(Un)bidden (32 page)

Had I walked a bit further all those weeks ago, I would have seen the farm.  How different would my life be if I’d gone to knock on their door instead of walking an old trail at dusk?

“And you saw our smoke from your place?”

The man laughed.

“Not from my place.  I’ve seen it when I go to town for supplies.”

A thread of impatience touched me, and I smiled.  Poor Thomas.  I wondered when he last spoke to a human.  Excluding me, of course.

“Thank you for letting us know about the wolves,” Thomas said pleasantly.  “We haven’t seen any yet, but we’ll keep watch and let you know if we do.”

“It’s no trouble,” the man said.  “It’s nice having neighbors again.  Thought the lady who bought this place from the hippies was just going to let it rot.”

The man was obviously not ready to leave.  I knew we should invite him in or seem more friendly, but I didn’t think anyone here would welcome him if I extended any type of invitation.

“That’s my Aunt,” Thomas said.  “She was thinking about it but asked me and a few of my friends to move out here and start fixing the place up.  Might still rot.”

I could feel the shrug in Thomas’ words.  Hanging up the last shirt, I calmly walked inside and felt the man’s curiosity as he glanced my way.  I should have at least said hello.  Instead of thinking me odd, I nudged his thoughts toward shy.

Mary closed the door behind me.

“Thomas said to stay inside until he leaves.”

I didn’t need her to tell me that.  I went to the window and peeked around the curtain.  The man stood near his truck.  Thomas appeared very relaxed beside him.

“Let Thomas know he should shake the man’s hand when he thanks him for the information,” I said.

Mary giggled.

“Gregory didn’t know about that when we went into town.  You should have seen his face when the plumber offered his hand.”

Thomas stuck out his hand as he thanked the man again.  The man shook Thomas’ hand, and I felt the man’s relief that we were normal people, unlike the last group here.

Thomas stayed outside until the taillights disappeared down the road.  When he came inside, he didn’t appear as troubled as he felt.  He walked over to me and set his hands on my shoulders.  I’d noticed when others were around, it was usually just a casual touch; but when we were alone, he tended to curl around me.

“What part bothers you?” I said.  “That someone came here or that he thinks I don’t do laundry?”

“That there are wolves to the west.”

“I don’t understand why that’s troubling.”

“Winifred says there are no wolves to the west.”

That didn’t sound good.

“Could it be some of your pack trying to cause trouble?” I asked.

“No.  Most of them are to the north or the east.”

“Maybe they’re just real wolves,” I said.

“Maybe.”

Thomas’ place beside me was still warm when Mary came to wake me Saturday morning.

“You’re going to like what we get to do today,” she said nudging my shoulder.

“If it’s collecting more reeds, forget it.”  I’d never thought so many reeds would be needed for basket weaving.

“Nope.  Winifred’s brought apples.  Rilla and Ann are already in the kitchen.  We’re making pies.”

I opened one eye to stare at her.  “Do you even know what an apple pie is?”

She grinned down at me.  “Winifred brought one already made.  It was good.  Thomas is trying to save you a piece.”

I tossed the covers off me and hurried to dress.  Eating a pie was much more motivating than the idea of making one.

The five women worked together in the kitchen all day.  It was a nice break from reed gathering, weaving, and laundry, and I decided we needed some diversity in our schedule.  When Winifred left on Sunday, I mentioned my idea to Thomas and he agreed.

Monday and Tuesday, the women worked hard to make small pillows.  I was good at stuffing them with the fluff and cutting even rectangles, but I left the sewing to Ann and Mary.

Wednesday, we tried our hand at homemade bread.  The oven was a little touchy, and the loaves came out dark on the outside and still doughy in the middle.  The following batch baked more evenly.  It didn’t seem to matter either way.  Werewolves weren’t picky eaters, and they devoured all the loaves.

That night, I contentedly fell asleep in Thomas’ arms, and he surprised me by staying in bed until I woke again.  His awe and adoration flooded me as I slowly opened my eyes.  I smiled sleepily.

“That’s a nice way to wake up,” I said.

He kissed my temple.

“Would you like to spend the day together?”

I nodded.  How could I not?  I loved having his undivided attention, and whether I wanted to acknowledge the passing time or not, we had less than two weeks until the rest of his pack returned.

“I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”  He kissed my temple once more then left me to dress.

When I found him several minutes later, he was waiting beside the outer door with a bundle in his hands.

“What’s that?”

“Lunch,” he said with a grin.

He was learning.

He didn’t ask to carry me, but held out his hand.  Together, we walked away from the buildings.

“Are we going anywhere particular?”

“Not really.  I’m already where I want to be.”

And I knew he meant with me.

*    *    *    *

The next morning, I sat at the table eating my last bites of oatmeal.  As usual, I was one of the last ones awake.  This morning, though, I noticed an unusual number of men still lingering outside.  Thomas walked in through the open door and smiled at me.

I waited until he sat next to me to ask about the men.

“The man at the junk yard has no more work for them.  He told them to come back in spring.  Anton put the cash they’d earned on top of the food storage.”

What would the men do now to keep busy?  Thomas seemed to read my mind.

“We’ll take what baskets we have and start picking from the garden,” he said.

I nodded and watched him stand to rejoin the men milling around outside. Besides the Mated men, Thomas always left someone he trusted behind whenever he left, so I wasn’t surprised when Gregory walked in with a grin.

As soon as the men left, Rilla and Ann started washing the dishes while Gregory, Mary, and I fetched the reeds and other supplies we’d need for the day.  Then, we worked hard to make more baskets, mats, and small pillows.  I mostly ran back and forth fetching whatever supplies they needed.

Twice a man returned with a full basket of vegetables to ask if we had another one complete.  Both times, we were able to say yes thanks to Rilla’s amazing skill.

The men returned before dusk, with fish and two more filled baskets.  Ann and Mary took the fish.  The oven was hot and ready for them.  Rice already steamed on the stove, along with a pot of mixed vegetables.

We were just clearing away our work from the tables when someone knocked on the door.  Those men who stayed here, no longer knocked.  The man closest to the door opened it.  Outside I saw, three men, two woman, and two children.

“We heard families are welcome here,” one of the new men said.

“Come in.  Please,” I said stepping forward.  “I’m Charlene.  This is Thomas.”  As soon as the door had opened, Thomas had been at my side.

“Welcome,” Thomas said.  The two families stepped in.

I smiled at the older kids.  “Would you like to see what we’ve done?”

It only took a few minutes to show them around.  I did most of the talking.  Thomas didn’t mind in the least.  When the families selected their rooms, Mary brought the mats and pillows they’d need.  I was so happy we had enough so that no one slept directly on the floor.

*    *    *    *

Saturday, Winifred brought more than just eggs and the usual supplies.  She also had books and things to help the children learn to read.

During breakfast, the kitchen was full of chatting women and laughing children.  I stood back and enjoyed the moment.  Thomas came up behind me and rested his hands on my shoulders, his satisfaction wrapping around me like a hug.

The next week was hectic, but in a good way. Basket’s full of produce from the garden hung from the rafters in the rooms just outside of the common room—the stove kept the room too warm for them to stay good for very long.

Cooking for the large group wasn’t difficult with so many helping hands.  The vast quantities of food we consumed would have been concerning if not for the game that always appeared every day.  The Mated men took turns going out with a few of the unMated to hunt larger game.  Though we still had the occasional pheasant, we more often had deer, moose, or boar.  The women worked together to butcher and cook whatever the men brought.  However, when someone brought back a bear, I stepped out of the room to let Mary handle coordinating that meal.  Thomas considerately brought me a jelly sandwich.

That Thursday, Grey returned to us as a new Elder.  Thomas greeted him with an enthusiastic hug while I stood back.  Grey didn’t seem to act any differently.  When he finished hugging Thomas, he turned to me.

“Welcome to the family, Charlene.”  Then he hugged me, too.  It was much briefer than Thomas’ hug.  “Will you introduce me to the families?”

His ever-present smile grew just a bit brighter when he saw the children, and Thomas’ words about what Grey had given up came back to me.  Over the next few days, Grey mostly stayed near the families and children and left everything else to Thomas.

*    *    *    *

Tuesday marked the twenty-ninth day since Thomas had sent his pack out. Leif and Ann left with their daughter before lunch, and I couldn’t help the nervous worry that burrowed into my mind as I waved goodbye.

That night, it took hours before I fell asleep to the feel of Thomas’s fingers slowly running through my hair.

He woke me with a kiss to my cheek.

“I’m going downstairs now.  I’d feel better if you came, too.  The rest of the women will be with Winifred.”

“And Grey?”

“Outside, to keep an eye on things.”

“He won’t be able to help you, will he?”

Thomas shook his head.

“How many more do you think you can—”

He stopped my question with a kiss and shook his head again.  It wasn’t something he ever wanted to talk about aloud.  I understood why.  Yet, it didn’t stop me from wanting to know.  At what point tomorrow would I see him break?

He hadn’t pushed for anything more than I’d been willing to give, which I’d limited to kissing.  Yet, I knew I could have helped ease his pack’s acceptance of me if I would have Mated him.  I was still hoping there would be fewer who continued to oppose me, thus making Mating unnecessary.

He kissed my forehead, stood, and held out his hand to help me stand.  Then, he waited outside while I dressed then walked downstairs with me.

“Good luck,” I whispered before we entered the main room.  He nodded and pushed the door open.

Mary was already at the table with Winifred.  They were cracking all twelve dozen eggs into two pots.  Several of the older children read books at a table with their parents.

I watched Thomas walk outside then took up a knife and started slicing onions.  No one minded my sniffles.

Rilla pushed through the door with her son in tow a minute later.  Her husband walked with them.

“How can I help?” she said.

“Can you start the sausage links?” I asked quietly.  There were several wrapped packages waiting on one of the longer tables.  Rilla retrieved them and started separating the links at the stove.

I listened to the sizzle and tried not to worry.  Thomas was out there acting as the official welcoming party.  Last night, Thomas had talked with Winifred and Grey.  They’d decided to welcome everyone by showing them that living here could offer safety and a sense of community.  Hence, the big breakfast.

I focused on the wills of those around me.  They were easy to feel.  I also sensed several men outside.  I tried to look further, stretching out into the woods, but wasn’t able to detect more.  So I sliced as I waited and added what I cut to a hot pot.  Rilla poured the grease from the sausages into the skillet to help brown the onions.  Soon, the room smelled divine and distracted me from my concentration.

Mary cleaned up the eggshells while Winifred brought over the pot of eggs and poured half the mixture in with the onions.  She set the other pot on the stovetop behind the sausage then went back to the table.  I carefully stirred the eggs in both pots and glanced at Rilla.  Instead of moving the sausages around, she was looking over her shoulder.  I did the same and saw Winifred sitting at the table.  Her complete motionlessness alarmed me.

“Winifred?”  As I spoke, I concentrated on the wills around me.  I gasped at what I found.  Over eighty people waited outside.

“Thomas,” I whispered.  A wave of reassurance washed over me, and I exhaled in relief.