Dawson Fur Hire (Bears Fur Hire 5) (13 page)

Kate hated moving. Oh sure, she was beyond excited to be in the cabin, but the actual act of moving was a pain in the butt. Add to that three stitches for the cut in her hairline and pain medicine that made her a little groggy, and today wasn’t her favorite.

“Is anyone else coming to help?” Nicole asked as she patted down another strip of masking tape over a full box.

“No. I asked Avril to come, but she declined the invite.”

“Your sister?”

“Yeah. Her husband helped me when I moved into this place, and I thought I could take them out to dinner after we were done. It would be a good excuse to spend some time together, but when I told Avril about moving in with Dalton, she called this ‘just another bad decision in a string of many.’”

“Geez,” Nicole muttered. “She sounds charming.”

Fina twitched in her sleep in the portable swing, and they both went still and quiet, waiting for her to wake up. When she didn’t, Nicole grabbed a marker and wrote
Kitchen
on the box.

“Thank goodness for you and Link,” Kate said, feeling emotional. “I would be doing this all by myself if you hadn’t offered to help.”

Link was a quiet sort of man, but from the kitchen where he was wrapping plates in thick moving paper, he said, “We’re glad to help. It’s not every day we get a new pack member, and you are doing more for us than you know.”

Kate lowered a heavily wrapped flower vase into a box. “What do you mean?”

Link gave her a look over his shoulder. His eyes were so light gray it had been unsettling at first, but now she was growing used to him.

“I mean you’re giving my wolves a reason to come home.”

She dipped her gaze shyly as warmth flooded her cheeks. It was nice to feel a little needed.

“This wasn’t much of a pack before you came along,” Nicole admitted.

“Dalton told me he kept himself distanced.”

“Yeah, but packs are tricky. One unhappy wolf, and everyone feels it. Deeply. I think Chance wanted us all to be closer like Link did, but Dalton was hurting and kept everyone separate.”

“It feels right now,” Link said, his back to them as though he was talking more to himself.

“It does to me, too,” Nicole said, her marked cheek stretching with a grin. “Plus now I’m not the only human.”

Kate took the tape Nicole offered and fiddled with the sticky edge. “Sometimes this all feels so fast. I mean, when I’m with Dalton, I feel so certain. There is no hesitation, no fear. But he’s been gone almost a week now, and every day he’s away, these stupid little insecurities creep in.”

“Like what?”

“Like am I rushing this? I was really hurt by my ex, and then by Miller. My boss is being horrible to me about my relationship with Dalton, and my sister thinks every decision I make is wrong. I keep thinking maybe I’m desperate for someone to love me properly, you know? But then I close my eyes and think of how I feel around Dalton, and then I think my insecurities are stupid because he’s everything I could’ve ever dreamed of in a man. In a partner. In a best friend. It’s this vicious loop, over and over, making me second-guess everything.”

“Kate, that’s not stupid. That’s natural. It’s different for Link and Dalton. Hell, it’ll be different for Chance if he ever settles down with a human. But for us, we’re not only humans, we’re women. We feel deeply, analyze everything, and when our mates aren’t around to remind us how loved we are, it’s easy to slip into old insecurities.”

Link pulled a box off the counter and set it on the floor by the front door. “For you it feels fast, but I assure you, for Dalton, time is dragging. Our animals have a lot of say in the decisions we make. Maybe if Dalton was human, he would need months, even years, to decide if you’re the one he wants. But it’s not like that for werewolves. For any shifters, really. The animal can see you. Can sense the good in you. Can tell you’re compatible almost immediately. It was the same for me. I obsessed over Nicole, brought her fish and dead rabbits as gifts while I was a wolf, but she didn’t understand my need to be around her and to take care of her. I could see it was confusing for her, even scared her sometimes, but I was driven to keep doing it, anyway.”

“Dead rabbits?”

Nicole laughed and nodded. “I didn’t know werewolves existed yet, I had just moved to Alaska, and I had this massive wolf bringing me dead things. I thought he was trying to lure me outside to eat me.”

Kate giggled and settled onto her folded legs. “This makes me feel better. I was starting to think Dalton and I had both gone insane.”

“Uuuh, Dalton
has
gone insane. Do you know how many times he’s called us?” Nicole’s dark eyebrow arched up. “Ten times, at least, and from a damned satellite phone, just asking for us to check on you. That fight with Dr. Vega has him worried something fierce. He made Link drive out to the medical center during one of your shifts just to make sure that asshole doctor wasn’t giving you grief. Dalton hates being away from you like this.”

“Well, Dr. Vega spent most of the week in the police station. He didn’t pass a sobriety test, and he was full of death threats. He sobered up enough not to land in the psych ward in Anchorage, but from what I hear, it was a close call. He’s not allowed within a hundred yards of me, and he was officially fired from the medical center this morning for misconduct. He won’t bother me anymore.” She wished she felt as confident as she sounded. She was still pretty shaken by his whole tirade. Janice and Lacy were too. “Dalton was right. Something is really wrong with Dr. Vega.” She almost pitied the man. That considerable amount of hate must weigh heavily on him. What a sad and empty life.

Nicole gave Link a loaded look, and a million things passed between them in an instant.

“What?” Kate asked.

“You should be careful around him,” Link said. “It’s a small town, and at some point you’ll cross paths. Don’t provoke him, don’t even talk to him if you can avoid it. Over the last year, I’ve found several traps on our land. Big ones. I confronted the owner of the trap line, who is trespassing, but each time he seems less and less apologetic.”

Horrified by the idea of one of the wolves getting stuck in one, she asked, “Who’s setting the traps?”

“Emanuel Vega.”

The blood drained from her face, leaving her skin cold and tingly. “Oh my gosh, Link. He really knows, doesn’t he?”

Link squatted down beside her and Nicole and forced a smile. “We’ll figure everything out. It’s not the first time in our history we’ve dealt with disgruntled humans. Let me worry about Vega. Today is a good day.”

With a shaky sigh, she nodded. “If there is anything I can do, you’ll let me know?”

“Of course. What I mostly need you to do is be wary and safe around him, though. He’s dangerous.”

“But I don’t understand why he’s so angry. You are members of the community. You help people. Everyone in town knows if they need construction work, you’re the man to do the job, and you charge fairly. You stay under the radar.”

Link let off a dark laugh. “Well, my family didn’t care so much about staying hidden. I’m starting to get the feeling their bad decisions are haunting us. We’ll figure it all out, though.”

Kate’s phone rang, and butterflies fluttered around her stomach as she recognized the number. It wasn’t the satellite phone Dalton had been using to keep in touch while he was out in the bush, but his cell phone number instead.

“Hi,” she answered breathlessly.

“Hey, beautiful,” he greeted in that deep, sexy voice of his. “How is moving day going?”

Besides the news about Vega the pecker-face werewolf trapper? “It’s going okay. We’re about done boxing everything up. It’ll take a few trips because I can’t get my truck to start and all we have is Link’s Bronco, but we should get it done by tonight.”

“I wish I could be there.”

“Me, too. I miss you! And I need your muscles.”

Dalton’s chuckle made her close her eyes at how good his laugh sounded over the line. It had been an eternal week without him.

“Well, I have a surprise for you. A delivery.”

“A delivery of what?”

“Of muscles.” A knock sounded at the door.

Hope unfurled inside her, and she stood, then padded to the front door. With one baffled glance over her shoulder at Link and Nicole, who were grinning knowingly, she opened the door.

Dalton stood there, looking like a tall glass of water in a scorching desert. Long, powerful legs splayed, muscular chest and shoulders pressing against the thin fabric of a blue sweater, the top two buttons of which were undone to expose that sexy crease between his pecs. A dark beard covered the bottom half of his face, and his eyes were lightened to a caramel brown that danced and sparked as he smiled down at her. Slowly, he lowered the phone from his ear.

“Dalton!” Kate jumped and clung, wrapping her legs around his waist as she kissed him. His beard was sexy as heck, but it prickled her and made her laugh as he pulled her closer and thrust his tongue past her lips. Dalton, Dalton, Dalton, her Dalton. She’d missed him so much, and he was here. Here! “You beastly bearded man, you’re tickling me!”

Dalton rubbed his cheek against hers roughly and laughed unapologetically. When he settled her on her feet, he was grinning big, and his eyes were the color of evening sunlight. Brawny, beautiful, fearsome Alaskan werewolf, and he was hers.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were still on the fishing tour.”

“The tour ended this morning, and I busted my ass unpacking us, taking care of the horses, and restocking the woodpile. I had to get chores done, but I’d asked Tobias to come pick me up so I could try and make it in time to move you. I hated thinking about you doing this without me.” His gaze landed on her temple, and the smile dropped from his lips in an instant. “Shit, Kate,” he murmured, running a light fingertip just under her stitches. “You said it was nothing but a scrape.”

“I don’t want to talk about Dr. Vega.”
Ever again.
“I want to forget about him and move on.” Overcome with emotion, she hugged him tight and buried her face against his chest. Every ounce of uncertainty had trickled from her body the second she’d kissed him. Finally, after the everlasting week she’d had, she felt safe again.

Dalton cupped her head, hugging her tightly. She could feel his words just as well as hear them. “Don’t go to pieces on me, woman. I need to introduce you to some people.”

She looked up at him. “What?”

Dalton leaned down slowly, sipped her lips, then jerked his head to the side. “We’re going to get your things in one trip.” He turned her slowly, moving so that his wide shoulders didn’t block the street anymore. Up the stairs behind him, Chance grinned at her through a scruffy blond beard, and just behind him stood a couple of giant, familiar men, one tiny, golden-eyed woman, and Elyse and Lena. The Silvers.

“Hey, Kate,” Ian said, his bright blue eyes dancing as he shook her hand. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Hi,” she said, stunned as Chance gave her a quick hug in passing.

Tobias climbed down the stairs toward her and offered his hand for a shake, too.

Oh, she’d known them before this because Galena was a small town and everyone knew everyone, but this was her first time seeing them since she’d found out they hid freaking grizzly bears inside of them.

One by one, the Silvers trickled into her tiny apartment. Elyse gave her a back-cracking hug with one arm, holding her baby boy with the other. Lena followed suit and told her “Welcome to the family.”

The last Silver mate stopped in front of her, head canted as she studied Kate. “I’m Vera Silver,” the golden-eyed woman said, offering her hand.

“I’m Kate Hawke,” she said, feeling breathless. “You saved Link. You saved Fina.” She didn’t mean to fan-girl out on her, but, well, there it was. Vera was good and was working to help shifters in ways no one had been able to do in history. Pursing her lips in embarrassment, Kate forced herself to stop shaking Vera’s hand.

“I made you beer and beef jerky, and I’m going to save your girl babies. We’re going to be friends.”

“Okay,” Kate said on a stunned breath as Vera pulled her into an organ-squishing hug.

“Accept my affection,” Vera whispered.

“I wouldn’t fight it,” Dalton teased from beside them. “She’s relentless. Her time on Perl Island made her a clingy weirdo.”

Vera snapped her teeth at Dalton. “Accept it,” she repeated to Kate.

Feeling a little like she was in a dream, Kate lifted her arms and hugged Vera back, hard, who then released Kate to go greet Link inside. Vera examined Link’s eyes immediately, pulling his cheeks down, one and then the other, while he ruffled her chestnut curls. And when she seemed satisfied, she hugged Link up tight. She hooked arms with Nicole, then headed straight for Fina as the others greeted Link with low murmurs and chuckles. Her apartment was filled with happy reunions and laughter, and she couldn’t help the smile that stretched her face.

Her sister and brother-in-law might not have come through, but these almost strangers were now picking up boxes stacked three high as if they weighed no more than a rung of computer paper, smiles on their faces as if they were happy to be here.