My Estranged Lover (Middlemarch Shifters Book 5) (9 page)

Marsh went to her and wrapped his arms around her trembling body. “Shush, kitten. It will be all right.”

She pulled back and rubbed the back of her neck. “How?”

She couldn’t see anything but stress in their coming days. Things were bad enough now. James had asked her what was wrong this morning before she’d walked him to the school bus. How could she tell him that his beloved grandparents were the source of her anxiety? And that she’d been crying because she’d found five-dollars in change down the back of the couch.

“I’ll think of something.”

“We could sell my jewelry—the necklace my grandmother gave me.”

“No. Absolutely not. Let me go and see my parents one final time.”

“And what about our stuff?”

“I’m sorry, kitten, but we’ll have to restrict ourselves to clothes and important items. Just the things we can fit into the car. Bedding. Towels. Clothing. Toiletries. Get the boys to choose their favorite toys and books.”

She let out a huff and stared at her feet before meeting his gaze again. “Okay. Should I start packing the car now?”

“Might as well. It might be easier while the boys are at school and kindy.” Marsh glanced at his watch. “I’ll stop by my parents’ place, then come back to help you pack.” His hands tightened on her shoulders. “Hey.”

A long, low cry escaped, burning her tight throat as it emerged. “I feel so helpless. I rang my parents, intending to ask them for money, but I couldn’t. They’re saving for a holiday, the first they’ve had for years. It didn’t feel right to ask, even though I know they would’ve given it to us.”

“You shouldn’t have to ask. This is my fault.”

No. No, it wasn’t. It was his parents trying to wreak havoc and pull them apart. Marsh had earned those wages, and it wasn’t as if they were asking for money they weren’t owed.

“If your father refuses to give us the money he owes us, make sure he knows that we can’t afford to buy food to feed our children.”

His father’s farm vehicle was parked in front of the house when Marsh walked up their driveway. He knocked on the door and waited for his mother to answer his summons. When the door opened, he forced a smile, determined to keep his temper and act with dignity. Remain calm.

“Mother.”

“Marsh, thank goodness you’ve come to your senses. If you apologize to your father, he’ll give you your job back. I understand you’re attached to Caroline, but it’s better if you part ways. Come inside. Talk to your father. We’ll sort everything out and fix this slight upset.”

He blinked rapidly and remained rooted in the doorway. Fuck, they truly expected him to walk away from Caroline. She was his mate, yet they didn’t support either of them in their relationship.

“I’ve come for my wages.”

“I told the boy he lost my cattle. I don’t owe him any wages,” his father shouted from the other room. With his feline hearing, he hadn’t missed a thing.

Marsh drew in a sharp breath, fought to rein in his temper. His father had started spreading rumors about Marsh and Caroline around the district. The local feline gossip vine pulsed and glowed with tidbits and falsehoods, malicious rumors perpetrated by his parents. He ground his molars together and glared at his mother. “We don’t have money. Don’t you care that the boys won’t have dinner?”

He caught the flash of concern in his mother before his father appeared behind her.

“Not our problem. You’ve made your decision, and now you live with it.” His voice was harsh, his words dripping with scorn, and Marsh realized he was wasting his breath.

He turned and walked away, heard the firm clunk of the door as it closed.
Bastard
. All he cared about was his precious pride. He expected Marsh to follow his orders without argument. Marsh stomped back toward their farm cottage, only slowing when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He halted and glanced at the screen.

“Hi, Saber.”

“I heard you took the job.”

“Yeah, I start in five days.”

“Problem?”

“We don’t have any money or food.” Embarrassment warmed his cheeks at the confession. “I doubt we can scrape together enough money for the petrol.”

“Come and stay with us,” Saber said without hesitation. “We have plenty of room. Or, if you don’t want to do that, give Cam a call. I’m sure he won’t mind if you go early. Think about it, but meantime, come for dinner.”

“Are you sure? You’ve been so good to us already. I don’t want to put you to any trouble.”

“It’s no trouble,” Saber said. “I’ll see you at six.”

“Thanks.” Marsh disconnected and placed the phone in his pocket. Saber’s idea about them going earlier than they’d planned was a good one. All they needed to figure out was the petrol money. He strode up their driveway and found Caroline outside, packing blankets into the car. “Saber invited us to dinner tonight. What do you think about going to the Mackenzie earlier? Tomorrow if we can swing it.”

“Could we do that?”

“I’ll ring Cam now. Actually, it might be better if we could go early. I wouldn’t put it past Dad to make good on his threat to kick us out.”

A furrow creased Caroline’s brow and her expression turned grim. “Did you get money?”

“Not yet, but don’t worry. I will. I’ll wear down my father. You’d better not pack anything else into the car yet since we’re going to the Mitchells for dinner. We’ll finish packing once we get home.” He picked up the landline phone and rang Cam. A few minutes later, he hung up and went to find Caroline. “Cam said our cottage is ready for us now. It’s no trouble if we arrive tomorrow.” One problem fixed. Marsh swallowed hard. Time to move on to the more pressing one of money. “Have you started packing our room yet?”

“No, not yet.”

“I’ll make a start. Shout if you need me for anything.”

In their bedroom, Marsh pulled out his cell phone, his shoulders slumping momentarily before he straightened with determination. They needed money. He sucked in a quick breath to calm his racing pulse and hit speed dial.

* * * * *

The following day, road trip to the Mackenzie

“Are we there yet?” James asked from the rear seat.

Marsh grinned at Caroline before replying. “Not long now, kiddo. We’ll stop at Lake Tekapo to let you run off energy. I think we can spring for a coffee for us and milkshakes since we won’t be near a café for a few weeks.”

“Can we afford it?” Caroline asked.

Marsh coughed. “The—yes.” He sucked in a quick breath as if he required fortification then spoke fast. “Saber loaned me five hundred dollars when I asked him. I—we—are paying it back at twenty dollars per week. Dad refused—I felt embarrassed, and I should have told you when it happened. Dad…I’m sorry.”

Caroline watched the ruddy color creep into the tips of his ears and understood his reluctance to inform her of this latest debacle with his parents. It can’t have been easy dealing with the crap his parents had pulled this week. The rumors. The nastiness. She reached over and placed her hand on his left where it rested on the steering wheel. “We’ve had a stressful week, so I’ll give you a pass this time. If I can make items to sell at the market, we should pay the money back soon enough. I gave Isabella several kids’ shirts and dresses I’ve made. Most are secondhand, but she said she’d try to sell them at the upcoming market. I figured it was better to sell them than leave them in storage.”

“That was a good idea.” Marsh’s glance held gratefulness for her easy acceptance. “Thanks.”

“Don’t forget to tell me stuff again. You don’t get a second pass.”

“Noted. James, if you look closely, you should be able to see Lake Tekapo soon.”

“I see it, Daddy.”

“Me too. Me too,” Ricky cried.

Caroline smiled, taken by the vibrant glacier blue of the lake. “It’s beautiful. I don’t remember the lake being such a pretty blue although it’s fifteen years since I came here with my parents for a holiday.”

“I want to draw it,” James said.

“Not today,” Marsh said. “We’re having a quick stop, but we’ll come back to visit. We can swim in the hot pools, and if it’s cold enough, we can try ice skating.”

“I’ll take photos and you can draw from those,” Caroline suggested. “Do you think you have crayons the right color blue?”

James frowned in concentration, and she saw Marsh in him then. Marsh drew his brows together in that way when he was pondering a weighty problem.

“Why don’t I take Ricky to buy the coffee and milkshakes while you and James take photos? Once we get back we can sit by the lake for a while.”

“Sounds good.” She and James set off to find the perfect spot to take photos, and she turned to find Marsh ogling her butt. Her mouth dropped open. Heat rushed to her cheeks followed by pleasure that she’d caught him looking. Instinct had her winking. “Later, Mr. Rutherford.”

“Count on it, Mrs. Rutherford.”

“Can we go across that bridge?” James asked, pointing to a footbridge spanning a river that ran into the lake. On the other side, tourists in rental cars and camper vans jostled for parking spaces near the small stone church that sat on the lakeshore.

“Not this time, sweetie. We have more driving before we arrive at our new house. Are you excited? I’m excited about trying something new.”

“Grandma said you’re kidnapping us. She wanted to know where we were going.”

Caroline cursed under her breath. She’d done a lot of that this week, and she hadn’t been the only one in the family cursing a blue streak. In fact, Cam Sinclair deserved a big kiss for letting them move to the station early. He’d helped them out of a huge jam.

A new life.

“Over there, Mum,” James said, taking her hand and dragging her to the edge of the rocky shoreline. “I want to paint the lake from here with the brown hills and mountains and the funny clouds.”

Obligingly, she snapped a photo of the glacier-blue lake, the dry, barren hills surrounding the lake. Clouds sat in a dip between the hills, fluffy and white and intriguing. Caroline took several photos with her small camera.

“That might be enough.” She turned to glance in the direction they’d walked from and saw Marsh. He held their drinks in a carrier as he herded Ricky past two seagulls sitting on the tarmac.

A group of tourists—teenagers—eyed Marsh as he wandered past. He didn’t glance in their direction or notice their giggles and speculation. As he neared her and James, his grin widened.

“Did I tell you how much I like you in that color? It brings out the blue of your eyes.” He tapped her nose. “But you’ll grow more freckles if we don’t get out of this sun.”

The teenagers slowed as they passed them, but Marsh had eyes for no one except her. A real confidence boost.

* * * * *

Glenshee Station

One of the workers guided them to their allocated housing. Their new home wasn’t spacious—a wooden bungalow with two single bedrooms and one double. The kitchen, however, was an improvement. Part of a big open space, it took up one corner. The central island, featuring cupboard storage and a counter worktop perfect for breadmaking, separated the food preparation area from the dining and living space.

Caroline turned to Marsh, a little breathless with excitement. This was so much better than she’d anticipated and a step—heck, two steps up from their Middlemarch residence. “It’s perfect for the kids. I can work in the kitchen and still supervise them while they’re playing. They can have their own bedrooms.”

“If that means I get to sleep with you, I’m in favor of that plan.”

Caroline inhaled the fresh, crisp air of the higher altitude and met Marsh’s gaze. Her mind sauntered straight to sex, and it became difficult to ignore the tiny patter of butterflies in the pit of her stomach. In the end, they’d slept in the same bed but hadn’t done more than cuddle and kiss. Marsh told her he wanted her, touched her as if he did, but the lack of lovemaking worried her a little.

“We’re starting over again. A fresh beginning. This means in all facets of our lives.” At least, she’d strung words—the right reply—together.

Marsh swooped on her, grasped her in his arms and kissed her. Not the affectionate peck he’d bestowed on her for most of this week. This was a kiss indicating he meant business, and he took his time, leaving her breathless and dazzled and more than a little turned on.

“I’m never gonna kiss a girl.” James pulled a face and hid his eyes with spread fingers.

Caroline felt Marsh’s splutter of laughter against her lips and chuckled herself once she could breathe.

Marsh continued to hold her in a loose embrace and grinned at his son. “You never know. You might change your mind. Ginny Kirkpatrick kissed me when I was your age. She kissed me at every opportunity. My friends teased me and I skulked around the playground because I never knew when Ginny would try to surprise me.”

James peeked, saw they’d stopped kissing and nodded his head emphatically. “Karen Jones wanted one of us to kiss her. We said no.”

“Did you tell the teacher?” Caroline asked.

“Yes.” Another nod. “She had to sit in the corner for the whole afternoon.”

Marsh shared an amused glance with her, his sexy lips twitching. “Lucky we’ve moved. When you get older you might want to kiss a girl. I like to kiss your mother.” He lowered his voice. “I’m looking forward to doing other things with you later tonight.”