’s in the
door of the fridge.”

Kerry hurried over and brought it
back. Ethan was perched on a bar stool on the opposite side of the counter,
watching her. She flipped the omelet. “You look good back there.” He winked.
“You’ll have to do more cooking.”

“You better taste it first. You
might not like my cooking.” Kerry cut the omelet and gave him the biggest part
and took the rest for herself. He took a bite and chewed thoughtfully.

“Yup, you can keep cooking.” He
grinned, then sipped his coffee. His cell buzzed in his pocket, and he answered
it. “Ethan.” He kept eating and listened.

Kerry stood and picked at her
omelet. She felt out of place here. This kitchen was so big and fancy. Luckily,
the appliances were pretty much the same as her mother’s. These were just
bigger and shinier. Kerry went for a glass of milk, unsure if she was allowed. Ethan
was refilling his mug, and she decided that he liked coffee as much as she
liked milk. She began cleaning up while he was still on the phone. Who could be
this chatty this early in the morning?

Kerry wiped the counters and
cleaned the dishes while he talked, placing the perishables back in the fridge.
Ethan had showered already, saying they had errands. Kerry went down the hall,
deciding to do the same.

She climbed in under the warm water
and scrubbed her hair first because she hadn’t done it the last time. Using Ethan’s
shower gel that smelled like rosemary and mint, she scrubbed her skin top to
bottom.

When she turned to get out, Ethan was
there. “I have to go out.” He handed her a towel. “Thelma is expecting you at
her house as soon as you’re done. When I come back, I’m going to take you into
town to get art supplies. Don’t wander off. Please.”

She gave him a sharp nod. What he
meant was that Thelma was going to babysit her while he went and did what he
needed to do.

“I won’t wander. I’ll stay with
Thelma. I promise.”

His answering smile was soft, and
he pulled her towel-wrapped body close and kissed her forehead.

“Thank you. I’ll be back soon.” He
turned and left her alone.

Kerry listened to him walk away,
then finished drying herself and her hair. She pulled it all up in a ponytail and
went to find clothes. The new ones that he bought were too good to garden in,
so she found a pair of jeans and a T-shirt in her duffle bag. She slid her feet
into her new green flip-flops and went to find Thelma.

“I’m sorry about yesterday,” Kerry
said when Thelma answered the door.

Thelma scoffed. “You don’t need to
be sorry for Connor’s stupidity or Ethan’s insecurity. It’s not your place. Just
chalk it up to testosterone,” she laughed and closed the door behind her. She
took Kerry’s arm as she went down the stairs. “Those boys need to get a grip.”

 “I think I stepped on one of your
plants, too, though,” Kerry said worriedly.

“You did. You smashed a sprig of
lavender, but don’t worry because it grows like a weed. Soon you’ll have to
help me thin it out. We can crush it and steep it in some oil for your bath
water, or you can use it for perfume. Ethan might like that.”

Kerry grimaced.

“What’s wrong? You can tell me.
Your secrets are safe, I promise.”

Kerry thought about it but shook
her head.

 “Okay, you talk when you’re ready,
but keep in mind, I’m old.” She grinned, and Kerry laughed.

“You might look old, but I think
there’s a teenager hiding in there,” Kerry giggled.

“You could be right. Shall we pick
up where we left off?” Thelma slipped her shoes off, and Kerry did the same.
They started down the rows picking weeds. Kerry marveled at the tiny, marble-sized
green tomatoes on one of the bushes and pointed them out to Thelma.

“Looky there. Good. Now if the
damned things will turn red when they’re supposed to, we will be in business.
Last year the damned things wouldn’t turn. Took nearly forever.”

They worked for a couple of hours,
plucking and pulling, then Thelma pulled two packets of seeds out of her
pocket. “Watermelon and cantaloupe. Do you want both or just one?”

Kerry couldn’t contain her smile.
“Both please!” She bounced and clapped.

“What’s made my mate so happy?”
Ethan wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up to kiss her neck. “What’s
that, Thelma? I need ten more.” He put Kerry down gently and strode over to
Thelma to see what was in her hand. “Melon, huh? Where are you going to put it?
Away from the cucumbers, I hope.”

“Ethan, do you garden?” Thelma eyed
him suspiciously.

“Nah, my mama did though, and I
remember that much. Where do they go? I can stick a seed in the ground.” He
winked at Kerry.

They planted the seeds away from
each other and away from the cucumbers. When they were done, Thelma went over
to the spigot sticking out of the ground.

“Stand back, I’m turning on the
waterworks.”

Kerry hurried out of the way and
watched. Up and down the rows was a hose with holes in it. “I’ll let this run
for an hour, and turn it off. You kids go run your errands.”

Ethan knelt at one end of the hose
and rinsed his hands. Kerry did the same. He wiped them on his pants and held
out his hand to her.

“Come. I want to check out the
hobby store.” Kerry took his hand and looked back at Thelma, who winked at her.
Kerry grinned and hurried to stay beside him. His car was parked in front of
the colonial, waiting for them. “I have some council business that I have to
attend to later and I want you to go with me.” When they were inside and
buckled in, he started the car. He backed out and started down the road.

“Okay.” Kerry wondered what that business
could be.

“I have to make a trip to your old
pack. They’re off grid, and the council wants them brought on board.”

“What does that mean?” Ethan was
turning onto the highway now, and Kerry tried to pay attention in case she ever
ended up here.

“All packs must bend to council
law. The council has been in authority for about four hundred years and have
final say on all matters. They didn’t know about your pack, which means your
Alpha wasn’t regulated. I don’t know if he is breaking any laws or not, but
that’s for the council to decide. He will have to make an appearance before
them.”

“Oh. He won’t like them telling him
what to do.”

“They never do, sweetheart. Anyway,
since I mated you and you all were off grid, the council wants a formal statement
about your, um, past.”

“My what?” Kerry was confused. She
didn’t have a past, not one to speak of anyway. Her past was making sure that
her belly was full, and that was the extent of things.

“They want to know that you are in
good standing with your pack, that you haven’t ever gone rogue or caused
trouble.” She shook her head. “Good. Piece of cake.” Ethan parked at the curb
of a strip mall by a store with a sign that read, “Hobby Shop.” He climbed out
and came around to get her out of the car. She was still looking through the
plate-glass window at all of the things there. She saw puzzles and models, a
loom, and a kit to make bracelets
¾
things
she’d seen before but was never able to afford. She took Ethan’s hand and let
him pull her out of the car. Her eyes went straight to the art section. The
huge palette hanging from the ceiling signified the section filled with paper,
canvas, paints, brushes, and some tools she’d never seen before. Ethan was
smiling down at her when she finally looked up at him. “Go. Find things.” He
grinned.

She paced timidly up and down the
aisles, looking at all of the things used to make pictures. They were
beautiful. She picked them up and put them down, examined and returned. In the
middle of a shelf was a bin filled with pencils, the sign read “Five for $1.”
Kerry picked one up and looked at it. She hadn’t brought any money with her,
but the next time they came here, she would have some and buy a pencil to
replace her nub. When she neared the end of the last row, Ethan was beside her,
scowling. Kerry’s joy dissipated.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“There’s nothing here that suits
you?”

She bit her lip.

“Nothing that you liked or wanted
to have?”

“I liked it all. Thank you for
showing it to me.”

He growled angrily. A male clerk
nearby looked up suddenly at the sound.

“Michael,” Ethan said, a growl
still in his voice.

“Sir,” he answered, Kerry scented
wolf, obviously a pack member.

“Wrap up and deliver everything
needed to sketch with pencil, charcoal, and chalk. I need paper and also
everything to do with watercolors. Throw an easel in the mix. Send it to my
house.” His voice returned to normal.

“Yes, sir,” Michael smiled. “Is
this Kerry?” Ethan nodded.

“I had to work when you were
introduced. I’m Michael.” He turned to her, reached and took her hand to shake
it, but dropped it when Ethan growled. “If you need anything in the future, you
can call and I’ll bring it to you. It’s very nice to meet you.” Michael nodded
his head deeply in a sort of half bow.

“Thank you, and it’s nice to meet
you, too.” Michael was younger than her, still a teen with long hair and wild
blue eyes, but he seemed nice. Ethan took Kerry’s hand and led her from the
store.

“Don’t you have to pay?” She
worried that he was abusing his position.

“He’ll take care of it and I’ll pay
him later.” He held the door open for her to exit the store.

“Oh.” She sat down in the deep
leather seat when he opened the passenger door.

“When we go to a store, it’s not
just to look,” Ethan said when he got into the driver’s seat. “If you see
something that you want, get it.” She nodded. He patted her thigh, seeming
calmer now, and turned the key. His cellphone rang in his pocket and he
answered it. “Ethan,” he grunted, then looked over at Kerry. “Yes…I see.” He
paused, still looking at her. “Ten minutes.” He pushed a button, and the screen
went black. “Do you know a wolf named Eric?” She nodded. “How?”

“We were pack mates. He went off to
college and found his destined mate.”

“Were you close?”

“I guess.”

Ethan nodded. “How close?” His hand
was gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were white.

She shrugged. “He was the one that
I told you about. The one that went away to college and found his destined
mate.”

 He shifted the car into drive. Minutes
later the car rolled slowly down the lane with the nut trees on either side.
She saw men planting trees in a field off to the right.

“What are they doing?”

“Planting peach trees,” he said as
he grinned. “They won’t give us any fruit for at least a few years, but you
said that you liked them so…”