Seduced by a Shifter (8 page)

If Jackie wasn’t already happily married, Willow might have to shoot her. Secure in that knowledge, the feeling of jealous dissipated almost as quickly as it came on. “You’ve known them your whole life?”

“Kaylie and Tess, yes. Jackie only moved here some four years ago.”

Eyes trained on the archway leading to the foyer and living room, Willow sighed. “And fit in right away?”

“Pretty much. That’s the magic of small-town living. Don’t get me wrong, we’re certainly not a Stepford-type community, but for the most part we’re a tolerant and caring bunch. It’s hard not to be.”

“Why do you say that?” Willow was genuinely curious.

Ben chuckled. “We all pretty much know each other, or at least know of each other. When I was a teenager, I remember how this guy from out of state decided to build a gas station and mechanic shop just off the main road. Less than a month after completion he was running back home, tail firmly between his legs. He’d inflate prices, use cheap parts, do half-ass vehicle inspections, and at times tell an owner that something needed to be fixed or replaced when it didn’t. As soon as those he hired from town figured it out, they quit on the spot. See, it’s hard to screw over your son’s teacher, or put the only doctor in town in a ‘repaired’ vehicle that you wouldn’t let your wife drive.”

“So you watch over each other.”

“Yeah. Of course, now that we have the ski lodge, that has extended to tourists as well.”

Holy crap! Willow had totally forgotten about the lost snowmobile riders. “Speaking of which, I take it you found your lost riders?”

“The riders, yes. The vehicles, no.”

Willow fidgeted with the top of her sweater. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“We found them about a mile off the road, walking in the wrong direction. They’d left the trail and, somewhere in seven hundred thousand acres of forest, managed to hit a fallen tree.” Ben’s irritation with the riders was evident, his tone on the sarcastic side. Willow could understand. A trail was safe, maintained.
Known
. The rest of the forest, not so much. It all started to look the same once you got in far enough. Willow would have been totally lost without Ben if she’d had to make her way back to the cabin alone.

Ben continued. “First two riders were thrown off, both bruised to hell and back, one with a broken wrist. Luckily they were wearing helmets or it could have been worse. The second driver managed to slow down enough to avoid a full on collision, but still did enough damage to make the vehicle undriveable. We’re going back out to locate the runners, but I wanted to call you first, find out how you’re getting along.”

Thankfully no one was in the room, otherwise they would have seen the goofy smile on Willow’s face. “I’m good. Really. It’s nice of you to call.”

“Nice only goes so far,” Ben’s voice lowered to a husky drawl, making Willow shiver with delight. “I really wanted to make sure no male strippers were there vying for your attention. I want it all on me.”

Goofy smile and shiver morphed into an all-out body melt. “Don’t be silly, Ben. There are no strippers.”

“And your attention?”

Willow wasn’t raised to be easy. If Ben really wanted her, he’d have to work for it. And for some reason she had the urge to tease him. “On the clock. Why are you going out tonight to look for the snowmobiles? Can’t it wait until daylight?”

A few second of silence passed while Willow wondered if maybe she shouldn’t have teased Ben, but then he laughed, soft and sinfully wicked. “Playing, Will? That’s good. That’s very good. I like to play, and I have a very inventive imagination.”

Willow nearly broke out in a sweat at his suggestive words. Ben’s tone insinuated his type of play involved naked bodies and her own imagination went wild. Dark swirls of heat and lust gathered low in her belly and she instinctively clenched her thighs together to assuage the building ache between them.

She squeezed her eyes shut. Good Lord! She was practically having phone sex!

Luckily Ben moved on to answer her question because she didn’t have a darn thing in her mind. “We don’t want to leave the vehicles out overnight because of the animals. And I should be able to track them within a few hours so it’s not that big of a deal.”

Willow glanced up when Kaylie walked in the kitchen, a huge bag of trash, aka wrapping paper and other odds and ends, in her hands. “Track them?”

When Ben didn’t immediately answer, Willow had the strange feeling he was picking his words carefully. “A tracker is part of the search-and-rescue job. We follow the clues people leave behind—a broken leaf, lost mitten, sometimes even a scentand use those to find the lost. It’s an extremely useful skill up here.”

She became sidetracked when Ben mentioned scent. He could follow a scent? Like a dog? Willow’s gaze shot to Kaylie as the other woman began moving the left overs to several thick paper plates, her eyes caught by the gleaming gold tip in the center of the tiered serving tower. It was a wolf, its face raised as it howled in silence.

“Or a wolf.”

Kaylie’s head popped up just as Ben said, “What?”

Feeling pinned between the two, Willow babbled, “I was thinking you should be careful of the wolves. Some seem so tame, like the one I’ve seen the last two nights just behind the back of the cabin.”

Kaylie dropped her head to focus on her task, but not before Willow saw her lips twitch. It made her narrow her own eyes, even as muffled voices came over the line.

“Looks like we’re gassed up and ready to go, Will. And I wouldn’t go out looking for your wolf tonight. If he’s got any sense he’ll be home with his mate.”

Willow’s frown deepened. She’d never told Ben she’d gone outside to see the wolf, only that she saw one. Rome was the only person who knew, unless Ben had seen her while on guard duty.

Her face cleared. That must be it. “Be safe.”

“Dream of me,” Ben rumbled in her ear just before he clicked off.

Honestly, after everything he’d said, how could she not?

“They find those riders?” Kaylie asked as she covered plates with plastic wrap.

Willow repeated what Ben had told her, stopping and starting several times as women came into and left the kitchen, some with plates, some simply saying goodbye and one grandmotherly woman giving Willow a warm hug before departing.

When her phone rang again, it was Rome. He was outside, having come down to pick her up since it was past “curfew.” Willow rushed to get her coat on and found a plate of food thrust into her gloved hands before she knew it.

“Thanks for coming to get me,” Willow told Kaylie after she said quick goodbyes to Ruth and Tess. “I had a lot of fun. Though I feel bad I didn’t bring Tess anything.”

Kaylie shook her head. “Don’t even let the thought cross your mind, Willow. It certainly wasn’t expected.”

Feeling a bit awkward, Willow whispered, “Well, please let your sister know that if she needs any help with wedding stuff, or whatever, I’m free. I might not have any money, but I’ve got plenty of time.”

Deep in conversation with two other women, Tess suddenly looked up and zeroed in on Willow, as if she’d heard her offer.

Kaylie groaned. “Now you’re in for it.”

Willow glanced from the almost hawk-like interest on Tess’s face to Kaylie’s distorted one. “In for what?”

“Shopping.”

Much to Willow’s amazement, Rome was more than willing to see her off on a shopping expedition with Tess the next morning. As long as her bodyguards went.

The closest city, Togan, was more than forty-five minutes away and by ten, with a weak sun doing little to melt the new snow that had fallen in the night, they were on the road. Kaylie begged o
ff the trip, too exhausted from having been awake most of the night with an unhappy baby, and Ruth was working at Dolen’s Cafe. Not only was the Gentry mother the morning cook, she was married to Dolen. Willow had yet to meet Ruth’s current husband since he’d made himself scarce last night. As Tess talked about her family, Willow found herself curious about the man who’d slowly worked his way under Ruth’s guard—Tess’s words—and finally convinced the woman he’d loved for years to marry him.

Willow ignored the awkwardness she felt as she climbed into Tess’s SUV. She was excited to get out and go shopping with another female, but she’d woken up feeling, well, just weird.

First, last night, when Rome took his customary nightly shower, Willow had wandered outside, but as Ben had predicted, saw neither head nor tail of the tan wolf.

Second, she had dreamed of Ben, strange yet tantalizingly erotic dreams that had her waking hot and so aroused that two minutes of self manipulation and she’d orgasmed, lips pinched tight to hold back the scream of pleasure that arched her hips into her hand.

And now, sitting next to Tess, watching the city come into view, she was alternately hot and cold, and her skin tingled like she had an itch just under the surface that she couldn’t scratch. She might think she was aroused if she hadn’t taken care of that particular need several hours ago, and since then she certainly hadn’t done or seen anything to pique her interest.

She didn’t feel like she was getting sick, but people didn’t stay in a state of arousal for days on end, did they? From the passenger mirror, she watched for Scott and Joe, who’d opted to follow along in their vehicle, as they turned onto a mall parking lot.

Tess’s idea of shopping, Willow soon found out, was a mix of methodical contemplation and impulsive buys. In a craft store she found some chocolate brown ribbon and construction paper that was “the exact color of Caleb’s eyes,” providing Willow the reason behind the other woman’s wedding color choices. Willow didn’t know if she wanted to sigh or puke.

Later, at a woman’s clothing store, Tess alternately mumbled, groused, and exclaimed with glee as she went through stack after stack of pants, blouses, skirts, and dresses. Though amused at the antics, Willow drifted off, her eye caught by a long-sleeved blue dress hanging on a back wall. When she touched the material it felt like sin, soft and supple. It flowed over her hand, the color glinting as the lights of the store caught the fine silver threads interwoven into the light blue. Dreaming of wearing the luxurious garment, she glanced at the price tag and winced.

“Oh, that would look stunning on you.” Willow jumped when Tess gushed her approval a foot away. “The color almost matches your eyes. You must try it on.”

“Oh, no. I don’t think so.” Why try something on, gorgeous as it was, if she could never afford it? Talk about cruel and unusual punishment.

“I insist.” Tess ignored Willow’s protests and with a firm hand, after finding Willow’s size, marched her to the dressing room. “I want to see it on.”

In the small cubicle Willow donned the dress, and instantly wished she hadn’t. It was, indeed, beautiful. The bodice was snug, hugging her curves, the cowl-neck showing off the graceful lines of her collarbone. The floor-length skirt barely skimmed over her hips and twirled in artful waves as she spun sideways to admire herself.

With a soft sound of regret, she left the room to show Tess, who grinned madly when Willow appeared. “It’s perfect. Simply perfect,” she said, fawning over Willow. “And I have a pair of darling silver earrings that will look stunning with it.”

Willow simply looked at Tess as if the other woman suddenly grew a third eye. “Uh. For what?”

“For my wedding, of course, silly.” Tess mirrored Willow’s look. “Now go take it off so I can buy it. The boys have been hinting at food for the past half-hour and I’m about to strangle them.”

“No. Wait. What?” Willow didn’t know what to think, much less say, and her words came out in a stuttering fumble. “You can’t.” Not to mention that she may not even be in Woodcliff next Saturday.

Tess arched a haughty brow. “Says who?”

Looking into Tess’s face, Willow swallowed. “Me?” It might have been a bit more meek than she’d intended, but damn it, she wasn’t a charity case.

But damn it twice, she really wanted the dress!

Tess walked over and put her hands on Willow’s shoulders. Willow had to tilt her head back to look up at the taller woman, and was nearly floored by the warm glow in her eyes. “Think of it as a welcome gift, a thank you gift, and most importantly, a you’re-special-and-you-deserve-it gift, all in one.”

Well. How could a person say no to that kind of generosity? Her throat too thick to speak, Willow nodded, her watery grin of thanks causing Tess to wrap her in a fierce hug.

“Is this a private party or can anyone join in?” Scott said from behind Tess. “‘Cause I’m liking the idea of a Scott sandwich.”

Tess released Willow and scowled at Scott. “What you’re going to get is a knuckle sandwich if you take one step closer.”

“I don’t care what kind of sandwich he gets as long as I get one with two thick slices of bread a chunk of meat and tons of cheese in the middle of it,” Joe said from his position by the dressing room entrance. He lifted his chin to Willow. “You look very nice in that dress. You should let Tess buy it.”

“Willow will buy it,” Tess snapped, the abrupt tone dimming Willow’s glow of pleasure at Joe’s approval. Confused, Willow slid her gaze from Tess’s stink eye to the twin blank faces of her bodyguards.

“Well, of course she will. But hurry it up, darling,” Scott said after a moment, rubbing his flat belly. “I’m about to perish from hunger.”

As if the death ray glare of five seconds ago never occurred, Tess flashed the men a blinding grin. “We’ll be ready in a few minutes. Do you know where you want to eat before we head back?”

Willow’s tummy rumbled at the mention of food and, leaving the others to discuss what restaurant they wanted to eat at, she dashed back to the dressing room to change. While she might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, it was obvious Joe and Scott overhead Tess’s offer, and it was just as obvious that Tess didn’t want either man to speak of her generosity to anyone. Why, Willow had no clue.

While Willow could appreciate how candid and open Tess was, it was the self-confidence that Tess exuded from the top of her streaked blond hair to the tips of her designer boots that Willow secretly admired. She imagined Tess would never demurely bend to another’s directive out of fear of losing their love or attention. No, Tess—and Kaylie and Ruth, for that matter—would all speak their mind. Loudly. It was that take-me-as-I-am-or-get-lost attitude they all possessed, and what Willow wanted. It wasn’t mean; it just was.

In becoming what her mother wanted, Willow had lost herself. But no longer. Recalling the words Tess spoke, Willow straightened her shoulders and marched from the small cubicle. She
was
special, dammit, and she deserved to be appreciated, even loved, for who she was.

Even by a certain sexy ski instructor, tracker, and all-around hottie. Realistically she knew her time in Woodcliff would be short. Willow would either be free to go back to New York or she’d be dead. So she’d make the most of the time she had. If Ben was interested in a fling, which his bone-melting kiss suggested, Willow would jump into one with both feet.

She’d just have to guard her heart.

* * * *

Two hours later they crossed the outskirts of Woodcliff and Willow almost got whiplash trying to take everything in, just as she had on the outside trip.

After several glances her way, Tess finally asked, “Have you actually seen the town or has Rome pretty much kept you up at the cabin?”

Lips twisted in wry amusement, Willow answered, “Other than your mom’s house, I haven’t seen anything of the town.”

Tess rolled her eyes. “I know you’re under protection, but seriously? He’s making it more like a prison.” Then she let out a chuckle and grinned when Willow looked at her in question. “Let’s take the scenic route back.”

The scenic route basically involved taking a tour through the town. Willow recognized Ruth’s house nestled in the middle of a long line of homes in a thick residential area. Taking a right, a quick left, and another right, Tess drove them down another road, this one sparse with homes. They passed the long dirt driveway that led to Kaylie and Dean’s home, the home Tess and Kaylie had grown up in, and where another generation of Gentries slumbered.

“But don’t tell Dean I used Gentry instead of Kinigos.” Tess laughed. “He’s such a male, all possessive and protective.”

Yeah, Willow had gotten that from her first night. She might have been nervous and exhausted, but one would have to be dead to miss the love and devotion he had for Kaylie and his newborn son.

As they passed the impressive house Jackie and Zan owned, Tess’s cell went off.

Willow tried not to listen in on the short conversation, but in the close quarters, it was difficult not to. Apparently Caleb was home from work, hungry and missing his bride-to-be. He must have said something naughty because Tess blushed to the roots of her hair, an expression of embarrassed delight on her gorgeous face. “Only if you call and order it.

“I need to make a quick stop at Dolen’s,” Tess told her, hanging up her cell phone.

“Okay.”

“But first we’ll do the government loop before the commercial.”

Staring out the windows as Tess drove down a circling road, Willow at once understood her comment. While many businesses lined the main highway, it seemed the hub of activity rested along one of two long, narrow, oval-shaped roads that bisected the main road. They each made a loop, the narrow center containing open land. Outside of winter it was probably a beautiful, grassy area, complete with a few scattered benches and a quaint white gazebo. The school, police office, town hall, community center, bank, and post office were situated on the government side.

At the far back, where Tess made the curve, sat the school, and adjacent to that, across another expanse of land covered with a thick layer of snow so pristine that the reflecting sun nearly blinded Willow, was a large park with several baseball diamonds, swing sets, monkey bars, and slides.

Willow sighed. “It must have been nice growing up here.”

Tess nodded. “Thinking about it now, yeah, it was nice. But it also had its problems. Still does. But you take the good with the bad.”

Willow’s eyes were glued to her window as she practically gawked at a huge white building with impressively thick columns holding up an equally impressive porch. “Like what?”

“Gossip.”

Willow turned to look at Tess. “Gossip?”

Tess braked for the red light and let out an exaggerated groan. “Oh, yeah. Everyone is in everyone else’s business. Giving advice when it’s not wanted, contemplating with each other on who is sleeping with whom, and parents telling on each others’ kids.”

At Willow’s open shock, Tess let out a chuckle and crossed the main road on the green light. “Yeah. Small communities aren’t real private, which makes your private time even more special.”

“Wow.”

“Now this is the commercial loop.” On this side of the street sat several shops, including a bookstore, a women’s clothing boutique, a salon, toy store, and Dolen’s Cafe.

Tess pulled into the cafe parking lot. “I had to readjust when I came back, but I have to admit I’ll take the gossip over the harsh demands and anonymity of a big city any day. It wore me out.”

Willow raised a brow at the ex-model. “Please. You were never anonymous.”

Tess turned in her seat, giving Willow her full attention. “Not that kind of anonymity, Willow. The kind where no one gives a damn if you’re feeling sad or lonely. The kind where, if you fell over on the street, people might very well just walk over you to get where they need to go. That’s what I mean.”

Willow chewed on her lip a moment. “Huh. I never felt that in New York.”

Tess rested her arm along steering wheel. “No?” She sounded dubious.

Leaning back in her seat, Willow gave the question its due. Maybe she hadn’t felt that way in the city because she’d been one of those people too much in a hurry to get where she needed getting to think about what or whom she was walking over.

It made her wince, recalling the few homeless people sitting in abandoned doorways she’d seen as she’d traversed from work to home and back again. At first she’d given a buck or two, some change from her pocket when she had it. But as time wore on and her life seemed to spin out of control, she started to avoid them, then flat-out ignore them.

But would she have walked over them? The fact that she just didn’t know nearly brought her to tears.

“Hey. Are you okay?

Opening eyes she didn’t know she’d closed, Willow gazed out blindly past the crowded parking lot. “I’m fine. Just doing a little introspection and not liking what I see.”

Instantly contrite, Tess leaned over to touch Willow’s arm. “Oh, honey. I’m sorry. I never meant...”

“No, no. I’m okay. I’m just...” She paused. Not only because she wasn’t sure what she was, but because she suddenly noticed an old man sitting on one of the benches in the open area that divided the looped road. Alone, and to Willow’s thinking, not bundled up enough for the cold. Then again, few of the people she’d met in this town were, no doubt accustomed to the temperature changes.

But it was the fact he sat there, so still and
alone
that caused Willow to make a snap decision to go speak with him.

“That man. Who is he?” Her eyes remained fixed on her quarry.

Tess dipped her head to follow Willow’s gaze. “Oh. That’s Henry Harkins. He’s the town recluse. Rarely comes out from his cabin, and when he does, most steer clear.”