Happy 2017!
I hope this new year will bring you all the desires of your heart.
For me 2016 was a bit of a challenging year. I was diagnosed with diabetes in May. My blood glucose wasn’t sky high, but my fasting level was 170-189. Normal is 80-99, and pre-diabetic is 100-125. Diabetic is anything over 126. So you see, I was well into diabetic territory. Diabetes can have terrible complications. Nerve damage. Kidney failure. Eye damage. Cardio Vascular disease. Stroke. My grandmother lost most of her feet due to it. I was understandably freaked out. The doctor put me on metformin and sent me to a diabetes educator and a dietitian. I spent the rest of the year learning how to eat and exercise. And I did pretty good at it. So good that my blood glucose regularly crashed (that is, dropped too low), and after I started passing out, I was taken off the medication metformin in August. Since then I’ve been struggling again to control my eating habits. It is a very hard thing to do! And my writing has suffered from it.
OK, that’s the bad news. The good news is my blood glucose is doing much better. Even the holidays didn’t throw me too much off track. My fasting blood glucose is between 95 and 105. So just barely tipping into pre-diabetic range. I need to do better, but this is a good change.
That is probably WAAAAY too much information. Sorry! I’m just proud of myself. 🙂
I have good news on the writing front, too. I finished writing Brave Hearts, a contemporary stand alone novella for Paige Tyler’s Dallas Fire & Rescue Kindle World. I am really happy with it. I fell in love with the hero, and the heroine is someone I’d like to know. The hero is Taye and Shadow’s great uncle, Dusty Wolfe. It will be released on January 19, 2017, and I’ll be doing the cover reveal on January 10 in the Facebook page. You can see that here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/966241843518224/
I began writing Victoria’s Cat. Starting tomorrow, I will post short Tuesday Teasers. I hope you’ll enjoy Victoria. She’s a bit headstrong, brash, and has a loud mouth. I love her! Off to write some more tonight. Find something good to read!
Tuesday Teaser 3/15/16: Olivia’s Mate- for adults only
Hello! We have come to the end. Yes, the end of Olivia’s Mate, and the end of the Tuesday Teasers until May. *sob* But I’ll be working hard on Olivia’s Mate for the next 6 weeks. After that I’ll be starting Brave Hearts, the story of Jesse Dustin “Dusty” Wolfe, an EMS in Dallas TX, and Iraq veteran Ysabel Ybarra. Izzy was the squad mate of Tami Casper Wolfe. Small world, huh? You’ll be getting to know them pretty well in May and June.
This is the last teaser from Olivia’s Mate. What you’ve seen posted here is not the finished product. I will be working feverishly to add a few scenes, maybe remove a few scenes, and generally polish it up. It goes to the editor on April 1, and I’ve set the publish date at April 28. So, without further ado, here is the last scene in Olivia’s Mate. It is adult in nature, so if you are under the age of adulthood in your country, please read no further.
Enjoy!
Her gaze settled on him, and slowly the outrage was replaced by passion. She knelt beside him and took his face in her hands. “We’re not done yet,” she agreed, and kissed him.
He loved the taste of her tongue in his mouth, and rejoiced in the heat of her hand circling his cock. He remembered what her uncle had told him: a mate’s pleasure always came first. That was so obvious that Kit couldn’t imagine why Taye had said it. In the pride, the queens’ pleasure was the most important thing. A male who couldn’t make the queen come wouldn’t be allowed to service her again. But the other thing that Taye had said was new to him. A woman could climax just from the touch of his hands and mouth. He was anxious to experiment with that.
“Lie down,” he urged Olivia, pushing at her shoulders gently.
She was a feast laid out for him, her legs slightly parted and the uncertain expression not quite hidden by anticipation. “Should I turn off the lamp?” he asked.
“No,” she said instantly. “I want to see you when we make love.”
“Okay.”
He moved slowly and gently, ignoring his own body’s roaring need to part her legs and sink deep inside her. He made love to her with his fingers and his mouth, paying attention to her body’s reactions to see what she liked most. He could tell when she was nearing climax by the way her body tightened and her breathing became moaning gasps. The sight of her cresting was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. When she had finished writhing beneath him, he kissed her.
“You are so beautiful,” he murmured. He looked down at her with an unspoken question.
“Yes!” she cried. “Come into me now.”
Go slow, he reminded himself. Taye said a woman’s first time could be painful, and he didn’t want to cause his mate any pain. He entered her very carefully, and nudged deeper with every controlled stroke, waiting for pain to blossom on her face. She twitched very slightly and he stopped, sweat blooming on his upper lip.
“Olivia? Are you okay?”
“Yes.” She threaded her hands through his hair. “This is incredible. I feel full. Stretched. It doesn’t hurt, though. Keep going.”
Control was hard to maintain with her body clamped around him like a hot, wet vice. He rocked gently into her over and over. When she arched against him and screamed his name, his control broke. He lifted himself on stiff arms and pounded into her.
“Yes, Kit!” she cried.
When he climaxed, he yowled the scream of a mountain lion victorious. He collapsed on her, his cheek pressed to the sweat-damp flesh of her shoulder. They panted together for a minute. She tilted her head to nuzzle his hair, almost like a mountain cat would. It made him smile.
“Is it always like that?” she whispered.
He forced his head up to smile at her. “I hope so.”
She frowned. “You hope so? Don’t you know? You’ve done it before with those women from your pride.”
He rolled off her, so they lay on their backs shoulder to shoulder. He grasped her hand and brought it to his lips. “Yeah, I have.” He kissed her hand again, tasting the salt of her sweat in the palm. “This was different. Before, it was a natural thing, like horses mating. Not emotional. It’s different with you because I love you.”
Olivia lifted herself and half-sat to look at him. “I love you.” She paused, seeming to savor the words. “Kit, I love you.”
“I love you.” He gave a little tug to pull her on to his chest. “This is what I wanted when I stole you. I wanted a mate who would love me.” He stroked her hair. “I didn’t understand then that a mate forced to accept me against her will wouldn’t give me what I wanted.” He brushed his lips over the top of her head. “Thank you for giving me a second chance.”
She was silent for a long minute, snuggling her cheek against his shoulder. Her fingers stroked back and forth over the edge of his jaw. “I’m glad you came looking for me. In the past year and a half, I’ve been courted by other men. They were all good men. Every time, I tried to fall in love, but it just never happened.” She must have felt the growl vibrating his chest because she lifted her head to smile at him. “I know why now. It was because none of them was you.”
He held her tightly to his chest. The year he’d spent with Justin and Teresa had been long and hard. Deprived of his pride and his mate, he had spent many nights roaming the hills around their ranch, screaming his loneliness to the night. He had dreamed of finding his mate again and wooing her properly. But he hadn’t dared to dream of all this. Now he had his mate in his arms, with a future as a rancher ahead of him, and a new family that accepted him.
He tilted his head to glance at the wreckage of the bed. Well, they mostly accepted him. Olivia followed his gaze and her sated, sleepy eyes sharpened.
“I am going to kill them,” she said conversationally.
He thought about it. “No, we might need them to help us out on our ranch.”
She drummed her fingers on his breast. “We have to retaliate.”
Smiling, he trailed his fingers down her spine. “Someday. But for now I have the perfect revenge.”
“Oh?”
He rolled her over onto her back. “Let’s love each other forever, and make love all the time.”
She parted her legs for him to press between them. “Sounds like a plan. And right away tomorrow morning, let’s tell them how much fun it was to make love on the floor.”
“Oh, is it?”
Her smile was almost like a cat’s. “I seem to remember some fun. Maybe you should remind me.”
He kissed her. “With pleasure.”
The End
Tuesday Teaser 3/8/16: Olivia’s Mate–For Adults Only
I have completed the formatting of the next three books in the series for paperback. Ellie’s Wolf, Wolf’s Vengeance, and Wolf’s Lady will be coming out in print format in approximately four weeks. Now that I have that out of the way, I can go back and begin revisions of Olivia’s Mate!
This week’s Tuesday Teaser is intended for mature readers. This wedding night scene isn’t exactly at the burning heat level, but I don’t think it’s appropriate for young readers either. It is completely unedited. I haven’t reviewed it at all, so I don’t know what typos and flubs it might have. Be kind. 🙂 Enjoy!
He moved close to her, his legs crowding the skirt of her dress into a distorted oval. His mouth was light and tender against hers. “Are you relaxed yet?” he whispered against her lips.
“No. You might want to kiss me harder.”
He did. She found it very satisfying. What wasn’t satisfying were the layers of clothing he wore. She wanted to feel his warm firm flesh against her hands. Without breaking the kiss, she tried to shove his coat down his arms.
He lifted his head to groan. “Too many clothes,” he said in agreement.
His coat hit the floor a second later, followed rapidly by his shirt and pants. His shoes and socks ended up on opposite sides of the room. Olivia looked at his bare, lithe body with pleasure. Even back in his cave, when she’d been angry and frightened, she had thought him beautiful. Naked male bodies weren’t unknown to her. Her brothers and cousins didn’t hide to strip to let out their wolves. Colby had a fine looking physique, but Olivia had never ogled him. She could look at Kit for hours.
Well, she could if he’d stand still for hours. He came toward her with that same feline grace undisguised now by garments. “You are the one wearing too many clothes now,” he murmured, smoothing his hands down her bare shoulders and into the neckline of the dress. He tried to slide the dress down.
“It’s too tight,” she told him. “You have to unlace it.”
He grunted. “This dress is like a fence, keeping me away from you. I bet that was your dad’s idea.”
“No.” She laughed, turning around and grabbing the edge of the dresser. The cards Parker had left made her roll her eyes. “The dress was Aunt Marissa’s idea.” She could feel him fumbling with the laces. A sharp jerk lifted her to her toes. “Be careful with it. Don’t rip it, okay?”
“Okay.” He worked in silence behind her for several minutes. “Kit? How’s it going?”
He bent and kissed the bare slope of her shoulder. “It’s a trick. I thought your brothers were being too nice. Now I know why. They knew I wouldn’t be able to get you naked.”
She gasped when she felt his tongue run hot and wet over the sliver of flesh left bare in the gap between the laces. “Oh, Kit,” she breathed, gripping the dresser more tightly to keep from falling. “Oh, Kit. Hurry.”
He snarled something behind her, and all at once the laces parted. Without thinking, she caught the dress and pressed it to her breasts to keep it from dropping. He tried to shove the dress down, but her grip was too strong.
“Move back, Kit,” she told him. “I’ll do it.”
After a moment when she could almost feel his reluctance to separate from her, he took a step back, and she turned to face him. His gaze was fixed on her hands pressing the bodice of the dress to her breasts. Watching him, she lifted her hands away and let the dress fall. It caught on the hooped petticoat beneath it, but her breasts were bared to his gaze. His eyes shimmered green gold. Maybe it was that shimmering that made her melt inside. Or maybe it was the almost feral expression on his face that woke a river of fire in her body. He reached out and touched his forefinger to her nipple.
“Mine,” he said in a low rasp. “Mine.”
Pleasure juddered through her when he pinched her nipple, playing with her breast before bending to suck it into his mouth. She clutched at his shoulders to keep her balance. Vaguely she remembered her mother’s advice. “Kit, that feels wonderful!”
With a final light nip of his teeth he raised his head to smile at her. “It feels good to me too.”
She looked at him, all sleek muscle under warm skin and touched her finger to his nipple. “Mine,” she said.
“Yeah,” he growled, taking her hand and drawing down his body to his penis. “And so is this.”
She had never seen an erect penis, much less touched one. She took her time learning the feel of him, noting which touches made him quiver. He stood with his hands rubbing circles over her shoulders, eyes closed and teeth clenched.
“Does it hurt when I squeeze you like this?” she asked.
He opened his eyes. “No. It feels good. I want to touch more of you.”
Obligingly, she reached for the knot in the drawstring of the hooped petticoat and shimmied to let it loose. It fell in perfect concentric circles around her feet, leaving her in only her panties and shoes. The thick noise that Kit made was appreciative. Any embarrassment she might have felt evaporated. She kicked her shoes off and stepped over the petticoat to press herself against him.
“Touch me,” she said.
It might have been an invitation, but it sounded like an order. Kit didn’t seem to mind. He stroked his thumbs over her eyebrows, skimmed his fingertips along the curves behind her ears, to her neck, and down along the outsides of her breasts. He stopped there to kiss her with long, hot, drugging kisses that made her pant, while his fingers teased her breasts. After a very pleasurable pause he sent his hands smoothing down her sides, following the indent of her waist to the slight flare of her hips. His hands spread over her butt to pull her hard against him. The feel of his penis pressed into her belly did interesting things to her breathing. Her breathing literally stopped for a moment when he tugged her panties down and smoothed through the hair between her legs.
She kicked and wiggled to get rid of the panties. “Touch me,” she demanded.
“So soft,” he muttered, petting the hair between her legs before one of his fingers slipped up and inside her. “And this, so warm, so tight.”
Olivia found herself lost in sensations she had never felt before. Such wonderful sensations weakened her knees and made her almost dizzy. “Oh, Kit,” she moaned. “I can’t keep standing. I think I need to lie down.”
“Yes,” he hissed in a guttural tone. “Bed.”
His finger slid out of her in a rush of liquid heat. She missed it immediately. “Hurry.”
She took his hand and pulled him to the bed. She reached to throw the covers back and stopped, confused. She tried again. They were stuck? They were…
“Those idiots!” she raged. “They sewed the sheets together.”
Some of the passion glazing Kit’s eyes cleared. He bent to peer at sheets. “I think they’re sewed to the mattress,” he clarified. “Big stitches spaced about two inches apart.”
“I’m going to kill Parker and Taylor.” It wasn’t a threat. It was a promise. “I don’t have my knife.”
“It’s okay.”
He raised his forefinger and a claw, sharp and curving, sprang out. With a deft flicks, he sliced through each stitch and then carefully folded the bedding open. He turned back to her and kissed her with tender promise.
“Your uncle said I must go slowly with you. Virgins need a lot of foreplay to be ready to make love. Are you ready?”
She wound her arms around his neck. “Oh, yes.”
His smile was devilish. “Good. So am I.”
Holding her close, he toppled them onto the bed.
It collapsed in a crash of splinters to the floor.
“Taylor! Parker!” she roared. “I’m going to kill you!
*
Kit laughed. He knew his mate’s brothers and cousins had been too nice to him. “Are you hurt?”
“No, just angry. Are you okay?”
“Yes.” He cradled his mate’s naked body close for a minute, just savoring her warmth and the rich, heady scent of her arousal. He stood up with her in his arms and carried her a few feet away, where her bare feet would be safe from splinters. “Wait here.”
He pulled the mattress free of the wreckage and dragged it to a clear spot by Olivia. He retrieved the pillows and sheets and blankets and spread them over the mattress. Rising to his feet, he turned to look at her. How beautiful she was! Her skin was pale and soft, exquisitely punctuated by pink nipples and blond hair between her legs. Her face was flushed was pink too, but he could tell her passion was waning under the outrage at her brothers.
“Come here,” he invited, kneeling down to lift the bedding. “You can kill your brothers later. We’re busy right now.”
Her gaze settled on him, and slowly the outrage was replaced by passion. She knelt beside him and took his face in her hands. “We’re not done yet,” she agreed, and kissed him.
He loved the taste of her tongue in his mouth, and rejoiced in the heat of her hand circling his cock. He remembered what her uncle had told him: a mate’s pleasure always came first. That was so obvious that Kit couldn’t imagine why Taye had said it. In the pride, the queens’ pleasure was the most important thing. A male who couldn’t make the queen come wouldn’t be allowed to service her again. But the other thing that Taye had said was new to him. A woman could climax just from the touch of his hands and mouth. He was anxious to experiment with that.
“Lie down,” he urged Olivia, pushing at her shoulders gently.
She was a feast laid out for him, her legs slightly parted and the uncertain expression not quite hidden by anticipation. “Should I turn off the lamp?” he asked.
“No,” she said instantly. “I want to see you when we make love.”
Tuesday Teaser 3/1/16: Olivia’s Mate
I did it! I DID IT!!! The rough draft of Olivia’s Mate is complete!
I had fully intended to have it done by the end of January, but between the overtime and the pneumonia it just didn’t happen. I am now going to put it aside for this week while I work on getting Ellie’s Wolf, Wolf’s Vengeance and Wolf’s Lady formatted for paperback. Then I’m going to do the first revision, send it to the beta readers, and then send it to the Editor, Athena Gracyk. My target goal for the release is April 28, 2016. Two months. It could be less, depending on editing.
Here is the end of the second to the last chapter, and the beginning of the last chapter. Unedited, of course, but I like it. I hope you’ll enjoy it too.
Victoria removed the pins holding the veil to Olivia’s hair with a shudder. “I am not going through a nightmare like that when I get married,” she declared.
Olivia could definitely agree. It had been a long, tiring day. They were alone in the one bedroom apartment in the basement of the Plane Women’s House. Years ago it had been an efficiency apartment, but now it was the most private apartment in the house. Her father had said grimly that he didn’t need to hear their wedding night. The single room had been cleaned and decorated as a honeymoon suite. There was a plain dresser against the wall and a four poster bed with a beautiful gold comforter under the narrow window. Olivia fingered one of the puffy white bows that were tied to the bedposts and smiled with affection for her aunts and cousins who had gone to the trouble to make this little room special.
She slanted a teasing look at Victoria. “I thought you wanted to marry Marty.”
“I do, but heck, he can just give my dad a few horses and I’ll pack my bag and move in with him like they did in the old days. I’m not wearing all that frou-frou and sitting at a table for two hours while my cousins make fun of me. Newlyweds have better things to do with their time.”
Olivia followed her cousin’s gaze to the bed. Sitting beside Kit without touching him during that endless supper had been hard. She’d kept thinking about how he’d looked naked back in his cave. From the expression on his face when he looked at her, Olivia knew he was impatient for the meal to end too. “Yeah,” she murmured.
Vic glanced at the door. “Well, you can get to the better things any minute now. I think I hear him coming down the stairs. Darn, I’m your attendant. I was supposed to help you get undressed and ready for bed before the bridegroom came. I guess…” She paused delicately and continued in teasing sarcasm. “He’s not in the mood to wait in the hall while I disrobe you?”
Olivia gave her a swat on the arm but couldn’t help smiling. “Kit can help me get undressed.”
Moving to the door, Victoria tossed a grin over her shoulder. “Tell him to be careful. Kendra won’t be able to wear that monstrosity of a dress at her wedding if it’s shredded.”
The mental image of Kit tearing the dress off her made Olivia’s mouth go dry.
“Good grief,” Victoria said with a snort. “If the dictionary had a picture to show what lustful anticipation looked like, it would be the expression on your face right now.”
A knock on the door saved Olivia from having to answer that, but she was sure her blush was as bright as her smile.
“Just wait a second,” Victoria snapped at the still-closed door before turning back to Olivia. “I’m almost envious of what you’ll do tonight, but I wish you the best. I hope you two will be really happy together forever.”
“Thanks.”
Victoria turned the door knob but paused. She arched brow at Olivia. “Oh, I was wondering… When you start your family, will you have puppies or kitties?”
“Oh, lord,” Olivia squealed, feeling her eyes open wide.
Laughing, Vic opened the door and Olivia’s brothers and a dozen male cousins trooped in, carrying Kit on their shoulders. One of them cried, “Not on the bed!” They dumped him on the rug beside the four poster, and Olivia was sure only his feline reflexes kept him on his feet.
“Aw,” said Colby, standing with his thumbs hooked in his belt loops, gaze on the bed. “Isn’t that a pretty bed? Taylor, have you ever seen a prettier bed?”
Taylor shook his head. “Nope. Those bows are precious.”
Olivia ground her teeth. She was positive the word precious had never before passed Taylor’s lips. He wasn’t done.
“And see how the comforter’s turned down just so?” Her brother gestured at the bed. “You can see all the pretty embroidery on the sheet. Looks real tidy. Inviting, even.” He cast a sly glance at Olivia. “I bet it won’t stay that way for long.”
“I bet not.” Parker sauntered over to Olivia and pinched her cheek before nodding at Kit. “There you go, baby sister: one bridegroom, mostly undamaged.”
Undamaged? Olivia quickly looked Kit over. He didn’t look hurt. Her cousins were swatting him on the shoulders and back as if dusting him off, using far more force than necessary. Kit seemed to be taking it with good humor.
“Thanks for showing me where I’ll be sleeping tonight,” he said with a grin. “But if you don’t mind, I think it’s time for you to leave so I can spend some time alone with my mate.”
“Hold on.” Parker held up one finger. “Just one sec.” He reached into the back pocket of his pants and came out with a pack of playing cards. He set them on the dresser with finicky precision. The smile he aimed at Olivia was so innocent she almost choked. “For you,” he said in dulcet tones. “In case you get bored tonight and need something to keep yourself busy.”
Olivia’s jaw dropped. “What?” she managed to squawk. “Are you crazy?”
Amidst the snickers from her cousins, Kit’s laugh was joyous. “She won’t be bored, I promise.” He moved toward the door with arms outstretched, herding her brothers and cousins toward the hall. “Good night. Thank you. Have a nice night.”
She heard one of her cousins mumble, “It won’t be as nice as yours.”
The door closed and finally she was alone with her husband.
Chapter 14
Olivia waited with her breath stuck in her throat for Kit to come to her. Would he immediately take her clothes off? Or would he kiss her with gentle passion first? Or rough passion? Which did she want him to do? But he only stood by the door, staring at her with intense eyes. At last she gasped in a breath and said, “Kit?”
“I don’t want to scare you.”
“I’m not scared.”
“You’re not?” His smile bloomed. “Good. Your uncle Taye told me you would be and I would have to be careful.”
“Uncle Taye?” She barely kept herself from rolling her eyes. “He gave you his speech, didn’t he? The one about how to make your mate happy in bed?”
“Yes. Most of it I already knew, but there were a few things I didn’t.”
Memories of the women at the caves flashed into Olivia’s mind. She got stuck on the memory of one woman baring herself and demanding that Kit service her. “You’ve done this before.”
His smile died. “Yes and no.” He looked directly into her eyes. “I’ve had sex. The queens wanted to be serviced when they were in heat. I liked doing it, but it didn’t mean anything. I didn’t love them. It wasn’t making love. I’ve never made love before.”
Somehow that answer soothed her jealousy and uncertainty. “So what did Uncle Taye tell you to do?”
Kit crossed the few yards between them in a saunter of smooth feline grace. He put a hand on either side of her face and tilted it to look down at her. “First I need to make you relaxed.”
His hands were warm. She smiled up at him. “How are you supposed to do that?”
“I think I’m supposed to pet you and kiss you.”
Her heart thudded. “Yes, please.”
He moved close to her, his legs crowding the skirt of her dress into a distorted oval. His mouth was light and tender against hers. “Are you relaxed yet?” he whispered against her lips.
“No. You might want to kiss me harder.”
He did. She found it very satisfying. What wasn’t satisfying were the layers of clothing he wore. She wanted to feel his warm firm flesh against her hands. Without breaking the kiss, she tried to shove his coat down his arms.
He lifted his head to groan. “Too many clothes,” he said in agreement.
Tuesday Teaser 2/23/16: Olivia’s Mate
We’re almost at the end of the story! No, I still haven’t finished the rough draft. But I WILL. I swear, I’ll get over this stupid pneumonia soon. Anyway, I think another 2000 words will finish the draft. Most of those will be the wedding night that Kit has been longing for all this time. Olivia is pretty enthusiastic too. *wink* Enjoy!
Kit stood at the far end of the restaurant at the Plane Women’s House. The big room was empty of tables, but chairs had been lined up in rows, and they were filling fast. Almost all the guests here were for Olivia, and they filled both sides of the chairs. He had been told that traditionally the guests of the bride sat on one side of the room and the guests of the groom sat on the other, but his guests were only the few members of the Madison Pride: Eddie Madison and his mate Lisa, their children Ray, Emily, and David, and his brother Marty. They were all friends of Olivia’s too. A tiny part of him wished for someone from his Pride to be here today for him, like Justin and Teresa, or Dev. At least his side wasn’t empty. Olivia’s family more than filled the chairs. In fact, there weren’t enough seats for everyone to be able to sit. The young men stood in the back of the room. They stared at him, some with simple curiosity, others with hostility, and still others with acceptance.
Wasn’t it time to start yet? He wanted to hear the magical words that would make him married to Olivia. His palms were wet. He almost wiped them on his suit pants, but remembered that wasn’t appropriate when he was in his best clothes.
“Relax,” muttered Marty Madison beside him.
Marty was his best man. Like the whole concept of a wedding, the idea of a man to stand beside him during the ceremony was odd. Was he supposed to keep Kit from running away? He would never run away. His mate’s kin had decreed the ceremony was a necessity, so Kit raised no objection. Marty was a good choice to be his best man. His own Pride had cast him off, so Kit was glad to have another cat stand with him. And Marty’s brother Eddie, the First Male of the Pride here, was the mayor of Kearney. He had the power to make people married. Kit wasn’t sure if it was magic, but he suspected it was. Kit glanced at Eddie Madison standing three feet in front of he and Marty with a black book in his hands. He eyed the book with respectful curiosity. Maybe the book was the source of the magic.
“Ah,” said Eddie Madison, looking from the back of the room to Kit. “We are about to begin.”
Kit watched his mate’s mother walk along the open space down the center of the chairs and seat herself in the front row. She gave him a small smile and a nod. All the people in the chairs turned to look at the other end of the room. His breath left him in a relieved sigh. There stood the tall woman who would stand with his mate as her maid of honor today, and a few feet behind her was Olivia in a wide, white dress and a piece of flimsy fabric over her face. Her father stood beside her, tall and stern.
Marty made a guttural cat sound of awe. “Isn’t she the most gorgeous woman you’ve ever laid eyes on?”
Yes, Olivia was more beautiful than any other woman. But a quick glance at Marty showed his stare fixed on Victoria, not Olivia. The tall woman was pretty, but she didn’t compare to his mate. Kit drew himself up straight as Victoria walked along the aisle between the seats with a slow steady step. When she reached the front she turned and placed herself on his opposite side, leaving a space for Olivia to stand beside him. Everyone stood up then, looking back to Olivia.
Kit’s heart swelled with pride as she, holding her father’s arm, walked slowly toward him. Even through the veil he could see her smile. A few sniffs from the women could be heard when her father lifted the filmy stuff away from her face and bent to kiss her cheek. He fumbled a little lowering the veil back over Olivia’s face and a tiny smile cracked his solemnity. Kit felt a little bit of awe when he noticed the man’s eyes were a little brighter than usual with unshed tears.
“I love you, baby girl,” the older man murmured into his daughter’s ear, smoothing the veil down to hide her face again.
“I love you too, dad,” Olivia said.
Kit’s fingers trembled when the man took Olivia’s hand and gave it to him. He clutched her fingers tightly, aware of her scent and the warmth of her body standing by his.
“Take care of her, son,” Tracker said, and the sheen of tears was gone, leaving coldness behind.
“Yes, sir,” Kit said.
Tracker stepped back and went to sit beside his mate. Kit smiled down at Olivia. She smiled back and squeezed his fingers as they turned to face Mayor Madison.
Eddie Madison opened his book and began to speak.
“Good afternoon. We are here to join this man, Christopher McQueen, and this woman, Olivia Anne Stensrud, in marriage. Do you, Dan and Tami Stensrud, give your daughter to this man?”
Silence. A cord tightened around his heart, stopping its beat, until Olivia’s father and mother stood up. “We do,” the man said, not quite sourly, and they sat down again.
Almost light headed, Kit stared at the outline of Olivia’s face behind the veil. She was smiling at him.
“Marriage is more than just two people living together.” Eddie Madison had been looking out at the people, but now he focused on him. “It is two lives lived as one. It’s balanced, with neither one nor the other being more important. The husband considers the needs of his wife, and the wife considers the needs of the husband. You will stand as partners, working together not out of mere duty, but out of love and joy. Neither of you are perfect, so you will need a spirit of forgiveness and patience during the years ahead. Are you prepared for that?”
Kit swallowed and nodded. A breathless assent came from behind the veil.
“Olivia, will you have Christopher as your husband? Will you love him in good times and bad, forsaking all others and being faithful to him alone?”
“I will.”
“Christopher, will you have Olivia as your wife? Will you love her in good times and bad, forsaking all others and being faithful to her alone?”
“I will!”
Eddie nodded gravely. “Do you have a ring?”
“Yes!” Kit turned eagerly to Marty, who gave him the ring. He waited until Olivia had handed her flowers to Victoria. “Olivia, this ring belonged to Teresa’s grandmother. Teresa is the mate, er, wife of my brother Justin. She helped me learn to be civilized. She knew I would look for you until I found you and I would do everything I could to win you for my wife. She said civilized people exchange rings to show they belonged to each other, so she gave me this ring. She said her grandparents loved each other, so this ring is a ring of love. Will you wear it for me?”
The salt of tears scented the air. Not only Olivia’s tears, but also tears from the people in the chairs. Olivia gave an inelegant sniff. “Yes, I will wear it.”
He slid the ring over her finger and pressed her hand to his heart. Olivia let her hand stay there a moment before tugging free. Victoria passed her a ring.
“Kit, this ring isn’t a family heirloom or anything fancy, but I bought it with the wages I earned at the restaurant. That makes it mine, and I want to give it to you. Will you wear it for me?”
Kit could feel an exultant yowl rise in his throat. He forced it back. “Yes!”
The yowl pushed, wanting out, when the ring was securely on his finger. Eddie cleared his throat, bringing attention back to him.
“By the authority of my position as Mayor of Kearney, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
Exercising strict control over himself, Kit lifted the veil away from Olivia’s face. Her smile trembled for a moment before it firmed into blinding joy. At first it was hard to form a kiss because they were both smiling, but after a moment their lips relaxed and heat built. He wanted to get closer to her, but her stupid dress was too big. Her father had probably designed it that way to keep them apart. Sliding his tongue along the seam of her lips, he decided it didn’t matter. In a few hours she wouldn’t be wearing that dress. She wouldn’t be wearing anything but him.
Tuesday Teaser: 2/16/16: Olivia’s Mate
Well, I didn’t finished the rough draft this weekend, but I’ve finished the wedding. Just the brief dinner scene, and then the wedding night. Poor Kit! I imagine he’s pretty peeved with me. Olivia too! LOL
I’m still recovering from pneumonia, but feeling better tonight. Still, I think I better hit the hay now. Here is the next bit in Olivia’s Mate. It’s not at all edited, so please disregard the boo-boos.
“I look ridiculous.”
It was a horrified murmur so low that none of the other women in her bedroom could have heard it. Olivia stared at herself in the mirror. The dress Aunt Marissa had sewed and which she was so proud of was an absurd billow of white satin. It flared up and out around her bare shoulders, narrowed so tightly around her waist that she could barely breathe, and belled out to the floor in a series of ruffles that made her look like a stick figure stuck into an upside down bowl. A mostly naked stick figure.
That reminded her of Kit’s remark the night they were engaged. His ‘they could do it naked’ comment had roused a chorus of giggles nearly completely drowned out by lupine growls. Olivia had definitely blushed, but it had roused more than giggles in her. The kisses that followed in the small dining room had been nice, but Kit’s gentle exploration of her body had left her wanting more. In only a few hours she would be naked with him. She would finally lose her virginity with the man she loved.
Aunt Marissa gave a mighty tug on the strings that laced the back of the dress closed. Olivia squeaked. “Well, I guess you were right, Tami. It is a little snug in the waist, but we’ll get it closed.”
“It’s fine. Leave a little gap. The veil will cover it.” Her mom patted Olivia shoulder from behind. “We don’t want her to pass out during the ceremony from lack of oxygen.”
In the dry note in her mom’s voice told Olivia she wasn’t actually joking. Olivia tried to draw in a deep breath and failed. “Yeah, let me breathe.”
Victoria came to her with a froth of white netting in her hands. “Here’s the veil. Let me put it on you.”
In the mirror, Olivia saw her mom standing on her right, Aunt Marissa barely visible behind her, and Victoria, six inches taller than any of them, on her left. The veil and was several layers of fine net. Victoria set it just so over her blond hair so that it hung in filmy waves over her face in front and to her waist in back. A circlet of red silk roses was pinned to her hair to hold it steady on her head.
Aunt Marissa turned her and stood back to take in the full effect. Tears gleamed in her eyes. “You look so beautiful,” she crooned. “That dress is so beautiful on you. It’s exactly the kind I always wanted to have for my wedding, but it looks perfect on you.”
Olivia made herself smile. “Thank you, Aunt Marissa. You’re so generous.”
Olivia’s mom put an arm around the other woman. “Thank you, Marissa. Would you and Victoria wait outside? I need to have a few words alone with my daughter.”
Once the room was empty, Olivia carefully flipped the veil up so she could see clearly and sat on the edge of her bed. The dress puffed around her like a demented marshmallow. Her mom perched on Victoria’s bed opposite her.
“Livvy, I know this isn’t the dress you would’ve chosen, but it’s good of you to let Marissa have her way.”
She tried to tame the waves of satin at her shoulders. “It’s very pretty,” she said with forced enthusiasm. “Maybe Kendra would like to wear it when she gets married.”
Her mom’s lips twitched. “It looks a lot like the dress I wore for my first wedding.”
Olivia perked her ears. Her mom seldom spoke of her life in the Times Before. “That was before your air plane crashed in 2064, right?”
“That’s right.” She waved a dismissive hand. “But that’s not what I want to talk to you about. Today you’re getting married. Tonight you’ll be a wife.” Red stained her cheeks. “I mean, uh, it’s your wedding night. We should talk about that.”
Olivia felt matching heat surge into her cheeks. “Mom,” she protested. “I don’t need to talk. Really. I know what happens. You gave me The Talk when I turned sixteen, remember?”
“Sure, I remember.” Her mom’s lips twisted into a half-smile. “You know which tab goes into which slot. There’s more to lovemaking than that.” She studied her clasped hands. “I think you know that there’s a difference between sex and making love.” She looked up into Olivia’s eyes. “I won’t waste my time telling you about all the mechanics. There’s really only one point I want to make, and that is communication.”
Communication? “You think I should talk during sex?”
“Before, during, and after. Unless your young man can read your mind, how can he know what you like? Maybe if he’s observant he’ll be able to tell when you’re uncomfortable, but maybe not. It’s important for you to let him know when he does something you like and when he does something you don’t like. Lovemaking should be wonderful. The first few times might be a little uncomfortable. Physically uncomfortable, I mean. Once your body gets used to… uh, it, you should feel pleasure.”
Olivia smoothed the ruffle over her knees. This was so embarrassing. “Thanks, Mom, got it.”
She saw her mother give her a long, steady look. “Okay. Is there anything you want to ask me?”
“No.” Olivia inwardly cringed at the squeak in her voice. “Thanks. Really.”
Her mom sighed. “Okay. Just remember that if you don’t enjoy it, you shouldn’t do it. Let’s go face the music.”
Olivia hurried to leave the bedroom she’d shared with Victoria. Aunt Marissa and Victoria waited for them in the living room. Aunt Marissa smiled and stepped forward to re-arrange the veil back over Olivia’s face.
“I peeked downstairs, and it looks beautiful,” she said to Olivia’s mom. “There’s a Christmas tree there. Reminds me of our weddings. Remember?”
Olivia saw her mom’s face relax in a smile. “It was a good day.” She turned to Olivia. “We’ll go down now to be sure Kit isn’t hanging around.”
“That’s right,” Marissa said with a grin. “Your bridegroom isn’t supposed to see you before the ceremony. You and Victoria come down in a few minutes.”
After the older women had left, Olivia turned to her cousin. “Thanks, Vic, for being my bridesmaid.”
“No problem. Thanks for not making me wear a dress like that one you’ve got on.”
Victoria ran a hand down her blue velvet hip. Her dress was elegant, closely fitted with a V neck, long sleeves, and narrow skirt slit to mid-thigh. She had ordered it early in the fall for the Mayor’s Gala that would take place in a month.
“You look really good in that dress,” Olivia told her honestly. “There was no reason for you to buy a new one.”
Victoria scooped up a small bouquet of blue satin roses tied with blue and white ribbons and handed a second, larger bouquet of red roses to Olivia. “We should just be glad we’re not Kendra. Can you imagine what Aunt Marissa will do for her own daughter’s wedding?”
“If I were Kendra, I would elope!”
They laughed together. Victoria smoothed her dark blond hair back. “Well, should we go? Uncle Taye must be done talking to Kit by now.”
“Uncle Taye? Why would he talk to Kit?”
“Oh, you know, just to give his usual What-To-Do-To-Please-Your-Mate-In-Bed speech.”
Olivia jerked to stop, wondering if her blush was visible behind the veil. “Oh,” she squeaked. “That one.”
Victoria laughed so hard she had to bend over. “I’m going to make him give that speech to Marty.”
Olivia stopped again. “Did Marty ask you to marry him?”
“Not yet.” She smiled with iron confidence. “But he will.” She twisted the knob and opened the door. “Shall we?”
Tuesday Teaser 2/9/16: Olivia’s Mate
Well, it looks like I might be getting to the end of the overtime at work. I think that would be lovely. I’ve been just a little under the weather for about three weeks, but Sunday I felt really awful. Today I felt awful too. I made it through the whole 8.5 hours at work, muttering that as soon as I finished X I would punch out. It’s not fair, is it? I mean, when criminals are sentenced to prison time doesn’t the time they’ve already spent in jail reduce the length of their sentence? Since I’ve had this coming on for three weeks, shouldn’t I have a sentence reduction? *pout* Actually, cough, sneeze, blow nose, and repeat.
Anyway. I’m sure I’ll be feeling better soon. Part of me hates giving up the overtime on the paycheck but the rest of me is throwing a party. More writing time!!! I’m very close to finishing the rough draft of Olivia’s Mate. I think I can say confidently that you will have the whole polished and edited story in your hands by April 29 at the LATEST.
Now that I’ve said that, knock on wood.
Here is the next little bit in Olivia and Kit’s story. Unedited and unpolished, of course. It ends on a high note, wouldn’t you say?
The family room was too crowded for pacing, so Olivia forced herself to sit still and only cast occasional glances at the ceiling. Victoria shoved Parker out of the way and sat down next to her.
“Your dad isn’t crazy like mine,” she said comfortingly, patting her knee. “He’ll give permission.”
“Yeah.” Olivia tried to relax. She was sure her parents would give their blessing. She cast another glance up and picked at a chip in her fingernail. “I want my parents to like Kit, not just tolerate him.”
“That might take some time.” Victoria looked like she was trying to suppress a smile. Her expression melted into glumness. “If my dad would even tolerate Marty, I’d be doing a victory dance.”
Glad to have her mind taken off her own concerns, Olivia turned quickly to her cousin. At twenty-six, Victoria was the oldest unmarried woman she had ever heard of. “Does Uncle Shadow know about Marty?”
“If he doesn’t yet, he will soon. I sent a letter back to the winter camp two weeks ago.” Her mouth quirked into a smile that was half sarcastic. “Maybe he doesn’t. I haven’t heard him roar about it. I figure news like his daughter wanting to be courted will make him howl loud enough to be heard across two states.”
Now Olivia patted her cousin on the knee. “Marty is a good guy. He’s Kearney’s representative in Omaha; he can afford to support you, and his brother is good friends with the Pack. What could Uncle Shadow possibly have against him?”
“I don’t know.” Victoria looked sincerely troubled. “But there’s something about Marty. I don’t know what it is, but something seems a little off.”
“Off?”
“No, off isn’t the right word. It’s nothing bad. Just different. I think—”
But Olivia didn’t hear what Victoria thought because at that moment Kit came through the door. His big smile and shining eyes told her he had won her parents’ blessing. Silence descended over the entire room. When he located her his smile grew even brighter. She flew across the room and into his arms. Warmth shot through her when he clutched her tightly to him for a moment. She missed it immediately when he released her. The tight silence was broken by low murmurs when he went down on one knee in front of her.
“Olivia Stensrud,” he said formally, as if reciting a memorized speech, “would you do me the very great honor of becoming my wife?”
From the corner of her eye she saw Aunt Sara muffle a gasp behind her hand, and then blink hard as if to keep tears back. “Aw, how sweet,” she breathed, hand sliding down to press against her throat.
Olivia stared down into his anxious face. He had never looked more handsome. “Yes.”
Kit’s eyes went wide. “Yes?” he whispered.
She didn’t want to whisper. She wanted everyone to know she was going to marry him. “Yes!” she shouted. “Yes, Kit, I’ll marry you!”
Leaping to his feet, he clamped her hand hard against his chest. “When?” he demanded, face shining with eagerness. “Tonight?”
She laughed. “Tonight? That’s too soon.”
His eagerness didn’t dim. “Tomorrow?”
“No!” shouted several women in the room.
Kit blinked and clutched her hand more tightly to his chest. She looked over her shoulder and saw aunt Sara and aunt Marissa pushing their way to them. Aunt Sara shook her finger in Kit’s face. “We need time to plan the wedding.”
“We need to make Olivia a dress,” added Marissa.
Connie stepped forward. “Renée will need time to prepare the wedding feast. Rushing something like that will really piss her off. Believe me, you don’t want to get on her bad side.”
Kit’s fingers tightened on hers. His eyes looked desperate. “Then when? How long will this take?”
Multiple voices rose in a confused babble about dresses and flowers, locations and decorations, cakes and steaks, and things that Olivia didn’t catch. She stared into Kit’s eyes, not caring about any of that. His chest was warm beneath her fingers and a new feeling of possession came to her. He was hers. They didn’t even need an official ceremony to make true. It wasn’t that long ago that a marriage was sealed by a wedding night, not a priest saying special words over the couple. Even now many of her Lakota relatives didn’t bother with the Christian ceremony.
“Kit,” she whispered, “I don’t need a special dress. We can go to Kearney’s Catholic church by ourselves. I’ll marry you tomorrow.”
His face took on a happy glow that faded instantly when her mother’s voice came from the door behind him. “Absolutely not.” Her voice cut through the jabbering like a knife. Silence fell. “Olivia, you are the first daughter of the Wolf Clan to marry in decades. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate ceremony, but you are not sneaking off. Your young man has gone to the trouble to get your father’s permission to marry you, so we going to do this right.”
“Besides,” said Sara with a sly wink, “where would you spend your wedding night if you sneak off without warning?”
Kit’s green gold eyes met Olivia’s. A tiny tremor of heat started deep inside her. “That’s a good point. I guess I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
“I have,” Kit said with a purr in his voice. “I can arrange a private room in the bunkhouse where I’m staying.”
“No!” shouted nearly everyone in the room.
Her dad slipped around Kit and put his hand on her shoulder. “Christmas is a week off. If we set your wedding ceremony for December 23, that gives all the ladies five days to get everything set. That ought to be enough time to get a dress ready, arrange for the priest to come here, and to make a good dinner.” He looked around the room with his usual stoic expression. “Sound good?”
There was a chorus of mostly cheerful agreement. Her dad squeezed her shoulder. “Since you’re engaged I guess you can have a little time alone. That little dining room is empty.”
Kit teeth shone white in a huge smile. He turned to pull her with him out the door. Her father said in a fiercely pleasant voice, “And when I say a little time, I mean ten minutes. Not a second more.”
Kit’s smile fell. Olivia squeezed his hand. She didn’t bother to whisper since nearly everyone in the room would be able to hear her anyway. “In five days we can spend all the time alone we want.”
That seemed to cheer Kit up. “Yes,” he agreed exuberantly. “And we can do it naked.”
Tuesday Teaser 2/2/16: Olivia’s Mate
Hey, look! It’s February. That means I get to turn to a new month in my The Walking Dead wall calendar. And who do we have this month? Why, it’s Glenn and Maggie! I liked Glenn right from the start, and Maggie has grown on me. Less than two weeks until TWD is on again!
The overtime at the day job continues. *yawn* It will go through the end of February. I bet I’ll be happy about it when I get my pay check, but for right now I’m kind of grumpy. I hate it when my job gets in the way of my writing! LOL It will slow me down, but it won’t stop me from giving Kit and Olivia their happily ever after. Y’all might have to be patient with me for a week or so. 🙁
Here is the next bit in Olivia’s Mate. Enjoy!
“So.” Her dad looked Kit over with cool thoroughness. “You want to marry my daughter.”
Olivia watched Kit swallow. “Yes, sir,” he said.
After a long moment of silence her dad looked back at her mom. She stood up and came toward them. Her brothers stood up too, but her dad shot a hard look at them and shook his head minutely. Dissatisfaction and anger all over their faces, they sat down again.
“I guess we should take this somewhere more private.” Her dad jerked his chin at the door. “There’s a little dining area back way, if I recall.”
Yes there was. Olivia turned to lead the way, but her father put a hand on her arm. “No, Livvy.” His voice was more gentle than the look he’d given her brothers, but firm. “You stay here.”
“But, Dad,” she began.
“No, go sit down with Taylor and Parker.” Dry humor colored his tone. “I think they still have something to say to you.”
She turned to Kit and squeezed his hand. She wished she dared kiss him, but it wasn’t a good idea to rile dad right now, so she just smiled. “I’ll see you in a little while. I’ll be waiting right here for you.”
*
This was a moment Tracker should have expected. Any father of a young woman would have to deal with her suitors requesting permission to marry his daughter. Olivia was plenty old enough for courting, but somehow he still thought she was a child. He stalked into the smaller room with its one table and half a dozen chairs.
“Sit,” he growled at the cat.
The cat, looking ridiculously young, took off his coat and hung it carefully on the back of a chair before sitting. Tracker remained standing, arms folded over his chest. Tami came to stand beside him so they were both standing in front of the cat. He let the silence stretch, waiting for the cat to break. He didn’t, just keeping his hands on his thighs and his eyes turned up at them. Tracker gave him a sliver of respect for his composure. He leaned slightly toward the cat and inhaled. He couldn’t tell truth from lies like Stone, but he could scent emotions. Nervous? Yeah, this cat smelled of nerves, but there were other things too, like determination and hope.
“What’s your name, boy?” Tracker didn’t bother to gentle his voice or even try to sound civil. If the cat could be scared off by words or tone alone, he couldn’t keep Olivia safe. Any man who wanted to be Olivia’s husband had to be strong.
“I’m Christopher McQueen. Most people call me Kit.”
“All right. Why do you want to marry my daughter, Mr. McQueen?” he said quietly.
“She’s my mate.” That was quick and definite. “And I love her.”
That’s what Stone had said. Tracker slid a quick look at his mate and saw Tami lift a single eyebrow in an expression of doubt. Once again the young man kept still, only watching them without speaking more.
“Do you think you’re good enough for my daughter?”
For the first time he looked away, studying his fingers spread over his knees. After a moment he looked back up. “Maybe not, but I’ll do anything I can to make her happy.”
“What do you have to offer her?”
Tracker watched as Kit’s jaw squared. There was softness in the youth of the face, but there was character there too. “I don’t have land. I don’t have money. I know those things are important to humans. I’m strong and willing to work. I’m a good hunter. But the most important thing I have to offer Olivia is a heart that has never loved another woman and never will love another woman. Only her.”
Tami shifted an inch closer to him. Tracker was sent back to that moment so long ago in the dark corner of the den’s rec room when Tami had asked him to marry her. In that moment he hadn’t been sure that he was good enough for a woman like Tami or that he had anything to offer her. His life had been lived on the road, always roaming from one place to another, with no home to take her to. They had somehow managed to make each other happy for the past two and half decades. There had been some hard times over those years, but they had remained united. He wondered if this young man could possibly understand that love wasn’t just a feeling. Sometimes it was hard work. There were times when a man had to put his own plans aside and let his mate have her way, because that was what love did. It was worth it. He looked down into Tami’s eyes and knew she was thinking along the same lines. Her lips curled into a faint smile and she gave a slight nod.
Tracker gave Kit a hard stare. “My daughter tells me you’d like to take land near our place, raise cattle. You got any cows to start a herd?”
“No, sir.”
Tami spoke for the first time. “I think six cows would make a nice wedding present.”
Wild hope sprang into Kit’s eyes, tempered immediately into caution. “That would be very nice.”
Tracker hid an inner sigh. “Six cows ain’t enough to start a herd. You’ll need a bull. You work for me for one year and you’ll earn yourself wages and a bull. You can’t earn our daughter, no matter how hard you work. But she wants you.” He extended his hand to shake. “You have our blessing to marry Olivia.”
Tuesday Teaser 1/26/16: Olivia’s Mate
My goal was to have the rough draft of Olivia’s Mate done by the end of January. Thanks to overtime at the day job, that’s not going to happen. But I have only a chapter and a half left to write, so the end is near! Here is the next tidbit in Olivia and Kit’s story (unedited, of course!). You enjoy this while I go off to my local critique group meeting. I’m going to run the last chapter by them and get their take on the ending. 🙂
As Kit approached the gate to the house where his mate lived, he ran a hand over his hair to smooth it. Her parents had arrived this afternoon. He had watched from a distance and immediately recognized her father when the man stepped from the train. He hadn’t appeared particularly happy even when he saw his daughter. Her brothers had been worse. Her father’s face had been cool, but theirs had been angry. He must be the only reason they would be angry with their sister.
The icy night wind caught his hair again. His hand trembled slightly when he reached it to pull it back. The guard came to the gate. He recognized Gray Shirt. He was the son of Des and Connie.
“Hey, Kit” said Gray, opening the gate. His oddly light blue eyes crinkled in a smile. “You’re a little early. You might want to hang out here with me for a while.”
As Kit stepped through to the yard, he heard a roar muffled by distance. He froze, trying to identify the voice. “What’s going on?”
Gray barred the gate and turned back to him. His grin was friendly. “Just a little family discussion.”
“Is Olivia okay? Is she— Her parents… Are they angry?”
“Nope, it looks like Aunt Tami and Uncle Tracker are okay with you. Maybe not thrilled, but okay. Parker and Taylor, though …” He gave a mock wince at the next roar. “Well, you can hear how well they are taking it.”
Kit stared at him. “Why are you being so friendly? Don’t you hate me too?”
“Nope.”
“But you used to.”
The other man shrugged, one of his black braids sliding over his shoulder to hang down his chest. “That was before Stone cleared you. Since you’re going to be marrying my cousin, I guess we should be friends.”
Kit clutched his arm. “Am I? Am I going to marry Olivia?”
Gray cocked his head toward the house. “It might not sound like it right now, but never bet against a Clan woman. We men try to take care of them, but they’ve been raised to think for themselves.” A smile spread over his face as the sound of a feminine screech rose. “Hear that? Olivia seems pretty set on marrying you.”
He had to go find her. When he took a step toward the house, Gray stopped him with a hand on his chest. “Where you going? Better hold off a while.”
They both heard the sound of footsteps the same time. Their heads turned to search the dark outside the gate. And it was Stone, followed by a shorter round figure and four more.
“Stone. Aunt Sara.” Gray opened the gate for them. “Come in. India, you’ve grown. You must be how old now? Twelve?”
The smallest of the figures answered with dignity, “Thirteen.”
Kit wanted to go to Olivia but he found himself pinned in place by a pair of narrow brown eyes in a plump, pretty face with a smile lines showing age. This woman must be Stone’s mate.
“You must be the young man that Olivia is in love with,” she said. Glee threaded her words. “We got here just in time, Spot. Let’s go in quick so we don’t miss anything.” She beckoned to the four other people who had come in with her and Kit realized they must be her children. Amazingly, two of them were girls. “Come on, kids.”
Kit was going to follow them in, but Stone put a hand on his arm. “Hold on a minute. Let’s give Sara and the kids a minute to say hello and get settled. She’d be disappointed to not see the whole show.”
With effort, Kit relaxed. He owed this man. Gray said the reason he accepted Kit as a future cousin was because of Stone’s word. He should be polite. The four children following the round woman into the house weren’t all children. The largest was a young man in his late teens. “You have a nice family,” Kit ventured. “Your son is named Spot?”
“No.” Stone’s voice was dry. “It would be me. My mate’s idea of a love name. No, we have five children, two boys and three girls. Cut Ear, Red Paint Woman, Black Sun, and India are here. Suzanne is only seven and she decided to stay at the den tonight. It’s too cold for her and besides she wanted to play with her favorite cousin.” The ghost of a smile drifted over Stone’s lips. “Colby is amazingly patient with her.”
Kit spared a moment to be fervently thankful that Colby hadn’t come. The roars had dwindled to murmurs. He hoped that meant things had been resolved in his favor. “Can we go in now?”
“Sure.”
*
Olivia shot her brothers one last disgruntled look. They had subsided, scowling, onto one of the couches in the family room. Satisfied that they would finally be quiet, she turned when the door opened.
“Aunt Sara!” She enveloped the older woman in a hug. “Oh, you’re cold. Come sit by the fire. Alexia — I mean Red Paint Woman, it’s so good to see you.” Most of her girl cousins went by their European names, but not this one. Red Paint Woman was tall and slender and stately, but she gave Olivia an enthusiastic hug.
“I saw your mate outside,” she whispered. “He’s handsome.”
Olivia’s heart gave a leap. He was here! She shot a single quick glance at her father. He was greeting Sara gravely and shaking hands with Cut Ear and Black Sun. She made herself turn away from the door. “India, look how big you are. You look just like your father.”
There was a round of hugging and a shuffling of seats for the newcomers. Just as everyone was settling in, the door opened and Stone came in. Olivia smiled at him. Her smile grew when she looked past her uncle to the man behind him. Kit returned her smile, but he immediately looked around the room. Even crowded as it was, he seemed to have no trouble finding her dad. She watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed.
Her dad stood still, watching Kit with his usual impassive face. He didn’t look away even when he murmured into Stone’s ear. Stone replied in a voice too low for Olivia to hear. She hoped he was telling dad about how truly Kit loved her. She looked quickly at Kit. He was watching her dad. She crossed to him and slipped her hand in his. He looked down at her quickly, and gave her fingers a squeeze. Of course her brothers growled. She gave them the evilest eye she was capable of. It didn’t stop them. Her father’s cold glance did. He nodded once to Stone and came toward them. Kit’s fingers tightened almost painfully on hers.
“So.” Her dad looked Kit over with cool thoroughness. “You want to marry my daughter.”
She watched Kit swallow. “Yes, sir,” he said.
After a long moment of silence her dad looked back at her mom. She stood up and came toward them. Her brothers sprang up, but dad shot a hard look at them and shook his head minutely. Dissatisfaction and anger all over their faces, they sat down again.
“I guess we should take this somewhere more private.” Her dad jerked his chin at the door. “There’s a little dining area back that way, if I recall.”
Tuesday Teaser1/19/16: Olivia’s Mate
We’re getting down to the last couple of chapters in Olivia’s Mate! The writing is going a bit slowly, as I’m working overtime at the day job and busy with other things 3 nights a week. At least I can say that on every night I’ve had available I have done at least some writing. Slow and steady wins the race, right?
This latest bit is a lot of dialogue. When I revise, I may do some re-writing here. But I like the time with Tracker and Tami. What do you think?
Supper was oddly tense. Well, maybe it wasn’t so odd, Olivia admitted privately. Renee’s chili and cornbread were warm and tasty, and the dozen or so people crowded around the table were laughing and talking over each other as usual. Everyone wanted to hear how her parents and brothers had been and how the ranch was. Conversation covered Christmas, and the weather, and the health and doings of every member of the Clan and Packs. The one subject no one brought up was Kit, but he there, like a buffalo that everyone politely pretended wasn’t in the room. As she ate, Olivia tried to think of the best approach to the impending conversation.
Nothing seemed right. Supper was quickly over, and when her brothers moved toward her, her parents waved them off. Olivia led her parents up to Des and Connie’s apartment and sat down in the one armchair. Her parents took the couch. Olivia swallowed and waited for her parents to say something. At least Parker and Taylor hadn’t been allowed to join in this meeting.
For several minutes her parents simply looked at her. Finally, her mom said, “You look good, Olivia. Happy.”
Geez, Mom didn’t have to sound so surprised. “I am happy,” Olivia replied quickly. Her breath stalled for a moment as that sank in. “I really am.”
Her parents exchanged a quick glance. Her father leaned forward, his elbows on his thighs and his eyes fixed on his callused hands dangling between his knees. Slowly, he looked up at her. “Livvy, we’re worried about you. You haven’t written for nearly a month.”
She shifted in the chair, staring at her fingers to avoid her parents’ eyes. “I know. I meant to. I’m really sorry.”
“Let’s not beat around the bush.” Her mom sat ramrod straight, back not touching the couch. “You have been seeing that cat.”
She said ‘that cat’ like it was a swear word. Olivia had to swallow twice before managing to speak. “Kit. Yeah.”
Dead silence. Her parents didn’t even glance at each other. They probably didn’t need to. After all those years of being married, they could probably read each other’s minds. Olivia looked between them, trying to decide which would be more open to what she wanted to say. She’d thought her mom would be, but maybe not.
“Olivia,” her mom said quietly. Olivia wasn’t fooled by the quiet. Her mom was angry. “You’ve written every week since you came to Kearney. In those letters you’ve told us about a dozen different boys who wanted to court you. But you didn’t say one word about this one. Why?”
Olivia floundered. “Well, because … Because…”
“Because,” her mother finished in that same quiet voice, “you knew how your father and I would feel about it.”
Olivia stopped squirming. “That was part of it,” she admitted.
She looked from her mother’s face to her father’s. It wasn’t always easy to know what he was thinking, but it seemed that his cool eyes held hurt. “When Kit first came to Kearney I was surprised. I didn’t know what to think.” Her mind went back to those minutes in the Martins’ store. Shock had numbed her for a moment, but a spike of something had jabbed a hole in the shock. Excitement? Happiness? Curiosity? It might have been a mixture of all three or something else, but it hadn’t been fear. “At first I didn’t write because I wasn’t sure what to say. I was going wait until I knew what my feelings were. I didn’t want to alarm you.”
Her dad looked at her. “Do you know what your feelings are now?”
“Yes.” Olivia sat straight, making herself look each of her parents directly in the eye. “I love him.”
Olivia wondered how silence could sound shocked. The look of angry horror on her mom’s face hurt. Not a muscle in her dad’s face moved, but Olivia remembered that night on the mountainside when her dad had told Kit he would kill him if he ever came near his daughter again.
“And he loves me too,” she hurried to add.
“Those are just words,” sputtered her mom. “They don’t necessarily mean anything.”
Olivia clenched her hands on her knees. “Yes, they do! I told him back when he took me that I could be with someone who wasn’t civilized, so he lived with regular people for a year to learn how to be civilized.”
“Livvy,” her dad said, “you’re our baby girl. We want you to be safe and happy.”
Taking a deep breath, Olivia forced her hands to relax. This was the attitude that Victoria had been dealing with for her whole life. Except, she amended, that Uncle Shadow tended to roar and howl, and her parents kept their voices calm and low.
“Mom. Dad. I love you and I’ll always be your daughter, but I’m not a baby girl any more. I’m grown up now.” She blinked back tears. “I love Kit and he loves me. We’re going to be married. We want your blessing.”
Her mom was shaking her head. “Olivia, how long have you known him? A few weeks? That’s not long enough for love to take root.”
Olivia turned to her dad. “He loves me. Uncle Stone says he does. Kit says he will do anything he can to make me happy. Uncle Stone said he’s telling the truth.”
Her dad’s posture eased minutely. He and her mother exchanged another of those glances that showed nothing but which they seemed to understand completely. “That’s good,” he said in a neutral tone. “Will you be happy living with the mountain cats?”
“We won’t be.” She took her dad’s leathery hand. “They kicked him out because he wanted to learn to become civilized.” She took one of her mom’s hands too. “We’re thinking of taking over the Scranton place. Raise some cattle.”
Her mom’s hand clutched hers hard. “That’s only eight miles from our ranch.”
“Yeah. I’d still be right there. You’d see me all the time.”
Her parents looked at each other again. After a long minute of silent conversation, her dad nodded. “Your mother and I’ll talk it over.”
She didn’t let them free their hands from her grip. “Kit is coming by tonight. You can talk to him too.”
Olivia was sure there was a violent struggle going on behind her dad’s eyes. He squeezed her hand. “Okay. We’ll talk to him too.”
“You won’t attack him?”
The corners of her dad’s mouth turned up a fraction in a tiny smile. “I won’t attack him.”
She lurched forward to grab her mom and dad in a big hug. “Thank you. You’ll like him.”
Her mom gave a sigh that stirred the hair at Olivia’s ear. She leaned back to look into Olivia’s eyes. “Will you really marry him even if we don’t approve?”
Olivia steeled herself. “Yes. But I’d really, really rather have your approval.”
Her mom looked at her for a long moment before nodding. “We’ll see.”
As Olivia hurried out she heard her mom sigh again. “Our little girl has grown up.”
“Yeah,” her dad agreed, with a hint of sorrow in his cool voice. “We better have a word with the boys.”
