Authors: Maddy Barone
Katelyn seemed to have trouble meeting her gaze. She stared at her mouth instead of meeting her eyes. “Okay,” she mumbled and went back to the mantel to dust.
When they finished with the reception rooms, Rose climbed the elegant staircase to the second floor and walked slowly around, reading the name plates on the doors. The door marked Cayla opened, and the tall businesswoman stepped out.
“Oh, hi, Rose. What are you doing up here?”
Rose shrugged. “Just looking around. I don’t have anything to do.”
Cayla laughed. “You can help me change my bed.”
Rose shrugged again. “Sure.”
But instead of going back into her room, Cayla walked along the railing that guarded against a fall to the reception rooms below to the closet in the corner. She pulled out two thin mattresses and gave one to Rose to carry.
Rose took it and followed her back to her room. At nearly six feet tall Cayla had no trouble carrying it. Rose, five inches shorter, had to be careful not to let the bottom edge drag. “What are these?”
“Mattress toppers.” Cayla dropped hers on the unmade bed, and took Rose’s and put it behind a partition. “Do you think I’m going to sleep on the same mattress I do business on? Yuck.”
Rose tried to pretend she wasn’t uncomfortable. “You have two?”
Cayla nodded and bent over the bed to straighten the topper. “One for each appointment. I change them and the sheets between appointments. Then at the end of the night I put them in the dirty linen closet for Patty and Debbie to wash.”
“They wash the toppers too?”
“Uh-huh. Hand me that sheet.”
Rose looked around and found a pile of cotton draped over a vanity chair. “That must make for a lot of laundry.”
“Yeah, those girls in the laundry room downstairs earn their pay, that’s for sure.” Cayla deftly tucked in the sheet and waited for Rose to finish her hospital fold. “Heck, I’d pay them myself if I had to. It would be worth it to sleep on clean sheets every night. I don’t know how you married people do it.”
Rose stiffened while handing the second sheet over. “Do what?”
“Sleep on wet sheets. Sex is messy. Does Sky make you sleep on the wet spot, or does he…” She trailed off, staring. “My God, your face looks like you’ve got the worst sunburn I’ve ever seen. Did I say something to embarrass you? You’re newlyweds, but at your age you couldn’t have been a virgin?”
Rose coughed, trying to force her blush to subside. “Well, um, actually, Sky and I were, um, engaged since I was sixteen and he was seventeen. So I never, uh…”
Cayla dropped the edge of the sheet to stare. “Never?”
Rose tried to imagine finding the place and opportunity to lose her virginity while living at the den. Nope, not possible. “Never.”
“Oh, my God.” Cayla finished tucking in the top sheet and, to Rose’s infinite relief, changed the subject. “Did you start that book yet?”
“I stayed up late last night and finished it.”
“Really? Groovy. Would you like to borrow another one?”
After they finished making the bed, Cayla led her behind the partition to a bookcase that held at least fifty books. In this day and age, it was practically a library. After some scanning, Rose selected a romance, thanked Cayla and carried it downstairs, through the kitchen and mudroom and up to her room. She placed it on her bedside table and heard a noise out in the hall.
Sky stood in the doorway, leaning on the frame with his suit coat hanging over his shoulder from the hook of his thumb. Rose became acutely conscious of two things: he was sex in a suit, and her unmade bed looked like they’d spent the night rolling around in it.
Geez, why did just looking at him make her think of sex?
“Hi.” She coughed to clear the husky note from her voice. “I guess I was in too much of a hurry this morning to make my bed.”
His gaze was a caress she could almost feel. He looked from her to the rumpled bed and his lids fell to half mast as he inhaled. Rose froze. She’d seen Taye do that exact same thing and then he and Carla would disappear into their room for an hour. Her mouth seemed suddenly dry and she resisted the urge to lick her lips.
“It must be time for lunch, right?” The words came out almost normally. She took a step toward the door, but he didn’t move. “Sky?”
“Yeah.” It cheered her to hear that his voice was a little hoarse. He stood up from his lean against the door. “After you.”
“No, I can’t see anything in the dark, so you go first.”
He stopped. “You can’t see the steps,” he said slowly, his eyes losing their sexy, smoldering look and focusing on her. “You could trip and hurt yourself.” His brows drew together in thought. “Wiring the backstairs and the passages for electric light would be too expensive. I’ll get you a closed lamp. That’s what Ms. Mary used. Sorry I forgot about that.”
He swung into his suit coat. Smoothing the lapels into place, he turned to the stairs. “Stay close behind me, love.”
She decided she liked him calling her “love” far more than “princess” or “my dear.” She would tell him so this afternoon while they strolled at the park and talked. She followed him to the steps. Before the darkness cut off her sight, she noticed the seat of his pants was clean of cat hair. She would have to try to find a way to keep Mitzi out of his office.
The dining room table had been extended for lunch and nearly all twenty seats were filled. Sky held her hand and introduced the business women. She knew Cayla and Tasha, but Cheri, Michelle, Berniece, Aimee, Camille, and Tamar were new faces to her. He introduced Jocelyn, who played piano for the evening entertainment, and Dana, the bartender. Rose was sure she’d never remember which name went with which face, so she just smiled and said appropriately polite things.
Lunch was simple and filling, potato soup thickened with corn and chunks of ham, with sliced apples and cheese. At the foot of the table, Rose made conversation with Ms. Mary and Tasha while sneaking peeks at Sky at the far end of the table. Every now and then their eyes would meet, and heat would bloom in her. He was so good-looking. Would he sneak a kiss during their walk? Maybe he would, but why should she wait for him? She could steal a kiss from him first. There was discussion of who would go in the carriage this afternoon. Ms. Mary explained that twice a week Sam Hudd, their driver, would drive the carriage around Omaha with four of the businesswomen dressed in their best clothes as a sort of living advertisement for The Limit. Today it would be Camille, Berniece, Cayla, and Aimee. As they ate, the four laughed and discussed what they would wear as if they were going to be waving from a float in a parade. Rose only half-listened, focusing instead on spooning up soup. It seemed like the girls here liked what they did for a living, and Rose just couldn’t understand that.
Joe came to the table and leaned over to whisper in Sky’s ear. Sky nodded, face showing nothing, and looked down the long table at her. He nodded again, and Joe nodded back before going to stand at the door. Rose watched while Sky wiped his mouth with his napkin and then left his place to come to her.
“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I have to postpone our afternoon.”
“Oh.” A surprising amount of disappointment surged in Rose. No kiss stealing this afternoon. She smiled up at him. “Something came up?”
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
He bent to kiss her cheek and Rose allowed it. His kisses at the table were cool pecks, but she couldn’t help remembering the hot kiss he’d given her in the mayor’s car. Remembering and wondering. If only a kiss like that wouldn’t end up with them mated.
Oh well, at least she had a book to read this afternoon, and tomorrow she would go to the library. How much more excitement could a girl ask for?
Chapter 12
At five o’clock, Stone looked into the kitchen. It was full of chattering women working to prepare the hors d’oeuvres for this evening’s guests. Rose was among them, seemingly comfortable and content. When she looked up and saw him, he gave her a quick smile.
“Stone, you are going to be late,” she exclaimed. “I thought you were supposed to be at Sara’s house by now.”
He raised a hand. “I’m leaving. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
“I want a report.”
He grunted. “Maybe.”
He loved Rose, but she wanted to manage everything for him. Too many people fussed over him, just because he didn’t make them laugh all the time anymore. They needed to realize he had grown up.
As he walked to the lower side of town where his mate lived, he reflected on Rose. He didn’t think she and Sky had spent very much time together. She seemed to spend more of her time reading and cleaning than anything else. He wondered how she felt about that. Sky was supposed to be courting her, but the City Council vote ate up his time. Poor Rose.
It was easier to think about her than it was to think about Sara. Every time he thought about his mate, his heart twisted with a mix of pain and longing. He wanted his mate. He wanted her love, but how could he trust it? She had shown herself to be a cheat. He couldn’t trust her. And that was a terrible thing for a wolf warrior to think. Two years ago when they had been married for only a few days, he’d had to leave her behind while he went on a journey. When he came back ten days later, he found her in the arms of another man. In his arms literally, not figuratively. Seeing his mate kissing another man had driven his wolf crazy. If that man hadn’t been related to the Clan by marriage, Stone would have killed him.
He’d wanted to repudiate her, but a wolf had only one mate. His cousins had all given him advice.
Give her a chance
, they’d said.
She’s practically a baby. She needs time to grow up
. He had sent her to live with her uncle in Omaha. Hopefully in the past two years she had grown up. Maybe sixteen was too young for her to settle down to marriage. Now he would see how much maturity two years had given her.
The house she shared with her uncle was small and run down. Red and gold chrysanthemums made a brave attempt to beautify the narrow walkway to the door, and their spicy aroma help to tame the odor of the nearby outhouse. Stone stepped onto the porch and knocked on the door.
For a moment he thought he caught the elusive and never forgotten scent of his mate. That scent had haunted him for two years. The door opened to reveal a man whose creviced face showed years of troubles. He was stooped with age, his gray hair thinning, and his shoulders slumped. His eyes were the same blue as Sand’s mate Amanda’s. His face was tired and careworn, but those eyes were sharp and looked directly at Stone with cool judgment. He ran his gaze over Stone from his long black braids to his worn moccasins and back up to his face.
“So, you must be Spotted Stone Wolfe. The man who broke my niece’s heart.”
Stone’s jaw tightened. “I’m Stone.”
The man opened the door wider. “Well, you may as well come in.”
As Stone stepped over the threshold, the fugitive scent of his mate strengthened. Inhaling it was like breathing in electricity. His wolf lunged frantically inside him, needing to see his mate. It took more of an effort to force him down than Stone had ever exerted in his life.
He realized the struggle with the wolf had taken a minute or so because Mr. Nelson’s brows were raised. “Sorry,” he said, and obeyed the man’s gesture to walk through the small entryway to the living room. The tiny sound of a footstep jerked his gaze to the opposite door. There, framed within the door like a piece of art, stood the mate he hadn’t seen in two years.
Stone’s breath stopped. She was beautiful. Her hair had darkened from honey blonde to honey brown and her skin had lost most of its tan. His heart seized at the blaze of happiness that lit his mate’s face. An answering blaze of joy welled up inside him, utterly out of his control. It might have been from the wolf, but he didn’t think so. It felt too visceral for it to be from any heart but his own.
“Sara.” It came out hoarse because his breathing hadn’t started up yet. “Sara,” he said again.
She was visibly trembling. “Stone! Oh God, I’m so glad you’re here. I’m so sorry I missed you yesterday. Can I…Would you…Please, won’t you hug me?”
He finally dragged air into his lungs and crossed the room in three steps. He opened his arms and she stepped into them. He held her so tightly against him he doubted she could breathe. The weight of her head against his chest was indescribably precious. The warmth of her breath whispering over the base of his throat made him want to cry. She was his. His mate, and his wife by the laws of the Methodist Church and the state of Kansas. He had never smelled anything as entrancing as his mate. The salt of her tears wetting his shirt only added to the appeal of her scent. It was almost enough to wipe out the memory of her betrayal.
“Stone,” she whispered. “I’ve missed you every day since I left you at Mel’s ranch, so much.” She dragged one hand from his back to wipe her eyes. “Oh, God, I told myself I wasn’t going to cry when I saw you again, and here I am doing my best to drown both of us.” She sniffed and wiped her nose on the back of her hand. “I was afraid you wouldn’t come.”
“I’m here.” He wasn’t sure what he should say. It delighted his wolf to have their mate in his arms, and he couldn’t deny that his heart was thundering. At the same time, the memory of his mate in Mordecai Dirk’s arms rose up in his mind.
He mourned the loss of her warmth against him when she straightened up and stood back. She wiped her eyes with the heels of her hands. Her short thick lashes were spiky from the tears. She had beautiful eyes. “Supper will be ready in half an hour. Uncle Bob, will you show Stone where to wash up? I’ll just finish things in the kitchen.” Fresh tears welled, but she ignored them and gave Stone a trembling smile.
Stone followed her uncle out the front door and around to the back of the house where a basin of water and a sliver of soap sat. Bob Nelson watched as Stone washed, his face set in noncommittal lines. Even so, Stone’s acute sense of smell told him he’d been judged and found wanting.
He accepted the towel the old man handed him and wiped his face dry. “I will never hurt Sara.”
“You already did that,” the old man said flatly, taking the towel back and hanging it up. “I guess we’ll just have to see what you do to her this time.”