Chapter 7
Tracy had thought about Hank shifting since this morning and realized Emma needed to see the jaguar.
She needed to know what she would become and take pride in the size and shape—the full potential of her beast half.
That was something Tracy couldn’t show her, and it was something Emma needed to know as she grew up, surrounded by wolves.
Tracy, too, had never seen Hank’s beast. She’d never really seen any big cat shifter in their fur.
Oh, she’d met a few at the restaurant when they flew into town for refueling or a quick stopover, but they’d all stayed in their two-legged form.
Tracy had to admit, she was intrigued—more than intrigued—to see what Hank looked like in his fur.
There was something really slinky and kind of sexy about big cats. Even as a werewolf, Tracy had to admit that. From what she’d seen on nature documentaries, most big cats moved with a sinuous grace that wolves couldn’t quite match.
“I’ll change inside and walk out slowly.
That should be the least alarming for her,” he said, grinning slightly, calling Tracy’s attention back to the matter at hand and away from her dangerous thoughts about the potential sexiness of cats.
Hank looked faintly nervous, and Tracy’s heart went out to him.
Damn. She really needed to be tougher than this.
What kind of werewolf bitch was she? She’d been so strong and adamant that she could raise her daughter on her own, but the moment Hank of the clear blue eyes showed up in her life, again, she turned into a mush.
Tracy shook her head at herself while Hank went back into the sunroom.
A moment later, a giant golden and black jaguar slunk out of her house. Holy crap. She’d been right to worry about sexy cats. Her belly wobbled as he began to walk toward her.
He was massive. And incredibly handsome.
Tracy watched him move, almost mesmerized by the way his spots shifted over his muscular frame as he walked slowly out into the garden.
Emma held very still, watching him, and Tracy became aware that she was holding her breath.
That wouldn’t do. She reached down and plucked Emma off the ground, holding her at waist level, which was about the height of Hank’s head in his beast form.
“Sweetie, this is a jaguar. This is what you are. What you will become when you get bigger,” Tracy said gently to her daughter, who was still in baby jaguar form.
Hank sat on his haunches and let them both look at him for a few moments.
Then, he raised his front paw, and Emma reached out with her own tiny paw, meeting him halfway.
They touched paws, and the size comparison blew Tracy away.
Even if Emma grew to only half the size of her father, she was going to be a force to be reckoned with.
Hank spread his paw, allowing them to see the claws.
Emma tried to copy his movements, and her little claws came out of hiding.
Tracy had been trying to teach her daughter not to use them unless she meant to do damage, but it had been hit or miss the past week.
Maybe Hank would have better luck explaining how cat paws worked to their little girl.
Tracy wasn’t altogether certain what it felt like for a cat and therefore couldn’t explain it well enough for her bright two year old.
Hank lowered his paw and moved his head to sniff around Emma’s face.
The little girl in cat form returned the gesture.
She even reached out to lick his ear, and Hank reciprocated with a big lick under her chin and then another one down over her head, where Emma’s downy fur lay flattened for a few moments before springing back to its habitual fuzzy appearance.
Emma began to wiggle and move her limbs in a clear signal that she wanted to be put down. Tracy complied but kept Emma close, wary even though Hank had made no outwardly hostile moves. It would take time to build trust. Not long, but more than just a minute or two.
Emma scampered away into the herb garden then jumped out in front of Hank, apparently trying to play a furry version of peekaboo, or maybe pounce.
Hank was calm as he walked at Tracy’s side.
She led him to the old oak tree at the back of the yard where she’d put a garden bench in a small clearing.
She could watch Emma play from back there, and often did just that.
Today, she would share the spot with Hank, she decided, and let Emma come and go at will so she could get used to him.
“We can sit back here and keep an eye on the entire garden,” Tracy told Hank as he padded beside her.
He lay down next to the bench, his long tail swishing occasionally from side to side. He was majestic. There was just no other word for him.
Tracy sat, watching Emma approach, cautiously at first. When Hank made no move to stop her, Emma grew bolder, walking up and reaching out with one little paw to touch him, then she patted his side.
Eventually, she seemed to find some fascination with the tip of his tail, chasing it from side to side for a bit while Tracy fought not to laugh.
Her baby was still very uncoordinated in both forms, but she did try, and she was getting steadier every day.
Even in the few days since she’d been shifting, Tracy had already noted a marked improvement in her walking on four feet instead of two.
Hank seemed to watch Emma out of the corner of his eye, indulging his daughter as she began to climb onto his back. Or, at least, tried to. She slipped off more than she climbed, but the little jaguar seemed to think it was fun, so neither Tracy nor Hank objected.
Eventually, Emma tired herself out and curled into a little ball of fur along Hank’s flank. He moved a little, curling around her just the tiniest bit, offering her shelter. That was it. Emma went out like a light in a total nap attack.
After a little while, Tracy bent down and picked up her sleeping daughter.
She hadn’t shifted, but Tracy knew she probably would at some point during her nap and wake in human form.
Tracy carried Emma inside and up to her room, placing her on the soft mattress and tucking her in.
She then laid out clothes for the child to wear when she resumed her two-legged shape and tiptoed out of the room to get dinner started, and face Hank.
Tracy found Hank in the sunroom, just buttoning the last button on his shirt. Damn. She’d missed the show. Her inner hussy of a wolf wanted to whine, but Tracy clamped down on that instinct.
“You were very patient with her,” she said, focusing on Emma instead of her need to see this man naked, once again. It had been far too long a dry spell.
“I like kids,” he said. “I’ve never had one of my own before, but since I’m known as one of the pranksters of the Clan, the others seem to trust me with their little ones when I’m home.”
“Home? You mean that island, right? The one Mark Pepard bought?” She’d been curious about the jaguar situation for a long time, and now, of course, she had a special reason to be interested. Emma might, one day, take her place among the Jaguar Clan.
“Yeah. Worst kept secret in the shifter world, but we also have some of the tightest security on the planet. Nobody gets onto the island without our knowledge and permission.” He looked hard for a moment, then his expression gentled.
“I already talked to Mark about you and Emma. You are both welcome there. Anytime.”
Tracy sucked in a breath, completely surprised. She hadn’t expected that. Not at all.
“Well, that’s… That’s great,” she said, knowing she sounded lame.
She moved into the kitchen, knowing he would follow her. She needed to start dinner, and bustling around the kitchen would give her something to do besides look into his blue eyes and think about things that could never be.
“You know, I opened an account for Emma last week. I can send you the details if you give me your email address. It’s for you both. Something I should’ve done—would’ve done—had I known.” His voice was soft, as if he was feeling his way with this topic.
Tracy felt the flush creeping up her cheeks. She wasn’t a charity case.
“I don’t want your money, Hank. I don’t need it, but it was good of you to offer.”
She heard Hank sigh and didn’t dare look at him. Instead, she went to the refrigerator and started gathering things she needed. She didn’t want to have this conversation at all but knew they needed to get it out of the way.
“Look, it was my decision to do this on my own. If I’d needed your money, I would’ve looked you up two years ago.”
“But you didn’t.”
His words fell in the quiet room, and she could hear the accusation in his tone. Too bad. She was protecting her child. If she’d hurt him in the process, so be it.
Her inner wolf was conflicted. Emma was more important—wasn’t she? The wolf had always agreed before, but now… Tracy was confused.
“Tracy, money isn’t the only thing I have to offer, but I do want you to know that I don’t expect you to foot the bill for everything in our daughter’s life.
I know you’re an independent woman, and I admire that, but it’s only fair that I pay for some of this.
” She growled. She couldn’t help herself.
“Okay. We’ll circle back to that another time. The thing is…”
She was so surprised he’d given in so easily, her inner wolf stopped growling and listened attentively for what he might come up with next.
“The thing is,” he repeated, his tone softening, “I want to be part of Emma’s life. Now that I know she exists, I can’t just ignore the fact that I have a daughter.”