Wolf-Bound: Unfamiliar Territory (2 page)

But he’d promised Johnny.

He grunted, pushing himself to his feet. He could feel their presence. His and Johnathan’s sons, inside the woman Johnny had been so sure was meant for them, waiting to be born. He closed his eyes, turning slowly until he felt an abrupt tug on his inner senses. He opened his eyes.

Somewhere to the north.

Jake nodded. Out there, a part of Johnny still lived.

He found the car, pulled a change of clothes from the duffel in the back, and thought while he tugged on jeans and a T-shirt.

First, he needed to do a little backtracking, lay some false trails. The enemy wouldn’t find him again easily. Not with his and Johnny’s sons at stake.

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He’d lost them before, for nearly six years. He could do it again.

He had to.

6 Rachel Bo

Unhappy Beginning

“Top you off?”

Eden nodded, and Tara tipped a couple inches of coffee into her cup, wincing as she straightened. She flashed a smile at her customer and headed back behind the counter.

Setting the pot down, she rubbed at the small of her back. She was only four months pregnant, but carrying twins, already showing, and uncertain how much longer she would be able to keep working as a waitress. The way her back had been hurting lately, she suspected that wouldn’t be long.

Sighing, she stared moodily out of the diner’s smoky windows. Marshall Loman, the town’s only attorney, had hinted he might take her on as a secretary, but she couldn’t help wondering if he expected more than secretarial help in return. She’d had a crush on him off and on in high school, which would make it even harder to work for him if he had the wrong idea about her. Most of the people in town still treated her kindly, at least to her face, but she knew a few whispered behind her back about her going off to New Orleans and turning up pregnant afterwards. There was a population of the trashier single guys -- even a few of the married ones -- who seemed to think she was now the town slut. They mostly left her alone, though, since she’d broken Billy Thompson’s nose.

She allowed herself a tiny smile. Taught him not to put his hands where they weren’t wanted. Of course, he’d threatened to sue her, but Marshall had refused to take the case. “A big, strong guy like you suing a young woman pregnant with twins, because she broke your nose when you ran your hand up her skirt? They’d laugh us both out of the courtroom.” At least, that’s what Marshall had told her he’d said when Billy showed up at his office. Over his coffee one day here at the café, he had mentioned the visit. That’s also when he had suggested she come to work for him.

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Maybe she would. Even though Marshall had been a bit of a ladies’ man in high school, he didn’t seem to be like that anymore, and she really had to do something about getting off her feet. And besides, she didn’t want to be a waitress all her life. Yes, she made enough money to support herself, and the owner of Times Past Café, Rona, had been good to her, but she wanted a steady eight-to-five job, where she didn’t have to deal with grease, stray hands, rude comments, and being on her feet constantly. Also, she needed a job with an insurance plan for the babies’ sake. Or one that paid enough so she could afford a --

Sharp, stabbing pains just below the curve of her rounded belly made her gasp. She gripped the edge of the counter, breath whistling sharply between her teeth. Eden glanced up from her paper. “Tara, you okay?”

She started to nod, but then the pain came again. Warmth trickled along her inner thigh. She sank to the floor, staring as blood pooled between her legs.

“Tara?” Eden peered over the counter and gasped.

“Call nine-one-one,” Tara whispered and doubled over as yet another cramp racked her belly.

Taps and beeps. Eden scrambled around behind the counter, shouting for Rona between firing off answers into her cell phone. “Yes, she’s conscious. Yes, but there’s an awful lot of blood on the floor. She’s pregnant and --”

Rona bustled in from the back, then dashed over and squatted beside her. “Oh, God, honey! What happened?”

Tara opened her mouth to answer, but Rona’s round face seemed to be sliding away down a dark tunnel, and Tara was too tired to follow, so she closed her eyes.

* * * * *

Tara woke to bright lights and a concerned, familiar face hovering near hers.

“Damien, she’s awake. Get the doctor.” Jenny squeezed Tara’s hand, smiling, but her eyes were bright with unshed tears, and a worried furrow split her brow.

“A-are the --” Tara’s voice cracked.

Jenny grabbed a cup from the bedside table and held the straw while Tara sucked down a sip of icy water.

She tried again. “Are the babies all right?”

Jenny shared a glance with Devlin, who was standing near the foot of the bed. Her lips pressed together tight.

“It’s bad news, isn’t it?”

Behind Jen, the door banged open and Damien pushed through, holding it while Dr.

Tom Byers strode into the room.

8 Rachel Bo

“How are you, Tara?” Tom’s slender fingers felt for her pulse as he watched the second hand on his watch.

“Have I lost them?” She took a deep, shuddering breath, fighting back a sob.

Jenny reached out and clasped her right hand. Tom closed his eyes for moment, then met her gaze. “There’s no easy way to say this.” He took a deep breath. “You’ve lost one of the twins, Tara.”

She closed her eyes, clinging to Jenny’s hand for dear life. Tom’s voice rang in her head as she struggled to keep breathing.

“Oh, Tara.” She felt Jenny’s cheek, damp with tears, against the back of her hand. “I’m so sorry. But you can’t give up, sweetie.”

“That’s right.” Tom’s hands gripped her shoulders. “The other baby’s doing fine, Tara, and there’s no reason you can’t carry him to --”

“What happened?” she gasped, opening her eyes to stare at him through a watery haze.

“Honestly, we don’t know. Everything seemed fine. Carrying twins can be risky, but your pregnancy was progressing normally. I had no concerns at all.” He raked a hand through his graying hair. “The other baby’s doing fine. You seem fine.” He shook his head.

“Some doctors believe that unexpected miscarriages like this happen when nature detects something we can’t, but…we may never know what went wrong.” He rubbed his head again.

“I’m so sorry.”

Tara nodded, tears flowing, but her free hand crept to cradle her belly. “But…his brother’s all right?”

Tom nodded. “I want to keep you a couple of days, run a few more tests, but the crisis seems to have passed. I’ll know more when we have all the test results back.”

Tara nodded again, and he backed away.

“Thanks, Dr. Byers.” Damien opened the door and held it as Tom left.

Jenny’s eyes met hers, and Tara felt her face crumple. Her best friend leaned over and hugged her fiercely. She heard the door click shut as Damien and Devlin gave them their privacy, and then she buried her face in Jen’s shoulder and wailed helplessly. Jenny held her tight, a pillar of support, the only thing keeping her afloat amidst a maelstrom of hot tears and waves of bitter loss.

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Unselfish Friends

Three days later, she sat staring out the back window of Jenny’s hybrid minivan, worrying. None of the tests performed at the hospital had been able to determine why she’d lost one of the twins, so Dr. Byers had decided the safest course for the baby remaining was for Tara to be on bed rest until he was sure the danger had passed. She had no idea how she was going to support herself.

“Here we are, sweetie.” Jenny pulled into the parking lot of Tara’s apartment building.

“It’s a good thing your apartment’s on the ground floor. Those stairs wouldn’t be a good idea.”

Tara nodded absently, knowing Jenny was just making busy talk to try and keep her mind off things.

Jenny eased into a space right in front of Tara’s door. Damien hopped out of the front passenger seat and opened the rear car door. Devlin, seated next to her, scooted out of the van and turned, gripping her arm to help her step down onto the pavement. “Thanks, guys.”

Dev flashed his easy grin. “No problem, Tara.”

Despite her protests, he and Damien insisted on practically carrying her to the apartment. Jenny unlocked the front door and led them to the bedroom. Tara balked. “I’ve been in bed for four days.”

Jenny sighed. “But Tom put you on bed rest.”

“Yes, but he said I could sit in a recliner, or even in a chair, as long as I keep my feet elevated.”

Jenny’s men shared a glance. “We’ll go get her stuff out of the car,” Damien said.

Tara laughed as they nearly tripped over each other in their haste to leave the room.

“Do they think we’re going to fight?” Then what Damien had said registered. “What stuff? I

10 Rachel Bo

didn’t have anything at the hospital but the clothes I was wearing when the ambulance took me in.”

Jen frowned. “Actually, those were pretty much ruined. The stuff he’s talking about is the care package the nurses made up for you -- lotion, a baby book, a bunch of prenatal vitamins, some healthy snacks, that sort of thing. Plus, I checked out your cupboard yesterday. It was pretty bare, and your milk had expired, so I purchased a few groceries, too.”

She raised a quelling hand as Tara opened her mouth to protest. “Not a lot, just a few things to tide you over. Cereal, soup, some microwave dinners, frozen pizza, fresh fruit. Easy stuff, so you don’t have to be on your feet to cook.”

Tara felt the hot prickle of impending tears. She turned away, heading back into the living room. Jenny caught up to her, putting an arm around her waist and easing her down into the recliner. Tara tugged on the wooden handle, leaning back into the overstuffed suede as the footrest elevated. She closed her eyes and sighed. “That’s better.”

She listened for a moment to the comforting sounds of people puttering around her home, cabinets banging somewhat loudly as the brothers helped put up groceries. When she opened her eyes again, Jenny was watching her with a worried expression. Tara raised her eyebrows. “What?”

“I just -- are you sure you don’t want me to stay with you for a few days?”

Dev and Damien joined them just in time to hear the question, and Tara sensed their immediate tension. She thought she understood how they felt. They were weyr, and Jenny was their wife and their pack-mate. They’d hate being separated from her. Though they could visit at any time, it was a good two-hour drive from their property on the mountain to this little town. She shook her head. “I need some time alone. To…try and come to terms with what’s happened.”

Jenny nodded. “I understand. But I’m going to come check on you every day.”

“That’s too much, Jen! It’s such a drive.” But her best friend’s lips had thinned, her jaw locked in that stubborn, uncompromising position that said she wouldn’t be swayed, so Tara just nodded. “Thank you. That would be nice.” She hated seeming so helpless, but the truth was that she was relieved. She really did want some alone time, but knew that she would need help over the next few months. She was determined not to lose her remaining baby.

“Do you want me to fix you something to eat before we go? Some soup, maybe?”

Tara shook her head. “They fed me at the hospital, right before you picked me up.” She rested her head back against the recliner. Thank goodness Jenny had brought loose, comfy clothes for her to wear home from the hospital. “I really just want to sleep.”

“Of course.” Jenny stepped up to the chair and knelt down beside it. “You must be exhausted.”

Tara’s eyes were already drifting closed. “Could you get me a blanket before you go?

The quilt folded on the end of the bed would be fine.”

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“I’ll get it.” Damien went into the bedroom and brought back the quilt.

Jenny draped it over her, kissed her forehead, and stood. “I’ll lock the door behind me.”

They had decided that Jenny would keep the extra key to the apartment for the duration of Tara’s pregnancy. “You rest. I’ll be back to check on you in the morning.”

Tara nodded, but sleep was already claiming her, and she barely registered the snick of the deadbolt sliding home as she drifted away.

12 Rachel Bo

Unexpected Visit

Tara opened her eyes reluctantly, surprised to be met with darkness. She groped for the switch to the floor lamp next to the recliner, finally managing to twist it. Blinking in the sudden brightness, she lowered the footrest and pushed herself up from the chair. Stiff muscles protested, but the knocking at her door continued. She shuffled slowly to the door and looked through the peephole.

Marshall Loman stood outside, holding a handful of wilting roses and frowning with concern as he knocked harder. “Tara? Tara, are you all right?”

“Just a sec.” She turned the deadbolt and tugged the door open. “Marshall?”

“Hi.” He smiled, then glanced down at the flowers. “Oh, these are for you. I heard about…well, I just wanted you to know…” His voice trailed off, and he frowned unhappily.

“Thank you, Marshall.” Tara waved a hand. “Would you like to come in?”

“Are you sure you’re up to it? I don’t want to intrude.”

Tara sighed, resting her forehead against the door jamb. “Honestly, I wanted to be alone earlier, but now…I’d love some company for dinner. Keep my mind off…things. It’ll just be frozen pizza, but --”

“That’d be great.” For a lawyer, he appeared extremely unsure of himself, stepping hesitantly into the living room and waiting awkwardly while she shut the door and locked it.

“Can I put these in water for you?”

“Sure.” Tara led the way into the kitchen and opened the cabinet below the sink, bending over to look for a vase among the clutter. Marshall’s hands on her shoulders gently drew her up and guided her to one of the four chairs flanking her small kitchen table. “You sit. I’ll take care of it.” He rummaged among the junk and pulled out a dusty vase. “I’ll just rinse this out.” He turned on the hot water and gave it a quick wash, then turned to her.