ROMANCE: Lion Protector (Paranormal Shifter BBW Military Romance) (Shapeshifter Alpha Male Short Stories Book 2) (63 page)

The flames had died down by the time the gray light of dawn crept over the horizon. The clouds obscured the sun and the wind stirred the ashes of the fire. Aidan had almost drifted off when he saw Rhona approaching. He stood to greet her.

“Won’t ye come in from the cold?” she asked, looking up at him.

He felt the tension inside of him dissipate like fog before the morning sun. Something in her eyes told him that they were going to be ok.

They made their way back to the cottage hand in hand. Aidan paused when they reached the door.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t come in just yet,” he said, looking down at himself. He was covered in soot and ash and Graeme’s blood.

“Aye,” Rhona said with a grimace. “Perhaps not.”

“I’ll return before nightfall,” he told her. He made his way back to where Strider was still tethered, mounted up, and headed toward Killburne Creek. When he had reached the tree line he found Graeme’s horse still tethered there. He untied it and set it on its way with a sharp slap to the rump. It would find its way back to camp on its own. Aidan himself had no intention of returning there.

He made his way to the creek upstream from the camp and waded into its waters. He washed the blood off his hands, watching as it swirled and dissipated in the water of the creek. Once his hands were clean he splashed some water onto his face, partly to clean it and partly to clear his head.

When he was done he rode back through the woods to Rhona’s cottage. He found that he was more at peace than he would have thought about leaving his old life behind. He paused at the edge of the clearing and looked down at the cottage where smoked curled gently up from the chimney. This was his home now and this was where he intended to stay. He rode across the clearing and tethered Strider. He paused again when he reached the door, but this time he did so with a smile. On the other side of the door he knew was the woman who held his heart.

*****

Rhona and Aidan were married in the spring. Neither of them went near the great oak again, nor spoke of what had happened that day. Aidan’s sword still remained where he had dropped it.

They had three children—two sons and a daughter—and Rhona’s father lived long enough to meet his grandchildren. He died peacefully in his sleep seven years after Aidan and Rhona were wed.

THE END

Enjoyed the story? Please flip to the end of the book to get directed to leave a review on Amazon - Thank you!

*CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT YOUR FREE BONUS GIFTS*

Enjoy your FREE book:
The Sheriff’s Mail Order Bride

Want to receive
FREE
Romance Kindle E-Books
delivered right to your inbox?

Click this link and fill out the brief e-mail opt-in form

Click the link above or enter:
http://goo.gl/3rhKhz
into your browser.

The Sheriff's Mail Order Bride

Chapter 1

It was another abrasively hot day. Cole Pearse had been living in the barren lands of New Mexico for five years now. The dry, unbearable heat, along with constant dust, was quite a change from the New England climate he had previously lived in.

Originally from Concord, Massachusetts, Cole had followed his father and sister into the New Frontier in search of a better life. Cole’s father was not interested in pursuing gold mining like many others, but instead he had aspirations of building his own saloon in one of the up and coming mining towns.

So he packed up his son and daughter and off they went to the rocky lands of New Mexico. He quickly established a saloon in Bloomingfield, which, like every other mining town needed a saloon because where else would the gold miners and gun-slinging cowboys go after a rough day? He soon became known for the best whiskey west of the Rio Grande. His saloon was the place to go if someone wanted a hard shot of whiskey, or if someone wanted to try their luck gambling with the regulars.

Olivia Pearse always had her hands full with the rowdy men who stumbled into the saloon, but in the five years since living in New Mexico she had quickly learned how to stand up to any man. She was the prime jewel of the town, being one of the few women who lived in the predominantly male town. The fact of the matter was that Bloomingfield’s male population outnumbered the female population nearly five to one.

For this reason, Cole Pearse, although nearly thirty-five was without a wife. When he followed his father to Bloomingfield he expected to find himself working in the gold mines with the other men, but instead, his trustworthy attitude and muscular appearance quickly put him in the position of sheriff. Now, with three years experience under his belt, the town folk trusted in him to uphold the law of the town, but this reputation didn’t bring him any closer to getting a wife.

And the unbearable heat didn’t make his job any easier. He could feel the wetness in his hair, hiding under his sheriff’s hat. He could feel his shirt cling to his back as it was smothered by the thick material of his uniform. Even his sheriff’s badge, still shiny and new, would burn Cole if he happened to touch it. The only thing that could save him from the heat would be a nice cold beer at his father’s saloon: The Phoenix Alehouse.

Cole stepped inside to see the saloon stuffed with its regular customers. There were people lining the bar, a group of men playing cards in the corner, and various other people sitting together in conversation. As he looked up his eyes locked on his sister, Olivia, skillfully pouring someone a glass of beer. As she placed the glass in front of the patron she looked up to see her brother and smiled.

He exchanged the smile before taking off his hat and wiping the sweat off his brow with his handkerchief. He sat down on one of the open stools, looking exhausted.

“Hard day at work I take it?” Olivia inquired as she started to pour him a beer. She already knew his favorite brew and expertly filled up his mug, letting the foam spill over. She placed it on the bar in front of him before placing her hand on her hip and giving him a stern look. She wanted an answer.

“Well… to be honest… I didn’t do much, but this heat is killing me. This weather is nothing like old Concord. I miss the snow.” Olivia chuckled at her brother. They had lived in the desert for five years now, one would think he would get used to the weather, but Cole had always preferred the cold to the heat.

“Well… you just have to deal with it. Father is making a lot of money with this saloon and so are you with being the sheriff and all. I would count my blessings if I were you. You aren’t the one wearing this uncomfortable skirt and slaving away for all these men!” Olivia’s tongue was sharp as she reprimanded her brother’s complaining. Cole, although almost 18 years her elder, often times found himself being put in his place by his baby sister, who wasn’t even old enough to marry.

“I suppose.” Cole eventually muttered as he looked at the cold beer in front of him.

“And, I have been thinking. You are almost thirty-five.
Thirty-five
. You are turning into an old bachelor. If you don’t find a wife soon you’ll end up a bachelor forever. You don’t want that, do you? If we were back at Concord you would have married
years
ago.” Cole looked at his sister. He knew she was right but where was he supposed to find a wife when all the women in the town were either married off or were below the age of marriage, like his sister.

“And who would you like me to marry? Mrs. Lansky?” Olivia burst out laughing. Mrs. Lansky was a ninety-year-old widow that had lost her mind three years ago. Everyone stayed away from her.

“No, I do not, under any circumstances, want Mrs. Lansky as my sister-in-law,” Olivia said back as she continued to chuckle. “But, on a serious note, have you considered posting an ad back in Massachusetts? I heard that a lot of Boston newspapers do that now. You send a picture of yourself and a description and interested women will, hopefully, respond.” Olivia’s voice had taken on an excited tone.

“Hmm… I’m not sure Liv.” Olivia rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

*****

Three months later Cole visited the post office and picked up a letter from Claudia Finch. He looked down as he unfolded the letter and saw a small photo of a beautiful woman with a round, healthy face. Her eyes were dark and intelligent. He reached down and gently traced the outline of her derby hat perched on her head giving her a dignified look. She looked ready to take on the world.

*****

Two years and multiple letters later Cole Pearse and Claudia Finch were going to get married.

Chapter 2

Claudia said goodbye to her mother and father at the train station. She was on her way to Bloomingfield (with her sister Evelena) to marry her husband. Her parents had been skeptical of her answering the Concord man’s ad, but he was rather attractive and he lived in New Mexico. Everyone knew that the New Frontier was the place to get rich.

So the two sisters made their way to Bloomingfield. It was a long train ride, but with each other's company it passed by faster than they thought. Soon enough they were stepping into Bloomingfield’s train platform where they would start a new life.

At the train station, Cole Finch was waiting for his fiancé. He spotted her quickly by the derby hat (the same one from the picture) she was wearing. He walked up to her and smiled.

“Welcome to Bloomingfield.” Claudia looked at him with her dark eyes before giving him a polite curtsy. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” He kissed her gloved hand gently before looking at Olivia, who was standing by his side. “This here is my sister Olivia. Olivia this is my fiancé Claudia.” Olivia beamed with a smirk on her face.

“Oh, I’ve been waiting for
you
. I have been trying to get my brother to marry for ages. I am glad he finally found a woman as beautiful as yourself.” Olivia said which brought a rosy hint to Claudia’s cheeks. Cole wondered why she was staying so quiet. Was she nervous? Shy?

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. This here is my sister Evelena, she came with me to attend the wedding. Evelena, this is my soon-to-be husband Cole Finch.” Her voice was calm and stately and she seemed to be all business as she introduced her soon-to-be husband to his soon-to-be sister-in-law. She seemed to be highly dignified and Cole liked that.

*****

The couple did not mix as well as they had hoped, however. Throughout their letters, it seemed like they would be a really good match in real life, but unfortunately they did not just fall madly in love. Instead, they were like oil and water and tended to keep out of each other’s way until the wedding. Maybe they just needed some time to get to know each other.

However, when the wedding came along, their situation was no better. For this reason, as well as the town’s dismal excuse for a church, the wedding was nothing spectacular. Claudia had on a beautiful dress that her mother had lent her and Cole wore his best sheriff’s suit since it was the only suit he owned. They went through the ceremony and said their ‘I dos’, but that was the end of it.

After that, they were no more husband and wife than they were before the wedding. Still they stayed away from each other. In fact, even on their wedding day they slept in separate beds. It just seemed they weren’t that great of a match after all, but they were married now and there was nothing they could do but live with their decision.

But, in all honesty, neither one of them were upset by their relationship. Cole was used to being a bachelor and living with Claudia just meant he continued the bachelor lifestyle with someone living in his home. Claudia too went about living on normally. Throughout her early marriage, she always had a smile on her pretty face and although their marriage was odd, the couple didn’t seem bothered by it.

They were the talk of the town, but even that didn’t bother them. They were an odd couple, sure, but at least they weren’t miserable. Olivia, however, was not a fan of the relationship and constantly berated her brother to act more like a husband, but it was of no use: oil and water simply do not mix.

*****

On the other hand, Evelena quickly became a town favorite in Bloomingfield. She frequented The Phoenix Alehouse often and it was there that she found her husband. He was a kind-hearted saloon regular that spent his days working in the mines.

His name was Jack and he had fallen in love with Evelena the day she stepped into the saloon. It had been love at first sight and three months after arriving at Bloomingfield, Evelena found a ring on her finger. She was quickly married and the two of them were inseparable.

It seemed like Evelena had the relationship that everyone envisioned Claudia and Cole would have. Claudia, instead of being jealous of her sister, was very happy for her. The two of them were rather close and Claudia was just happy that her sister had found love in the mining town.

And so the two girls were now married and residents of the small town. Their lives were radically different, but that didn’t mean that they would grow apart. Instead, just the opposite would happen. Instead, in the coming months they would get closer and closer together as certain circumstances brought them together. Soon they would be spending a lot of time together and their husbands would just assume it was something women did. They were sadly mistaken.