She was in the back the next afternoon, grilling one of the first food orders of the day, since the bar/grill had only opened an hour or so ago, when the bell on the door tinkled. She looked up through the window that offered her a view of the front of house from the kitchen, groaning softly when she saw Bodie standing there. He eyed the room, perhaps looking for her, though maybe just deciding which seat to take.
He had his pick of them, and he chose a round booth in the corner that allowed him a view of the whole bar, both the front door and the kitchen. She was certain he was there to check on her, and she wished she’d left a note to thank him and somehow make it clear she didn’t require any more assistance from him.
She was startled as she placed the bratwurst on the plate less than a minute later, about to add the cabbage salad to the side, when Saul stuck his head through the swinging kitchen door and said, “Yo, get your butt out to the front, Dalton.”
“Why?” He could hardly need her to fill in as a waiter, but she supposed she knew why even before he explained.
“One of the customers is asking for you.” He gave her a bit of a glare, and it was intimidating in his large, jowly face. “He’d better not be a boyfriend.”
She scoffed before she could think better of it. “Do you think that’s likely, Saul?”
To her surprise, he nodded. “’Course it is, Dalton. I’m old, but I ain’t dead. Just like any man, I’m capable of appreciating a pretty woman.”
She was startled by the words, wondering from where they’d sprung. In the four years she’d worked for Saul, he hadn’t been effusive with his praise. He wasn’t overly harsh when it came to criticism either. He was just a blunt man with little patience for wasting time, and he didn’t care about the niceties of social interaction. That suited her well, because he wasn’t always back there in the kitchen expecting her to talk and open up to him. He was the ideal boss, but she was startled hear even faint personal praise come from him. “Thanks.” She sounded awkward, but that was because she felt that way.
He shrugged a shoulder. “Check in with the boy and see what he wants, but make sure you’re not slacking on the clock.”
Her lips twitched at the admonishment, which she hardly needed. She wasn’t the type to slack, and she’d never had any of her friends come visit her at work. That was probably because she’d lost touch with all of them after the accident, and she hadn’t tried overly hard to renew those bonds as she struggled to come to terms with who she was now, but she’d like to think she wouldn’t have been the kind to socialize during work anyway.
With a hint of reluctance, she finished plating the order and took it out with her, delivering it to the customer directly after ensuring her hair fell properly over her face so that they barely got a glimpse of the scars as she set it on the table before she walked across the room. She hovered in front of Bodie’s table for a moment, straightening her spine. “What can I do for you?”
“Sit down.”
She looked over at Saul, who was pointedly not looking at her, but perhaps it was because he was busy. Maybe he was giving her a moment. With a little reluctance, she pulled out a chair and sat down stiffly. “I can’t stay long since I’m working. Do you need something?”
“I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m fine and appreciate your help, but I really don’t need it.” She kept her tone cool and tried to be distant with them.
He arched a brow, indicating perhaps he disagreed, but at least he was wise enough not to argue with her verbally. “As I was falling asleep last night, I remembered I used to know a Claire.”
Her stomach clenched, and her throat felt like it constricted at his words. “Oh?” It came out like a frog croaked the word.
“Claire Dalton. Her sister, Gracie, was friends with my brother, Owen. You remind me of her.”
Claire sneered. “I don’t see how. We barely saw each other back then, Bodie.” She groaned softly as she realized what she’d revealed, but she decided to stay the course. “Yes, I’m Claire Dalton.” His lips twitched, and for a moment, she was certain he was remembering the time when she fell on his lap. His arms had gone around her to keep her from falling into the sand by the lake, and instinctively, she’d puckered her lips.
She nearly groaned aloud now in embarrassment as she remembered back then. It took all the strength she had not to squirm in her seat at the humiliation of recalling the way he quickly ejected her off his lap. She couldn’t believe then that she had so blatantly made it obvious she wanted to kiss him, but she’d been unable to resist the pull of the compulsion. It was like the minute he touched her, something had ignited inside her, insisting she needed him.
It had been the same way last night as well, leaving her more unsettled when she thought about that. Her cheeks flushed as she recalled the kisses they’d shared when they barely knew each other, and he hadn’t even realized they knew each other at all.
“I’m sorry I didn’t check on you.”
She frowned. “I left pretty early this morning, so I don’t see how you could have.”
He shook his head. “I mean, I’m sorry I didn’t check on you after the accident. It didn’t really occur to me, to my shame. I was focused on Owen’s death, and I guess it didn’t really come to me that you had lost Gracie. I had no idea how injured you’d been, but since you were connected to Owen, I should have made it my business to find out.”
She managed a small smile. “You can let yourself off the hook for that. It wasn’t like we were friends, Bodie.”
He looked regretful for a moment but didn’t argue. “Anyway, it’s good to see you again.”
“You too.” She caught Saul looking at her, and she pushed back the chair. “I’ve got to get back to work.” Without another word, she returned to the kitchen, hoping he would leave soon after. Instead, he seemed to make it his mission to linger there. As the afternoon ticked past, he ordered a steady stream of drinks and food, though she noted only an occasional alcoholic drink was in the lineup.
As the afternoon faded into early evening, she was surprised to see people joining him. She immediately recognized Jalen and Liam from the old days. They were both his cousins, and if she recalled pack hierarchy right, Jalen would now be his future Beta. She didn’t think Liam had any involvement in the pack business at all, or at least in running it, so she couldn’t help wondering why they were all in Caliper.
It wasn’t exactly typical for shifters to hang out there. They tended to come to Caliper, which was nearly twice the size of Northstar, for the immediate essentials and conveniences they couldn’t get in their shifter town. Otherwise, they were looking at nearly a two-hour drive in all directions to either reach one of the bigger cities in Washington or Idaho surrounding their home in northern Idaho. They did have shifters stop occasionally for a drink, and she only recognized most of them as shifters because of the time she’d spent in Owen’s circle. They didn’t tend to linger for hours as he was though.
She couldn’t help feeling paranoid it had something to do with her, and she was determined to find the answer. When it was finally time for her dinner break, she took off her apron, gathered her courage, and approached their table. It took a lot of strength to stand there before them, especially since she had to endure Jalen and Liam both seeing her face for the first time, though she was careful to keep her hair obscuring most of it.
“Are you on a break?” asked Bodie.
“I am.” She hovered for a moment, not waiting for an invitation before she pulled out a chair and sat down. “What are you doing here? It’s not usual for your kind to hang out in Caliper for long.”
Liam looked startled. “You know what we are?”
He obviously didn’t remember her. “I do.” She kept her tone low, not wanting to draw attention to them. “Is there some reason you’re hanging around, Bodie?” She decided it was better to be direct.
Before he could answer, Sharon, one of the night servers, stopped by the table. “Can I get you guys something else?”
“Bring them all a beer on my tab,” said Claire, wanting to soften them up a bit so they’d be honest with her why they were there.
“Sure thing, but would you like some food or anything?”
“No, just the beers,” said Bodie, his gaze not leaving Claire’s the entire time. He hesitated for a moment before saying, “I would rather talk to you about it after your shift ends. Is that okay?”
She huffed out a sigh. “I guess that depends.”
“On what?”
“Are you planning to lurk here the whole evening?”
He gave her a slow nod, and then his grin seemed faintly predatory. “I do indeed, darlin’.”
His words sent a thrill through her, making her feel overly warm for a moment. She was certain he was there for her, but she couldn’t explain why, or why he would have any reason to take up the post. It was obvious he wasn’t going to explain right now though, so with another sigh, she said, “Fine. We’ll talk after my shift ends. I have another three hours,” she said with a hint of warning.
“We’ll still be here,” said Bodie sanguinely, and he seemed to take pleasure in ruffling her feathers. He grinned at her without repentance, and his cousins adopted similar expressions as they nodded.
“All night if we have to,” said Liam with a wink.
Since she was nowhere closer to having an idea why they were there, and it was obvious they weren’t going to cooperate, she pushed back from the table. “You are all frustrating.”
“Where are you going, darlin’?” asked Liam, adopting the same tone and endearment his cousin had just used.
“I need to get something to eat before I get back to work.” She didn’t miss the way Bodie had stiffened at Liam using the words, and he seemed suddenly more serious and territorial. She was almost surprised not to hear him growling, and she couldn’t help wondering if he was feeling territorial about her.
It would make sense in light of that kiss they’d shared the night before, but it was also completely ridiculous, because she couldn’t help recalling how quickly he’d pushed her away when they’d shared a brief moment in the past. Back then, she’d still been young and pretty, without the scars, both emotional and physical, that she bore now. It made no sense that Bodie would be attracted to her as she was now if he hadn’t found her attractive when she was still pretty.
She shook her head in confusion, determined to get to the bottom of it, but first, she had to eat something and finish her shift. It felt like the longest three hours of her life, and she couldn’t help staring at the shifter table every chance she got, which was infrequent, since they were having a busy night, and everyone seemed determined to order food along with their alcohol.
That was typical, especially since people seemed to love Saul’s honey barbecue ribs, which inspired the name of his bar, The Honey Trap, but she resented work that evening, and how it kept her from getting answers from Bodie. She told herself it was only answers that made her impatient to get back in his proximity, and there was nothing more to it than that.
5“I could be wrong, but I think she might have a thing for you, Bodie,” said Jalen with a little smirk. “Didn’t she used to have a crush on you that she tried so hard to hide?”“Huh?” asked Liam.Bodie quickly reminded him of the past connection to Claire before answering Jalen. “She was just a kid.” He was feeling his hackles rise, but he didn’t want to argue with his cousins.“Her scars, man.” Liam winced and shook his head.Before Bodie could stop himself, he was halfway out of his seat. “If you say anything like that to her—”Liam leaned back, putting up his hands. If he’d been shifted, he probably would’ve taken on a submissive pose, but that was good enough. “Relax, Bodie. I was just commenting on how awful they are. She’s still beautiful.”“Stay the hell away from her,” said Bodie with a thick growl he couldn’t stop. For a moment, he was perilously close to letting out his wolf.Liam and Jalen exchanged glances, and they both sat quietly until Bodie had regained control and sa
6The back door opened then, making a slight screeching sound as Claire emerged. She wore a light jacket and carried a backpack, and in her other hand, she had a bag of trash. Bodie hurried over and lifted the lid on the dumpster for her, and she smiled, but she seemed a little bewildered. “So why are you here?”“We’re here to babysit you,” said Liam with a grin. Apparently, he realized Bodie’s wolf didn’t like that, because he quickly added, “Bodie was concerned about you, and we were just keeping him company.”Claire stiffened slightly, and Bodie couldn’t help noticing the way she had shifted her hair to cover most of her face. She looked at him, and only one of her eyes was fully exposed, but he could see a mixture of yearning and annoyance there. “I don’t need you to take care of me, Bodie. I’m not someone’s charity project.”He stiffened at the accusation. “It’s not like that. I want to make sure those scumbags don’t come back.”Claire shrugged a shoulder. “If they do, what’s the
7Claire couldn’t help but be nervous as she rode beside him in his truck. Her nerve endings were strung taut, and she was certain that if he said anything, she would jump in surprise and let out a startled squeal. So far, he seemed content to let her maintain silence, and she was trying to avoid saying anything that would make her seem gauche, moronic, or eager to be with him. He didn’t need to know that part was particularly true.She had little reason to be nervous, except if her parents saw him dropping her off at the house. It wasn’t like Bodie was suddenly going to jump on her. A strong surge of regret went through her as she had that realization, and then she acknowledged she’d been hoping for some indication that he cared about her as more than someone he pitied and was worried about after her near attack last night.In her mind, she couldn’t help imagining how it would be if he pulled over to the side of the road and suddenly jumped on her, pulling her into his arms. No doubt
8Bodie woke anticipating his date with Claire that night. He couldn’t help feeling like a teenager about to embark on his first date with a girl, though it had been quite a few years since he had experienced that sensation. He couldn’t even recall the name or really the face of the first girl he’d dated, but it’d only been the one date, so that was hardly surprising.It seemed like it would be forever before the day would end so he could pick up Claire at the appointed hour. By midmorning, he was scowling at the clock, annoyed by how slowly it seemed to be ticking past. His phone rang, diverting his attention from the offending timepiece, and he answered with the speakerphone on, so he didn’t have to pick it up. Ostensibly, he was working on pack business, but in truth, he was far too distracted to give it much consideration. “Hello?”“Bodie, can you stop by?”He nodded before answering his dad. “Sure. What time would you like me?”“The sooner the better,” said Duke with a hint of gr
9He entered the sheriff’s station, and it was a calm and quiet environment, similar to usual. It appeared that their front desk person wasn’t working that day, but that was hardly surprising. Claudia was usually part-time at best, since it was a quiet town that rarely required any major intercession. Sheriff Dillon Starr and Deputy Juno Lane, along with a third deputy, though that position was currently unfilled, managed to handle everything that arose in their town—everything except this unsettling matter, which was new to all of them.Juno looked up from her desk, which was positioned where she could greet people in case Claudia wasn’t available. She nodded to him and said, “The sheriff said you might stop by after he spoke with your father.”“It seemed like the thing to do. Were you the one who found the fliers, Juno?”The tall brunette stretched as she pushed back from her desk and came over to stand near him. “It wasn’t me. Gus was coming in to do cleaning at City Hall, and he’s
10It told him to get off on the third floor, and he stepped out several seconds later, following his senses until he saw Gus mopping the floor of Courtroom B. He opened the door, having glimpsed him through the window in the door, and said, “Gus, do you have a minute?” To his surprise, the old shifter didn’t answer. He supposed he could be getting hard of hearing, but his senses should at least alert him that he wasn’t alone in the room.He stepped inside, waving the door a little to allow his pheromones to better disperse. A second later, Gus stiffened and turned to him, and he was smiling. He was also wearing wireless headphones, which explained why he hadn’t heard Bodie’s greeting even with his refined wolf senses. They must be getting dull with age, but the man was still competent and moving around.He came closer to Bodie, still moving the mop as he walked. “What can I do for you, young fella?”Bodie was amused at that, considering himself far from a young fella as he neared thi
11Since Claire had the day off, she decided to pamper herself for the date ahead. It had been a long time since she’d been on a date.The last one she could recall had been about a year after her car accident, when the son of one of her dad’s friends had asked her to dinner. She’d been excited, until he let slip halfway through that his father had agreed on his behalf, and he had gone through with the date to be a good sport. He hadn’t meant to be a jerk about it because they’d already connected and were friendly at that point. He didn’t seem to realize that confiding the truth to her had been off-putting until she asked to go home shortly thereafter. He’d seemed annoyed with her overreaction, and they hadn’t spoken again.It caused a ball of anxiety to form in her stomach as she remembered her last attempt. After that, there hadn’t been any more invitations, but she’d determined she would turn them down anyway unless she was absolutely certain there was no pity involved.Yet here sh
12In a flash, she raced downstairs and tore open the door. She didn’t allow him to come in, though he seemed ready to cross the doorway. She just pushed past him and closed the door behind her. “Let’s go.” She sounded breathless, having raced down the stairs so quickly. She was lucky she hadn’t broken her neck since she was wearing midrange high-heel shoes she also hadn’t worn in years.He seemed frankly baffled. “Are you—?”“We should go now.” She grabbed his arm and started tugging, pulling him toward his truck. She realized she was acting crazy, and he was obviously concerned, but she was more concerned about getting him in the vehicle and away from her parents. As they reached his car, she heard the front door opening and said, “Let’s go now.” There was no hiding her insistence and hint of fear.Bodie unlocked the truck, and she climbed in, not waiting for his assistance. Mentally, she was urging him to hurry up as he came around to the driver’s side. She glanced back at the fron