Chapter Nine
Jericho brought his truck to a stop in the driveway of the Parsons’ home.
He eyed the dilapidated trailer with distaste, wishing he could bring Juniper and Clover to live in town.
It would take a load off his mind so he wouldn’t worry they were out here all alone.
The yard was nothing short of a junk pile.
Half a dozen old, rusted cars lay in various stages of decomposition.
Cinder blocks were the jack to hold them up as the rubber tires slowly frayed from time and the elements.
There were two refrigerators leaning against the trailer.
An assortment of tools, junk, toys, and numerous other odds and ends littered the area.
“This place is a pigsty,” Ledger muttered.
“Yep,” Jericho agreed.
Just then, Doctor Rosedale’s car pulled in behind his truck. Jericho and Ledger exited the truck and came to stand by the doctor as he turned off the engine and got out.
“Alpha,” he said with a smile. He wasn’t a wolf, but he always showed deference to his title. “Beta. Thank you for meeting me here. I thought it was prudent.”
“That doesn’t sound ominous at all,” Ledger muttered under his breath. Jericho silently agreed with him.
Just then the trailer’s front door opened and Juniper stepped out, with her sister Clover right behind her. The little girl had her thumb in her mouth as she shyly hid behind Juniper.
“Morning, Miss Parsons,” the doctor greeted. “Let me get right down to business. I got the reports on all the tests I ordered. It seems your father died of a bacterial infection that closely mimics Yersinia pestis.”
“And what is that in non-medical jargon?” Jericho asked.
“The bubonic plague.”
Jericho blinked. “You’re saying the black plague is here in Sheridan?”
The doctor held up his hand. “No, let me clarify. This bacterium closely resembles the plague but it’s not that. I’m not quite sure what it is, so I sent a sample to a colleague at the CDC in hopes they can identify it.”
“Do Clover or I have it?” asked Juniper in a low, hesitant voice. Worry lined her cornflower blue eyes.
“No,” the doctor said confidently. “You and Clover are cleared, but you should quarantine yourselves, which is the reason I wanted all of us to meet here instead of in town.”
“Should everyone get tested?” Jericho asked.
“No, I don’t think so,” Dr. Rosedale replied. “We don’t need to create a panic over this. I suggest having Juniper and Clover quarantine for seven days, and we should know more after that.”
Jericho studied the two girls, and it didn’t sit right with him that they would be all the way out here without anyone to help. Clover would be starting school soon.
“This time next week, I’ll be by to bring you and your sister into town,” he said. Everyone turned toward him. “You’ll both be set up in a small house.”
“I don’t have any money, Alpha,” Juniper almost whispered, not looking at him. As if she had something to be ashamed about.
“Juniper, you’re pack, and it’s my job to take care of pack. You’ll always have a home, no matter what, but I’ll have Corbin look over your father’s estate to see if there’s anything left for you and Clover.”
“Thank you, Alpha,” Juniper said, tears welling up in her eyes. “I didn’t know how I was going to survive, or how I was going to help Clover. I can’t say how much this means to me.”
“Everything is going to be okay,” Jericho promised.
After saying goodbye, he and Ledger and the doctor pulled out of the Parsons’ gravel driveway and headed back to town.
“When we get back to town, I’ll contact Corbin to look into Ezra’s financial background.”
“Don’t forget, we have a wolf training session tonight with the Scotsman,” Ledger reminded him.
“Oh, yeah. That’s right.” Jericho sighed. “At least that’ll take my mind off worrying about those two girls all alone out here.”
“I can have Miles come by daily if you’d like.”
“Okay, that’ll alleviate some of my concerns.”
Ledger nodded as they rode back to town.
****
Tavish’s wolf watched as Ledger and a sentinel named Miles tracked their prey.
Herding a deer toward Jericho, who lay in wait.
This was a hunting lesson, plain and simple.
In the past, after the full moon run, he’d awoken with fur in his teeth or bloodstains around his mouth.
Completely gross, and it didn’t take a genius to realize his wolf was eating whatever animal he’d managed to catch.
However, this stealth attack had all of them working together for a single purpose, showcasing the value of unity.
Superior hearing wasn’t the only thing this new shifter nature gave him.
He never realized how good his night vision actually was, and from his vantage point, he watched the deer’s movement as it tried to escape the threat of the wolf.
It zigzagged across the forest, darting between trees and brush.
He could hear the creature’s heart beating in terror since the erratic beats made it easier to stalk.
It didn’t know it was being manipulated right into its own death.
Then something surprising happened.
Jericho stepped back and let the deer go. It rushed past them and disappeared into the shadows. Immediately, Tavish resumed his skin and stared in disbelief as the other wolves did the same.
“What was that?” he demanded.
“Herding.”
“No, I meant, why did you let it go?”
“Because the goal wasn’t to kill it,” Jericho stated calmly. “It was to show how working together can give you a desired result. Work smarter, not harder.”
“But ... but...”
“Did you want to eat the deer?” Ledger asked.
“No, I just thought ... it, uh, made my wolf excited.”
Understanding dawned on their faces.
“Since your connection together has newly awakened, you’ll feel the need to let the wolf take over,” Jericho explained.
“Those instincts are embedded into our DNA. To hunt. To feast. To chase as something runs from us. Most shifters are taught from childhood how to temper their animal side, but you have to start the learning process now. The habits have already been ingrained, so we must break that conditioning.”
“Or non-conditioning,” Miles added.
Jericho nodded in agreement. “Tell your wolf to stand down. Not in a controlling forceful manner, but a firm, logical one.”
The words tumbled over in his head as he determined what to say and how to say it. He took a deep breath and started.
Wolf. Are you there?
You know I am.
Did you enjoy the hunt?
I didn’t get to eat it.
I understand. There is a time and place for that, and this wasn’t the time.
Why?
We are learning to be with each other.
I’ve always been here.
But you hibernated.
No pack. No mate.
Now we have a mate.
No pack.
Maybe it’s time to bring packs back to Scotland.
Will you also bring mate?
Yes, if we learn to work together.
He was silent for a moment, although Tavish could feel he was contemplating their talk.
Agreed.
Tavish was surprised when his wolf stepped docilely back and sat on its haunches.
“He just retreated,” he said, surprised.
Jericho smiled. “He recognizes you as the alpha. This is a good thing.”
“What happens when I go back to Scotland, and there aren’t any packs? Or if it might take time to build one?”
He didn’t miss the quick look between the three men.
“I don’t know,” Jericho replied honestly. “I don’t know if he’ll hibernate again.”
“He might disappear once more?”
“It’s a possibility.”
“Loneliness is hard on a shifter,” Miles said quietly. “I was without my mate for fifteen years, and sometimes I still wonder how I remained sane without her.”
Tavish shuddered. Now that he knew Mairi, now that he was learning how valuable she was, walking away sounded impossible. He couldn’t imagine fifteen days, let alone fifteen years, without her. That wasn’t a future he wanted.
****
With a deep breath to calm his nerves, he knocked on Mairi’s door. A heartbeat later, she opened it and he immediately held out the flowers he gripped like a lifeline. Surprise flittered across her face as she accepted the flowers and brought them up to her nose.
“Thank you,” she murmured. “They’re beautiful.”
“They don’t hold a candle to your own beauty.”
A blush stained her cheeks. “Would you like to come inside?”
“Aye.”
She moved back and he entered her apartment. It wasn’t anything fancy, but warm colors decorated the space, giving it a cozy feeling.
“Would you like something to drink? I have beer, juice, wine. Water.”
“Beer, please.”
She headed to a tiny kitchen and dug out a glass, filled it with water, and placed the flower stems in it. Then she grabbed two beers from the refrigerator, popped off the caps, and handed him one.
“Cheers,” she said.
“Cheers.”
The atmosphere threatened to turn awkward, so he quickly launched into his idea for a date.
“I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me.”
“Tonight?” she asked, her smile dropping. “I’ve already eaten.”
“How about tomorrow?”
She bit her lip and tilted her head as she studied him with cautious hope. “I guess so.”
Relief poured through him.
“Not the diner,” she said.
“Not the Italian restaurant,” he added.
One eyebrow arched. “That doesn’t give us very many choices.”
“Not to worry,” he said with a wink. “I’ve got it handled.”
“Uh-oh. Should I be worried?”
“Not at all. In fact, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Nae, wait. I mean, amazed. Aye, definitely amazed.”
“That’s a very big boast, Your Grace. I hope you can deliver.”
“Is that a challenge?”
A sly smile curled one corner of her mouth. “And if it is?”
He took a sip of his beer. “What’ll I win if you love my surprise?”
A twinkle entered her eyes. “A kiss?”
“Game on.”