Chapter 4
Blake was discharged the next morning. Reagen had been in twice now, and she had about a billion questions for him.
But she was all right to wait until she was settled in her house before she blasted him with them.
As she was being taken down to a car that was going to take her home, she saw an elderly man standing next to a limo with her name on a piece of cardboard.
“I’m Frank Sharps. My boy asked me to meet you here so that I can help you get home.
He has to work today.” She asked him who his boy was.
“I guess I should call him my grandson. Reagan and his brothers are my grandsons. Never been so happy about a new mate as I am you. You’re a beautiful little thing, aren’t you? ”
“Thank you. I didn’t expect this sort of treatment on my first day out.” He said that he didn’t drive anymore, and this was available. “Reagan said that he had money.”
“He does. Quite a bit, too, if I know him. Paid cash for his house even though he could have gotten himself a loan to do it. We all have money that we can use when we need it.” She was helped into the limo and covered up with the lap blanket that was on the seat.
“I’m to make you comfy he told me, and that I was to make sure that I didn’t talk your arm off. ”
“He told me that he’d be at my house tonight and we’d talk. I have a lot of questions for him.” He said that he might be able to answer a few of them. “I want to make sure that this isn’t a hoax. I mean, I’m not stupid, and I do have shifter friends, but this mate business is new to me.”
“It would be. Tigers mate for life and only have one mate in their lifetime. At least the shifters do. We like to hang out with others like us, too.” She said that she’d read that about tigers that they mated with whoever was around.
“Yes, see that’s where we differ the most. We only have the one mate, and it’s for all time.
If something happens to one of you, the other will live on if there are children, but more than likely kill themselves because their other half is gone. ”
“That’s not a very good thing.” He was embarrassed, and she could tell. “Tell me about your family. How many of them are there?”
“I have six grandsons, Reagan is one of them. Two of them, well, now three are mated, and two are married. No babies on the way yet, but I’ve been promised one by Christmas next year.
I do have Harri too. She’s a pistol, and the highlight of my day is getting to hang around with her.
I have my daughter, LouCinda, and her husband, Franklin.
They’re the boy’s parents. Best thing in the world that could have happened to me was having Franklin as my daughter’s mate.
He’s been a good man and been good to me and my missus, Milly.
” She told him that it was a big family.
“They’re all good people, too. Won’t find a bad one in the lot. ”
“I think that Reagan is really nice. I don’t know all that much about him yet, but with my questions, I’m sure I’ll know him in no time.
” He asked about her. “I have one sister, she’s older than me by ten years.
Right now we’re in the middle of an argument, but we’ll talk soon.
That’s all I have. My parents died in a car accident when I was ten, and my sister sort of raised me until I was sixteen. ”
“That was good of her.” She didn’t tell him that it wasn’t a good thing and that was why it had only lasted for six years, but that would come out later. “She live around here?”
“You might have heard of her. Her name is Robin Winters. Her husband was Urbane Winters of Winters hotels.” He said that he didn’t get out much and might have heard of her at some point.
“You’d remember her if you met her. Her husband was a good man, if not a little lax on curbing my sister’s spending.
Before he died, they were in debt to their eyes.
But she used the insurance money to get that taken care of, and the firm is doing well since.
I guess she has a good head on her shoulders for that anyway. ”
“You don’t care much for her, do you?” She was startled out of her thinking when he said that.
It was on the tip of her tongue to say that they were sisters, of course, she cared for her, but found that she couldn’t lie to him.
“You look sad when you talk about her. I’m assuming this fight that you had is something that happens a great deal. ”
“You’re very smart. I hope your family tells you that more often.
” He laughed and pulled out his handkerchief and wiped his face.
She also had a feeling that he did that often, the way his hair was right now.
“This fight had been coming along for a while now and only just blew up on our faces. I guess we’ll get over it, but there were things said that I can’t take back, and neither can she.
We’ll see how things go. She doesn’t like Reagan at all for some reason. ”
“He sees her for what she is, more than likely. That’s why he’s such a good doctor.
He can sort of see into the eyes of people and know about what they’re dealing with.
His daddy had the same way about him. He’s a good doctor, too.
” She didn’t know what the others did for a living, but she had a feeling that they were all working despite having lots of money.
She wondered what she’d do with an endless supply of money.
Then she decided that she’d work too. Just so there was plenty of money to go around.
They talked about what each of them did for a living, and she’d been right in them all working.
She counted two doctors, two FBI agents, two officers of the law, as well as two teachers.
Whatever they were doing, it was keeping them in the limelight and with money to burn, according to their grandfather.
When she was pulled up in front of a house, she didn’t know where she was. It was then that he told her that this was Reagan’s place and that he had to pick up a box that had been delivered for him. As soon as the elderly man got out of the car, she looked around.
The place was huge, and the estate around it was beautiful. The flowers and bushes looked like they were well-maintained, and the house looked like it had been given a fresh coat of paint. She told Frank, what he insisted that she call him, that it was a beautiful home.
“You should see the inside. He’s done it all up with antiques and beautiful replicas.
He and his momma go to auctions all the time, and he has an entire storage locker filled with things that he’d bought over the years.
He knew what kind of house he wanted before he even made the first bid on it.
I’m right proud of the place myself. He don’t need no tinkering, but I’ve been itching to go inside and see what I can get into trouble with.
” She laughed, wondering if he was famous for his tinkering and had to have someone go behind him and pick up after him.
“I’d take you in, but I only got the car for another hour.
My daughter is going to lunch with the other girls, including my Milly, and they didn’t want to drive. ”
“You said you don’t drive anymore.” He said that he was too old to be behind the wheel. “I’m sorry to hear that. I hope your boys take you where you want to go.”
“They do. I have to call them up to make time for me, but they sure do make it fun for me when they have me out. I have myself a good truck at home, but I’ve parked it because I’m not as good at driving as I was at one time.
Milly don’t drive either.” She could hear the sadness in his voice, and she hurt for him.
“I’ll be all right. Once I need something, one of them boys will make the time for me.
Aaron, most of all, but the others will come help me out when I need it. ”
“That’s good. I’m glad to hear that.” They talked about her questions, and she said that just hanging out with him had answered a lot of them.
His cheeks turned a nice shade of pink, and she wanted to squeeze them.
“You’ve been a right pleasure to hang out with, too.
I usually say something that will make one of them mad at me, but I’ve done all right today.
I’m never sure what’s going to come out of my mouth when I get to jabbering. ”
“If any of them take you to task, you let me know. I’ll tell them what a wonderful gentleman you’ve been and perhaps take them to task while I’m at it.
” She smiled when he threw back his head and laughed.
“You have a wonderful laugh. It makes me think of summer thunderstorms coming along to wet the grass and give the flowers a drink. It’s wonderful.
And you’ve made me feel good by just being yourself. ”
“Why aren’t you the prize-winning cake. Thank you so much.
” He laughed again, slapping his leg while he was at it.
She couldn’t help but fall in love with the elderly man.
“Well, if this don’t beat all. I got me a new granddaughter-in-law, and I’m just about as in love with you as a man could be on first meeting you. ”
“Thank you. I feel the same way you do.” She was nearly to her house when she realized that she didn’t want to be alone there.
Getting out, careful where she walked so she’d not fall again, she went into her house with Frank.
After getting her settled on the couch with a glass of tea and a bag of cookies that he found on the counter, he said that he had to go.