She had to admit he did a lot for the decor of her kitchen, although he’d chosen not to be completely naked while he worked in there. He’d said that sharp knives and hot liquids made him nervous about his family jewels. So he’d protected his privates with a towel slung loosely around his hips. With his dark hair and ripped body, he’d looked like a primitive warrior wearing a loincloth. The faint red marks from the bear’s claws and his bullet wound only made him look more manly. And, bonus, he could cook.
Yes, she wanted him. She’d run through all the reasons why she shouldn’t want him, and none of them amounted to a hill of beans. Because he trusted her, she could live the way she always had, except she’d have a man in her life. Jake passed for human all the time. Around her friends and family, he’d continue to do that.
The issue of children had given her pause at first, but she believed that two parents who were devoted to each other were such a gift that a little thing like uncertain genetic patterns became unimportant. Her kids would never know anything different, anyway, and they’d be loved, no matter if they turned out human or Were. She’d help them deal with whichever species designation they’d inherited.
Sadly, she probably wouldn’t get the chance, because Jake wasn’t buying what she was selling. She didn’t delude herself on that score. Not anymore. He had every intention of walking out of her life forever.
After that, he’d mate with some lucky werewolf and start his own pack. She’d seen how he’d lit up at that suggestion of hers. It was her idea, damn it. She’d hoped he’d make the obvious leap of faith and ask her to share that dream with him.
But he hadn’t. There’d been a moment there, a millisecond of optimism when something in his expression had told her he was thinking about it. In the end, he’d rejected that possibility.
As she drove around the lake to his cabin, she wondered whether she should simply hand him his clothes and tell him to hit the road. He could take a doggie bag full of the food he’d cooked. Or a wolfie bag. If she hadn’t changed his mind by now, after she’d taken care of his wounded self twice and they’d enjoyed stellar sex many times, chances were she wasn’t going to change it.
Would keeping him around longer, knowing she couldn’t win, make the end more devastating? Maybe, but she’d also have more memories to warm her on cold winter nights. Those memories would make finding a replacement for him extremely difficult, though. She couldn’t do much about that. She’d had the best and was now stuck with the rest.
The parking lot of the Polecat General Store was empty except for Ted’s truck and a late-model SUV with, of all things, Idaho plates. The dusty, mud-spattered vehicle had obviously traveled the Alaskan highway to get here. Rachel hesitated before pulling in, but she really needed that coffee.
She’d be okay unless the visitors could ID her on sight. Some could do that because she’d been featured on a few news shows in the lower forty-eight. Once someone pinpointed her location here in Polecat, she would have to increase her security measures in both her cabin and her workshop. She’d like to avoid that if possible.
Reaching for the faded navy baseball cap she kept tucked behind her visor, she shook it out, put it on, and pulled her hair through the opening in back. Without makeup and wearing old clothes, she didn’t look much like the internationally famous wood-carver from Alaska’s interior. The baseball cap finished off what she hoped was a successful disguise.
Opening the screen door, she set off the jangling bells that Ted had hung there as a cheap alert system. Ted was behind the counter talking to an attractive middle-aged couple. They were both tall and athletic looking, with good bone structure.
Rachel had been in contact with enough wealthy people in her new career to recognize that these folks had money. That could mean they were collectors searching for her. Although they seemed harmless enough, she couldn’t trust them not to brag to others and give away her exact location.
Tugging her baseball cap lower, she headed down the aisle toward the coffee. Ted wouldn’t announce her presence, and she could wait until they left to approach the counter and pay.
Then Ted called her name. “Hey, Rachel!”
She froze in place. What in the hell was Ted doing, indentifying her like that? Cautiously she turned around.
“These folks are looking for Jake.” Ted gave her a reassuring smile as if to say that all was well. The visitors didn’t want her, after all.
“Oh?” Alarms went off in her head. Idaho.
“They knew his folks and wanted to stop and say hello, but they didn’t find him at home. I thought you might have some idea where he is. Weren’t you two going hiking today?”
“Um, yeah.” She thought fast as she tried not to stare at what had to be a mated pair of werewolves. And they looked so completely normal, too. But then, so did Jake. “Jake, um, hurt himself on the trail, so he’s over at my place.” She could feel the couple studying her. They knew she wasn’t Were. Jake had said werewolves could smell the difference.
“I hope it’s nothing serious,” the woman said.
But this visitor wasn’t a woman, Rachel reminded herself. She was a female werewolf. Rachel began to sweat. “No, not too bad. Took a fall, has a bit of a sprain, but he’ll be fine. How long are you here for?”
“We’re staying at a place about an hour back down the road,” the male said. “We tried to call his cell, but it just went to voice mail, so we thought it would be fun to surprise him.”
They must have tried to call while Jake’s phone had been turned off at the bottom of her backpack. “I’m sure he’d love to see you.” Rachel did her best to sound enthusiastic. God, she didn’t want to get Jake in trouble. For all she knew, these two belonged to his anti-human-mating group.
Even if they weren’t part of that group, they were certainly from his pack. They had to be wondering why he was laid up since he had the ability to heal himself through shifting. Maybe they assumed he was trapped with her, a human, and couldn’t shift. But why not? She’d left him to go shopping, so by all rights, he’d be fine when she returned.
All this complication for a pound of coffee! If only she’d bought some last week. “I don’t think he’s up to company tonight,” she said. “But tomorrow would probably work. Do you want to leave me your phone number so I can give it to him?”
The female hesitated. “If you’re sure he can’t see us tonight, we can do that.”
“It’s been a long day for him.” Now, there was an understatement. “Tomorrow would be much better.” She sounded like a protective girlfriend and couldn’t help that. She wasn’t about to invite these werewolves to her house. Something about them gave her the creeps, and she hoped it wasn’t a newly discovered prejudice.
Then she realized that if anyone was displaying prejudice, it was these two werewolves. When they looked at her, there was no warmth. Apparently they judged her as unworthy simply because she was human. Unfortunately for them, she controlled access to Jake, and they’d come to see him.
“Then let me give you our information,” the female said. Opening her designer purse, she pulled out a small notepad and a jeweled pen. “I’ll write our names down, too.”
“It’s been years,” the male said. “But he’ll remember who we are.”
“I’m sure he will.” Rachel took the slip of paper. Above the number, the female had written Ann and Bruce Hunter. Rachel could have predicted that the last name would be Hunter.
“Give him our best,” the female said. “We’ll wait to hear from him.”
“I’ll be sure to. Have a good night.”
“Thanks for stopping by!” Ted called after them. Then he glanced at Rachel. “Did I screw that up? They weren’t looking for you, just Jake. And they seemed to know him really well. They had his address and cell phone number, so I thought—”