Wolf’s Princess (7 page)

“Sure,” said Rose easily, but her heart sank just a little. Carla was going to grill her.

In the children’s room, the Lupa took her time, going to fetch her son from his cradle and sitting down with him in the rocking chair to nurse. She waited until Patia was involved in play before beginning the inquisition.

“So,” she said brightly. “Sky’s back.”

“Yeah,” Rose agreed. “Too bad Colby isn’t here. He always wanted to meet Sky.”

For a moment it looked like Rose’s attempt to sidetrack Carla worked. She sighed, longing for her oldest child plain on her face. She shook it off. “It was so kind of Sand and Amanda to take Colby with them to visit the Clan. It’s been a nice break for me, with Little Feather taking up so much of my time right now.” She brushed her lips over her son’s head. “They are coming back when the Clan moves to the winter camp. It won’t be long before we see them again.”

Rose watched Little Feather’s tiny hands press against his mother’s breast as he nursed. What did it feel like to cradle a son or daughter to your breast and watch them suckle? She snapped her attention back to Carla at the next question.

“It would be nice for Sky to see his parents again. I’m sure he wants to. Does he plan to live here at the den or with the Clan?”

Rose opened her mouth, thought for a moment, and closed it. “I don’t know. It didn’t come up.”

“Maybe he’s waiting to see what you would prefer.” Carla lifted Little Feather to the other breast. “He
is
here to court you, isn’t he?”

“Yeah.” It had taken a bit of effort to get it out of him, but yes, he was here to court her. She tried to remember what he had said in that short time before supper. “He said no one would ever love me as well as he could.”

“That’s a nice start to a courtship,” Carla commented.

Rose shook her head. “Too nice.”

“Too nice?”

“Yeah. Slick. Glib. You know what I mean?” Rose saw Carla’s confusion. “Did you see the way he dresses? The way he acts?”

“He’s been in Omaha for nearly eight years.”

Rose cocked an eyebrow. “I never knew him well, but he’s not at all how I remember him. He was a hot head. He’s nothing like I imagined he would be.”

Carla’s smooth brow formed the crease that always appeared when she was thinking hard. “Well, the last time we saw him, he was only seventeen years old. Now he’s twenty-five. He’s matured in a city that everyone says is cosmopolitan.”

“Swanky,” Rose said, smiling at the memory of Sand’s disapproving description of Omaha. Her smile faded. “Sky came back only because Taye wrote to him and told him he was allowing me to be courted.”

“Does it matter why?” Carla lifted Little Feather to her shoulder to burp him. “He’s here now.”

“Yeah.”

“What’s wrong, Rose? Don’t you want him to court you?”

Rose raised a hand as if to stroke the baby’s small head, let it fall. “I want that.” She nodded at Little Feather. “I want to hold my own baby in my arms. I want a family.”

The Lupa nodded. “I know. I’ve seen it in you for the past few years. Don’t you think you could have that with Sky?”

“Maybe. But I’m not sure I like him.”

“Is it because of what he did in Omaha? The bordello?”

Rose hesitated. “I don’t think so. Quill and Sand have both tried to explain to me about his whorehouse. I don’t think I understand how a wolf warrior could run a whorehouse, but Amanda was happy there. She said Sky was the best employer a woman in Omaha could have. So I don’t think that’s it. Or…” She threw up her hands. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s part of it. He’s just so…smooth. I don’t trust him.”

Carla lifted startled eyes to stare at her. “You don’t think he would hurt you?”

“No.”

“Do you find him attractive?”

Rose ignored the heat that flooded her cheeks. “Oh, sure, he’s good-looking.”

“That’s not quite the same thing. One thing all us mates have in common is the attraction we feel for our men.”

The heat multiplied. “He’s hot, okay? But he’s not the only hot guy around here.”

“Do you mean Jasper?” Carla laughed at her glare. “You know wolves are bigger gossips than most people think women are. I know all about your lunch with Jasper.”

“Of course you do.” Rose made a face. “I had a nice time this afternoon until Mr. City Slicker got off the train. I suppose I’ll need to cancel my Saturday night supper with Jasper.”

“Yeah, Taye will have one of the men tell him.”

Rose winced when she imagined how the message would be delivered. “I should write a note to him. I’d like to explain in person, but I don’t suppose I can.”

Little Feather slept, a small milk bubble trembling on his lower lip. Carla smiled down at her son before looking back up at Rose. “Sky wouldn’t like that much. Are you going to let him court you?”

“Yeah.” Rose heaved a sigh. “I guess I owe him that much. But if don’t like him, I’m not accepting his mate claim. That’s final.”

“No one would argue with that. If you give him an honest chance and you decide you don’t want him, then you can look for another man to give you a family.”

Rose got ready for bed late that night. Sky still hadn’t returned from the Plane Women’s House. Why was she disappointed? They would have plenty of time to get to know one another. It was just that she wanted to see him. Even to herself she was reluctant to admit why, but she despised people who ignored things they didn’t want to face. The truth was, he was very handsome, and she couldn’t wait to be courted.

She settled under the blanket, feeling like a little girl on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa Claus. Tomorrow would be present-opening day and her present was wrapped in a slick city suit. She wanted to see what was under the wrapping. Not just the body, although she certainly looked forward to seeing that, but what his heart held. And, since she was facing truths tonight, she admitted she wanted to play with the body beneath the suit.

Rose rolled over to stifle that thought before any sharp wolf noses scented her body’s reaction to the mental image of Sky naked.
Good night, Rose
, she told herself firmly.

But she wasn’t responsible for her body’s reaction in dreams, was she?

Chapter 5

When Rose entered the dining room the next morning the first thing she noticed was Sky. Her present was still wrapped up tight. Out of the two dozen men eating breakfast, he was the only one wearing a shirt and shoes. And the shirt, though in a casual style, was an expensive one, made from machine-knit fabric. In her old life in the Times Before, a polo shirt or T shirt would have been cheap, but now, with the technology she’d taken for granted almost unknown, a machine-knit shirt was what a city man wore. Intricate hand knits were far more common in Kearney than the store-bought, machine-made ones.

She went to the serving window and helped herself to the fried potatoes and ham, and carried her plate to the head table where Taye and Sky sat. Sky stood up with a smile and pulled out the chair beside his own.

“Good morning, Rose. Come sit next to me.”

She sat. Actually, he seated her, the gallant way her mom’s dates seated her while trying to impress her mother with their manners. “Good morning, Sky. Hi, Taye.”

She began eating, feeling the gazes of the men in the dining room on her. To shake off an odd sense of self-consciousness, she smiled at Sky. “How was your visit to the Plane Women’s House last night?”

Sky’s dimple appeared when he smiled. Taye had the same dimple, but his didn’t make Rose’s breath catch. When Sky smiled, Rose couldn’t help but notice his lips. “I enjoyed seeing what Des and his pack have done with the old place. Each family has their own apartment, and they’ve set it up so everyone has jobs, working in the restaurant or minding the children. Red Wing and Hawk and Des are all fathers. It’s amazing.”

She cut her ham into small bites to avoid looking into his eyes. The blue was vivid between dark, thick lashes. How unfair that a man had such gorgeous eyes. “I bet Raven was happy to see you.”

“Yes. We talked until after midnight. I’m all caught up on every bit of family news.”

Rose noticed Taye watching them with the expression of an indulgent uncle. He caught her staring and turned to Sky. “I’m going to run a wide perimeter patrol. Wanna let your wolf out for a run this morning?”

Rose saw Sky hesitate and then shake his head. “No. I promised all of today to Rose.”

“That’s okay,” she said quickly. “I have things to do this morning. We can do something together after lunch.”

“No.” He touched a fingertip to her chin. “I promised I’d spend all of today with you, and I don’t lie or break my word. And especially never to you. I can help you do whatever you usually do in the morning.”

“Well, it’s not all that exciting.”

He lifted a brow, so she listed what a normal day consisted of. “After breakfast, I go out to the garden for an hour or so to pull weeds and harvest whatever has ripened. It’s getting to the end of the growing season, but there are still cucumbers and tomatoes, and the pumpkins aren’t ready yet so I try to keep up with the weeds. Then I do some cleaning and laundry. The kids always create lots of laundry, especially with Little Feather here now. His dirty diapers are a full load by themselves. Then while the laundry is drying, I play with Patia for a couple of hours to give Carla a break. Are you bored yet?”

He shook his head, smiling.

“After lunch, I brush the cat and then I knit or spin or I go to town to visit friends. Twice a week I spend a couple of hours with the men for fight practice.”

“Brush the c—” Sky began, but interrupted himself. “Fight practice?”

She frowned at his incredulity, but before she could snap something out, Taye cut in.

“That’s right. All the women in both packs practice self-defense. Carla’s been excused for the past three months, but she was at fighter’s practice up to her seventh month and next month she’ll begin again. No woman of the Pack will ever be helpless if she is attacked.”

Rose couldn’t read Sky’s face; it was shut down to show nothing but mild teasing. “I’ll have to be sure to treat you right, princess,” he said to her. “If I don’t, you’ll teach me a lesson, won’t you?”

She froze. “Princess?”

Sky shrugged, smiling. “I heard last night that some of the people around here call you that.”

“Yeah, they call me that. I hate it.”

“Sorry.” His smile was light and teasing. “So do we go to the garden now?”

“If you want.”

“I want.” His hand deliberately brushed over hers. “I’m not giving up a single minute with you.”

She couldn’t stop the feeling of subtle excitement dancing in her throat. He was courting her. “You should get changed to work in the garden.”

He looked down at his cotton khakis and thin polo shirt. “No need.”

Rose shrugged to cover her appreciation of the way the light blue polo hugged the curves and planes of his muscled chest, and led the way to the shed outside the kitchen where the gardening tools and baskets were kept. As she walked, she covertly studied him. She liked his build, the way his shoulders tapered to a narrow waist and his long legs. Honestly, who could blame her for admiring the view? He was the most appealing man she’d ever seen. He even smelled good. Her step hitched at the thought. That was the sign of a mate, wasn’t it? Taye told her the scent of a mate was always pleasing.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She jerked open the door of the shed. “Fine.”

He took the weed puller and garden claw from her and grabbed a basket from a shelf. “Where to?”

“Let’s start weeding by the pumpkins.”

They worked side by side kneeling in the dirt, and Rose frowned over his nice pants getting dirty at the knees. “Why are you wearing clothes?” she asked.

He turned his head and lifted his brow. “Trying to get me naked?”

Why did she have to blush? Before she found a reply that wasn’t full of blazing sarcasm or embarrassed titters, he lifted his hands.

“Sorry. That just slipped out.”

Mollified, she nodded. “But why are you fully dressed?”

He pulled a weed up. “I’ve worn clothes every day for over seven years. I think it would feel strange to strip down. I’m in casual wear today.”

She couldn’t catch the snort before it came out. “Well, I’m not used to seeing a wolf warrior wearing so many clothes. Around here casual wear is an even rattier pair of shorts than usual.”

“I know.”

Rose looked at him, wondering if that was wistfulness in his voice. “Well, suit yourself. Wear clothes or not, whichever you like.”

His scent poured over her when he leaned to wag a dirty finger in her face. “Admit it. You want to see me without my shirt.”

Dang it, now the blush was back, even hotter than before. She refused to acknowledge it. She let her gaze roam over his chest to his abdomen and back up to his face. “Maybe I do.” She turned her attention back to a weed just barely poking out of the ground and changed the subject. “Everybody expects us to be mated.”

“Yes,” he agreed. “Do I detect reluctance in your scent? Yesterday at the train station you didn’t seem happy to see me.”

She almost hunched her shoulders. Instead she drew a calming breath and sat back on her heels to face him. “I was shocked,” she said carefully. “I haven’t seen you in eight years, and you look different. I don’t know you.”

“So you said yesterday.”

“I mean it, Sky. I wrote to you regularly. You wrote to me only a few times a year. I know nothing about you.”

He wrapped a hand lightly around her wrist. “I sent you presents every year on your birthday and at Christmas.”

He had, Rose acknowledged to herself. Expensive jewelry and perfumes she had no place to wear. “The presents were beautiful. But they didn’t tell me much about you. Everything of importance I learned about you came from Quill and Paint. For instance, you own a whorehouse?”

He seemed to flinch the slightest bit. “I’m a co-owner, yes.”

“Quill and Amanda told me a little bit about it, but I’d like to hear what you have to say.”

Sky grasped her hands before settling himself cross-legged in the grass at the edge of the garden. “You deserve to know.” He seemed to be struggling to be completely open and honest. “I wasn’t trying to ignore you all these years. But every time I sat down to write to you, my heart broke a little because I couldn’t see you. With all the responsibility on my shoulders, I can’t afford to be an emotional wreck. And I couldn’t write the truth of what I was doing in case it fell into the wrong hands. Rose.” His hands clenched almost painfully over hers. “Rose, I missed you so much that if I let myself think about you for too long I would break down in tears. I wanted you to be with me so much it hurt.”