Chapter 3 #2
The room exploded in loud applause as the first true sense of relief she’d felt in nearly a month filled the room.
Holding up her hand, she didn’t have to wait long for the clapping to die down, so she could add, “And going around the room to my left, let me introduce Rafe Rosehill, Alpha of the Rosehill Red Wolf Pack, and Greg St. James, Alpha Bull of the St. James Alligator Congregation.”
With a simple nod at Carrick, who she was sure had chosen the chair directly across from her on purpose, she continued by saying, “Bonnie Sampson, one of the famous Sampson Twins Alphas who lead the Sampson Wolf Pack in Valentine, Texas, Sissy Miller, Spokesperson of the Mountain Shifters Menagerie.” Pointing to the back, she felt her smile brighten of its own accord as she locked eyes with her best friend and she introduced, “And back there by the food, where you will almost always find him, is Luke Jackson, Black Bear extraordinaire, and Amethyst Wildwood, the Spiritual Healer of the Ryder Pounce and one helluva fine cook.”
“And since she’s cooked up a feast for us, how about y’all go get something to eat and drink, and we’ll get this meeting started?”
Watching everyone head to the back of the room, she wasn’t surprised that everyone was back in their seats in record time with full plates and inquisitive looks on their faces.
Taking a sip of water, Tamsyn almost cocked when Bridgette teased, “Well, at least their mouths’ll be full while you’re talkin’. ”
“That was not…”
“Oh, hell yes, it was,” the Bobcat Queen snorted with laughter. “Now, go on and get ‘em. It’s time for my midmorning nap.”
“I wish it were…” And that was as far as she got before her eyes met Carrick’s, and something deep in the very fiber of her being sprang to life.
It took a few extra seconds, ones that she covered with a loud cough, then an exaggerated clearing of her throat, before she took another drink of water and apologized, “Sorry ‘bout that. I have no clue where that cough came from.”
But the look in Carrick’s eyes said he’d heard the conversation between Tamsyn and the Bobcat Queen with whom she shared her soul, knew exactly why she was coughing, and was still somehow sure she was hiding something.
In less than the time it took her heart to beat, Tamsyn decided to ignore the Dragon.
She didn’t know him. He didn’t know her.
And the Great Goddess knew she had more things to worry about than a grumpy Guardsman who thought he knew everything.
One quick glance at her list, and Tamsyn officially started the meeting. It didn’t take long until everyone joined in with the ideas or plans they’d already put into place in their little corner of Defiance.
“We have divided the Menagerie up by those with wings, those with fur, and those who can get into places others cannot or will not go.”
“Thank you so very much, Sissy,” Tamsyn acknowledged. “I was sure y’all had a plan in place since all together you outnumber any of us larger Shifters about fifteen to one.”
Loving that the young Squirrel Shifter’s cheeks blushed a gorgeous pink, she went on, “Please tell those leading each group to holler at me, Rafe, or Luke if they need anything at all.”
“I sure will,” Sissy nodded, making notes on the yellow legal pad she had atop file folders she’d brought along for the meeting.
“Next is food.”
“Here! Here!” Luke whooped from the back of the room.
Giving him a look while trying not to laugh, Tamsyn instead looked to the She-Wolf and explained, “Bonnie will be organizing not only the food for all the volunteers, but also all the donations that are pouring in for after the storm. So far, all the pantries, including the big overflow, here at the Pounce, are full to the brim. So, as of this morning, we started filling the hayloft in the new horse barn. As most of y’all know, it’s nicer than my house in there and that means we don’t have to worry about water gettin’ in. ”
“And all the blankets, towels, clothes, shoes, toiletries, and other non-edibles are being stored in the homes of all the Executive Council,” Amethyst added from the rear, her clear, lyrical voice filling the room with a sense of hope.
“As for the bottom of the new horse barn, we’ve collected all the cots, mats, and sleeping bags in there, and it will be a temporary shelter for anyone who needs it. ”
“What about lunch this afternoon and dinner tonight?” Luke asked with his hand covering his mouth and his eyes pointed toward the ceiling.
Before Tamsyn could respond and tell him to hush, Amethyst took care of the Black Bear with a loving swat to the back of his head and whispered, “Hush up, boy, or I’ll stop makin’ those little quiches you love for the next ten years or so.”
As the room erupted in laughter, Tamsyn’s gaze once again went to Carrick.
She was both shocked and incredibly happy to see him smile.
Maybe there was a nice guy in there somewhere- a nice guy who would believe that she had never met him before, nor did she know why they both had an incredible sense of déjà vu when they met.
“Whatever,” she mumbled under her breath. Then, to everyone else, she happily asked, “Bonnie, you wanna answer Luke’s question?”
“My pleasure,” the She-Wolf nodded. Getting to her feet, her green eyes twinkling, she clarified, “Well, if y’all will take a look out that window right there.
” She pointed to the floor-to-ceiling panes of glass covering the east side of the room.
“That SUV pulling up right this very minute not only has the lovely Peaches Ryder inside, but it also has all the fixin’s for hot dogs, burgers, potato salad, chips, and my homemade chocolate chip cookies-and that’s just for lunch.
” Brushing the long blond curls that had fallen from her ponytail behind her ear, she went on, “And for dinner, the boss up there and I will be cookin’ up a couple of sides of beef on all the grills she’s got.
Not to mention, there’ll be baked potatoes, green beans, homemade rolls, and apple pie. ”
Turning to face Luke, she winked. “That sounds good to you, Big Guy?”
Slapping his hand over his heart, the Black bear pretended to swoon and gushed, “Marry me woman. Marry me right here, right now.”
“How ‘bout we make it through the storm first,” Bonnie laughed out loud. “Then we’ll talk.”
Pointing at her with his free hand, Luke nodded, “I’ll hold ya’ to it.”
“And on that note,” Tamsyn cut in before her big best friend swept her other bestie off the Chapel. “Please be sure you send your crews over in shifts for food, and…”
“And don’t forget, there are cases of water stacked as high as the ceiling in the root cellar behind my house,” Amethyst added.
“Thank you, ma’am,” Tamsyn acknowledged with a smile. “I had forgotten.”
Looking around the table one last time, she went on, “It’s gonna be crazy for the next couple of days, so be sure everyone gets over here for food.
We’ll have three meals a day starting at eight AM, noon, and six PM, and snacks available at all times.
” Pausing for a second, she added, “So, if there’s nothing else, I’ll let y’all get to work.
Thank y’all for everything and be sure to get some sleep when you can. ”
As everyone got up and headed for the door, Tamsyn nearly jumped out of her skin when Bridgette teased, “You might just wanna take your own advice.” “And you might wanna give me a little warning.”
“Girl, if it hasn’t happened in all these years, you'd better stop waitin’ for it.”
“Shut up, Bridgette.”
“I love you, too, Tams.”