ChangingPaths (4 page)

Golden skin that reminded her of a new penny made him look
as if he’d spent his life in the sun. And best of all, he was tall. After her
own growth spurt had taken her from petite to gawky it was nice to see a guy
taller than she was. He must be six feet tall.

He grinned as he put his hands in his jacket pockets,
hunching his shoulders a little against the wind. “What’s your name?”

“Rain Johnson.” She glared as he laughed softly. She’d been
teased her whole life about her stupid name, there was no way she’d take it
from new kids too. “What’s so funny?”

“Is your name really Rain?” At her nod, he stepped just a
little closer. “Keme, my name? It means thunder. I think we’re going to be good
friends, Rain Johnson. Welcome to the res.”

He stuck his hand out, still smiling at her. She swallowed
hard as she offered her own hand. They shook then he just held on to her hand,
staring at her face. She couldn’t take her eyes off him either. She really
liked
his
scent of hazelnut just like her favorite coffee flavor.

Finally pulling her hand away from his, she glanced at the
house then back at Keme. “So, what is there to do around here?”

“Depends on the season. Do you fish or hunt?”

“What? No. At least I’ve never been fishing or hunting.”

“Pity. We do a lot of both.” He laughed again and she
noticed that he had dimples on both sides of his mouth. “Skiing? Snowboarding?
Snowmobiling? Anything??”

“I ski. At least I used to. We haven’t gone skiing in a
couple of years. Aunt Willow said something about a computer at some building?
I can’t believe she doesn’t have internet out here.”

“Believe it. Half the time we can’t even get decent cell phone
service. We do have okay web access at school. Are you going to the res school
or into town?”

“I don’t know. Mom hasn’t said much about it. Where do you
go?”

“Town. I’m in AP classes mostly.” He shrugged. Figured, not
only was he gorgeous but smart too. She’d barely passed her classes last year
mainly because she just didn’t care. The only thing they had in common was
their names. “So, what did you do for fun in California?”

“We went to the beach a lot. Hung out at the mall, played
computer games.” She moved restlessly, shuffling her feet through the grass.

“You like camping out?” Keme jerked his head toward the
sweat lodge and they started walking back toward the house, skirting the very
edge of the trimmed lawn.

“Never really been.”

“A bunch of us, guys and girls, meet up one weekend a month
and camp out by the lake. You could come next time we go if you want.”

“I don’t know.” They walked silently for a few minutes and
then she looked toward the house. “Crap.”

“What is it?”

“My mom. She totally freaks when she sees me talking to
guys. Look, I’ve got to go.”

“Okay. No sweat. If your mom decides to enroll you at the
school in town, maybe I’ll see you there. I have a car so I can drive you if
you want. It’s way better than riding the stupid bus.”

“I don’t know what she’s planning. I
have
to go.”

“It’s cool, Rain. I’ll see you around.” Keme waved toward
the house and she turned to see that Aunt Willow had joined her mom on the back
porch. Keme had already disappeared into the trees, so she took a deep breath
and headed back to the house. Might as well get the inquisition over with.

Gareth woke with a jerk. Some sound, some scent that he
should recognize teased at his nose…what the hell? Then he heard the sound
again but the wind carried the smell away. Someone was walking around outside
his cabin.

Rolling out of bed, he cursed when his feet hit the cold
floor. Grabbing the jeans he’d discarded on the floor last night, he pulled
them on. Yanking a sweatshirt off a hook, he shrugged into it. With one sleeve
of the shirt turned inside out causing him to pull harder, he slipped his feet
into an ancient pair of sheepskin-lined moccasins. Looking out the front door,
he waited. Like any other hunter, he knew the value of patience. Whoever was
moving around out there would soon come into view.

He didn’t have any appointments. And he sure as hell hadn’t
invited anyone over. Could be the three Betas ready to fuck with him again.
They’d done it once since Micah had left. They’d been sent packing with their
tails between their legs, not to mention a few new injuries. He hadn’t escaped
unhurt, but it had been worth it. They’d not challenged him again.

There. Movement just at the edge of the drive that led to
the main road. A flash of red in the trees. There was someone out there. Whoever
it was stayed upwind, so he couldn’t catch the signature. Opening the door, he
stepped out onto the porch. He didn’t realize he was holding his breath until
it escaped in relief as Talia emerged, closely followed by Olivia, wearing a
sling-looking thing.

Grinning, he started to move toward them then remembered he
wasn’t wearing his patch. Cursing under his breath, he raked his hair over his
face to hide his ruined eye. Talia was used to his eyepatch now but she’d never
seen him without it. If he had his way she never would.

“Gareth!” she shouted and broke into a run. He jumped off
the porch to meet her and swung her around, keeping his head turned so she
couldn’t see his scars. “I missed you!”

He laughed at her. She said that every time.

“I missed you too, Little Bit. It’s been a whole week since
we had dinner after the Gathering. Tell me more about your trip to New Orleans,
did you have fun?”

“Yes. Uncle Frank took me to Café Du Monde and Aunt Julia
took me to the Mardi Gras Museum and I met so many new people! The Compound
Pack is growing. Uncle Frank says pretty soon it’ll be the biggest Pack in all
of Louisiana!”

He listened to the rest of her chatter as Olivia reached
him. Nodding in respect, he stepped aside slightly so she could precede him
into the house. Talia still held his hand as they went inside. He almost wished
they had called first. Not that his place was messy but he could at least have
started the fire so it would be nice and warm.

As they took off their jackets and Olivia put Miakoda down
on the soft rug by the fireplace, he took a brief detour to the bedroom to grab
his patch. Tying it securely in place, he moved toward the stack of firewood
and set about stirring up the coals and getting the fire going. Talia finally
ran out of steam and leaned against Olivia’s side. He turned his attention to
Micah and Olivia’s son.

Though he’d been born with hair as black as Micah’s it
seemed to be getting lighter. The baby was content, gurgling and sucking on his
fingers. His scent hadn’t developed, so he just smelled of baby powder and
formula. He wondered what Koda would smell of when his scent came in. But that
was at least two years away if not three. Looking at Olivia, he shook his head.

“He really has gotten big.”

“Almost twenty pounds, thank you very much!” Olivia laughed
and leaned back on his couch. “Believe me, I felt every one of those pounds on
the walk over here.”

“You should have let me know you were coming. I’d have
ridden the ATV over to get you.”

“No, after all that rich food in New Orleans, I needed the
exercise. You’d think it would go off as easily as it went on.” She patted her
flat stomach and he shook his head. Micah had been doing his best to put some
meat on her bones, since she’d been nearly starved when she’d first come to the
lodge.

Nothing like the woman he’d met last week. Not that Harmony was
overweight but she’d definitely had some smoking curves under that jacket. He’d
really appreciated the shape of her ass in her jeans as well. He wondered how
she’d look without them. Hell, he really wondered what she’d look like without
any clothes. His cock gave one appreciative jerk.

“Well, what put
that
look on your face?” Olivia had
leaned forward. He realized he’d totally zoned out thinking about Harmony
naked.

“Uh, nothing. Sorry. I guess I was thinking about what Micah
has planned for the Pack.” He knew it sounded lame. He could see the curiosity
sparkle in Olivia’s eyes. He shifted his gaze to the baby gurgling on the rug.

“Do you want to hold him?”

Scooping up the bundle of waving arms and legs, Olivia
deposited the baby in his arms. As he sat down on the floor, something swept
over him. He didn’t mind holding Miakoda. He actually enjoyed young ones. He’d
always been available for babysitting his niece and nephew and the other young
in his birth Pack.

Ruthlessly he shut that memory down. He was no longer a part
of them. Hadn’t been for years really. They’d made it very clear he would never
be welcome there again, though his brother apparently had been accepted home
with open arms. It didn’t matter, he was of the Wild Haven Lodge Pack now.

Making soothing noises, he gently bounced the baby as he
looked at Olivia. She was smiling at him. He knew that smile. All mated females
got the same look around unmated males. He braced himself for what had to be
next.

“Gareth, why do you only run with the males? I know you aren’t
gay.”

He choked out a harsh laugh. “No, I’m not gay. I just don’t
have any luck with females.”

With a glance at Talia, Olivia pointed at the door. “Now’s
the time, darling. Fifteen minutes.”

Without a word the young girl donned her gear to head
outside. Olivia explained, “I told her I wanted to talk to you about boring
adult stuff.”

He moved uncomfortably under that blue gaze. Happily married
females terrified him. They always thought he’d be better off mated too. He
wondered if his brother was. Did he have nieces or nephews? Again he shoved
that away.

What the hell was his problem? He hadn’t thought of his
family or former Packs for a while. And for damn sure they weren’t thinking
about him. He’d been on his own until becoming part of this Pack and he was
okay with that.

“Gareth, look at you. You’re a natural with Koda. You were
with Talia too. You need young of your own. You need a mate. Micah told me…”

She held up a hand when he snarled involuntarily. “Hush. I
know. He told me more about your reason for not being around women. Not all
women are bitches, Gareth. I mean, you don’t think I’m a bitch do you?”

He had to laugh. She had turned her head to one side to cut
huge doe eyes at him. “Stop that. You know I can’t resist the power of the
Olivia gaze.”

Sighing, he carefully laid the boy on the rug again. Leaning
back, he let the warmth of the fire soothe him for a moment. He just needed to
gather his thoughts.

“It’s not that I don’t want a mate. I do. I mean, I look at
you and Micah. You are so right for each other. But Olivia, I’m damaged goods.
Look at me.”

She snarled at him. Actually freaking snarled at him. He
instinctively bared his throat, turning his head to the side and looking down.
She sighed.

“Sorry. That’s becoming a habit. Hormones.” She shrugged as
she laughed a bit. “Micah told me I nearly made him go belly up the other
night. What I’m saying is you aren’t damaged goods. You think you are but your
scarring isn’t that bad once someone knows you. Yeah, I’m not going to sugarcoat
it. It is tough to see at first. Especially when you hide it the way you do. It’s
a shock then.”

She surprised him by moving to sit beside him on the floor.
He leaned into her. That was one thing she and Micah never denied him—the
comfort of Pack. She stroked his hair once.

“We just want you to be completely happy, Gareth. It’s hard
knowing you aren’t. That’s all. Just think about it?”

She moved to her feet as the front door burst open. Talia
danced with impatience. “Are you done? I wanted to see if I could check on
Nala. Has she had her puppies yet?”

After settling Koda back into the sling and giving Gareth a
kiss on the cheek Olivia took her stepdaughter by the hand. “Let’s go see.
Remember, your father and I haven’t decided if the puppy will stay here or at
the lodge.”

That set off a litany of reasons why the puppy should stay
with her—in her bed even. He grinned as she listed various heroic dogs from
fiction as reasons her puppy should be with her. He agreed that she needed the
dog near. He knew, with her gifts of empathy and special senses, that Talia
would always need a pet of some sort to help ground her. He hadn’t really
mentioned that to Micah or Olivia though.

Talia reminded him a lot of his sister and his niece. They’d
been strong empaths too. Yet another reason it made no sense to him that his
sister hadn’t left her abusive husband before he’d had a chance to kill her and
their kids. Some things just didn’t make any fucking sense.

When the threesome left he felt just a bit of warmth leave
with them. Now he missed being around others. It hadn’t been that way before.
When Micah was mostly gone and working as a bounty hunter Gareth hadn’t missed
him so much. That was when Gareth had been running with the wild wolves. In
Pack situations that was taboo. Since he wasn’t doing that anymore he supposed
he’d gotten used to being alone except for formal Pack Gatherings.

He skipped a majority of the informal Gatherings even though
he should attend. But as long as one of the seconds attended, it was all good.
Gareth’s preferences were well-known in the Pack council. His scarred face
still made him unwelcome to many.

Micah had pushed for him to attend more often but Gareth
only went to the formal ones Micah oversaw if he could help it. He knew it
seemed cowardly but he really got tired of delivering repeated beatdowns to
some of the hardheaded males. Micah had seen reason only after Gareth had
snapped the foreleg of one of his attackers.

Shaking his head at the memory, Gareth reminded himself that
he’d been tired that night. He hadn’t maintained his temper. That particular
male hadn’t come back after him though. He felt a slightly guilty satisfaction.
Of course not all hated him. Some had tried to befriend him but it was hard to
go against the desires of an entire Pack. Now, however, he was expected to be at
the formal Gatherings in his capacity as second and because of his loyalty to
Micah.

He glanced around his place, taking in how sparse it was for
creature comfort. Didn’t even really qualify as a bachelor pad. Checking his
fridge, he realized he needed to make a run into town. Might as well stop by
the Fox place to see what he’d signed up for. She hadn’t called but he knew the
furnace, and probably a few other things, needed work. Mentally kicking himself
for not checking on them sooner, he headed out to the truck with his toolbox in
hand.

Harmony glanced around the living room. In the week since
they’d moved in she hadn’t really stopped trying to settle them both in. She’d
only just finished unpacking after the movers had delivered all the stuff she’d
had in storage. While the cabin certainly wasn’t large it was bigger than their
last apartment where she and Rain had to share a bedroom. At least this one had
two functional bedrooms complete with beds. Smiling, she looked at Rain. The
teenager had changed her mind about which room she wanted…again.

“You got to choose your room first.” She looked at her
daughter again. “You okay? I know this isn’t what you wanted. But you picked
that one so, no, I won’t swap with you now. Aunt Willow certainly wasn’t lying
about gathering up a few things for us.”

“Yeah. It’s okay. I know it’s because Dad was an asshole
again. I just…I just wish it were closer to my friends. I don’t know anyone
here.” Rain leaned against the doorjamb. “I like that quilt. The green one with
all the leaves on it. I can keep that room. It just gets cold sometimes.”

Harmony watched Rain turn away. Whoever said war was hell
hadn’t tried to raise a teenage daughter alone. She felt a bit helpless. What
were the right words to say? Sighing, she moved into the hallway to collapse
the last of the cardboard boxes. At least that had gone well. She’d really
wanted the bedroom farthest back with its quiet serenity enhanced by a
beautiful blue quilt that featured a series of interlocking rings.

She knew it was the wedding ring pattern. Guess Aunt Willow
hadn’t given up on her finding a true mate. What her aunt seemed to forget was
that no shifter wanted a mate he couldn’t run with.

She desperately needed a nap. Coming back had been harder
than she’d expected. Hearing that there had been a Full Moon Gathering the same
night they’d arrived had been hardest of all. Stupid really, because she should
have remembered the Pack always came together once a month.

The normal pull of the Moon Call affected her. She couldn’t Change
but it still tugged at her. She supposed it was all the shifter energy that had
made this last full moon so hard. She could have sworn her bones were popping
under her skin that night. Hearing the howls of the Pack had made that night
worse. It had taken all of her control not to fall to the floor screaming from
the itching, crawling sensations on her skin. Sighing, she forced her thoughts
away from that time. She just wanted a quick thirty minute nap. Before she
could stretch out she caught the sound of an engine coming toward the house.

Grumbling softly, Harmony moved to the front door. When she
recognized the truck paused at the top of the drive she stepped out to wave the
driver in. Her belly did a slow roll. She was surprisingly pleased to see
Gareth. Chiding herself, she tamped down on her hormones. His piney scent
reached her as he got out of the truck. It made her happier than she supposed
it should.