Chasing Love

Rutledge Werewolves:

Chasing Love

Elizabeth Lapthorne

Trademarks Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Chevy Truck: General Motors Corp.

Geo Metro: General Motors Corp.

Prologue

Christiana sat beside her grandfather’s bedside, determined by her sheer will alone not to let him die. For once she wasn’t squirming, eager and full of energy to run outside in the sunshine. Maybe Edward and her parents were right, maybe she was finally beginning to grow up.

Her parents and all three sets of her aunts and uncles were having a powwow in the back kitchen, talking quietly and sipping their eighth, or maybe tenth, pot of coffee and herbal tea of the day.

No one knew Christiana was in here with her Grampa and, if they did, her dad would get that
look
on his face, the one that indicated death would be a preferable alternative to his anger.

The thought made Christiana smile. Her dad was a piece of cake. Her mom, on the other hand, would make her wash all the pots and pans from dinner, poking her dad in the stomach until he agreed and pointed in the direction of the sink.

Yech.

Christiana felt a snicker escape her. With her vivid imagination, she could just
see
the scene unfold before her eyes.

She swallowed the snicker quickly when she noticed her grandfather had finally opened one eye. She smiled, radiant in her happiness. When her grandfather gave her a much weaker version of his usual happy-go-lucky smile, she felt immense relief as the innate knowledge she took for granted now washed over her.

Her grandfather would be just fine.

“Thought you were Naomi there for a moment, child. Snickering away at me and my old thoughts. She must have left just before you snuck in here.”

When one old eye cracked open toward the half-open window letting in a warm breeze to freshen the room, Christiana felt surprised with the strength of his next comment.

“What the hell are you doing on a bright, sunny day like today, stuck indoors with an old codger like me?”

Christiana smiled hugely, her fourteen-year-old world suddenly righted once more.

“Oh, just sitting, Grampa. I’ll go outside and play in a minute. Are you feeling okay?”

The Old Man sighed and rubbed his wrinkled old hand along Christiana’s much smoother and smaller one.

“I’ll be fine, child. Naomi kicked my ass good and strong. I’m going to be hanging around for a while longer, it seems. Lovely to see she’s still got a temper on her. Wouldn’t be my Naomi if she weren’t kicking my ass and ordering me about.”

The harsh words were said softly, reverently, and Christiana knew her grampa missed his True Mate more than anyone could ever understand. Yet something about the strong, beautiful, long-dead woman touched her deeply. Christiana felt a kinship with her that no one else, with the possible exception of Edward, could really understand.

Sometimes Christiana could
feel
the older woman around her, helping her make decisions and pushing her on the right path, much like her mother would when she was about to steal a cookie from the jar or cheat in a game of cards with her siblings.

It was strange but something about this whole situation led her to believe that her Grandfather might understand how she felt and give her some advice.

“Grampa,” she began. When the tired eyes opened, she felt almost bad for interrupting him. He had been so sick all week; he really needed his rest. When she frowned and squeezed his hand, the Old Man smiled and patted her hand again.

“I’m sticking around this time, my love. Naomi would make life, or maybe death, miserable if I left right now.”

Christiana nodded. She really shouldn’t bother her grandfather right now. Maybe later. She felt surprised when he continued.

“Go talk to Edward, sweetest. He’ll be the one to help you through all your troubles.”

Christiana felt a spurt of surprise. It was a well-known secret that her grandfather thought she and Edward were True Mates. For years she and Edward had teased each other about it, not paying too much attention to what the future held. Yet now, after having seen truly for herself that her dearly loved Grandfather wouldn’t stay around to help her all her life, she wondered if all his joking was just camouflage for the truth.

“Edward? But…”

The Old Man laughed without even opening his eyes. “Of course sweetest. Whom do you turn to, to organize those cookie and chocolate chip raiding exercises of yours?”

Christiana felt a flare of surprise.
How did he know about those?

“And who do you tease and taunt mercilessly when he brings home some poor, unsuspecting girl and who manages to drive them off, usually within the hour?”

Christiana felt her face flush.
Surely everyone didn’t know about that? She’d been particularly careful after the debacle of the first girlfriend crying to all and sundry about being pushed into a convenient mud puddle.

“And who would you do anything at all for, who is the man you’ve had a crush on since the first moment you can recall?”

Christiana bit her lip and tried to think. Was this what her dad had meant when he explained that in the following couple of years, her early teenage years, she would really start her road to becoming a woman?

At the time she had laughed and informed him that she had learned all about women’s menstrual cycles back in fifth grade. She smiled when she remembered how he had turned bright, bright red and rushed off to her mom complaining loudly that
no one
should be fool enough to have daughters. Her uncles had jeered at him until she had rushed to defend him. The memory had been all but forgotten.

Until now.

Was she supposed to organize Edward now? Kick him up the ass like Naomi did for Grampa when he got too tired?

Patting her grandfather’s hand, Christiana stood up, kissed him on the cheek and left the room.

It was time she became a woman.

* * * * *

“…so you see, Edward, I think we should start dating and then organize to get engaged.”

Christiana smiled at herself. Really this whole growing up thing wasn’t anywhere near as hard as all her friends at school complained about! A little thought and some firm but friendly action and everything ended up perfectly!

Edward had been still as a stone as she had explained her reasonings behind why they should get together. She couldn’t, of course, tell him her
real
reasons. One of her girlfriends from school, Danni, insisted that men ran a mile when you confessed you loved them to distraction and doodled their names on everyone’s pencil cases.

So she had been very logical, very
masculine
she prided herself, and explained all her logical, non-love-related reasons for their dating and marriage. She explained how they had known each other forever and they got along really well together as buddies.

Then she moved on to explain how it made perfect sense for them to not only start dating, but get married as well because their parents already knew each other and liked one another just fine. None of those mother-in-law from hell or monster-in-law stories for
them!

She finally shut her mouth. She had to be a tiny bit nervous as she was starting to babble.

Calmly, she waited for Edward to agree with her. She frowned a little as she pondered what they should do first. Does one kiss one’s “boyfriend” when they first start dating or do they wait a while?

Never having had a real boyfriend—Tommy back in second grade didn’t count as they had only held hands for two days before he left her for Susie in third grade—she wondered if maybe she should have organized a few trial runs first to get the basics of dating down.

Sha
king her head, Christiana instantly changed her mind. No, she wanted to experience everything fresh and new with Edward. She was doing the right thing.

“You know, Christi-girl, I think you must be a little tired. What say you go and have a nap?”

Christiana felt her face flush. A
nap
?

What was she, some two-year-old?

“Don’t be stupid, Edward. I’m telling you we should start dating, with a view to getting engaged when I turn sixteen. Or maybe eighteen if you’re feeling
scared.
” There! A little taunting should make him come up to scratch.

Edward was shaking his head in that condescending manner he had picked up from one of his floozy ex-girlfriends. She
hated
it when he did that to her.

Without even paying attention, she felt her hands rest on her hips, much the way her mother’s would when she was about to let loose a tirade on her father. Strange how she had never noticed the mannerisms of her parents she had picked up unconsciously.

“Are you turning me
down?
”

Edward sighed.

“I don’t think either one of us is ready, Christi-girl. You’re only fourteen for heaven’s sake.” He held up a hand placatingly, angering her even more. “Sure, you’re
nearly
a woman but, really, you’re still just a little kid. You have no idea what you’re doing or where you’re going. While
I
am looking forward to heading off to college and have no intention of tying myself to a little girl whom I’ll only be seeing twice a year. At Easter and Christmas.”

Christiana felt her face flame a bright red. She reassured herself she was angry but the tears she was forcing away, so Edward would never see or guess, made her inner soul ache with disgust.

So Edward didn’t want to
tie
himself to her?

She’d show him. It was obviously well past the time she should get over her crush on the beast. Time she worked out her own life’s plans. If Edward didn’t want to be a part of them, fine. He could be her
buddy
, she scorned at the word.