"Just water for me," Becca said, and Harper was quick to agree, still unable to meet Nathan's gaze. She was aware of him, though, moving about in the kitchen, hearing the refrigerator open and close. She was afraid to lift her gaze to his as he returned, afraid he would see the deep yearning.
Get ahold of yourself, she said to herself in a stern voice, doing her best to rein in her out-of-control emotions. She managed a smile, taking the bottle he offered her with a swift upward glance. "Thank you."
She took a deep breath, settling herself as she counted in five, then out five on the exhale. She could do this.
Her fox nudged her.Mate.
Not helping!
Nathan settled himself in an armchair at right angles to the sofa where Becca and Harper sat. His admiring gaze was on her, his brown eyes alight with interest. They were a light brown, though not chocolate. More, Harper thought, the color of honey, or caramel.
"I've seen that rescue at Yosemite," he said with clear approval, and a little awe. "That was amazing. Courageous."
Harper winced a little. "In retrospect it feels like the stupidest thing I've ever done," she admitted.
"You didn't know he was a shifter," Becca defended. "Maroulla told us about it."
"If it had been an actual bear, those people would have been in real trouble," Nathan seconded.
"Oh, I do know that," Harper said. It was easier now to talk, the magnetic attraction she was feeling more under control. "That could have been so, so bad. I didn't even think, when I saw that man with the bear behind him. I just let Reyna... my fox... take over."
Nathan looked interested. "Reyna? She has a separate name, like Katerina's cat is called Cat?"
"Yes." She couldn't hold his gaze any longer, and her eyes dropped to the bottle of water she held. Words dried on her tongue, and she felt the color creep into her cheeks once more.
"Not all animals are vocal," Becca came to her rescue, and Harper aimed a grateful glance at her. "Jake told me that some communicate with us in words, some in mental images and feelings. And even those that communicate in words, some are quite fluent, while others are more... umm..."
"Monosyllabic," Harper said, and Becca nodded.
"Right, that. It just depends."
"Which one is yours, Harper?" Nathan asked, then held up his hand, his gaze flying to Becca. "Wait. Is that okay for me to ask? It's not considered rude, is it?"
"Not at all," Becca laughed, and she and Harper exchanged grins.
"Ask anything you want," Harper told him, calling up a shy smile. "I guess you are new to knowing about us?"
Next to her, Becca grinned, and she and Nathan exchanged glances. His eyes were twinkling with something very like mischief as he looked at Harper.
"Come on. I have something to show you."
He and Becca stood up, and Harper rose as well, the surge of curiosity making Reyna peek her head out of the dark corner of her mind where she liked to lurk.
Surprise?
I guess so,Harper answered, her eyes on Becca , who looked positively gleeful.Something is definitely up.
Ahead of them, Nathan pushed open the back door, and she followed Becca outside into the back yard. Harper paused just outside the door, staring in surprise. Fully half the yard was taken up by a pen made of very solid-looking wood posts and chicken wire. Inside, against the back fence, was a large wooden structure with a ramp leading to a doorway large enough for a big dog. Reyna perked her ears up, sounding definitely gleeful.Chickens?She couldn't blame her fox, it did look exactly like a chicken coop, albeit an extremely upscale model. But, still, in the middle of the suburbs?
Nathan went to the gate, lifting the latch and holding it for them to come through. Becca was close on Harper's heels, and leaned in to whisper, "You're going to just die."
"Jill," Nathan called softly. "Come on out, there's someone who wants to meet you."
The shadows inside the doorway of the hutch seemed to move, then slowly a small bunny's nose emerged, followed by the cute face and ears and....
"Oh, my God!" Harper breathed. She swayed, and felt Becca 's arm come about her waist, steadying her. "Is that... is that...?" She couldn't even say it. Surely she must be seeing things. Hallucinating, maybe?
"A jackalope," Becca confirmed.
