My Estranged Lover (Middlemarch Shifters Book 5) (21 page)

“Thanks,” Marsh said.

Caroline nodded, tired but concerned about Ricky. At least he’d slept for most of the rapid journey. Leo had driven fast but with competence.

He drove into the township, took a right and pulled up in front of a wooden house on a large section. The front light flicked on as soon as Leo switched off the ignition, but she was the only one who required the illumination. A tall man with a mass of black curls, a worn T-shirt stretched over his chest and jeans with holes. They were almost white from many washings, but she got the impression the holes were by accident rather than design.

“Bring him into the surgery,” the man ordered.

Marsh climbed from Leo’s SUV and scooped Ricky off the rear seat. Caroline followed her mate into the surgery. She’d expected Leo and Isabella to drive home since it had been such a long night, but they crowded into the surgery too.

“Gavin, you know Marsh,” Isabella said. “This is his mate Caroline.”

Gavin nodded and indicted that Marsh should place Ricky on the examination table. “He’s only three?”

“Yes,” Caroline said.

“Is he eating normally?”

“Yes, he has a good appetite.”

Gavin smiled at Caroline. “You’re doing a good job. He’s in excellent condition. I know this can’t be easy for you.”

His manner and the careful yet skilled way he examined Ricky put her at ease.

“Ah, I see the problem with his leg. It’s a low break and we can put a splint on easily enough.” He prodded with care, and Ricky woke up with a snarl. Gavin stroked his head and spoke to him in a soothing voice. “I’m the doctor, Ricky. We’re going to fix your leg for you.” Gavin spoke to them again. “I’ll take an x-ray, but I’m confident it’s a simple fracture. He should heal in a few weeks.”

Caroline clutched Marsh, relief so instant that dizziness assailed her. She wavered on her feet and leaned into Marsh when he slid his arm around her waist.

“Thank you. Ricky is never sick. He had the normal booster shots— I didn’t think to ask. Do the immunization shots hurt felines? They didn’t seem to worry either of the boys. Should the doctor have noticed anything different at birth?”

“No, the feline genes are present if the doctor knows what to look for, but the changes that mark our blood work as different kick in when we shift for the first time,” Gavin said.

“So Ricky can’t see a human doctor now.”

“I’m afraid he’s stuck with me,” Gavin said with a grin. “Okay, Ricky. I’m going to take a picture of your leg, so I can see the bones inside. Would you like to see?”

Ricky nodded.

Gavin scooped him up and carted him across the surgery. “You need to stay still. Can’t you do that for me?”

Ricky gave a yowl of assent.

“I’m thinking we’ll give you a bright yellow cast, so your mother can see you in the dark. How does yellow sound?”

Ricky turned his head to look at her, and Caroline could have sworn he grinned.

The entire process didn’t take long and Ricky soon sported a sunshine-yellow cast on his right front leg.

“Leo, would you mind taking Ricky out to the vehicle?” Marsh asked. “I want to have a quick word with Gavin.”

“No problem.” Leo picked up Ricky and carried him from the surgery. Isabella hesitated, then followed.

“Any suggestions on how to get Ricky to shift?” Caroline asked.

“He’s healthy. He has a few tender spots from his fall, but his feline genes will heal the bruises in a few days. His break will also heal fast. I’m afraid all you can do is make sure he knows the shifting process and wait until he wants to shift. None of us can force him, and the more you growl or chastise him, the harder he’ll dig in his heels. The problem is he likes being a cat, and he’s too young to realize he can have both forms. For him, it’s either cat or human, and he’s having more fun living in his feline skin. I’ll give you vitamins. You have an older son too?”

“Yes,” Marsh said.

“I’ll give you enough for both boys. You’re already doing a great job with his diet and exercise. He’ll shift when he has a powerful enough reason. It might be something as simple as opening a birthday or Christmas present or going on an excursion where he needs to be in human form. I know you must be worried, but physically, there is nothing wrong with him.”

“Thank you.” Caroline leaned against Marsh. “You’ve put my mind at rest. I-I thought it might be something I’d done.”

“No.” Gavin smiled, and it took his austere face to handsome. “I’m only a phone call away. A helicopter ride in an emergency.”

“What happens if he tries to shift while he has his cast on?”

“He’ll break it, and you’ll have to come back for another one,” Gavin said.

Caroline frowned. “Oh dear.”

“It’s not a problem,” Gavin reassured her.

“Thanks.” Caroline turned to leave but Marsh stayed her.

“One more thing, Gavin. Can we get birth control for Caroline?”

Caroline gaped at Marsh, her cheeks heating.

Gavin smiled again. “You’re mates?”

“Yes,” Marsh said.

“Let me take your blood pressure and ask a few questions, Caroline.” He was competent and thorough, asking what she was using now.

“I haven’t taken one today. In the rush, I forgot.”

“Perfect,” Gavin said. “I can give you a shot. It will last for six months, and I’ll give you a reminder when you require the booster.”

“Is it safe for me?”

“Emily comes here, if that’s any help,” Gavin said. “When Marsh marked you, he added feline enzymes to your blood. Now that you have those, you fall into the strange category, and we don’t want humans studying your blood.”

“I thought I’d received the pertinent information,” she said with a glance at Marsh.

“Sorry,” he said, his gaze watchful. Cautious. “It’s been crazy since we moved to Glenshee.”

“But not boring,” she said.

The anxiety cleared from his expression. “No, never boring.”

“You can ring me any time,” Gavin said. “Preferably not at two in the morning, but during the day.” He took care of the shot and placed a bright green plaster over the spot.

Caroline noticed he had a selection of bright colors, and he saw her interest.

“I like color,” he said. “I have to wear conservative clothes so I don’t attract attention, but you should see my underwear.”

“That’s true,” Marsh said with a snort. “Have you not noticed the animals of Middlemarch sport bright collars and brands?”

“I hadn’t, but I’ll be looking now. Thanks, Gavin. How much do we owe you?”

Marsh took care of the payment, and Caroline waited until he’d finished. It was so good to have money again, to see the pride in which Marsh paid their medical charges. Small things, but they made her happy too.

* * * * *

“You must be exhausted,” Emily said as she ushered them into the house.

“I’m hungry,” Isabella announced.

“You’re always hungry,” Caroline said. “If I ate half the food you eat, I’d be the size of a bus.”

“A very sexy bus,” Marsh said and he kissed her, a quick press of lips that sent a zip through her body. Ricky wriggled and Marsh set him on the floor.

“I’m off to the café, but I’ve left food for you.” She smiled as Ricky yawned, displaying a set of sharp teeth. “I’ll show you your rooms. Ricky, do you want to see your room?”

He made a sound halfway between a grunt and a yowl and hobbled after Emily.

“I want to pick him up,” Caroline said after she had settled Ricky and returned to the kitchen.

“He needs to exercise,” Leo said. “He’ll get the hang of the cast.”

“When are we going to see your parents?” Caroline asked.

“I need sleep first,” Marsh said. “I want a clear head when we visit them.”

“Let me know when and you can borrow a vehicle,” Leo said.

Caroline glanced at Marsh. “This afternoon? If we leave it any longer, gossip will get to them before we can drop by at the farm.”

“Gavin won’t talk and neither will we,” Isabella said. “I didn’t see any vehicles, so I doubt anyone saw us.”

“Isabella would know,” Emily said. “She notices everything. I’ll see you later. Help yourself to food and call me at the café if you need anything.”

Caroline hugged Emily, tears of appreciation blurring her vision. “Thank you.” She was so lucky she’d met the Mitchells. Every one of them.

Isabella and Leo left too with instructions to ring them when they were ready to drive to visit Marsh’s parents.

Caroline poured them another cup of coffee, then she and Marsh cleaned the kitchen and did the dishes.

“I’m ready for bed.” Marsh tugged her from the kitchen and down the passage to their allocated bedroom. He turned to her a sexy glint in his green eyes. “Are you too tired to make love?”

“I could do that.” Caroline kept her tone airy, making Marsh grin.

“Good. Two reasons why we shouldn’t go to sleep straightaway. I want you and if we make love, our scents will combine more. It’s good for my parents to know that we’re mates in all ways.”

“
Eew!
” Caroline wrinkled her nose.

“Forget my parents,” Marsh ordered. “We’re the important ones. Our family.”

“Yes.”

Their gazes met and suddenly they were both flinging off their clothes.

“Wait,” Caroline said. “We’d better check on Ricky.”

“I’ll go,” Marsh said, and he slipped from the bedroom, not bothering to grab any clothes to screen his nakedness.

A sin to cover that backside. Caroline smiled and picked up their clothes, laying them over the back of a chair. She liked the way they looked mixed together.

“He’s sound asleep. I’ll leave the door ajar. He’ll come and find us if he needs something.”

“As long as he doesn’t walk in on us in the middle—”

Marsh lifted her off her feet and swung her onto the bed. “I’ll hear him, especially with the cast. Any other objections to getting busy?”

“Not a one.”

Marsh joined her on the bed and claimed her mouth as if he meant business. She melted into his embrace, savoring his easy strength and the hard muscles rubbing against her breasts. Just a touch—his touch—pushed her into need. His fingers strummed over her mark, and she moaned, the sound trapped between their lips.

Caroline clung to him, kissing his mouth, his neck. She bit his marking site, and he froze, his groan of pleasure one of the sexiest things she’d ever heard.

She bit a fraction harder and broke the skin. The coppery taste of blood should have repelled her, yet strangely, it didn’t.

Marsh groaned again, and she released her grip. “Lick it,” he said in a thick voice.

Her tongue lashed out, and he parted her legs. He positioned himself and pushed inside her, filling her with a single thrust.

His mouth fastened over her mark as he thrust. As always, his touch pushed her hard and high. She kissed the spot where she’d bitten him and his strokes quickened. Up. Up. Up. Her orgasm was quick and powerful, a release of tension. An expression of their love.

He climaxed not long after her, his big body shuddering.

“I love you, Caroline. So much.” Marsh’s voice shimmered with emotion.

She cupped his face and stared deep into his sexy eyes. “I love you too. I am so glad we’ve worked out our problems.”

Marsh kissed her lips and laughed. “Now we have an entirely new set.”

“It doesn’t matter. We’ll face them together.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you everything earlier.”

“You should have,” she agreed. “But you were trying to do the right thing. I should have done things differently too. Talked about our problems instead of hiding my head in the sand.”

“We’ve both learned. Grown.” Marsh yawned. “I’m tired.”

“Me too.”

“Maybe if we sleep long enough we can put off my parents until tomorrow.”

Caroline laughed. “No more hiding, remember?”

“Yes, kitten.”

She fell asleep with a smile on her face.

Chapter Thirteen

It was late afternoon when they set out to visit Marsh’s parents.

“I’m nervous,” Caroline confessed, glancing across at Marsh.

“Me too,” he admitted. “But mostly I feel ashamed.”

Her brows knit together as she struggled to understand. “About what?”

“The way I let them dictate my behavior. I should have trusted my gut from the start.”

“We both made mistakes,” Caroline said. “The main thing is that we’ve corrected them and we know where we’re heading now.”

“To face off with my parents?”

“No, silly. With our relationship. I am happy. I enjoy living and working at the station. The kids enjoy it too.”

“I like working for Cam. The other men work hard and make me feel like part of the team. There’s no pettiness or rivalry or any of that shit.”